3K full build spec

PaulyD · 26 Nov 2013 at 01:05

Going to be buying a new PC soon, got around 3k to spend but can (and likely will!) go a bit over.

Said full build but own keyboard, mouse and speakers!

Originally made this spec in spoiler below, but am also looking at swapping the 290x out for a 7990 instead.

Happy to make dedicated threads if need be for questions below but know how good you bunch are!

1. Monitor - had a Dell 2407WFP and loved it, so happy to stick with Dell unless something is much better at the price point?

2. Windows 8 - only see OEM copies on OCUK, can these be reinstalled multiple times or just once? Not sure if that has changed since previous versions

3. PSU - would it manage 290x crossfire in the future with everything overclocked? Obviously still undecided on the GPU route as per below

4. GPU - posted in GC about it but for similar price wouldn't it make sense to go 7990? Had a 4870x2 and 5970 without issues previously

5. Fan controller - Had a BigNG in a previous life which was pretty awful on the software side, recommendations nowadays?

Aside from that I need to add some extra tubing, rotaries etc but otherwise spec is pretty much that.

Any and all feedback welcome

fowler002 · 26 Nov 2013 at 02:22

his 290 flashed(and unlocked) to 290x with block prefitted

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-064-TL&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1752

would say samsung 840 evo over the pro, I seem to recall reading ms have changed the oem licence terms for win 8 to allow you to carry it over to newer pcs(well the usual only on one at a time) as there isn't a retail full version upgrade only.

Doomedspeed · 26 Nov 2013 at 08:38

I have a few thoughts..

While the case is fantastic there is currently a lot of different option on the market which i think are better, the 800D/900D/750D/Enthoo

For 3K i'd be look for a dual card setup really.

Black HDD's aren't worth the moeny IMO, they are faster but loud and if your using an SSD anyway youll hardly notice the difference.

You could have the rig looking awesome..

Monitor wise im more a fan of smoother frames rather than bigger, thats why i've gone for a 120hz monitor in my spec.

If you don't NEED a blu-ray, dont get one, a big waste of money if you don't NEED one.

This would be my suggestion:

YOUR BASKET
2 x Gigabyte Radeon R9 290X "BF4 Edition" 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £429.95 (£859.90)
1 x Benq XL2720T 27" TRUE 120Hz 3D Vision 2.0 Widescreen LED Monitor - Black/Red £319.99
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £275.99
1 x Phanteks Enthoo Primo Full Tower Case £199.99
1 x Asus Z87 MAXIMUS VI HERO Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £169.99
1 x Corsair Professional Series AX 860W '80 Plus Platinum' Modular Power Supply (CP-9020044-UK) £167.99
1 x Samsung 250GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Desktop Kit - (MZ-7TE250KW) £154.99
1 x XSPC D5 Photon 270 Reservoir/Pump Combo £139.99
2 x EK Water Blocks EK-FC R9-290X - Nickel £95.99 (£191.98)
1 x Corsair Vengeance Pro Silver 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C9 2133MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (CMY8GX3M2B2133C9) £89.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Pro Red 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C9 2133MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (CMY8GX3M2B2133C9R) £89.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £65.99
1 x Corsair Generation 2 Sleeved Cable Kit (AXi / AX / HX / TXM) - Red £64.99
1 x EK Water Blocks EK-Supremacy - Nickel £52.99
2 x XSPC EX360 120mm Radiator - Black £49.99 (£99.98)
3 x Corsair SP120 Performance Series High Pressure - Dual Pack (CO-9050008-WW) £25.99 (£77.97)
2 x Mayhems Pastel - Ice White Coolant 1L £14.99 (£29.98)
1 x Corsair Generation 2 Sleeved 24 Pin Cable (AX) - Red £14.99
1 x NZXT CB-LED20-WT 24x White LED Sleeve - 2m £13.99
4 x EK Water Blocks Adapter G1/4" 45 degrees - silver £5.99 (£23.96)
2 x XSPC HighFlex Hose 1/2" ID, 3/4" OD, 19/12.7mm, 2m, Clear £4.80 (£9.60)
1 x EK Water Blocks HD Tube 12/16mm 4-Slot (2 pcs) £4.49
12 x XSPC G1/4" to 1/2" ID, 3/4" OD Compression Fitting (Chrome) £3.49 (£41.88)
Total : £3,194.68 (includes shipping : £27.55).

PaulyD · 26 Nov 2013 at 20:22

Thanks for the advice guys, will swap the SSD out for the EVO.

Thanks for the great spec DoomedSpeed!

Did have a TJ-07 previously so know what the case is like, might look at alternatives and save a little cash there. Didn't really think I would get 290x crossfire in budget with everything else but you have proved me wrong! I was planning on having pre-braided cables for everything as well but had yet to add those into the basket.

Also meant to say, going for a 2560x1440 monitor as will be used for photo editing quite a fair bit, so a decent panel is what i'm after (heard the 120hz don't have the best colour reproduction)

Will take your spec on board and come back with an updated spec later

fowler002 · 27 Nov 2013 at 00:39

Doomedspeed said:
I have a few thoughts..

While the case is fantastic there is currently a lot of different option on the market which i think are better, the 800D/900D/750D/Enthoo

For 3K i'd be look for a dual card setup really.

Black HDD's aren't worth the moeny IMO, they are faster but loud and if your using an SSD anyway youll hardly notice the difference.

You could have the rig looking awesome..

Monitor wise im more a fan of smoother frames rather than bigger, thats why i've gone for a 120hz monitor in my spec.

If you don't NEED a blu-ray, dont get one, a big waste of money if you don't NEED one.

This would be my suggestion:

YOUR BASKET
2 x Gigabyte Radeon R9 290X "BF4 Edition" 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £429.95 (£859.90)
1 x Benq XL2720T 27" TRUE 120Hz 3D Vision 2.0 Widescreen LED Monitor - Black/Red £319.99
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £275.99
1 x Phanteks Enthoo Primo Full Tower Case £199.99
1 x Asus Z87 MAXIMUS VI HERO Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £169.99
1 x Corsair Professional Series AX 860W '80 Plus Platinum' Modular Power Supply (CP-9020044-UK) £167.99
1 x Samsung 250GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Desktop Kit - (MZ-7TE250KW) £154.99
1 x XSPC D5 Photon 270 Reservoir/Pump Combo £139.99
2 x EK Water Blocks EK-FC R9-290X - Nickel £95.99 (£191.98)
1 x Corsair Vengeance Pro Silver 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C9 2133MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (CMY8GX3M2B2133C9) £89.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Pro Red 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C9 2133MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (CMY8GX3M2B2133C9R) £89.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £65.99
1 x Corsair Generation 2 Sleeved Cable Kit (AXi / AX / HX / TXM) - Red £64.99
1 x EK Water Blocks EK-Supremacy - Nickel £52.99
2 x XSPC EX360 120mm Radiator - Black £49.99 (£99.98)
3 x Corsair SP120 Performance Series High Pressure - Dual Pack (CO-9050008-WW) £25.99 (£77.97)
2 x Mayhems Pastel - Ice White Coolant 1L £14.99 (£29.98)
1 x Corsair Generation 2 Sleeved 24 Pin Cable (AX) - Red £14.99
1 x NZXT CB-LED20-WT 24x White LED Sleeve - 2m £13.99
4 x EK Water Blocks Adapter G1/4" 45 degrees - silver £5.99 (£23.96)
2 x XSPC HighFlex Hose 1/2" ID, 3/4" OD, 19/12.7mm, 2m, Clear £4.80 (£9.60)
1 x EK Water Blocks HD Tube 12/16mm 4-Slot (2 pcs) £4.49
12 x XSPC G1/4" to 1/2" ID, 3/4" OD Compression Fitting (Chrome) £3.49 (£41.88)
Total : £3,194.68 (includes shipping : £27.55).

can save best part of £100 by going with the his 290 flashed to 290x and waterblock prefitted, tho I'm not sure if its 1 per customer/order(it's £46 cheaper per card)

Doomedspeed · 27 Nov 2013 at 07:19

fowler002 said:
can save best part of £100 by going with the his 290 flashed to 290x and waterblock prefitted, tho I'm not sure if its 1 per customer/order(it's £46 cheaper per card)

Very true..

I think that appeared after i was speccing though.. (excuses excuses)

DaleTheWhale · 27 Nov 2013 at 10:54

My 2 pence:

Don't get this tubing:

XSPC HighFlex Hose 1/2" ID, 3/4" OD, 19/12.7mm, 2m, Clear

I have it and it looks naff, it's not 100% clear, with the budget you have I'd be looking at grabbing some Tygon tubing from somewhere, looks beautiful and clear.

2011 is an option with £3000 as well.

PaulyD · 27 Nov 2013 at 20:21

ThaReaperGuy said:
My 2 pence:

Don't get this tubing:

XSPC HighFlex Hose 1/2" ID, 3/4" OD, 19/12.7mm, 2m, Clear

I have it and it looks naff, it's not 100% clear, with the budget you have I'd be looking at grabbing some Tygon tubing from somewhere, looks beautiful and clear.

2011 is an option with £3000 as well.

I'm generally not a fan of clear tubing + coloured coolant so going for white tubing with distilled water to contrast the red/black and have done a take on DoomedSpeed's spec

I did think of 2011 initially but game benchmarks show the 4770k ahead

My revised spec, still need to throw in windows + mousemat:

Fallen god · 27 Nov 2013 at 20:54

Maybe some red ram stick.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Patriot Venom Red 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C10 2400MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (PV316G240C0KRD) £129.95
Total : £138.65 (includes shipping : £7.25).

kitkat9933 · 27 Nov 2013 at 21:05

I'd go for a Samsung 840 EVO 1TB over 512GB Samsung Pro tbh.

I'd aim for 1000+W if you want to fire 290x's and have some over clock room.

yoyo59 · 27 Nov 2013 at 21:38

for that amount it doesn't look good enough

Doomedspeed · 27 Nov 2013 at 21:44

yoyo59 said:
for that amount it doesn't look good enough

What do you suggest?

yoyo59 · 27 Nov 2013 at 21:44

corsair 750d £131
Asus Rampage IV Formula Intel X79 (Socket 2011) DDR3 Motherboard £263
Intel 4930K £439
Corsair Dominator GT 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-14900C9 1866MHz Dual Channel Kit £90
EK Water Blocks EK-KIT L360 £179
Samsung 500GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic £269

id definitely start like this if I had 3k to spend on a pc

Kellogz · 27 Nov 2013 at 22:49

Never done a spec so id like someone with more experience to verify but heres my go with

YOUR BASKET
2 x OcUK Tech Labs EXPRESS - HIS Radeon R9 290 Pre-Flashed to R290X 4096MB Watercooled Graphics Card with BattleField 4 PC Game Included £479.99 (£959.98)
1 x Dell UltraSharp U2713HM 27" Widescreen LED Monitor - Midnight Grey £469.99
1 x Intel 4930K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge-E) Socket LGA2011 Processor - Retail (BX80633I74930K) £439.99
1 x Samsung 500GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE500BW) £269.99
1 x Gigabyte X79-UP4 Intel X79 (Socket 2011) DDR3 Motherboard £209.99
1 x EK Water Blocks EK-KIT L360 Entry Level Water Cooling Kit £179.99
1 x Corsair Professional Series AX 860W '80 Plus Platinum' Modular Power Supply (CP-9020044-UK) £139.99
1 x Corsair Obsidian 750D Full Tower Case - Black (CC-9011035-WW) £131.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Beast 16GB (4x4GB) PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Quad Channel Kit (KHX16C9T3K4/16X) £125.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £61.99
1 x LG GH24NSB0 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
Total : £3,042.94 (includes shipping : £27.55).

DaleTheWhale · 27 Nov 2013 at 23:02

^ You'll need more than than kit to keep everything cool under water.

YOUR BASKET
2 x OcUK Tech Labs EXPRESS - HIS Radeon R9 290 Pre-Flashed to R290X 4096MB Watercooled Graphics Card with BattleField 4 PC Game Included £479.99 (£959.98)
1 x BenQ XL2420T rev2.0 24" TRUE 144Hz 3D Vision 2.0 Widescreen LED Monitor - Black/Red /w Flicker FREE Technology £299.99
1 x Samsung 500GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE500BW) £269.99
1 x Asus Rampage IV Formula Intel X79 (Socket 2011) DDR3 Motherboard £263.99
1 x Intel 4820K 3.70GHz (Ivybridge-E) Socket LGA2011 Processor - Retail (BX80633I74820K) £247.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Beast 16GB (4x4GB) PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Quad Channel Kit (KHX24C11T3K4/16X) £161.99
1 x EVGA SuperNova 1000W '80 Plus Platinum' Modular Power Supply (220-P2-1000-XR) £149.99
1 x CM Storm Stryker Full Tower Gaming Case - White £139.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £61.99
1 x EK Water Blocks EK-Supremacy - Acetal £49.99
1 x EK CoolStream Radiator XT 360 (120.3) £48.98
1 x XSPC EX240 Crossflow Radiator £44.99
1 x EK DCP 4.0 Pump (12v) £39.98
1 x Bitspower Z-Multi 150mm Water Tank £36.98
2 x Corsair SP120 Quiet Series High Pressure Low Noise - Dual Pack (CO-9050006-WW) £25.99 (£51.98)
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
1 x Aqua ComputerTwinConnect 2-Slot - SLI/Crossfire Bridge £14.99
1 x Corsair SP120 Quiet Series High Pressure Low Noise - Single Pack (CO-9050005-WW) £13.99
4 x Koolance Fitting Single, Swiveling Elbow £9.95 (£39.80)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 24-Pin ATX Extension 30cm - sleeved black/red/black £7.49
2 x BitFenix 6-Pin PCIe Extension 45cm - sleeved black/red/black £5.99 (£11.98)
2 x Primochill Primoflex Advanced Tubing 13/10 - White £5.99 (£11.98)
2 x BitFenix 8-Pin PCIe Extension 45cm - sleeved black/red/black £5.95 (£11.90)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 8-Pin EPS12V Extension 45cm - sleeved black/red/black £4.99
2 x Mayhems Ultra Pure H20 Watercooling Fluid 1L £4.99 (£9.98)
14 x XSPC G1/4" to 1/2" Barb Fitting (Chrome) £1.79 (£25.06)
Total : £3,000.92 (includes shipping : FREE).

My idea.

PaulyD · 27 Nov 2013 at 23:05

Fallen god said:
Maybe some red ram stick.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Patriot Venom Red 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C10 2400MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (PV316G240C0KRD) £129.95
Total : £138.65 (includes shipping : £7.25).

Thats perfect and I completely missed that! Thanks, will swap for that.

kitkat9933 said:
I'd go for a Samsung 840 EVO 1TB over 512GB Samsung Pro tbh.

I'd aim for 1000+W if you want to fire 290x's and have some over clock room.

1kw really needed?

yoyo59 said:
corsair 750d £131
Asus Rampage IV Formula Intel X79 (Socket 2011) DDR3 Motherboard £263
Intel 4930K £439
Corsair Dominator GT 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-14900C9 1866MHz Dual Channel Kit £90
EK Water Blocks EK-KIT L360 £179
Samsung 500GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic £269

id definitely start like this if I had 3k to spend on a pc

2011 dont bench so great for gaming compared to 4770K, be clocked to the hills and it wont be no slouch for my photo editing, general net stuff.

DaleTheWhale · 27 Nov 2013 at 23:43

PaulyD said:
2011 dont bench so great for gaming compared to 4770K, be clocked to the hills and it wont be no slouch for my photo editing, general net stuff.

The difference is minimal especially as they'll be netting fps past 100+ anyway & with 2011 you get the benefit of x16/x16 where 1150 only supports x16/x8.

With that budget I'd go down the 2011 route for definite. I know I did!

Kellogz · 28 Nov 2013 at 03:31

The reason i susgested the 2011 is because you said you will be doing a lot of editing, hence more cores will actually benefit you and the difference between the haswell's and this are minimal, the difference the 2011 chip will let you multi task better. I myself had the same debate only a few days ago and chose the 2011 over haswell due to the fact my main prio is gaming but i do like to do editing both PS and Sony Veg but also streamming is becoming a massive things with more games actually including it in there games so the 2011 will shine there.

The Only Beardy · 28 Nov 2013 at 09:05

YOUR BASKET
2 x OcUK Tech Labs EXPRESS - HIS Radeon R9 290 Pre-Flashed to R290X 4096MB Watercooled Graphics Card with BattleField 4 PC Game Included £479.99 (£959.98)
1 x Dell UltraSharp U2713HM 27" Widescreen LED Monitor - Midnight Grey £469.99
1 x Samsung 500GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE500BW) £269.99
1 x Asus Rampage IV Formula Intel X79 (Socket 2011) DDR3 Motherboard £263.99
1 x Intel 4820K 3.70GHz (Ivybridge-E) Socket LGA2011 Processor - Retail (BX80633I74820K) £247.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance RED 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual/Quad Channel Kit (CMZ16GX3M4X2133C11R) £169.99
1 x XSPC D5 Photon 270 Reservoir/Pump Combo £139.99
1 x Corsair Obsidian 750D Full Tower Case - Black (CC-9011035-WW) £131.99
1 x Corsair RM Series RM 850 '80+ Gold' 850W Power Supply (CP-9020056-UK) £119.99
1 x Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (WD20EZRX) HDD £69.95
1 x EK Water Blocks EK-Supremacy - Nickel £52.99
1 x XSPC EX360 120mm Radiator - Black £47.99
1 x XSPC EX240 120mm Radiator - Black £37.99
3 x Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition Low Noise High Airflow - Dual Pack (CO-9050002-WW) £19.99 (£59.97)
1 x EK Water Blocks EK-FC Terminal DUAL Serial £13.99
1 x Samsung SH-118AB/BEBE SATA 18x DVD-ROM (Black) - OEM £12.95
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 24-Pin ATX Extension 30cm - sleeved black/red/black £7.49
2 x BitFenix 6-Pin PCIe Extension 45cm - sleeved black/red/black £5.99 (£11.98)
2 x BitFenix 8-Pin PCIe Extension 45cm - sleeved black/red/black £5.95 (£11.90)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 8-Pin EPS12V Extension 45cm - sleeved black/red/black £4.99
Total : £3,132.73 (includes shipping : £22.20).

I have missed out fittings, tubing and coolant, but otherwise... this is what I would get...

The Only Beardy · 28 Nov 2013 at 09:19

I originally had it with a 4930K, but forgot to WC the GPU's

I think this is a nice alternative... plus itl look really sweet...