Good PC Build?

kaieveshollis · 27 Aug 2015 at 15:49

This is my first ever PC build. I'm happy with it but I have very limited knowledge so any advice would be great.

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake CLP0608 99.1 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Graphics Card: Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card (x2)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply

I am also not sure whether to go with AMD or Intel (Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor) and also am yet to find a good case

Thanks in advance

foster grant · 27 Aug 2015 at 15:58

Personally I would look at Intel....but that also depends on one's budget , Also maybe think of adding an SSD ....but no doubt others who know way more than I do will be along and do you a spec or two

FML1990 · 27 Aug 2015 at 15:58

What do you want to use it for?
If gaming, what resolution?

Also, get an SSD and an aftermarket cooler for CPU

Danny75 · 27 Aug 2015 at 16:01

i5-4690K if you can afford it.

750Ti's do not do SLI.

You can get better PSUs for the money.

You would benefit from starting off with a Solid State Drive, like Foster Grant said and then add mechanical drives for more storage later.

What's the total budget?

kaieveshollis · 27 Aug 2015 at 16:28

FML1990 said:
What do you want to use it for?
If gaming, what resolution?

Also, get an SSD and an aftermarket cooler for CPU

Yes its main use would gaming

The best resolution i can get with my budget (£700-£800)

Is there certain SSDs and CPU coolers you could recommend?
and when you say aftermarket is that second hand?

foster grant · 27 Aug 2015 at 16:31

I would go for either Samsung or a Crucial SSD

kaieveshollis · 27 Aug 2015 at 16:32

Danny75 said:
i5-4690K if you can afford it.

750Ti's do not do SLI.

You can get better PSUs for the money.

You would benefit from starting off with a Solid State Drive, like Foster Grant said and then add mechanical drives for more storage later.

What's the total budget?

So Intel over AMD?

SLI? Also forgot to mention that i would eventually like to have a triple monitor display but am not sure what i would need to make that possible

What PSU would you recommend?

My budget is £700-£800 excluding things such as monitors as i will get those at a later stage, i already have the hardware (keyboard, mouse, monitor etc.) for a basic setup

Danny75 · 27 Aug 2015 at 16:38

kaieveshollis said:
So Intel over AMD?

Yes, more so if main use is gaming.

kaieveshollis said:
SLI?

"Graphics Card: Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card (x2)"

Took x2 to mean two 750Ti's. Maybe you can clear that up?

kaieveshollis said:
What PSU would you recommend?

Will depend on your eventual setup, but SuperFlower Leadex, EVGA G2 and GS are better (and usually cheaper) than Corsair RM.

kaieveshollis said:
My budget is £700-£800 excluding things such as monitors as i will get those at a later stage, i already have the hardware (keyboard, mouse, monitor etc.) for a basic setup

Cool. And what about Windows?

kaieveshollis · 27 Aug 2015 at 16:43

Danny75 said:
Yes, more so if main use is gaming.

"Graphics Card: Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card (x2)"

Took x2 to mean two 750Ti's. Maybe you can clear that up?

Yeah that did mean 2 of them as i was told that this would be necessary in order to have a triple monitor display

Danny75 said:
Will depend on your eventual setup, but SuperFlower Leadex, EVGA G2 and GS are better (and usually cheaper) than Corsair RM.

Ok thanks, i'll look into them

Danny75 said:
Cool. And what about Windows?

I believe my brother has a copy i can use

FML1990 · 27 Aug 2015 at 17:02

kaieveshollis said:
and when you say aftermarket is that second hand?

I mean something like a noctua cooler or an AIO watercooler.

The stock coolers that come with CPUs are terrible. The one I used to have on my 8350 sounded like a plane was going to take off, didn't keep it cool either.

kaieveshollis · 27 Aug 2015 at 17:06

FML1990 said:
I mean something like a noctua cooler or an AIO watercooler.

The stock coolers that come with CPUs are terrible. The one I used to have on my 8350 sounded like a plane was going to take off, didn't keep it cool either.

So that's instead of the Thermaltake CLP0608 99.1 CFM CPU Cooler?

Danny75 · 27 Aug 2015 at 17:16

kaieveshollis said:
Yeah that did mean 2 of them as i was told that this would be necessary in order to have a triple monitor display

Well, I'm not sure what was discussed exactly, for you to be given that advice. It may have been given correctly, depending on what they understood you were aiming for. Or maybe they thought the 750Ti's would SLI to give you more beef for triple display. I don't know.

However, 750Ti's have three graphic port outputs. And if you were going to have two cards, you'd benefit more from being able to run them in SLI (or CrossFire with AMD cards).

In any case, it's best to get the most powerful card you can right now (which can run three displays), and then later on you have the option of buying a similar card cheaper if you'd like to SLI/CrossFire.

See here for Nvidia cards with Nvidia Surround support: http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/surround/supported-gpus

And here to learn more about it: http://lifehacker.com/how-to-set-up-triple-monitors-for-super-widescreen-gami-1680863770

Danny75 · 27 Aug 2015 at 17:46

Skylake + 960 4GB:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte Z170XP-SLI - Intel Core i5 6600K Bundle **£20 Saving** £303.97
1 x ZOTAC GeForce GTX 960 OC 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (ZT-90308-10M) £174.95
1 x Samsung 250GB 850 EVO SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 32 Layer 3D V-NAND Solid State Drive (MZ-75E250B/EU) £85.99
1 x XFX XTR 750W '80 Plus Gold' Fully Modular Power Supply £74.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4 PC4-24000C15 3000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMK8GX4M2B3000C15) £67.99
1 x Phanteks Enthoo Pro M Midi Tower Case with Window - Black £59.99
1 x Alpenföhn Matterhorn Black CPU Cooler £39.95
Total : £807.83 (includes shipping : Ex.VAT).

Haswell + 970:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-SLI - Devils Canyon Core i5 4690K Bundle **£12 Saving** £277.98
1 x Zotac GeForce GTX 970 Gaming Edition 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (ZT-90101-10P) £239.99
1 x Samsung 250GB 850 EVO SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 32 Layer 3D V-NAND Solid State Drive (MZ-75E250B/EU) £85.99
1 x XFX XTR 750W '80 Plus Gold' Fully Modular Power Supply £74.99
1 x Phanteks Enthoo Pro M Midi Tower Case with Window - Black £59.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Savage Red 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (HX324C11SRK2/8) £44.99
1 x Alpenföhn Matterhorn Black CPU Cooler £39.95
Total : £823.87 (includes shipping : Ex.VAT).

Alternatively go with R9380 4GB instead of GTX 960. And R9 390 8GB instead of GTX 970. The 8GB of the 390 may be more beneficial for triple monitors, depending on their resolution. I think that would be my choice really, despite speccing Nvidia cards. Also taking into account the 970 memory issue (3.5GB fast, 0.5GB slow).

PSU is made by Seasonic. They are strict about registering within 28 days if you want the warranty. If you go with 960 or 380 cards, then 750W is more than fine for SLI/CrossFire. It will handle 970/390 as well, but may not give you so much overclocking headroom + comfort buffer so it isn't stressed close to 100%. So if you're interested in overclocking with 970s/390s, then I'd stretch for an 850W personally. But you don't "need" it. Up to you.

YOUR BASKET
1 x EVGA SuperNova P2 850W '80 Plus Platinum' Modular Power Supply £124.99
1 x SuperFlower Leadex Platinum 850W Fully Modular "80 Plus Platinum" Power Supply - Black £122.99
1 x SuperFlower Leadex GOLD 850W Fully Modular "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £114.95
1 x SuperFlower Leadex GOLD 850W Fully Modular "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - White £114.95
1 x EVGA SuperNova G2 850W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £114.95
1 x XFX XTR 850W '80 Plus Gold' Fully Modular Power Supply £99.95
1 x EVGA SuperNova B2 850W '80 Plus Bronze' Hybrid Modular Power Supply (110-B2-0850-V3) £95.99
Total : £788.76 (includes shipping : Ex.VAT).

Again, the XFX is made by Seasonic, and the EVGA B2 by SuperFlower. They are good but not as great as the ones higher in price.

Hope this helps. Now go ahead and come up with a new spec of your own if you like, and we'll check it for you.

FML1990 · 27 Aug 2015 at 17:49

kaieveshollis said:
So that's instead of the Thermaltake CLP0608 99.1 CFM CPU Cooler?

Completely missed that when I read it sorry.

kaieveshollis · 27 Aug 2015 at 18:20

Ok, how does this look?

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake CLP0608 99.1 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Graphics Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M ATX Mid Tower Case

Danny75 · 27 Aug 2015 at 18:34

kaieveshollis said:
Ok, how does this look?

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake CLP0608 99.1 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Graphics Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M ATX Mid Tower Case

Looks okay. Nice black/red cooler that, maybe go for a black/red motherboard (the Asus Ranger isn't too far off, and there are also cheaper Gigabyte's and MSI's).

Can also go for faster RAM (up to 2400MHz) if it doesn't cost too much.

I'd get a 250GB SSD minimum. Also, get the 850 EVO not the older 840 EVO.