New PC Build

Eoghan S · 27-07-2014 8:14pm #1

Hey
So a friend of mine has recently become interested in building his own PC after using on he bought off adverts last year, and basically he wants an upgrade.
He is very interested in flashy cases, and I got a build together for him, but I wouldn't be the best for this kind of thing, so if you could send me/him in the right direction, that would be great.

1. What is your budget? €800-900
2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? Gaming- Farcry 3, Skyrim, League of Legends, DayZ, among others.
3. Do you need a copy of Windows? Yes
4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? No
5. Do you need a monitor? No
5a. If yes, what size do you need. /
5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? 1920x1080
6. Do you need any of these peripherals? No
7. Are you willing to try overclocking? Why not
8. How can you pay? Any way, preferably by card for less hassle
9. When are you purchasing? Mid-Late August
10. If you need help building it, where are you based? Based in Wicklow, but should be fine.

This is what I found for him. He also wants a DVD drive, LCD fan controller, and SD card reader.
I found pretty much this same build on a thread here, I had a few other builds for him too.
I chose the R9 280x as he's very interested in Sli/Crossfire, just for when his rig gets outdated. I'm not too sure about it anymore... (And I realise the mobo doesnt support that)
He's also pretty hesitant about the i7, as it's not cheap.
This is before Geizhals discounts too! (Script isn't working...)

Intel Core i7-4790 in-a-Box
ready for dispatch
266,46 €

Article No. HV1150USDE
ASUS H97-PRO, Sockel 1150, ATX
ready for dispatch (only 1 article)
98,69 €

Article No. HV20MI61DE
8GB-Kit Crucial Ballistix Sport XT Series DDR3-1600, CL9
ready for dispatch from 2014-07-29
66,45 €

Article No. HVR601SBDE
be quiet! SYSTEM POWER 7 600W - bulk -
ready for dispatch
68,36 €

Article No. HV13W1CBDE
WD Blue 1TB 6Gb's
ready for dispatch
49,81 €

Article No. HV1038MSDE
MSI R9 280X GAMING 3G, AMD Radeon R9 280X, 3GB DDR5
ready for dispatch from 2014-07-29
246,47 €

Article No. HV12SEV2DE
Samsung SSD 840 EVO Basic 250GB SATA 6Gb/s
ready for dispatch
104,99 €

Article No. HV203A45DE
Aerocool Xpredator X3 White Edition
ready for dispatch
86,72 €

Total= €987.95

This is also a good bit over his budget.
Hopefully you can help us.
Thanks

Eoghan S · 28-07-2014 11:44pm

He's decided to drop the i7 as it's too costly.
Any good alternatives?

DaDerv · 29-07-2014 12:06am

Wouldn't be too knowledgeable on the subject but I'm currently building myself and its fairly similar. If hes willing to overclock the i5 4670k could knock a bit off the budget and improve gaming. Core i7 aren't utilised in gameplay as of yet, the hyper threading would help for video rendering or photo editing if hes into that. Reddit Software Swap is where I'm purchasing my copy of Windows. Saves a lot for the budget, and after a nice bit of research it seems legit. I could regret saying that but have a look yourself! That's about all I can say really. Probably cheaper cases too if hes not bothered by the aesthetics of it all! And Geizhals will obviously drop a few Euro.

crazydom · 31-07-2014 10:33am

Send me a PM, I just built a new silent rig with nice noctua fans!

Eoghan S · 04-08-2014 3:34pm

Hi
He's going to get Windows 7 off reddit, but he's not too sure about overclocking. He understands it means increased performance, but he wants Sli/ Crossfire at the same time, and having both will probably be costly.
I'm finding it difficult choosing a mobo that suits Crossfire and Overclocking.

Also, an update on the budget: He's decided to keep a few things he was going to sell, so the budget has dropped to 800. He can push a bit above, but not much.

So far, and i5 4670k is in the basket, along with an MSI R9 280x.
Actually, here's the basket.

Total:
953,78 €
Article No. HV20Y45KDE
Intel Core i5-4670K Box, LGA1150
ready for dispatch
203,76 €

Article No. HV1138MKDE
MSI Z87 MPOWER SP, ATX, Sockel 1150
ready for dispatch
154,34 €

Article No. HV20CD64DE
8GB-Kit Corsair Vengeance grün PC3-12800U CL9-9-9-24
ready for dispatch (only 1 article)
82,27 €

Article No. HV13W1CBDE
WD Blue 1TB 6Gb's
ready for dispatch
49,81 €

Article No. HV12SSD2DE
SanDisk SSD 128GB S-ATA 600
ready for dispatch from 2014-08-05
54,56 €

Article No. HV203A45DE
Aerocool Xpredator X3 White Edition
Delivery date unknown
86,52 €

Article No. HV30CM35DE
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - Intel/AMD
Delivery date unknown
29,55 €

29,55 €
Article No. HV30CM53DE
Akasa Viper PWM Lüfter, gelb - 120mmm
ready for dispatch
11,99 €

Article No. HV30CS48DE
Corsair Air Series AF120 LED Blue Quiet Edition
ready for dispatch
10,74 €

Article No. HV1038MSDE
MSI R9 280X GAMING 3G, AMD Radeon R9 280X, 3GB DDR5
ready for dispatch
247,51 €

Ignore that motherboard, I was simply looking at a potential Crossfire compatible mobo, that's in yellow. He is quite into colour schemes. I think at the moment he wants a white case, with yellow fans, mobo, and RAM, with either white or blue LEDs. It will look nice, but I don't know how much he can fit into the budget

EDIT: Just noticed that's missing a PSU, it's more of a random basket, ignore most of it!

crazydom, post your build on the thread! I'm sure others will want to hear about it too...

Thanks for the help

Eoghan S · 05-08-2014 1:33pm

What does everyone think of the AMD Fx8350?
Cheaper alternative to the i5 4670k?

I see it's a bit blurry...
- Thermaltake Paris 650W
- WD Blue 1Tb 6Gb's
- Aerocool Xpredator X3 White
- Samsung SSD 840 EVO 120GB
- MSI R9 280x
- Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
- AMD FX-8350
- MSI 970 Gaming
- 8GB G.Skill RipJaws-X

Eoghan S · 06-08-2014 8:06pm

Any help? A good build or no?
Changed out the Samsung SSD for a Crucial one

SterlingArcher · 06-08-2014 8:11pm

Ok you need to start back at the beginning.

Eoghan S · 06-08-2014 8:33pm

The build at the beginning worked out far too costly for him. I swapped the i7 for the i5, then decided to go the AMD route, as he's interested in overclocking. I understand the i5 is also overclockable, but would the 8 cores not be better?

He is very interested in SLI, and is set on the MSI R9 280x...
Just to be clear, I've just gathered info on these parts from reading threads, and from sites online. I have no real life experience, so I could well be choosing only alright parts for him.

Thanks

Eoghan S · 08-08-2014 9:07pm

SterlingArcher · 08-08-2014 11:53pm

Might be able to help you out tomorrow will do up a build. See what's what.

SterlingArcher · 08-08-2014 11:55pm

Might be able to help you out tomorrow will do up a build. See what's what.

Eoghan S · 09-08-2014 11:51am

Looking forward to it!
Will be buying at the end of this month...

Dowl88 · 09-08-2014 2:48pm

I would be going for something like the below with your budget. Xeon is an i7 without the integrated graphics and overclocking capabilities.
R9 290 is a beast of a card.

Article No. HV20XE33DE
Intel Xeon E3-1230v3 Bx, LGA1150
ready for dispatch
221,53 €

221,53 €
Article No. HV1135REDE
ASRock H87 Pro4, Sockel 1150, ATX
ready for dispatch
67,19 €

67,19 €
Article No. HV20MI48DE
8GB-Kit Crucial Ballistix Sport Series DDR3-1600, CL9
ready for dispatch
67,51 €

67,51 €
Article No. HVR601CXDE
Corsair CX Series Modular CX600M, 600W
Delivery date unknown
64,90 €

64,90 €
Article No. HV12SEV1DE
Samsung SSD 840 EVO Basic 120GB SATA 6Gb/s
ready for dispatch
62,99 €

62,99 €
Article No. HV13W1CBDE
WD Blue 1TB 6Gb's
ready for dispatch
49,81 €

49,81 €
Article No. HV203O09DE
Corsair Carbide Series 300R, ATX, ohne Netzteil
ready for dispatch
67,91 €

67,91 €
Article No. HV1032IJDE
Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 OC Windforce 3, 4GB DDR5, PCI-Express
ready for dispatch
365,03 €

365,03 €

Eoghan S · 09-08-2014 5:17pm

Thanks for the build.
However, is the Xeon not overclockable much? Then what's the point in getting that over, for example, and i5 4670k.
Any advantage for the H87 Pro4 board? What makes it good?
Also, he can't Crossfire the R9 290, which is one of the main reasons he chose the 280x...
I don't think he'll be running dual monitors either, so the 290 would probably be overkill for current gen, right?
Thanks for the build anyway, I'll pass it on

Dowl88 · 09-08-2014 6:10pm

No not overclockable but it has hyperthreading which games are starting to use. R9 290 can run in crossfire but you will need a 850w power supply which are dear enough as they are very power hungry. A 700w woukd be fine for the 280x

Eoghan S · 11-08-2014 1:15am

Sorry for the late reply.
Just adding up the price of that build, it would be a good bit out of his budget, totalling in at roughly 1K with windows.
As I said, he's interested in overclocking. I doubt that CPU would be for him really.
Would the AMD Fx-8350 be regarded a "good" processor? You see he kind of wants to go the AMD route, as he regards Intel as overpriced. That just pretty much means as it's out of his budget, he's not interested!
Not trying to poke holes in your build, I'm grateful for it, but stretching the extra 100 is a no-go really.
Also, he really, really loves the white case I posted earlier

Dowl88 · 11-08-2014 1:49am

Yea its a very good processor, can drop to the 8320 processir as it overclocks very similar levels to the 8350. Basically no difference between AMD and INTEL in games.

Eoghan S · 12-08-2014 8:59pm

So do you think he should go with an 8320, with an MSI 970 gaming mobo, and would he get a decent overclock with that?
Or
Would he be better off spending a bit more, and getting an i5 4670k with an MSI Z87 gaming mobo?

He might actually be able to go for a R9 290 with the AMD route, but I'm guessing the OC won't be great in comparison with the i5 build.
It'd be an R9 280x with the i5 build.....

SterlingArcher · 13-08-2014 9:08am

Eoghan S wrote: »

So do you think he should go with an 8320, with an MSI 970 gaming mobo, and would he get a decent overclock with that?
Or
Would he be better off spending a bit more, and getting an i5 4670k with an MSI Z87 gaming mobo?

He might actually be able to go for a R9 290 with the AMD route, but I'm guessing the OC won't be great in comparison with the i5 build.
It'd be an R9 280x with the i5 build.....

Have you considered the reddit route? Pick up windows for 15 Euro. Legit. A lot of people have done it on the forum.

Eoghan S · 13-08-2014 12:16pm

SterlingArcher wrote: »

Have you considered the reddit route? Pick up windows for 15 Euro. Legit. A lot of people have done it on the forum.

He's getting Windows from reddit alright, can't decide between Windows 7 or 8.1 though.
He wants the simplicity of 7, with the speed of 8.1 :P

What do you think? AMD or Intel?
|
|

Eoghan S wrote: »

So do you think he should go with an 8320, with an MSI 970 gaming mobo, and would he get a decent overclock with that?
Or
Would he be better off spending a bit more, and getting an i5 4670k with an MSI Z87 gaming mobo?

He might actually be able to go for a R9 290 with the AMD route, but I'm guessing the OC won't be great in comparison with the i5 build.
It'd be an R9 280x with the i5 build.....

vibe666 · 13-08-2014 12:46pm

lots of people (including me) are finding that crossfire works better on windows 8 than it did on windows 7 and Windows 8 in general performs better than Win7 so I'd go the Win8 route personally.

also, no issues with crossfire on an R9 290 (i'm using it myself right now), the only difference between the 290's (and 290X) and the 280 & 270 models is that there's no crossfire bridge on them, so (afaik) you'll need to make sure the motherboard you get has two 16x PCI-e 3.0 sockets for them both to be able to communicate with each other to perform 100% in crossfire mode.

Eoghan S · 13-08-2014 3:49pm

vibe666 wrote: »

lots of people (including me) are finding that crossfire works better on windows 8 than it did on windows 7 and Windows 8 in general performs better than Win7 so I'd go the Win8 route personally.

also, no issues with crossfire on an R9 290 (i'm using it myself right now), the only difference between the 290's (and 290X) and the 280 & 270 models is that there's no crossfire bridge on them, so (afaik) you'll need to make sure the motherboard you get has two 16x PCI-e 3.0 sockets for them both to be able to communicate with each other to perform 100% in crossfire mode.

Yeah I did hear something along those lines with Win8. Think I'll be able to influence his decision.
The only problem is that he's so used to 7.

I think for now, he would prefer to stay with the R9 280x in that case.
I discovered a site called mindfactory.de, it seems to be cheaper than hwvs in a few things, then a little bit more expensive in others (eg: mobo)
I'll see if he can get a bit of extra cash, and try to push a build like this:

WD Blue 1TB 6Gb's

Aerocool Xpredator X3 White Edition

MSI R9 280X GAMING 3G, AMD Radeon R9 280X, 3GB DDR5

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - Intel/AMD

8GB HyperX FURY Red 1866MHz DDR3 CL10

MSI Z97 GAMING 5 , Sockel 1150, ATX

Crucial MX100 SSD 128GB (2,5", 7mm)

Intel Core i5-4690K Box, LGA1150

Corsair CX Series Modular CX750M, 750W

I'm thinking the mobo might end up a bit too expensive (it's ~120eur)
Is there any point in getting that as opposed to the Z87?
Why did I pick that board?
He's looking for a red/black colour scheme with the white case, it supports Crossfire, and it seem to be a pretty damn decent motherboard.
Advise is probably needed for a good mobo, I do like the MSI "Gaming" series though

Eoghan S · 17-08-2014 1:13am

So the latest build is:

MSI R9 280X GAMING 3G mit MANTLE und Gaming Evolved Client, 3GB DDR5
WD Blue 1TB 6Gb's
Aerocool Xpredator X3 White Edition
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - Intel/AMD
8GB HyperX FURY Red 1866MHz DDR3 CL10
MSI Z97 GAMING 5 , Sockel 1150, ATX
Crucial MX100 SSD 128GB (2,5", 7mm)
Intel Core i5-4690K Box, LGA1150
Corsair CX Series Modular CX750M, 750W

Total is 922.42, including geizhals discounts.
What does everyone think of this build?
Thanks

vibe666 · 17-08-2014 7:56pm

Windows 8 plus the classic start menu is essentially Windows 7 anyway, so that shouldn't be an issue, without metro it's really not all that different.

Eoghan S · 21-08-2014 7:21pm

Windows 8.1 will be bought off reddit in the next few days, with the parts ordered after that.

The build looked lovely, but harwareversand are messing with the pricing on a load of items, and it shot up by 50 quid in one day

That means changing some items around. Also, he's decided on an R9 290 for future proofing.
How is the overeclocking on the ASRock Fatal1ty H97? I hear they've added their own feature to make it able to over clock the CPU.
I'll send a screenshot of what the build will be like this evening.

Eoghan S · 22-08-2014 9:50pm

This is without Geizhals.de discounts

Eoghan S · 06-09-2014 11:22am

Alright, took longer than expected to sell his current rig, but it's going on Sunday, and he'll order everything this Wednesday coming.
He wanted to save a bit, so he decided to drop the R9 290, and go with a cheaper MSI R9 280 instead.
Eventually he will upgrade GPU, but do you think an R9 280 would run every game on max settings at 1080p?
(Games such as Farcry 3, Skyrim, GTA V, Crysis 3)

Screenshot of the build:

Would he be much better off dropping the cpu and upgrading the GPU?
He plans to overclock, and will get an aftermarket cooler later on.
The planned budget will be 850 including windows 8.1 off reddit microsoftsoftwareswap

Bepolite · 06-09-2014 1:03pm

I've the r9-290 over clocked; it handles everything I throw at it at 1440p - I suspect a 280 will be fine for 1080p - 60Hz.

BloodBath · 06-09-2014 7:48pm

A 280 won't run everything smoothly maxed out 1080p/60 fps no. Not the likes of crysis 3 for sure and I seriously doubt GTA5.

You would be better off getting a cheaper non overclockable i5 like the 4460 with a cheap board like the asrock b85-pro4 and the cheaper more efficient Corsair CS550 PSU. If this doesn't save enough you could get a cheaper case as well. There's plenty of good cases in the €50-60 price range.

Use the money saved to get the R9 290. The HIS Radeon IceQ R9 290 iPower is only €320 through geizhals although I'd go for the Club3d Royal Ace version for €9 more.

Eoghan S · 08-09-2014 10:38pm

BloodBath wrote: »

A 280 won't run everything smoothly maxed out 1080p/60 fps no. Not the likes of crysis 3 for sure and I seriously doubt GTA5.

You would be better off getting a cheaper non overclockable i5 like the 4460 with a cheap board like the asrock b85-pro4 and the cheaper more efficient Corsair CS550 PSU. If this doesn't save enough you could get a cheaper case as well. There's plenty of good cases in the €50-60 price range.

Use the money saved to get the R9 290. The HIS Radeon IceQ R9 290 iPower is only €320 through geizhals although I'd go for the Club3d Royal Ace version for €9 more.

Thanks BloodBath.
It'll be ordered on Wednesday, are they accepting PayPal with no extra fees yet?
Or will he have to stick to Visa?
Decided to drop the 4690k for the 4460, and drop the PSU to the Corasir CS550, as it saves a good bit.
That's leaves the total at 907eur, without geizhals discounts.
I'm pretty sure he just bought Windows 8.1 off reddit for $20 too (I know right, reddit prices+random sale on Windows 8.1 Pro only= happiness.) Hopefully it works out for him OK.
Thanks for the help, I'm looking forward to seeing it come together myself

Eoghan S · 12-09-2014 6:49pm

It was ordered on Wednesday, thanks to everyone for the help!
He had to get a cheaper case (specifically the Corsair Spec 03) as using PayPal has an extra charge, bringing the cost over 960eur (no thanks)
Bought for around 890 instead.

Is the Corsair CS550W PSU enough to power the full build, i5 4460, Z97, R9 290, fans, fan controller, with potential upgrades to an i5 4690k in the future (only a thought), or whatever is the newest 1150 socket Intel CPU, as well as some PCI-E potential upgrades?

Thanks guys.

BloodBath · 12-09-2014 7:25pm

Yes you'll be fine. About 350w there atm.

Bank transfer is the way to go for HWVS. 50c charge.

Eoghan S · 13-09-2014 1:06pm

BloodBath wrote: »

Yes you'll be fine. About 350w there atm.

Bank transfer is the way to go for HWVS. 50c charge.

Didn't have the time to call in to banks, and Paypal is just much easier anyway.
A cheaper case isn't really much of a sacrifice anyway!

On another note the key from reddit for Win.8.1 still hasn't arrived, with no reply from the seller.....
Should a dispute be filed, it's only been 5 days, but no replies or any word yet.
He really needs the key for when the parts arrive.....

Eoghan S · 20-09-2014 12:48am

The psu is after going out of stock, and they emailed us about it yesterday. Not sure whther it's worth it to wait yet another week for it to just be in stock.....
Any other alternatives (preferably modular)
Thanks

TerrorFirmer · 20-09-2014 2:55am

Definitely second bloodbath's advice of going for a lower i5 and stronger GPU.

Any decent quality PSU of 450-500w will suffice for that build even with the 290.

This would be fine.

Eoghan S · 21-09-2014 1:07am

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

Definitely second bloodbath's advice of going for a lower i5 and stronger GPU.

Any decent quality PSU of 450-500w will suffice for that build even with the 290.

This would be fine.

Already ordered the lot, nearly 2 weeks ago now, but I took the advice of bloodbath too.
Would really rather a modular one.... Hmmm choices!
Super Flower Golden Green non modular (Gold) 550w
Or
Seasonic M12ii modular (Bronze) 550W

Is modular really worth it, or should I go with the gold one?
See I spent 67eur on the Corsair CS, and can't be bothered waiting another week just for the part to come in stock. So anything at that price bracket will be perfect.

New PC Build

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