Friend wants to buy a new PC. This is what I specced him.

The__Malteser

The__Malteser

The__Malteser

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Hi all. My friend wants to buy a new PC and his PC knowledge is quite limited. I specced him the following

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Basically, he wants it mainly for gaming.

I went for an i5 over an i7 due to its performance when gaming. i believe the i7 only offers performance gains when video rendering and stuff like that, things he does not do.

I really wanted to put a 280x in for him. he was looking at 270x and 280s, but I have to do everything to get a 280x :p For me, that is the baseline of a modern GPU. If you want it to last, you can't go worse than a 280x :p

Regarding the motherboard, I have no idea what to look for. I know it has the right socket and that it is Z97. It can take 2GPUs (future proofing right ;)) and has a good amount of USB ports.

I put in a Samsung SSD because people say they are the best. This Toshiba has better Read/Write speeds though and it is cheaper. Also this Kingston is quite cheap and it's read/write speeds are quite good.

He wanted 2TB because he has a lot of films and installs a lot of STEAM games. The price isn't too high so it shouldn't be a problem.

I went for 8GB because that should be just fine for gaming. 16GB is never really used unless he is video rendering or something similar. Plus they are red, matching the rest of the build! Also, Team Group aren't too bad right?

For the PSU, I was going to go with the modular Corsair 550W PSU, but due to the 280x upgrade, I had to cut the costs somewhere. Super Flower are quite good. I have the 650W version of that PSU and it's good.

The cooling I just put in the Seidon 120V. I have that AIO cooler and it works ok. It's cheap, which should leave some more headroom for the cost of the 280x.

The case was just put there as reference as it will be bought locally. Ordering a case will increase the shipping cost by quite an amount, so it has to be bought locally. Local shops don't have a great choice either.

What can I change? He doesn't need any peripherals or OS, just a base system.

Anywhere I can cut costs and still keep the performance? Budget is around €1000 (£800), maybe a bit higher, but definitely around that mark please (build is a tad higher, hence why I am asking for cost cutting).
 
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Are you buying from OCUK?

I would look in the MM, in regards to the 280X. Even with the extra cost of shipping to Malta, it would still be cheaper.
 
Idleman said:
Are you buying from OCUK?

I would look in the MM, in regards to the 280X. Even with the extra cost of shipping to Malta, it would still be cheaper.
Click to expand...

Yes. All from OCUK except the case for reasons stated above. A £30 case will end up like £80 with he difference in shipping. The rest is going to be from OCUK :)

I'll pitch him the idea of the MM. Not sure he will be too enthusiastic about buying a 2nd hand GPU for a new system.
 
Try this build in your basket, and see what the shipping and VAT come out to. I have a feeling the shipping will be slightly under what it is with a Z97 mobo and the Zalman case. The SPEC-01 has very good build quality (see vids/reviews) for the price, and a few advantages over the Zalman (once you add extra fans).


YOUR BASKET
1 x Powercolor Radeon R9 280X TurboDUO 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £215.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4690K 3.50GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £167.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-SLI Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £79.99
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) £67.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £59.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLD38G2133HC11ADC01) £55.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 550W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £49.99
1 x Cooler Master Seidon 120V All in one Liquid CPU Cooler Kit £39.95
Total : £747.48 (includes shipping : £8.00).






Edit: Oh, nevermind the case and fans then. Edited them out of basket. :)
 
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Spec looking ok, did some minor adjustments:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X Rev2.0 WindForce 3X OC 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £217.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4690K 3.50GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £167.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-SLI Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £99.95
1 x Crucial MX100 256GB SATA 2.5” 7mm SSD + 9.5mm Adapter (CT256MX100SSD1) £79.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £59.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLD38G2133HC11ADC01) £55.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 550W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £49.99
1 x Zalman Z3-Plus Midi-Tower - Black £39.95
1 x Raijintek Themis Direct Contact CPU Cooler £19.99
Total : £801.43 (includes shipping : £8.00).

 
The build looks very decent though the only thing I'd change would be the cooler. I'd rather have a air cooler and there are some very nice performers in the sub £40 price range, but I guess it's more of a personal preference than anything. Air coolers are easier to manage and have less points of failure which is great if your friend is not very tech savvy.
 
Okay, I double-checked, since you say there's not much option for cases locally, and the SPEC-01 only raises the shipping cost by £11 on my account (I'm based in Gibraltar).
 
The__Malteser said:
Yes. All from OCUK except the case for reasons stated above. A £30 case will end up like £80 with he difference in shipping. The rest is going to be from OCUK :)

I'll pitch him the idea of the MM. Not sure he will be too enthusiastic about buying a 2nd hand GPU for a new system.
Click to expand...

Well, a secondhand 280X(GB, MSI or Asus)@sub £150, would be a big saving. Also, the brands mentioned come with a 3 year warranty, so even if the card is about 6 months old, you still have 2 and half years remaining. The Sapphire, etc, only come with 2 years warranty.

@RJC and Danny75,, I don't see how your builds are any cheaper, when you factor in the extra shipping costs. As I am sure it will cost more then £8 to ship to Malta.:p:D
 
Idleman said:
@RJC and Danny75,, I don't see how your builds are any cheaper, when you factor in the extra shipping costs. As I am sure it will cost more then £8 to ship to Malta.:p:D
Click to expand...

Mine has a Z87 on offer (that comes out at £23 cheaper than the MSI Z97 Gaming 3, as it lessens shipping costs a bit too).

And shipping should be £73 (with SPEC-01 case), compared to OP's shipping of £91 (with Zalman Z3-Plus case).

So there :P
 
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This one?

YOUR BASKET
1 x Corsair Carbide Series SPEC-01 Mid Tower Gaming Case (CC-9011050-WW) £37.99
Total : £47.59 (includes shipping : £8.00).





I wouldn't buy it again, very very minimal space for cable management

The cpu cut out is off centre from the board so you have to install any cooler back plate before you put it in.

Only comes with one fan

The bottom HDD bay is so close to the lip where you attach the door its a night mare getting the cables in.

There is no CPU power cable cut out so you have to be creative with routing the cpu cable



The only saving grace in this case is one usb 3.0 port and its cheap.


I did do a customer review but overclockers must either being going slow or didn't like it lol (fortunately its only till the case I really wanted comes out so I can live with it lol)
 
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scotsdragon said:
This one?

YOUR BASKET
1 x Corsair Carbide Series SPEC-01 Mid Tower Gaming Case (CC-9011050-WW) £37.99
Total : £47.59 (includes shipping : £8.00).





I wouldn't buy it again, very very minimal space for cable management

The cpu cut out is off centre from the board so you have to install and cooler back plate before you put it in.

Only comes with one fan

The bottom HDD bay is so close to the lip where you attach the door its a night mare getting the cables in.

There is no CPU cable cut out so you have to be creative with routing the cpu cable



The only saving grace in this case is one usb 3.0 port and its cheap.


I did do a customer review but overclockers must either being going slow or didn't like it lol
Click to expand...

Yeah, you get that with just about every budget case though. What I like about it is the uninterrupted airflow from the front fan to GPU. In the Zalman, the fan is between a mesh filter in front, and a mesh grill behind it, which blocks some air. I still like the Zalman for the price though, but the overseas shipping cost of the SPEC-01 is cheaper, hence the suggestion.

Some of the Aerocool V3X Advance are even cheaper for shipping overseas.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Powercolor Radeon R9 280X TurboDUO 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £215.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4690K 3.50GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £167.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-SLI Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £79.99
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) £67.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £59.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLD38G2133HC11ADC01) £55.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 550W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £49.99
1 x Cooler Master Seidon 120V All in one Liquid CPU Cooler Kit £39.95
1 x Aerocool V3X Advance Evil Blue Edition Midi-Tower - Black/Blue £25.99
Total : £840.82 (includes shipping : £64.12).




And bear in mind the Malta VAT is 18% not 20%, so would be cheaper, if shipping cost remains the same as for Gibraltar (which I think it will as I came up with the exact shipping cost as The Malteser, when I entered his basket into my account). I calculate what he'd pay for this would be £826.80 compared to his spec of £885.45.

One possible issue with the Aerocool is that the Seidon cooler may not fit. The only place for it would be the front (if possible), or some improvisation. Or go for an air cooler.
 
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Good to know I'm on the right track :p It's my first spec/mock up after I built mine (similar spec).

I believe the PowerCooler 280x is a reference card, and it runs a bit warmer than the after market cards. With a small case, with not the optimal airflow, I would prefer something that runs a bit cooler.

The case adds quite some expense in shipping, but then again, the same Zalman case is much more expensive from here (double the price!), but it still turns out s bit cheaper.

An air CPU cooler might be a good idea. Just need to check for headroom and such in the case.

He;s going for the Modular Corsair PSU. I think he liked the modular aspect, which I can't blame him for because modular is so cool :D:D

So really, just need to decide between coolers and motherboards and we are set.

I'll look at caseking too, thanks for the suggestion! I knew about the website but forgot about it.

EDIT: Caseking have a VTX3D Radeon R9 280X Boost Edition for the price of the PowerCooler 280x. It has a €60 discount! Is it a good brand? I've generally not seen it specced, and the brand isn't well known to me. Better going for a PowerCooler or VTX3D.
 
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The__Malteser said:
Good to know I'm on the right track :p It's my first spec/mock up after I built mine (similar spec).

I believe the PowerCooler 280x is a reference card, and it runs a bit warmer than the after market cards. With a small case, with not the optimal airflow, I would prefer something that runs a bit cooler.
Click to expand...

The one I specced isn't a reference card, is a bit faster than the Sapphire, and has a backplate.


The__Malteser said:
I'll look at caseking too, thanks for the suggestion! I knew about the website but forgot about it.
Click to expand...

CaseKing don't offer shipping to Malta. You'd have to ring them up or write to them to ask if it's possible. Can't be done through the website.
 
Danny75 said:
The one I specced isn't a reference card, is a bit faster than the Sapphire, and has a backplate.


CaseKing don't offer shipping to Malta. You'd have to ring them up or write to them to ask if it's possible. Can't be done through the website.
Click to expand...

Ah right, fair enough :cool: The backplate looks sick I want one for my MSI :p

I'll get in touch with CaseKing then, see what I can do. Thanks :cool:
 
The__Malteser said:
Ah right, fair enough :cool: The backplate looks sick I want one for my MSI :p
Click to expand...

I love backplates too, especially for windowed cases. There's one issue with the PowerColor backplate, which is that the letters on the backplate are reversed* (same as the Gigabyte 780 or 780Ti GHz), unless they've fixed that. But that still wouldn't stop me going for it.

* http://cdn.eteknix.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Powercolor-R9-280X-TurboDuo-6.jpg


The__Malteser said:
I'll get in touch with CaseKing then, see what I can do. Thanks :cool:
Click to expand...

Best of luck.
 
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