Will my case choice be OK?

R

rontur

Member
Hi All,

I've specced up a ~£700 mid-level gaming PC, and I would like to know if the basic case I've selected will allow for adequate airflow. I'm not really planning on overclocking or anything like that. The most demanding game I'm likely to run on it is Simcity when it comes out next year. If there's anything else I should change I'd appreciate the advice. Here's what I've went for -

Case
STYLISH PIANO BLACK ENIGMA CASE + 2 FRONT USB
Processor (CPU)
AMD A8-3870K Quad Core APU (3.0GHz) & Radeon™ HD 6550D Graphics
Motherboard
ASUS® F1A55-M LK R2.0: FM1 A-SERIES, SATA 3.0GB/s, Windows 8 Ready!
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPERX GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1866MHz X.M.P(2 x 4GB KIT)
Graphics Card
2GB AMD RADEON™ HD7850 - DVI,HDMI,2 mDP - DX® 11, Eyefinity 3 Capable
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
500GB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 16MB CACHE
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
450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE AMD CPU COOLER (£19)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI CARD (£16)
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Monitor
AOC 21.5" WIDESCREEN LED TFT - 1920 x 1080, 5MS, D-Sub, DVI-D (£89)
DVI-D & HDMI Monitor Cables
1 x 2 METRE DVI-D CABLE (£5)
Mouse
LOGITECH® OPTICAL USB MOUSE (£5)
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 9 to 11 working days
Miscellaneous
FREE FARCRY3 & 20% OFF MEDAL OF HONOUR with AMD 7770/7850/7870 GPUs!
Quantity
1

Price: £691.00 including VAT and delivery.

Thanks!
 
keynes

keynes

Multiverse Poster
I'd suggest upgrading the cpu to the FX-4100 or FX-4170, the apu processor you have selected is a good option if you are planning to use the integrated gpu but you are choosing the HD 7850. You could drop to 4gb memory ram to save some money (you can always add more memory later on) and go for silver warranty for £5, if you are concerned with cooling you could consider the Coolermaster elite 430 case.
 
keynes

keynes

Multiverse Poster
Case
COOLERMASTER ELITE 430 BLACK CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD FX-4170 Quad Core CPU (4.20GHz/4MB CACHE/AM3+)
Motherboard
ASUS® M5A78L-M/USB3 (M-ATX, DDR3, USB 3.0, 3Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
2GB AMD RADEON™ HD7850 - DVI,HDMI,2 mDP - DX® 11, Eyefinity 3 Capable
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
500GB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 16MB CACHE
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
450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE AMD CPU COOLER (£19)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Monitor
AOC 21.5" WIDESCREEN LED TFT - 1920 x 1080, 5MS, D-Sub, DVI-D (£89)
DVI-D & HDMI Monitor Cables
1 x 2 METRE DVI-D CABLE (£5)
Mouse
LOGITECH® OPTICAL USB MOUSE (£5)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £708.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/amd-bulldozer-top-spec-pc/shfc73PGwO/
 
R

rontur

Member
Thanks for the help Keynes, that looks like a much better PC for the money. I'll put in an order for it, Cheers!

Edit: Any reason in particular not to go for the 1600mhz or 1866mhz RAM instead of 1333mhz?
 
Last edited:
keynes

keynes

Multiverse Poster
No noticeable difference in gaming with higher memory bandwidth but you could go with 1600mhz, I think there is £1 difference.
 
R

rontur

Member
One last question - is the "SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE AMD CPU COOLER" necessary, or is the stock AMD cooling system fine? I've had to go with the Silencio 550 case because the cheaper coolermaster case won't fit in my desk!

Case
COOLERMASTER SILENCIO 550 QUIET MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD FX-4170 Quad Core CPU (4.20GHz/4MB CACHE/AM3+)
Motherboard
ASUS® M5A78L-M/USB3 (M-ATX, DDR3, USB 3.0, 3Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
2GB AMD RADEON™ HD7850 - DVI,HDMI,2 mDP - DX® 11, Eyefinity 3 Capable
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
500GB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 16MB CACHE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE AMD CPU COOLER (£19)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Monitor
AOC 21.5" WIDESCREEN LED TFT - 1920 x 1080, 5MS, D-Sub, DVI-D (£89)
DVI-D & HDMI Monitor Cables
1 x 2 METRE DVI-D CABLE (£5)
Mouse
LOGITECH® OPTICAL USB MOUSE (£5)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £728.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/amd-bulldozer-top-spec-pc/TzaMSI6XQ5/
 
keynes

keynes

Multiverse Poster
I would stick with the triple copper heatpipe, it should keep your CPU cooler compare to the standard cooler. Is the Silencio your only choice?
 
R

rontur

Member
keynes said:
I would stick with the triple copper heatpipe, it should keep your CPU cooler compare to the standard cooler. Is the Silencio your only choice?
Click to expand...

I chose the Silencio because it's under 420mm tall - the space under my desk is 430mm at most! It seems to be the best case available on this website at around that size, unless there is another one you recommend.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top