New build proposal, ~£800

Dr.EM · 26 Oct 2013 at 19:33

Hi all, my desktop has been playing up recently and although it can probably be fixed with a full re-install it feels a bit of an effort to go to when it's 6 years old and running XP anyhow! So, perhaps it's time for a new build.

I need the machine to be somewhat multi-purpose, ideally it will run most modern games, if not on full settings but comfortably. It will handle a digital audio workstation such as Cubase with no slow ups even with many channels and DSP/VST. It will be speedy and enjoyable to use for everyday tasks and file transfer/backup.

I want to keep cost to around £800 for the parts here since this doesn't include a sound card/interface. I am considering E-MU 1212M but am not sure what additional hardware I need to get the extra channels. Either way, OCUK don't sell this or similar products so I will omit it for now. Fan noise of the system should also be kept to a minimum.

I already have a 1TB HDD which will go into the system for bulk storage.

What are your thoughts on this as a system? Have I missed off anything?

Thanks

ExRayTed · 26 Oct 2013 at 21:05

Save £10 on a better power supply and spend that + a little more on a much better GPU

YOUR BASKET
1 x HIS Radeon R9 270X IceQ X2 Boost 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £149.99
1 x Antec High Current Gamer M 620W "80+ Bronze" Modular Power Supply £79.99
Total : £241.38 (includes shipping : £9.50).

Dr.EM · 27 Oct 2013 at 10:07

Thanks for your suggestions!

I was only going to pay £80 for the PSU anyhow, it's cheaper elsewhere, same for the SSD and Windows 7 OS, everything else will come from here.

So that GPU is £15 more for me, but I've been looking at reviews and it does seem to produce quite a lot more FPS versus the 650Ti OC boost 2048MB. I was worried it would have much higher power draw but apparently it isn't much difference, not sure why it demands two 6-pin connections instead of one.

So, my only concerns with it are the fan noise; the cooling solution looks very similar so should also be quiet but I've not found any figures for that. The main thing is that it has good thermal control, so it remains quiet when idle. Also, I've not heard of the brand HIS, are they reputable? I feel like I can trust MSI.

stulid · 27 Oct 2013 at 10:13

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £169.99
1 x Samsung 250GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE250BW) £149.99
1 x Sapphire Radeon R9 270X Boost OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Card £149.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87-D3HP Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £109.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £71.99
1 x Patriot Viper "Sapphire Blue" 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-14900C9 1866MHz Dual Channel Kit (PV38G186C9KBL) £65.99
1 x Antec High Current Gamer 520W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £59.99
1 x BitFenix Shadow Tower Case - Midnight Black £54.98
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £859.50 (includes shipping : £10.50).

• "K" CPU and Z87 board mean you can overclock the CPU.
• The D3HP comes with a free aftermarket heatsink,

FREE Prolimatech Panther CPU Cooler with every board purchased!!