It's that time again. Building a new gaming PC.

[Kusimeka]

Hey guys. I haven't been around the forum for a while now, i quit hardcore gaming and hardware for Uni and bought a laptop for casual games. I recently broke up with my girlfriend, and I'm now finding myself with a lot more free time than i used too. I started playing a lot more games, but I'm finding it hard to run them at anything other than low. So i thought, why not treat myself to a brand new gaming PC?

So I've been out of the PC hardware loop for a while, so i need some advice. I have a budget of around £800, don't mind going a little higher but that doesn't mean i want to buy the absolute best just cause i can, i want a good deal and to save as much money as possible. So i done a little research, but with so many different kinds of i7's etc i got quite confused.

So basically to sum it up, i need to be pushed in the right direction with what to get. Is there any new hardware coming out soon that i should wait for? Or should i just build it ASAP? I was looking at a GTX 680, so i'd like some good parts to go with it. With so many i7's out there i have no idea which one to get, same goes for motherboard and memory. Also some suggestions on a case would be great.

GPU - GTX 760 Super Clocked
SSD - samsung 840pro
CPU - i5-4670K or Intel Core i7 4770K (undecided)
PSU - Corsair Gaming Series 2013 Edition, 800 Watt.
RAM - G-Skill 8GB Ripjaws X DDR3 2133MHZ
Motherboard - ASRock Z87 EXTREME4 Motherboard
Case - NZXT Phantom 410

Thanks for reading

 

[Vilius]

You can look at the post I made you might find something there
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=189976

 

[Hood]

The i5-4670K seems to be the new gamer's choice, like the 3570K before it. PSU - anything by Seasonic, Antec, Corsair, XFX, Enermax, EVGA, and a few others. Many will say 500-600 watts is enough for any single-GPU system, but I like more headroom (I have 8 drives, 10 fans, etc.). RAM - ongoing debate about ideal amount & speed for gaming - at least 8 GB, at least 1600 MHz (I have 2x4GB 2400MHz), two sticks for dual channel, stay with top brand names. MOTHERBOARD - the latest trend is ROG/gamer boards priced for the masses - I like the Asus Maximus VI Hero for $210.
CASE - I like Corsair and NZXT

 

[freaksavior]

The i5-4670K seems to be the new gamer's choice, like the 3570K before it. PSU - anything by Seasonic, Antec, Corsair, XFX, Enermax, EVGA, and a few others. Many will say 500-600 watts is enough for any single-GPU system, but I like more headroom (I have 8 drives, 10 fans, etc.). RAM - ongoing debate about ideal amount & speed for gaming - at least 8 GB, at least 1600 MHz (I have 2x4GB 2400MHz), two sticks for dual channel, stay with top brand names. MOTHERBOARD - the latest trend is ROG/gamer boards priced for the masses - I like the Asus Maximus VI Hero for $210.
CASE - I like Corsair and NZXT

Brand names for ram are silly. If you want to pay top dollar for overclocking head room sure, but there is no reason to spend extra unless you just want it.

The wintec are samsung ram chips which do 2400 ish ask cdawall. I just bought the Mushkin 16GB kit and have it running at 2200 now, that was $120 but I need to see what chips are on it.

PSU I can agree with, any modern PSU is going to be fine. Don't skimp this. Here is a great guide from tomshardware
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/power-supply-oem-manufacturer,2913.html

CPU the i5 is great for gaming, i7 if you are virtualizing.

Motherboard, if you go with the z87 platform the Gigabyte and Asus are great options. I personally like this one the best because of the audio chip: GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 5 LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA ... but if you don't want to pay that much, GIGABYTE GA-Z87X-OC LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6... and the ud4h are pretty nice. MSI's gaming board is also pretty appealing.

 

[shovenose]

For power supplies, Seasonic hands down is the best.
For motherboards, I am an MSI fanboy. You'll want Z87 chipset.
I love my i7-4770K. But for games, an i5-4670K will be plenty.
For video cards, you should consider the GTX770. I don't feel that getting a previous gen card is smart when you're building a new gaming PC, even though the value might be slightly better.
Regarding cases lately I've found Silverstone and Fractal Design to be two manufacturers that make mostly good looking cases at prices higher than the $15 generic junk but lower than some of the overpriced Antec and Corsair stuff, neither of which is (in my opinion) particularly good value.
For RAM I'd stick to Crucial or Mushkin. G.Skill and Team are also alright. Avoid Corsair (yes, I hate Corsair).

 

[hat]

Haha, you've got the same chip I have, running at the same speed. Same RAM too, although a little faster.

I say for now just chuck in a better video card. Throw in a GTX 770 and call it a day. I see you were considering an SSD as well. That's also a good idea. Just get a small one, like a 128GB or even a 64GB, just to install the OS and programs on. Shove a 1TB WDC Black in there (make sure it has 64MB cache) for games and everything else.

 

[shovenose]

Haha, you've got the same chip I have, running at the same speed. Same RAM too, although a little faster.

I say for now just chuck in a better video card. Throw in a GTX 770 and call it a day. I see you were considering an SSD as well. That's also a good idea. Just get a small one, like a 128GB or even a 64GB, just to install the OS and programs on. Shove a 1TB WDC Black in there (make sure it has 64MB cache) for games and everything else.

This one is a better value for the money, has 64MB cache, and is quieter and cooler:
Western Digital WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB...

Trust me, I have both.

 

[micropage7]

umm how much your budget so its easier for anyone who wanna help

 

[SaltyFish]

So basically to sum it up, i need to be pushed in the right direction with what to get. Is there any new hardware coming out soon that i should wait for? Or should i just build it ASAP? I was looking at a GTX 680, so i'd like some good parts to go with it. With so many i7's out there i have no idea which one to get, same goes for motherboard and memory. Also some suggestions on a case would be great.

The only new major hardware due out soon is DDR4 RAM. That will be available whenever Intel decides to release Haswell-E since DDR4 RAM is just sitting and waiting for something that can use it. Best guess is about a year from now.

For PSU, Seasonic Platinum PSUs have been a safe bet and the standard for other PSUs to measure up to. Corsair's AXi line is also good due to that fancy digital power regulation. Something like the AX760i would go well.

The case depends on the size of your motherboard, your available space, and personal aesthetics. Do you like a simple muted design? Or do you prefer a case with a side window and LEDs?

umm how much your budget so its easier for anyone who wanna help

Read the first post again; it's ~£800.

 

[Kusimeka]

Thanks guys for all the posts. been really helpful. I'm going to go with the GTX770 instead.

for CPU, the i7-4770K is a £80 difference between i5- 4670K, which i don't mind paying if the performance is notable. How much difference in performance are these two? Worth the extra £80?

Also regarding PSU, considering you guys have a rough idea of the parts i'll be getting, how big of a PSU will i need? 750? 1000?

I decided to go with this case http://www.scan.co.uk/products/nzxt...mid-tower-2x120mm-1x140mm-with-window-w-o-psu

 

[EarthDog]

Little performance difference in gaming between the two CPUs...

So long as you are using one GPU, a QUALITY 550W PSU will be plenty. If you want SLI headroom, a QUALITY 750W model will be fine.

 

[Fourstaff]

Thanks guys for all the posts. been really helpful. I'm going to go with the GTX770 instead.

for CPU, the i7-4770K is a £80 difference between i5- 4670K, which i don't mind paying if the performance is notable. How much difference in performance are these two? Worth the extra £80?

Also regarding PSU, considering you guys have a rough idea of the parts i'll be getting, how big of a PSU will i need? 750? 1000?

I decided to go with this case http://www.scan.co.uk/products/nzxt...mid-tower-2x120mm-1x140mm-with-window-w-o-psu

I wouldn't pay extra for the 4770K, you wouldn't notice much difference between the two for gaming. That said, 4770K appears to clock slightly better than 4670K, and helps a lot of your work is heavily multithreaded.

As for PSU, 600w is plenty, even with heavy clocking on both the 770 and 4x70K. You might want to consider 800w if you are going to SLi your 770 in the (far) future.

Case is good, I have the same one (orange+black). Few minor complaints: PSU can only be mounted one way round instead of two as suggested by the mounting holes. Also, everything is just enough/just not enough, and assembly can be slightly annoying. Other than that, I would not hesitate to recommend the case to anyone at the £80-100 segment.

 

[freaksavior]

As I said, gaming = i5. Virtualization = i7. That's really the only reason I see going for the i7, that and you want it.

Fourstaff is also right though, the i7 will help with a lot of multitasking. Look at some comparison benchmarks, the i5 and i7 are almost identical in gaming.

 

[Kusimeka]

Okay i'm in the finalising stages of my build.

For ram and PSU are these okay?

PSU - Corsair CX 750W PSU - 80plus Bronze Certified | Eb...

RAM - Crucial 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600Mhz Ballistix Sport.....

i saw this PSU linked earlier - Corsair Professional Digital AX760i Fully Modular ...

But its a lot more expensive (double the price) i don't want to cheap out on the PSU but is it really worth double the price?

 

[Fourstaff]

CX750 is more than enough. No need digital. Consider 600w instead if you are not running SLI (even if you are planning, CX750 doesn't have 4 PCIE power connectors)

http://www.amazon.co_uk/dp/B009RMP44O/?tag=tec053-21

 

[Kusimeka]

CX750 is more than enough. No need digital. Consider 600w instead if you are not running SLI (even if you are planning, CX750 doesn't have 4 PCIE power connectors)

http://www.amazon.co_uk/dp/B009RMP44O/?tag=tec053-21

Thanks a lot. I plan to overclock CPU to 4.5ghz etc, 600w will still be enough?

 

[Fourstaff]

Thanks a lot. I plan to overclock CPU to 4.5ghz etc, 600w will still be enough?

IIRC its 250w at 5Ghz, maybe more (say 300w). That still leaves you with 300w for the 770, plenty for a healthy overclock. Numbers quoted are the worst, so in normal use you will be drawing much less than that. I ran my 3570K at 4Ghz + stock 660Ti using 500w without problems for reference.

 

[EarthDog]

A quality 550w is PLENTY for that setup... So is a 500w. 600w is just spending more money than one needs to IMO.

 

[Dent1]

for CPU, the i7-4770K is a £80 difference between i5- 4670K, which i don't mind paying if the performance is notable. How much difference in performance are these two? Worth the extra £80?
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RAM - Crucial 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600Mhz Ballistix Sport.....

I agree with the others about the CPU. Not sure it's worth the extra £80. You'd be better of putting the £80 saving on a better GPU.

If your mind is made up on the GPU, I would advise removing those £60 RAM sticks and putting in the 16GB Modules below. It's only £40 more for double capacity. You've already saved £80 on the CPU so you're still £40 up.

Corsair XMS3, 16GB kit (2x8GB) DDR3 1600MHz Unbuff...

I always turn off virtual memory within windows and I'm surprised how many games today are using 60% of my physical memory!



Edit:

Do you have a OS sorted? You're going to need to move away from XP.

 

[EarthDog]

He needs 16gb of ram like he needs a 1kw psu.

 

[Kusimeka]

Yeah I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the i5- 4670K. i barely run into problems multitasking now on a much older CPU. I do have an OS sorted, already got windows 7 home. (I'm assuming i can use it on 2 computers? would be stupid if i had to buy it again) and windows 8 isn't very good right?

He needs 16gb of ram like he needs a 1kw psu.

i'm guessing you don't think i need 16gb ram then

 

[Fourstaff]

He needs 16gb of ram like he needs a 1kw psu.

http://www.amazon.co_uk/dp/B0066135B8/?tag=tec053-21

For this price, I will take 16 Gb

 

[Dent1]

http://www.amazon.co_uk/dp/B0066135B8/?tag=tec053-21

For this price, I will take 16 Gb

That's a very good deal. Only off-putting part is "Usually dispatched within 1 to 2 months" I wouldn't risk it lol. I did that once on Amazon for a pair of speakers after a few weeks they cancelled the order.

I do have an OS sorted, already got windows 7 home. (I'm assuming i can use it on 2 computers? would be stupid if i had to buy it again) and windows 8 isn't very good right?

Windows 8 is decent. Have you got Windows 7 Home Basic or Home Premium? You need a x64 OS.

He needs 16gb of ram like he needs a 1kw psu.

At the upgrade price it's worth it. Its £40 extra on a £800 budget. It's a drop in the bucket. Playing GTA IV and Crysis 2 at only 1440x900 with no virtual memory and was exceeding almost 6GB In physical memory these are not even the newest games and at the heels of 8GB already.

BTW what ever happened to 12GB kits and Triple channel memory? Maybe that would have been the happy medium.

 

[Fourstaff]

That's a very good deal. Only off-putting part is "Usually dispatched within 1 to 2 months" I wouldn't risk it lol. I did that once on Amazon for a pair of speakers after a few weeks they cancelled the order.

Usually happens, but from my experience they will not take money until its ready for shipping. If OP is not in a rush this can be profitable.

 

[Kusimeka]

http://www.amazon.co_uk/dp/B0066135B8/?tag=tec053-21

For this price, I will take 16 Gb

That is an amazing deal. When i looked in the description though it says they are running at 1333mhz even though the title states 1600mhz. Bit confusing?

Edit: I have windows home premium. The 64-bit version.