Lady needs advice on hardware choices

[Oussebon]

If you are certain that this is the config now as opposed to the earlier Skylake config, then I will trust your judgement in this as you obviously know about this stuff in depth.

I would say it's worth going for the Kaby Lake build yes. The modest performance bump and the extra features for £25 more would be easily enough for me to justify the extra cost.

From what I've seen that motherboard has had some very positive early reviews and on a personal level I'm quite taken with it. Those new features are nice. Not earthshattering, but nice.

Obviously you can tweak the build how you want it - more SSD / less HDD etc / expedited build/ etc. But as a core spec my opinion is that the above is a very valid choice and should do well for what you want it for.

 

[DEK]

Thank you so much for all your help I'll go for it, I think....fingers firmly crossed.

Seeing that you already run Windows 10, do you think that partitioning the 512GB SSD to have 150GB for the OS and general program installs will be a good size, leaving the rest for games installs?

Not going to lie, it's going to be hard work getting my head around the OS difference ( I'm praying I don't hate it). There's a lot to learn and I hope I can figure out how to tweak it so that it does what I want it to do, NOT what MSoft wants it to do.

 

[Scott]

Personally I wouldn't bother partitioning the drive for games. I would simply have a "Games" folder on the root of the drive. That's the way I ran until I installed a second M2 drive, I now have the games on there. It's brisk

 

[DEK]

Personally I wouldn't bother partitioning the drive for games. I would simply have a "Games" folder on the root of the drive. That's the way I ran until I installed a second M2 drive, I now have the games on there. It's brisk

That sounds reasonable, but I want to be able to image my OS from time to time in case I ever need to restore it. If it was any other drive used for games then that's how I'd probably go

 

[Scott]

I get Windows running how I like it with the programs I use installed and then I take an image. I don't need to take any more after that as when it comes time for re-formatting I just want to start from the beginning. I don't use images as backups, I have a backup drive for the individual files etc.

Different ways to go about it of course

 

[Freeley]

OK it's interesting to see how we differ in terms of backing up.
I've got my pc to back up every day, both with file history and the windows 7 back up and restore (including system image).
Losing my work invoices and estimates etc would be a disaster for me so I back up all the time.
Not bothered about any of my games, videos or music I can download them again.
It interests me to know what everyone else does in terms of backing up (or not bothering!)

 

[Scott]

In your case you should be using a RAID setup to be honest. That's completely different to a home user

 

[Freeley]

That's interesting you should say that as I've noticed other posters mentioning RAID in their specs but didn't understand the advantages of backing up this way. Still don't really, can you explain?

 

[Scott]

That's interesting you should say that as I've noticed other posters mentioning RAID in their specs but didn't understand the advantages of backing up this way. Still don't really, can you explain?

RAID 1 (as would be relevant to you) is an exact mirror of your drive between 2 drives. Basically every time your PC instructs a HDD write the controller mirrors the operation between 2 drives. There is next to no effect on performance, certainly nothing you would notice, but if one drive fails... the other one is a complete backup (you are warned when this happens).

As with every system nothing is perfect, if you caught a virus that compromised your file system it would be the same across both drives.

The most effective backup is to have a RAID 1 setup along with a regular manual backup of important files. Cloud storage is a GREAT option for manual backups. Manual refers to it being selective, you can automate the actual process such as dropbox where you would simply drag and drop, job done.

As with everything in life, there are different solutions for different people. RAID protects you against failure, not infection. Cloud storage protects you (to a degree) against infection and failure. Using both should mitigate most issues.

ALWAYS have a weekly hard copy backup and cycle the backups at least every 4 weeks (keep 4 backups, deleting the oldest as you create the newest) if you want to look after yourself properly.

I'm nowhere near this level though. I have cherished pictures across a couple of drives. Anything else people can do with as they wish.

 

[Freeley]

Cheers Scotster that's very helpful. Not sure if RAID is necessary for me but cloud backup is certainly something I need to look into.

 

[Scott]

Cheers Scotter that's very helpful. Not sure if RAID is necessary for me but cloud backup is certainly something I need to look into.

There are security concerns with cloud backup. As long as you have nothing to hide with the wider inquisitive hacker/paper/potential blackmailer then you will be fine.

 

[DEK]

As a last play around with the specs suggested by Oussebon, I have this quote below. Is this a viable choice for a separate OS on 256GB SSD and separate games files on 512GB SSD, rather than partitioning a 512GB SSD for OS and games? I know it's overkill maybe, but I wouldn't have to monitor my games install size.
Also, the quote system keeps telling me that the PSU is way overpowered but I'm assuming that it's the quality I'm after and not the actual power requirement that I'm going for?

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE R5 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-7700k (4.2GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX PREDATOR DDR4 3200MHz X.M.P (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Hard Disk
1TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG SM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3100MB/R, 1400MB/W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SAMSUNG SM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3200MB/R, 1700MB/W)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
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 & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
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 3 to 5 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,871.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-z270-pc/hEz!5FStaJ/

 

[Oussebon]

Also, the quote system keeps telling me that the PSU is way overpowered but I'm assuming that it's the quality I'm after and not the actual power requirement that I'm going for?

Just so. The RMx is much better quality than the CS series, and is also quieter.

M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG SM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3100MB/R, 1400MB/W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SAMSUNG SM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3200MB/R, 1700MB/W)

It's a viable option. Though in all honesty I might be tempted to just get a single 1TB SM961 for £90 more and partition that, if I wanted separate partitions for the OS and games. That way I'd have more storage, slightly faster storage, and a free M.2 slot.

 

[DEK]

As a last play around with the specs suggested by Oussebon, I have this quote below. Is this a viable choice for a separate OS on 256GB SSD and separate games files on 512GB SSD, rather than partitioning a 512GB SSD for OS and games? I know it's overkill maybe, but I wouldn't have to monitor my games install size.
Also, the quote system keeps telling me that the PSU is way overpowered but I'm assuming that it's the quality I'm after and not the actual power requirement that I'm going for?

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE R5 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-7700k (4.2GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX PREDATOR DDR4 3200MHz X.M.P (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Hard Disk
1TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG SM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3100MB/R, 1400MB/W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SAMSUNG SM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3200MB/R, 1700MB/W)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
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 & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
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 3 to 5 working days
Quantity
1

Well, this is now on order with the only change of a 3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE . I seriously considered the temptation to have the 1TB SSD but I settled on this being my balanced choice.

Thanks to all for your help and advice