PC Recommendation - £900

[Rhoxy]

EDIT - Updates below.

Apologies for the second thread, however I've decided to up the budget a little.

PC will be used purely for gaming, mostly steam games such as Day-Z, Rust, CSGO as well as a few upcoming games and hopefully will be able to play the majority of these on good if not best graphics.

It will be kept and upgraded for years to come, meaning a suitable case to allow this is preferred.

Budget is £900.

Thanks.

 

[dacads]

YOUR BASKET
1 x HIS Radeon R9 280X iPower IceQ X2 Boost 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £229.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £169.99
1 x IIyama Prolite E2473HS 24" Widescreen LED Monitor - Black £129.95
1 x Gigabyte Z87-HD3 Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £82.99
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) £67.99
1 x TeamGroup Elite Black 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TED38GM1600HC11DC01) £55.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 550W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £49.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £43.99
1 x Zalman Z3-Plus Midi-Tower - Black £39.95
1 x Raijintek Aidos Direct Contact CPU Cooler £14.99
1 x LiteOn IHAS124-14 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.99
0 x TP-Link 300Mbps Wireless-N USB Adapter (TL-WN821N) £12.98
Total : £930.30 (includes shipping : £13.75).

 

[tamzzy]

do you need an operating system too?

 

[Rhoxy]

do you need an operating system too?

I'm not 100% sure at the moment so I have left it out of the budget, so no.

 

[tamzzy]

mini itx build?

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus Radeon R9 280X DirectCUII TOP 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £239.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £169.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87N-WIFI Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £99.95
1 x BenQ GL2250 21.5" Widescreen LED Monitor - Black £89.99
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) £67.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99
1 x Silverstone Strider Essential Bronze - 600W (SST-ST60F-ESB) £44.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £43.99
1 x Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced Mini-ITX Case - Black £39.95
1 x Raijintek Zelos Low Profile CPU Cooler £15.95
1 x LiteOn IHAS124-14 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.99
Total : £898.76 (includes shipping : £12.50).



had to skimp a bit on the monitor (22 inch) to get it into budget though
alternatively, could get this instead:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Sapphire Radeon R9 280 Dual-X 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £199.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £169.99
1 x AOC E2470SWHE 23.6" Widescreen LED Multimedia Monitor - Black £119.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87N-WIFI Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £99.95
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) £67.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99
1 x Cooler Master Elite 130 RC-130-KKN1 Mini ITX Case - Black £45.95
1 x Silverstone Strider Essential Bronze - 600W (SST-ST60F-ESB) £44.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £43.99
1 x Raijintek Zelos Low Profile CPU Cooler £15.95
1 x LiteOn IHAS124-14 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.99
Total : £894.77 (includes shipping : £12.50).



dropped the gpu from a 280x to a 280 (non-x)
the difference in performance is around 5-7%
in exchange, you'd get a bigger screen (24 inch) and a slightly better case (still mini itx though)

 

[ExRayTed]

YOUR BASKET
1 x VTX3D Radeon R9 290 V2 X-Edition 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (VXR9 290 4GBD5-DHX) £319.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £169.99
1 x Asus VS228DE 22" Widescreen LED Multimedia Monitor - Black £89.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87M-D3H Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £82.99
1 x Kingston 120GB SSDNow V300 Drive SATA 6Gb/s 3 2.5" (7mm height) Solid State Hard Drive - (SV300S37A/120G) £55.99
1 x EVGA 600W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply (100-B1-0600-KR) £49.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Beast 8GB (2x4GB) PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX24C11T3K2/8X) £49.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £43.99
1 x Cooler Master N200 NSE-200-KKN1 Midi-Tower - Black £36.95
1 x TP-Link 300Mbps Wireless-N USB Adapter (TL-WN821N) £12.98
Total : £927.86 (includes shipping : £12.50).





R9 290 and a very nice little case that has plenty of room for expansion later. Compromises are a 22in monitor, no optical drive and only a retail heatsink.

I do love trying to squeeze in a 290

 

[Idleman]

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus Radeon R9 280X DirectCUII TOP 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £239.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £169.99
1 x iiyama Prolite XU2390 23" Widescreen Slim Bezel LED Multimedia Monitor - Black £119.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87-HD3 Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £82.99
1 x Toshiba SSD HDTS212EZSTA 9.5mm 128GB Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £65.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 550W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £49.99
1 x BitFenix Outlaw Gaming Case 3.0 USB - Black £44.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £43.99
1 x Raijintek Themis Direct Contact CPU Cooler £19.99
1 x TP-Link 300Mbps Wireless N PCI Express Adapter (TL-WN881ND) £16.99
Total : £933.82 (includes shipping : £19.10).

 

[Rhoxy]

Thanks for all the inputs. I have looked at each and come up with this spec. I have also decided to purchase the monitor outside of OC.

Any other inputs you have are also appreciated, or any tweaks to my spec below.

I have added both a wireless PCI and a USB since I do not know which to go for and which would be better for me to use. It would be great if someone could direct me towards the better choice.

Do you think this will be suitable for what I mentioned in the OP?

Thanks.


YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus Radeon R9 280X DirectCUII TOP 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £239.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £169.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87-HD3 Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £82.99
1 x BitFenix Ronin Tower Case - Black £69.95
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) £67.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 550W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £55.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £43.99
1 x Raijintek Themis Direct Contact CPU Cooler £19.99
1 x TP-Link 300Mbps Wireless N PCI Express Adapter (TL-WN881ND) £16.99
1 x LiteOn IHAS124-14 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.99
1 x TP-Link 300Mbps Wireless-N USB Adapter (TL-WN821N) £12.98
Total : £861.44 (includes shipping : £8.00).

 

[dacads]

That's a nice spec

As for the wireless question that is up to you, with the USB adapter you can take it with you and use it anywhere so on another computer as well. PCI will be inside the case so you won't be able to use it with another machine without having to open the case etc. However due to the antennas it probably offers better performance than USB but it probably won't be noticeable

 

[Rhoxy]

That's a nice spec

As for the wireless question that is up to you, with the USB adapter you can take it with you and use it anywhere so on another computer as well. PCI will be inside the case so you won't be able to use it with another machine without having to open the case etc. However due to the antennas it probably offers better performance than USB but it probably won't be noticeable

I think i'll purchase both and decide when they arrive and maybe give them both a test.

This is my first PC build so just to makesure, is there anything else I may need? Other than peripherals.

Thanks.

 

[Danny75]

There are also Powerline Networking Adapters, which give the best wireless performance (because they're not really wireless...), if you have power sockets handy where your router is and also where your PC will be. They are more expensive than the other two types though.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?catid=1604&groupid=46&sortby=priceAsc

 

[Danny75]

This is my first PC build so just to makesure, is there anything else I may need? Other than peripherals.

Thanks.

Something like this tends to be useful:

YOUR BASKET
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Molex to 3pin x3 Fan adaptor 12V 20cm - Black £4.99




You'll have 3 case fans to power (plus the CPU cooler). That means using a total of four fan headers on the mobo, and ensuing cable clutter. Using an adaptor like the one above allows for powering direct from PSU and helps keep things tidy in front, especially as your case has a window.

 

[Rhoxy]

Something like this tends to be useful:

YOUR BASKET
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Molex to 3pin x3 Fan adaptor 12V 20cm - Black £4.99




You'll have 3 case fans to power (plus the CPU cooler). That means using a total of four fan headers on the mobo, and ensuing cable clutter. Using an adaptor like the one above allows for powering direct from PSU and helps keep things tidy in front, especially as your case has a window.

Cooling Front: 2 x 120mm (1 included)
- Cooling Rear: 1 x 120mm (included)
- Cooling Top: 2 x 120mm (optional) or 2 x 140mm (optional)

I noticed with the case that there are also some optional fans. If I wanted to purchase the second front, plus the two for the top would I need another adaptor?

There are also Powerline Networking Adapters, which give the best wireless performance (because they're not really wireless...), if you have power sockets handy where your router is and also where your PC will be. They are more expensive than the other two types though.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?catid=1604&groupid=46&sortby=priceAsc

I did read up on these too and watched a few videos and they do seem a lot better. Is it as simple as an ethernet from PC to first adaptor, and then the same but from the router to the second adaptor?

Thanks.

 

[Danny75]

Cooling Front: 2 x 120mm (1 included)
- Cooling Rear: 1 x 120mm (included)
- Cooling Top: 2 x 120mm (optional) or 2 x 140mm (optional)

Ah, hadn't realized only one of the two front fans are included.

Thanks for pointing that out Rhoxy.

I noticed with the case that there are also some optional fans. If I wanted to purchase the second front, plus the two for the top would I need another adaptor?

To power all five from the PSU, you would.

I did read up on these too and watched a few videos and they do seem a lot better. Is it as simple as an ethernet from PC to first adaptor, and then the same but from the router to the second adaptor?

Thanks.

That's basically it. And pair them by clicking their respective buttons, as the guide describes. Nice little vid here showing how easy it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RT1XS7HaUE

 

[dacads]

I know you are trying to keep costs down but another option instead of adapters is a fan controller

YOUR BASKET
1 x BitFenix Recon Internet-Connected Fan Controller (Black) £23.99
Total : £27.90 (includes shipping : £3.26).

 

[Rhoxy]

That's basically it. And pair them by clicking their respective buttons, as the guide describes. Nice little vid here showing how easy it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RT1XS7HaUE

I've gone with these. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[Rhoxy]

I know you are trying to keep costs down but another option instead of adapters is a fan controller

YOUR BASKET
1 x BitFenix Recon Internet-Connected Fan Controller (Black) £23.99
Total : £27.90 (includes shipping : £3.26).

It would only go a little over the budget so it should be okay.

Using a controller, would it make it a lot easier to connect them up if I were to purchase the extra fans? Also, the case comes with 2 120mm included, do you think they will be the same as the ones below?

2 x BitFenix Spectre PRO 140mm Fan - All Black £12.98 (£25.96)
1 x BitFenix Spectre Plain BLACK 120mm Fan £5.99





I'm thinking about adding some blue BitFenix LED's too, since my keyboard is black with blue backlights. Which out of the three sizes (20cm, 30cm, 50cm) do you think would be suitable?

 

[Rhoxy]

I've been thinking about upgrading a little from the recommended graphics card below.

1 x Asus Radeon R9 280X DirectCUII TOP 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £239.99



I have been looking at the ones below.

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Radeon R9 290 Gaming Edition 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £335.99
1 x Sapphire Radeon R9 290 Tri-X 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (11227-03-40G) £329.99
1 x Asus GeForce GTX 670 Mini 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £299.99




Asus Nvidia GeForce 2GB GTX 670 DirectCU II which OC do not sell other than the mini.

Which one do you think is the best out of the ones above, or if anyone has any other recommendations at the same/similar prices that would be great.

 

[Space Monkey]

Out of the GPUs above, I'd recommend the Sapphire 290 Tri-X or the MSI

(if your budget allows, if not the Asus 280X is a nice card, I've just bought the Asus 290 version, very nice cards)

 

[Idleman]

Do not waste your money on the 670. If you going to spend circa £300, then go for the 290.
In regards to extra fans, get your system up and running first. If, for some reason you have any heat issues, then look at adding or replacing fans. And if you do decide on installing a couple of more fans, if the mobo does'nt have enough fan headers, then just get a fan splitter. Something like this.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Akasa PWM fan splitter (AK-CBFA04-15) £2.99
Total : £5.96 (includes shipping : £2.48).