Looking at a new PC, but unsure what to get..

[Andrew_P]

Hi Everyone,

Its my first post in the forums so please be gentle

I am looking at ordering desktop PC, however was just after some advice as not sure what to go for really.

The main game I play on the PC is Football Manager, which I understand is very CPU intensive, so I was looking at going for the best I can afford. For example a 6700K i7.

Just wanted some advice on what other components would be best to go with.

I have around £1,000 to spend so hopefully I can get something that will last me for the next 4/5 years hopefully?

Also would it be worth waiting for Kaby Lake early next year do you think?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated

Thanks all

Andrew

 

[Oussebon]

The main difference between an i5 and an i7 is hyperthreading. As far as I can tell, FM doesn't really benefit from that. I don't play it myself and there are people who claim that it does as in this thread: https://community.sigames.com/topic/352625-does-fm-utilise-hyper-threading-i7-vs-i5/ but the benchmarks they seem to rest their case on seem to show higher frequency and IPC winning out over hyperthreading.

Therefore you may be better off with an overclocked i5 rather than a stock i7.

So maybe something like this if you can stretch a bit:

Case
ZALMAN Z11 PLUS BLACK MID TOWER CASE
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™i5-6600K Quad Core (3.50GHz @ upto 4.60GHz)
Motherboard
ASUS® Z170-P: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX SAVAGE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB Kit)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP

FREE HOLIDAY SEASON BUNDLE with select GTX 10 Series GPUs!
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
1TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE
1[SUP]st[/SUP] DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212X (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler
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
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,062.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-skylake-overclocked/PVdKatP2vH/

You'll probably want to add an SSD as a DIY upgrade before too long as well.

If that seems expensive then Kaby Lake could be worth waiting for as it will offer higher clock speeds than Skylake. But they actually have the same IPC so if PC Specialist offer a 4.6ghz OC on Kaby Lake it won't actually be any faster than the Skylake build above.

 

[Andrew_P]

The main difference between an i5 and an i7 is hyperthreading. As far as I can tell, FM doesn't really benefit from that. I don't play it myself and there are people who claim that it does as in this thread: https://community.sigames.com/topic/352625-does-fm-utilise-hyper-threading-i7-vs-i5/ but the benchmarks they seem to rest their case on seem to show higher frequency and IPC winning out over hyperthreading.

Therefore you may be better off with an overclocked i5 rather than a stock i7.

So maybe something like this if you can stretch a bit:

Case
ZALMAN Z11 PLUS BLACK MID TOWER CASE
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™i5-6600K Quad Core (3.50GHz @ upto 4.60GHz)
Motherboard
ASUS® Z170-P: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX SAVAGE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB Kit)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP

FREE HOLIDAY SEASON BUNDLE with select GTX 10 Series GPUs!
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
1TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE
1[SUP]st[/SUP] DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212X (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler
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
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,062.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-skylake-overclocked/PVdKatP2vH/

You'll probably want to add an SSD as a DIY upgrade before too long as well.

If that seems expensive then Kaby Lake could be worth waiting for as it will offer higher clock speeds than Skylake. But they actually have the same IPC so if PC Specialist offer a 4.6ghz OC on Kaby Lake it won't actually be any faster than the Skylake build above.

Thanks Oussebon, you have been a great help

Do you think the CoolerMaster Hyper 212X (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler will be suffecient if over clocking?

Thanks

Andrew

 

[Oussebon]

PCS's overclock is reasonably middle of the road. The Noctua would be better but the CM212x will get by.

 

[Andrew_P]

PCS's overclock is reasonably middle of the road. The Noctua would be better but the CM212x will get by.

Thanks Oussebon

I have been playing around with specifications this evening and just wondered what you think of what I priced up. I would be prepared to go a bit over my budget as more than likely wont be ordering until after I get paid at the end of the month. So I might have a bit extra to spend possibly around £1200. I do have to factor in i need a monitor as well so will have to allow at least £100 for this as well.

If you have any other recommendations that would be great

Thanks again

Andrew

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 200R COMPACT GAMING CASE
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™i5-6600K Quad Core (3.50GHz @ upto 4.60GHz)
Motherboard
ASUS® Z170-P: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX SAVAGE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB Kit)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP
FREE HOLIDAY SEASON BUNDLE with select GTX 10 Series GPUs!
1st Hard Disk
NOT REQUIRED
M.2 SSD Drive
512GB INTEL® 600p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (upto 1775MB/sR | 560MB/sW)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
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
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,215.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-skylake-overclocked/gPnWVZBq0J/

 

[Scott]

I wouldn't recommend the Intel M2 drive, it would be better to either go with a standard 1TB drive for now and fit a SM961 M2 drive at a later date or hold off until the M2 testing is finished on the SM961 drives and select that when available. If additional storage is not a requirement for you then I would definitely hold off for the best primary drive (SM961).

I would also recommend the silver warranty which allows 1 year of collect and returns for £5.

 

[Oussebon]

I'd second the advice above.

 

[Andrew_P]

Thanks both

I think I am going to hold off until I can order one of the SM961 drives when they become available.

 

[Scott]

I believe they are now available.

 

[Oussebon]

I believe they are now available.

That's what I thought too, then I tried to add one in the configurator and saw it wasn't there (any more?). Seems to be there for the laptops but not the desktops.

Though for all I know that will have changed (again) by the time the next person reads this

I don't even know what PCS are doing with the configurator at the moment. Hopefully they'll get it all straightened out soon.

 

[Andrew_P]

Hope so as I am waiting to order my desktop

Would you say theres much of a difference between the normal speed of the i7-6700K and the overclocked one which goes up to 4.6GHz?

Cheers

Andrew

 

[Oussebon]

This gives an idea of the difference: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1543?vs=1549 How much you'll notice the difference will vary from game to game.

However, the cost difference between an overclocked and non-overclocked system with matched components from PCS is something like £8-10 (or it was last time I looked). So if you're buying the high end components required for overclocking anyway it's generally worth it to get the overclock, since it's (almost) "free" extra performance that you get under the warranty as well.

 

[Andrew_P]

This gives an idea of the difference: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1543?vs=1549 How much you'll notice the difference will vary from game to game.

However, the cost difference between an overclocked and non-overclocked system with matched components from PCS is something like £8-10 (or it was last time I looked). So if you're buying the high end components required for overclocking anyway it's generally worth it to get the overclock, since it's (almost) "free" extra performance that you get under the warranty as well.

Thanks Oussebon

Thinking I may go for the overclocked i7-6700K when the Samsung M2 drives become available to order again.

 

[Andrew_P]

Well I still haven't ordered yet yet

Nice to see the Samsung M2 drives are available to order again.

I have pretty much decided to wait until Kaby Lake is available in January. Would you say it's worth spending more on a motherboard when a new processor comes out?

Thanks all

Andrew

 

[Stephen M]

Nothing can be really future proof but a decent mobo should give you options to add upgrade in the future, I would certainly get advice from those more knowledgeable than me but my way of doing it would be to look at what I want/need now and what I would be likely to add or upgrade to. There is always the possibility that new technology will not work with older kit but some will if you start with the right stuff.

 

[Andrew_P]

Hi All,

I now see the Kaby Lake processors are out.

Have £1,200 to spend but just wondered what people think of this build

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 200R COMPACT GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-7700k (4.2GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z270-P: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX FURY DDR4 2133MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 950 - 2 x DVI, HDMI, DP
1st Hard Disk
NOT REQUIRED
M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SAMSUNG SM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3200MB/R, 1700MB/W)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11 AC1750 1,300Mbps/5GHz, 450Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
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
DVD Recovery Media
Windows 10 (64-bit) Home DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
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 3 to 5 working days
Quantity
1

 

[Oussebon]

The main game I play on the PC is Football Manager, which I understand is very CPU intensive, so I was looking at going for the best I can afford. For example a 6700K i7.

A GTX 1050 is more powerful than a GTX 950 and is £14 cheaper. So at the very least swap to that

Do you play any other games? And if so, what kind of thing? If there are any modern / intensive titles in there you may want to fork out £45 more for an RX 470 given that that's like 3-4% of your overall budget and would improve gaming performance by ~50% on high settings.


Will you be looking to overclock the CPU?

What else will you be doing with the PC? Particularly in the context of having selected a 512gb SM961 and an AC1750 wifi card?

 

[Andrew_P]

A GTX 1050 is more powerful than a GTX 950 and is £14 cheaper. So at the very least swap to that

Do you play any other games? And if so, what kind of thing? If there are any modern / intensive titles in there you may want to fork out £45 more for an RX 470 given that that's like 3-4% of your overall budget and would improve gaming performance by ~50% on high settings.
View attachment 9523

Will you be looking to overclock the CPU?

What else will you be doing with the PC? Particularly in the context of having selected a 512gb SM961 and an AC1750 wifi card?

Thanks for your reply Oussebon

To be honest at this moment in time I only really Football Manager that I play on the PC.

I was not looking to overclock the PC at all.

Other than that just general browsing, watching you tube videos really, so I guess could drop on the 512Gb to the 128gb maybe? I chose the Wi-Fi card as thought this would be easier than buying a USB adaptor?

Would appreciate your thoughts

Cheers

Andrew

 

[Oussebon]

I'd say a fair balance of SSD would be 256gb. 120gb can get full fairly quickly with the OS, programs, and a game or two, while if the OS, programs, and a game or two is all you really have on there 512gb is arguably excessive. 256gb SSD +/- a 1TB HDD for mass storage (photos, movies, etc) is a popular option.

You could save on the PSU and the cooler. If you're not overclocking you don't need the CS PSU and while the Noctua is good the CM212x is fine. If you want to spend more on those components, they have their own merits quite apart from overclocking so go ahead - but you can save £ there if you want to.

I'd suggest getting the Z270E motherboard. It has better features like USB 3.1, better onboard audio, 2 M.2 slots, and also built in 867mbps wifi (which ought to be more than enough for casual use and gaming) and Bluetooth 4.1. It's more expensive but not buying a wifi card pays for most of that anyway.

I might go for the Inwin G7 case as it apparently has slightly better cooling and it also has a switch where you can turn the fans down if you're watching a movie and want the PC quieter for the same price. But the 200R is fine for your spec if that's what you want.

Case
InWIN G7 BRUSHED EFFECT DARK GREY CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-7700k (4.2GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB Kingston DUAL DDR4 2133MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1050 - DVI, HDMI, DP
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
NOT REQUIRED
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG SM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3100MB/R, 1400MB/W)
1[SUP]st[/SUP] DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES™ VS-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212X (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
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
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
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 3 to 5 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,144.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-z270-pc/yMgZb8ExvX/

 

[Andrew_P]

I'd say a fair balance of SSD would be 256gb. 120gb can get full fairly quickly with the OS, programs, and a game or two, while if the OS, programs, and a game or two is all you really have on there 512gb is arguably excessive. 256gb SSD +/- a 1TB HDD for mass storage (photos, movies, etc) is a popular option.

You could save on the PSU and the cooler. If you're not overclocking you don't need the CS PSU and while the Noctua is good the CM212x is fine. If you want to spend more on those components, they have their own merits quite apart from overclocking so go ahead - but you can save £ there if you want to.

I'd suggest getting the Z270E motherboard. It has better features like USB 3.1, better onboard audio, 2 M.2 slots, and also built in 867mbps wifi (which ought to be more than enough for casual use and gaming) and Bluetooth 4.1. It's more expensive but not buying a wifi card pays for most of that anyway.

I might go for the Inwin G7 case as it apparently has slightly better cooling and it also has a switch where you can turn the fans down if you're watching a movie and want the PC quieter for the same price. But the 200R is fine for your spec if that's what you want.

Case
InWIN G7 BRUSHED EFFECT DARK GREY CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-7700k (4.2GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB Kingston DUAL DDR4 2133MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1050 - DVI, HDMI, DP
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
NOT REQUIRED
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG SM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3100MB/R, 1400MB/W)
1[SUP]st[/SUP] DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES™ VS-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212X (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
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
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
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 3 to 5 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,144.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-z270-pc/yMgZb8ExvX/

Thanks Oussebon - That looks perfect to me, so I think I am going to go with that.

I was looking at the new range of laptops PC Specialist now have, especially the 17.3" Optimus VIII but upgrading the RAM and processor it only works out about £60 cheaper than getting a desktop. Also that particular model is not due back in stock until 1st February!