Rate this mid-high end gaming PC

[Serchu_]

Hi folks,

I want to buy a gaming PC (not hardcore gaming, mostly I want to run Starcraft II on ultra settings). One of my major priorities is that it must be as silent as possible, and I would like to spend about £1,100.Those are the specs:

• 
  Case: FRACTAL DEFINE R5 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
  Motherboard: ASUS® Z97-A: ATX, USB3.0, SATA 6GB/S, SLi, XFIRE
  Processor: Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4690 (3.5GHz) 6MB Cache
  Processor Cooling: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO (120mm) Fan CPU Coole
  Memory: 16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X BEAST DUAL-DDR3 2133MHz X.M.P (2 x 8GB)
  Graphics Card: 4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 970 - 1 DVI, 1 mHDMI, 3 mDP - 3D Vision Ready
  1st Hard Disk: 250GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
  2nd Hard Disk: 1TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 32MB CACHE
  DVD/BLU-RAY Drive: 24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
  Power Supply: CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES™ VS-450 POWER SUPPLY
  Price: £1,057.00 inc VAT and Delivery.

So my questions are:

1. Do you think it will be noisy?
2. Is the power supply ok? The website tells me so, but in previous messages some people on this forum have adviced me to choose a 550W or 650W power supply.
3. Do you think I could change some unnecessary component for a cheaper one?

Thanks!

 

[sz0ty0l4]

Overall the system is fine, but i would choose atleast a 550w- 600W PSU with bronze certification, but better if silver.

 

[Serchu_]

Which are the advantages of choosing more power than I need?

 

[sz0ty0l4]

It's not more than you need, it's exactly as much as you need for a system with a 970. nvidia says " minimum 500w ".

http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-970/specifications

getting a 550-600w powersupply will make sure you can chose any brand of gtx 970. for example gigabyte needs 550w psu:
http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5209#ov

one more thing. having a bit more than " recommended " power will allow you to overclock your graphics card if you want. but make sure to buy a psu from a trusted manufacturer with at least silver certification and full safety protections of ovp ocp opp uvp to make sure it won't damage your system if it fails.

 

[Serchu_]

Thanks a lot for letting me know! I was checking the build in http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/, and the website told me that I don't need more than 450W, so glad that I asked here first.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

I'd stay away from the Corsair VS series power supplies.

 

[Serchu_]

Could you provide some more context, please? Is it just because it is overpriced, or something more concerning, like it could damage some of the other components? In the same website I can choose Corsair CS, RM, and PRO series, but they are way too expensive and powerful.

 

[Guest]

Could you provide some more context, please? Is it just because it is overpriced, or something more concerning, like it could damage some of the other components? In the same website I can choose Corsair CS, RM, and PRO series, but they are way too expensive and powerful.

The VS series has lower current on the 12 volt rail, uses normal capacitors (less reliable) and has bad efficiency. RM series is good in all aspects i just mentioned.

 

[Serchu_]

Mmm ok, so I have tried to configure my PC elsewhere and this is the result:

• 
  Case: Fractal Design Define R4
  Motherboard: Asus Z97-P, 4 SATA 6Gbps, 1 PCI-E M.2, SATA RAID
  Processor: Intel Core i5 4690, Haswell Refresh, Quad Core, 3.5GHz, 3.9GHz Turbo, 6MB Cache
  Processor Cooling: 3XS Customised Corsair Hydro H100 cooler with dual SP120 quiet edition fans
  Memory: 16GB (2x8GB) Corsair Vengeance Pro, 2133MHz, CAS 11-11-11-27, 1.5V
  Graphics Card: 4GB EVGA GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0, 1190MHz GPU, 1664 Cores, 7010MHz GDDR5
  1st Hard Disk: 250GB Samsung 850 EVO, Read 540MB/s, Write 520MB/s, 97K IOPS
  2nd Hard Disk: 1TB Seagate Barracuda, 7200rpm, 64MB Cache
  DVD/BLU-RAY Drive: Samsung SH-224DB - 24x DVD Reader & Writer
  Power Supply: 600W Corsair CX, Semi-Modular, 80PLUS Bronze
  Price: £1150.15 inc VAT and Delivery.

I am particularly interested in your opinion about the motherboard (is there a lot of differences between the Z97-A and the Z97-P?), processor cooling and power supply. Thanks for your answers!

 

[LucoTF]

Why a Z97 with a Non OC i5?

 

[Serchu_]

That's exactly the reason why I am asking here: this is the first time that I build a PC, I have little to no knowledge about hardware, and I am afraid that I could be buying something that I don't need or pieces that are not compatible. Find below a list of the available options for the motherboard, and please tell me which one do you think suits better my system:

• 
  Asus H81M-Plus, Intel H81 with USB3 (£41.77)
  Asus H81-Gamer, 2 SATA 6Gbps, 2 SATA 3Gbps, SupremeFX Audio (£69.37)
  Asus Z97-P, 4 SATA 6Gbps, 1 PCI-E M.2, SATA RAID (£68.36)
  Asus Z97-K, CrossFireX, 6 SATA 6Gbps, 1 PCI-E M.2, SATA RAID (£86.36)
  Asus Z97 Pro Gamer, SLI, CrossfireX, 4 SATA 6Gbps, 1 PCI-E M.2, SATA RAID, SupremeFX (£106.76)
  Asus Maximus VII Ranger, SLI, CrossFireX, 6 SATA 6Gbps, 1 PCI-E M.2, SATA RAID, SupremeFX (£127.16)
  Asus Maximus VII Hero, SLI, CrossFireX, 6 SATA 6Gbps, 1 PCI-E M.2, SATA RAID, SupremeFX (£165.56)

Also I would appreciate if you could point any other inconsistences that you find in the build. Thanks a lot!

 

[LucoTF]

Hi folks,

I want to buy a gaming PC (not hardcore gaming, mostly I want to run Starcraft II on ultra settings). One of my major priorities is that it must be as silent as possible, and I would like to spend about £1,100.Those are the specs:

• 
  Case: FRACTAL DEFINE R5 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
  Motherboard: ASUS® Z97-A: ATX, USB3.0, SATA 6GB/S, SLi, XFIRE
  Processor: Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4690 (3.5GHz) 6MB Cache
  Processor Cooling: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO (120mm) Fan CPU Coole
  Memory: 16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X BEAST DUAL-DDR3 2133MHz X.M.P (2 x 8GB)
  Graphics Card: 4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 970 - 1 DVI, 1 mHDMI, 3 mDP - 3D Vision Ready
  1st Hard Disk: 250GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
  2nd Hard Disk: 1TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 32MB CACHE
  DVD/BLU-RAY Drive: 24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
  Power Supply: CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES™ VS-450 POWER SUPPLY
  Price: £1,057.00 inc VAT and Delivery.

So my questions are:

1. Do you think it will be noisy?
2. Is the power supply ok? The website tells me so, but in previous messages some people on this forum have adviced me to choose a 550W or 650W power supply.
3. Do you think I could change some unnecessary component for a cheaper one?

Thanks!

1/ get a H board or a B board as you're not overclocking
2/ You don't need an aftermarket cooler like the 212 evo, the stock fan that comes with the i5 will do
3/ You don't need more than 8gb ram.
4/ the 850 evo is a great SSD for sure. The 840 is a little cheaper but also great btw
5/ The corsair VS450 is a fairly average power supply. Not the worst, but there are better ones out there.

 

[Serchu_]

1/ get a H board or a B board as you're not overclocking
2/ You don't need an aftermarket cooler like the 212 evo, the stock fan that comes with the i5 will do
3/ You don't need more than 8gb ram.
4/ the 850 evo is a great SSD for sure. The 840 is a little cheaper but also great btw
5/ The corsair VS450 is a fairly average power supply. Not the worst, but there are better ones out there.

1/ Would the Asus H81-Gamer be suitable?
2/ I added that cooler because this PC must no be noisy at all, but it is good to know that I don't need any.
3/ Ok.
4/ Ok.
5/ I've been told to buy a power supply "with bronze certification, but better if silver". Since I am not a hardcore gamer, and this is not a high-end PC, thought that power supply will be enough for my needs.

 

[LucoTF]

1/ The H81 gamer is the same price as the Z97-P on that site, and the Z97-p is way better than the H81 gamer. I assume it's still cheaper than the z97-a too
5/ certification isn't the most important factor. What other PSU options are available? I mean, the VS450 would do the job, but there may be better quality units to choose from

 

[Serchu_]

1/ Problem is that the Z97-A is not offered as an option in the site I am currently using, so I have to choose one of the boards that I listed above, or configure my PC in other website.

5/ Here is a list of the available options:

• 
  550W Corsair VS, None-Modular, 80PLUS - Any Single Graphics Card (£40.19)
  600W Corsair CX, Semi-Modular, 80PLUS Bronze - Any Single Graphics Card (£56.70)
  550W Corsair RM, Modular, Silent, 80PLUS Gold - Any Single Graphics Card (£79.86)
  750W Corsair RM, Modular, Silent, 80PLUS Gold - Any Dual Graphics Cards (£93.00)

 

[LucoTF]

1/ Problem is that the Z97-A is not offered as an option in the site I am currently using, so I have to choose one of the boards that I listed above, or configure my PC in other website.

5/ Here is a list of the available options:

• 
  550W Corsair VS, None-Modular, 80PLUS - Any Single Graphics Card (£40.19)
  600W Corsair CX, Semi-Modular, 80PLUS Bronze - Any Single Graphics Card (£56.70)
  550W Corsair RM, Modular, Silent, 80PLUS Gold - Any Single Graphics Card (£79.86)
  750W Corsair RM, Modular, Silent, 80PLUS Gold - Any Dual Graphics Cards (£93.00)

In the current config the Z97-p is the best bang for your buck.

None of the power supplies listed are great (all made by CWT, all using SamXon primary capacitors), but none of them are bad either. You may as well stick with the VS 450, no point spending extra money for no increase in quality.

 

[Serchu_]

What about this: Cooler Master 600 Watts B600 B2 Gaming Power Supply

Would it be any better? (additional info: I need at least 550W for the graphic card, and I won't overclock the CPU)

 

[LucoTF]

This list may help you: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

Although the coolermaster B series are currently un-tiered so it's not much help.

And who said you need 500watts? I guarantee you can run a 4690 and a gtx 970 on a VS450. Anyways, A PSU swap is simple enough to do. The XFX 550w is currently £51 on amazon, you could always do the upgrade yourself

 

[Serchu_]

Mmm so we don't how worth is buying the B600...

Anyway, in the 4th post the user sz0ty0l4 told me that I need 500W, better if I choose a 550W PSU.