New Rig £1200-£1500

[Jaikon]

I'm about to replace my 4 year old rig (Early i7 and a HD 5870) and would like some help please chaps!

My original budget was £1200 and ideally I'd like it to last me 3 years of playing games on high settings and some low end photoshop stuff, no rendering or anything of that sort. If a second GPU could be added down the line to boost performance and take from 3 to 4 years then that's great.

However, if £1500 is gonna do a much better job then there's the potential to stretch.

I'm carrying the PSU from my current rig: Corsair HX 1000W ATX Modular SLI Compliant Power Supply (CMPSU-1000HXUK), as well as 2x 500GB HDD.

I have Windows 7 Home premium that I will install on the new SSD.

My preferences are Intel and Nvidia, however with regards the GPU there seems to be a lot of question atm as to whether the 780 is worth it over the 7970 and then there's the 7990... *sighs*

Here's what I came up with - I've not built a machine in a long time so be gentle

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 WindForce 3x OC 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (GV-N780OC-3GD) £579.95
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £191.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-OC Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £179.99
1 x EK Water Blocks EK-KIT L240 Entry Level Water Cooling Kit £174.95
1 x Samsung 250GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE250BW) £155.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Beast 16GB (2x8GB) PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX16C9T3K2/16X) £119.99
1 x NZXT Phantom Enthusiast USB3.0 Full Tower Case - Orange/Black £104.99
1 x XSPC HighFlex Hose 1/2" ID, 3/4" OD, 19/12.7mm, 2m, Red/UV Orange £6.98
1 x EK-EKoolants Clear £5.60
Total : £1,535.42 (includes shipping : £12.50).

 

[Rainagul]

Judging by your WC equipment you will probably be overclocking. In which case, if it were me, I would go with this motherboard instead

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-563-AS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=2574

As it's a little cheaper and the Asus BIOS/OC UI/Tools are better then what Gigabyte provides (imo)

However, I realize this dosent fit in with your orange/black theme, so it's not a vital change just a thought.

On the whole though everything looks good to go, should be an awesome system!

 

[Jaikon]

Judging by your WC equipment you will probably be overclocking. In which case, if it were me, I would go with this motherboard instead

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-563-AS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=2574

As it's a little cheaper and the Asus BIOS/OC UI/Tools are better then what Gigabyte provides (imo)

However, I realize this dosent fit in with your orange/black theme, so it's not a vital change just a thought.

On the whole though everything looks good to go, should be an awesome system!

The black and orange theme kinda came about during the build based onthe mobo which I thought looked good (and was in the sale), how much difference are we talking?

 

[DaleTheWhale]

Judging by your WC equipment you will probably be overclocking. In which case, if it were me, I would go with this motherboard instead

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-563-AS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=2574

As it's a little cheaper and the Asus BIOS/OC UI/Tools are better then what Gigabyte provides (imo)

However, I realize this dosent fit in with your orange/black theme, so it's not a vital change just a thought.

On the whole though everything looks good to go, should be an awesome system!

The hero is a terrible board for overclocking compared to the Z87-OC board the OP has spec'd which is probably the best board to use, will manage 5ghz quite easily. If you were to go down the ASUS route, than the Formula board is better to get.

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI HD 7970 GHz Twin FrozR OC BE 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with FREE GAMES £259.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £191.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-OC Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £179.99
1 x NZXT H630 Silent Ultra Enthusiast Tower Case - Matte Black £129.95
1 x OcUK Tech Lab - XSPC D5 Vario Pump & EK-D5 X-RES 100 CSQ Value Combo £104.99
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) £86.99
1 x XSPC Razor 7970 VGA Waterblock £84.98
1 x Hardware Labs Black ICE Radiator SR1 360 £69.98
1 x Kingston HyperX Beast 8GB (2x4GB) PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX21C11T3K2/8X) £69.95
1 x EK Water Blocks EK-Supremacy Clean CSQ - Acetal + Nickel £56.99
2 x Corsair SP120 Quiet Series High Pressure Low Noise - Dual Pack (CO-9050006-WW) £25.99 (£51.98)
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £15.95
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 24pin ATX extension 30cm - Orange £8.99
2 x Aqua Computer Double Protect Ultra 1l - Orange £8.99 (£17.98)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Molex to 4 x SATA power extension - Orange £6.98
2 x BitFenix Alchemy 6pin PCI-E extension 45cm - Orange £6.49 (£12.98)
2 x BitFenix 6+2-Pin PCIe Extension 45cm - sleeved orange/black £5.99 (£11.98)
3 x BitFenix Alchemy SATA 6GB/s braided cable 30cm - Orange £5.99 (£17.97)
2 x Primochill Primoflex Advanced Tubing 16/11 - Clear £5.99 (£11.98)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 8pin EPS extension 45cm - Orange £5.99
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Molex to SATA Adapter 45 cm - sleeved orange/black £5.98
Total : £1,422.24 (includes shipping : £14.75).



Something like this? - Change the 120GB SSD to 250GB as the budget allows.

 

[Doomedspeed]

Choosing between the Z87X-OC and the Asus Hero is like choosing between Dairy milk and galaxy..

They are exactly the same in features and performance though they achieve it in different ways.

There is no wrong choice..

Just to even the battle i know two (highly respected) people on this forum, one (stulid) would go for the Z87X-OC and the other (idleman) would go for the Hero..

Personally that colour scheme looks so good i wouldn't bother changing it..

 

[Rainagul]

The hero is a terrible board for overclocking compared to the Z87-OC board the OP has spec'd which is probably the best board to use, will manage 5ghz quite easily. If you were to go down the ASUS route, than the Formula board is better to get.

Terrible? Bit of an over exaggeration there. The differences are minimal and both boards excel over each other depending on application.

 

[Jaikon]

Ok, no fighting!! I came here for help, not to start a war

Right so the mobo seems fine(for the most part).

Thoughts on GPU?
Is the i5 a solid choice?
Is the RAM ok?

 

[DaleTheWhale]

Terrible isn't the right word, but in terms of performance, I've seen a few reviews where it can max out around 4.5ghz, and the Gigabyte can stable at 5ghz. So for the similar price/colour match I'd much rather have the Gigabyte.

Take a look at my build above, see if that takes your fancy.
16GB Ram is overkill for gaming, you only need 8GB of fast RAM, and along with that the i5 4670k will be perfect for gaming as well.

Have spec'd a 7970.

 

[Idleman]

Terrible isn't the right word, but in terms of performance, I've seen a few reviews where it can max out around 4.5ghz, and the Gigabyte can stable at 5ghz. So for the similar price/colour match I'd much rather have the Gigabyte.

Links please.

I`ve been looking for a review where by the same chip is used in both boards but don`t seem to be able to find one.

I've seen a few reviews where it can max out around 4.5ghz

That would most likely be the chip not the board.

 

[Ethermaster]

Choosing between the Z87X-OC and the Asus Hero is like choosing between Dairy milk and galaxy..

They are exactly the same in features and performance though they achieve it in different ways.

There is no wrong choice..

Just to even the battle i know two (highly respected) people on this forum, one (stulid) would go for the Z87X-OC and the other (idleman) would go for the Hero..

Personally that colour scheme looks so good i wouldn't bother changing it..

Don't forget ME!!! and 8pack like the Giga Z87X-OC

 

[Doomedspeed]

Don't forget ME!!! and 8pack like the Giga Z87X-OC

Sorry. i did forget you did i?

Thats a pretty strong list:

Stulid (forum speccing Grandaddy)
Ethermaster (Bling rig extraudinaire)
and
8-Pack (8-*******-Pack)

 

[Idleman]

Don't forget ME!!! and 8pack like the Giga Z87X-OC

Yeh, but you just like the colour.

 

[Jaikon]

Take a look at my build above, see if that takes your fancy.
16GB Ram is overkill for gaming, you only need 8GB of fast RAM, and along with that the i5 4670k will be perfect for gaming as well.

Have spec'd a 7970.

Ok, so that 7970, I could run two of those for the same price as the 780 GTX right?

** Or possibly 2x GTX 760??

Also, I'm thinking about dropping water, well maybe an isolated CPU WC unit?

And would the extra 8GB RAM have any effect if say, I decide to stream?

 

[Ethermaster]

Yeh, but you just like the colour.

Thats not true its a cracking board as well

Will just leave this here tho ......

YOUR BASKET
1 x Inno3D GeForce GTX 770 OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **TITAN COOLER** £359.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-OC Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £179.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £173.99
1 x Samsung 250GB SSD 840 SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TD250BW) £137.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C10 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC10TDC01) £89.99
1 x NZXT Phantom 410 Enthusiast Midi Tower Case - Black/Orange £84.95
1 x Corsair Hydro H100 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler *Manufacturer Refurbished Unit - 90 Day Guarantee £44.99
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Cable Bundle - Orange £28.45
1 x NZXT CB-LED20-WT 24x White LED Sleeve - 2m £13.99
5 x Alpenföhn 120mm Wing Boost Plus PWM Fan - Orange £13.99 (£69.95)
3 x BitFenix Alchemy SATA 6GB/s braided cable 30cm - Orange £5.99 (£17.97)
2 x BitFenix Alchemy Molex to 3pin x3 Fan adaptor 7V 20cm - Orange £4.99 (£9.98)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Internal Audio Extension Adaptor 30cm - Orange £4.49
3 x BitFenix Alchemy 2pin I/O extension 30cm - Orange £3.95 (£11.85)
Total : £1,228.56 (includes shipping : FREE).

 

[Doomedspeed]

Thats not true its a cracking board as well

Will just leave this here tho ......

YOUR BASKET
1 x Inno3D GeForce GTX 770 OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **TITAN COOLER** £359.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-OC Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £179.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £173.99
1 x Samsung 250GB SSD 840 SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TD250BW) £137.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C10 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC10TDC01) £89.99
1 x NZXT Phantom 410 Enthusiast Midi Tower Case - Black/Orange £84.95
1 x Corsair Hydro H100 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler *Manufacturer Refurbished Unit - 90 Day Guarantee £44.99
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Cable Bundle - Orange £28.45
1 x NZXT CB-LED20-WT 24x White LED Sleeve - 2m £13.99
5 x Alpenföhn 120mm Wing Boost Plus PWM Fan - Orange £13.99 (£69.95)
3 x BitFenix Alchemy SATA 6GB/s braided cable 30cm - Orange £5.99 (£17.97)
2 x BitFenix Alchemy Molex to 3pin x3 Fan adaptor 7V 20cm - Orange £4.99 (£9.98)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Internal Audio Extension Adaptor 30cm - Orange £4.49
3 x BitFenix Alchemy 2pin I/O extension 30cm - Orange £3.95 (£11.85)
Total : £1,228.56 (includes shipping : FREE).

As much as i love the titan cooler (and don't want to hurt your feelings) i think a black GPU (as the one in the OP's spec) would look so much better.

Also Back RAM would tie it all together better. With orange DIMM and 'orange' RAM it may look weird if the shade is even a little off..

Love the cables and fans though.

 

[Jaikon]

Thanks! That titan cooler looks good, did you see my previous post?

 

[Ethermaster]

The GPU ..... maybe I just wanted to break it up abit,

The orange DIMMS and RAM weren't actually a million miles off

 

[Jaikon]

Ok so based on the thread, i'm kinda sitting near this:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Inno3D GeForce GTX 770 OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **TITAN COOLER** £359.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £191.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-OC Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £179.99
1 x Samsung 250GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE250BW) £155.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Beast 16GB (2x8GB) PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX16C9T3K2/16X) £119.99
1 x NZXT Phantom Enthusiast USB3.0 Full Tower Case - Orange/Black £104.99
1 x Corsair Hydro H100 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler *Manufacturer Refurbished Unit - 90 Day Guarantee £44.99
Total : £1,157.92 (includes shipping : FREE).




My friend sent me a link to this also, not sure how it compares?
Zotac GTX 770 4GB

 

[Idleman]

Ok so based on the thread, i'm kinda sitting near this:



My friend sent me a link to this also, not sure how it compares?
Zotac GTX 770 4GB

You can`t link to competitors.

 

[Jaikon]

You can`t link to competitors.

Link removed, wasn't sure on policy. Shame OC don't stock it as it's a perfect match for me looks wise...