Decided to upgrade.

Leesey

Leesey

Leesey

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Joined
7 Sep 2010
Posts
232
So following my thread and decision to upgrade my GPU, I've decided a trip to OcUK is necessary tomorrow, but I need the spec looking at and some opinions on what I've selected.

GPU I already have;

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus HD 7970 Matrix Platinum 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **FREE SHIPPING** £281.99
Total : £281.99 (includes shipping : FREE).




Here's what I'm thinking;

CPU,MoBo,RAM;

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £269.99
1 x Asus Z87 MAXIMUS VI HERO Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £167.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLD316G2133HC11ADC01) £129.95
1 x Corsair Hydro H100 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler *Manufacturer Refurbished Unit - 90 Day Guarantee £41.39
Total : £622.21 (includes shipping : £10.75).




Case,PSU

YOUR BASKET
1 x Antec High Current Gamer 850W Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (0-761345-06225-1) £119.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case - Black £116.99
Total : £250.48 (includes shipping : £11.25).



But I've also seen a XFX P1-850B-BEFX Pro Black Edition 850W 80+ GOLD Full Modular Power Supply elsewhere for around £110.


Budget: £850ish

I may or may not add a second GPU at a later date, and I will be upgrading to SSD's eventually also. I already have 3.5" drives and Optical. Will be used mainly for gaming. Will be collected from store, so shipping cost to be ignored.
 
Something like this:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £269.99
1 x Asus Z87 MAXIMUS VI GENE Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £161.99
1 x Parvum Systems S1.0 MicroATX Case - White with Red £132
1 x Antec High Current Pro 750W Modular '80 Plus Gold' Power Supply £129.95
1 x Corsair Hydro H100i High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060009-WW) £99.95
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLD38G2133HC11ADC01) £59.99
Total : £866.46 (includes shipping : £10.50).



with some bling:

YOUR BASKET
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Premium Modding LED Strip - Connect White 30cm £16.79
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Premium Modding LED Strip - Connect Red 30cm £16.79
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 24pin ATX extension 30cm - White £8.99
2 x BitFenix 6+2-Pin PCIe Extension 45cm - sleeved white/black £5.99 (£11.98)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 8pin EPS extension 45cm - White £5.99
Total : £65.52 (includes shipping : £4.16).

 
 
Probably missed a few points out, I'm set on the 540 case, and looking at a red and black theme, might as well match considering it's got a full sized window.

My main concerns over the spec that I picked was PSU, and it's ability to power potentially 2 cards and look very tidy with the use of braided adapter. And RAM speeds and timings ect lose me abit.

The budget of £850ish is it's not set in stone, I'm willing to stretch to make adjustments that make a better spec.
 
Leesey said:
Probably missed a few points out, I'm set on the 540 case, and looking at a red and black theme, might as well match considering it's got a full sized window.

My main concerns over the spec that I picked was PSU, and it's ability to power potentially 2 cards and look very tidy with the use of braided adapter. And RAM speeds and timings ect lose me abit.

The budget of £850ish is it's not set in stone, I'm willing to stretch to make adjustments that make a better spec.
Click to expand...

The PSU will be fine, but for an extra £10, I'd get the 750 Gold.

AS for RAM, you'd be best to get the 2400mhz kit on offer, seriously quick for easy money.

How's this look?

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £269.99
1 x Asus Z87 MAXIMUS VI HERO Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £167.99
1 x Antec High Current Pro 750W Modular '80 Plus Gold' Power Supply £129.95
1 x Corsair Carbide 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case - Black £116.99
1 x Corsair Hydro H100i High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060009-WW) £99.95
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLD38G2400HC11CDC01) £59.99
1 x BitFenix Recon Internet-Connected Fan Controller (Black) £29.99
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Premium Modding LED Strip - Connect Red 30cm £16.79
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 24pin ATX extension 30cm - Red £8.99
4 x BitFenix Alchemy 8pin PCI-E extension 45cm - Red £6.98 (£27.92)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 8pin EPS extension 45cm - Red £5.99
Total : £948.64 (includes shipping : £11.75).



I know it's £950, but your budget, like you said, is not set in stone. I'd also recommend the 4670k if your just gaming, however, if your happy to splash on the i7, it'll be more than ok.
 
Looking pretty solid, just a couple of questions. We'll a few :cool:

Any reason to only go with 8gb RAM over 16gb? Is having the extra 8GB just a waste?

Is having a non-reconditioned H100 cooler worth the £60 premium?

Is the fan controller necessary? I've never used one before so I'm unaware of the benefits ect...

And then finally over to the debate of i5 v i7 for a rig that will only ever be used for Gaming/Browsing/Films. Is it worth the £100 extra, will I notice it, or is it just chucking money away for the sake of it?
 
Leesey said:
Looking pretty solid, just a couple of questions. We'll a few :cool:

Any reason to only go with 8gb RAM over 16gb? Is having the extra 8GB just a waste?

Is having a non-reconditioned H100 cooler worth the £60 premium?

Is the fan controller necessary? I've never used one before so I'm unaware of the benefits ect...

And then finally over to the debate of i5 v i7 for a rig that will only ever be used for Gaming/Browsing/Films. Is it worth the £100 extra, will I notice it, or is it just chucking money away for the sake of it?
Click to expand...

If you are only gaming, 8gb of RAM is more than enough. 8 would barely get used and any more is wasted.

The reconditioned cooler is ok, but there have been reports of issues with noise and leaks, the full retail would be better if your not wanting a decent air cooler like the K2/D14 or Phanteks.

If the motherboard has enough fan headers, you'll be fine without a fan controller. The Recon is a top grade unit with loads of features, a benefit for all systems with multiple case fans.

Ahh Yes! The i5/i7 debate. It has long been advised that the i5 will be more than enough for gaming. While the most part is true, we are now seeing the adoption of hyperthreading (of sorts) in new DICE titles like BF4 and with plenty more games on the way, it may well be the future. The added benefit is if you decide to go with multiple GPU's, you're less likely to bottleneck.

Does this help?
 
It does indeed help a great deal!

Not a massive fan of the air coolers(no pun intended) since the introduction of the corsair water coolers, I suppose it makes sense to pay extra for piece of mind!

I'll stick with i7 so I'm a bit more future proof, and while I don't have real world bills to pay, it won't break the bank!

The mother board has 5 fan headers, but I suppose having a fan controller will allow me to keep the fans wires hidden at the back? I'm not sure how they work or how they are set up?
 
Leesey said:
It does indeed help a great deal!

Not a massive fan of the air coolers(no pun intended) since the introduction of the corsair water coolers, I suppose it makes sense to pay extra for piece of mind!

I'll stick with i7 so I'm a bit more future proof, and while I don't have real world bills to pay, it won't break the bank!

The mother board has 5 fan headers, but I suppose having a fan controller will allow me to keep the fans wires hidden at the back? I'm not sure how they work or how they are set up?
Click to expand...

The Bitfenix Recon comes with all the cables you need, power cables, temp sensors, fan leads, screws and cable ties. I will warn you, the Recon can be tricky to setup first time, but we're all here to help if you get stuck.

If you don't like the Recon, The Lamptron FC5 V2 and FC6 are great alternatives.
 
That's the good thing about forums, I think fan controller will be a later purchase so i can do some reading up done on it. (OCuK is just up the road, so an easy trip)

Bit of a disaster though, the 7970 matrix has a load indicator on the side which changes colour (Green, Blue, Purple, Red) depending on load, I was looking to see if I could disable this feature and have perma red, but I can't find any information on this!

Need a back up plan for a PSU too, OCuK only showing 1 in stock, and going on past experience this can't always be trusted.

This a Good backup?
 
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