Stuck on a £1200 PC

[antparker]

Hey there guys, I'm currently configuring a Haswell LAN PC using the BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Case but I've reached a dead end... well, 3. I've made/discovered 3 systems (2 of which are overclocked and 1 isn't) that are fundamentally the same but are all just slightly tweaked in one way or another and I'd like some advice on which one to choose based on my following requirements;

• Gaming (obviously - not intense but pretty often and I'd like to runs games like Rome2/Battlefield 4 etc on as high settings as possible, ultra preferable, that my budget would allow)
• Occasional live streaming - watching, not broadcasting.
• Possibly a bit of video editing - though nothing too harsh that warrants getting an i7 I think... an i5 should power me nicely.
• Frequent internet browsing.
• Frequent work on software akin to Office.
• Only one monitor is needed.
• Basically as future proof as I can get!

Here are the 3 systems, 2 of which are on this website so you'll be able to see them better there;

1) "Echelon Blacklist Gamer" Intel Core i5 4670K @ 4.2GHz Limited Edition Splinter Cell: Blacklist LAN Gaming PC

System Specification
- Case: BitFenix Prodigy Toxic Mini ITX Cube Case 'Hazard'
- Power Supply: Corsair Gaming Series 600W PSU
- CPU: Intel Core i5 4670K Quad Core Haswell CPU Overclocked to 4.2GHz
- Motherboard: Gigabyte Z87N-Wifi (Socket 1150) ATX Motherboard
- Cooler: Prolimatech Panther CPU Cooler
- Operating System: Windows 8
- RAM: 8GB Kingston Genesis 1866MHz Dual Channel Kit
- Hard Drive: Toshiba SSD HG5D 60gb AND Barracuda 1TB SATA
- Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 770
- Sound: Realtek 7.1 Channel Sound (On-Board)
- Optical Drive: OcUK 24x DVD+/-RW SATA Drive
- Network: Wireless N Wifi

£1139.94


2) "Prodigy Cobalt" Intel Core i5 4670K @ 4.2GHz Quad Core Mini ITX LAN Gaming PC

- Case: Bitfenix Prodigy Mini ITX Case 'Tiger'
- Power Supply: Corsair 2013 GS Series 600W PSU
- CPU: Intel Core i5 4670K Haswell Processor Overclocked to 4.20GHz
- Motherboard: MSI Z87I Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 mini ITX Motherboard
- Cooler: Corsair H80i CPU Cooler
- Operating System: Windows 8
- RAM: 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit
- Hard Drive: Toshiba SSD HG5D 60gb AND Barracuda 1TB SATA
- Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 770
- Sound: High Definition 7.1 Onboard Sound Card
- Optical Drive: 20x DVD±RW Drive
- Internet: Built In 802.11N WIFI

£1147.92


3) My own build

- Case: Bitfenix Prodigy Mini ITX Case
- Power Supply: Corsair 2013 VS Series 550W PSU
- CPU: IIntel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4670 (3.4GHz) 6MB Cache
- Motherboard: ASUS® H87I-PLUS: Mini-ITX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
- Cooler: Corsair H40 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
- Operating System: Windows 8
- RAM: 8GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)
- Hard Drive: Kingston v300 120gb SSD AND Barracuda 1TB SATA
- Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 770
- Sound: Onboard 6 channel (5.1) high def audio
- Optical Drive: 20x DVD±RW Drive
- Internet: 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN port

£1,089.00


Any help welcome! I'm so stumped.

 

[Gambisk]

1st world problems and all that.

If your happy to build it yourself then go down that road and save yourself the some cash and get better warranty on parts instead of the general 1 year warranty on the whole system. Like you said there is very little to differentiate these spec wise from each other, and with the home build you can overclock it yourself up to 4.2 quite easily I would imagine.

 

[pipson]

I said above if you can make your own built, also id get atlest corsair h60/80 or even better h100 also why not go for one of 7950s or 7970 save loads and get games for free

 

[OracIe]

Just a note, that on your self build, the CPU you've chosen appears to be the 'non K' edition meaning you wont be able to overclock it.

Just thought I'd point that out as adding a K chip would bring it more in line with the other prices of the pre-built systems.

Also, someone above suggested using a H100i - I would double check this as I would have doubts that it could fit (easily) in your chosen case. The H100i is a 240mm Rad.

 

[antparker]

1st world problems and all that.If your happy to build it yourself then go down that road and save yourself the some cash and get better warranty on parts instead of the general 1 year warranty on the whole system. Like you said there is very little to differentiate these spec wise from each other, and with the home build you can overclock it yourself up to 4.2 quite easily I would imagine.

Haha, I get a grant from my uni for a new computer so thought I'd splash a bit more cash than I normally would. Yeah very true, I am thinking about the home build but cost wise I wouldn't really be saving much - OC prices are actually pretty low already. Btw the 3rd build wasn't meant to be overclocked, hence the CPU

I said above if you can make your own built, also id get atlest corsair h60/80 or even better h100 also why not go for one of 7950s or 7970 save loads and get games for free

That's what was holding me back on the first two builds from OC, but I can just ring them up and get a h80 or whichever put in instead of the coolers they've mentioned couldn't I? And yeah it is a toss up between 7970 and 770.. tough call

 

[antparker]

Just a note, that on your self build, the CPU you've chosen appears to be the 'non K' edition meaning you wont be able to overclock it.

Just thought I'd point that out as adding a K chip would bring it more in line with the other prices of the pre-built systems.

Also, someone above suggested using a H100i - I would double check this as I would have doubts that it could fit (easily) in your chosen case. The H100i is a 240mm Rad.

Yeah don't worry, the 3rd build isn't meant to be overclocked. And thanks for the info on the H100i, if I remember the h80 is a 120mm? I'd probably ring up OC and ask about getting that one put in. Do you think the Prolimatech Panther won't be sufficient?

 

[OracIe]

Depends really, some will argue that water cooling is quieter, but not the corsair range as the pumps can be loud and they obviously have fan(s) (PWM ones on the 'i' I admit.)

If you aren't going to O/C (i.e. on the self build) then I would say the H80i is overkill, air will be fine.

(Yes, the 80 is 120mm)

 

[Gambisk]

Oh right if your not going to over clock yourself then go for the first one for the faster ram. Might be worth asking customer services if they will swap the air cooler for a AIO corsair jobby but there probably isn't much difference between the two.