Gaming PC

[TommyBarnez]

Hi guys,

I posted back in February looking for advice and going through my quotes I believe this is what we came up with. Unfortunately cicumstances changed and couldn't justify the cost however now looking to buy! Pretty excited!

Needed for gaming mostly with some video editing. Can up the budeget a bit and will need to get a monitor - any suggestions would be great as last time I was quoting I got bogged down for a bit looking at monitors for ages.

Apart from a look over the main specs to see what can be improved or modified easily,

Do I have the right number of ports etc
Do I need a different wireless/network card as the one here says No Wifi
Keyboard, mouse etc - are the ones I have selected ok?

Top end budget roughly £2300 inc monitor.

Thanks for help all


Case
FRACTAL DEFINE S BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-7700k (4.2GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING: LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GB, Wi-Fi - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
4GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2133MHz (1 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Hard Disk
2TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG SM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3100MB/R, 1400MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 350W VS SERIES™ VS-350 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212X (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
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
DVD Recovery Media
Windows 10 (64-bit) Home DVD with paper sleeve
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)
Keyboard & Mouse
Corsair Gaming Bundle - Keyboard, Mouse, Headset & Mouse Mat
Speakers
Creative GigaWorks T40 Series II 2.0 High End Speakers
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 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,615.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z270-pc/GvcT6qT7Kk/

 

[jerpers]

Looks fairly solid. You could go for a slightly better CPU cooler and get a pre-overclocked build. The motherboard has WiFi built in already so you do not need an additional card. I would definitely go for the next model PSU up and possibly the RM series if you can afford it due to the better build quality. What resolution are you planning on for the monitor? the 1070 is great for high frame 1080p gaming.

 

[Oussebon]

Memory (RAM)
4GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2133MHz (1 x 4GB)

You'll want at least 8gb, ideally 16gb. And I's strongly suggest the 3000MHz or 3200MHz DDR4.

+1 to the above comments also.

Possibly something like:


Case
FRACTAL DEFINE S BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™i7-7700k Quad Core (4.20GHz @ up to 4.8GHz)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING: LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GB, Wi-Fi - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 - DVI, HDMI, 3x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
2TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1100MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
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)
Keyboard & Mouse
Corsair Gaming Bundle - Keyboard, Mouse, Headset & Mouse Mat
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,735.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z270-overclocked/JM!5fyCHCC/

Plus an AOC Agon AG271QG for ~£560.

As for speakers and peripherals, if you shop around you might get something better value elsewhere. PCS's range is necessarily limited.

 

[TommyBarnez]

Thanks both for help,

Aiming for 1080p with 144Mhz so that monitor looks good - just going through reviews for it now. There is a temptation to go with an ultrawide monitor as they look epic however the main usage is making gameplay videos and from what I can tell the Ultrawide monitors make that a little trickier. Maybe something for further down the line.

I've notived the sound card is very basic on this build - is this something I need to be investing money in?

I've redone the quote taking on your suggestions. Something like this?

Also the jump from 3000MHz on the Ram to 3200MHz only worked out at 7 quid I think. Though the first was RGB - what is RGB as I keep seeing it in descriptions and I have no idea what it is refering to.

Thanks again,

Tom




Case
FRACTAL DEFINE S BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™i7-7700k Quad Core (4.20GHz @ up to 4.8GHz)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING: LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GB, Wi-Fi - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 - DVI, HDMI, 3x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Hard Disk
2TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1100MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H80i V2 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
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)
Keyboard & Mouse
Corsair Gaming Bundle - Keyboard, Mouse, Headset & Mouse Mat
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,867.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z270-overclocked/4t7hH2UaGF/

 

[Jetro01]

Hi i am a noob at pc's but i am looking to buy a custom pc as i do youtube and also livestreaming, would anybody be able to tell me what to upgrade/downgrade to get smooth quality for recording and streaming. Much appreciated, George
Specs:

Case
PCS SR-620 MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-7500 (3.4GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z270X-Ultra Gaming: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready!
FREE £20 Nando's Gift Card with SELECT GIGABYTE MOTHERBOARDS!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2133MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP
1st Hard Disk
1TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 350W VS SERIES™ VS-350 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
INTEL STANDARD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
50cm RGB 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
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
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 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price £895.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z270-pc/taHhZmub9J/

 

[Oussebon]

I've notived the sound card is very basic on this build - is this something I need to be investing money in?

In short, no. The onboard sound is pretty decent. I'd certainly recommend auditioning it before buying anything dedicated - and if you decide you do want something better then you may want to look into a USB DAC.

Also the jump from 3000MHz on the Ram to 3200MHz only worked out at 7 quid I think. Though the first was RGB - what is RGB as I keep seeing it in descriptions and I have no idea what it is refering to.

RGB usually = RGB (red green blue) LEDs that can change colour etc. Just google RGB LEDs and you'll see.

I'd take the faster RAM over the glowy RAM because if I wanted RGB LEDs there are already some on the mobo, possibly the GPU, and you can get strips of lights to put inside the case (it's an option in the configurator).

Processor Cooling
Corsair H80i V2 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler

I'd probably stick with the Noctua, since the performance is similar and and it's cheaper.

Note that adding water coolers to the Fractal case can lead to PCS taking off some of the sound dampening panels, which leads to more noise and more dust in the case.

 

[TommyBarnez]

Hi guys,

Right I think we're almost there. Have looked into monitors a lot this week and added a beast! Budget out the window.

Jerpsers and Oussebon - is my cooling going to be ok? Haven't been able to work out what to do. Jerpers mentioned I may need a better cpu cooler so it is playing on my mind.

Also I was chatting to a friend about my build and he said I would need a second ssd card - first one for operating system, second for games and the sata being used to just save stuff etc.

Thoughts or is that just overkill?

The specification below has been formatted so you can easily copy and paste this to our forums when discussing your specification. Once you've copied the specification, please click here to continue.


Case
FRACTAL DEFINE S BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™i7-7700k Quad Core (4.20GHz @ up to 4.8GHz)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING: LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GB, Wi-Fi - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 - DVI, HDMI, 3x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Hard Disk
2TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1100MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
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)
Monitor
ASUS PG279Q 27" IPS G-Sync ROG Swift
Keyboard & Mouse
Corsair Gaming Bundle - Keyboard, Mouse, Headset & Mouse Mat
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Quantity
1

Price £2,577.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z270-overclocked/MawAcMWmcZ/

 

[Oussebon]

Looks good. The AOC Agon has a similar spec to the Asus monitor but for £150+ less (depending where you shop), so be sure you're happy with the Asus monitor

I believe Jerpers was suggesting a better cooler than the Cm212x you had originally. The Noctua cooler is better than that, and is very popular in overclocked builds. It's quiet and a good match for the Define S case (and the quiet RM850x PSU).

Also I was chatting to a friend about my build and he said I would need a second ssd card - first one for operating system, second for games and the sata being used to just save stuff etc.

Thoughts or is that just overkill?

I wouldn't describe it as overkill, more just a bad idea. If you want more SSD space, get a larger SSD to begin with.
1) You only get 2 M.2 slots. Filling them both with small 256gb drives means you can't add more M.2 SSDs/optane/whatever in the future
2) Some games are huge - 50/60gb/80gb. Easier to have 1 x 500gb drive than trying to play "storage jenga" across 2 x 250gb drives.
3) I can't think of any real merits to separate drives

I don't know where this thing about having an SSD for the OS and an SSD for games comes from...

 

[Oussebon]

Hi i am a noob at pc's but i am looking to buy a custom pc as i do youtube and also livestreaming, would anybody be able to tell me what to upgrade/downgrade to get smooth quality for recording and streaming. Much appreciated, George
Specs:

Didn't see your spec there as it's buried in among someone else's topic. Maybe the moderators can split it off into its own topic?

I would strongly advice against that spec for livestreaming. If you make your own topic with your budget and needs, people can suggest something a lot better.

 

[TommyBarnez]

Thanks, will look into monitors a bit more though the asus is looking awesome. I've found it slightly cheaper elsewhere however was going to mention that when placing order to see if they can knock a bit off.

A continuation storage question just to be sure. So in current set up I would instal OS and games onto the SSD and use the sata for saving files? Or would I have OS on the SSD and the games on the sata? And for video editing software etc would that be on the SSD or the sata?

 

[Oussebon]

I've found it slightly cheaper elsewhere however was going to mention that when placing order to see if they can knock a bit off.

If they can't just buy it elsewhere tbh.

A continuation storage question just to be sure. So in current set up I would instal OS and games onto the SSD and use the sata for saving files? Or would I have OS on the SSD and the games on the sata? And for video editing software etc would that be on the SSD or the sata?

OS on the SSD. Software on the SSD. Games you play most /play currently on the SSD. Anything else (other games, your music, your movies, etc) on the HDD.

It's generally quite easy to move a game from the HDD to the SSD or vice versa too.

Games will run just fine off the HDD - they'll just take a bit longer to load up.

 

[TommyBarnez]

Perfect that makes sense now. Think I'll be fine with current hard drive set up then as no issue movings games back and forth as I tend to play a game till I'm bored of it and then only come back occasionally.

What have you experienced with back light bleed on IPS monitors? I watched a review on the monitor you mentioned and a lot of people in comments talking about sending back to get replacements etc and it transpires the asus seems to have the same problems though from my initial research it doesnt look as common. Now looking at acer predator ips to see how that compares

 

[Oussebon]

I think if you go looking for reviews of monitors you're quite likely to find stories of the bad samples, especially backlight bleed etc. I can only suggest buying whatever you like most in terms of specs/features/price from a store with a returns policy you're happy with - and if you get a bad unit, send it back.

The only IPS monitors I've personally used are cheap budget IPS ones from 2012. They have a little bleed but tbh it's fine. It's the glow that's more of an issue. But those were released 5 years ago and cost £120 at the time...

 

[TommyBarnez]

Ordered!!!!

Thanks to those that have helped me work out what would be good for me, especially Oussebon who also provided much advice back in Feb when I was looking.