£750 Gaming PC

Associate
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Hey Guys

I have been up all night going through threads here and have picked out parts ect that have been recommended. What I want is a decent Gaming PC that will run BF4 Arma3 ect at highest settings with a good frame rate. I have picked an intel processor because I have heard that they are better for video and photo editing which I will also want to do.

I also want this to be a system that can grow, basically when the time comes I can upgrade. I have no idea how to overclock but I would like the option to.

I will be using my 32" 1080p TV as a monitor for the time being just to keep costs down. I also already have a mouse.

So here is what I have so far:

Powercolor Radeon R9 280 TurboDUO 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £169.99
Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor £167.99
Asus Z97-K Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £89.99
Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM £74.99
TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit £59.99
NZXT Hale Power 90+ 550W '80 Plus Gold' Power Supply £43.99
Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM £43.99
Corsair Carbide 200R Compact ATX Case - Black £39.95
Raijintek Themis Direct Contact CPU Cooler £19.99
Zalman ZM-K200M Multimedia/Gaming Keyboard £11.99
OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £10.99
TOTAL: £756.77 inc shipping

This is my first self build so just want to run it all by you guys before purchasing. Is there anything else I would need? More fans, thermal paste? Will all these components work together?
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
26 Aug 2013
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8,393
Hi Jon,

Agree with some of Pipson's suggestions, although if you say you want it to have room to grow, then sticking with Intel Z97 will be better for upgrading.

650W PSU in case you ever upgrade to a more powerful GPU like a 290X or 780Ti (or whatever else may come).

And yes, I'd spend the Windows money on an SSD right now, use Windows 8 free then buy it in 3 months time, and a storage drive when/if you need one.

Snuck in a B-Grade 280X for the same price as a 280, for your consideration. I know not everyone wants B-Grade parts and you'd have to ask OcUK for info on why it's B-Grade.

Good luck to you, whatever you decide on. :)

YOUR BASKET
1 x **B Grade** Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X Rev2.0 WindForce 3X OC 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with Battlefie (GX-122-GI) £169.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £159.95
1 x Kingston HyperX 3K SSD 240GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive (SH103S3/240G) £97.94
1 x Asus Z97-K Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £89.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 650W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £67.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 300R Mid Tower Case - Black (CC-9011014-WW) £59.99
1 x Avexir Core White Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (AVD3U16000904G-2CIW) - White Light £49.99
1 x Deepcool GAMMAXX S40 CPU-Cooler - 120mm £19.99
1 x Zalman ZM-K200M Multimedia/Gaming Keyboard £11.99
1 x OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £10.99
Total : £755.32 (includes shipping : £13.75).

 
Man of Honour
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OP
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Suffolk
Thanks for your suggestions guys!

Really liking your basket tamzzy.

What was your reasoning for swapping the motherboard? I only ask because I quite fancied the free headset :p

Case, keyboard and ssd look great. And I will have a look into the B grade gpu. If its only cosmetic damage or whatever I will definately rather the 280x.

How would I go about getting the free windows 8? I have had a quick search and it seems its 8.1 enterprise so I would have to re-install completely when it was over with a normal copy?

And Pipson and Danny75 would changing the Ram to 1600mhz not make it slower?
 
Last edited:
Man of Honour
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only to keep the costs down =x overbudget as it is lol
of course you can skimp on the keyboard if you want the asus mobo with the headset
but imo, i'd rather get a better keyboard first

and re: the b-grade 280x, gigabyte offer a 3 year warranty with a uk rma based on serial number so its not a biggie that ocuk only offer a 90 day warranty on it
 
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Ok so taking all your advice I have got this. Which including shipping is only a few pounds over budget.

**B Grade** Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X Rev2.0 WindForce 3X OC 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with Battlefie £169.99
Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor £167.99
Asus Z97-K Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £89.99
Crucial M500 240GB SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive £79.90
SuperFlower Golden Green HX 650W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply £67.99
TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit £59.99
Corsair Raptor K30 Gaming Keyboard £37.99
Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case £32.99
Raijintek Themis Direct Contact CPU Cooler £19.99
OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) £10.99

Total: £752.81 inc shipping

As I say this is my first self build and am abit clueless so is there anything else I should take into consideration?

And thinking about it if I am getting a good keyboard, the mouse I have is cheapy pants so maybe I should invest in one of those aswell. Or is there a decent package where they come together? I shall now have a look

REALLY APPRECIATE all your help guys
 
Soldato
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And Pipson and Danny75 would changing the Ram to 1600mhz not make it slower?

Compromises always have to be made somewhere when you're trying to squeeze in as much bang for buck into a budget.

RAM speed is a very small compromise. And it depends on the scenario. How fast the SSD is will make more difference than RAM speed in some scenarios, for example. Another way of looking at it is that there is no 8GB memory on the website with a better price-to-performance ratio than the Avexir White on offer this week. If you can afford it, you get faster of course. But then something else has to be sacrificed: case etc.

A build is like your preferred type of woman. Everyone likes nice breasts (powerful GPU) and nice bottoms (powerful CPU), but from there on the preferences will vary, with more emphasis placed on some things than on others. :D


The benchmark actually ran slightly better with the Ram at 1600mhz with higher minimum, average and maximums than it did at 2400mhz.

So in answer to the OP, Ram speed makes very little difference in games.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=24579581
 
Last edited:
Man of Honour
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Posts
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as again, much of a muchness (but within 800 quid for the full build)

YOUR BASKET
1 x **B Grade** Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X Rev2.0 WindForce 3X OC 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with Battlefie (GX-122-GI) £169.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £159.95
1 x Asus Z97-K Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £89.99
1 x Crucial M500 240GB SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - (CT240M500SSD1) £79.9
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £74.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99
1 x NZXT Hale Power 90+ 550W '80 Plus Gold' Power Supply £43.99
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £32.99
1 x CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle - USB Keyboard & Mouse £29.99
1 x Raijintek Themis Direct Contact CPU Cooler £19.99
1 x LiteOn IHAS124-14 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £11.99
Total : £792.67 (includes shipping : £19.10).



changed the cpu to an oem (to save a few quid)
changed the psu to a 550w gold (24 quid for an extra 100w that you won't use is money not well spent)
swapped the keyboard to a keyboard mouse combo
added the os
changed the optical drive to something better (for an extra quid)
changed the ram to something faster and cheaper

ps: if you know someone who is in university, they can get you win 8 pro for 50 quid. that's another 25 quid saving right there
 
Associate
OP
Joined
14 May 2014
Posts
14
Location
Suffolk
as again, much of a muchness (but within 800 quid for the full build)

YOUR BASKET
1 x **B Grade** Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X Rev2.0 WindForce 3X OC 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with Battlefie (GX-122-GI) £169.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £159.95
1 x Asus Z97-K Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £89.99
1 x Crucial M500 240GB SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - (CT240M500SSD1) £79.9
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £74.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99
1 x NZXT Hale Power 90+ 550W '80 Plus Gold' Power Supply £43.99
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £32.99
1 x CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle - USB Keyboard & Mouse £29.99
1 x Raijintek Themis Direct Contact CPU Cooler £19.99
1 x LiteOn IHAS124-14 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £11.99
Total : £792.67 (includes shipping : £19.10).



changed the cpu to an oem (to save a few quid)
changed the psu to a 550w gold (24 quid for an extra 100w that you won't use is money not well spent)
swapped the keyboard to a keyboard mouse combo
added the os
changed the optical drive to something better (for an extra quid)
changed the ram to something faster and cheaper

ps: if you know someone who is in university, they can get you win 8 pro for 50 quid. that's another 25 quid saving right there

:D I think we might have a winner! Thank you so much for your help!
 
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