New PC Build for casual gaming

Rikk82

Rikk82

Rikk82

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Joined
14 Oct 2008
Posts
262
Location
Brighton
I've been putting off building a PC for some time, but I've now come in to some money from a work bonus, and looking to build a new unit in early September.

- The PC will be used for casual gaming. I'd like to be able to play cities skylines and BF4 on max settings @ 1440p, and will need everything except keyboard and mouse which I will reuse from my old system.
- I want it to be quiet (but with air cooling). I hate the noisy PC I have at the moment.
- Ideally I don't really want to spend much more than £1400 all in.

I've had a go at speccing a suitable PC below. Is this overkill, or do I need to look at a better GPU?


PC_build18_08_2015.jpg
 
I have the EVGA G2 650W and can report it is dead quiet. It is also made by superflower I believe. I thought the GS model were made by Seasonic and were rated a good PSU?
 
YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte Z170XP-SLI - Intel Core i5 6600K Bundle **£20 Saving** £303.97
1 x Dell UltraSharp U2515H 25" QHD IPS Professional Widescreen LED Monitor - Midnight Grey £289.99
1 x Powercolor Radeon R9 390 8192MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (AXR9 390 8GBD5-PPDHE) £239.99
1 x Samsung 500GB 850 EVO SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 32 Layer 3D V-NAND Solid State Drive (MZ-75E500B/EU) £149.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-24000C15 3000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMK16GX4M2B3000C15) £129.95
1 x Microsoft Windows 10 32/64-Bit - USB Pen Drive - Retail (KW9-00017) £85.99
1 x Fractal Design Define R5 Midi Tower Case - Black Pearl £84.95
1 x EVGA Supernova G2 650W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £74.99
1 x Noctua NH-U12S Ultra-Quiet Slim CPU Cooler with NF-F12 Fan £52.99
Total : £1,412.81 (includes shipping : Ex.VAT).



Same spec with three changes.

Windows 10 USB as there is no DVD drive in the spec.

Faster RAM.

PSU: G2 instead of GS. GS made by Seasonic, G2 by SuperFlower. Both are quality. GS if you like flat ribbon style cables and 5-year warranty, G2 if you like rounded black braids and 7-year warranty. Both come with ECO mode button for more silent running.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=424

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=429
 
Some good suggestions. Thanks.

I'm having second thoughts about the monitor, and wondering if I should instead go with a 144 Hz 1440p TN panel instead of the Dell IPS panel.
My causes for concern are potential backlight bleed issues with the IPS panel, and it's only 60 Hz - so perhaps not so good for gaming on.

I'm not sure if there are any decent comparible 144 Hz 1440p panels around the same price point as the Dell IPS, or if I should just splash out some more money and get a decent 144 Hz 1440p panel now. I don't replace monitors very often so this could be an option if the monitor was that much better.
 
Rikk82 said:
Some good suggestions. Thanks.

I'm having second thoughts about the monitor, and wondering if I should instead go with a 144 Hz 1440p TN panel instead of the Dell IPS panel.
My causes for concern are potential backlight bleed issues with the IPS panel, and it's only 60 Hz - so perhaps not so good for gaming on.

I'm not sure if there are any decent comparible 144 Hz 1440p panels around the same price point as the Dell IPS, or if I should just splash out some more money and get a decent 144 Hz 1440p panel now. I don't replace monitors very often so this could be an option if the monitor was that much better.
Click to expand...

I don't feel it's a great time to splash out a lot on a monitor unless you have a lot of money and would be willing to replace within two years. This is because pretty awesome features are beginning to make their appearance as all-in-ones: IPS, faster response time even with IPS, 100-144Hz refresh rate, G-Sync/Freesync, 2560/3440x1440, curved. At the moment, it's not quite there yet or they cost a lot of money. The technology and quality control also need to be consolidated a bit more. I think within two years, due to competition and the natural reduction of the costs of setting up production lines for these, we're going to see pretty stunning monitors for a little below £500. Like the Asus ROG 27" 1440p G-Sync but better. So as much as I'd like 1440p now, I'm sticking with 1080p as I don't have a lot of money, and I know once these stunning monitors enter a more affordable price-point, I'm going to want one. Hope that helps... or not. ;)
 
I agree with Danny here, monitors have come a long way but still a long way to go. Dell is pretty much as good as it gets when it comes to monitors, so I wouldn't have any doubts with that monitor. Also with 120 or 144Hz you have to think about FPS, so going with 60Hz is much more realistic and you won't be disappointed as I said with the quality anyway.
 
Yeah, I've made my mind up and will go with the Dell monitor. It's got good reviews, and will be nice to have a better picture quality compared to the small TN panel I'm using at the moment.

I see the Noctua cooler I chose is out of stock. Are there any other recommendations for a quiet air cooler? I do prefer Noctua.
 
Ahh,... ignore that, the cooler is actually back in stock now. :z

However the RAM is out of stock. I did want to get some fast RAM as I understand Skylake prefers faster RAM.
 
I'm looking for a wireless network card for this build, but not really sure what's best. Any ideas or suggestions?

My router is a Virgin Media Superhub 2, which will be located in the room directly below the PC.
 
Just about to pull the trigger on this, but at the last minute upped by budget to squeeze in a ASUS X99-S, and 5820K - I think these would be worth it in the long run.

Will I still be able to run this on a EVGA G2 650W PSU?
 
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