New Desktop Build; Opinions please

Radiation Man · Sep 23, 2014

Ok so I've decided to build a gaming rig. So far I've decided that I want to build a system that will play games on full 1080p at max settings. The lineup so far is:

Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 7 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard
Intel Core i5-4690K 3.50GHz
8GB RAM

I do have some questions though:

1) The GPU is either going to be a Sapphire Radeon R9 290 Tri-X OC 4096MB GDDR5 or an MSI Twin FrozR GeForce GTX 770 OC 2048MB GDDR5. I'm edging towards getting the R9 290 even though the Geforce is around £50 cheaper at the moment. This is mainly down to some of the benchmark testing I've read about being done with Mantle. I know DirectX12 will be out in the future and will probably equalise the field so I guess I'm asking whether or not I'd be better off taking the Geforce?

2) I plan on getting a SSD but not sure of what size I should need. 60GB or 120GB?

3) I plan on getting a 1TB Hard Drive. Given I don't keep a massive library of music, will this be enough or should i plump for a 2TB drive.

4) The CPU is either a Haswell or Devils Canyon brand. There is perhaps a difference between the two of £5. Am I getting something more from the DC brand? I'm not planning on overclocking any of the parts.

5) Finally, is this system overkill for what I want to be doing?

Thoughts, opinions and advice really appreciated.

rockie_ · Sep 23, 2014

GTX 970 4GB - $330 is faster than GTX 770 , R9 290X
ssd
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148694&cm_re=m500_crucial-_-20-148-694-_-Product

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£143.99 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97X Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£106.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£66.14 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£77.98 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX Video Card (£265.16 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case (£51.97 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: .Antec HCG-620M - £68.40
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-hcg620m
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.98 @ CCL Computers)

Total: 791.03

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-23 17:14 BST+0100

danco5074 · Sep 23, 2014

Why not a 970? it performs a little better and is more power effeicent than a r9 290 and is cheaper.

Radiation Man · Sep 23, 2014

Forgot to add, that I plan to be using a 750W PSU, from all I've read this is probably the best to go for with these cards

viewtyjoe · Sep 23, 2014

For SSD, you realistically want 120 GB as a minimum, and 250-ish is probably more useful. 120 Fills up really fast with operating system, updates, and then a few games you want to load immediately. 250 gives you a bit more leeway.

If you aren't overclocking, you don't need a K-series processor or Z97 board. Save yourself a chunk of money by getting a regular 4690 and an H97 board.

Bhavneet Pannu · Sep 23, 2014

1. Get the EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX Video Card (£286.76 @ Scan.co.uk) . it beats the r9 290 http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-R9-290-vs-GeForce-GTX-970. also it just REKTS THE gtx 780.

2. 128 gb is like he same price as 60gb but you don't need a ssd

3. 1tb

4. Devils Canyon

5. overkill? at this current moment yes. In the future NO.

Question will you be overclocking? and do you need a os? and what is your budget?

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/dVKTFT
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/dVKTFT/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£166.74 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.96 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97X Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£106.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£57.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£44.87 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£37.50 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX Video Card (£286.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case (£51.97 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£66.60 @ Aria PC)
Total: £844.15
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-23 17:08 BST+0100

Radiation Man · Sep 23, 2014

Ty for the suggestion of the 970, not released in the UK until the first week of October from the sites I've read over here, though it is a comparable price to the Sapphire card

Bhavneet Pannu · Sep 23, 2014

Radiation Man :

Read my build. you can upgrade the SSD if you want but really, you don't need one

Radiation Man · Sep 23, 2014

Bhavneet Pannu :

I have never overclocked before, thought I may in the furture as it is something I might like to play with. As you say the system is overkill atm, but in the future overclocking may be a solution to squeeze a bit more juice out of the processor. If I do then Ill get a heat sink.

I will be buying an OS, likely Windows 8.1 64 bit.

My budget is around the £950 mark

Radiation Man · Sep 23, 2014

Aria have a cash back offer going with the motherboard I listed and the CPU. Somewhere in the region of £30-£45

Bhavneet Pannu · Sep 23, 2014

Here this build can be overclocked and has one of the best air cpu cooler. also windows 8.1 which can support Direct 11 and 12
PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/68t2jX
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/68t2jX/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£166.74 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.96 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97X Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£106.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£57.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£44.87 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£37.50 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX Video Card (£286.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case (£51.97 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£66.60 @ Aria PC)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.98 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) (£72.16 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £927.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-23 17:15 BST+0100

Bhavneet Pannu · Sep 23, 2014

Radiation Man :

I would go for the fatal anyways

Bhavneet Pannu · Sep 23, 2014

You could get a Xeon which is a intel i7 4770 without the igpu and the price of a intel i5

Radiation Man · Sep 23, 2014

i7 4770 right? Sorry, but I'm new to a lot of this, I won't be needing the igpu right? It's not going to contribute?

Bhavneet Pannu · Sep 23, 2014

Radiation Man :

Intel i7 powerful cpu for gaming not needed at all, used for photoshop and other hard core stuff. Intel Xeon, A server/workplace cpu. Was made for 24/7 usage. Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor
£183.54 Cons: No IGPU (integrated gpu you need to buy a graphics card always), can't overclock ;( and isn't famous.
Pros: Dirt Cheap, One of the best cpu's out there and well it just epic

rockie_ · Sep 23, 2014

i would not get Xeon far gaming . Bad driver suuport .

Bhavneet Pannu · Sep 23, 2014

rockie_ :

The xeon aren't bad for gaming. Even if you look at live streamers. 1. intel i7 4770k 2. Xeon 3. intel i5

rockie_ · Sep 23, 2014

Bhavneet Pannu :

Purr , check and you ll find i am right . Of course the best are i7 ! But i5 are faster than FX 8350 and a little slower than i7 in gaming.

Radiation Man · Sep 23, 2014

Do you own the EVGA card?? I'm reading a lot online about the fan being really noisy. I'm considering the MSI version which has a slightly lower clock (38mHz less after boost). Thoughts?

rockie_ · Sep 23, 2014

MSI or EVGA - no substantial difference , as you wish

New Desktop Build; Opinions please

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