1000 Euro gaming/development.

O1

1. What is your budget? [€1000]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer?
Gaming and development:
Most common programs: 3DSMax, unity3d, visual studio.
Most Common game: BF4

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [No]

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? Only the keyboard/mouse/speakers

5. Do you need a monitor? [Yes, something responsive for gaming but also suitable for viewing at multiple angles. ]

5a. If yes, what size do you need. [22' + ]


6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.]
Do modern motherboards come with NIC cards these days?

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Yes, but not immediately]

8. How can you pay? [Credit Card]

9. When are you purchasing? [within the next 7days if all goes well]

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [I live in South Dublin but would prefer to build it myself].

Thanks for your time.

BloodBath

A little over budget but worth it I think. If you wanted to get the price below 1k you could change the cpu to the i5 4570 and remove the cpu cooler. The xeon isn't overclockable but it does have 8 threads. You could also go for a 4670k with a z87 board and a cpu cooler if you want overclocking.

You could also save €20 going for this 120gb ssd. It's not as fast as the Samsung evo but you will probably not notice the difference anyway.

Item|Price
Intel Xeon E3-1230v3 Bx, LGA1150, ohne Kühler|€217.74
RAIJINTEK Aidos Heatpipe CPU-Kühler, PWM - 92mm|€18.59
MSI B85-G41 PC Mate, ATX, Sockel 1150|€66.43
8GB-Kit G-Skill RipJaws PC3-12800U CL9|€72.02
Sapphire R9 280X OC Lite Retail, AMD Radeon R9 280X, 3GB DDR5|€262.44
WD Caviar Blue 1TB 6Gb's|€53.38
Samsung SSD 840 EVO Basic 120GB SATA 6Gb/s|€89.99
BitFenix Shinobi Midi-Tower USB 3.0 black, ohne Netzteil|€52.93
BitFenix Spectre 120mm Lüfter - all black|€6.48
LG Flatron 22EA53VQ-P|€121.67
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€980.66

Corsair 500w psu €52

Total €1032

O1

Thanks for your help!
I'll let you know how I get on.

BloodBath

No bother. You should grab a second monitor down the line as well if you have the deskspace. I'm getting into unity myself now and just got a 23" lg ips. Gonna add a second one in a week or two.

Having the screen space is great for development. You can have multiple programs open or you can watch a tutorial on one while using the software on the other.

O1

Gah I'm really torn on the mobo/processor.
They look great and with good reviews but I also want the option to OC at some point.

I'm not even sure WHY I want to overclock....I just feel like I will be saving money down the road.
I OC'd the gpu on my laptop (yes, I know) and it seriously extended the lifespan in terms of playable games.

BloodBath

Well you could go for the 4670k with a z87 board for around the same price. You probably want a better cpu cooler then as well. Even overclocked though it doesn't have the multi-thread power of the xeon.

You don't really save any money overclocking as you have to pay extra for specific overclocking parts. You just get higher performance but in the case of the xeon vs the 4670k the xeon wins in overall power even with a meaty overclock on the 4670k.

That's obviously if the game/program can make use of all the threads but most newer games/software can.

O1

Yeah 3dsMax and BF4 will use the threads so I'm leaning in that direction.

My only problem is that when I bought my current laptop with an i7 (in 2009) I was told the exact same thing about software beginning to adopt multiple threads and it just didn't happen( aside from the likes of BF3).
It does genuinely look like it's going that way now though.

BloodBath

Well a year ago I would have leaned towards the i5 as well but it does seem most newer software and games are making use of 8 threads.

It's not like the single core performance on the xeon is poor anyway. Even in cpu limited games and software that only use 2 cores it's still going to perform really well.

O1

Do you think that PSU can handle everything?
Handle potential upgrades down the line?

I don't know much about PSUs other than you ignore them at your peril.
Don't want to make that mistake, though I'm not even sure how to calculate my requirements.

BloodBath

For a single gpu system it's more than capable even with overclocking.

I'd say the above system would use approx 300w max.

O1

Hello again, pretty settled on getting the build you recommended now.

Quick question?

Why not get the CX500 from the same site?
Like one of these?

http://www.hardwareversand.de/400+-+500+Watts/69044/Corsair+Builder+Serie+CX500+V3+Non-Modular+80%2B+Bronze%2C+500+Watt.article

http://www.hardwareversand.de/400+-+500+Watts/69044/Corsair+Builder+Serie+CX500+V3+Non-Modular+80%2B+Bronze%2C+500+Watt.article

Is there a difference I can't see?

EDIT: Is it so I'll get a power supply that works in Ireland?
Thanks.

marco_polo

They are the same I'd say it was just out of stock when Bloodbath posted that, as a few popular model were not available when I was browsing yesterday and look to have come back in since.

O1

So it will come with a cable I can use?

marco_polo

O1 wrote: »

So it will come with a cable I can use?

I have heard that two pins plugs can arrive from HWVS, but any old kettle /PSU lead will do the job either worst comes to worst. If you don't have any lying about the house I suppose you could just get it from amazon since its the same price and be guaranteed a 3-pin one.

O1

Thanks for your help.

BloodBath

Yep it was out of stock. HWVS monitors and psu's come with 2 pin power cables I think. Can be handier getting them from amazon if the price is similar but 2 pin plug's aren't a big issue anyway.

O1

So I have to do a transfer rather than just pay by creditcard on the site?
If I didn't see the place on this site so much I'd be suspicious...... this is normal?

BloodBath

Normal for Germans yes

You can do it with online banking. It's really not much more effort than a credit or debit card.

O1

Well thanks for all the help.


Looking forward to building this on my nice comfy carpet (just kidding).

BloodBath

No bother.

Some things are not in stock so it might be worth considering alternatives before you order if you don't want delays.

That cpu cooler is loud at full speed but at 50% it should be pretty quiet and more than up to cooling that xeon.

O1

As a matter of interest, what is that fan for?
Don't the cases come with intake/exhaust fans?

What I'm picturing in my head is that if my heatsink doesn't have enough clearance with the RAM slots I would have to turn the HS-fan vertically, thus needing an exhaust fan on the top of the case.

Sorry for noob question, it's been many years since I owned a desktop.

BloodBath

The case only comes with a single exhaust fan. The second fan is for an intake fan at the front. You could go for the Cooltek Antiphon case either. It's a silenced case and comes with 3 stock fans although it's stock cooling performance isn't great. Stock cooling on most cases is pretty poor anyway.

O1

Thanks.

BloodBath

If you run your build through http://geizhals.de/ you can get a discount on parts. Just search for the part and select hwvs from the list.

O1

So, I ordered from them and transferred the money last Wednesday evening.

I have received no update to my order status online, no response to any of my emails asking them for an update (I sent two), and when I call them I get a woman who speaks only German.

It's been 6 days now since the money left my account.

Thoughts?

BloodBath

It can take 3 working days for bank transfers to clear. You should have payment confirmation by tomorrow.

O1

Thanks.

What about their lack of responsiveness though?
Is it normal for them to ignore emails?

BloodBath

Yes it is. Customer service is not their strong point.

O1

Payment received.

The 280x is now marked as Delivery Unknown though..... hope they don't leave me waiting too long.

BloodBath

If it was in stock when you ordered they should have reserved it for you.