To overclock or not...

[chrewe]

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for some advice please. I'm just about to buy my first ever gaming PC (the last non-work computer I owned was an IBM 386 back in the early 90s... it's been a while).

I'm pretty set with my spec which, to cut a long story short, will feature the following:
MB: ASUS® X99-A II
CPU: Intel® Core i7 Six Core Processor i7-6800K (3.4GHz)
GPU: Nvidia GTX GeForce 1080 Ti (when available)

I've read a fair bit about overclocking and I'm trying to work out if it's necessary. I'm going to be plugging directly into a 4K TV, and would like to hit that resolution while getting a consistent 60fps out of the PC if I can.

Bearing in mind that I'm a complete beginner and not hugely technical (I know enough to get by but start to get lost at talk of base clocks), is it worth me pushing this machine harder than it wants to go? I've also read some horror stories about overclocking gone wrong and I don't want to brick anything.

Grateful for any advice!

Thanks

 

[keynes]

It is not essential and you could also consider the i7-7770k instead. Even if you wish to have an overclocked system you don't need to do it as you can purchase a pre overclocked system

 

[Oussebon]

The i7 7700k is generally better in gaming, and is also cheaper.



While overclocking isn't necessary, if you're buying a high end gaming build with things like an expensive mobo, high quality PSU, unlocked CPU, high end cooling, etc, the cost of an overclocked PC from PC Specialist is only about £10 more, and the overclock (unlike a DIY one) is covered by the warranty. If you decide you don't like it for whatever reason, you can just save the OCed BIOS profile, restore the default clocks in the BIOS, and have the option to reload the OC any time you want. PC's overclock is also fairly modest.

I generally say that there's no point not buying an OCed PC for gaming if you're at that kind of budget level already.

If you post a budget, forum users can suggest some specs.

 

[chrewe]

Thanks both for the advice! I had no idea that the 7700 was a better option, so that's a massive help.

Budget-wise I have around £2,500 (I've been saving for a couple of years!). I want to futureproof it as much as you can futureproof any hardware, so one other issue I've been thinking about is whether to go for 16 or 32gb of RAM. Everything I've read seems to suggest that 32 would be excessive. Any clever build suggestions within that budget are certainly welcome!

Oussebbon, the advice on OC being covered by the warranty is great - thank you.

 

[Oussebon]

Everything I've read seems to suggest that 32 would be excessive.

I'm going to add to that. 32gb is excessive. No game I've encountered yet comes close to needing all of 16gb. Even running games and loads of browser tabs doesn't usually for me.

Perhaps something like this:

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ AIR 540 GAMING CASE
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™i7-7700k Quad Core (4.20GHz @ up to 4.8GHz)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z270-P: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX PREDATOR DDR4 3200MHz X.M.P (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 - DVI, HDMI, 3x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!

FREE FOR HONOR or GHOST RECON: WILDLANDS with select GTX 10 Series GPUs!
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
2TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1600MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
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
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 5 to 7 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £2,046.00 including VAT and delivery.

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

~Except~ don't buy a PC with a GTX 1080. Buy one with a GTX 1080 ti when they come out (March 10th?). Should still be well under 2.5k.

 

[chrewe]

Wow, yeah - okay! This looks great, thanks. It's coming in way cheaper than the builds I've been playing around with, even if I add a bit extra for the Ti.

Thanks so much for the advice.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Wow, yeah - okay! This looks great, thanks. It's coming in way cheaper than the builds I've been playing around with, even if I add a bit extra for the Ti.

Thanks so much for the advice.

Huuurrrrggghh.... so jealous... the 1080ti is an absolute BEAST of a card and at a fairly good pricepoint as well compared to the 1080 on release day....

 

[chrewe]

I almost bought a machine a few weeks ago without realising there were new cards on the horizon. Kinda glad I waited...