Treating myself to a new PC. Budget £1100. Could use some help.

Westwood

Westwood

Westwood

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20 Oct 2002
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680
Hello All.

I have just sold my MacBook Pro, and received lots of nice OcUK vouchers for my birthday, so I am going to build myself a new PC (for mainly playing games). I have not built myself a PC for about 7 years so I am very out of touch on what is hot and what is not. I.e. do I go i5 or i7? Is 8GB enough for games or do I want 16GB to future proof, and where is the NVIDIA/ATI argument these days? :D

I am after a full system so: -

  • Processor
  • Motherboard
  • Ram
  • Graphics Card
  • 250GB SSD
  • 1TB storage HDD
  • PSU
  • Optical Drive
  • CPU Cooler
  • Case (Preferably White)
  • Also need Windows 10
  • Gaming mouse and keyboard (wired)
  • Gaming headset

I already have a screen (Dell IPS panel running at 1920 x 1080).

I would like it all to be quiet when its just doing day-to-day tasks if poss. I have also read it can be good to get a stand alone Sound Card over using on board sound, so thoughts appreciated on that.

I liked the look of the 8Pack i7 deal I saw, but it went a bit over budget when I added a decent GFX card. Is the GFX card the best place to spend the £££ or does the balance need to be right between the CPU/GFX?

Very much appreciate any help you can give me. Or any PC specs you put together that fit the bill.

Thanks a lot in advance.
 
Hows this?

YOUR BASKET
1 x KFA2 GeForce GTX 980Ti "Infin8 Black Edition" 6144MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £484.99
1 x https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-014-AS £255.58
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £79.99
1 x Crucial BX100 250GB SSD SATA 6Gbps 7mm Solid State Drive (CT250BX100SSD1) £68.99
1 x NZXT Source 340 Midi-Tower Case - White Window £59.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4 PC4-19200C14 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit - Red (CMK8GX4M2A2400C14R) £49.99
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache HDD - OEM (WD10EZEX) £41.99
1 x EVGA 500W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply (100-B1-0500-KR) £38.99
1 x Raijintek EreBoss High Performance CPU Cooler £29.99
1 x CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle - USB Keyboard & Mouse £23.99
1 x Plantronics Gamecom 388 Gaming Headset £22.99
1 x Samsung SH-118CB/BEBE SATA 18x DVD-ROM (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £1,189.16 (includes shipping : £14.75 Ex.VAT).



A sound card isn't always necessary as the on-board is pretty good these days. You could get it later if you feel you need one as it would reduce the budget and you'd have to make some sacrifice elsewhere.

The toss between CPU & GPU depends on what you're using the PC for. If you're gaming an i5 with a single card will be fine but if you're running SLI or doing some video/photoediting, the i7 would be a better buy!
 
Thanks for the replies guys. Much appreciated.

Just playing about with a few options (and upped the budget (Doh). What do you think of the below? I really have just had a bit of fun picking a few bits so wont be offended if you tell me I have put something that does not go together :p

Your basket

KFA2 GeForce GTX 980Ti "Infin8 Black Edition" 6144MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £484.99

Intel Core i5-6600K 3.9GHz (Skylake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - Retail £199.99

Asus H170 Pro Gaming Intel H170 (Socket 1151) DDR4 ATX Motherboard £101.99

Microsoft Windows 10 32/64-Bit - USB Pen Drive - Retail (KW9-00017) £85.99

Crucial 16GB (4x4GB) DDR4 PC4-17000C16 2133MHz Quad Channel Kit (CT4K4G4DFS8213) £79.99

Aerocool DS200 Black/White Edition Aerocool DS200 Black/White Edition £77.99

Crucial BX100 250GB SSD SATA 6Gbps 7mm Solid State Drive (CT250BX100SSD1) £68.99

Corsair Builder Series CX 600W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020048-UK) £57.95

Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache HDD - OEM (WD10EZEX) £41.99

Samsung SH-118CB/BEBE SATA 18x DVD-ROM (Black) - OEM £13.99

Sub Total : £1,046.54
Shipping : £13.75 Ex.VAT
VAT : £212.06
Total : £1,272.35
 
Don't scrimp on the PSU, go for a Superflower or EVGA unit.

Much better than the Corsair Builder CX series.
 
snips86x said:
Hows this?

YOUR BASKET
1 x KFA2 GeForce GTX 980Ti "Infin8 Black Edition" 6144MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £484.99
1 x https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-014-AS £255.58
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £79.99
1 x Crucial BX100 250GB SSD SATA 6Gbps 7mm Solid State Drive (CT250BX100SSD1) £68.99
1 x NZXT Source 340 Midi-Tower Case - White Window £59.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4 PC4-19200C14 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit - Red (CMK8GX4M2A2400C14R) £49.99
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache HDD - OEM (WD10EZEX) £41.99
1 x EVGA 500W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply (100-B1-0500-KR) £38.99
1 x Raijintek EreBoss High Performance CPU Cooler £29.99
1 x CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle - USB Keyboard & Mouse £23.99
1 x Plantronics Gamecom 388 Gaming Headset £22.99
1 x Samsung SH-118CB/BEBE SATA 18x DVD-ROM (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £1,189.16 (includes shipping : £14.75 Ex.VAT).



A sound card isn't always necessary as the on-board is pretty good these days. You could get it later if you feel you need one as it would reduce the budget and you'd have to make some sacrifice elsewhere.

The toss between CPU & GPU depends on what you're using the PC for. If you're gaming an i5 with a single card will be fine but if you're running SLI or doing some video/photoediting, the i7 would be a better buy!
Click to expand...


DDR4 won't work with Z97. I would want a better psu than the EVGA 500B.
 
First spec list I have done for a while. Think I have everything required. A 980ti is massive overkill for 1080p so I have gone for a 970 instead along with better quality psu and liquid cooler for the cpu. If you want 16Gb of ram just add another kit of the same stuff. A 550w psu is more than enough for just about any single gpu setup even when overclocking.

Z97 + 4690k

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 WindForce OC 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (GV-N970WF3OC-4GD) £259.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-SLI - Devils Canyon Core i5 4690K Bundle **12 Saving** £257.98
1 x Phanteks Enthoo Pro Mid Tower Case with Window - White £89.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 10 64-Bit DVD - OEM (MS-KW9-00139) £79.99
1 x Samsung 250GB 850 EVO SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 32 Layer 3D V-NAND Solid State Drive (MZ-75E250B/EU) £77.99
1 x EVGA Supernova GS 550W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £64.99
1 x OcUK Tech Labs 240mm Extreme CPU Liquid Cooling Upgrade Bundle £57.88
- 1 x Asetek Premium Retention Kit Intel LGA115X (35-150-0000014) £4.00
- 1 x No Fan Controller Required £0.00
1 x Plantronics Gamecom 788 Surround Sound USB Gaming Headset £44.99
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache HDD - OEM (WD10EZEX) £41.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Savage Red 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (HX324C11SRK2/8) £38.99
1 x CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle - USB Keyboard & Mouse £23.99
1 x Samsung SH-224FB/BEBE 24x DVDRW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM M disc compatible £14.99
Total : £1,074.24 (includes shipping : £13.75 Ex.VAT).



Under budget too!!


Z170 + 6600k

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte Z170XP-SLI - Intel Core i5 6600K Bundle **20 Saving** £293.98
1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 WindForce OC 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (GV-N970WF3OC-4GD) £259.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 10 64-Bit DVD - OEM (MS-KW9-00139) £79.99
1 x Samsung 250GB 850 EVO SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 32 Layer 3D V-NAND Solid State Drive (MZ-75E250B/EU) £77.99
1 x EVGA Supernova GS 550W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £64.99
1 x NZXT Source 340 Midi-Tower Case - White Window £59.99
1 x OcUK Tech Labs 240mm Extreme CPU Liquid Cooling Upgrade Bundle £57.88
- 1 x Asetek Premium Retention Kit Intel LGA115X (35-150-0000014) £4.00
- 1 x No Fan Controller Required £0.00
1 x Plantronics Gamecom 788 Surround Sound USB Gaming Headset £44.99
1 x Kingston Fury Black 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4 PC4-21300C15 2666MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (HX426C15FBK2/8) £43.99
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache HDD - OEM (WD10EZEX) £41.99
1 x CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle - USB Keyboard & Mouse £23.99
1 x Samsung SH-224FB/BEBE 24x DVDRW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM M disc compatible £14.99
Total : £1,085.24 (includes shipping : £13.75 Ex.VAT).



Had to change the case though to stay in budget. Personally I would much rather have the Phanteks but the Source 340 seems well liked on here.


Z97 + i7 4790k

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H-BK - Devil's Canyon Core i7 4790K CPU & Motherboard Bundle **20 Saving + Gigabyte Free Upgrade ** £349.98
1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 WindForce OC 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (GV-N970WF3OC-4GD) £259.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 10 64-Bit DVD - OEM (MS-KW9-00139) £79.99
1 x Crucial BX100 250GB SSD SATA 6Gbps 7mm Solid State Drive (CT250BX100SSD1) £68.99
1 x EVGA Supernova GS 550W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £64.99
1 x NZXT Source 340 Midi-Tower Case - White Window £59.99
1 x OcUK Tech Labs 240mm Extreme CPU Liquid Cooling Upgrade Bundle £57.88
- 1 x Asetek Premium Retention Kit Intel LGA115X (35-150-0000014) £4.00
- 1 x No Fan Controller Required £0.00
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache HDD - OEM (WD10EZEX) £41.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Savage Red 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (HX324C11SRK2/8) £38.99
1 x CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle - USB Keyboard & Mouse £23.99
1 x Plantronics Gamecom 388 Gaming Headset £22.99
1 x Samsung SH-224FB/BEBE 24x DVDRW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM M disc compatible £14.99
Total : £1,105.25 (includes shipping : £13.75 Ex.VAT).



Changes to the SSD and headset to keep the liquid cooler in the build.

X99 and a 5820k is out of reach of staying in budget without making too many compromises.
 
Thanks so much for all the replies guys, very kind. Using all your input I have put together the below. Just before I order, would you say this would all work well together for my gaming needs? A bit over budget but what the hell! I don't buy a new PC often.

Zotac GeForce GTX 980Ti AMP Edition 6144MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (ZT-90503-10P)

£499.99

Gigabyte Z97X-SLI - Devils Canyon Core i5 4690K Bundle **12 Saving**

£277.98

Phanteks Enthoo Pro Mid Tower Case with Window - White

£89.99

Samsung 250GB 850 EVO SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 32 Layer 3D V-NAND Solid State Drive (MZ-75E250B/EU)

£82.99

Microsoft Windows 10 64-Bit DVD - OEM (MS-KW9-00139)

£79.99

Kingston HyperX Savage Red 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (HX324C11SRK2/16)

£79.99

EVGA Supernova GS 550W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply

£64.99

OcUK Tech Labs 240mm Extreme CPU Liquid Cooling Upgrade Bundle

£57.88

Options applied to the above product:
No Fan Controller Required

£0.00

Options applied to the above product:
Asetek Premium Retention Kit Intel LGA115X (35-150-0000014)

£4.00

Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache HDD - OEM (WD10EZEX)

£41.99

Samsung SH-224FB/BEBE 24x DVDRW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM M disc compatible

£14.99

Sub Total : £1,078.98
Shipping : £12.50 Ex.VAT
VAT : £218.30
Total : £1,309.78

Thanks again.
 
It will work well together but like I said before, the 980ti is massive overkill for 1080p. The GTX970 is extremely well suited for gaming at 1080p and is much cheaper.

Change the SSD to this one now that it's only £65.
 
pastymuncher said:
It will work well together but like I said before, the 980ti is massive overkill for 1080p. The GTX970 is extremely well suited for gaming at 1080p and is much cheaper.

Change the SSD to this one now that it's only £65.
Click to expand...

This - drop the GPU down to a 970 or a 390 which are both still excellent cards. With the money perhaps up the SSD to 512gb, depending on whether you have lots of games. Also agree with previous posters re: PSU. You could even get yourself a nicer mouse/kb/headset perhaps.
 
You could save up to £20 on slower DDR3 ram but it's not going to affect your total spend very much.

Overall I'd say it's a pretty well specc'd system for future gaming. Your GPU is 28nm though. Which means it will be superseded in 6 months time by Pascal.

Sorry for bringing that up. There's nothing bad about 980ti whatsoever. It is a superb card. Just felt I should say something because it's such a lot of money you are spending on that specific component. Can't beat technology / time - it always moves forward.

Kindda like buying a new car I guess? Maybe it would be worth looking historically at previous flagship GPUS (e.g. GTX 780). And see how they depreciated over time. e.g. how much would the re-sale value be in 12 months time? Because if you took ^ advice and dropped down to a GTX 970 you're spending £200 less. So is that a better money option than selling your 980ti down the line? Dunno.

Of course a 980ti may be more fun / nicer to have right now. So that is also worth something too.
 
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