Opinions on this build

[Yeldur]

Build was created through pcspecialist, I'm using it for gaming so am looking for high FPS, I have an MSI GTX 970 that is still working perfectly atm so no need for a switch on the GPU.

Examples of games I play:
PUBG
Overwatch
The Witcher 3
Dark Souls 3

In your opinion does is this build good? I've built it myself and think it'd be fine but I'm nowhere near as experienced as some people so prefer to get a second opinion.

Cheers.

 

[feelinfroggy777]

Yes, it is a very good PC. It is not a high end rig, but is a solid mid-range system that can handle any reasonably optimized game at 1080p. If you move to a higher resolution, you may want to consider getting a new GPU. But for HD, it is just fine.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

1. At $220ish, the "RoG Tax" on the Asus Hero just doesn't deliver anything significant over $130 offerings

2. Tho the 500GB SSD will allow you to fit 4 5 -6 AAA Games, the rest of your gaming library will be siting on that slow HD and the SSD does nothing for those games. Id upgrade to a 2 TB SSHD which THG testing in gaming shows is more than 50% faster.

3. The Hyper 212 is a "very good cooler for the money".... but the emphasis is on those last 3 words. A $25 cooler has no place in a build w/ a $200+ Mobo. A build of this magnitudte would warrant a $90 cooler such as The Noctua NH-D15 or the Cryorig R1 Ultimate . But the Scyther Mugen Max matches or beats those coolers for $37

4. The TIM is not what I'd use but I'm sure options are limited from this builder.

5. The sound card is redundant, equivalent sound already on board

6. There better similarly priced or cheaper cases with Tempered Glass

 

[Yeldur]

1. At $220ish, the "RoG Tax" on the Asus Hero just doesn't deliver anything significant over $130 offerings

2. Tho the 500GB SSD will allow you to fit 4 5 -6 AAA Games, the rest of your gaming library will be siting on that slow HD and the SSD does nothing for those games. Id upgrade to a 2 TB SSHD which THG testing in gaming shows is more than 50% faster.

3. The Hyper 212 is a "very good cooler for the money".... but the emphasis is on those last 3 words. A $25 cooler has no place in a build w/ a $200+ Mobo. A build of this magnitudte would warrant a $90 cooler such as The Noctua NH-D15 or the Cryorig R1 Ultimate . But the Scyther Mugen Max matches or beats those coolers for $37

4. The TIM is not what I'd use but I'm sure options are limited from this builder.

5. The sound card is redundant, equivalent sound already on board

6. There better similarly priced or cheaper cases with Tempered Glass

Noted, will pick a bit cheaper of one.

I don't play many games that are over 50 GB in size anyways lol, 500GB should be more than enough for the OS and the games I mentioned already no?

Noted, will pick a more expensive cooler that is more fitting for a computer of this caliber.

Sorry, what does TIM mean? I don't recognise it.

I did think the sound card was irrelevant but wasn't 100% certain, thanks for confirming.

Eh, I don't mind the price of the case, I've decided the best option for me at the moment is to simply finance the computer hence why I'm using a builder such as this to create the computer, it is more limiting which is annoying and I could probably build one on my own for cheaper, but it would take me a long time to buy the parts separately and I want to upgrade ASAP due to me wanting an upgrade on my current rig. I've had this one for a good 5 years now with no problems other than a hard drive failure but I get the feeling it's slowly getting a bit outdated.

 

[Yeldur]

Made an update based on the current changes, other than the TIM as I'm unsure what it stands for.

I already have a 1TB hard drive so I've gone with a 1TB hard drive on the other computer and added a 1 TB SSD
Changed the cooler to a closed loop watercooler (Too lazy to deal with ones I have to change the water on)
Changed the motherboard

Left the case the same as I again, don't mind if I pay a bit more for the case, it's the most good looking one (in my opinion) that I can get from PCSpecialist.

 

[feelinfroggy777]

Honestly, I would not get a 1tb SSD. Don't get me wrong, it is very nice to have, but it wont have much of an impact on gaming other than speeding up load times. If it were me, I would go with the 500gb SSD (that is still a lot) and use the money saved from the SSD and upgrade to a 7700k.

If that does not give you enough money for the 7700k, then I would ditch the AIO cooler to use for the 7700k and get a $50 air cooler. With the 7700k, you will see actual performance increase in gaming while the additional SSD space is just more convenient. You can always add another SATA SSD later if you want one.

 

[Yeldur]

Honestly, I would not get a 1tb SSD. Don't get me wrong, it is very nice to have, but it wont have much of an impact on gaming other than speeding up load times. If it were me, I would go with the 500gb SSD (that is still a lot) and use the money saved from the SSD and upgrade to a 7700k.

If that does not give you enough money for the 7700k, then I would ditch the AIO cooler to use for the 7700k and get a $50 air cooler. With the 7700k, you will see actual performance increase in gaming while the additional SSD space is just more convenient. You can always add another SATA SSD later if you want one.

So far what I've been told is that I5's perform better than I7's due to the hyperthreading present in I7's, I've seen the threads on it that show the performance difference. If at all possible I want something with the max performance possible and I7's have been show to do the opposite.

I don't actually mind having a 1 TB HDD and a 1 TB SSD because I have another 1 TB HDD already in my current build, so I would technically end up having 2TB's worth of HDD space and 1 TB of SSD space. Which is more than enough for what I'll ever use lol.

 

[feelinfroggy777]

Honestly, I would not get a 1tb SSD. Don't get me wrong, it is very nice to have, but it wont have much of an impact on gaming other than speeding up load times. If it were me, I would go with the 500gb SSD (that is still a lot) and use the money saved from the SSD and upgrade to a 7700k.

If that does not give you enough money for the 7700k, then I would ditch the AIO cooler to use for the 7700k and get a $50 air cooler. With the 7700k, you will see actual performance increase in gaming while the additional SSD space is just more convenient. You can always add another SATA SSD later if you want one.

So far what I've been told is that I5's perform better than I7's due to the hyperthreading present in I7's, I've seen the threads on it that show the performance difference. If at all possible I want something with the max performance possible and I7's have been show to do the opposite.

I don't actually mind having a 1 TB HDD and a 1 TB SSD because I have another 1 TB HDD already in my current build, so I would technically end up having 2TB's worth of HDD space and 1 TB of SSD space. Which is more than enough for what I'll ever use lol.

I'm not sure where you have gotten your information about the i5's performing better than the i7's, but it is 100% false. The 7700k is the quintessential gaming chip on the market. The 7700k is a better chip because of hyper threading. Hyper Threading (SMT) gives more threads to the CPU and increases multi threaded performance. Basically it creates 4 more logical cores. If performance is primary focus, then the 7700k is the chip for you.

The only thing I would say, is that in 2 weeks Intel will be releasing the 8700k and it will have 6 cores and 12 threads. In theory, it should be 50% faster in multi threaded applications. But it is not released and there is only speculation how that will translate in gaming.

 

[Yeldur]

Honestly, I would not get a 1tb SSD. Don't get me wrong, it is very nice to have, but it wont have much of an impact on gaming other than speeding up load times. If it were me, I would go with the 500gb SSD (that is still a lot) and use the money saved from the SSD and upgrade to a 7700k.

If that does not give you enough money for the 7700k, then I would ditch the AIO cooler to use for the 7700k and get a $50 air cooler. With the 7700k, you will see actual performance increase in gaming while the additional SSD space is just more convenient. You can always add another SATA SSD later if you want one.

So far what I've been told is that I5's perform better than I7's due to the hyperthreading present in I7's, I've seen the threads on it that show the performance difference. If at all possible I want something with the max performance possible and I7's have been show to do the opposite.

I don't actually mind having a 1 TB HDD and a 1 TB SSD because I have another 1 TB HDD already in my current build, so I would technically end up having 2TB's worth of HDD space and 1 TB of SSD space. Which is more than enough for what I'll ever use lol.

I'm not sure where you have gotten your information about the i5's performing better than the i7's, but it is 100% false. The 7700k is the quintessential gaming chip on the market. The 7700k is a better chip because of hyper threading. Hyper Threading (SMT) gives more threads to the CPU and increases multi threaded performance. Basically it creates 4 more logical cores. If performance is primary focus, then the 7700k is the chip for you.

The only thing I would say, is that in 2 weeks Intel will be releasing the 8700k and it will have 6 cores and 12 threads. In theory, it should be 50% faster in multi threaded applications. But it is not released and there is only speculation how that will translate in gaming.

Spoke to an Intel Representative and he told me that the 8 series will be the best chip in the world for gaming, though I don't know when it releases etc etc so I'm not sure whether to wait.

I found the thread on the I5 vs I7 thing, here it is: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/115466-13-better-games

 

[feelinfroggy777]

That post is 6 years old, it is not relevant today. At the time, quad core chips were just starting to become relevant. So have 8 threads was not used very often. However, today quad core gaming is mainstream and the additional threads make a much bigger difference.

The 8700k will be the best gaming CPU in the world. Right now the best gaming chip in the world is the 7700k. There is always something new on the horizon and usually I don't tell people to wait. But it is only 2 weeks, so if I were about to drop as much on a system as you are, I would wait and see how they review.

There is a lot of hype, but they may not be that great. Intel released the uber expensive Skylake X over the summer and those chips are less than stellar. So the new 8700k may have some of the same heat and TDP issues of Skylake X. So I will wait to see some reviews before jumping in.

This is what I do know, the 7700k will be a capable CPU for awhile. Second best CPU in the world is not so bad. So if you don't want to wait, then go get it as it is the best on the market.

 

[Yeldur]

That post is 6 years old, it is not relevant today. At the time, quad core chips were just starting to become relevant. So have 8 threads was not used very often. However, today quad core gaming is mainstream and the additional threads make a much bigger difference.

The 8700k will be the best gaming CPU in the world. Right now the best gaming chip in the world is the 7700k. There is always something new on the horizon and usually I don't tell people to wait. But it is only 2 weeks, so if I were about to drop as much on a system as you are, I would wait and see how they review.

There is a lot of hype, but they may not be that great. Intel released the uber expensive Skylake X over the summer and those chips are less than stellar. So the new 8700k may have some of the same heat and TDP issues of Skylake X. So I will wait to see some reviews before jumping in.

This is what I do know, the 7700k will be a capable CPU for awhile. Second best CPU in the world is not so bad. So if you don't want to wait, then go get it as it is the best on the market.

Noted, thanks very much, I think the main thing that makes me interested in the 8700k is that there's a 30% increase in performance as opposed to their usual 15% increase they aim for. I've heard rumours it may be released on October 10th, so I may wait til then before placing an order to see if they actually do release it.

 

[feelinfroggy777]

That post is 6 years old, it is not relevant today. At the time, quad core chips were just starting to become relevant. So have 8 threads was not used very often. However, today quad core gaming is mainstream and the additional threads make a much bigger difference.

The 8700k will be the best gaming CPU in the world. Right now the best gaming chip in the world is the 7700k. There is always something new on the horizon and usually I don't tell people to wait. But it is only 2 weeks, so if I were about to drop as much on a system as you are, I would wait and see how they review.

There is a lot of hype, but they may not be that great. Intel released the uber expensive Skylake X over the summer and those chips are less than stellar. So the new 8700k may have some of the same heat and TDP issues of Skylake X. So I will wait to see some reviews before jumping in.

This is what I do know, the 7700k will be a capable CPU for awhile. Second best CPU in the world is not so bad. So if you don't want to wait, then go get it as it is the best on the market.

Noted, thanks very much, I think the main thing that makes me interested in the 8700k is that there's a 30% increase in performance as opposed to their usual 15% increase they aim for. I've heard rumours it may be released on October 10th, so I may wait til then before placing an order to see if they actually do release it.

Don't hold your breath on the 30% increase. That may be some intel marketing BS. It is the same architecture as kaby lake with more cores. So single threaded performance wont increase by 30%. But adding 2 cores and 4 threads will make a big jump in multi threaded performance. If you are gaming though, multi threaded performance is not that important. Games like very fast single threads.

I have seen rumors form Intel that there will be a 11% increase in single threads and 51% increase in multithreaded applications. But we will see what that translates into real world applications. There is a good chance that for gaming, there will be little difference except in the few games that scale with more cores. However, any type of workstation task will be much faster.

 

[Yeldur]

So in terms of performance for me, which will be primarily gaming, it's unlikely for it to make a difference to my computer whether I get the 8700k or the 7700k.
Meh, might as well go for the 7700k and get the computer a lot faster then.

 

[feelinfroggy777]

I could be wrong and I would wait to find out. Just don't expect miricles. Intel is not known for big performance upgrades.

 

[Yeldur]

I mean, in reality, I'm really not looking for some top of the line rig that's going to run everything in 400k resolution at 100 billion FPS, just looking to get a nice stable framerate on the games I currently do play whilst having the abilty to play them in relatively high settings.
I don't really need top of the line stuff, that being said however, I am looking for this rig to last me as long as my current one did, about 3-5 years or more. (I mean in terms of game spec not as in this spec will never break)

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Noted, will pick a bit cheaper of one.

I don't play many games that are over 50 GB in size anyways lol, 500GB should be more than enough for the OS and the games I mentioned already no?

Noted, will pick a more expensive cooler that is more fitting for a computer of this caliber.

Sorry, what does TIM mean? I don't recognise it.

I did think the sound card was irrelevant but wasn't 100% certain, thanks for confirming.

Eh, I don't mind the price of the case, I've decided the best option for me at the moment is to simply finance the computer hence why I'm using a builder such as this to create the computer, it is more limiting which is annoying and I could probably build one on my own for cheaper, but it would take me a long time to buy the parts separately and I want to upgrade ASAP due to me wanting an upgrade on my current rig. I've had this one for a good 5 years now with no problems other than a hard drive failure but I get the feeling it's slowly getting a bit outdated.

1. This is a steal at $102 ... top end sound, overclocking support, everything for in $200 boards

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813144004

2. This will meet or beat any cooler u[p to $100
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA9ZH3S91415

3. Thermal Interface Compound / aka Thermal {Paste

4. Buy some fans ... but not from them

I adjusted what I could based upon their offerings... they have no other TIM offerings so I guess stick w/ what you has

Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 570X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-7600K (3.8GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z270X-Ultra Gaming: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
1st Hard Disk
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 3.5" SSHD - UP TO 5X FASTER THAN HDD!
M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 960 EVO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3200MB/R, 1900MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
What you had before
LED Lighting
2x 50cm RGB LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
This is top of the line ALC1220 on MoBo
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 16 to 18 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,365.00 including VAT and delivery

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Noted, thanks very much, I think the main thing that makes me interested in the 8700k is that there's a 30% increase in performance as opposed to their usual 15% increase they aim for. I've heard rumours it may be released on October 10th, so I may wait til then before placing an order to see if they actually do release it.

No doubt they can find some obscure benchmark that provides performance in that category ... bu Sandy Bridge still is more than adequate today ... CPU impacts in gaming have been in single digits, usually < 5% where as GPUs 50% generation to generation is not unheard of.

 

[Yeldur]

Noted, will pick a bit cheaper of one.

I don't play many games that are over 50 GB in size anyways lol, 500GB should be more than enough for the OS and the games I mentioned already no?

Noted, will pick a more expensive cooler that is more fitting for a computer of this caliber.

Sorry, what does TIM mean? I don't recognise it.

I did think the sound card was irrelevant but wasn't 100% certain, thanks for confirming.

Eh, I don't mind the price of the case, I've decided the best option for me at the moment is to simply finance the computer hence why I'm using a builder such as this to create the computer, it is more limiting which is annoying and I could probably build one on my own for cheaper, but it would take me a long time to buy the parts separately and I want to upgrade ASAP due to me wanting an upgrade on my current rig. I've had this one for a good 5 years now with no problems other than a hard drive failure but I get the feeling it's slowly getting a bit outdated.

1. This is a steal at $102 ... top end sound, overclocking support, everything for in $200 boards

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813144004

2. This will meet or beat any cooler u[p to $100
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA9ZH3S91415

3. Thermal Interface Compound / aka Thermal {Paste

4. Buy some fans ... but not from them

I adjusted what I could based upon their offerings... they have no other TIM offerings so I guess stick w/ what you has

Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 570X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-7600K (3.8GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z270X-Ultra Gaming: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
1st Hard Disk
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 3.5" SSHD - UP TO 5X FASTER THAN HDD!
M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 960 EVO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3200MB/R, 1900MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
What you had before
LED Lighting
2x 50cm RGB LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
This is top of the line ALC1220 on MoBo
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 16 to 18 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,365.00 including VAT and delivery

I'm a bit wary of going for an SSHD as I've been told they're really bad for gaming as they only really boost boot times, also, not to mention, I can't put ANY of my games on the SSD element because you have no control what so ever of the SSD part of the drive, making the SSD virtually worthless. Price isn't really an issue as I'm likely going to be doing it on a finance as I'm looking at buying a motorcycle and between the two, I'd rather finance a PC. <moderator edited for language>

 

[JackNaylorPE]

I'm not going to say listen to me not them ... but what I will do is give you data to make your own decision. I have also seen posts claiming that they are unreliable but of course, neither of the claims has ever been supported by any published references or data. We have not installed a HD in over 7 years.... no failures to date. But as anecdotal evidence is not statistically relevant, you should base your decison on actual published data.

Performance - PCMark 7 Gaming Test
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/hdd-charts-2013/-17-PCMark-7-Gaming,2915.html

Seagate Desktop SSHD (7,200 rpm) - 9.76 Mb/s
Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 HD (7200 rpm) - 6.56
Western Digital Caviar Black HD (7200 rpm) - 6.34
Western Digital Caviar Blue HD (7200 rpm) - 4.01

That's a 54% advantage over the WD Black ... in gaming

2. Warranty - Both WD Black and SSHD are 5 years ... WD Blue is 2 years

3. Reliability ... I'm happy with anything under 2%

http://www.hardware.fr/articles/954-6/disques-durs.html

0,45% WD Black WD2003FZEX
0,43% Seagate Desktop SSHD ST2000DX001

Out test box, the one I am typing from has (2) Samsung pro 250 GB SSDs, (2) Seagate 2 TB SSHDs and (1) 7200 rpm HD. The game I play most regularly is useful for testing purposes as it is "self contained", that is all files exist in the game directory, no files elsewhere and no registry entries.

I can simply copy paste it on any drive or any PC and it plays. Time till I can move toon:

SSD = 47 seconds
SSHD = 47 seconds
HD = 47 seconds

Not that the loading of necessary game files was the same but it didn't matter as the server handshaking is the obvious bottleneck. I played Witcher 3 twice at the same time with different character builds and gear... Had one install under one user name on SSD and a second on SSD...I didn't time it, but was no **discernable** difference.

 

[Yeldur]

I'm not going to say listen to me not them ... but what I will do is give you data to make your own decision. I have also seen posts claiming that they are unreliable but of course, neither of the claims has ever been supported by any published references or data. We have not installed a HD in over 7 years.... no failures to date. But as anecdotal evidence is not statistically relevant, you should base your decison on actual published data.

Performance - PCMark 7 Gaming Test
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/hdd-charts-2013/-17-PCMark-7-Gaming,2915.html

Seagate Desktop SSHD (7,200 rpm) - 9.76 Mb/s
Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 HD (7200 rpm) - 6.56
Western Digital Caviar Black HD (7200 rpm) - 6.34
Western Digital Caviar Blue HD (7200 rpm) - 4.01

That's a 54% advantage over the WD Black ... in gaming

2. Warranty - Both WD Black and SSHD are 5 years ... WD Blue is 2 years

3. Reliability ... I'm happy with anything under 2%

http://www.hardware.fr/articles/954-6/disques-durs.html

0,45% WD Black WD2003FZEX
0,43% Seagate Desktop SSHD ST2000DX001

Out test box, the one I am typing from has (2) Samsung pro 250 GB SSDs, (2) Seagate 2 TB SSHDs and (1) 7200 rpm HD. The game I play most regularly is useful for testing purposes as it is "self contained", that is all files exist in the game directory, no files elsewhere and no registry entries.

I can simply copy paste it on any drive or any PC and it plays. Time till I can move toon:

SSD = 47 seconds
SSHD = 47 seconds
HD = 47 seconds

Not that the loading of necessary game files was the same but it didn't matter as the server handshaking is the obvious bottleneck. I played Witcher 3 twice at the same time with different character builds and gear... Had one install under one user name on SSD and a second on SSD...I didn't time it, but was no **discernable** difference.

The problem is that you're comparing an SSHD to a HDD, not an SSHD to an SSD, as statistical it may be, it's not testing on the conditions I'd be applying it to, which is an SSHD vs an SSD.

Compare a HDD to an SSD, the load times will be different; favouring the SSD yes? Now replace the HDD with an SSHD, the difference should technically still favour the SSD due to the fact that I have the ability to choose what goes on that SSD, whereas with an SSHD you have no control whatsoever of the Solid State element. I would want that control, and don't worry about telling me anything, I appreciate your feedback regardless, I'm not going to blindly follow a friend just because he tells me something, was just pointing out what he'd said to me.

The SSHD will be better than the HDD, so, by that logic, the logical decision to make would be to have an SSHD AND a SSD, at least from the research I've done.

(Wow haha, was doing a bit of my own research and I just realised that you are the source of my research)

SSD boots Win 7 in 15.6 secs
SSHD boots Win 7 in 16.5 secs
HD boots Win 7 in 21.2 secs


Here's THGs test results in gaming

SSHD = 9.76 MB/s
WD Black = 6.34 MB/s


The best approach in my experience is an SSD (OS, apps) + SSHD (games / data) .... but failing that I'm quite happy with single drive SSHDs...all of our laptops have had SSHDs. Thisworks extremely well.... there is no "guessing" going on., As you can see by THGs gaming benchmarks they kick tail being 50+% faster than any same speed HD. They simply monitor what you do and respond accordingly....If you are playing FC3, it will move FC3s files to the SSD.... stop playing FC3 and start FC4 and after a few loads, FC3 is gone and FC4 is all over the SSHD portion.

The one thing to keep in mind is that I'm not looking for a budget system, as this is likely going to be done on finance, obviously I don't want to buy like a £3k system but I do have money that I can splash around, as I don't have a lot of monthly outgoings at the present time.

Perhaps the smart decision to make would be to get it with just the 1TB SSD in, put my current 1TB HDD in when it arrives and buy a SSHD which I can then use in the computer instead of the HDD.