Processor or GPU?

mattygage · 31 May 2014 at 15:09

Hi. I have about £650 to spend on a pc, not including monitor. Choices are either an i5 4670k over clocked to 4ghz with an R9 270x or an FX 6300 with an R9 280x or GTX 770. The Intel machine also has a small SSD.

Will use the pc for all sorts - Office, photo editing, converting movies and, of course, gaming.

Any suggestions or know of anything better? I have thought of self build but can't seem to make them any cheaper.

Thanks.

BTW I don't currently have a pc. Will be gaming at 1080p.

RJC · 31 May 2014 at 15:12

Please remove the competitor links and re-check the FAQ regards these

Idleman · 31 May 2014 at 15:14

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Firstly, can you remove the links. Linking competitors is against forum rules.

Secondly, do you have an existing PC? As we may be able to reuse some components, if so.

Idleman · 31 May 2014 at 15:26

Intel.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £173.99
1 x MSI Radeon R9 270X Gaming Edition OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £155.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97-HD3 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £87.95
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £43.99
1 x NZXT Hale Power 90+ 550W '80 Plus Gold' Power Supply £43.99
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £32.99
1 x Raijintek Themis Direct Contact CPU Cooler £19.99
Total : £636.30 (includes shipping : £17.85).

AMD. Better Gpu.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus Radeon R9 280X DirectCUII OC 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £239.99
1 x AMD Piledriver FX-8 Eight Core 8320 Black Edition 3.50GHz (Socket AM3+) Processor - Retail £113.99
1 x Asus M5A97 EVO R2.0 AMD 970 (Socket AM3+) DDR3 Motherboard £74.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £43.99
1 x NZXT Hale Power 90+ 550W '80 Plus Gold' Power Supply £43.99
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £32.99
1 x Raijintek Themis Direct Contact CPU Cooler £19.99
Total : £647.34 (includes shipping : £17.85).

mattygage · 31 May 2014 at 15:52

Thanks for that. Must also include Windows if possible. I know it's a tight budget. Sorry.

What would be the better machine across the board and be most future proof?

Stas823 · 31 May 2014 at 16:05

Depending on a game but the build with a better Gpu is best

dacads · 31 May 2014 at 16:07

Intel

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £173.99
1 x MSI Radeon R9 270X Gaming Edition OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £155.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £74.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97P-D3 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £69.95
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99
1 x NZXT Hale Power 90+ 550W '80 Plus Gold' Power Supply £43.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £43.99
1 x BitFenix Neos ATX Tower Black/Black £29.99
Total : £663.88 (includes shipping : £12.50).

AMD

YOUR BASKET
1 x VTX3D Radeon R9 280 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £189.95
1 x AMD Piledriver FX-8 Eight Core 8320 Black Edition 3.50GHz (Socket AM3+) Processor - Retail £113.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £74.99
1 x Asus M5A97 EVO R2.0 AMD 970 (Socket AM3+) DDR3 Motherboard £74.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99
1 x NZXT Hale Power 90+ 550W '80 Plus Gold' Power Supply £43.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £43.99
1 x BitFenix Neos ATX Tower Black/Black £29.99
1 x Raijintek Themis Direct Contact CPU Cooler £19.99
Total : £662.87 (includes shipping : £12.50).

I'd go with AMD personally due to a better GPU and also an aftermarket cooler for overclocking the CPU

mattygage · 31 May 2014 at 16:38

The AMD option looks great thanks. Looks like I've got some videos to watch then on how to assemble it! Excellent spec, thank you kindly.

Idleman · 31 May 2014 at 16:44

You could use Windows 8.1 Evaluation for 90 days, this will give you the chance to save and buy an activation key.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/evalcenter/hh699156.aspx

I would also go for the Asgard Pro over the Bitfenix, as for £3 more, it is a better budget case. It comes with 2x120mm fans pre-installed and has more storage space, should you need it.

Idleman · 31 May 2014 at 16:45

mattygage said:
The AMD option looks great thanks. Looks like I've got some videos to watch then on how to assemble it! Excellent spec, thank you kindly.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...&mid=8EFCF960432F490BC7768EFCF960432F490BC776

mattygage · 1 Jun 2014 at 13:40

Thanks for the links. Watched the videos last night. Doesn't look too scary. I'll give it a go.

bledd · 1 Jun 2014 at 13:44

My one tip when installing the motherboard.

As you insert the screws that attach the motherboard to the case. At first only half tighten each screw. Then once they are all in, tighten them up. You run the risk of it not fitting properly if you tighten from the word go.

Axeia · 1 Jun 2014 at 14:00

Just a headsup, now that the mining hype cooled down you can find the 280x second hand for 270x prices. Including warranty and all, it's what I picked for my girlfriends new PC. It would allow you to not pick a good CPU or GPU but just get both. (Wouldn't get other things second hand however)

mattygage · 1 Jun 2014 at 14:39

Thanks for the advice. Much appreciated. Just notice there are loads of 280xs available. Think its a great idea. Thanks.

mattygage · 1 Jun 2014 at 15:47

Would the AMD set up still be better?

lee32uk · 1 Jun 2014 at 16:31

mattygage said:
Would the AMD set up still be better?

Intel all the way. If you use the Windows evaluation version then you could squeeze in a 280 gpu and a better case such as the Corsair 200R.

YOUR BASKET
1 x VTX3D Radeon R9 280 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £189.95
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £173.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97P-D3 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £69.95
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 200R Compact ATX Case - Black (CC-9011023-WW) £44.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £43.99
1 x NZXT Hale Power 90+ 550W '80 Plus Gold' Power Supply £43.99
1 x Raijintek Themis Direct Contact CPU Cooler £19.99
Total : £664.26 (includes shipping : £17.85).

mattygage · 8 Jun 2014 at 15:25

In the end I ordered pretty much the Intel spec mentioned here. Just looking for a S/H r9 280x now and I can start to put it together. Really happy with the spec and price so thanks for all help given. Is it easy / advisable to overclock the CPU on a first build? Also, will a 550w PSU definitely be enough for the processor and card combination?

lee32uk · 8 Jun 2014 at 15:48

mattygage said:
In the end I ordered pretty much the Intel spec mentioned here. Just looking for a S/H r9 280x now and I can start to put it together. Really happy with the spec and price so thanks for all help given. Is it easy / advisable to overclock the CPU on a first build? Also, will a 550w PSU definitely be enough for the processor and card combination?

You don't have to overclock the cpu to start with. Mine is running stock at the moment as it does everything I want it to. If and when you do decide to overclock then there are lots of people on here who can help.

Yes a 550W is fine for that cpu/gpu combo.

The pc in the video below is an i5 with a GTX 780ti.

RJC · 8 Jun 2014 at 15:51

A 550w ~ will be ample for that system

mattygage · 9 Jun 2014 at 20:37

Ended up getting an Asus R9 280x DirectCU II. Had great user reviews on here. Can't wait.