New office build and casual gaming

FlyingPig · 9 Nov 2017 at 11:40

My build is from 2011 and it's getting on a bit. Currently experiencing random reboots that probably have to do with either the CPU, RAM or PSU. Don't really have the time to get to the bottom of it so I'm thinking of just getting a new system.

What I have:
- Logitech solar keyboard
- Hazro 1440p monitor (still very happy about this one)
- 1 TB HDD
- 250 GB SSD
- GTX 970 (upgraded a few years ago from 570)
- Motherboard P67A-GD53 (MS-7681)
- i5 2500K CPU (overclock removed)
- OCZ PSU 700W Stealth Xtreme
- 8GB RAM

What I need:

OCuK to assemble a base system as I can't be asked and am probably unable. The idea is I plug in my hard drives and GTX 970 in there and get up and running. Only using the desktop for office work, some Photoshop and some flight simming (recently started X-Plane 11, which is how I discovered how unstable my system has become during gaming).
This means I probably need a new case, something fairly small and more portable than the current Coolermaster case. Am open to a mini ATX but unsure if that will house the GTX 970 and have a stable enough PSU. What CPU is recommended these days? Been out of the loop. I guess 16 GB or RAM won't hurt.

Not sure about budget, but hoping I can keep my costs down.

southernorth · 9 Nov 2017 at 14:07

FlyingPig said:
My build is from 2011 and it's getting on a bit. Currently experiencing random reboots that probably have to do with either the CPU, RAM or PSU. Don't really have the time to get to the bottom of it so I'm thinking of just getting a new system.

What I have:
- Logitech solar keyboard
- Hazro 1440p monitor (still very happy about this one)
- 1 TB HDD
- 250 GB SSD
- GTX 970 (upgraded a few years ago from 570)
- Motherboard P67A-GD53 (MS-7681)
- i5 2500K CPU (overclock removed)
- OCZ PSU 700W Stealth Xtreme
- 8GB RAM

What I need:

OCuK to assemble a base system as I can't be asked and am probably unable. The idea is I plug in my hard drives and GTX 970 in there and get up and running. Only using the desktop for office work, some Photoshop and some flight simming (recently started X-Plane 11, which is how I discovered how unstable my system has become during gaming).
This means I probably need a new case, something fairly small and more portable than the current Coolermaster case. Am open to a mini ATX but unsure if that will house the GTX 970 and have a stable enough PSU. What CPU is recommended these days? Been out of the loop. I guess 16 GB or RAM won't hurt.

Not sure about budget, but hoping I can keep my costs down.

I know you said not sure about budget, but what's a rough price you're aiming for?

FlyingPig · 9 Nov 2017 at 14:32

southernorth said:
I know you said not sure about budget, but what's a rough price you're aiming for?

I'm a bit torn. On the one hand, I'm thinking if I can keep the 970 and accept it as "good enough", would I not be able to keep this around 500-600 GBP? Could go up to a grand if need be but then it'd have to tick me over another 4-5 years.

FlyingPig · 9 Nov 2017 at 16:38

Been reading up a bit and was surprised to see AMD is back... Looks like they present the best value and their range might be a nice step up from the trusted 2500K.

How about something like this:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x "Grenadier RX II" Asus Prime X370-Pro - AMD Ryzen 1700X @ 3.80GHz Overclocked Gaming Bundle = £709.99
- Memory:Team Group Vulcan T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-19200C14 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (TLGD416G24
- Cooler:BeQuiet! Shadow Rock 2 CPU Cooler
1 x OcUK Tech Labs - Pre Noise Dampened Case - Lian Li PC-A55B Case= £89.99

Total: £811.08
(includes shipping: £11.10)

southernorth · 9 Nov 2017 at 17:07

I would recommend waiting for the CPU + motherboard bundle below to come back into stock:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Fractal Design Define S Midi Tower - Black= £77.99
1 x Team Group Dark T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-24000C16 3000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (TDGED416G300= £179.99
1 x Super Flower Platinum King 550W 80 Plus Platinum Power Supply - Black= £74.99
1 x Asus ROG Strix B350-F & AMD Ryzen 5 Six Core 1600 CPU & Motherboard Bundle **£20 Discount**= £267.94

Total: £614.11
(includes shipping: £13.20)

Very quiet and high-quality case, includes 2 140mm fans
Well rated, highly efficient PSU with a 5 year warranty
As all RAM prices are terrible, basically the cheapest RAM OCuk have for this speed. I would highly recommend specifically shopping around for RAM, as OCuk's prices are not competitive at all.
Finally, buying that motherboard + CPU together gives you 3 free games:

https://promotion.asus.com/en/uk/Ryzen

Either keep them, or sell them for £60 to further reduce the cost.

This option would allow you a much bigger GPU upgrade - 1070ti/VEGA 56. These two graphics cards would run games at 1440p much better than your current 970.

FlyingPig · 9 Nov 2017 at 17:40

Thanks for that. I forgot the power supply. I contacted OCuK and that CPU will only be in stock again end of November. Too late for me. What about the Gigabyte motherboard and the 8 core CPU from this bundle?

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Gigabyte Aorus GA-AX370-Gaming 5 - AMD Ryzen 5/7 CPU & Motherboard Bundle **£20 Discount** = £429.98
- CPU:AMD Ryzen 7 Eight Core 1700 3.70GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail

Total: £440.48
(includes shipping: £10.50)

Overkill?

southernorth · 9 Nov 2017 at 17:58

FlyingPig said:
Thanks for that. I forgot the power supply. I contacted OCuK and that CPU will only be in stock again end of November. Too late for me. What about the Gigabyte motherboard and the 8 core CPU from this bundle?

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Gigabyte Aorus GA-AX370-Gaming 5 - AMD Ryzen 5/7 CPU & Motherboard Bundle **£20 Discount** = £429.98

CPU:AMD Ryzen 7 Eight Core 1700 3.70GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail

Total: £440.48
(includes shipping: £10.50)

Overkill?

It's a nice bundle, but you don't qualify for the ASUS bundle. Also, for gaming and most light-multitasking you wouldn't notice much difference going to a 1700 from a 1600. So yeah, it is overkill.

But if you were set on a 1700, this bundle qualifies for that ASUS deal:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Asus Prime X370-Pro AMD X370 (Socket AM4) DDR4 ATX Motherboard= £146.99
1 x AMD Ryzen 7 Eight Core 1700 3.70GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £269.99
1 x Fractal Design Define S Midi Tower - Black= £77.99
1 x Team Group Dark T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-24000C16 3000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (TDGED416G300= £179.99
1 x Super Flower Platinum King 550W 80 Plus Platinum Power Supply - Black= £74.99

Total: £763.15
(includes shipping: £13.20)

You could also consider some different RAM as Ryzen can be quite fussy about which type can run at full speeds and overclock well. The set below is good:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Team Group Dark Pro "8Pack Edition" 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C14 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/= £218.99

Total: £227.69
(includes shipping: £8.70)

FlyingPig · 9 Nov 2017 at 19:15

Thanks. Much to think about. Qualifying for the games deal would be a nice bonus, though not essential. That motherboard doesn't seem to have the best reviews out there so would be a bit nervous about it, although for my needs it's probably perfectly fine.
Scary how much RAM costs these days...
Might just order this all tomorrow. With OCuK assembling I guess it'll amount to around 800 GBP, which isn't bad. Probably best to upgrade GPU later on, proper gaming at 1440p would be nice at some point.

Just one final question: how will Windows behave when it recognises a new motherboard and CPU? (I used to have Windows 7 and then upgraded to 10, so have a licence).