Thinking about a new system

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8 Apr 2013
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Hi guys thinking about a new system for the living room to connect to a tv as a media Center and also for gaming what do you think?

Your Basket

Sapphire HD 7970 O... 1
Akasa Venom 1000w ... 1
Samsung 128GB SSD ... 1
Microsoft Windows ... 1
AMD A10-5800K Blac... 1
GeIL EVO Leggera 1... 1
Western Digital Ca... 1
ASRock FM2A75M-ITX... 1
BitFenix Prodigy M... 1
Akasa AK-CC4008HP0... 1
OcUK Ultra-Slim Wi... 1
Subtotal £1,145.81
£954.84 ex VAT
 
Welcome,

Nice idea for a gaming htpc but there's a few issues.

Here's my advice:

Go for a 7950

3570K +Z77 ITX motherboard.

A 550w psu will be more than enough.

I can't see your whole spec. Little help?
 
New points here:

1 - 1000w is well over the top, 500/550 will be more than enough. Since you cannot SLI/xFire on a mini-itx, no point in having the power.

2 - A10k is not worth getting if you are buying a 7970, makes the APU redundant

3 - The A10k would be better on an A85X board when gaming soley on the A10, A75 not so much.

4 - OcUK Ultra slim Cd/DVD drive will not fit in that case, sorry mate.

Why have you gone AMD on this one?

For the same price, if not slightly less, you can get a really nice gaming build using the intel i5 chipset like below:

*Updated, forgot the OS*

YOUR BASKET
1 x HIS HD 7950 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H795F3G2M) with Crysis 3 & Bioshock PC Games £239.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £179.99
1 x Plextor M5 Pro 128GB Extreme Series Solid State Drive - (PX-128M5P) £109.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77N-WIFI Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £98.99
1 x Antec Kúhler H2O 920 Series 4 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (LGA1155 / LGA1156 / LGA1366 / 2011 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM2+ / AM3+) £84.98
1 x Microsoft Windows 8 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00403) £79.99
1 x BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Cube Case - Midnight Black £69.95
1 x Silverstone Strider Plus 500W Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (SST-ST50F-P) £67.99
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache WD10EZEX - OEM ** Single Platter ** HDD £56.99
1 x Pioneer BDC-207DBK 8x BluRay ROM / DVDRW SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (OEM) £49.99
1 x Avexir Core Blue Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (AVD3U16000904G-2CW) - Blue Light £40
Total : £1,092.95 (includes shipping : £11.75).



The 7970 is overpriced, a 7950 would be a better choice.

What you think?
 
Last edited:
In my opinion their is no point in getting an APU if you get a GPU as well.

YOUR BASKET
1 x VTX3D HD 7950 V3 Boost X-Edition 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £239.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £179.99
1 x Samsung 128GB SSD 840 PRO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7PD128BW) £109.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77N-WIFI Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £98.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00403) £79.99
1 x Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (WD20EZRX) HDD £73.99
1 x Razer DeathStalker Expert Keyboard £69.98
1 x BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Cube Case - Magma Orange £69.95
1 x XFX Pro 550W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £54.98
1 x Patriot Viper "Black Mamba" Generation 3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-15000C9 1866MHz Dual Channel Kit (PV38G186C9K) £49.99
1 x Pioneer BDC-207DBK 8x BluRay ROM / DVDRW SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (OEM) £49.99
1 x Antec Kúhler H2O 620 Series 4 CPU Watercooler (Socket Intel LGA 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / AMD AM2 / AM3 / AM2+ / AM3+) £44.39
1 x Razer DeathAdder 2013 6400 DPI Essential Ergonomic Gaming Mouse £40.00
1 x Ozone Gaming Gear Ground Level XT Gaming Surface £9.95
Total : £1,185.67 (includes shipping : £11.25).





Just threw this together :)



Or without the OS, Mouse, Keyboard or Mouse Mat, it costs this much:

YOUR BASKET
1 x VTX3D HD 7950 V3 Boost X-Edition 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £239.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £179.99
1 x Samsung 128GB SSD 840 PRO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7PD128BW) £109.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77N-WIFI Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £98.99
1 x Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (WD20EZRX) HDD £73.99
1 x BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Cube Case - Magma Orange £69.95
1 x XFX Pro 550W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £54.98
1 x Patriot Viper "Black Mamba" Generation 3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-15000C9 1866MHz Dual Channel Kit (PV38G186C9K) £49.99
1 x Pioneer BDC-207DBK 8x BluRay ROM / DVDRW SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (OEM) £49.99
1 x Antec Kúhler H2O 620 Series 4 CPU Watercooler (Socket Intel LGA 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / AMD AM2 / AM3 / AM2+ / AM3+) £44.39
Total : £985.75 (includes shipping : £11.25).

 
Last edited:

A few pointers:

Though the cooler will fit in the case, it won't fit on the motherboard without blocking the pci-e lane. Which is not good. A CLC like above will be perfect.

That PSU is a little much..

You went £150-£200 over his budget, not good.

Use threw together, threw up is something different. :)
 
Use threw together, threw up is something different. :)

haha - lol :D

Also, with the MSI card, you'll preferably want a card which exhausts the heat out the back, not into the case. The HIS will exhaust where the MSI will just cool, but the heat will stay internal to the case.
 
Last edited:
His build comes to almost £1150 itself, so I went off of that, so at most I went over by £50-£60 from following his, and I tried to keep it kind of close to his, so I chose the cooler he did, not checking.
 
His build comes to almost £1150 itself, so I went off of that, so at most I went over by £50-£60 from following his, and I tried to keep it kind of close to his, so I chose the cooler he did, not checking.

Although it's a reasonably good attempt, my word of advise would be to spec what's good value for money based on their requirements & budget. Think of all possibilities, like the CLC over a traditional h/sink & fan. Most things however, will change here and there.

Ok changed it a bit so it should work : )

Don't need 1866mhz RAM, 1600 is plenty for gaming on the 1155 socket.
 

Same issue with the cooler buddy, socket is basically touching the pci-e lane. The only itx board with the right socket position is the Asus Z77 board.
 
Made a few changes how does this sound?

Your Basket
HIS HD 7950 3072MB... 1
Microsoft Windows ... 1
Samsung 128GB SSD ... 1
Toshiba (7K3000.D)... 1
Razer Mamba 2012 4... 1
GeIL EVO Veloce Ho... 1
BitFenix Prodigy M... 1
MSI A75IA-E53 AMD ... 1
Antec High Current... 1
AMD A6-5400K Black... 1
Pioneer BDC-207DBK... 1
Cooler Master Seid... 1
OcUK Wireless Medi... 1
Subtotal £1,119.82
£933.18 ex VAT
 
Your basket
Product Name Qty Price Line Total
HIS HD 7950 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H795F3G2M) with Crysis 3 & Bioshock PC Games £239.99
(£199.99) £239.99
(£199.99)
Samsung 128GB SSD 840 PRO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7PD128BW) £109.99
(£91.66) £109.99
(£91.66)
Microsoft Windows 8 Pro 64-Bit DVD - OEM (FQC-05955) £109.99
(£91.66) £109.99
(£91.66)
Toshiba (7K3000.D) 3TB SATA 6GB/s 64MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA300) HDD £97.99
(£81.66) £97.99
(£81.66)
Razer Mamba 2012 4G 6400 DPI Wireless Mouse £94.98
(£79.15) £94.98
(£79.15)
GeIL EVO Veloce Hot-Rod Red 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-14900C9 1866MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (GEV316GB1866C9DC) £89.99
(£74.99) £89.99
(£74.99)
BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Cube Case - Midnight Black £69.95
(£58.29) £69.95
(£58.29)
MSI A75IA-E53 AMD A75 Chipset (Socket FM2) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £67.99
(£56.66) £67.99
(£56.66)
Antec High Current Gamer 620W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £66.98
(£55.82) £66.98
(£55.82)
AMD A6-5400K Black Edition 3.60GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Dual Core Processor (AD540KOKHJBOX) £55.99
(£46.66) £55.99
(£46.66)
Pioneer BDC-207DBK 8x BluRay ROM / DVDRW SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (OEM) £49.99
(£41.66) £49.99
(£41.66)
Cooler Master Seidon 120M Watercooling System (Socket 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £47.99
(£39.99) £47.99
(£39.99)
OcUK Wireless Media Centre Keyboard - Black (9039ARF) £17.99
(£14.99) £17.99
(£14.99)
Sub Total : £933.18
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £12.50
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £189.14
Total : £1,134.82
 
Made a few changes how does this sound?

Your Basket
HIS HD 7950 3072MB... 1
Microsoft Windows ... 1
Samsung 128GB SSD ... 1
Toshiba (7K3000.D)... 1
Razer Mamba 2012 4... 1
GeIL EVO Veloce Ho... 1
BitFenix Prodigy M... 1
MSI A75IA-E53 AMD ... 1
Antec High Current... 1
AMD A6-5400K Black... 1
Pioneer BDC-207DBK... 1
Cooler Master Seid... 1
OcUK Wireless Medi... 1
Subtotal £1,119.82
£933.18 ex VAT

Your basket
Product Name Qty Price Line Total
HIS HD 7950 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H795F3G2M) with Crysis 3 & Bioshock PC Games £239.99
(£199.99) £239.99
(£199.99)
Samsung 128GB SSD 840 PRO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7PD128BW) £109.99
(£91.66) £109.99
(£91.66)
Microsoft Windows 8 Pro 64-Bit DVD - OEM (FQC-05955) £109.99
(£91.66) £109.99
(£91.66)
Toshiba (7K3000.D) 3TB SATA 6GB/s 64MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA300) HDD £97.99
(£81.66) £97.99
(£81.66)
Razer Mamba 2012 4G 6400 DPI Wireless Mouse £94.98
(£79.15) £94.98
(£79.15)
GeIL EVO Veloce Hot-Rod Red 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-14900C9 1866MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (GEV316GB1866C9DC) £89.99
(£74.99) £89.99
(£74.99)
BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Cube Case - Midnight Black £69.95
(£58.29) £69.95
(£58.29)
MSI A75IA-E53 AMD A75 Chipset (Socket FM2) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £67.99
(£56.66) £67.99
(£56.66)
Antec High Current Gamer 620W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £66.98
(£55.82) £66.98
(£55.82)
AMD A6-5400K Black Edition 3.60GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Dual Core Processor (AD540KOKHJBOX) £55.99
(£46.66) £55.99
(£46.66)
Pioneer BDC-207DBK 8x BluRay ROM / DVDRW SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (OEM) £49.99
(£41.66) £49.99
(£41.66)
Cooler Master Seidon 120M Watercooling System (Socket 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £47.99
(£39.99) £47.99
(£39.99)
OcUK Wireless Media Centre Keyboard - Black (9039ARF) £17.99
(£14.99) £17.99
(£14.99)
Sub Total : £933.18
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £12.50
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £189.14
Total : £1,134.82

For the price you're spending, I would go for a Intel build instead of AMD

Incrauze has got it you know. You need to be looking at an intel build not the Trinity. If you are light gaming, you could get away with not buying the 7950 and use the A10k graphics with a A85x board & 2133 RAM, but if you are primarily gaming, the intel would be the way to go.
 
What's the major difference between intel and amd?

Intel is the better CPU for gaming and multitasking, video editing if looking at the i7. The AMD is cheaper, runs hotter and more power hungry. Although it's still a good CPU, the price vs performance is with Intel. It's just a stronger processor, unless your looking at Trinity. That is a difference kettle of fish.
 

Surely for the additional amount of money the ASUS motherboard has added & the cost of the cooler, you could add a CLC in there for the same price, if not slightly less?

MSI Board = £117
Asus Board = £159
- difference is £42 + the cost of the matterhorn = £72 ish

You could get the H60 v2 or the Antec 620 in there for less and the heat would be exhausted out the back, not into the case.

I'm not picking holes, just seemed logical ;)
 
Last edited:
What about this?

Your basket
Product Name Qty Price Line Total
Gigabyte ATi Radeon HD 7950 Windforce 3X 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with Crysis 3 & Bioshock PC Games £259.99
(£216.66) £259.99
(£216.66)
Intel Core i7-2700K 3.50GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £221.99
(£184.99) £221.99
(£184.99)
Toshiba (7K3000.D) 3TB SATA 6GB/s 64MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA300) HDD £97.99
(£81.66) £97.99
(£81.66)
Razer Mamba 2012 4G 6400 DPI Wireless Mouse £94.98
(£79.15) £94.98
(£79.15)
GeIL EVO Veloce Hot-Rod Red 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-14900C9 1866MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (GEV316GB1866C9DC) £89.99
(£74.99) £89.99
(£74.99)
Samsung 120GB SSD 840 SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TD120BW) £74.99
(£62.49) £74.99
(£62.49)
BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Cube Case - Midnight Black £69.95
(£58.29) £69.95
(£58.29)
Antec High Current Gamer 620W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £66.98
(£55.82) £66.98
(£55.82)
ASRock H61M-ITX Intel H61 (Socket 1155) DDR3 M-ITX Motherboard £58.99
(£49.16) £58.99
(£49.16)
Pioneer BDC-207DBK 8x BluRay ROM / DVDRW SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (OEM) £49.99
(£41.66) £49.99
(£41.66)
Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure Edition CPU Cooler (Socket 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £29.99
(£24.99) £29.99
(£24.99)
OcUK Wireless Media Centre Keyboard - Black (9039ARF) £17.99
(£14.99) £17.99
(£14.99)
Sub Total : £944.85
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £12.50
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £191.47
 
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