Gaming build - your collective expertise would be much appreciated

hughtrimble

hughtrimble

hughtrimble

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22 Jan 2014
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Afternoon all,

This is the first post of a long time lurker of this fine forum; hopefully I have posted it in the correct section.

I've been considering putting together a gaming package for quite a few years now, and have finally decided to crack on with it after much goading from one of your number. Gaming is the name of the...game. Budget around the £315 mark (already have SSD+HHD+GPU+motherboard), but I know what usually happens in such threads, so can allow for a touch more.

I would like it to be as quiet and as un-flashy as possible (i.e. no fairy lights or Christmas tree baubles), and be able to be upgraded in the future. I see the motherboard I've selected is compatible with Intel i7, but I've gone for an i5 as I've been informed the i7 is overkill for my needs (these are terms I was unfamiliar with until last week, so I am open to education). I've got a 120GB SSD already and a 500GB HHD, so no need for any more of that (yet).

I've seen the method used for displaying selected components in similar posts for builds, but being the very definition of a noob, I cannot work out how they worked that magic. My method will hopefully work.

Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 OC WindForce 4096MB

Gigabyte Z87X-UD4H Intel Z87

Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell)

Corsair Hydro H100i

Corsair Carbide 330R Silent Mid Tower Case

TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3

SuperFlower Golden Green HX 650W non-modular


How does the above look to your experienced eyes?

Also, I'm unsure as to what sort of cooling is needed. I can't see myself overclocking things (stone the blasphemer!), but I would like it to be lovely and quiet. Also, I am totally at sea in the ocean of optical drives, so something that'll work well is needed, but I don't think I need any bells and whistles on that bit of kit.

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated, as I do realise you get quite a few requests for build guidance, so any snippets of information will be gratefully received.

Cheers,
Hugh
 
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I would personally swap to a Gigabyte motherboard. Something like:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-477-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=2574

As for silence, then maybe you should consider moving to an aftermarket CPU Heatsink. The intel one will do the job fine if you are not overclocking, but will be more noisy. I have no idea which cheaper one will be less noisy but maybe something along the lines of:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-034-CM&groupid=701&catid=2330&subcat=2341
 
Afternoon Qitarah,

Thank you for your response and suggestions. May I ask the reason for your choice of the Gigabyte motherboard vs. the ASRock? If the difference is very technical then I understand if it's pointless explaining!

I've certainly heard of Gigabyte before, and I cannot say the same for ASRock.
 
Afternoon,

Well its nothing too technical or over the top. Its just a lot of people swear by gigabytes build quality (same for Asus by the way). Asrock on the other hand, I've seen many not recommend them. The deal sealer for me is that we are lucky to have a Gigabyte returns facility in the UK. So if there is any problem ever then its a very painless process, most of the time!

As for the case I don't have any experience with Bitfenix nor overclockers noise dampening (I guess that it will be good) that being saidI recently did a build for someone with a

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-214-AN&groupid=2362&catid=160

The case was really nice and is very quiet, too bad its out of stock here. Corsair also do a noise dampening case as well. But yer I do think the one you listed will also be a good choice, just showing you there are other choices out there too!

Ram wise I would just use (assuming you do not mind miss match of color schemes!):

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-052-TG&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1387

Matching color (currently out of stock though):

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-044-AR&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1392



As for the power supply something like you listed will do fine, however there are better quality options available.

Superflower have been raved a lot about recently. The one below isnt modular but will be a very good PSU.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-004-SF&tool=3

Modular seasonic (more expensive):

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-017-SS&tool=3
 
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As a note you could certainly dial back on the PSU and get a 550w PSU of high quality. But I personally would just feel more comfortable with the 650w especially if your gonna be keeping it for a few years. I'm sure someone with more experience can correct me but that is my own personal mind set!
 
Many thanks once again Qitarah - I have updated the OP with the recommended parts. I'm thinking the non-modular PSU is fine for me - excess wiring is not something I'm too OCD about! I'd certainly like to be able to put a bit more cash in now and not have to upgrade for a little while, so on that front the 650W PSU you linked to looks grand.

I do like the look of that case you used in the build - liking the connections at the front which the one I posted appears to lack. I'll have a look around for other companies that may have it.

Thank you kindly for taking the time to give such comprehensive responses.
 
You're most welcome.

The antec p100 case has plenty of space and slots for routing cables, I ended up with a pretty tidy looking case (using a non modular PSU) when I build it for my friend.

I hope it all goes great, you should end up having a lovely gaming machine!
 
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Evening dude.

You can get soundproofed cases, like the one Qitarah has shown you. Fractal do very nice ones, but they had a disagreement with OcUK and don't sell them any more. My current one is a fractal, but I don't think you've seen it. Used to have the Shinobi, which was fine, but no noise dampening.

I'd go for a bit more RAM, while you're at it.

In terms of quiet CPU coolers, Corsair H series are great.
 
dirtychinchilla said:
Evening dude.

You can get soundproofed cases, like the one Qitarah has shown you. Fractal do very nice ones, but they had a disagreement with OcUK and don't sell them any more. My current one is a fractal, but I don't think you've seen it. Used to have the Shinobi, which was fine, but no noise dampening.

I'd go for a bit more RAM, while you're at it.

In terms of quiet CPU coolers, Corsair H series are great.
Click to expand...

Cheers man. Currently at 8gb, will I really need 16gb for gaming? I can always add it in at a later date if 8 does not suffice. Could I not just add in 2x more 4gb, or will the motherboard not allow for that?
 
Hi, another option is X79 -
CPU - Intel 4820K 3.70GHz (Ivybridge-E) Socket LGA2011 Processor - Retail -£259.99 inc VAT
MOBO - Asus X79 DELUXE Intel X79 (Socket 2011) DDR3 Motherboard - £279.95 inc VAT
Ram - TeamGroup Vulcan GOLD 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit - £65.99 inc VAT x2=£119.92

Total=£659.92, replace's the components on your spec.

A 4770k is slightly faster than a 4820K, but if you want you could buy a 2nd hand 4930k 6 Core later if need be, you can't upgrade the 4770k.
 
That will take the total price way over the original £800 budget.

Or would require lowering he graphics card down to like a 270x. Which would just be stupid!

Stick with the i5 and 780 graphics card.

If you want to push the budget a bit get a 4770k. Games are starting to make use of the virtual cores more often, and it will be a bit more future proof than the i5. However the i5 and 780 will absolutely suit your needs and last a good while.

make sure you get a aftermarket heatsink. It will help lower noise compared to the intel heatsink.
 
This would be my suggestion. Nice quiet case and just a couple of minor tweaks to your origional budget. The MSI version of the GTX780 is £10 cheaper and just as good, the twin fozer cooler on it is also exceptionally quiet. I've included a nice heatsink thats about as big as you can fit in that case so you can keep the noise levels low as well.

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Geforce GTX 780 Gaming Edition OC 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £369.95
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £173.99
1 x Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z87 Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £119.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 330R Silent Mid Tower Case - Black £74.95
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 650W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £73.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99
1 x Raijintek Themis Direct Contact CPU Cooler £17.99
Total : £901.85 (includes shipping : £12.50).

 
OLDPHART said:
Hi, another option is X79 -
CPU - Intel 4820K 3.70GHz (Ivybridge-E) Socket LGA2011 Processor - Retail -£259.99 inc VAT
MOBO - Asus X79 DELUXE Intel X79 (Socket 2011) DDR3 Motherboard - £279.95 inc VAT
Ram - TeamGroup Vulcan GOLD 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit - £65.99 inc VAT x2=£119.92

Total=£659.92, replace's the components on your spec.

A 4770k is slightly faster than a 4820K, but if you want you could buy a 2nd hand 4930k 6 Core later if need be, you can't upgrade the 4770k.
Click to expand...

Sorry for that was doing ten things at once did not see his budget, the only thing l would do is get a better motherbroad then the
Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z87 Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard-£119.99 inc VAT-

Gigabyte Z87X-OC Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard-£158.99 inc VAT

Asus Z87 MAXIMUS VI HERO Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard-£164.99 inc VAT

If you get a Shinobi put a 140mm fan in the top of the case, as you have only a 120mm fan rear and front for air flow and the Raider case is the same so the air flow not that good, the 140mm fan does make a differance to the case temps.
 
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