Feedback On Gaming PC Build

[Kamichalik]

I'm planning to get this pc soon, I will be using it for some pretty extreme gaming, any tips?

Case
GAME MAX FALCON BLACK GAMING CASE (RGB LED)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Six Core Processor i5-8600K (3.6GHz) 9MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z370-P: ATX, LGA1151, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2133MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 - DVI, HDMI, 3x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Hard Disk
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 3.5" SSHD - UP TO 5X FASTER THAN HDD!
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG SM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3100MB/R, 1400MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212X (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
1x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11 AC1200 867Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Single Licence

Price £1,564.00 including VAT and delivery

In terms of budget, I can't stretch it out a lot more, but feel free to tell me what to improve!

 

[Oussebon]

I would suggest the Ultima X01 off the review section as it will net you a better spec for less £

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/configure-review/238/

Case
NZXT S340 MID TOWER GAMING CASE (BLACK/BLUE)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Six Core Processor i7-8700k (3.7GHz) 12MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z370-P: ATX, LGA1151, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 - DVI, HDMI, 3x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
--Get Destiny 2 with select GTX 10 Series GPUs! ** Limited Codes Available **
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
1TB WD BLACK 3.5" WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB WD Black™ M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 2050MB/s R | 700MB/s W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i V2 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
50cm White LED Strip
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 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,479.00 including VAT and delivery

It's about £1700's worth of hardware for a fixed £1479 price. Has an i7, a better cooler, better PSU, faster RAM and more upmarket case.

Lacks wifi and has a smaller HDD, but you could buy and install those yourself (or perhaps PCS will agree to add those components for an appropriate fee without losing the discount?) and still have it a similar price to the above.

 

[Kamichalik]

Yeah, I thought about that build, but was unsure, lets say I stick with my build, what could I improve?

 

[Oussebon]

Why are you unsure, if I can ask? You're spending more for less.

If the Ultima weren't an option I'd say to get faster RAM and drop the SSHD, and possibly drop to the i5 8400. But I would very seriously recommend the Ultima as it's much better and more futureproof than your spec. This discounted price is basically giving you free stuff.

 

[Kamichalik]

I am unsure due to the fact that it is missing WiFi, it has a slower M.2 ssd, and has a 1tb hhd which is much worse than a 2tb sshd, although I do understand that it has a much better processor, cooling solution, PSU and ram, I might contact PCS sometime to see if they could modify the HDD to a bigger one and include WiFi, for an appropriate fee while still keeping the promotion, as you said.

 

[Oussebon]

They won't be able to change the components, but they might be able to add additional storage and wifi - or if not you could source and install your own.

The SSD/HDD's performance will make 0 difference to your framerate in games, unlike the CPU

 

[Kamichalik]

By the way, is there a catch to the Ultima X01, because it seems like a offer that's a bit too good to be true?

edit: Also I am aware your storage does not affect your framerate but it does effect your loading times, which are also important to me.

 

[SpyderTracks]

By the way, is there a catch to the Ultima X01, because it seems like a offer that's a bit too good to be true?

edit: Also I am aware your storage does not affect your framerate but it does effect your loading times, which are also important to me.

Just FYI an SSHD as a secondary drive will perform the same as a standard hdd as the ssd partition will be bypassed due to using an ssd as the primary drive. SSHD’s in my experience are to be avoided, over use their performance drops off much more significantly than an hdd.

There is a catch with the ultima, it’s a review offer for a limited time and you have to order as is, apart from certain add ins you can include to the build.

 

[Oussebon]

The other catch being you can't change the spec. PCS presumably have a deal with the component manufacturers that lets them offer such large discounts (though not all review specs they create are quite as attractive imo).

I too would go with an SM961 or PM961 over a WD Black any day of the week. It's my one 'complaint' with the Ultima.

Although that might not have a great deal of impact in actual real life:


I wouldn't, however, go for an SM961 over a WD Black SSD if the WD Black also came with free upgrades to an i7, faster RAM, a gold-rated modular PSU, a high end AIO cooler.

If you still wanted a 2TB SSHD, you could buy one, and a wifi card - and the Ultima plus all those would still cost pretty much the same as your initial spec.

The bottom line is therefore whether having an SM961 SSD instead of a WD Black SSD is worth missing out on: an i7, faster RAM, a modular and more efficient PSU, a better cooler, and a free 1TB WD Black HDD.

 

[Kamichalik]

Ok, thanks, but are you guys aware how long the Ultima X01 will have this offer?

This is as I was planning to buy a pc in about a month's or two time, but I wanted it already planned out, which was the reason I posted my build here, but have changed my mind and most probably will get the ULTIMA X01.

 

[Oussebon]

It'll be available for as long as it's available. Nobody can say how long that is (probably not even PCS, if the deal is based on a set number of units to sell).

There's often not much point planning a spec far in advance because component availability and pricing can change a lot.

Check back in when you're getting ready to order I guess, and see what's what