Gaming System - Spec me up!

Gilbert89

Gilbert89

Gilbert89

Soldato
Joined
24 Jun 2011
Posts
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Location
Sheffield
Few years ago I ditched my at the time dated gaming rig and dare I say it opted for a console solution due to friends.

Knowledge is pretty limited in the current climate technology has moved on, I know the basic's so I'd like to think not totally clueless.

The purpose of this system (Not to make you people laugh) is to run the new World of Warcraft on Ultra with the potential to run some future titles if I decide meanwhile being a lightning fast all round system with an Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU. Although AMD Radeon R9 290X has me pondering between brands just to add.

Monitor/Windows/Keyboard etc is not required but my chosen Hard Disk will be a Crucial MX100 256GB unless I can be convinced otherwise if required I will add more storage if required I have another system for large files.

Not quite sure of the required budget for my needs although not wanting to live on the savers range for a few months! £550/650

I hope I haven't took you round in circles and confused things to much in regards to what I would like.
 
 
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Cheers for such a quick response Tamzzy.

Looks a great spec!

On the product information of the Radeon R9 290 it recommends a minimum PSU of 600w but considering the other components would 550w be suitable?

Also a question not regarding the basket you suggested If I was to buy an SLI motherboard does that mean Nvidia only or is Crossfire comparable too?
 
nah. the 550w psu specced is more than sufficient.

i know you wanted nvidia...but they don't currently have a gpu as capable as the 290 at the £200 price point (short of going 2nd hand/b grade).

and yes, a mobo that supports sli will support xfire
 
I can answer the Xfire question in more detail (if it helps).

A motherboards PCI-E lanes need a certain bandwidth to run Xfire and SLI and they differ.

An SLI rated motherboards will have 2 PCI-E lanes running at at least x8 seqeuentally. (X16/x8, x8/x8).

Whereas Xfire will run at x4 (so x16/x4). This is less of a requirement than SLI, so any SLI board will run Xfire. And any motherboard with 2 PCI-E x16 slots will run Xfire (as x4 is the lowest).

Hope this helps.
 
Hiya,

As an alternative config (a small Mini ITX setup) I would suggest the following;

For WOW you don't need an i5, a Haswell i3 is more than capable. (I have a WOW specific rig with an i3), and also perfect for general PC use as well. The H81 is perfect, and you are not likely to be OC on it, so again the i3 fits. Some may suggest the Pentium, but for WOW you need the i3 with Hyperthreading to get more consistent FPS.

The saving would, could allow you to then swap the 290x for a (more modern) GTX970, using perhaps 80w less (and a smaller PSU), and being just as capable, whilst likely running cooler and quieter, perfect for a small rig.

The 450w would be fine for this setup, and the case is a fantastic cooler.

Only to offer an alternative.

Martin

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 "Mini-ITX" 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (GV-N970IXOC-4GD) £263.99
1 x Silverstone Sugo SG05 HTPC Case with 450W Power Supply - All Black ( SST-SG05BB-450 USB 3.0) £99.95
1 x Intel Core i3-4150 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £92.99
1 x Crucial MX100 256GB SATA 2.5” 7mm SSD + 9.5mm Adapter (CT256MX100SSD1) £79.99
1 x TeamGroup Elite Black 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TPKD38G1600HC11DC01) £59.99
1 x Asus H81I-Plus Intel H81 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £58.99
Total : £669.40 (includes shipping : £11.25).

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Thinking of ordering within a week, still deciding on my budget and whether to build it myself or get in touch with OcUK (Would be a first build)

Decided on the Corsair 350D Obsidian Case (Is this a good choice?)

Just a quick question, Keep seeing plenty of Corsair H60's around they make the system look super neat and tidy but see people talking about leaks etc is that common can they be more hassle then they are worth over air coolers?

Will hopefully be running a i5 4690k.
 
Watch a few build videos then see whether you feel upto it or not, theres always a first time.. :)

The 350D is a stunning little case, obvoiusly you'll have to get a mATX motherboard and it may limit going SLI in the future.

The 4690k is a solid choice..

The CLC (closed loop coolers) are very good, and the current prices make them very tempting. They leak very rarely and normally due to manufacturing faults (DOA) in which case you can return under RMA, or through misuse (damaged).. SO just be careful.. (i know you would anyway).

I had a H50 and it was great. If you're looking at one now, id looking into the silverstone Tundra range, the TD03 is at a great rpice and comparible to the H80i.


Just decide on a budget and come back to us.
 
Thanks Doomed Speed.

Whats the benefit of having an ATX over an mATX obviously for size but what performance difference is there? (Is it the fact it supports SLI?)

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-010-GI

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-006-GI

These two are bundles I have been looking for as I assume they would be pretty future proof if i wanted to upgrade in a couple of years, Ill post back tomorrow with a finalised budget! Sorry to all for dragging this out!
 
There is no performance difference between those two.

It is as simple as amount of expansion slots, sata and USB etc.

Both do SLI+Crossfire.
 
Gilbert89 said:
Thanks Doomed Speed.

Whats the benefit of having an ATX over an mATX obviously for size but what performance difference is there? (Is it the fact it supports SLI?)

These two are bundles I have been looking for as I assume they would be pretty future proof if i wanted to upgrade in a couple of years, Ill post back tomorrow with a finalised budget! Sorry to all for dragging this out!
Click to expand...

there. have your cake and eat it too ;p

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-SLI - Devils Canyon Core i5 4690K Bundle **£14 Saving** £264.58
1 x Inno3D GeForce GTX 970 OC 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £251.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 750W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £82.99
1 x SK Hynix 256GB SSD SH910A SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive (HFS256G32MNB-2201A) £74.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLRED38G2133HC11ADC01) £65.99
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache WD10EZEX - OEM ** Single Platter ** HDD £42.95
1 x Zalman Z3 Plus Midi-Tower - Black £39.95
1 x Antec Kúhler H2O 650 Liquid CPU Cooler £39.95
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £9.95
Total : £873.32 (includes shipping : ).




gtx 970 with an i5k + sli mobo
psu that has enough juice for sli - specced a non-modular one, but you can get a modular one for £7 more
etc etc
 
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tamzzy said:
good call. missed that =x
Click to expand...


I noticed this memory when messing around with various setups.

All fantastic setup's suggested having taken on board that hoping to place an order on Sunday.

Here is where I currently stand.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-SLI - Devils Canyon Core i5 4690K Bundle **£14 Saving** £264.58
1 x Asus VN247H 24"Widescreen Super Narrow Bezel LED Monitor - Black £149.99
1 x Corsair Obsidian 450D High Airflow Mid-Tower Case (CC-9011049-WW) £91.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02733) £77.99
1 x SK Hynix 256GB SSD SH910A SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive (HFS256G32MNB-2201A) £74.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Savage Red 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (HX324C11SRK2/8) £62.99
Total : £722.52 (includes shipping : ).



Now for the 4690k to keep it nice and cool I'm looking for a liquid solution keeping it at stock speeds but wanting that option to have a play with Overclocking at some point and I figure I might aswell buy the means to be able to do so sooner rather than later, been looking at the Corsair H60 - H100i any suggestions?

Now GPU would love an MSI version but looks like I'd have to be paying a premium for the lovely design which probably wouldn't be the smartest thing to do. For the life of me cannot decide which GPU to buy I have been pondering between the 290 X and a GTX 970 obviously the only thing stopping me is price perhaps I need to step down a division any suggestions open to all senarios.

Also power supply was thinking of http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-012-EA but what do you guy's feel wattage wise I will require etc.
 
Scrap the Asus monitor I linked, I can perhaps push to £950 for a Screen/PSU/Graphic's card which I'm finding a push may have to rethink the case (Might aswell go cheaper for better performance)
 
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YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-SLI - Devils Canyon Core i5 4690K Bundle **£14 Saving** £264.58
1 x GALAX GeForce GTX 970 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card - OEM (97NPH6DT6XTZ) £247.99
1 x BenQ GL2450 24" Widescreen LED Monitor - Black £107.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 750W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £82.99
1 x SK Hynix 256GB SSD SH910A SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive (HFS256G32MNB-2201A) £74.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Savage Red 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (HX324C11SRK2/8) £62.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £41.99
1 x Zalman Z3 Plus Midi-Tower - Black £39.95
1 x Raijintek Themis Black Heatpipe CPU Cooler PWM - 120mm £19.99
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £9.95
Total : £953.40 (includes shipping : ).

 
Here is my 98.9% finalised build :D

Budget can't stretch anymore for a Corsair H100i but how would a Corsair H60 perform compared to the Raijintek air cooler? The clean look of a water cooled CPU really appeals to me but if performance wise it'd be better to hold out for the H100i then so be it.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions it feels like it has been a marathon.

Although I do welcome any comments/improvements that could be made before I order on Monday.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-SLI - Devils Canyon Core i5 4690K Bundle **£14 Saving** £264.58
1 x GALAX GeForce GTX 970 EX OC 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (97NQH6DNB4UX) £251.99
1 x Corsair Obsidian 450D High Airflow Mid-Tower Case (CC-9011049-WW) £91.99
1 x EVGA SuperNova G2 750W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £89.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02733) £77.99
1 x SK Hynix 256GB SSD SH910A SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive (HFS256G32MNB-2201A) £74.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Savage Red 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (HX324C11SRK2/8) £62.99
1 x Raijintek EreBoss High Performance CPU Cooler £29.99
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £9.95
Total : £954.44 (includes shipping : ).

 
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