Building a new PC, needing some advice

[broSniper]

Hi, after years of going all around with my laptop I have decided that I want to go back and have a desktop again. Unfortunately I have been out of the gaming world for the last few years and almost everything I know is outdated, so I need some help for what would be my first build.

My budget is about £800, but including SO and monitor. The main use of the computer would be gaming, as well as some office work.

After weeks looking around I prepared this config, but I need some advice before buying, as I do not really know if I would be doing it horribly wrong (hope not!).

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus Z97-K - Devils Canyon Core i5 4690K Bundle **£14 Saving** £266.58
1 x KFA2 GeForce GTX 960 Mini OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card - Retail (96NPH8DND8VZ) £149.99
1 x BenQ GL2460HM 24" Widescreen LED Slim Bezel Monitor - Black £129.95
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £77.99
1 x Kingston 120GB SSDNow V300 Drive SATA 6Gb/s 3 2.5" (7mm height) Solid State Hard Drive - (SV300S37A/120G) £49.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Savage Red 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (HX324C11SRK2/8) £46.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430w Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020058-UK) £41.99
1 x Zalman Z3 Plus Midi-Tower - Black £39.95
1 x Samsung SN-208DB/BEBE Slimline 8x DVD±RW SATA Drive - OEM £14.99
Total : £834.91 (includes shipping : £13.75).



I did also another configuration going for a R9 290... it's over the budget, but if it is really worth it I think I can make it and get a R9 290 or a GTX 970.

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Radeon R9 290 Gaming Edition 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £239.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4590 3.30GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £157.99
1 x BenQ GL2460HM 24" Widescreen LED Slim Bezel Monitor - Black £129.95
1 x MSI Z97 Gaming 3 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £95.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £77.99
1 x EVGA SuperNova G1 650W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply (120-G1-0650-XR) £69.95
1 x Kingston 120GB SSDNow V300 Drive SATA 6Gb/s 3 2.5" (7mm height) Solid State Hard Drive - (SV300S37A/120G) £49.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Savage Red 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (HX324C11SRK2/8) £46.99
1 x Zalman Z9 Plus Tower Case with Fan Controller - Black £44.99
1 x Samsung SN-208DB/BEBE Slimline 8x DVD±RW SATA Drive - OEM £14.99
Total : £952.93 (includes shipping : £20.10).

 

[stulid]

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Radeon R9 290X LE Gaming Edition 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £239.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4690K 3.50GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £187.99
1 x AOC E2460SH 24" Widescreen 1ms Gaming LED Monitor - Black £113.99
1 x SK Hynix 256GB SSD SH910A SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive (HFS256G32MNB-2201A) £84.98
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £77.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97P-D3 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £62.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 550W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £52.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLRED38G2400HC11CDC01) £44.99
1 x Antec VSP5000 Silenced Tower Case - Black £39.95
Total : £928.78 (includes shipping : £19.10).




In between your two prices but with a 290X and bigger SSD.

 

[broSniper]

Hi Stulid, thank you for your configuration.

I have made it some changes and went for something in between, keeping your R9 290X and others like the monitor, but changing the CPU (I think I am not going to overclock it, so probably a bit of a waste going for a 4690K) and sticking with A 128GB SSD, as it would be for using it by itself the 1st month or so, I have planned to add a couple of HDD in the near future so no real need of a big SSD.

What do you think about the build? I have some concerns about the MOBO, as it is the cheapest Z97 one and I do not know if it would be better to go for other, let's say in the mid table of prices, or if it would be just a waste of money.

About the RAM I kinda prefer the Kingston for just a couple of quid more, but if you say that the Team Vulcan are slightly better I will go for them.

And, finally, the PSU. I changed it from your config because I prefer a modular one as I will be building it myself and I do not like seeing spare cables everywhere. I could not find a 550W modular PSU in OC, so went for a 500W. Would it be enough, or should I go for 600W?

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Radeon R9 290X LE Gaming Edition 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £239.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4590 3.30GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £157.99
1 x AOC E2460SH 24" Widescreen 1ms Gaming LED Monitor - Black £113.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £77.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97P-D3 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £62.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 500w Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020059-UK) £52.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Savage Red 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (HX324C11SRK2/8) £46.99
1 x SK Hynix 128GB SSD SH910A SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive (HFS128G32MNB-2201A) £44.99
1 x Zalman Z3 Plus Midi-Tower - Black £39.95
1 x Samsung SN-208DB/BEBE Slimline 8x DVD±RW SATA Drive - OEM £14.99
Total : £869.35 (includes shipping : £13.75).



Although the same config with the GTX 960 goes below £800. In the benchmarks there is no huge difference between the R9 290X and the GTX 960, is it really worth £100 more for this difference? I know I said I could get to spend £1000, but the cheaper the best ^^

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4590 3.30GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £157.99
1 x KFA2 GeForce GTX 960 Mini OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card - Retail (96NPH8DND8VZ) £149.99
1 x AOC E2460SH 24" Widescreen 1ms Gaming LED Monitor - Black £113.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £77.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97P-D3 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £62.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Savage Red 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (HX324C11SRK2/8) £46.99
1 x SK Hynix 128GB SSD SH910A SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive (HFS128G32MNB-2201A) £44.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430w Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020058-UK) £41.99
1 x Zalman Z3 Plus Midi-Tower - Black £39.95
1 x Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - Retail £19.99
Total : £773.35 (includes shipping : £13.75).





PD: All my configurations have a DVD, I know that nowadays it is kinda useless, but I know I am going to need it, as my gf likes playing some really old games we have in CD.

 

[stulid]

The corsair CX range are not as good quality wise internally compared to say the Superflower I linked.

The slim DVD doesn't fit the case, you want a normal one.

 

[broSniper]

The corsair CX range are not as good quality wise internally compared to say the Superflower I linked.

The slim DVD doesn't fit the case, you want a normal one.

Did not realize that it was a laptop DVD... fixed.

And what modular PSU would you recommend? there's only one modular Superflower in OC, which is 650W and £85.99. Perhaps too powerful for my builds and too expensive.

 

[stulid]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-180-AN&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1088

Made by Seasonic, decent internals.

 

[Danny75]

Or this one:

YOUR BASKET
1 x EVGA SuperNova G1 650W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply (120-G1-0650-XR) £69.95




Not quite at the level of their quality G2 range, but still Gold, Jap capacitors and with a 10-year warranty and lovely black braided cables (and better than Corsair CX).

 

[Danny75]

Or, if you go for a GTX 960 this one is a lot cheaper:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Corsair CS450M 450W Semi-Modular 80+ GOLD Certified Power Supply (CP-9020075-UK) £49.99




CS is better than CX. 450W is plenty for a 960. No good for a 290X.

 

[broSniper]

Thanks, did not know that CS was any better than CX, PSU solved then.

Now the thing is about choosing going the GTX 960 way or going for the R9 290X... Is there so much difference between them to justify spending £100 more?

And the same could be said about the MOBO, stay with the Z97P-D3 or go for something slightly better?

 

[Danny75]

Thanks, did not know that CS was any better than CX, PSU solved then.

Now the thing is about choosing going the GTX 960 way or going for the R9 290X... Is there so much difference between them to justify spending £100 more?

The cost increase is seldom exponential to the performance increase so if you need a certain high level of performance you always pay extra for what you actually get. The 960 would be fine for 1080p 60Hz gaming. 1440p or 144Hz (or both) and you'd want something like the 290X.

And the same could be said about the MOBO, stay with the Z97P-D3 or go for something slightly better?

You've chosen a non-overclockable CPU so there's no need to overdo it. Even in the case of a "K" chip, it's the chip itself and not so much the motherboard, that is responsible for the overclock you could achieve, these days. That Z97 is a good choice as you'll be able to run fast RAM on it, and isn't much more expensive than B85 boards which would also do the job.

Just remember the 450W CS is no good for the 290X, and if you were to buy the CS550M you may as well get the slightly better EVGA 650 G1.

 

[stulid]

290/290X is much quicker than a 960.

 

[broSniper]

After reading some analysis of the GTX 960 I saw that the difference in the performance is much higher than the the difference between the cards in the benchmarks, so I think I am going to try to go for the GTX 970, what do you think? I know about the 3.5GB VRAM issue, but for what I have seen the GTX 970 is superior to the R9 290X in almost every case (I might be wrong).

I have kept almost everything from the previous builds, so I guess it should be ok, and the PSU should be more than enough for the GTX 970.

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI GeForce GTX 970 Gaming Edition 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £299.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4590 3.30GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £157.99
1 x AOC E2460SH 24" Widescreen 1ms Gaming LED Monitor - Black £113.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £77.99
1 x EVGA SuperNova G1 650W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply (120-G1-0650-XR) £69.95
1 x MSI Z97 PC Mate Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £64.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Savage Red 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (HX324C11SRK2/8) £46.99
1 x SK Hynix 128GB SSD SH910A SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive (HFS128G32MNB-2201A) £44.99
1 x Zalman Z3 Plus Midi-Tower - Black £39.95
1 x Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - Retail £19.99
Total : £953.32 (includes shipping : £13.75).

 

[Danny75]

After reading some analysis of the GTX 960 I saw that the difference in the performance is much higher than the the difference between the cards in the benchmarks, so I think I am going to try to go for the GTX 970, what do you think? I know about the 3.5GB VRAM issue, but for what I have seen the GTX 970 is superior to the R9 290X in almost every case (I might be wrong).

I have kept almost everything from the previous builds, so I guess it should be ok, and the PSU should be more than enough for the GTX 970.

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI GeForce GTX 970 Gaming Edition 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £299.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4590 3.30GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £157.99
1 x AOC E2460SH 24" Widescreen 1ms Gaming LED Monitor - Black £113.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £77.99
1 x EVGA SuperNova G1 650W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply (120-G1-0650-XR) £69.95
1 x MSI Z97 PC Mate Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £64.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Savage Red 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (HX324C11SRK2/8) £46.99
1 x SK Hynix 128GB SSD SH910A SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive (HFS128G32MNB-2201A) £44.99
1 x Zalman Z3 Plus Midi-Tower - Black £39.95
1 x Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - Retail £19.99
Total : £953.32 (includes shipping : £13.75).

YOUR BASKET
1 x EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC rev2.00 ACX 2.0 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (04G-P4-3975-KR) £277.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-SLI - Devils Canyon Core i5 4690K Bundle **£12 Saving** £265.98
1 x AOC E2460SH 24" Widescreen 1ms Gaming LED Monitor - Black £113.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £77.99
1 x Antec High Current Gamer M 520W "80+ Bronze" Modular Power Supply £59.99
1 x SK Hynix 128GB SSD SH910A SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive (HFS128G32MNB-2201A) £44.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLRED38G2400HC11CDC01) £44.99
1 x Zalman Z3 Plus Midi-Tower - Black £39.95
1 x LG 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM GH24NSC0.AUAA10B £13.99
Total : £956.35 (includes shipping : £13.75).



The EVGA rev 2 is a good and faster card and on offer (an EVGA promotion).

650W would be overkill for a single 970 (450-500W is fine).

The Giga SLI mobo is a bit better for an overclocking chip like the i5-4690K, which fits the budget with the GPU and PSU changes.

Do you think you'd ever want dual 970s? If so, a 750W is what you need really. Although a 650W might run them at stock speeds. The PC Mate mobo won't do SLI though.

 

[broSniper]

The EVGA rev 2 is a good and faster card and on offer (an EVGA promotion).

650W would be overkill for a single 970 (450-500W is fine).

The Giga SLI mobo is a bit better for an overclocking chip like the i5-4690K, which fits the budget with the GPU and PSU changes.

Do you think you'd ever want dual 970s? If so, a 750W is what you need really. Although a 650W might run them at stock speeds. The PC Mate mobo won't do SLI though.

Actually I don't think I'm going to overclock the CPU or do SLI, so I might try to save a few quid in those parts and go for the i5-4590 and a cheap MOBO. If I change my mind about SLI it would be in a year or two at the very least, so I guess I could also change the MOBO by that time.

YOUR BASKET
1 x EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC rev2.00 ACX 2.0 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (04G-P4-3975-KR) £277.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4590 3.30GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £157.99
1 x BenQ RL2455HM 24" Widescreen LED Monitor - Black/Red £155.99
1 x Crucial BX100 250GB SSD SATA 6Gbps 7mm Solid State Drive (CT250BX100SSD1) £79.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £77.99
1 x MSI Z97 PC Mate Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £64.99
1 x Corsair CS450M 450W Semi-Modular 80+ GOLD Certified Power Supply (CP-9020075-UK) £49.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Savage Red 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (HX324C11SRK2/8) £46.99
1 x Zalman Z3 Plus Midi-Tower - Black £39.95
1 x LG 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM GH24NSC0.AUAA10B £13.99
Total : £982.37 (includes shipping : £13.75).



I have now changed the SSD, the PSU and the monitor. Now the questions are, would the 450W PSU be enough? And, is the monitor change worth it? I upgraded the SSD because I think I can handle with the 250GB SSD so I do not have to buy a HDD in the near future

 

[stulid]

The PSU is not good enough.

 

[broSniper]

The PSU is not good enough.

Ok, back to the 520W then.

YOUR BASKET
1 x EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC rev2.00 ACX 2.0 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (04G-P4-3975-KR) £277.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4590 3.30GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £157.99
1 x BenQ RL2455HM 24" Widescreen LED Monitor - Black/Red £155.99
1 x Crucial BX100 250GB SSD SATA 6Gbps 7mm Solid State Drive (CT250BX100SSD1) £79.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £77.99
1 x MSI Z97 PC Mate Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £64.99
1 x Antec High Current Gamer M 520W "80+ Bronze" Modular Power Supply £59.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Savage Red 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (HX324C11SRK2/8) £46.99
1 x Zalman Z3 Plus Midi-Tower - Black £39.95
1 x LG 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM GH24NSC0.AUAA10B £13.99
Total : £992.36 (includes shipping : £13.75).



By the way, when doing this configuration in certain website I got this message:

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.

Should I go for a memory with lower voltage? Any suggestions about this?

 

[stulid]

Ignore it.

All good fast RAM uses 1.65V.

 

[broSniper]

Ignore it.

All good fast RAM uses 1.65V.

Ok, great. Thank you for all your help.

Any suggestions about accessories? I guess that I as not going to do any kind of OC I would be fine with the stock CPU cooler, but would a different cooler do a big difference?

And, what thermal compound do you recommend?