Xmas early this year? 1000eu for pew pew pc.

ShadowHearth

Long story short. I was planing on buying a house, but deal felt through ( second time now ), so me and misses are exhausted and annoyed from all " buying a house " experience and taking a break till spring. good news for me as i can heal my wounds with new PC :P.

So i will stop annoying you and ask you to help me out on this one.

1. What is your budget?
unfortunatly 1000eu is max i can go, if i still want to "enjoy" misses shadowhearth

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer?
Gaming, but it will have to have a good bit of ram, as i have 2 monitors and like to have video, browsers and all other crap on second screen while playing.

3. Do you need a copy of Windows?
Nope
4. Can you use any parts from an old computer?
I want a fresh biuld, i will keep my old pc for bedroom gaming.
5. Do you need a monitor?
No. i got 2 of them.


5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future?
1920x1080/1650x1080. i am fine with this for now.

6. Do you need any of these peripherals?
card reader( but not pushed for it, always can buy it later)

7. Are you willing to try overclocking?
Yes

8. How can you pay?
Credit card, paypal

9. When are you purchasing?
Depends how good biuld is and how happy i am with setup. time wise planing to put down order next week.

Note: to make it simple - i need replacement for my good and trusted dell xps 420 q6600+6870. I got 2 monitors,5.1 speakers, mouse, keyboard,windows etc. i just need a gaming tower worth 1k eu. If possible with goodish PSU and CASE to future proof it. I REALLY dont want to use that german site. preferably something UKish where i could pay with VISA, not bank transfers etc.

thank you!

Shy_Dave!

I'm sure it'll be said but if you have a decent hard drive already then maybe keep it.
The prices of hard drives have trebled since Thailand flooded and production has slowed.
Then use the money you save on an SSD

ShadowHearth

Shy_Dave! wrote: »

I'm sure it'll be said but if you have a decent hard drive already then maybe keep it.
The prices of hard drives have trebled since Thailand flooded and production has slowed.
Then use the money you save on an SSD

i really dont want to break apart my little xps, it has only 2x320gb hard drives anyway. was thinking maybe getting some 500gb HDD for now, then upgrade it when they drop in price.

ShadowHearth

Jesus... no help so far, must be all in pub.

i started putting together few bits. it will be my first biuld so i just picked stuff from general knowladge. can we trim this up? i cant expect anything better then 2500k and some 6950.

nesf

Just got this case and it's lovely: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/fractal-design-define-xl-titanium-mid-tower-case-w-o-psu

Good compromise between sound proofing and cooling.

Serephucus

How's this look?

Item|Price
Total build cost: €997.20 (inc delivery €2.57)
Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) HyperX DDR3 1333MHz DIMM 240-pin CL9 Blu|€35.15
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz LGA1155 6MB|€196.58
Fractal Design Define XL Titanium Grey Tower USB 3.0|€129.92
Corsair 550W Enthusiast Series TX550 Modular Power Supply|€80.22
Asus GeForce GTX 570 742MHz 1280MB PCI-Express HDMI (DirectCU II)|€288.88
Asus P8Z68-V LX S1155 Intel Z68 DDR3 ATX|€92.61
Samsung 22x DVD-RW SATA Black|€16.16
Crucial 64GB m4 SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Solid State Drive|€98.21
Corsair Memory Cooling Hydro Series H60 High-Performance CPU Cooler|€56.90

nesf

Serephucus wrote: »

How's this look?

Becoming quite the watercooling zealot aren't we?

Serephucus

nesf wrote: »

Becoming quite the watercooling zealot aren't we?

Ah shurup. :P

In a €1,000 build, there has to be water somewhere...

nesf

Serephucus wrote: »

Ah shurup. :P

In a €1,000 build, there has to be water somewhere...

There's none in mine.


...yet.

Eamonn Brophy

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Jesus... no help so far, must be all in pub.

i started putting together few bits. it will be my first biuld so i just picked stuff from general knowladge. can we trim this up? i cant expect anything better then 2500k and some 6950.

This is bang on man, was expecting to make lots of edits.

My only nit pick would be the case. I'm actually a fan of nzxt on the whole but I really really don't like the phantom, it's very cheaply made for the price you're paying. You'd be better off going the the HAF 922 or even the nzxt beta evo IMO.

Also, if you buy a cheaper case for say £50 ish, you'll be able to bump up the card to a 570.

ShadowHearth

Serephucus wrote: »

How's this look?

Item|Price
Total build cost: €997.20 (inc delivery €2.57)
Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) HyperX DDR3 1333MHz DIMM 240-pin CL9 Blu|€35.15
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz LGA1155 6MB|€196.58
Fractal Design Define XL Titanium Grey Tower USB 3.0|€129.92
Corsair 550W Enthusiast Series TX550 Modular Power Supply|€80.22
Asus GeForce GTX 570 742MHz 1280MB PCI-Express HDMI (DirectCU II)|€288.88
Asus P8Z68-V LX S1155 Intel Z68 DDR3 ATX|€92.61
Samsung 22x DVD-RW SATA Black|€16.16
Crucial 64GB m4 SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Solid State Drive|€98.21
Corsair Memory Cooling Hydro Series H60 High-Performance CPU Cooler|€56.90

Is it me or there is no hdd in this setup? Only ssd? I like case, but psu is a bit low. Wouldn't I be better off with 6970 if I am spending 300eu on gpu?

ShadowHearth

Eamonn Brophy wrote: »

This is bang on man, was expecting to make lots of edits.

My only nit pick would be the case. I'm actually a fan of nzxt on the whole but I really really don't like the phantom, it's very cheaply made for the price you're paying. You'd be better off going the the HAF 922 or even the nzxt beta evo IMO.

Also, if you buy a cheaper case for say £50 ish, you'll be able to bump up the card to a 570.

Thanks. My first time trying to bulk up something

Anyway. Is that mobo will do with some overclocking? And which brands are better these days? I won't mind crossfire in near future too.

I checked this case a few times on YouTube and it looked prety good. I like all the trays and space inside. 3 fans and fan speed regulator looks handy. Any alternative you could find in scan for me m8?

What I linked comes up to a bit over 900eu, so i am between upgrading gpu to 6970 or small ssd.

What about the rest? Will I need some extra stuff? I don't want to get all that delivered and find out in the middle of biulding that I forgot some cable or "glue" etc.

Monotype

If you're shopping with scan, the Antec truepower new 650W is £62 which is a pretty good price.
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/650w-psu-antec-truepower-new-modular-82eff-80-plus-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx

Serephucus

The Phantom is an excellent case; most sites I've seen gave it very good reviews.

There isn't a HDD in that build I posted, I figured you could use the SSD, and pick up a couple of 250GB HDDs on Adverts for €20 instead.

The PSU actually isn't a bit low, it'll power the build fine. 750W would only be useful if you're planning on adding a second 6950.

See my sig? I was going to go for a 600W PSU, the only reason I got 700 is because it was on sale for €2 more expensive than the 600W version. You'll be fine with 550W.

54kroc

Scan also have a nice few seasonic psu's at good prices, I just picked up one from them last week and there top quality, highly recommended.

ShadowHearth

Serephucus wrote: »

The Phantom is an excellent case; most sites I've seen gave it very good reviews.

There isn't a HDD in that build I posted, I figured you could use the SSD, and pick up a couple of 250GB HDDs on Adverts for €20 instead.

The PSU actually isn't a bit low, it'll power the build fine. 750W would only be useful if you're planning on adding a second 6950.

See my sig? I was going to go for a 600W PSU, the only reason I got 700 is because it was on sale for €2 more expensive than the 600W version. You'll be fine with 550W.

i am planing on going crossfire later after few months and hopefully have eyefinity by that time too. plus 750w will keep me from annoyance of swaping psu later.

i think i will have to go with scan as i like idea of 2 day delevery and fixed date for delevery. prices there look good too.

54kroc

They do have a great selection and they use dpd who a pretty good as well.

ShadowHearth

okay lads, i tryed it again, because my last basket was gone...



it comes at 930eu, so i still got around 100eu to spend.

can anyone check it out and tell me if i missed out something or i did an error?

plus, do i spend 100eu on ssd or upgrade gpu to 6970?

i am not ATI fanboy, i just found them be best at price/performance ratio. i cant afford 580 etc.

ShadowHearth

so if i add this ssd price goes to 1014eu.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/60gb-ocz-agility-3-ssd-25-sata-6gb-s-sandforce-2281-read-525mb-s-write-475mb-s-80k-iops

so what you think lads?

Serephucus

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/64gb-crucial-realssd-m4-25-ssd-sata-iii-6gb-s-mlc-flash-read-500mb-s-write-95mb-s-new-version

I'd get that instead. The Agility 3 series, while great on specs, doesn't have a great track record when it comes to reliability.

ShadowHearth

Serephucus wrote: »

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/64gb-crucial-realssd-m4-25-ssd-sata-iii-6gb-s-mlc-flash-read-500mb-s-write-95mb-s-new-version

I'd get that instead. The Agility 3 series, while great on specs, doesn't have a great track record when it comes to reliability.

Is it? Jesus, will have to swap so. What about the rest of the biuld? I am really noob with mobos. Will any z68 let me overclock it? Will the one I choose is good?

Monotype

ShadowHearth wrote: »

sup. somehow magicly you are just going around my thread, where i am biulding my own pc, but i hope OP wont mind if i ask you here.

the mobo you linked is cheaper and has PCIe 3.0? more support for different ram etc. would i be better off with the mobo you linked then this one?
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi-z68a-gd55-(b3)-2-x-pci-e-x16-sli-and-crossfire-x-ready-4xddr3-up-to-32gb#ProductFeatures

The cheaper board, despite having two slots, the second one only runs at x4 (PCI-E 2, I think). Given that you were thinking of two cards and you want the PCI-E 3, I recommend this one instead.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi-z68a-gd55-(g3)-pcie-30-intel-z68-s-1155-ddr3-sata-6gb-s-raid-sata-pcie-30-(x16)-vga-on-board-atx

ShadowHearth

Monotype wrote: »

The cheaper board, despite having two slots, the second one only runs at x4 (PCI-E 2, I think). Given that you were thinking of two cards and you want the PCI-E 3, I recommend this one instead.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi-z68a-gd55-(g3)-pcie-30-intel-z68-s-1155-ddr3-sata-6gb-s-raid-sata-pcie-30-(x16)-vga-on-board-atx

thank you, i checked that mobo as soon as i sow your post in other thread. updated my basket. updated the ssd too.

can you check it out and see if i am missing something or needs to be changed? if i order this, will it all play along together nicely? i took i5 2500k OEM version. Apart it not having the sink, is there anything else it will be missing? i dont need it anyway as i am going for different cooling setup anyway, am i right? do i need some extra cables or thermal paste?

heres final list.

Eamonn Brophy

ShadowHearth wrote: »

thank you, i checked that mobo as soon as i sow your post in other thread. updated my basket. updated the ssd too.

can you check it out and see if i am missing something or needs to be changed? if i order this, will it all play along together nicely? i took i5 2500k OEM version. Apart it not having the sink, is there anything else it will be missing? i dont need it anyway as i am going for different cooling setup anyway, am i right? do i need some extra cables or thermal paste?

heres final list.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsDFs4OGMTs
Link to a Phantom case review, it's what put me off originally and I've mate a mate who's bought one since and verytihng they've said here holds true. It's not a "bad" case, I think it's just way overpriced for the build quality and features.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/coolermaster-haf-912-plus-black-mid-tower-case-w-o-psu
This is much better value for what you get, has exactly everything you will need and frees up money you can spend on something else.


Put that extra £35 into picking the 570 or 6970.
Also, my advice would be to avoid Xfire or SLI, in some situations it may seem cheaper, but they're a LOT more powerhungry and suffer from driver issues and micro-stutter, many games fail to support thosee setups also and leave you with one gfx card. Though on paper it seems you get double the power, it normally actually works out to more like 1.5x the power due to many reasons. If you buy a 560ti or 6950 now and then later want to upgrade, go and buy a €300 card in say a year or two. I reccomend sticking to single GPU setups myself.

If you have a hard-drive yourself that's 500gigs or more, just use that for now. HDD prices are way crazy at the moment and you can cut more money from that and psend it elsewhere (better ram, better gpu or ssd, etc).

ShadowHearth

Eamonn Brophy wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsDFs4OGMTs
Link to a Phantom case review, it's what put me off originally and I've mate a mate who's bought one since and verytihng they've said here holds true. It's not a "bad" case, I think it's just way overpriced for the build quality and features.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/coolermaster-haf-912-plus-black-mid-tower-case-w-o-psu
This is much better value for what you get, has exactly everything you will need and frees up money you can spend on something else.


Put that extra £35 into picking the 570 or 6970.
Also, my advice would be to avoid Xfire or SLI, in some situations it may seem cheaper, but they're a LOT more powerhungry and suffer from driver issues and micro-stutter, many games fail to support thosee setups also and leave you with one gfx card. Though on paper it seems you get double the power, it normally actually works out to more like 1.5x the power due to many reasons. If you buy a 560ti or 6950 now and then later want to upgrade, go and buy a €300 card in say a year or two. I reccomend sticking to single GPU setups myself.

If you have a hard-drive yourself that's 500gigs or more, just use that for now. HDD prices are way crazy at the moment and you can cut more money from that and psend it elsewhere (better ram, better gpu or ssd, etc).

i looked at that review, and hose two lads look like proper idiots. Even the way they were handling that case... remined me of this fella:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGo8zXLg_8Y

i think i will keep the case as its huge and has extra cooling. i wont need to bother about case for ages. i am coming from xps420 which served me 5 years, so i want something more expencive now, but have it for good awile.

i am taking note on gpu part thought. i was always a single gpu fanboy, but when i was biulding this i just wanted to go out all ghetto while i can.

what if i would go with that original board that monotype linked and go for 6970? i will still have my PCIe 3.0?

i cant reuse my old hdds as my old pc will go to bedroom. media centre and gaming now and then on 42inch telly. thats why i am going with small 500gb now, when prices will drop i will go for proper one.

ShadowHearth

okay, made one more version of biuld. this one is cheaper mobo, but still with PCIe 3.0 + gtx 570



Oold setup with sli ready mobo, but worse 6950 gpu



any ideas lads?

Eamonn Brophy

It's all taste in the end man, if you're happy with the case and like it, that's what matters, go for it!

The build looks really solid, can't fault anything.

Monotype

650W would be enough for overclocking with two 6950s or one 570.

There's a G45 board as well which looks good and well priced, but it's out of stock at scan, and probably will be for a while. If you order elsewhere, it might be worth taking a look to see if it's in stock.
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi-z68a-g45-(g3)-intel-z68-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-30-(x16)-d-sub-dvi-d-hdmi-atx

ShadowHearth

Monotype wrote: »

650W would be enough for overclocking with two 6950s or one 570.

There's a G45 board as well which looks good and well priced, but it's out of stock at scan, and probably will be for a while. If you order elsewhere, it might be worth taking a look to see if it's in stock.
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi-z68a-g45-(g3)-intel-z68-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-30-(x16)-d-sub-dvi-d-hdmi-atx

650w psu is only 10£ less then 750w, for the extra peace of mind in near/far future i get something with legroom.

that mobo looks great, but out of stock since nov11.

So i got 2 biulds here now. i might go for better mobo, but i am questioning myself if i will even use sli/crossfire... so far it looks like good only if you got lots of money to spend. wheres single gpu mobo looks a bit limited, but i will get way better gpu.

i have already transfered money on visa today, so it should be properly transfered by tue/wed.

MakeNine

there's a modular version of that Corsair PSU, not sure about the price difference though. I'd prefer to have removable cables, much more convenient!

Tij da feen

If you are worried about airflow have a look at the Coolermaster HAF 932. It's a very good case and it comes from their (H)igh (A)ir (F)low range and are very good at keeping temps down. Here's a link. It's only a fiver more and the HAF also comes with bigger fans pre-installed. Of course it depends on your personal aesthetic taste.

ShadowHearth

Tij da feen wrote: »

If you are worried about airflow have a look at the Coolermaster HAF 932. It's a very good case and it comes from their (H)igh (A)ir (F)low range and are very good at keeping temps down. Here's a link. It's only a fiver more and the HAF also comes with bigger fans pre-installed. Of course it depends on your personal aesthetic taste.

It's actuolly very funny how everyone is trying to talk me out of this case

I love the minimalist of looks of nzxt, plus such design is great for keeping dust at bay. Lots of room inside and looks great for cable managment.

I know it looks cheesy, but I really like it. I am odd ball myself . Plus lots of reviews are very positive.

My friend looked at the biuld too and he approved it. I decided to go for single gpu mobo and gtx570.

I Allready transferred money on visa, but it might take few days . So I will e putting order on tue/wed. I am still here to listen, of anyone for better idea on setup. I already changed good few bits thx to you lads!

Serephucus

My first case was the NZXT Tempest, and though it looks very nice, it wasn't that great. Very rattley after a while. If you're looking for quality and minimalism, have a look at the ATCS 840. Freaking HUGE.

Oh, and I completely agree; those two guys doing the Phantom "review" completely stank of n00b.

Ditch the Cooler Master thermal paste though.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/arctic-cooling-mx-2-high-performance-thermal-compound-%28as-used-on-arctic-coolers%29

54kroc

+1 on the ATS 840, very good case, how about a Corsair 650D?

nesf

ShadowHearth wrote: »

It's actuolly very funny how everyone is trying to talk me out of this case

Cases are like women, everyone has a strong opinion on them.

54kroc wrote: »

how about a Corsair 650D?

I had buyer's remorse after ordering when I came across that case. Looks lovely. Or perhaps one of its bigger relatives.

ShadowHearth

I cant go any more then that on case. It's already alot for me lads.

I still got time till tue or wed.

Fecking bf3 is upsetting me now. Damn punk buster is acting out... And I am upgrading pc for bf3 and diablo 3... Grrrr

Serephucus

Some others for you to consider (also in your price-range)

Item|Price
Corsair Graphite 600T, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€136.67
FRACTAL DESIGN Gehäuse DEFINE XL Titanium Grey|€126.37
Antec MidiTower "P183" schwarz, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€130.55
Lian Li PC-P50 ARMORSUIT Midi-Tower - black, ohne Netzteil|€136.67
Antec Twelve Hundred V3, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€145.85
Cooler Master HAF AMD Edition, Big-Tower - red, ohne Netzteil|€145.85
Corsair Obsidian Series 650D, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€146.87
Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€146.87
Antec MidiTower "P193" schwarz, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€147.89

ShadowHearth

Serephucus wrote: »

Some others for you to consider (also in your price-range)

Item|Price
Corsair Graphite 600T, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€136.67
FRACTAL DESIGN Gehäuse DEFINE XL Titanium Grey|€126.37
Antec MidiTower "P183" schwarz, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€130.55
Lian Li PC-P50 ARMORSUIT Midi-Tower - black, ohne Netzteil|€136.67
Antec Twelve Hundred V3, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€145.85
Cooler Master HAF AMD Edition, Big-Tower - red, ohne Netzteil|€145.85
Corsair Obsidian Series 650D, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€146.87
Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€146.87
Antec MidiTower "P193" schwarz, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€147.89

thanks, but i wont be breaking my order between two online shops. i want to get everyting in one nice bulky package!

ShadowHearth

Well funds got transferred to visa this morning! Can't wait to finish work and re do my order a bit.

I thing I gave up to your pressure lads and I will reconsider case. Maybe something cheaper so I can get better mobo or ssd.

How's scan.co.uk with deleveries? Someone mentioned it takes 2-3 days? If I order today would I expect Delevery on Friday?

If yes, I need to sort out day off or to finish early.

nesf

ShadowHearth wrote: »

How's scan.co.uk with deleveries? Someone mentioned it takes 2-3 days? If I order today would I expect Delevery on Friday?

If yes, I need to sort out day off or to finish early.

scan, when it goes right are very good for deliveries. If it goes wrong you can be burned and end up waiting a week or two for delivery as happened to a few people on this forum. More good orders than bad ones though I think.

ShadowHearth

I presume as long as I go for stuff that is in stock, then I shouldn't have much of trouble. I do like that they use curriers.

nesf

ShadowHearth wrote: »

I presume as long as I go for stuff that is in stock, then I shouldn't have much of trouble. I do like that they use curriers.

You'd think that but some people still got burned ordering stuff in-stock etc. I was happy out with them, my delivery arrived when they said it would.

ShadowHearth

nesf wrote: »

You'd think that but some people still got burned ordering stuff in-stock etc. I was happy out with them, my delivery arrived when they said it would.

Which was how many days?

nesf

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Which was how many days?

Ordered Friday, got it Tuesday for me.

ShadowHearth

Do they call before delivering? Were they very early?

I start work at 5:00 so I can ask to finish around 10:00.

nesf

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Do they call before delivering? Were they very early?

I start work at 5:00 so I can ask to finish around 10:00.

No call before delivery unfortunately. Arrived in the early afternoon but it'll vary hugely from address to address, delivery times for city centre Cork will be different to Dublin ones etc.

ShadowHearth

nesf wrote: »

No call before delivery unfortunately. Arrived in the early afternoon but it'll vary hugely from address to address, delivery times for city centre Cork will be different to Dublin ones etc.

Thx. I am in small town north of cork. So I don't know how it will influence me .

Can't wait to finish now!!! Need to spend money!!

nesf

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Thx. I am in small town north of cork. So I don't know how it will influence me .

Can't wait to finish now!!! Need to spend money!!

How far north? Came from a small town north of Cork myself...

ShadowHearth

nesf wrote: »

How far north? Came from a small town north of Cork myself...

Well I am not Irish, but fr last 6/7 years I am living in mallow . It's my hometown now!

nesf

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Well I am not Irish, but fr last 6/7 years I am living in mallow . It's my hometown now!

Ah, about 15 miles from where I grew up then!

BigEejit

I had a delivery from scan that was a day late, after I spent extra for morning delivery and everything.:eek: (I'm outside London)

And my 2c: if i brought that case into the house the wife would kill me

Have the fractal define r3 titanium, lovely case, have to remember to clean the psu filter (on the bottom of the case) regularly though