New build: Gaming, Living Room

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ectundab

Reputable
Jul 20, 2015
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Here's a new build I'm working on, I am based in the UK.

Approximate Purchase Date: This week
Budget: ~£700, but flexible. Aiming to maximise #years of trouble free gaming per pound.
System Usage: Primarily for Gaming & Video/TV streaming. Will be in living room, so noise is a consideration (primarily when streaming). Will likely have a secondary use for cutting and joining video and machine learning tasks, but these are only minor considerations.
Monitor: Will alternate between use on either a 1920x1080 TV or Monitor. A high likelihood of upgrading the monitor and/or adding a second monitor that's more suited to gaming. It would be medium priced, and I'm not really interested in reaching very high resolutions though.
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Location: London, UK

Here's the parts list I've got so far:

[PCPartPicker part list](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/4CZfLk) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/4CZfLk/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54590) | £149.99 @ Amazon UK
**CPU Cooler** | [Scythe Kotetsu 79.0 CFM CPU Cooler](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/scythe-cpu-cooler-scktt1000) | £39.58 @ Amazon UK
**Motherboard** | [MSI H81M-E35 V2 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-h81me35v2) | £40.76 @ Scan.co.uk
**Memory** | [Kingston 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-memory-kvr16n118) | £34.07 @ Amazon UK
**Storage** | [Sandisk X110 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/sandisk-internal-hard-drive-sd6sb1m256g1022i) | £59.99 @ Scan.co.uk
**Storage** | [Toshiba 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/toshiba-internal-hard-drive-dt01aca100) | £32.34 @ Aria PC
**Video Card** | [MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx970gaming4g) | £259.00 @ Aria PC
**Case** | [Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcadefr5bk) | £79.03 @ CCL Computers
**Power Supply** | [EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-100b10500kr) | £36.98 @ Scan.co.uk
**Optical Drive** | [Samsung SH-118CB/BEBE DVD/CD Drive](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-optical-drive-sh118cbbebe) | £9.98 @ Novatech
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **£741.72**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-07-20 14:35 BST+0100 |

Are there any places you'd recommend I economise/should invest more?
I wasn't too certain on PSU choice, and am guessing this is a good choice. Are there better options out there from a reliability or quietness standpoint that don't break the bank?
I like the Define R5 (thanks to the understated aesthetics and quietness), but is it perhaps overkill for this? I'm also considering the Define mini, but are there others that I may have missed? Happy to change the CPU cooler if necessary.
Also, is there anything coming out soon that means I should consider waiting a little while?
 
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sadams04

sadams04

Splendid
Nov 23, 2010
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CPU Cooler - Not needed.
MB - H81 is a few generations back and lacks USB 3.0 support (but would work after a BIOS update). Look toward the H97 platform.
MEM - Always install memory in matching pairs to take advantage of the dual memory controllers. A single module (single channel mode) will have you running in reduced performance.
SSD - Not the best performer. Look toward the 850 EVO.
PSU - From EVGA, look toward the G2 or Supernova lineup. The B1 / B2 are not all that great. It is best to just stick with XFX or Seasonic.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£149.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£65.96 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£38.12 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£71.94 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£39.91 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (£259.00 @ Aria PC)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£79.03 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£46.18 @ CCL Computers)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-118CB/BEBE DVD/CD Drive (£9.98 @ Novatech)
Total: £760.11
 
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jmsellars1

jmsellars1

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Dec 31, 2010
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Wouldn't you prefer to look for something much smaller than the Define or Define mini for a living room? I've been looking at a similar build at a similar price point myself and worked out a way to cram those same specs (with a 2.5'' hard drive) into the Raijintek Metis. It does involve drilling some vents in the top of the case but it is a tiny 190 x 277 x 254mm vs the R5's 232 x 462 x 531mm.

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/4jgJdC
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/4jgJdC/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£136.47 @ Ebuyer)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 Evo 43.1 CFM CPU Cooler (£16.98 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Asus H97I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard (£99.71 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£38.12 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (£92.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Toshiba 1TB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive (£34.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 970 4GB XLR8 Video Card (£249.98)
Case: RAIJINTEK Metis (Blue) Mini ITX Tower Case (£36.58 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Gold 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply (£78.62 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £784.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-20 15:40 BST+0100

Bit more expensive but means you have dual channel RAM which is a bit faster, a M.2 SSD which is also going to be a bit faster, a better quality PSU and a newer motherboard with PCI 3.0, USB 3.0 and M.2 support (among other things). Again though it would involve drilling some holes in the top of the case so the GPU can get some air.
 
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ectundab

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Jul 20, 2015
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4,510


Thanks for this.

Cooler: I put the cooler in for quietness over stock; was that was a little too paranoid?

MB: I thought the spec's for the MBoard said that it supported USB 3.0: See the 3rd 'feature' here . Does the H81 have other issues that make it not worthwhile?

MEM: D'oh!

SSD: Cool, thanks.

PSU: Looks good, thanks

 
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sadams04

sadams04

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Nov 23, 2010
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Cooler - Yep. The stock Intel cooler is pretty quiet. If this was from AMD that would be a different story.
MB - Rear USB 3.0 sure... but it lacks a USB 3.0 header for the front USB 3.0 connection on a modern case.
 
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E

ectundab

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Jul 20, 2015
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Size isn't a big issue for me: I have a small desk tucked away in a corner, so it is pretty out of sight. It is close to the sofa however, hence noise paranoia.

I'll give the stock cooler a whirl, and replace it later if it drives me up the bend.



RE the MB: Sorry if I'm being a bit thick... what does "6 x USB 3.0 (4R/2F)" mean- I thought that meant 4 rear and 2 front USB 3.0s?

Would the lack of a PCIe 3.0 (or anything else with the H81) slow me down at all?

Update, is there any reason not to get this Gigabyte Z97 board, which undercuts the H97s on price?
 
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jmsellars1

jmsellars1

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Dec 31, 2010
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Your disadvantages to H81 are:

- No PCI-e 3.0 (could potentially bottleneck high end graphics cards.)
- Usually have limited USB 3.0 support. Your MSI board does have a USB 3.0 header for the front panel though unusually
- BIOS needs to be updated to be used with newer CPU's (the shop or manufacturer may or may not have done this already)
- No M.2 support (Faster PCI-e interface for newer SSD's. Not all H97/Z97 boards have this)

No huge glaring disadvantage really, just a lot of little things. That Z97 board looks good too, Z97 is pretty much just H97 with overclocking as far as I know.
 
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S

sora

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Oct 30, 2013
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The stock cooler should do just fine in my opinion!
 
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