New to this type of PC buying. 2K euro to spend. Is anything here glaringly bad?

[stedoh]

Case
CORSAIR 230T COMPACT GAMING CASE - BLUE LED
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™i5-4670k Quad Core (3.40GHz @ max 4.20GHz)
Motherboard
ASUS® SABERTOOTH Z87: USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, THERMAL ARMOR
Memory (RAM)
16GB KINGSTON HYPERX BEAST DUAL-DDR3 2400MHz X.M.P (2 x 8GB KIT)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 770 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON HYPERX 3K SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 555MB/sR | 510MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 32MB CACHE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x BLU-RAY ROM DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (€85)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Seidon 120M High Performance CPU Cooler (€48)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (€12)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
DUAL-BAND WIRELESS 802.11N 450Mbps PCI-E CARD (€43)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 2 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (€97)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Monitor
BENQ GW2750HM 27" VA LED - 1920 x 1080, 4MS, DVI-D, HDMI (€238)
Keyboard & Mouse
CM Storm Devastator Keyboard and Mouse (€36)
Headsets
Creative HS-800 Fatal1ty Gaming Headset (€42)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (€16)
Delivery
2 - 3 DAY DELIVERY TO REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (€24)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Quantity
1

Price: €1,964.00 including VAT and delivery.

 

[Rakk]

Could you let us know what you are planning on using the machine for?

 

[steaky360]

Just a note, as far as I'm aware, the RTB warranty only covers returns from the UK and Northern Ireland.

Unless this has changed recently if you live outwith those areas the silver warranty may not be worth getting.

 

[Cadwah]

I'd go for something like this for your budget.

Case
COOLERMASTER HAF 912 PLUS MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-4770 (3.4GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® Z87-A: ATX, USB3.0, SATA6GB/S, SLi, XFIRE
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 780 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
240GB INTEL® 520 SERIES SSD (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW) (Special Offer)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (€109)
Processor Cooling
Super Quiet 22dBA Triple Copper Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler (€24)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
DUAL-BAND WIRELESS 802.11N 450Mbps PCI-E CARD (€43)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 2 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (€97)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Monitor
BENQ GW2750HM 27" VA LED - 1920 x 1080, 4MS, DVI-D, HDMI (€238)
Keyboard & Mouse
CM Storm Devastator Keyboard and Mouse (€36)
Headsets
Creative HS-800 Fatal1ty Gaming Headset (€42)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (€16)
Delivery
2 - 3 DAY DELIVERY TO REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (€24)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Quantity
1

Price: €1,985.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-haswell-pc/kaaqET7U29/

 

[mantadog]

Cadwah speaks a lot of sense, get the above spec.

 

[stedoh]

I'm looking to use this for Gaming, streaming content, some work stuff, primarily office but also some proprietary software that shouldn't be too intensive. I have seen friends purchase powerful machines and get value for money just based on how long they last compared to some of the less expensive/powerful machines I have purchased in the past. I want to get a powerful machine that will hopefully last and that I will be able to upgrade somewhere down the line. Thanks for the replies and for Cadwah and Mantadog, can you tell me (a novice) what are the advantages to the build Cadwah posted compared to mine. What were the mistakes in mine, why etc... Not experienced with this OR very wealthy so I want to get as much info as possible before I make a purchase

 

[mantadog]

Sure, no problems. I will just annotate the spec posted above with the general reasons why its better.

Case
COOLERMASTER HAF 912 PLUS MID TOWER GAMING CASE Case is personal choice, but best to spend roughly this much on it for your system, but apart from that pick what you like the look of.
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-4770 (3.4GHz) 8MB Cache This is fine for gaming, a standard i5 would be fine. Overclocking is not really needed for gaming, the overclock means the system runs hotter and noisier. i7 is the top end CPU and will last for ages.
Motherboard
ASUS® Z87-A: ATX, USB3.0, SATA6GB/S, SLi, XFIRE The sabretooth is overkill, the z87-a has all the expandability you will ever need. Plenty more room in it for upgrades and is a really nice board overall. The sabretooth is an enthusiast board, you don't need that.
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT) 8GB is fine for gaming, very easy to add more later anyway.
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 780 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready 780 is much better than the 770 so worth the upgrade, but the 770 is a fine card if you would rather save the cash
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
240GB INTEL® 520 SERIES SSD (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW) (Special Offer) This drive is on offer at the moment, double the capacity for an extra few quid is awesome and the drive itself is great quality.
2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm) Just a slightly faster drive for anything you cant fit on the SSD
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM Remember to insert your bluray drive here if needed
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (€109) Need the extra grunt for the 780 and any upgrade in the future.
Processor Cooling
Super Quiet 22dBA Triple Copper Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler (€24) Ample cooling for a non overclocked system. Nice and quiet too which I s a bonus.
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
DUAL-BAND WIRELESS 802.11N 450Mbps PCI-E CARD (€43)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 2 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (€97)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Monitor
BENQ GW2750HM 27" VA LED - 1920 x 1080, 4MS, DVI-D, HDMI (€238)
Keyboard & Mouse
CM Storm Devastator Keyboard and Mouse (€36)
Headsets
Creative HS-800 Fatal1ty Gaming Headset (€42)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (€16)
Delivery
2 - 3 DAY DELIVERY TO REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (€24)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Quantity
1

That's my take on it anyway, cadwah might have a slightly different idea but broadly that's the reasoning behind it.

Hope that clarifies it for you, if not just ask.

 

[Cadwah]

Yeah, nailed it Mantadog. The only other point I'd make is that if you are going to spend 2k on a gaming machine you want to spend a large proportion of that on the one component that defines how good your machine is. The GPU should be your priority and for 2k anything less than the 780 would be a crime and make small children cry all around the world. The i7 is plenty powerful enough for any current tasks and also offers the hyper-threading which may(probably won't) be needed for the latest games over the next 4-5 years. I game on an i7 and it's a lovely experience, it enables me to stream to twitch whilst playing pretty CPU intensive games. The RAM, peripherals and to a certain extent your PSU etc can be upgraded as you go along but the core of the machine your Motherboard, CPU and GPU should be top notch and the ones in the build I posted are just that.

Enjoy your games!

 

[matoakley]

Id concur - i7 and 780 (ti in my case) is smooth as silk on everything that I have tried it on

 

[stedoh]

I can wait a couple of weeks and get the (TI) if it will make a significant difference. I was also going to increase the RAM to 16GB just to avoid updating later. I am a fairly avid gamer and I want this to take ages to upgrade. Thanks for the advice on the motherboard aswell. I understood that to be the key component and wanted to just get the bees knees in MBs. Upon further review I think the MB recommended by Cadwah is more appropriate. So no 770 but would a 780 TI be a bit much?

 

[mantadog]

the 780ti is really overkill for 1080p gaming, at the moment anyway. if your happy to spend the cash and wait a couple more weeks then go for it, its the fastest card available for sure.

I do think upgrading to 16GB is probably overkill, games don't even need 8 yet, and when the time comes to upgrade its super easy. Just login to your account order up a kit of 8gb or whatever and it just literally slots into the motherboard.