Gaming Rig Build - Need Help Staying Under Budget and Ideas for Parts.

[PushItReelGood]

Hey, first time posting here.

I'm looking for a gaming PC build that can run the latest games on a fairly high setting.

I have up to around £850 to spend, but that will need to include a monitor.

Any build suggestions and tips would be very much appreciated. This is my first build and I really could do with some help. I want to buy a computer that will last me a good 3 years before upgrading or replacing.

Thanks.

Edit: I'm not against Intel or AMD. I'm really open to any suggestions. It will likely be kept in a corner right next to me though, so the cooler and quieter it can be would be awesome.

 

[davidarad02]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£144.97 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI H97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£61.16 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£45.99 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£43.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£41.14 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (£268.00 @ Aria PC)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£52.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£46.40 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) (£75.34 @ CCL Computers)
Monitor: BenQ GL2250HM 60Hz 21.5" Monitor (£89.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £869.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-03 17:39 BST+0100

 

[logainofhades]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£199.21 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£57.77 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£48.70 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£41.14 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (£257.94 @ Aria PC)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H25 ATX Mid Tower Case (£33.48 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£46.40 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) (£75.34 @ CCL Computers)
Monitor: BenQ GL2250HM 60Hz 21.5" Monitor (£89.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £849.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-03 17:55 BST+0100

 

[Archaic59]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£199.21 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£66.56 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£45.18 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£41.14 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Vapor-X Video Card (£179.98 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case (£41.94 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£64.31 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.16 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) (£67.95 @ Ebuyer)
Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor (£114.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £831.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-03 18:15 BST+0100

 

[PushItReelGood]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£199.21 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£66.56 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£45.18 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£41.14 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Vapor-X Video Card (£179.98 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case (£41.94 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£64.31 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.16 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) (£67.95 @ Ebuyer)
Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor (£114.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £831.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-03 18:15 BST+0100

Really like the look of this build. As with the in the post above too.

What does the Xeon E3 have going for it that the i5-4690k doesn't?

 

[davidarad02]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£199.21 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£66.56 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£45.18 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£41.14 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Vapor-X Video Card (£179.98 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case (£41.94 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£64.31 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.16 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) (£67.95 @ Ebuyer)
Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor (£114.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £831.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-03 18:15 BST+0100

Really like the look of this build. As with the in the post above too.

What does the Xeon E3 have going for it that the i5-4690k doesn't?

the i5 has overclocking, and comes at a higher stock clock, but the xeon has hyper-threading.

 

[PushItReelGood]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£199.21 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£66.56 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£45.18 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£41.14 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Vapor-X Video Card (£179.98 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case (£41.94 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£64.31 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.16 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) (£67.95 @ Ebuyer)
Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor (£114.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £831.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-03 18:15 BST+0100

Really like the look of this build. As with the in the post above too.

What does the Xeon E3 have going for it that the i5-4690k doesn't?

the i5 has overclocking, and comes at a higher stock clock, but the xeon has hyper-threading.

I see you went with the i5-4690, which is also a fine choice. I was just wondering is the Xeon worth it as games don't tend to use hyperthreading and the 4690/k comes with a higher stock clock.

I've not done any indepth research about either, which is probably what I need to do before deciding. Really liking the look of these builds so far though.

Would these be quiet and well cooled builds too?

 

[davidarad02]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£199.21 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£66.56 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£45.18 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£41.14 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Vapor-X Video Card (£179.98 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case (£41.94 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£64.31 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.16 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) (£67.95 @ Ebuyer)
Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor (£114.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £831.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-03 18:15 BST+0100

Really like the look of this build. As with the in the post above too.

What does the Xeon E3 have going for it that the i5-4690k doesn't?

the i5 has overclocking, and comes at a higher stock clock, but the xeon has hyper-threading.

I see you went with the i5-4690, which is also a fine choice. I was just wondering is the Xeon worth it as games don't tend to use hyperthreading and the 4690/k comes with a higher stock clock.

I've not done any indepth research about either, which is probably what I need to do before deciding. Really liking the look of these builds so far though.

Would these be quiet and well cooled builds too?

more and more games are starting to recommend an i7, and the Xeon is just that, its just that the Xeon doesn't have internal graphics, which is not a big deal. more games are starting to use more than 4 cores, and the Xeon is a good investment.
although the Xeon cores in a lower clock speed, that shouldn't matter, because both CPU's run at a base clock fast enough to run games. Both CPU's will run at around the same temperatures at stock, but when overclocking the 4690k, its obviously going to run hotter and draw more power.

 

[Archaic59]

A Xeon is basically a hyperthreaded i7 CPU without the built-in graphics that you don't need anyways. Xeon presents a more versatile CPU in that it can play games well enough and do anything else you may want a pc to do and do it better, in most cases, than an i5. "K" processors, like the one in the other build above, are for overclockers who like to stress their system to squeeze every bit of power they can out of it.

 

[PushItReelGood]

A Xeon is basically a hyperthreaded i7 CPU without the built-in graphics that you don't need anyways. Xeon presents a more versatile CPU in that it can play games well enough and do anything else you may want a pc to do and do it better, in most cases, than an i5. "K" processors, like the one in the other build above, are for overclockers who like to stress their system to squeeze every bit of power they can out of it.

Great point. I remember seeing the Xeon a month or two ago. Definitely looks like the better CPU for the long run, but the i5-4690 has such great reviews.

I think you've sold me on the Xeon though and I really have no intention of overclocking my first build, so the Xeon is probably better for me.

 

[PushItReelGood]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£199.21 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£66.56 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£45.18 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£41.14 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Vapor-X Video Card (£179.98 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case (£41.94 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£64.31 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.16 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) (£67.95 @ Ebuyer)
Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor (£114.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £831.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-03 18:15 BST+0100

Really like the look of this build. As with the in the post above too.

What does the Xeon E3 have going for it that the i5-4690k doesn't?

the i5 has overclocking, and comes at a higher stock clock, but the xeon has hyper-threading.

I see you went with the i5-4690, which is also a fine choice. I was just wondering is the Xeon worth it as games don't tend to use hyperthreading and the 4690/k comes with a higher stock clock.

I've not done any indepth research about either, which is probably what I need to do before deciding. Really liking the look of these builds so far though.

Would these be quiet and well cooled builds too?

more and more games are starting to recommend an i7, and the Xeon is just that, its just that the Xeon doesn't have internal graphics, which is not a big deal. more games are starting to use more than 4 cores, and the Xeon is a good investment.
although the Xeon cores in a lower clock speed, that shouldn't matter, because both CPU's run at a base clock fast enough to run games. Both CPU's will run at around the same temperatures at stock, but when overclocking the 4690k, its obviously going to run hotter and draw more power.

I see. Definitely looks more to the future then, which I'm happy with. How much better is the GTX 970 than the R9 290X? I've seen some very close benchmarks between the two, although AMD does run a lot hotter and draw more power, are there any other big differences?

 

[davidarad02]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£199.21 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£66.56 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£45.18 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£41.14 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Vapor-X Video Card (£179.98 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case (£41.94 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£64.31 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.16 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) (£67.95 @ Ebuyer)
Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor (£114.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £831.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-03 18:15 BST+0100

Really like the look of this build. As with the in the post above too.

What does the Xeon E3 have going for it that the i5-4690k doesn't?

the i5 has overclocking, and comes at a higher stock clock, but the xeon has hyper-threading.

I see you went with the i5-4690, which is also a fine choice. I was just wondering is the Xeon worth it as games don't tend to use hyperthreading and the 4690/k comes with a higher stock clock.

I've not done any indepth research about either, which is probably what I need to do before deciding. Really liking the look of these builds so far though.

Would these be quiet and well cooled builds too?

more and more games are starting to recommend an i7, and the Xeon is just that, its just that the Xeon doesn't have internal graphics, which is not a big deal. more games are starting to use more than 4 cores, and the Xeon is a good investment.
although the Xeon cores in a lower clock speed, that shouldn't matter, because both CPU's run at a base clock fast enough to run games. Both CPU's will run at around the same temperatures at stock, but when overclocking the 4690k, its obviously going to run hotter and draw more power.

I see. Definitely looks more to the future then, which I'm happy with. How much better is the GTX 970 than the R9 290X? I've seen some very close benchmarks between the two, although AMD does run a lot hotter and draw more power, are there any other big differences?

ok. first the bottom line. for 1080p, the 970 is better. for 1440p and higher, the 290x is better. here's why:
970 advantages:
1. very VERY quiet.
2. draws little power.
3. maxwell
4. better overclocking.
disadvantages:
1. only 3.5GB of full speed RAM, thats why the 290x is better in higher resolutions.

290x advantages:
1. 4GB of full speed ram (although it comes in a slower factory speed)
2. sometimes can be found cheaper then the 970, but thats on sales (generally)
Disadvantages:
1. Loud
2. Draws a-lot more power (almost double)
3. less overclockable
4. AMD 300/Fury Series is just around the Corner...

 

[PushItReelGood]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£199.21 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£66.56 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£45.18 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£41.14 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Vapor-X Video Card (£179.98 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case (£41.94 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£64.31 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.16 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) (£67.95 @ Ebuyer)
Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor (£114.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £831.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-03 18:15 BST+0100

Really like the look of this build. As with the in the post above too.

What does the Xeon E3 have going for it that the i5-4690k doesn't?

the i5 has overclocking, and comes at a higher stock clock, but the xeon has hyper-threading.

I see you went with the i5-4690, which is also a fine choice. I was just wondering is the Xeon worth it as games don't tend to use hyperthreading and the 4690/k comes with a higher stock clock.

I've not done any indepth research about either, which is probably what I need to do before deciding. Really liking the look of these builds so far though.

Would these be quiet and well cooled builds too?

more and more games are starting to recommend an i7, and the Xeon is just that, its just that the Xeon doesn't have internal graphics, which is not a big deal. more games are starting to use more than 4 cores, and the Xeon is a good investment.
although the Xeon cores in a lower clock speed, that shouldn't matter, because both CPU's run at a base clock fast enough to run games. Both CPU's will run at around the same temperatures at stock, but when overclocking the 4690k, its obviously going to run hotter and draw more power.

I see. Definitely looks more to the future then, which I'm happy with. How much better is the GTX 970 than the R9 290X? I've seen some very close benchmarks between the two, although AMD does run a lot hotter and draw more power, are there any other big differences?

ok. first the bottom line. for 1080p, the 970 is better. for 1440p and higher, the 290x is better. here's why:
970 advantages:
1. very VERY quiet.
2. draws little power.
3. maxwell
4. better overclocking.
disadvantages:
1. only 3.5GB of full speed RAM, thats why the 290x is better in higher resolutions.

290x advantages:
1. 4GB of full speed ram (although it comes in a slower factory speed)
2. sometimes can be found cheaper then the 970, but thats on sales (generally)
Disadvantages:
1. Loud
2. Draws a-lot more power (almost double)
3. less overclockable
4. AMD 300/Fury Series is just around the Corner...

Ahhh. A lot more pros than cons then for the R9 290X. They just seemed relatively close in price so I thought I'd ask.

Say if I go with the build you made, probably with the addition of an SSD, how long will I be able to play the latest games on a higher setting? Would I get a couple of years out of it?

 

[davidarad02]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£199.21 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£66.56 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£45.18 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£41.14 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Vapor-X Video Card (£179.98 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case (£41.94 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£64.31 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.16 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) (£67.95 @ Ebuyer)
Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor (£114.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £831.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-03 18:15 BST+0100

Really like the look of this build. As with the in the post above too.

What does the Xeon E3 have going for it that the i5-4690k doesn't?

the i5 has overclocking, and comes at a higher stock clock, but the xeon has hyper-threading.

I see you went with the i5-4690, which is also a fine choice. I was just wondering is the Xeon worth it as games don't tend to use hyperthreading and the 4690/k comes with a higher stock clock.

I've not done any indepth research about either, which is probably what I need to do before deciding. Really liking the look of these builds so far though.

Would these be quiet and well cooled builds too?

more and more games are starting to recommend an i7, and the Xeon is just that, its just that the Xeon doesn't have internal graphics, which is not a big deal. more games are starting to use more than 4 cores, and the Xeon is a good investment.
although the Xeon cores in a lower clock speed, that shouldn't matter, because both CPU's run at a base clock fast enough to run games. Both CPU's will run at around the same temperatures at stock, but when overclocking the 4690k, its obviously going to run hotter and draw more power.

I see. Definitely looks more to the future then, which I'm happy with. How much better is the GTX 970 than the R9 290X? I've seen some very close benchmarks between the two, although AMD does run a lot hotter and draw more power, are there any other big differences?

ok. first the bottom line. for 1080p, the 970 is better. for 1440p and higher, the 290x is better. here's why:
970 advantages:
1. very VERY quiet.
2. draws little power.
3. maxwell
4. better overclocking.
disadvantages:
1. only 3.5GB of full speed RAM, thats why the 290x is better in higher resolutions.

290x advantages:
1. 4GB of full speed ram (although it comes in a slower factory speed)
2. sometimes can be found cheaper then the 970, but thats on sales (generally)
Disadvantages:
1. Loud
2. Draws a-lot more power (almost double)
3. less overclockable
4. AMD 300/Fury Series is just around the Corner...

Ahhh. A lot more pros than cons then for the R9 290X. They just seemed relatively close in price so I thought I'd ask.

Say if I go with the build you made, probably with the addition of an SSD, how long will I be able to play the latest games on a higher setting? Would I get a couple of years out of it?

the SSD is not the point in longevity of a PC, its the power of the components inside it.
if you go with ether of these cards, you can get at least 3-4 years with them. after that, the VRAM issue will start kicking in, like what is happening to the GTX 680. with only 2GB of RAM you can't run all games at high textures because they are just too big for the 2GB frame buffer/

 

[sora]

A Xeon is basically a hyperthreaded i7 CPU without the built-in graphics that you don't need anyways. Xeon presents a more versatile CPU in that it can play games well enough and do anything else you may want a pc to do and do it better, in most cases, than an i5. "K" processors, like the one in the other build above, are for overclockers who like to stress their system to squeeze every bit of power they can out of it.

Great point. I remember seeing the Xeon a month or two ago. Definitely looks like the better CPU for the long run, but the i5-4690 has such great reviews.

I think you've sold me on the Xeon though and I really have no intention of overclocking my first build, so the Xeon is probably better for me.

The Xeon is definitely a solid CPU to purchase right now though.

 

[PushItReelGood]

A Xeon is basically a hyperthreaded i7 CPU without the built-in graphics that you don't need anyways. Xeon presents a more versatile CPU in that it can play games well enough and do anything else you may want a pc to do and do it better, in most cases, than an i5. "K" processors, like the one in the other build above, are for overclockers who like to stress their system to squeeze every bit of power they can out of it.

Great point. I remember seeing the Xeon a month or two ago. Definitely looks like the better CPU for the long run, but the i5-4690 has such great reviews.

I think you've sold me on the Xeon though and I really have no intention of overclocking my first build, so the Xeon is probably better for me.

The Xeon is definitely a solid CPU to purchase right now though.

Yeah it definitely looks it.

I was looking to go with a specific colour scheme, but now the video card I wanted is out of stock (The blue Sapphire AMD Radeon 290) I'm contemplating the GTX 970.

Are there any other cards I should consider around the £175-£250 price range?

Also, what colour schemes would you say work best with the NZXT S340 cases?

 

[logainofhades]

These are your best options, in that price range.

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#X=0,25563&sort=a8&page=1&c=186,152,146