£1500 Build specs check : Advice

[MachineMan]

Hello all,

I am currently designing a gaming PC for my friend and have a budget of 1500. I have come up with this system and would like some advice on if there are any compatabillity issues I had missed. As it is my first time building a dual graphics pc, I am not sure to recommend that my friend just gets a single GPU for around 350-400. I am also having trouble picking a case for this as I want it all to fit. Finally I was wondering if I should invest some budget on Cooling (not used water cool before) for this. Definately thinking of silent fans for case. Any help and advice on this would be appreciated. This is my biggest build yet!

SYSTEM SPECS:

1x Asus Maximus VII Hero Z97 Motherboard
1x Intel Core i7-4790k (devils canyon) 4.00Ghz, Socket LGA 1150
2x Asus ROG Geforce GTX 760 Striker 4096Mb GDDR5 PCI-Express
1x (2 x 8) 16Gb Corsair Vegeance Pro Red, PC3-17100 C11, 2133Mhz
1x 1Tb Seagate Barricuda 7200rpm, sata 6Gb/s HDD
1x 120Gb Corsair Force Ls Series sata 6Gb/s SSD
1x Corsair RM Series 1000W PSU
1x Windows 7 64-bit Operating System
Case ??

I have got monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers.

 

[DaleTheWhale]

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Radeon R9 290X Gaming Edition 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £359.99
1 x Intel Core i7-4790K 4.00GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £269.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 5 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £119.99
1 x EVGA SuperNova G2 850W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £107.99
1 x NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case - Black £94.99
1 x Corsair Hydro H105 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060016-WW ) £89.99
1 x Intel 335 Series 20nm 240GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - Retail (SSDSC2CT240A4K5) £79.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £74.99
1 x Kingston HyperX 8GB (2x4GB) PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/Red (HX24C11BRK2/8-OC) £65.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £59.99
1 x Corsair SP120 Performance Series High Pressure - Dual Pack (CO-9050008-WW) £22
Total : £1,363.58 (includes shipping : £14.75).



Not sure why you would SLI 760's?

 

[MachineMan]

Hi and thnx for the quick reply. I am just looking your list over now. I have not done a dual GPU system before so am pretty clueless with what cards work well together.

 

[Lemin]

Id get something like this....

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Radeon R9 290X Gaming Edition 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £359.99
1 x Intel Core i7-4790K 4.00GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £269.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-SOC Force Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard **Overclockers UK Exclusive** £169.99
1 x Silverstone Strider Gold Evolution 1000W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply (ST1000-G) £143.99
1 x NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case - Black £94.99
1 x Corsair Hydro H105 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060016-WW ) £89.99
1 x Intel 335 Series 20nm 240GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - Retail (SSDSC2CT240A4K5) £79.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02733) £73.99
1 x Kingston HyperX 8GB (2x4GB) PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/Red (HX24C11BRK2/8-OC) £65.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £59.99
1 x OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £10.99
Total : £1,436.39 (includes shipping : £13.75).



edit.... most folk get best card affordable new. Then in a year or so double-up with a second hand bargain.

 

[Doomedspeed]

My choice would be:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus Radeon R9 290 DirectCU II OC 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card - Red £329.99
1 x Intel Core i7-4790K 4.00GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £269.99
1 x EVGA SuperNova G2 850W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £107.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-SLI Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £101.99
1 x Corsair Obsidian 450D High Airflow Mid-Tower Case (CC-9011049-WW) £91.99
1 x Corsair Hydro H105 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060016-WW ) £89.99
1 x Intel 335 Series 20nm 240GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - Retail (SSDSC2CT240A4K5) £79.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £74.99
1 x Kingston HyperX 8GB (2x4GB) PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/Red (HX24C11BRK2/8-OC) £65.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £59.99
1 x Corsair SP120 Performance Series High Pressure - Dual Pack (CO-9050008-WW) £22
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) £11.99
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 24pin ATX extension 30cm - Red £8.99
2 x BitFenix Alchemy 6+2-Pin PCIe Extension 45cm - sleeved red/black £5.99 (£11.98)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 8pin EPS extension 45cm - Red £5.99
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Internal USB Extension 30cm - sleeved red/black £4.98
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Internal Audio Extension Adaptor 30cm - Red £4.49
Total : £1,372.28 (includes shipping : £12.50).



Explanation time:

GPU:
I see 290X are being used, I guess its because of their price. I'd be wary of MSI gaming card (especially AMD ones) though, they had issues with bearing leaking oil (from the fans). That is why they are so cheap (as their repuation is being slowly tarnished).
As there is VERY VERY little difference between the 290 and 290X anyway, id opt for a better make of 290.
The DCII is a stunning cooler which will be quiet and cool (and allow OC to mad high clocks). The fact it's triple slot isn't an issue due to the board i've selected. You'll be able to have 2 in Xfire Easy. The case I've picked also helps that, as there is a fair gap between the bottom slot and the PSU top (to allow for multicard setups.
Also comes with free headset, which is awesome.

Case:
As mentioned above, picked for GPU ease. Its smart and very well made.

Memory:
You'll only need 8GB for Gaming.

Motherboard:
Gigabyte are my (and a lot of other users) favourite board maker, they are sturdy, strong and have tons of features. (And UK RMA). The XSLI is a pretty basic board but with more than enough feature for even an avid OCer.

PSU:
Well it's a superflower made unit. Superflower are up there (if not above) Seasonic in the PSU games, Corsair are not great anymore, they use cheaper OEM's even for their high-end units.

Others:
Red fans and extension cables to make it look awesome and LED's to light it all up.

What do you think?

 

[altrewin]

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus Radeon R9 290 DirectCU II OC 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card - Red £329.99
1 x Intel Core i7-4790K 4.00GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £269.99
1 x Asus Maximus VII Gene Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £157.99
1 x Parvum Systems S2.0 MicroATX Case - Black with Red £139.99
1 x EVGA SuperNova G2 850W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £107.99
1 x Corsair Hydro H105 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060016-WW ) £89.99
1 x Crucial MX100 256GB SATA 2.5” 7mm SSD + 9.5mm Adapter (CT256MX100SSD1) £79.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £74.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLD38G2133HC11ADC01) £59.99
1 x Toshiba 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6GB/s 64MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA200) HDD £56.99
1 x Corsair Fan, SP120 PWM High Pressure Fan 4 pin, Dual Pack (CO-9050014-WW) £25.00
1 x Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition Low Noise High Airflow - Dual Pack (CO-9050002-WW) £22.00
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Premium Modding LED Strip - Connect White 30cm £16.79
3 x Be Quiet! Shadow Wings Fan PWM - 80mm £10.99 (£32.97)
2 x Akasa PWM fan splitter (AK-CBFA04-15) £2.99 (£5.98)
Total : £1,485.62 (includes shipping : £12.50).


_____
Well as my spec is relatively similar to Dooms I won't explain everything.

Motherboard:
ROG boards are renowned for their stability and OC capabilities, and the M7G is probably one of the best MATX boards available right now. It's packed with OC and tweaking features as well as more gaming orientated features than you can shake a stick at.

Case:
Made here in the UK, lovely support (there was even a case of them sending out a brand new case for someone here on OcUK even though they were only asking for a spare side panel). Nice and small, but you can still pack monster setups in it, just take a look in the Project Logs section and you'll see how popular it is.

Others:
Replacement fans for the stock ones on the H110, and matching fans for the rest of the system as well as some lighting.

 

[Doomedspeed]

Altrewin,

A few issues.

No need for a 850W PSU in that case (with that GPU), you won't be able to get two in (unless there WC). a 600W-650W would be fine.

Im unsure whether a H105 would fit in that case, most WC builds i've seen in that case use a slim(er) 240 Rad in the top. It could clash with the motherboard heatsinks.

 

[Fallen god]

Altrewin,

A few issues.

No need for a 850W PSU in that case (with that GPU), you won't be able to get two in (unless there WC). a 600W-650W would be fine.

Im unsure whether a H105 would fit in that case, most WC builds i've seen in that case use a slim(er) 240 Rad in the top. It could clash with the motherboard heatsinks.

Does the H105 fit in the 450D, was checking out a few reviews for it recently and they mention that the thicker rad on the H105 meant it cover up some of the mother board and was less then ideal.

 

[Doomedspeed]

Does the H105 fit in the 450D, was checking out a few reviews for it recently and they mention that the thicker rad on the H105 meant it cover up some of the mother board and was less then ideal.

It does fit, its got the same spacing as the 750D.

Some pictures.

http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=127547

 

[MachineMan]

Thx for all the great builds, I'm gonna take some time and look over them. Like the red and black theme Doomedspeed, was kinda the look I was going for.

 

[altrewin]

Altrewin,

A few issues.

No need for a 850W PSU in that case (with that GPU), you won't be able to get two in (unless there WC). a 600W-650W would be fine.

Im unsure whether a H105 would fit in that case, most WC builds i've seen in that case use a slim(er) 240 Rad in the top. It could clash with the motherboard heatsinks.

Woops, clicked the 850w instead of 750w As for the H105 fitting I believe it'd be fine, for the S1.0 on their site (S2.0 isn't there for some reason) they advise a max of 35mm rads, but as the S2.0 is a bit taller it a thicker one should fit fine.

Also I thought the DCUII is a 2 slot card these days?

 

[Doomedspeed]

Also I thought the DCUII is a 2 slot card these days?

So it is, Just:

http://videocardz.com/48622/asus-radeon-r9-290-directcu-ii-oc-detailed

 

[altrewin]

So it is, Just:

http://videocardz.com/48622/asus-radeon-r9-290-directcu-ii-oc-detailed

Gosh that is close! Probably wouldn't want to be running two of those so close together, I imagine the backplate on a bottom card would nearly be touching the shround on the top one :/

 

[Doomedspeed]

Gosh that is close! Probably wouldn't want to be running two of those so close together, I imagine the backplate on a bottom card would nearly be touching the shround on the top one :/

Yeah a bit too close to call, i don't know why they've done that. Eithe rmake it 2slot (under) or 2.5 slot (for more heatsink), not 2.05 slot.

 

[MachineMan]

After looking at your suggestions I have come up with this spec.

Intel Core i7-4790K 4.00GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £270

Asus Maximus VII Hero Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £165

Asus Radeon R9 290 DirectCU II OC 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card - Red £330

Kingston HyperX 8GB (2x4GB) PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/Red (HX24C11BRK2/8-OC) £66

Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £60

Intel 335 Series 20nm 240GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - Retail (SSDSC2CT240A4K5) £80

Corsair Hydro H105 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060016-WW ) £90

NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case - Black £95

1 x EVGA SuperNova G2 850W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £107.99

1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02733) £73.99

1 x OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £10.99

6x Corsair AF120 Performance Series Low Noise High Airflow - Single Pack (CO-9050003-WW)£22 for 2 (£66)

cables:

1 x BitFenix Alchemy 24pin ATX extension 30cm - Red £8.99
2 x BitFenix Alchemy 6+2-Pin PCIe Extension 45cm - sleeved red/black £5.99 (£11.98)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 8pin EPS extension 45cm - Red £5.99
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Internal USB Extension 30cm - sleeved red/black £4.98
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Internal Audio Extension Adaptor 30cm - Red £4.49

£1361 total

Would this all go together ok? Could spend another 100 if there any improvements/adjustments needed.

 

[tamzzy]

YOUR BASKET
2 x Asus Radeon R9 290 DirectCU II OC 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card - Red £329.99 (£659.98)
1 x Intel Core i7-4790K 4.00GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £269.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 3 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £109.99
1 x EVGA SuperNova G2 850W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £107.99
1 x NZXT Phantom 530 Full Tower Gaming Case - White £97.99
1 x Antec Kúhler H2O 1220 Series 4 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler £81.6
1 x Crucial MX100 256GB SATA 2.5” 7mm SSD + 9.5mm Adapter (CT256MX100SSD1) £79.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £74.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLD38G2133HC11ADC01) £59.99
1 x Western Digital Caviar Red 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache WD10EFRX - OEM HDD £49.99
1 x LiteOn IHAS124-14 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £11.99
Total : £1,622.18 (includes shipping : £14.75).





it is slightly over budget, but you get 3, yes *3* headsets which you can sell to bring the cost back down to near £1500 lol
you get xfire 290s straight away, and a case that can handle it
latest haswell refresh i7k
240mm aio cooler
the psu comes with braided cables (or flat cables) iirc, so you do away with spending extra on that nonsense ;p

 

[stulid]

After looking at your suggestions I have come up with this spec.

Intel Core i7-4790K 4.00GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £270

Asus Maximus VII Hero Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £165

Asus Radeon R9 290 DirectCU II OC 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card - Red £330

Kingston HyperX 8GB (2x4GB) PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/Red (HX24C11BRK2/8-OC) £66

Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £60

Intel 335 Series 20nm 240GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - Retail (SSDSC2CT240A4K5) £80

Corsair Hydro H105 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060016-WW ) £90

NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case - Black £95

1 x EVGA SuperNova G2 850W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £107.99

1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02733) £73.99

1 x OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £10.99

6x Corsair AF120 Performance Series Low Noise High Airflow - Single Pack (CO-9050003-WW)£22 for 2 (£66)

cables:

1 x BitFenix Alchemy 24pin ATX extension 30cm - Red £8.99
2 x BitFenix Alchemy 6+2-Pin PCIe Extension 45cm - sleeved red/black £5.99 (£11.98)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 8pin EPS extension 45cm - Red £5.99
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Internal USB Extension 30cm - sleeved red/black £4.98
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Internal Audio Extension Adaptor 30cm - Red £4.49

£1361 total

Would this all go together ok? Could spend another 100 if there any improvements/adjustments needed.

Most of that is ok but,

6 fans is silly, you can get a better case for the total cost of a case+those fans.

Gigabyte Gaming 5 is a cheaper board that has a long 4 year warranty.