1200-1400 gaming

jolliman86

jolliman86

jolliman86

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Joined
4 Sep 2013
Posts
84
Hi All,

I am pretty new here, and realise there have probably been a million other threads similar to this but I am looking for a bit of help putting a system together!

I will be using this for gaming (BF3, Civ5, Minecraft) and a small amount of video editing too. I currently run 2 Dell Ultrasharp U2412M's and will be looking to add a 1440 monitor in the near'ish future, so will need to be taken into account.

I have traditionally been an Intel/Nvidia guy and I have been given no cause to look at changing this performance wise, although if I can get a better deal swapping over to AMD/ATi or a mixture of any of the above then I don't have any issues with that.

I am comfortable putting the rid together myself so it doesn't have to be a pre built system, but I have zero experience with water cooling systems, so unless it is really recommended or is not something that is too difficult to pick up, then I would be looking to steer clear of it.

I have just spend a few hours looking through this site (and various others) and for something who is "out of the loop" there are so many different things to choose from, I am really just looking for a nudge in the right direction from someone who knows what they are talking about!!

I have a copy of windows 7 already, so that is not something that needs to be included. I also have a SSD and a 2TB HDD for storage that I will be poaching from my old rig, so I do not need any hard drive to be included in this price. Thanks

Anyway enough rambling, thanks in advance for any help!!

Cheers
Jolli

<edit> also something to note is I have a Asus 670 4gb that will be coming out of my old rig so that can either be used in the new on (in sli with another) or will give me another 180ish to play with. Thanks

<edit 2>

Ok rather than just dump it on everyone I have put something together that looks good to me (I think). Any advice, changes, constructive criticism/feedback would be really appreciated.


"Spectra B1" Intel Core i7 4770K @ 4.2GHz Overclocked Haswell Gaming PC Bundle "Spectra B1" Intel Core i7 4770K @ 4.2GHz Overclocked Haswell Gaming PC Bundle - £639.95
MSI Geforce GTX 770 Gaming Edition 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card MSI Geforce GTX 770 Gaming Edition 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card - £347.99
OCZ ZX Series 1000W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply OCZ ZX Series 1000W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply - £161.99
Aerocool X-Predator Ultimate Gaming Case - Black/Blue Aerocool X-Predator Ultimate Gaming Case - Black/Blue - £106.99

Sub Total : £1,047.43
Total : £1,269.52
 
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YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £259.99
2 x HIS HD 7950 IceQ BOOST 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H795QC3G2M) **FREE SHIPPING** £185.99 (£371.98)
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £154.99
1 x NZXT Phantom 530 Full Tower Gaming Case - White £104.99
1 x XFX Pro 850W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £95.99
1 x Avexir Core Blue Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C10 2400MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (AVD3U24001004G-2CI) - Blue Light £71.99
1 x Corsair Hydro H100 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler *Manufacturer Refurbished Unit - 90 Day Guarantee £44.99
1 x Corsair AF120 Performance Series Low Noise High Airflow - Dual Pack (CO-9050004-WW) £25.99
1 x Corsair SP120 Quiet Series High Pressure Low Noise - Dual Pack (CO-9050006-WW) £25.99
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
1 x NZXT CB-LED20-WT 24x White LED Sleeve - 2m £13.99
1 x Corsair AF120 Performance Series Low Noise High Airflow - Single Pack (CO-9050003-WW) £13.99
1 x BitFenix 24-Pin ATX Extension 30cm - sleeved black/blue/black £7.49
2 x BitFenix 6-Pin PCIe Extension 45cm - sleeved black/blue/black £5.99 (£11.98)
2 x BitFenix Alchemy SATA 6GB/s braided cable 30cm - Blue £5.99 (£11.98)
1 x BitFenix Molex to 4x SATA Adapter 20 cm - sleeved black/blue/black £5.99
2 x BitFenix 8-Pin PCIe Extension 45cm - sleeved black/blue/black £5.99 (£11.98)
1 x BitFenix 8-Pin EPS12V Extension 45cm - sleeved black/blue/black £4.99
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Internal USB Extension 30cm - sleeved blue/black £4.98
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Internal Audio Extension Adaptor 30cm - Blue £4.49
Total : £1,268.74 (includes shipping : FREE).



How does this take your fancy?
£1400, could probably get you a custom watercooling loop in there if we SLI your 670's.
 
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That looks great (and includes a lot of things I seem to have overlooked, so thank you!).

I just have 2 questions;

1. What are the benefits of going for dual cards (either 7950's or 670's) vs sticking with one GTX 770. Obviously I will see performance increases with the dual cards, but will it be a notable difference vs the 1 card, which I have the option of upgrading further in the future with another 770.

2. How difficult are the water cooler systems to fit? I don't know if it is just an irrational fear of the unknown (and putting water inside my brand new computer) but I am a little worried I will screw it up!

Also the case you put on seems to be out of stock (still on pre order) Is the one I choose ok?

Or maybe this one - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-022-NX Seems similar.

Thanks for taking the time to help. I do appreciate it.
 
jolliman86 said:
Snip...

1. What are the benefits of going for dual cards (either 7950's or 670's) vs sticking with one GTX 770. Obviously I will see performance increases with the dual cards, but will it be a notable difference vs the 1 card, which I have the option of upgrading further in the future with another 770.

2. How difficult are the water cooler systems to fit? I don't know if it is just an irrational fear of the unknown (and putting water inside my brand new computer) but I am a little worried I will screw it up!

...snip...
Click to expand...

No Problem at all.

#1 - The 7950's will perform better than the GTX 770, however I didn't realise a GTX 770 could be had for £300 mark, I thought they were more. So if you wanted Nvidia, it could be a viable option all the same. However I would opt for a 7970/2 x 7970's as they perform just as well as the GTX 770 & with BF4 around the corner, AMD cards will be more optimised I imagine.

I also think, crossfire cards look awesome in a rig aha. So that swayed me 2 include 2.

#2 - Fitting a Water Cooling system isn't hard, it just requires patience and a lot of it, they're a lot of guide, but if you're not comfortable with doing it, then it could be a upgrade for the future if you want to dabble.

#3 - Case, Sorry I never noticed it was out of stock. I'd look at the H630 case in white, mainly for it's ability to be upgraded especially if you ever want to watercool as it can handle a lot of water cooling capability and looks amazing & is very quiet.

Ethermaster said:
Nice looking build, I would change a few things to improve the colouring but thats all I can think of :) and the case I would choose is currently out of stock :(
Click to expand...

Couple tweaks can be made I guess, think I got the most part of the eye candy though! Your case, 750D? If so, I had that as my first choice.
 
Ok so this all looks good. Going to have to give a bit of though on if I should get a 7970 or two 7950's and then look at ordering this tomorrow. Thanks for your help here. You have made my headache go away a little lol.

I think I will stick with the water cooling system you have suggested, and just take my time with it and follow the guide.
 
I think I will stick with the water cooling system you have suggested, and just take my time with it and follow the guide.
Click to expand...

Do you mean the H100 I spec'd or do you want a full water-cooling setup spec'd?
If the former, then it fits the exact same as a heatsink really, just fix the radiator in the roof.

If you want to go for a full water cooled setup, I can spec something up for you.
 
Don't see the point of buying twin 7950s (although you will cop free games), might as well cop another 670 to use really even if it is a 2nd hand one. The prices have dropped with the 700 series now released, just remember you need to get a 4GB one.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £259.99
1 x KFA2 GeForce GTX 670 EX OC 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £221.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-OC Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £158.99
1 x Seasonic G series 750w '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £119.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case - Black £114.95
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £65.99
1 x Corsair Hydro H100 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler *Manufacturer Refurbished Unit - 90 Day Guarantee £44.99
1 x Corsair SP120 Quiet Series High Pressure Low Noise - Dual Pack (CO-9050006-WW) £25.99
1 x Pioneer 24x Internal DVR-221LBK DVD Rewriter - OEM £17.99
Total : £1,057.80 (includes shipping : £22.45).



H100 is refurbed but offers great cooling for the price (the SP120s are to upgrade the H100). If you are tempted to do a custom loop eventually then you could still reuse the 240mm radiator.

The Corsair 540 has great watercooling options (takes a 360mm rad no worries), the PSU has it's own compartment essentially so there is loads of room for cable management. You can added coloured extensions if you so wish to "tart up" the rig, the side window will show things off nicely :)

The GB Z87X-OC is much better than the UD3H, be silly not to use it as it's an extremely good mobo. 8GB of 2400Mhz RAM. Memory prices will be going up so if you think you'll step up your video editing in the future it might pay to have 16GB from the get go.

Best of luck with the build, we look forward to seeing what you choose :)
 
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ThaReaperGuy said:
Do you mean the H100 I spec'd or do you want a full water-cooling setup spec'd?
If the former, then it fits the exact same as a heatsink really, just fix the radiator in the roof.

If you want to go for a full water cooled setup, I can spec something up for you.
Click to expand...

I meant the H100 you spec'd - think that's enough for now. Maybe a full water-cooled setup is something I can look at further down the line.

honosuseri said:
snip
Click to expand...

If I did opt for 670's in sli, would it matter that they will be different brands? I got my 4gb Asus on overclockers not too long ago, and it looks like they are not available any more. Not sure if this would cause any issues?

Thanks
 
All parts should be arriving today between 12 and 1 (on a side note I am very impressed with the service from dpd so far, great choice of courier on OcUK's part).

Just wanted to say thanks again for you help guys! Pretty sure my head would have exploded without it!
 
Delivery delayed due to "bad weather". Gets cold and everything grinds to a halt! lol.

Should be here tomorrow so at least I have all weekend to play around with it.
 
Wooop!!!! it just came haha. Got an email from dpd to say it wasn't coming because of bad weather, but it has just turned up. Miserable jolliman and just turned into excited jolliman! T-Minus 38 minutes and counting until home time!!!
 
Life related issues have delayed the build until this evening, and possibly tomorrow depending on what happens in work today :(

I will put a log together, and take some pics - although looking at the quality of some of the project logs that are posted, mine is going to be quite bland I think! Never the less, will be nice to have a log of my first build in quite some time out there I think.
 
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