Buying a gaming PC for the first time! £2000 Budget

[Gedheed]

Hello guys. After about 5-6 years of wanting a great PC i've finally managed to get the money together and want to make sure what i'm getting is perfect. I've been using the info given by members in other threads and googling for the past few days now but it is quite a lot to learn. Here is what i've got so far, would appreciate any thoughts and suggestions!

I am pretty sure about the CPU and GPU. the rest i am still not totally decided, as I dont want to be cheaping out in some areas I may have missed or overspending when I shouldn't be. The PC will be used mainly as a gaming PC :sorcerer:

Edit: specific questions I have are: any advice on a motherboard to pair with the 7700k for the best quality and price? And can anyone give me any more information on the best HD/SSD as well as tell me if the cooling is overkill? Thanks!

Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 460X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-7700k (4.2GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING: LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GB, Wi-Fi - RGB Ready!
Memory
(RAM)16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
11GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 Ti - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - GTX VR Ready!1st
Hard Disk
1TB WD BLACK 3.5" WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)M.2
SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1100MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY
DriveNOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i V2 Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
2x 50cm Blue LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & LicenceOperating System LanguageUnited Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days

 

[Oussebon]

What monitor will you be pairing it with / what resolution and refresh rate are you gaming on?

 

[Scott]

As well with an overclocked build and 3200 RAM IMO. Not sure how that affects your price though....

Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 460X RGB GAMING CASE
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™i7-7700k Quad Core (4.20GHz @ up to 4.8GHz)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING: LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GB, Wi-Fi - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
11GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 Ti - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - GTX VR Ready!
1st Hard Disk
1TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1100MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i V2 Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price £2,035.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z270-overclocked/3R6cdd6jk4/

The Ti is a monster card, good for 4K gaming. As above, make sure you will make use of it within the timeframe you expect it to last before upgrade as you could save a few quid if you're looking at 1080p gaming.

 

[Gedheed]

What monitor will you be pairing it with / what resolution and refresh rate are you gaming on?

Hey, I'll be buying the monitor separately and so far haven't had much of a look. Given how much a friend bangs on about 144 hz monitors I'll most likely get one but I'm not sure on the resolution at the moment

 

[Gedheed]

As well with an overclocked build and 3200 RAM IMO. Not sure how that affects your price though....

Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 460X RGB GAMING CASE
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™i7-7700k Quad Core (4.20GHz @ up to 4.8GHz)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING: LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GB, Wi-Fi - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
11GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 Ti - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - GTX VR Ready!
1st Hard Disk
1TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1100MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i V2 Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price £2,035.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z270-overclocked/3R6cdd6jk4/

The Ti is a monster card, good for 4K gaming. As above, make sure you will make use of it within the timeframe you expect it to last before upgrade as you could save a few quid if you're looking at 1080p gaming.

Thanks for your feedback man. I will upgrade the RAM but was worried about getting an over clock with my first build. Will the pre-over lock suffice?

 

[Oussebon]

The build above is nice - though as The_Scotster says what GPU is right for you depends on the monitor.

What kind of budget do you have for the monitor? That might help narrow it down.

 

[Gedheed]

The build above is nice - though as The_Scotster says what GPU is right for you depends on the monitor.

What kind of budget do you have for the monitor? That might help narrow it down.

around £400-£500 I was thinking


also any reason why I tried to edit my opening post and it vanished?

 

[Gedheed]

Help with my first gaming pc - £2000 budget

Apologise for the double post, but for some reason my post was deleted and I'm thinking may have been in the wrong sub :turned:

[Spec was here but now the threads are merged it doesn-t need to be restated - Rakk]

 

[Oussebon]

It happens, especially to newer users. It will have been pulled for moderator approval by the forum automatically.

With ~£400-500 for a monitor, you should be able to afford a 4k g-sync screen or a 144/165hz 1440p gsync screen, so the 1080 ti would be a good fit there.

I think the build above is a good option.

 

[Gedheed]

It happens, especially to newer users. It will have been pulled for moderator approval by the forum automatically.

With ~£400-500 for a monitor, you should be able to afford a 4k g-sync screen or a 144/165hz 1440p gsync screen, so the 1080 ti would be a good fit there.

I think the build above is a good option.

a friend has just sent me a link to a very nice 144hz/1440p which is around £400, so that's great if I can put the card to good use.

The few parts which are really throwing me/stalling the ordering process are the motherboard, HD, SSD and cooling options. Do you have any advice on what I should be going with for quality and price as understanding the benefits is quite confusing to me. The cooling for example was £120 so if this is perhaps overkill i'd scale it back

edit: is the OC 7700k a must or will I be fine without?

 

[Rakk]

Apologise for the double post, but for some reason my post was deleted and I'm thinking may have been in the wrong sub :turned:

Yes Oussebon was correct, it was just awaiting approval, and because it was an edit it just made it look like the post disappeared. It's back now

 

[Gedheed]

Thank you Rakk.

Anymore feedback and especially on what I have mentioned would be extremely useful! Hoping to get this bad boy ordered today

 

[Oussebon]

a friend has just sent me a link to a very nice 144hz/1440p which is around £400, so that's great if I can put the card to good use.

The few parts which are really throwing me/stalling the ordering process are the motherboard, HD, SSD and cooling options. Do you have any advice on what I should be going with for quality and price as understanding the benefits is quite confusing to me. The cooling for example was £120 so if this is perhaps overkill i'd scale it back

edit: is the OC 7700k a must or will I be fine without?

1) What monitor? I think that if spending that much on one it's worth getting one with Gsync for the extra cost. You can also get 4k monitors with gsync for £400.
Thanks for your feedback man. I will upgrade the RAM but was worried about getting an over clock with my first build. Will the pre-over lock suffice?
e.g. Dell S2716DG (1440p, 144hz, gsync, often around ~£520)
AOC 27" AGON AG271QG (1440p, 165z, gsync, IPS panel, often around £560)
Acer Predator XB281HK (4K gsync, £400)

2) HDD and SSD
The HDD and SSD Scotster suggested are fine, and are what I would suggest for your budget. You could get a 2TB HDD for a bit more if you wanted. The WD Black HDDs are not worth the premium for your uses. The PM961 seems to offer the best balance of speed and price.

3) Mobo
I think the Z270E is the best mobo it's worth buying. The others have things like Thunderbolt, support for LN2 cooling. If you don't need those features you probably don't need to buy anything more expensive than the Z270E (which is already very expensive).

4) Cooing:
As for cooling options, I'd agree with The_Scotster's suggestion. Though I'd add 1 more case fan since the Corsair 460x doesn't have a rear extractor be default.

5) Overclock
I'd definitely get a pre-OCed system, as the OC can be a big asset in some games and the price difference is pretty small compared to a stock clocked system - iirc was under £10 last time I looked. The OC is covered under PCS's warranty. Also you can save the BIOS profile, and remove and restore the overclocked settings at will.

 

[Gedheed]

Any last advice before I take the plunge on my gaming pc tonight?

It's only taken a good few years but i'm finally splashing out (hopefully tonight) on my dream gaming PC.

I have so far been reviewing and comparing parts like crazy, as well as taking on board everything other members have said in a previous thread. I would just like any final opinions, thoughts or suggestions on my build before I take the plunge. Scary stuff! :sweatdrop:

Thanks guys

Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 460X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-7700k (4.2GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING: LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GB, Wi-Fi - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
11GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 Ti - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - GTX VR Ready!
1st Hard Disk
1TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1100MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i V2 Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
50cm Blue LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
FAST TRACK 5 WORKING DAY DISPATCH
Quantity
1

Price £2,056.00 including VAT and delivery

 

[Oussebon]

Pretty sure I posted in your other topic and that the post isn't visible yet because the moderation queue ate it.

Edit: Thanks Rakk for rescuing it. It's visible above now.

 

[Rakk]

Pretty sure I posted in your other topic and that the post isn't visible yet because the moderation queue ate it.

Threads merged and post approved (auto-mod thing is being stupid again!)

 

[Gedheed]

Pretty sure I posted in your other topic and that the post isn't visible yet because the moderation queue ate it.

Edit: Thanks Rakk for rescuing it. It's visible above now.

thanks for all your great suggestions bud you have been a massive help. Final few tweaks (looking at OC and another fan) and I'm good to order :taz: