New Gaming PC

Mulligan

Silver Level Poster
Hi,

Please could I get some feedback on specs for the new gaming PC I'm looking at? Good to hear if anything should be improved or any components are excessive.

Keeping price below £1,700. I do not require accessories (screen, keyboard, mouse, etc). It will live in the bedroom so I'm trying to keep the machine quiet. Not planning on overclocking at this time.

Thanks for any advice!

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE QUIET 400Q MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-6700k (4.0GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® Z170 PRO GAMING: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4 3000 MHz X.M.P (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 - DVI, HDMI, 3x DP - GTX VR Ready!
1st Hard Disk
480GB HyperX SAVAGE 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD BLACK 3.5" WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES™ VS-450 POWER SUPPLY
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-D15S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler (£69)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11 AC1900 1,300Mbps/5GHz, 600Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD (£49)
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 (£79)
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)

Price: £1,689.00 including VAT and delivery.
 

Mulligan

Silver Level Poster
I would suggest a modular 650w psu , if you are not likely to overclock the non-k version of the i7 cpu

Thanks for the quick reply.

Is the modular 650w psu significantly quieter?
For the cpu, is the extra 0.6Mhz you get with the k version not worth much in the real world?
 

jerpers

Master
I am a big fan of getting things as quiet as possible. Having modular cables allows for better airflow through the case therefore fans don't need to run as fast leading it to being quieter. Also, the CS series is built from higher quality components. With greater power headroom, the fan on the PSU will not spin up as early. It turns on as a percentage of the power used. My PSU is nearly 200w more than is needed (I was running sli) and the PSU fan did not need to spin up once even under heavy draw. Depending on what you are doing, .6mhz can make a difference. For example, I have noticed an improvement in VR performance by overclocking.
 

Mulligan

Silver Level Poster
Thanks for the feedback.

Would you advise any changes to the following components? I half guessed at which brands/type to go with:

Motherboard
ASUS® Z170 PRO GAMING: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4 3000 MHz X.M.P (2 x 8GB)
1st Hard Disk
480GB HyperX SAVAGE 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD BLACK 3.5" WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
 

jerpers

Master
If you are not into heavy tinkering and overclocking, you could save some money by stepping down to the next motherboard without any performance change.
The jump from 2133 to 2666 RAM is worthwhile as it is not very expensive. The jump to 3000Mhz IMO is too insignificant for the price increase. I highly doubt you will notice a difference.
1st HDD is good. I do like the blisteringly fast samsung 951 but it is a premium price.
WD black drives are great.

On a side note, I love the fractal design for quiet computing. My old PC has the R3 and now I have the R5. Having the case modular inside where I was able to remove HDD bays really helps with temps in a compact insulated case.
 

Mulligan

Silver Level Poster
Cool, I'll drop to the lower speed RAM. Hanging onto the motherboard and 6700K, thinking now that I might keep the door open to overclocking in a couple years.

Good call on the Fractal case, looks good.

Is it worth getting an additional (quiet) fan added?
 

jerpers

Master
It might well be worth it. I have my Rad at the front so have 2 sets of fans on each side of it on intake with the one exhaust it came with.
 
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