New build £950

flipstone · Jun 21, 2013

Hello forums!

I'm planning on building a new gaming system, so I was wondering if some helpful souls could give me some advice. I'm new to this forum, so I copied the table from the sticky.

Approximate Purchase Date: next week

Budget Range: £825 max, all-inclsive

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, surfing the net, some code compiling

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I've used dabs before, and they've generally got good pricing.

Location: London

Overclocking: Maybe

Additional Comments: The only part that I'm certain I want is the Zalman Z9 Plus case. It's really cheap, with lots of cooling, and fits my desk space perfectly. I am also considering the ViewSonic VX2370SMH-LED for my monitor, as I've only heard good things about it. I also need at least a terabyte of space. I've also got a free disc of Windows 7, so I won't be needing an OS.

Why Are You Upgrading: I want to do serious gaming, and my ageing Dell Inspiron 580 is woefully slow.

Update:
Thanks for all the help! Everyone contributed really useful build ideas, but the consensus was a mid-range AMD graphics card, and a Haswell i5. I've got hold of some extra funds, which brings my budget to near £1k, so I've assembled my own build idea. Here's my build (note that the motherboard that I'm going to use didn't appear for some reason, so the one shown here is the nearest alternative)

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/192lG
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/192lG/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/192lG/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£179.99 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£59.98 @ Dabs)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87-D3HP ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£107.86 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£59.81 @ CCL Computers)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£70.62 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (£239.99 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Zalman Z9 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case (£42.98 @ Novatech)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£60.33 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SN-208DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£14.99 @ Novatech)
Monitor: ViewSonic VX2370Smh-LED 23.0" Monitor (£129.94 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £966.49
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-22 14:02 BST+0100)

I'll also be overclocking the CPU to 4.2Ghz.

hefox · Jun 21, 2013

Zalman Z9-U3 Mid Tower Black (In/Out) Mid Tower Performance Case w/o PSU £47.87 inc VAT
Intel Core i5 4570, S 1150, Haswell, Quad Core, 3.2GHz, 3.6GHz Turbo, 1150MHz GPU, 32x Ratio, Retail £157.38 inc VAT
1TB Western Digital WD10EZRX Caviar Green, 3.5" HDD, SATA III - 6Gb/s, IntelliPower, 64MB Cache, 8ms, OEM £49.32 inc VAT
120GB Samsung 840 Basic, 2.5" SSD 7mm 3-core MDX, Toggle NAND, Read 530MB/s, Write 130MB/s, 256MB Cache, 85k IOPS Max £74.99 inc VAT
8GB Corsair DDR3 Vengeance Jet Black, PC3-12800 (1600), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 9-9-9-24, XMP, 1.5V £56.16 inc VAT
Gigabyte GA-Z87-D3HP, Intel Z87, S 1150, DDR3, SATA 6Gb/s, SATA RAID, PCIe 3.0, D-Sub, DVI/ HDMI, ATX £105.44 inc VAT
450W Seasonic G-450, Modular, 80 PLUS Gold, EPS 12V, 12cm Silnt Fan, ATX, PSU £76.26 inc VAT
3GB XFX Radeon HD 7950 DD, 5000MHz GDDR5, GPU 800MHz, DVI/DVI/HDMI/mDP +Free Games £225.35 inc VAT
Total (inc VAT) £803.75
Without monitor

g-unit1111 · Jun 21, 2013

murbeck123 :

With that build you're really limiting yourself in terms of what hardware you can add long term. If the OP wanted say a Bitfenix Prodigy then yeah I'd go mITX but really I think this would be better (there's way better cases than the Zalman Z9, btw). Try this if you're not overclocking:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£137.99 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock H87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£73.11 @ Dabs)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£60.62 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£50.97 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card (£218.67 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case (£65.59 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£77.69 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£13.15 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £697.79
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-21 20:30 BST+0100)

truprecht · Jun 21, 2013

From DABS:
CPU: Core i5-4670K - 189.99
MB: ASUS Z87-K - 97.99
RAM: Kingston 1600 C9 8GB - 47.98
PSU: Corsair CX 430W - 34.40
GPU: MSI HD 7870 - 165.42
Cooler: Hyper 212 EVO - 26.16
HDD: WD Caviar Blue 1TB - 49.99
SSD: Samsing 840 120GB - 75.99
Case: Zalman Z9 - 34.99
Monitor: Viewsonic VA2448 - 107.98
Total = 830.89

Alternatively, skip the SSD and put the money into a HD 7950 and a 500W PSU:
GPU: XFX HD 7950 - 219.99
PSU: Corsair CX 500W - 45.36
Total = 820.43

g-unit1111 · Jun 21, 2013

murbeck123 :

mITX can't accommodate for multiple graphics cards, has a very limited number of SATA ports, and only 2 RAM slots. If you're building a mid tower system get a full ATX motherboard. Your system will have a very limited life if you get mITX.

Kamen_BG · Jun 21, 2013

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£172.51 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock P67 Pro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£59.50 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£44.29 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£64.75 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (£208.39 @ Amazon UK)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£41.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Fractal Design Integra R2 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£60.21 @ Dabs)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£15.95 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) (£67.19 @ Aria PC)
Monitor: LG IPS224V-PN 21.5" Monitor (£99.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £834.77
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-21 20:26 BST+0100)

This is as good as it gets within your price range.
You get a really good CPU that when overclocked gets as fast as the 4670K.
A motherboard that can take it to 4.7+ghz.
A very good RAM kit.
A high-end graphics card that at stock almost matches the GTX 670 and when overclocked exceeds stock GTX 770 performance.
The case is much better than the Zalman Z9 Plus.
And last but not least the monitor uses an IPS panel. It's got very good viewing angles and is also pretty responsive.

This however does go slightly above your budget and there are some things you can do to fix that.

Option 1:
Downgrade to a 1 TB HDD and save 20 quid.

Option 2:
Downgrade the power supply to a decent 550W unit.
This way you could limit your maximum overclocks but you will save 10 pounds.

Option 3:
Skip the Optical Drive.
I mean who needs that anyway. I haven't used mine since the last time I installed Windows.
You can install windows with a flash drive and Steam is better than retail anyway.

Option 4:
Get a HD 7870 XT instead of a HD 7950.
It will be a bit slower it will use a lot more power and produce a lot more noise.
You will also get a better bundle with the HD 7950 if I'm not mistaken.
Anyway this will shave 25 quid off the price.

Option 5:
Once you recieve the motherboard, give it to someone with a LGA 1155 CPU and ask them to update the BIOS for you.
This way you'll be able to get the 3570K instead of the 2500K which will save you 5 dolars.
The 3570K is faster at stock speeds than the 2500K but slower once both are overclocked.
The 3570K also uses less power.

Anyway I suggest skipping the Optical drive as It's unneeded in my opinion.

g-unit1111 · Jun 21, 2013

Kamen_BG :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£172.51 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock P67 Pro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£59.50 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£44.29 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£64.75 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (£208.39 @ Amazon UK)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£41.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Fractal Design Integra R2 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£60.21 @ Dabs)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£15.95 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) (£67.19 @ Aria PC)
Monitor: LG IPS224V-PN 21.5" Monitor (£99.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £834.77
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-21 20:26 BST+0100)

This is as good as it gets within your price range.
You get a really good CPU that when overclocked gets as fast as the 4670K.
A motherboard that can take it to 4.7+ghz.
A very good RAM kit.
A high-end graphics card that at stock almost matches the GTX 670 and when overclocked exceeds stock GTX 770 performance.
The case is much better than the Zalman Z9 Plus.
And last but not least the monitor uses an IPS panel. It's got very good viewing angles and is also pretty responsive.

This however does go slightly above your budget and there are some things you can do to fix that.

Option 1:
Downgrade to a 1 TB HDD and save 20 quid.

Option 2:
Downgrade the power supply to a decent 550W unit.
This way you could limit your maximum overclocks but you will save 10 pounds.

Option 3:
Skip the Optical Drive.
I mean who needs that anyway. I haven't used mine since the last time I installed Windows.
You can install windows with a flash drive and Steam is better than retail anyway.

Option 4:
Get a HD 7870 XT instead of a HD 7950.
It will be a bit slower it will use a lot more power and produce a lot more noise.
You will also get a better bundle with the HD 7950 if I'm not mistaken.
Anyway this will shave 25 quid off the price.

Option 5:
Once you recieve the motherboard, give it to someone with a LGA 1155 CPU and ask them to update the BIOS for you.
This way you'll be able to get the 3570K instead of the 2500K which will save you 5 dolars.
The 3570K is faster at stock speeds than the 2500K but slower once both are overclocked.
The 3570K also uses less power.

Anyway I suggest skipping the Optical drive as It's unneeded in my opinion.

Why? Why recommend now three year old hardware? I hate this "one CPU doesn't overclock better than the other" BS. They said the same thing about Ivy Bridge when it was first released, Haswell now that it's been released, you name it. No matter what hardware comes out, 1/2 the reviewers out there just won't be satisfied with it. Just get the latest hardware you can get and save years of upgrade frustrations. Sandy Bridge CPU production will probably be discontinued by the end of the year, making new CPUs incredibly difficult to come by. The newest hardware will ensure system longevity, three year old hardware won't.

truprecht · Jun 21, 2013

There you go - consensus is an HD7870 or HD7950 GPU, and a Haswell i5 CPU.

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New build £950

flipstone

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hefox

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g-unit1111

Titan

truprecht

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g-unit1111

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Kamen_BG

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g-unit1111

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truprecht

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