Decision made... Now to choose some more! Spec Me!

mark145

mark145

mark145

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Joined
21 Dec 2007
Posts
70
Hey folks,

Another thread asking for some help from me, shocker!

After posting in the GD, http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18702727 trying to make a decision to go PC or console I was pleasantly surprised to get some really good replies :p And here I am! I want to be part of the PC master race :cool: So I've taken advise and I'm basically looking for a spec me thread but with a twist.

I guess there are many out there that will want to snatch up all the Black Friday deals for themselves and I'm sure many will say its tough luck that I don't know the hardware enough to make the right decisions but I'm hoping for some more of those friendly replies I got in GD.

So spec me a Gaming PC! Looking at a budget of £500, lets say £600 absolute max here. But lets factor in some options so I know what to look out for next week. I need all the options! All the factors to consider! Help me make the best system that I can afford by taking advantage of the sale season!

  • I ideally want to look at Intel and Nvidia, it's just what I've always used and don't particularly want to stray but I am open to all suggestions if it's going to be silly not to look at the other team.
  • I will be connecting up to a 42" Sony TV which supports up to 1080p so I don't necessarily NEED power at the moment but I would like some headroom for a dedicated monitor at a later date.
  • The machine will likely sit on a desk, possibly under, being used for GAMING ONLY So something small and aesthetically pleasing would be good!
  • Then again I understand ATX might be favourable for deals...
  • I already own a M+KB but I wouldn't object to a new backlit gaming set.
  • I own plenty of HDD storage from an older unit I upgraded slightly so space in the case for such would be good but no deciding factor.
  • I would like an SSD, nothing major, just something for the OS and perhaps one game at a time? Can't really see me downloading 100s of games!
  • I don't need a Windows license.
  • I don't need a disk drive.
  • I quite fancy a windowed case :confused:
  • I like the idea of silent systems, something quieter than the Xbox 360 :p
  • Headroom to upgrade would be a huge bonus too.
  • I am also quite curious about overclocking MUCH later down the line so that may be a consideration too.

I completely understand that I am very unlikely to get all of my wants ticked off so please be gentle and another thing... I am a student now so I don't have a huge itch to spend money, I would obviously prefer something lower budget if it's going to perform to my needs and last a while (year or two) but I will also work with the idea that 10% increase in price for 50% gaming power is just silly to pass up!

Thanks again everyone!
 
Good choice that man! :D

Ok, an idea to start off. A smidge over budget..

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £607.15
(includes shipping: £12.30)
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GTX960 is a mid-range card and only has 2gb VRAM, but will happily play most stuff at high settings at 1080p.

CPU can be overclocked later. Power supply is made by Seasonic (top tier OEM) and has 5 year warranty.

I'll play around and see if I can come up with alternatives
 
Ok, bigger power supply and better GPU but compromises a little on the CPU. This will murder most games at high settings at 1080p.

If you wanted to overclock you would need to replace the CPU with 'K' variant later on, but the rest of the system is overclocking-ready.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £605.59
(includes shipping: £11.70)
​


​
 
ExRayTed said:
Ok, bigger power supply and better GPU but compromises a little on the CPU. This will murder most games at high settings at 1080p.

If you wanted to overclock you would need to replace the CPU with 'K' variant later on, but the rest of the system is overclocking-ready.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £605.59
(includes shipping: £11.70)
​


​
Click to expand...

I really like the look of what you have posted, especially considering I could drop the ssd for the time being and get an i5-4690k and the 970 within budget!

But from what I'm seeing on the forum/youtube is an i5 going to make a huge difference to me?

Also I guess there isn't much alternatives to look at in the ranges?

If anyone else has any ideas I'd love to hear them too!
 
Yeah I would drop the SSD and pick the 4690k and 970 in that budget. You'll max pretty much every game out there at 1080p and that particular i5 is great for overclocking so if you upgrade the GPU later you won't have to worry about bottlenecking.

SSD's are always going up on special so you'll pick one up cheap enough relatively soon if you really want. Or go second hand with the risks and what-not.

Although I would drop another tenner and get this PSU
 
KonfuciousK said:
Yeah I would drop the SSD and pick the 4690k and 970 in that budget. You'll max pretty much every game out there at 1080p and that particular i5 is great for overclocking so if you upgrade the GPU later you won't have to worry about bottlenecking.

SSD's are always going up on special so you'll pick one up cheap enough relatively soon if you really want. Or go second hand with the risks and what-not.

Although I would drop another tenner and get this PSU
Click to expand...

Thank you, was hoping someone might confirm my idea!

I'm curious as to why you recommend that PSU, particularly when the price brand brings with it modular options but that certain one doesn't offer that feature.
 
The reason for spec'ing the PSU I've chosen is an excellent manufacturer. I would never scrimp on power supplies as bad ones can kill other components and at £50 it's a good price too.

The only real difference with the other one is gold efficiency. Not sure it's worth it over the one I've suggested.
 
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