Pc Gamer mid range build

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This build is based off the Mid range build from the April copy of PC gamer.

- Only thing that's changed really is the graphics card.
- SSD is only there to run windows.

Anyways with Doom 4 on the way and all how do you guys rate this build:

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X31 69.5 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus Z170 PRO GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory
Storage: OCZ TRION 150 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Western Digital Blue 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Blue) ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
Total: £910ish

I intend to overclock in the long run.
Going to be used for playing games, video editing, After effects, photoshop.etc
£1000/$1250/€1150 and under (maybe a smidge over)

I've been advised to get 16gb of ram (2 x 8gb) but i'm unsure what brand.etc to go for (had some crucial ballistix ram years ago which was awful mind).

Not sure if i'm overspending on the Motherboard, i see a lot of people going for the Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 ATX LGA1151 instead.

Any help appreciated, il post it here when im done! I wanna get some cool light ha ha :D
 
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Get 16GB RAM yes. Ultimately, all RAM is manufactured by two or three companies, and then bought and branded by a myriad of others. I'm liking Kingston's DDR4, which isn't to say others aren't as good.

Shame you can't push for i7 as it will help video and photo editing.

Do not buy Corsair CX PSU's for mid/high end gaming. That's not their purpose. Especially not for a 390. RMi or RMx are better and with 10 year warranty. Or look at EVGA G2/GS/GQ (in that order), or SuperFlower Leadex/Golden Green (in that order), among others.

120GB SSD is going to be small for video editing etc. Recommend 250GB minimum.


My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £906.83
(includes shipping: £0.00)



The Antec H600 is very good and has some cool blue leds on the pump and fan.

Motherboard has red leds. I like red and blue lighting together but others may not. The leds can be turned off, though.
 
yes 16gb ram.... Get the fasted SSD possible.....
and like the guy above me said 120 is to small 250 to even 500 ssds are becoming cheaper

my.jpg
 
Thanks for the reply's and links guys (was good to get some decent pics of the case)

I think i might go for a higher wattage PSU, I've heard AMD graphics cards can be very power hungry. Will look at the ones Danny listed.

Anyone know how long the Sapphire 390 is? I've heard its really, really long. Worried it wont fit in the case.

Will probably order the beast tomorrow :D
 
Thanks for the reply's and links guys (was good to get some decent pics of the case)

I think i might go for a higher wattage PSU, I've heard AMD graphics cards can be very power hungry. Will look at the ones Danny listed.

Anyone know how long the Sapphire 390 is? I've heard its really, really long. Worried it wont fit in the case.

Will probably order the beast tomorrow :D

Should fit:

GPU Clearance With Radiator: 334mm https://www.nzxt.com/products/s340-white

308 X 127 X 42.3 Dimension /mm http://www.sapphiretech.com/productdetial.asp?pid=C436E37C-8A09-48B6-9F2B-F4AF86E377B6&lang=eng
 
Thanks for the reply's and links guys (was good to get some decent pics of the case)

I think i might go for a higher wattage PSU, I've heard AMD graphics cards can be very power hungry. Will look at the ones Danny listed.

Anyone know how long the Sapphire 390 is? I've heard its really, really long. Worried it wont fit in the case.

Will probably order the beast tomorrow :D

The 550W linked by Danny would be plenty for a single-GPU setup and a 6600k. It's a good quality unit. In general Seasonic & Superflower are good, EVGA supernova's are Superflower internals coupled with EVGAs CS so a great option.

In general I'd steer clear of Corsair PSUs as they're wildly variable in quality as Corsair don't actually make them and seem to keep changing their mind on how good internals to get from various manufacturers. (Some of their ranges are OK but others are terrible and indeed sometimes different models within a range can be different so a blanket 'avoid' is easiest)
 
Torn between the Asus z170 pro gaming and the Gigabyte z170 gaming K3.

Does the Asus have that much more cpu overclocking power? Does seem mad blowing £120 on a motherboard, but people seem to be raving about it.

Can anyone vouche for the onboard sound for the Gigabyte board?
 
Torn between the Asus z170 pro gaming and the Gigabyte z170 gaming K3.

Does the Asus have that much more cpu overclocking power? Does seem mad blowing £120 on a motherboard, but people seem to be raving about it.

Can anyone vouche for the onboard sound for the Gigabyte board?

I only tried a basic headset with it. To my ears it sounded as good as when I use it with an MSI Z87 Mpower Max, if that's any help. And it has a front headphone/mic audio boost. The sound was noticeably louder than when connecting to the back (which is assumed would be used for more powerful speakers), which is a nice touch.

You'd have to test with more expensive headphones or speakers to get a better idea of how the sound on different mobos is like, I think.
 
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