New PC help.

Ammeg

Ammeg

Ammeg

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Joined
30 Nov 2012
Posts
235
Location
Devon
Hello!
So as title suggests needing to build a new pc for a friend they have a nice budget and I want to help them get what they need from their new build as old one is... well... old.

Currently they have:
12gb ram, i7 3770k, Nvidia 660, they don't know what motherboard or powersupply they have.

They would like to be able to record on the pc without issue, games and films. As well as be able to run all new games on full graphics, be able to make total war battles in huge scale and mod games like Skyrim and Fallout.

Any ideas of what would be great top of the range sort of pc? Only issue is that the PC might be going to Australia so would have to cope well in the heat too, what fans would you suggest? Need a new case and blu-ray/cd/dvd drive too.
 
Ammeg said:
>snip<
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The core of their PC is still very capable - it's let down by the dated GFX card.

All they need do ideally is clock the CPU - and add a decent third party cooler if they haven't got one already. And couple this with a decent GFX card - the addition of a modern card having the biggest impact.

  • If they game at 1080p they would plug in an RX 580 8Gb (or GTX 1070 if flush).
  • If they game at 1440p then a GTX 1070 will suffice (or GTX 1080 if flush).
The above relevant combos will totally reinvigorate their PC - and allow it to play and record all games at ULTRA for a minimal outlay.

Ammeg said:
Only issue is that the PC might be going to Australia so would have to cope well in the heat too, what fans would you suggest? Need a new case and blu-ray/cd/dvd drive too.
Click to expand...

What case do they have?

EDIT: If the above isn't an option what is their budget - a 'nice budget' can mean anything from £1000 to £3000 (and do they require a monitor?)
 
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They just said it is a box case, they are wanting something new. Currently playing at 1080p but want a new monitor.

Edit: budget is £5-6k
 
Ammeg said:
Edit: budget is £5-6k
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I need to revise my 'nice budget' range to £1000 to £6000.

There's a degree of spending money for spending sake within the spec - you could drop to 16Gb and make do with less SSD storage (although this is a luxury i like) and a Ryzen 1700 would be more than adequate. So keep in mind you could cut another £1000+ off the build.

Alternatively - you could add another £2200 - 1080Ti SLI and 4K screen or even add custom water...

Basically, I should have asked more questions regarding size of case and monitor dimensions etc but i've put together an example spec mainly for you to critique/pick apart - as you have the money to be as picky as hell. So you may as well get exactly what you want.

I took into account they are moving to a hotter climate so specced a case that's big, full of fans but still runs relatively quiet. Case Review - Clicky

Plus, i've added a large AIO which is also quiet and will keep the CPU chilly. They would also have the option of paying someone to apply custom water - which is well within their budget.

I've added 32Gb of memory which is overkill - but it will have it's moments with future game releases. My only concern is getting it up to speed/frequency as i'm unsure how 32Gb dual sticks fair with Ryzen (2133MHz-2666MHz from searches). 16Gb woud get you speeds close to 3200MHz. But this should get ironed out with future BIOS releases - but will check tomorrow as going to sleep now.

The GFX card is a cool running GTX 1080Ti - but you can get AIO cooled variants - something to consider.

Also added a quality 850W PSU - if you ever consider SLI...

Storage again is overkill - Basically 2 x 1Tb SSDs - and a conventional drive for backup.

And lastly the monitor - i chose a premium priced/quality specced 27" 1440p IPS G-Sync panel - has great reviews (wasn't sure how big you wanted to go). I've added another for you to compare below the build which is excellent value for the quality/spec - there's money to be saved all over this build if wanted.

You may however want to look at the Ultra Wide panels - but be warned the QC on these can be a PITA (I'm personally not a fan of them).

Anyway to get the ball rolling and nowhere near the 6K budget but will slaughter everything put in front of it and should stay nice and cool...

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £4,012.99
(includes shipping: £23.10)



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Blu-ray drive - clicky almost forgot.


another 1440p monitor for you to consider - is the aoc - it's an excellent quality monitor for a lot less money.

my basket at overclockers uk:
Total: £611.09
(includes shipping: £11.10)




And smaller case options but don't support optical drives (will edit tomorrow) but gives you an idea of size difference.

My basket at Overclockers UK:




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stulid will be along tomorrow and add a some finesse to the build. He does some great looking white themed setups.

I'm all about pragmatism and clean lines, so they tend to be black, quiet and plain sleek boxes.
 
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Thank you for your ideas :) I know my friend is very interested in a silver and green build.
Is the AMD Ryzen good? just because we have one of with an and gfx card and oh my days I wish I had stuck with Nvidia. The software is shocking for updating the gfx card.
 
Ammeg said:
Thank you for your ideas :) I know my friend is very interested in a silver and green build.
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No problem - couldn't sleep - too hot.

One of the questions I should have asked is will your friend be building this himself?

If not with his impressive budget (and it is mighty) he could still get specced a bespoke build and either get OcUK to do a custom build or get it built locally.

Silver and Green will be a tough spec - unless you're just talking about the case? And the case again can be customised/personalised.

You could even consider custom water with a Silver/Green theme - but this would require maintenance... and would eat your 6K budget if built and maintained by a third-party.

stulid may wow you yet with a white build...

Ammeg said:
Is the AMD Ryzen good? just because we have one of with an and gfx card and oh my days I wish I had stuck with Nvidia. The software is shocking for updating the gfx card.
Click to expand...

Yes, Ryzen really is the go to CPU at the moment (lots of cores, lots of threads and very fast) - plus with moving to Australia an i7 7700k would get even hotter :).

And swapping cards isn't the issue it used to be, but the GTX 1080ti is nVidia - so your friend will be happy.

I will add again that money could be saved at almost every stage of the above build - but as money clearly isn't a factor you may as well have the best, and swap out the GFX card every 2/3 years as the CPU will last you a good couple of cards.
 
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I will be building it for him as I live just a few towns away :)
Glad to hear that the Ryzen is good! The colours are just what came to mind when I asked him. I know there are some beautiful silver cases so could add some colour somewhere :)
 
Ammeg said:
I will be building it for him as I live just a few towns away :)
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Great - he can go all out on components then - without factoring build/troubleshooting costs.

Ammeg said:
The colours are just what came to mind when I asked him. I know there are some beautiful silver cases so could add some colour somewhere :)
Click to expand...

There is the InWin 909 Case - pricey - which comes in silver - and would accommodate all the fans/cooling you're after (in fact I really like this case - I want one)

Review - Clicky

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £409.09
(includes shipping: £14.10)



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The RaijintekAsterion Plus Aluminium Midi Tower Case is a nice looking case and also has room the additional fans...

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £151.69
(includes shipping: £11.70)



​
 
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Ammeg said:
12gb ram, i7 3770k, Nvidia 660, they don't know what motherboard or powersupply they have.
Click to expand...

Yes, really all they need is a new GPU and a good CPU cooler. Possibly a SSD if they don't have one already. Note that AMD's Vega is out imminently and high-refresh rate 4K monitors by the end of the year. And Intel's i9 processors are in the offing too...

You can always wait. Or you can start enjoying it right now. A Ryzen / 1080 Ti build sounds good to me, but I would set aside £2K for that high-refresh 4K monitor.
 
Thank you both, sorry if my replies drop for a day or so internet is once again on the fritz.
Those cases are nice but as you said expensive, will keep these in mind as I keep nosing.
 
Ammeg said:
Those cases are nice but as you said expensive, will keep these in mind as I keep nosing.
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True - was playing with his 6k budget - your eyes would have watered at the price of one case i was researching last night...

Is case size a factor? i.e. is the cooling the prime concern over size?

Also, how was the rest of the spec? - As mentioned i juiced the whole build as your budget was mighty - but you could reduce the spec/price considerably with very little 'real' performance loss at 1440p gaming.
 
haha I can only imagine, some cases are expansive.
Cooling is more important but they are really nervous about water cooling.
Rest of it sounds good, will of course relay back to the friend and see what he thinks.
 
Hi guys, I'm looking for a budget PC with no building hassle preferably under £500 if possible. All it needs to do is run games like GTA 5 if that's possible for a PC of that price but I'm clueless about anything like this ahah
 
ZXC53 said:
Hi guys, I'm looking for a budget PC with no building hassle preferably under £500 if possible. All it needs to do is run games like GTA 5 if that's possible for a PC of that price but I'm clueless about anything like this ahah
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Welcome to the forums ZXC53.

It would be best if you started your own thread - under the title 'Budget PC £500' - as you'll get more responses.

Within the request we would need to know exactly what you need - e.g. case, hdds, monitor, windows etc... (or list what you don't need - any parts you can reuse?.)

If you have a monitor mention the res - e.g. 1080p or 1440p
 
The all in one cooler for the cpu looks good and I think I could let him know the benefits of it easily enough. Not sure about others.
 
Ammeg said:
Not sure about others.
Click to expand...

If you're talking about comparable air coolers then below are a sample of some ofthe best air coolers on the market for cooling/silence - and comparable to an AIO the D15 being on a par.

The Noctua D15 being the Daddy of them all and the Phantek PH-TC14PE being the best bang for buck i.e. cooling to price ratio.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £344.01
(includes shipping: £11.10)



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Any of these coolers would keep Ryzen temps frosty and with relative silence.

There are cheaper quality options though - but these are a sample some of the best Air Coolers - the D15 considered the best.

Be warned - they're big - essentially fitting a brick to your CPU.

Additional: Be sure to remember to add AM4 bracket if one isn't listed as supplied.
 
I think I prefer the idea of the AIO tbh it seems to look more fluid (pun not intended) and streamline ^_^

Would you recommend any of the bitfenix cases?
 
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