AMD Gaming Build ~£1600

[Martini1991]

You're probably better off building it mate, 2K's getting steep for just a 4770K, I mean you could quite easily have a 3930K at 2K.

 

[mickyflinn]

You're probably better off building it mate, 2K's getting steep for just a 4770K, I mean you could quite easily have a 3930K at 2K.

Agreed especially if you plan on Sli your 780 in the future.

Get this cooler it will fit and its a great price, Top Cooling: 2 x 200mm or 2 x 140mm or 3 x 120mm Fans

YOUR BASKET
1 x Corsair Hydro H100 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler *Manufacturer Refurbished Unit - 90 Day Warranty £39.95
Total : £44.94 (includes shipping : £4.16).




Top Cooling: 2 x 200mm or 2 x 140mm or 3 x 120mm Fans

Also Overclocked Friday deal NO build charge

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18523493

 

[markhaldane1]

Sorry guys you've lost me. Why build it myself when the current offer is free build?

I keep changing my mind. If you had up to 2k to drop, what would you go for? Spec up the pre-built Envy V2 a bit, or configure yourself something? If you don't mind, would you show me what you would put together?

Cheers,
Mark

 

[mickyflinn]

The Sandybridge-E is enthusiast system which has more pci lanes for dual graphics configuration , six core cpu and quad channel memory.

Even though its says workstation its also a very powerful gaming machine.

YOUR BASKET
1 x OcUK Silent Worker WS30i Intel X79 Silent Tower - Workstation PC Configurator £1848.8
- Standard Build Systems - Approximately 5-7 working days
- No Security Software
- No Office Software
- Game Controller Not Selected
- No Headset Option (Zero Cost)
- Speakers Not Selected
- Monitor Not Selected
- System Build Fan - Noiseblocker BlackSilent Pro Fan PLPS - 120mm PWM [EXNO-001]
- Mouse Not Selected
- Keyboard Not Selected
- Networking Not Selected
- Case Mods Not Selected
- Microsoft Windows 8 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00403)
- Seasonic X-Series 850w '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply
- No Sound Card Upgrade
- Pioneer BDC-207DBK 8x BluRay ROM / DVDRW SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (OEM)
- Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (WD20EZRX) HDD
- Samsung 256GB SSD 840 PRO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7PD256BW)
- No Graphics Card Upgrade
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 WindForce 3x OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (GV-N770OC-2GD)
- TeamGroup Xtreem LV 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17000C9 2133MHz Dual/Quad Channel Kit (TXD316G2133HC9NQC-L)
- Gigabyte X79-UD3 Intel X79 (Socket 2011) DDR3 Motherboard
- Prolimatech Megahalems Rev C CPU Cooler (Socket 775 / 1150 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2)
- Intel Core i7-3930K 3.20GHz (Sandybridge-E) Socket LGA2011 Processor - OEM
- NZXT H630 Silent Ultra Enthusiast Tower Case - White (temporarily out of stock)
Total : £1,869.80 (includes shipping : £17.50).

 

[markhaldane1]

Well that's just confused me even more!

 

[mickyflinn]

Well that's just confused me even more!

Right answer me this question , will you be going sli or xfire in the future? which will give you better gaming performance by adding a second gpu.

 

[markhaldane1]

To be honest, I really don't know. In 2-3 years time there might be tech out that will be better than SLI/Crossfiring a GPU right? As long as a rig lasts me ~3 years I would be happy, and even more so if I could upgrade some components rather than buying a fresh system.

I've just found out we're getting an even bigger redundancy package than previously thought (mining industry) and now I'm tempted to do something silly like get this monster... http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-368-OE&groupid=43&catid=2474 that should easily last me 3 years with that insane GPU...

 

[mickyflinn]

Im done .

 

[Avenged7Fold]

I've just found out we're getting an even bigger redundancy package than previously thought (mining industry) and now I'm tempted to do something silly like get this monster... http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-368-OE&groupid=43&catid=2474 that should easily last me 3 years with that insane GPU...

A 7990 is overkill. It is essentially 2 7970's and comes that a huge price tag and a fair amount of power consumption. You haven't said what resolution your playing at, if it is just one 1080p screen a gtx770 would be plenty, throwing more money into GPUs will make little difference. I understand your trying to future proof but there is a point where the money you are spending to future proof would be better spent buying new components in the future. If you do play in high resolution 3D or on 3 monitors and are fussy about high frame rates, a GTX780 with a decent clock would do nicely or maybe a Titan. Though a titan benches lower than a 7990 at roughly the same price, it is just a single GPU and consumes much less power and generates far less heat. Obtaining a nice clock on a titan would be far more achievable.

As for the CPU, for the price of your system and the uses you want it for, it would be silly not to go intel. Discussions like these all too often end up in fanboys calling each other fanboys. I have two 8 core FX PCs and one ivy-bridge PC currently. Considering your needs a 4770k would suit you nicely and easily last you 3 years but if you really want to use your full budget and ensure the system lasts its longest, you should go for 3930k or get a 3820 and upgrade to Ivy-E later and flog the 3820.

 

[abice]

So I don't understand this, I'll be building a PC myself coming up here in the next month, but wouldn't it make more sense to go with two 770 GTX sli and go with the AMD 8-core overclocked, I mean wouldn't it be more important to have multi GPU's?

I like the sandy bridge but in US it's like 550.00 and the 8350 AMD is 199.00 and I can get 2 770GTx's for like around 800.00.

I am like you Mark, I keep finding ways to inch the build price higher and higher

 

[Kaapstad]

To be honest, I really don't know. In 2-3 years time there might be tech out that will be better than SLI/Crossfiring a GPU right? As long as a rig lasts me ~3 years I would be happy, and even more so if I could upgrade some components rather than buying a fresh system.

I've just found out we're getting an even bigger redundancy package than previously thought (mining industry) and now I'm tempted to do something silly like get this monster... http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-368-OE&groupid=43&catid=2474 that should easily last me 3 years with that insane GPU...

If you want something that will last 3 or more years you should be looking at a system built around a 3930k SB-E CPU and a pair of GTX 780s.

The 4770k based systems mentioned earlier will also get the job done but are not as powerful or as upgradable as the 3930k based system.

Avoid the HD7990 cards, the GPUs it is based on are good but not as good as a couple of GTX 780s.

 

[markhaldane1]

The annoying thing about future proofing is that you cannot plan for new technology advances, hence my comment about future SLI/Crossfire. To be honest, if a good single GPU is better than 2 lesser GPUs then in the future I am more likely to simply replace my GPU with the latest single GPU, and not bother Crossfiring. I don't have multiple monitors so I really appreciate the comment regarding a 7990 being way overkill (though my god that system is a beautiful piece!)

Frame rate stutters annoy the hell out of my, but if a 770 can handle the current top-crop games on Ultra and not stutter on me, I could drop down from the 780.

It definitely seems the 4770K is the processor for my needs, and I am quite tempted to leave it not-clocked and then overclock it myself later in the year as a learning experience (so I will get a decent cooler right now).

Abice, it is indeed very easy to keep bumping everything up and keep the budget flexible!

 

[markhaldane1]

Hi Kaapstad, what do you mean that a 3930 SB-E is more upgrade able? Do you mean it is easier to overclock it later on than a Haswell?

I assume previous comments about a 7990 being overkill would also apply to your dual-GTX780 suggestion if I am just playing on a single monitor setup?

Cheers,
Mark

 

[Richdog]

I don't get this obsession about wanting a system to last 3 years... buy the fastest GPU out now that you can afford, sell it next year when the next gen are out, and then upgrade to the newest one. What's the point in spending so much initial outlay on SLI when it massively increases the depreciation of your system?

Really, it's just basic common sense, and I can't understand people who come onto the forum saying they are going to spend a whopping £1600 on an AMD gaming machine, when if they had done the slightest bit of prior research before-hand they would know that an Intel rig makes so much more sense for gaming.

Fast Intel CPU + fast single GPU is all you need for single monitor gaming... then just upgrade the GPU every 1-2 years. Realistically a Haswell i7-4770K and GTX770/780 are all you are going to need for a good while if you are gaming at sensible, non-extreme resolutions,and it will probably cost you around a grand or less.

 

[Kaapstad]

Hi Kaapstad, what do you mean that a 3930 SB-E is more upgrade able? Do you mean it is easier to overclock it later on than a Haswell?

I assume previous comments about a 7990 being overkill would also apply to your dual-GTX780 suggestion if I am just playing on a single monitor setup?

Cheers,
Mark

A 3930k has 6 cores compared to 4 on the 4770k, the 3930k also overclocks better than the 4770k. The downside is the expense and also the 3930k is not quite as efficient as a 4770k per core. Having said that though a 3930k overclocked is about 50% more powerful than a 4770k overclocked providing you can use all 6 cores.

The good news is IB-E is just around the corner so if you find in a years time the 3930k is not enough, you can swap it out for a IB-E 6 or possibly even 8 core CPU which uses the same mobo as the 3930k.

If you are gaming on a single monitor I would go for a GTX 780. This leaves your upgrading options open if you want to go multi monitor/more demanding games etc, you can add a second GTX 780 at that time without worrying about vram problems.

If you are just building a gaming rig for now, the 4770k is more than up to the job, it is the newest tech but also a bit of a dead end. In a year or so intel will have another mainstream CPU on the market probably with a different mobo spec.

 

[dave28]

Dont buy those systems, they are way overprice and easy to buiild yourself. I am from another forum where we all build our own PC`s, I will show you a system for about that money that will crush all the ones mentioned and I will give explainations.

i5 4670 cpu ( you dont need K version coz you cant overclock + dont need i7 coz no better hardly at all in gaming than i5 4670 and money better spent on graphics card. Lightroom is easy to run with i5 4670 ) 170 pounds.

Asus Z87-PLus motherboard ( can run SLI or CrossFire PCIe 3, dont need better than this ) 135 pounds.

RAM 16GB corsair vengence ( run any game ) 105 pounds.

CASE coolermaster HAF 922 ( fits big SLI or crossfire graphics ) 95 pounds.

OPTICAL DRIVE lite on or samsung. 15 pounds.

WINDOWS 7 or 8 premium. ( dont need pro type at all, useless to you ) 70 pounds.

COOLER, stock cooler ( you cant overclock and dont need to, it break the CPU much faster and voids the warrenty )

SSD 960GB crucial 500 ( will fit a lot of games, even future games, dont need to buy two 250GB ones like most people are having to do now ) 490 pounds.

PSU Corsair TX 750 ( dont need modular or gold/platinum rating coz only save afew pounds a year and can have coil whine issues ) 70 pounds.

GRAPHICS TWO XFX HD 7970 Double Dissipation Edition CROSSFIRE ( when you need to upgrade cpu mobo ram etc these are so strong you can keep them for your next PC to future proof your gaming rig and because you did not spend a fortune on other parts this is a very efficient and cost effective gaming rig that is extremily strong. ) 580 + 6 free games that you can sell on ebay easy for 80 so call it 500 pounds.

TOTAL IF BUILT YOUSELF : 1650 and has 1TB SSD AND TWO 7970.

Me and my mates can help you build it, contact me and I will point you to the pc building forum where we hang out,.

 

[Martini1991]

i5 4670 stock and two 7970's is going to bottleneck.....

Asus boards have a CPU level up, I mean you could get a Maximus VI Hero and a 4670k, one second in BIOS and you're 4.6GHZ.

 

[markhaldane1]

Yeah that build doesn't make sense to me either, I think we've established that dual-GPU is overkill for my needs.

Kaapstad, thanks for the detail regarding the SB-E processor. As you say as I am mostly just gaming, with a bit of photo editing, the 4770K should be plenty for my needs and I will deal with the upgrading in a couple of years.

I am still considering the OCUK pre-built Ultima Envy V2. It is mostly the spec I am looking for. However, I had (another!) look on the configurator and came up with the following:

YOUR BASKET
1 x OcUK Pro Gamer X65i Intel Z87 Full-Tower - Gaming PC Configurator £1870.82
- Cooler Master HAF X Gaming Tower Case - Black (RC-942)
- Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail with FREE Grid 2 PC Game
- Stage 3 Intel: Overclock of CPU - 4.4GHz Overclock - K Edition Processors Only
- Prolimatech Megahalems Rev C CPU Cooler (Socket 775 / 1150 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2)
- MSI Z87 MPower Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard
- TeamGroup Vulcan GOLD 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLYD316G2133HC11ADC01)
- KFA2 GeForce GTX 780 3072MB PCI-Express Graphics Card (78NNH5DN00G0)
- No Graphics Card Upgrade
- Samsung 256GB SSD 840 PRO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7PD256BW)
- Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (WD20EZRX) HDD
- OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM
- Asus Xonar DGX 5.1 PCI-Express Sound Card with built in Headphone Amp
- Corsair Enthusiast Series TX850M High Performance 850W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply (CP-9020041-UK)
- Microsoft Windows 8 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00403)
- Case Mods Not Selected
- Networking Not Selected
- Keyboard Not Selected
- Mouse Not Selected
- System Build Fan - Noiseblocker BlackSilent Pro Fan PLPS - 120mm PWM (EXNO-001)
- Monitor Not Selected
- Speakers Not Selected
- No Headset Option (Zero Cost)
- Game Controller Not Selected
- No Office Software
- No Security Software
- Standard Build Systems - Approximately 5-7 working days
Total : £1,890.32 (includes shipping : £16.25).



I like the MSI mobo, the reviews are extremely positive and I can justify the extra cost because it comes with WiFi, and I would have to buy a Wifi adapter otherwise!

I switched for the HAFX case as it sounds like this is a bit cooler on an air based system, which pairs with the meghalems tower cooler on the CPU.

Still got the 4770K (stage 3 overclock) with the GTX780. As Richdog said, I could sell it and upgrade to the latest (single) GPU in the future.

I think the RAM is decent enough. Will OC, when building this, step it down during the CPU overclock?

I get the SSD and HDD I like with this system, plus a very decent (yes still more wattage than needed, oh well) and modular PSU.

This speci s £70 more than the pre-built Ultima Envy which has the worse PSU, SDD and HDD.

Thoughts?

Cheers,
Mark

 

[dave28]

Yeah that build doesn't make sense to me either, I think we've established that dual-GPU is overkill for my needs.

No offence but the build you list makes no sense to me.

MSI motherboards are regarded as being lower quality than Asus or Gigabye.
RAM I never heard of.
OEM windows 8 so you are forced to buy a new OS when you upgrade.
The cooler is not great either.
I7`s are hardly better than i5 in gaming and dont need it it lightroom, a standard i5 2500 runs lightroom like a dream.
The CPU has no warranty because of the overclock so if it dies tomorrow you will lose 260 quid instantly.
Everything is OEM and not retail.
Never heard of KFA2 so shows how great they are.

 

[Martini1991]

No offence, but a lot of things you've said make no sense.

1.) MSI, I can agree, due to personal experience of MSI, but likewise I've had Gigabyte boards kick the bucket.

2.) That doesn't mean they're not good, Teamgroup, I've seen them around for years, that's you not knowing other brands.

3.) He should get the retail.

4.) You're talking crap, the cooler's good.

5.) I agree that an i7 isn't required for gaming, but I wouldn't want to be running stock chips.

6.) Discretion and as a prebuilt will have warranty.

7.) It's a prebuilt computer?

8.) KFA2 are an arm of Galaxy.