Need Advice on PC Build (First Time)

Rab96

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Oct 11, 2014
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After researching online and reading threads, I've put together some basic hardware that I'm looking into and may put in my final build and would like advice and criticism. The £1000 range is what I am looking at and some specs may have multiple choices of two since I'm not completely sure; I would appreciate all the help I could get.

Generally, this PC will be used as an entertainment system (includes CPU and GPU heavy dependent games like: AAA's, grand strategy and "ARMA simulation" type games).

System Specs:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690S 3.5GHz Quad-Core (not sure if I'll overlook later so, "K" versions are welcome)

CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i Liquid Cooling (the 212 Evo might not fit in the case and my small room can build up heat quickly, but I do think it might be overkill if I don't overclock)

Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO Wi-Fi (prefer Wi-Fi, but I know cable connections are better in terms of quality)

Memory: Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory (cheapest memory and from a trusted company)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB (not planning to use SSD due to price and not minding slightly longer boot times)

GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V (power and technology advances sound good for the price and most people are buying MSI, but I've heard of 970 breaking rumors)
OR
MSI AMD R9 290 Twin Frozr(was my original choice and is between £10-£30 cheaper than 970)

Case: NZXT Phantom 240 (looks good and reviewers like the "feature-price" ratio)

PSU: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V (following the rule that the power should be 25% more watts than the calculated wattage of the system)

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (just in case I need it and it is cheap)

Along with an: extra NZXT fan, keyboard, mouse and monitor it will cost £1103.70




 
Solution
You still could get a SSD and good 1080p monitor for less than £1000:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£131.94 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS8900 Quiet CPU Cooler (£23.90 @ CCL Computers)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty H97 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£55.99 @ Amazon 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 (£45.29 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£37.50 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (£274.99 @ CCL Computers)
Case: NZXT Phantom 240 ATX Mid Tower Case (£54.29 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£46.93 @ CCL Computers)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.09 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£69.29 @ Aria PC)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor (£113.09 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £921.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-12 01:45 BST+0100
 


+1; this build also allows you to overclock if you want maxed out performance haha.
 

Rab96

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Oct 11, 2014
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Thanks for the new parts list; it gives the same performance for a lower price. I am wondering if the aged motherboard and CPU will have any major impact since it isn't Z97 chip-set; I don't want to buy new parts with-in a year of building a new system. Also, what do you think of the BenQ GL2450HM 24.0"? It was my first choice of monitor and it is the same price with a bigger screen (although 0.3" may not be a noticeable difference).
 

Rab96

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Oct 11, 2014
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I thought only "K" versions/series of Intel CPU's could overclocked, like the Intel Core i5-4690K or Intel Core i5-4670K.
 




Core i5-4460 Haswell Refresh is up to date technology. I think you wont need to upgrade any time soon.

ASUS VS247H-P is a very reliable Full HD 1080P gaming monitor: Brightness(Max) : 300 cd/㎡; Response Time : 2ms (Gray to Gray).

Anyway you have money for a stronger build so why not?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor (£169.38 @ Scan.co.uk)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£69.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£104.36 @ 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 (£45.29 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£37.50 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (£274.99 @ CCL Computers)
Case: NZXT Phantom 240 ATX Mid Tower Case (£54.29 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£46.93 @ CCL Computers)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.09 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£69.29 @ Aria PC)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor (£113.09 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £1053.19
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-12 21:43 BST+0100
 
Solution

Rab96

Reputable
Oct 11, 2014
21
0
4,510


Once again, thanks for willing to put the effort in to helping me out with more build, I'll use your latest build post as a final draft and use the first build as back up if any problems of parts supply or price occur.
 

That second build is quite strong though for the price.