which bundle for £500

[realoverlord]

been thinking about updating my i5 2500k/8 ram to something more powerfull. current setup has always been crashing and bluescreens etc.
am i better to consider an overclocked i5 or a i7 for gaming. whats the best bang for bucks in my price range. Probably go for a new monitor too while im at it.
I just bought a his 7950 iceq boost 3g so it must compliment this card.
Hope you can help.

Barry

 

[Ornatus]

I wouldn't bother tbh, if I was you I would buy the parts separate and build it myself, overclock settings can be found on the net, I say this as I did the same 3 weeks ago not only didn't i have to wait between 5-7 days but I got the parts that I wanted as well as the aesthetics with a H100i cooler cheaper than if I would have gotten someone else just to change some settings. Addressing your question of what to get, if it's just for gaming then a i5 4670k will be awesome no need to spend 80 quid on hyper-threading as it does nothing for games, maybe if you did a lot of encoding then go for i7 other than that i5 will do the same job, for the motherboard I personally went with a MSI Z87 GD65 insanely good at its price and no problems with overclocking at all and memory is all down to you tbh, I went with 16gb of 1600 memory as I watched a Linus Tech Tips video the other day and the difference between 1600 memory and 2100 memory is so small in games it makes me laugh and finally I went with a H100i it looks great, i got a good deal and is great at keeping the hot haswell cool, hope this was helpful enough.

 

[DataVampire]

I wouldn't bother tbh, if I was you I would buy the parts separate and build it myself, overclock settings can be found on the net, I say this as I did the same 3 weeks ago not only didn't i have to wait between 5-7 days but I got the parts that I wanted as well as the aesthetics with a H100i cooler cheaper than if I would have gotten someone else just to change some settings. Addressing your question of what to get, if it's just for gaming then a i5 4670k will be awesome no need to spend 80 quid on hyper-threading as it does nothing for games, maybe if you did a lot of encoding then go for i7 other than that i5 will do the same job, for the motherboard I personally went with a MSI Z87 GD65 insanely good at its price and no problems with overclocking at all and memory is all down to you tbh, I went with 16gb of 1600 memory as I watched a Linus Tech Tips video the other day and the difference between 1600 memory and 2100 memory is so small in games it makes me laugh and finally I went with a H100i it looks great, i got a good deal and is great at keeping the hot haswell cool, hope this was helpful enough.

If you think your paying the premium just for someone else to input some settings, your wrong. I sugest you actualy find out what the guys do before commenting like that, you can put people off with comments like that, they offer a fantanstic service which guantees the motherboard/cpu/ram all work together perfectly.

If you think building a computer is just selecting parts online then hoping they will work again your wrong.

 

[Tonester0011]

I wouldn't bother tbh, if I was you I would buy the parts separate and build it myself, overclock settings can be found on the net, I say this as I did the same 3 weeks ago not only didn't i have to wait between 5-7 days but I got the parts that I wanted as well as the aesthetics with a H100i cooler cheaper than if I would have gotten someone else just to change some settings. Addressing your question of what to get, if it's just for gaming then a i5 4670k will be awesome no need to spend 80 quid on hyper-threading as it does nothing for games, maybe if you did a lot of encoding then go for i7 other than that i5 will do the same job, for the motherboard I personally went with a MSI Z87 GD65 insanely good at its price and no problems with overclocking at all and memory is all down to you tbh, I went with 16gb of 1600 memory as I watched a Linus Tech Tips video the other day and the difference between 1600 memory and 2100 memory is so small in games it makes me laugh and finally I went with a H100i it looks great, i got a good deal and is great at keeping the hot haswell cool, hope this was helpful enough.

So much wrong with your post

OCUK offers bundles where they guarantee a binned chip, offering much better overclocking potential and temperatures. Slightly more than just changing settings to achieve a desired clock - http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18540313

Haswell has a very strong IMC. 1600mhz memory is wasted, having faster memory with tighter timings will offer a more efficient system as a whole not just for gaming, the problem with the comparison Linus done, it was using terrible 2400mhz ram CL12 or something silly. The cooler suggestion is subjective, personally i dislike the AIO coolers and prefer a proper custom loop.

@OP Get yourself a cheap 2600/2700k. There's really not much gains going from SB to Haswell if truth be told. Will probably set you back £100-130.

 

[realoverlord]

Thanks for the comments guys, but i forgot to mention that i am a total dunce when it comes to overclocking , i would not have the ability or confidence to attempt it. So i would have to pay for the privilege and peace of mind that a pre built system would give me.
I might at a later stage add another 7950 iceq boost for a two card set up.
Barry

 

[ScottiB]

the difference between 1600 memory and 2100 memory is so small in games it makes me laugh

Don't let 8Pack hear you say that. He's known as one of the World's best memory tuners & he works with me on our system and bundle development. His world records are almost all down to his ability to get more from his memory than his competitors and he proves that even the smallest tweak to frequency and latency can have a big difference in the whole system performance

 

[ScottiB]

Thanks for the comments guys, but i forgot to mention that i am a total dunce when it comes to overclocking , i would not have the ability or confidence to attempt it. So i would have to pay for the privilege and peace of mind that a pre built system would give me.
I might at a later stage add another 7950 iceq boost for a two card set up.
Barry

We are happy to help you find the system or bundle which would suit you best but we'd need more info, such as Budget, typical usage, case choice

 

[realoverlord]

Hi Scottie,
Most of that info is above.
Budget around 500 pounds for cpu/mobo/ram/cooler
I might change my case. Current one is years old thermalktake sunami dream, but took several mobo upgrades with a bit of dremel work. Starting to get tight with the size of current GPUs and coolers.
Im wondering would I be better with a seriously overclocked i5 or a seriously powerful standard i7?
My only real use for this system is for gaming, flight sims, total war, fps, bf series etc.
Also looking at upgrading my 4 year old dell monitor, (im already beginning to feel the financial strain/pain )
The ability to add another 7950 iceq later would be a consideration.
Also something a bit quieter would be nice but not a deal breaker.

current system basics are

processor: i5 2500k (overclocked by another company, never was stable, always crashing, blue screens, shutting itself down etc, NO support or replies to appeals for help . had used OCUK for previous bundle and it never faulterd, so im back with my tail betwween my legs )
mobo: micro aus, not sure which one (in uk at moment and cant check)
PSU: ocuk 750 watt.
GPU: HIS 7950 iceq boost 3 gb (just bought from OCUK and installed)
RAM: 8 gb
CPU cooler: freezer pro 13.

Thanks again for all the advice.

Barry

 

[ScottiB]

ah yes, the Tsunami...

The chassis was tight when it was launched so I can only imagine what it's like now.

the vast majority of games currently still don't reward hyperthreaded CPUs so the performance of games are almost identical on i5 to i7. That said, if it's a choice between the two I usually lean towards i7 for the overall experience.

If it's a choice between an overclocked i5 or a stock i7 then there is no content, the overclock adds considerably more performance than the hyper-threading.

Most Haswell boards offer Crossfire support although I'd probably recommend a PSU upgrade before getting that second 7950. The MSI Z87-G45 Gaming is one of our best value boards that we use in bundles, absolutely crammed full of features and an exceptional price for what you get.

We have this bundle: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-159-OE&groupid=43&catid=2512
an upgrade to 1866MHz RAM currently costs £20 so it may not be worth it.