£600-£700 Gaming Build

Brocky36

Brocky36

Brocky36

Associate
Joined
3 Dec 2015
Posts
342
Hi all!

I'm looking to replace my old i5 2400, GTX560Ti, 4GB RAM, Thermaltake Dokker machine. I thought about upgrading it, but then decided to start afresh and donate this one to a mate of mine that's not in a position to buy himself a new rig at the moment.

All peripherals are sorted and I will be hooking it up to my 40" TV. It will be mainly used for gaming with the occasional movie, a bit of browsing & Youtube. I'm not really a FPS fan. RTS, RPG and open world games are more my thing, but I do like smooth & pretty gaming.

The case will need to be the same size, or smaller, than my Thermaltake, be able to fit an aftermarket cooler, such as the EVO 212 (although, I am not fussed about OCing, I just like things to be icy and they look damn good, too) and have at least 2x USB at the front for my KB & mouse, preferably without the need to open a front panel door. If there has to be LED, white or blue would be my preference, but I would prefer it didn't look too much like a Christmas tree. ;)

Budget is £600-£700, but I may be able to stretch a bit, if it's one of those 'You'd be mad not to' situations.

So, over to you, OCers. Your help would be very much appreciated.
 
Snookums said:
Do you need a copy of windows to? If so you're better of sourcing a copy of win 7 or 8 and using the free upgrade. Cheaper :)
Click to expand...

I knew I had forgotten something. Yeah, I will need Windows. I have a copy of 7, but will need to give that to my mate with my old rig. Leave the price out of the build, though. Santa could likely bring me one. ;)

I've just been looking at the Antec GX500 case that won the 'Bang for Buck' award. Assuming I can get everything in with the option for an aftermarket cooler, that's likely the way I would go. Function is definitely more important than style, for me. Though, I would be open to alternatives.
 
Ok, so here is what I have so far.


My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £780.68
(includes shipping: £13.20)
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I'll be honest, I basically just categorised each component by 'most popular' and went from there. It's slightly over budget, so I would be interested in some opinions on where I can save a buck without losing too much (or even adding some more with a bit of re-jigging) bang.

Thoughts?

*Edit* - Also, will I be able to fit it all, with a EVO 212 in that case?
 
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mickyflinn said:
Heres a build you could go previous gen cpu and save £50.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £726.05
(includes shipping: £13.20)
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Click to expand...

Thanks, Mickey.

I don't doubt for a second that you know more than I, but could you please explain a little about why you've chosen the stuff that you have over the stuff I did? Were you looking at it purely from a cost saving perspective or will your build give more bang for buck, so to speak?

Are there any disadvantages to going with the older CPU? If I will see the benefit of that extra £50, then I would be happy to stretch, I think.

@Snookums - Any similar cases you'd recommend that would fit the EVO? I do like the fact that the Antec one has fan controls on it and it seems to be a good case for the price. Tbh, I might not even need the EVO, as I don't plan on OCing.
 
Snookums said:
Micky's spec is good but it only has a 950, whereas if you can manipulate yours you can have a 970 which is a great card.

Just find any case really that has a CPU clearance that fits your needs. May as well get the evo as you will eventualy want to OC.
Click to expand...

Hmm, i'll have a bit more of a look at cases.

I think I am settled on the board, CPU & GPU. Whilst the one Micky suggested would give more power, the SLi board would be pointless, as I don't plan on running two cards. The £20 back on the Strix card pretty much pays for an EVO 212.

It's just the RAM and SSD that I am not sure on.

Kingston has always seemed to be the go-to brand for RAM, although I hear Avexir are making comparable stuff at a lower price. I also see a lot of people in here suggesting Crucial Ballistix Sport sticks.

With SSD, I have no clue at all. I have heard SanDisk SSD aren't so great and you get a free game with the Samsung one, so went with that. I'd be open to saving a few quid, if anyone has any cheaper suggestions that are as good.
 
mickyflinn said:
There is pros and cons when you build a system at a certain price point i have gone for The latest cpu mobo and ram combo with a midish range gpu and budget ssd. Get the Samsung SSD i love them the Magician software that u can get for it is brilliant.

With older gen cpu and mobo you get great value and performance but with the new you always pay a premiuma modest 3-5 % perfomance boost.

Finally the previous gen socket is dead so no new cpu upgrades as where there may be with new gen but knowing intel there make another socket so they can sell more stuff.
Click to expand...

Damn, just as I type that I am settled with the board, CPU & GPU, you come at me with this. :p
 
Ok, I think I'm settled.


My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £869.21
(includes shipping: £14.70)
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The price has gone a fair bit over my initial budget, but I'm likely going to add a few bits to my list to Santa and will hold out to see if I can knock a few quid off in January.

@micky - Thanks for pointing out the RAM. I didn't even check, tbh. I did consider the Gigabyte bundle but, after doing a spec comparison, decided on the Asus as it has much better PWM support, I am familiar with the BIOS software and I don't intend to SLi. Thanks for the advice, though.

The budget jumped mainly with the addition of the better case, WD HDD over Seagate and the EVO. It's a shame the case I initially chose didn't have the clearance for the EVO, as, for the price, it was a lot of case. Once I started looking at better ones, I felt that I may as well spend the extra and get a quality one.

It's possible that I may tweak things in the next few weeks and would certainly be open to suggestions (especially on the case, as there are simply so many out there, it's tough to decide) but I'm content that I'm getting a rig that's worth the price-tag, I'd say. Hopefully I can grab a bargain or three in January.
 
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mickyflinn said:
Personally prefer the 440 over the phantom, and heres a splash of color to go with your ram if u want.

Enjoy your build.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

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Click to expand...

Thanks again, Micky.

I've actually linked the wrong case there, for some reason. (Too many to choose from!) I meant this one...




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...but the red & black NZXT one is VERY nice! No optical will be a bit of a pain, initially, as I will need to install Windows from a CD....but I'll get by.

I think you may have just changed my mind. :D
 
Just ran the build through PartPicker and although it comes in £22 cheaper overall, I wouldn't get the £20 cash back or the free game that come with the GTX and there would be shipping added on to 3-4 parts....so it looks like I will be buying the job-lot from OCers!

However, I did notice this - the only compatibility note...

The Kingston Savage 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory operating voltage of 1.65V exceeds the Intel Haswell Refresh CPU recommended maximum of 1.5V+5% (1.575V). This memory module may run at a reduced clock rate to meet the 1.5V voltage recommendation, or may require running at a voltage greater than the Intel recommended maximum.
Click to expand...

Is this a notable issue?
 
Ok, so I have ordered the case and the CPU/board bundle from OCUK and they're due to arrive in the next couple of hours. The SSD & HDD are sitting under the Christmas tree, so we're well on the way. :D

As Snookums said earlier in the thread, having been watching a bunch of videos and reading articles, I am now getting the itch to OC. Yeah, I know, you told me so. :p

For now, I will just go with the board's auto OC, but may look to tweak things later, if I feel confident. Though, nothing overly hardcore.

So, with this in mind, I am now considering closed loop water solutions over the EVO 212. I know the EVO will handle some light OC well, but I like things to be icy cool.

I am looking at the Kraken X61 and the Corsair H110i GT. Both will fit in the roof of the NZXT H440 2015 case, as far as I can tell. Most seem to recommend the Corsair, but many say it's very loud....although I'm wondering if the supposedly very good sound proofing on the H440 will negate enough of that excess noise. I'm not bothered about some noise, but I don't want it to sound like a vacuum cleaner.

What would folks recommend?

Also, will the upgrade in cooling mean that I will have to up the PSU?


My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £845.22
(includes shipping: £14.70)
​


​
 
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Brocky36 said:
Ok, so I have ordered the case and the CPU/board bundle from OCUK and they're due to arrive in the next couple of hours. The SSD & HDD are sitting under the Christmas tree, so we're well on the way. :D

As Snookums said earlier in the thread, having been watching a bunch of videos and reading articles, I am now getting the itch to OC. Yeah, I know, you told me so. :p

For now, I will just go with the board's auto OC, but may look to tweak things later, if I feel confident. Though, nothing overly hardcore.

So, with this in mind, I am now considering closed loop water solutions over the EVO 212. I know the EVO will handle some light OC well, but I like things to be icy cool.

I am looking at the Kraken X61 and the Corsair H110i GT. Both will fit in the roof of the NZXT H440 2015 case, as far as I can tell. Most seem to recommend the Corsair, but many say it's very loud....although I'm wondering if the supposedly very good sound proofing on the H440 will negate enough of that excess noise. I'm not bothered about some noise, but I don't want it to sound like a vacuum cleaner.

What would folks recommend?

Also, will the upgrade in cooling mean that I will have to up the PSU?


My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £845.22
(includes shipping: £14.70)
​


​
Click to expand...

Anyone?
 
Gaming4Life said:
you could just get the Cooler master evo 212 for that overclocking, and you wouldn't have to up the psu
Click to expand...

Gaming4Life said:
But what you could do is go onto ************ uk and check the specs if it will all fit :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply, Gaming4Life.

Interesting. I have an EVO on my current rig, which isn't OC'd, and it is decent....but I get the feeling that I would have to have a bit more cooling power, if I do OC. As the Devils Canyon CPU has good potential OC-ability, I would eventually (read: when I feel a bit more OC confident) like to push it a fair amount. So you still think that air will be ok?

After trawling through the PSU section, I found a post pointing to a PSU calculator. Ran my stuff through that - with the cooler set to the Kraken - and it suggested a 500W, but then I noticed that I had not included the three front fans that my case has. With those added, it suggested 600W, so adding the water cooling will also come with an extra £10 for a 650w SuperFlower.

I'll run it through PartPicker, though.
 
Gaming4Life said:
But what you could do is go onto ************ uk and check the specs if it will all fit :)
Click to expand...

Ok, so even with the Kraken added, PartPicker doesn't flag up an issue.

Checked a couple more PSU calculators. Set the CPU clock speed at 4.5Ghz and the VCore at 1.29v (This was purely a rough guess at what I could be looking at from the i5 4690k Devil's Canyon, so go easy if I am way out :p ). I wasn't sure if the calculators took into account the fans on the Kraken, so set it with 3x 120mm (front case intakes) and 3x 140mm (2x radiator and 1x case exhaust) fans. The highest calculator gave a recommended wattage of 468w....but then suggested I buy a 750w Corsair unit. :rolleyes:

So am I right in assuming that I will be ok with the 550w?
 
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Just ordered the last of the parts for my build. :D

Got everything except the SSD (which Santa is bringing me) from OCUK and I'm very excited to start my first full build. I might even take a few pictures along the way and post them up here.

Here's what I've settled on.


My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £1,006.20
(includes shipping: £14.70)
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A bit over my initial budget, but what the heck. Hopefully it'll be worth it, once it's rigged up and running.

Thanks, everyone for your help. *thumbsup*
 
Woot! :D


abqp9f.jpg
 
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Well....we have lift-off!

The build went pretty much perfect. I almost had a bit of a rage when I came to install the SSD & HDD and didn't have any SATA cables....but realised after about 10 minutes that they were the first thing I took out of the motherboard box and had stuck them to one side.

For me, the trickiest part was attaching the cables and figuring out what went where. Especially the tiny connectors for the power/reset switches and their LEDs. I then spent at least an hour checking everything multiple times before I figured I was just making excuses to myself. Fact was, I couldn't build up the confidence to push the button. Once I did, it was spot on with all fans going and the CLC gurgling into life with idle temps at 28c on the pre-applied thermal paste on the H110i GT. Success!!

So far, I have just updated the BIOS, installed windows, installed the network card driver and then grabbed the latest chipset, audio and Nvidia drivers. I'll do some more later.

One thing I couldn't figure out, is how to get Asus AI Suite 3. I'd have thought it'd be listed in the support section for my board, but it isn't. Anyone got a link?

Also, are there any little tricks or tweaks that I should do in BIOS? Anything that may not have been set as standard? I do hope to go a bit more in-depth with overclocking, but I think I will just go with the Asus 5-way optimisation wotsit and see where that takes me. Am I right to assume that's done from within AI Suite 3...?
 
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