Still can't decide

Andythe Random

Andythe Random

Andythe Random

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Joined
3 Jan 2017
Posts
328
Location
South coast
I have been posting for advice on a new build, but still can't decide whether to go for intel or AMD.

Background is I was made redundant and got a nice payout, so decided to buy myself a nice pc. The wife decreed that I would have to wait until I got my first pay in a new job .

I start my new job on Monday, so I should be able to pull the trigger soon.

So what I do know: I have a budget of £2700 to include a monitor, which can be no bigger than 24".
I have a mouse and keyboard but nothing else re usable.
It needs to be quiet enough that it won't be heard over a TV at low level .
I won't be making it myself as new job and also house move would mean it would never get done.
No water cooling.
Will be a general purpose machine leaning towards gaming.

Pros for kaby lake
Known quantity/proven platform/single thread performance.

Cons for kaby lake
4 core limit/price per core/possible future performance deficit if games become better multi thread optimised.

Pros for ryzen
Moar cores!/future proof/price per core/reputed to be smoother with better minimums.

Cons for ryzen
New platform/memory speeds difficult to attain/stability issues(really don't want to be tinkering all the time)

Pros for nvidia
Energy efficient/top end cards are fast

Cons for nvidia
Top end are expensive/gsync premium

Pros for amd
Tend to improve with time/no premium for freesync/Vega might arrive in time

Cons for amd
Vega might not arrive in time/5xx cards have higher power draw and noise than nvidia equivalent/no 1080/ti equivalent yet.

So, as you can see been doing lots of research and thinking but struggling to decide.
To sum up and for the tldr crowd: £2700 budget for a quiet gaming machine, what should I go for?
 
My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £2,673.30
(includes shipping: £22.50)






Or if you want to pimp it up a bit,


My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £2,664.02
(includes shipping: £15.30)



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​

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As above - but if you're still wondering Ryzen :)

It's - a fantastic platform and with continuing hardware optimisation coupled with the bulk of the enthusiast community jumping to AMD, for the thrill of building with a new 'bang for buck' platform, i suspect that software/game optimisation will be rapidly improved too. I don't think there's a downside to early adoption - it's proving itself with nearly every revised review.
 
Like Plec and Stulid have said.. Ryzen Build gets my vote, so many good reviews out there and I'm sure it will only get better
 
Ok, so three/nothing to ryzen.
Thanks for the build suggestions, most of that matches quite closely to parts I have been considering, not interested in pimping it at all, doesnt even need a window.

Given I want it to be quiet would a dampened case be worth considering? Or does the restricted airflow negate the dampening effect?
Also the cooler, I don't realy know much about the Phanteks, is it a quiet one?

I was considering:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £171.64
(includes shipping: £11.70)



​

Would this combo actually be any quieter or would I be wasting the extra 20 odd quid?
 
I have used a base800 and found it to be amazingly quiet, guess the 600 should be also.

That cooler will also be quiet but you can't get the AM4 bracket for it.

Noctua are also good and quiet coolers and you can get a bracket.
 
@Andythe Random

similar to what @stulid suggested *Visually* as a heads up for the basket mentioned but mines lower down of the price scale... and spec scale.. haha
also features OCUK RGB H100 bundle which isn't to bad, not a huge fan of Asetek but seems to be holding up, guessing this is due to better fans then when the unit was first launched








K5 runs Corsair LXP 16GB 3000mhz with XMP just fine even though isn't on the support list.

Fitted tempered glass cases are great to dampen sound, unlike say Corsair 570X which has floating panels. Or solid Metal panels that dont have sound materials attached.
Phanteks P400 with Glass panel and sound dampening material would be great.
bequiet silent wing 3 fans are expensive but performance and sound are nearly unmatched. Their silent loop AIO pump barely makes a sound but you need to replace the stock fans to Wing 3's for performance and silence !
 
The bracket up till like yesterday you could select on the ocuk website to add into the basket.
 
stulid said:
The bracket up till like yesterday you could select on the ocuk website to add into the basket.
Click to expand...

Ah - agreed - it would be PITA ordering a new cooler and having to wait on a bracket before you could begin your build (but could use stock cooler until it arrived).
 
Plec said:
Ah - agreed - it would be PITA ordering a new cooler and having to wait on a bracket before you could begin your build (but could use stock cooler until it arrived).
Click to expand...

Which is exactly what I did. The cooler supplied with the 1600 does a decent enough job, but I'm looking forward to using the Be Quiet again, because it is (quiet).
 
Dervious said:
Which is exactly what I did. The cooler supplied with the 1600 does a decent enough job, but I'm looking forward to using the Be Quiet again, because it is (quiet).
Click to expand...
I've never used stock coolers for exactly the same reason - plus I always clock. Considering using a beQuiet in my next build (was impressed with the one I fitted in a friends build) - as i'm fed up re-fitting the awkward Themalright Silverarrow. It's silent and runs very cool - but is such a PITA to fit.
 
Plec said:
I've never used stock coolers for exactly the same reason - plus I always clock. Considering using a beQuiet in my next build (was impressed with the one I fitted in a friends build) - as i'm fed up re-fitting the awkward Themalright Silverarrow. It's silent and runs very cool - but is such a PITA to fit.
Click to expand...

My Dark Rock Pro 3 is still sitting on top of an i5-2500k. Some reviews mentioned that it was awkward to fit. I found it fairly easy to be honest. I can't remember exactly how I did it, but I may not have followed the supplied instructions to the letter. I haven't studied the instructions for fitting it to an AM4, but I doubt it'll be much trouble.

It's a very good cooler though. Even under full load it is very quiet, and if you are bothered about looks, it ticks the box. RAM clearance could be an issue, but the front fan is adjustable. There's certainly no need to adjust the fan position with Corsair LPX memory.
 
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If you are going with a non windowed case I would definitely go Noctua over BeQuiet (Assuming the installation process is the same for AMD as it is on Intel). The BeQuiet coolers are a PITA (Very fiddly) to install. You get a much better mounting system with Noctua. The Noctua D15S would get my vote if you want high end.
 
lee32uk said:
If you are going with a non windowed case I would definitely go Noctua over BeQuiet (Assuming the installation process is the same for AMD as it is on Intel). The BeQuiet coolers are a PITA (Very fiddly) to install. You get a much better mounting system with Noctua. The Noctua D15S would get my vote if you want high end.
Click to expand...

I have a dark rock pro 3 here and so have personal experience using a bequiet cooler and its fitting was not hard at all.
 
Dervious said:
I mentioned this earlier. I was expecting difficulties when I fitted mine but it turned out to be fairly easy.
Click to expand...
The one i fitted was OK'ish (can't remember which variant it was though - i turned the MB upside down) - but everything seems simple to me compared to the hellish frustration that is the Thermalright Silver Arrow.

When fitting the Silver Arrow for the first time on my old build - i watched it slowly warp my motherboard with each screw turn and then i had to tighten the nut on top of the CPU using guess work (bonkers). All this on a board that already looked like it was about to surrender to the forces exerted on the socket and crack. Even putting fans back on with the stupidly designed wire brackets, that are actually inserted within the heatsink, is a PITA - and I mean a real PITA.

I swear half the scars on my knuckles are due to the f'ing fins when re-attaching fans after cleaning.

I love the silence (zero noise) and temps - it's truly excellent for what it was designed for - but when it next has to be taken off it's being cleaned up and used as a study shelf ornament (without the ugly fans) along with a chunk of an old Abit board that drove me to the edge of insanity...
 
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