Help me spec a new 2k gaming machine

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Hi everyone.

First off a quick acknowledgement to all the superb forum members who share their vast knowledge on a daily basis for free.

Ok so, I keep fairly up to speed on latest components but when it comes to upgrading and shelling out the cold hard cash I like to call on the experts.

I want to spend circa £2,000 on a new gaming PC. I don't need an OS, keyboard/mouse or a monitor - just the tower itself.

Would anyone be kind enough to put together a basket for me? I'm going to give my father-in-law my current PC so I'll need new everything right down to the cables.

I'm semi interested in a water cooled setup assuming two things:- 1) the kits like H100i are easy to install and worth the money and 2) overclocking is easily done reading a few guides, to date I've ran scared of playing with voltage and clock speed changes.

Or if the advice is to stay away from watercooling how are SLI/Xfire builds these days? E.g. Running with say 2 x non ref 290s?

Anyway, looking forward to seeing what you all think and suggest.

P.s. In the festive spirit I may give the father-in-law my current monitor too so on second thoughts outside the budget I've listed what are the best gaming monitors that you'd recommend.

Thanks all!!!! :confused:
 
The main site is down I think, some other people are getting problems too - I think you'll have to wait for a few minutes :/ Here's a suggested one anyway;

i7 4770k
Z87X-OC Board
8GB DDR3 maybe TeamGroup
Some sort of Corsair case - whichever one
R9 290, maybe two? Overclock them either way
Watercooling setup (no idea about how to set this up, maybe just the H100i for the CPU)
850/900W PSU, maybe Seasonic or Corsair, Superflower
OcUK 24x DVD Writer
250GB/128GB Samsung Evo SSD
2TB Seagate 7200rpm HDD
 
@Ethermaster - I've seen your posts reading through this section and I'm already scared of what over budget beast you'll put together to tempt me with lol

You should have said your budget was £1.5K then you might have been ok :D
 
Also do you have a preferred colour scheme ?

Not really, come to think of it I would like to show off the nice innards with a see through side panel case so I should give some thought to the colour scheme :-)

I'm actually pretty flexible on the colour, I guess I'm more keen that it's uniform.

I did think the orange on the Ultima 460i was nice although it comes from the water cooling fluid.
 
Nice to see the dual 290s should be in reach within budget.

Is there a general consensus on whether they'd run better in SLI versus say a single 780ti card?

I think a lot of the problems with crossfire/sli have been ironed out, although im not the best person to ask on that one. Might be a good idea to ask in the graphics card section, or wait for a definite answer in here.

You could incorparate one of these custom OCUK water coolers with orange fluid into your build if you are not going the watercooling route.

YOUR BASKET
1 x OcUK Tech Labs Fathom All in One Custom Cooler 240mm £112.97
1 x Hardware Labs Black ICE Radiator SR1 240 £55.98
1 x Mayhems Pastel - Orange Coolant 1L £14.99
Total : £193.54 (includes shipping : £8.00).

 
Maybe something like this:

YOUR BASKET
2 x Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 OC WindForce 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (GV-R929OC-4GD) £389.99 (£779.98)
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £245.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard - FREE Gigabyte M8000x Gaming Mouse £143.99
1 x Samsung 250GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE250BW) £137.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case - Black (CC-9011030-WW) £129.95
1 x NZXT Hale Power 90+ 850W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £119.99
1 x Silverstone Tundra Series TD02 Liquid CPU Cooler £94.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £65.99
1 x TeamGroup Xtreem LV "Frost Edition" 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C10 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit £59.99
2 x Phanteks PH-F140XP PWM 140mm Fan - Black / White £15.95 (£31.90)
1 x NZXT CB-LED20-WT 24x White LED Sleeve - 2m £13.99
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 24pin ATX extension 30cm - White £8.99
2 x BitFenix Alchemy SATA 6GB/s braided cable 30cm - White £5.99 (£11.98)
4 x BitFenix 6+2-Pin PCIe Extension 45cm - sleeved white/black £5.99 (£23.96)
2 x BitFenix Alchemy Molex to SATA adapter 45 cm - sleeved white / black £5.98 (£11.96)
2 x BitFenix Alchemy Molex to 3pin x3 Fan adaptor 7V 20cm - White £4.99 (£9.98)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Internal USB Extension 30cm - sleeved white/black £4.98
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Internal Audio Extension Adaptor 30cm - White £4.49
4 x BitFenix Alchemy 2pin I/O extension 30cm - White £3.95 (£15.80)
Total : £1,938.26 (includes shipping : £17.85).



Instead of the tundra you can get the H110, if you want. though the tundra performs just as well (as the h100i) but with quieter fans. And it fits the colour scheme too. :)

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-017-CS
 
Or you can have a single Ti, watercooled. :)

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gainward GeForce GTX 780Ti 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £539.99
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £245.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard - FREE Gigabyte M8000x Gaming Mouse £143.99
1 x Samsung 250GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE250BW) £137.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case - Black (CC-9011030-WW) £129.95
1 x NZXT Hale Power 90+ 850W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £119.99
1 x XSPC D5 Dual Bay Reservoir/Pump Combo V2 £109.99
1 x EK Water Blocks EK-FC780 GTX Ti - Nickel £89.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £65.99
1 x TeamGroup Xtreem LV "Frost Edition" 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C10 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit £59.99
1 x EK Water Blocks EK-Supremacy £49.99
2 x Hardware Labs Black ICE Radiator GTS-Lite 240 £37.99 (£75.98)
5 x Alpenföhn 120mm Wing Boost Plus PWM Fan - Black & White £12.95 (£64.75)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 24pin ATX extension 30cm - White £8.99
2 x BitFenix Alchemy SATA 6GB/s braided cable 30cm - White £5.99 (£11.98)
4 x BitFenix 6+2-Pin PCIe Extension 45cm - sleeved white/black £5.99 (£23.96)
2 x Primochill Primoflex Advanced Tubing 16/11 - White £5.99 (£11.98)
2 x BitFenix Alchemy Molex to SATA adapter 45 cm - sleeved white / black £5.98 (£11.96)
2 x BitFenix Alchemy Molex to 3pin x3 Fan adaptor 7V 20cm - White £4.99 (£9.98)
2 x Mayhems Ultra Pure H20 Watercooling Fluid 1L £4.99 (£9.98)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Internal USB Extension 30cm - sleeved white/black £4.98
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Internal Audio Extension Adaptor 30cm - White £4.49
4 x BitFenix Alchemy 2pin I/O extension 30cm - White £3.95 (£15.80)
4 x XSPC G1/4" 45° Rotary Fitting (Black Chrome) £3.49 (£13.96)
10 x XSPC G1/4" to 7/16" ID, 5/8" OD Compression Fitting (Black Chrome) £3.19 (£31.90)
Total : £2,017.44 (includes shipping : £19.10).



If you would like to try your hand. :)
 
+1 Doomed, beast of a rig, although in all honesty i would opt for 1 x 290x in a watercooled case such as a Phantek Enthoo Primo while you get used to a proper water loop, then you have a lot of room to expand from there if you wish to get adventurous.

Would come in under budget also.

But like i say you cant go wrong with Doomeds spec right there, thats a beast of a rig
 
Or Orange with some RAID 0 action and a single GTX780Ti

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gainward GeForce GTX 780Ti Phantom 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £551.99
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £245.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-OC Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £152.99
1 x SuperFlower Leadex GOLD 1000W Fully Modular "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £149.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case - Black (CC-9011030-WW) £129.95
1 x Corsair Hydro H100i High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060009-WW) £99.95
2 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) £76.99 (£153.98)
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £65.99
2 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99 (£111.98)
1 x Corsair SP120 Quiet Series High Pressure Low Noise - Dual Pack (CO-9050006-WW) £25.99
1 x Samsung SE-S208DB/TSBS External Slimline 8x DVD-RW (TV Connect) - Black £21.98
1 x Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition Low Noise High Airflow - Dual Pack (CO-9050002-WW) £19.99
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Premium Modding LED Strip - Connect White 30cm £16.79
1 x Corsair AF140 Quiet Series Low Noise High Airflow - Single Pack (CO-9050009-WW) £14.99
1 x Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition Low Noise High Airflow - Single Pack (CO-9050001-WW) £13.99
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 24pin ATX extension 30cm - Orange £8.99
2 x BitFenix Alchemy 8pin PCI-E extension 45cm - Orange £6.98 (£13.96)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 8pin EPS extension 45cm - Orange £5.99
2 x BitFenix Alchemy SATA 6GB/s braided cable 30cm - Orange £5.99 (£11.98)
2 x BitFenix Alchemy Molex to 3pin x3 Fan adaptor 7V 20cm - Orange £4.99 (£9.98)
1 x MTN 94 Spray Paint Orange - 400ml £4.99
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Internal Audio Extension Adaptor 30cm - Orange £4.49
4 x BitFenix Alchemy 2pin I/O extension 30cm - Orange £3.95 (£15.80)
Total : £1,874.14 (includes shipping : £17.85).



Or GTX780's in SLI but with a small SSD and no Raid 0

YOUR BASKET
2 x Gainward GeForce GTX 780 Phantom 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £379.99 (£759.98)
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £245.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-OC Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £152.99
1 x SuperFlower Leadex GOLD 1000W Fully Modular "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £149.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case - Black (CC-9011030-WW) £129.95
1 x Corsair Hydro H100i High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060009-WW) £99.95
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) £76.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £65.99
2 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99 (£111.98)
1 x Corsair SP120 Quiet Series High Pressure Low Noise - Dual Pack (CO-9050006-WW) £25.99
1 x Samsung SE-S208DB/TSBS External Slimline 8x DVD-RW (TV Connect) - Black £21.98
1 x Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition Low Noise High Airflow - Dual Pack (CO-9050002-WW) £19.99
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Premium Modding LED Strip - Connect White 30cm £16.79
1 x Corsair AF140 Quiet Series Low Noise High Airflow - Single Pack (CO-9050009-WW) £14.99
1 x Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition Low Noise High Airflow - Single Pack (CO-9050001-WW) £13.99
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 24pin ATX extension 30cm - Orange £8.99
2 x BitFenix Alchemy 8pin PCI-E extension 45cm - Orange £6.98 (£13.96)
2 x BitFenix Alchemy 6pin PCI-E extension 45cm - Orange £6.49 (£12.98)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 8pin EPS extension 45cm - Orange £5.99
2 x BitFenix Alchemy SATA 6GB/s braided cable 30cm - Orange £5.99 (£11.98)
2 x BitFenix Alchemy Molex to 3pin x3 Fan adaptor 7V 20cm - Orange £4.99 (£9.98)
1 x MTN 94 Spray Paint Orange - 400ml £4.99
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Internal Audio Extension Adaptor 30cm - Orange £4.49
4 x BitFenix Alchemy 2pin I/O extension 30cm - Orange £3.95 (£15.80)
Total : £2,018.12 (includes shipping : £17.85).

 
Or Red

YOUR BASKET
2 x MSI Radeon R9 280X Gaming Edition OC 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with Battlefield 4 PC Game £269.99 (£539.98)
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £245.99
1 x Corsair AX860i Digital ATX '80 Plus Platinum' Modular Power Supply (CP-9020037-UK) £199.99
1 x Corsair Obsidian 750D Full Tower Case - Black (CC-9011035-WW) £160.00
1 x MSI Z87-G45 Gaming Series Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £124.99
1 x Corsair Hydro H100i High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060009-WW) £99.95
2 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) £76.99 (£153.98)
2 x TeamGroup Xtreem LV 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-21300C11 2666MHz Dual Channel Kit (TXD38G2666HC11CDC01) £69.95 (£139.90)
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £65.99
2 x Corsair Generation 2 Sleeved Cable Kit (AXi / AX / HX / TXM) - Red £64.99 (£129.98)
1 x Corsair SP120 Quiet Series High Pressure Low Noise - Dual Pack (CO-9050006-WW) £25.99
1 x Samsung SE-S208DB/TSBS External Slimline 8x DVD-RW (TV Connect) - Black £21.98
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Premium Modding LED Strip - Aqua White 30cm £20.95
1 x Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition Low Noise High Airflow - Dual Pack (CO-9050002-WW) £19.99
1 x Corsair AF140 Quiet Series Low Noise High Airflow - Single Pack (CO-9050009-WW) £14.99
2 x BitFenix Alchemy SATA 6GB/s braided cable 30cm - Red £5.99 (£11.98)
2 x BitFenix Alchemy Molex to 3pin x3 Fan adaptor 7V 20cm - Red £4.99 (£9.98)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Internal Audio Extension Adaptor 30cm - Red £4.49
4 x BitFenix Alchemy 2pin I/O extension 30cm - Red £3.95 (£15.80)
Total : £2,031.01 (includes shipping : £20.10).

 
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