1080p gaming rig

[Beaker920]

Hi guys, could someone look at this for me and tell me if it is a good 1080p rig? I'm after a computer that will make max out the graphics on modern games for the next 3 or 4 years, mods included. Not sure of the benefit of an ssd or an i7k tho?


Case
BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Case (White)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-4790 (3.6GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® H81I-PLUS: Mini-ITX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 980 - 1 DVI, 1 mHDMI, 3 mDP - 3D Vision Ready
Free Item
FREE PICK YOUR PATH DIGITAL VOUCHER with GTX 780 / 780Ti /970 / 980 GPUs!
1st Hard Disk
2TB 3.5" SEAGATE SSHD, SATA 6Gb/s 7200 RPM (64MB + 8GB SSD CACHE)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY
Processor Cooling
Corsair H55 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler (£39)
Extra Case Fans
2 x 12CM Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof) (£9)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 8.1 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Monitor
AOC E2752VQ 27" WIDESCREEN LED TFT - 1920 x 1080, 2MS, HDMI, DP (£163)
Keyboard & Mouse
CM Storm Devastator Keyboard and Mouse (£29)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,520.00 including VAT and delivery.

Thanks

Ian

 

[SlimCini]

No real need for an i7 over the i5. I'd also get a separate SSD and cav black HD combo.

And 8Gb RAM is more than enough for gaming.

Does it have to be a mini-PC?

 

[Beaker920]

It doesn't HAVE to be, as such. Only I thought a mini pc would take up less room, and I do like the look of the prodigy case. Is the i5 just as good as the i7 then? Whats the benefit of the ssd?

Thanks

Ian

 

[Pleb]

An i5 is more than fine for gaming at present as most games don't take advantage of hyperthreading on the i7 yet. This may change at some point but probably not for a while.

An SSD will be faster than an HDD but their space capacity is less. So if you had an SSD you'd be better off putting your OS and the programs/games you use the most on your SSD and everything else on your HDD. This will increase load times.

Also a larger case would be better for cooling.

 

[Beaker920]

Would the speed difference be very noticeable between the different processors and between a hdd and ssd? What case would you recommend? I'm worried now the prodigy will overheat :-(

The other option open to me is a vortex iv se laptop with the gtx 980m in it. By the time I've spent all this on a big rig I've spent the same as a laptop..... Torn between which to go for......

 

[Pleb]

Depends whether you want guaranteed performance or mobility. Laptops are good but not as powerful as desktops. As for cases I went with the massive COOLERMASTER CM690 III ADVANCED as it's very good for cooling and upgrading in the future. However something like a CORSAIR 230T COMPACT GAMING CASE would be smaller but not as efficient for cooling. However if you put more fans in or a fan controller and this will help, as a fan controller comes with additional fans installed. But it's not essential I just had one added as I had extra money to play with.

 

[Beaker920]

My original idea was to having a small but powerful gaming pc in the TV cabinet, hooked up to the TV rather than a monitor? Kinda like a steam machine but built to my own spec? I have a had a full size gaming pc before, made for me by a friend. It was an AMD rig, and a horrible ownership experience! I spent over £1200 on parts to build it and my other halfs 7 year old compaq laptop was still quicker for the everyday tasks. it was a massive great thing that seemed to dominate the room it was in, was as noisy as hell and practically needed it's own power station. I want something that's more powerful but cheaper to buy and run, if possible.

Ian

 

[Pleb]

Well I can't speak for your rig, but although mine is rather large it is also very quiet. However it wasn't cheap!

There is of course nothing to stop you from using a mini PC case I would just personally worry about it overheating. A compact case with extra fans might be a better way of going. Also the new 900 series Nvidia GPUs use less power so you won't need a power station to run it!

 

[Beaker920]

What would be a good compact case that you recommend?

 

[Pleb]

Well when I was going to build my rig i was going to originally get a CORSAIR 230T COMPACT GAMING CASE but then I decided to get the COOLERMASTER CM690 III ADVANCED instead which is obviously not a compact so I'd personally recommend the CORSAIR 230T COMPACT GAMING CASE.