PC for gaming

[caci]

Please can anyone advise if this spec is a good choice for gaming ? I have been told the graphics card is a good choice, but have no idea if the rest is suitable (or even compatible)

many thanks

Case
COOLERMASTER HAF 912 PLUS MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4590 (3.3GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® Z97-A: ATX, USB3.0, SATA 6GB/S, SLi, XFIRE
Memory (RAM)
16GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 970 - 1 DVI, 1 mHDMI, 3 mDP - 3D Vision Ready
1st Hard Disk
1TB 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
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
DUAL-BAND WIRELESS 802.11N 450Mbps PCI-E CARD
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 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
DVD Recovery Media
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
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

 

[mantadog]

Pretty solid. Most looks ok but id drop to 8GB RAM (if its just for gaming) and upgrade to at least a caviar black HDD. I would keep everything the same.

if you are already at the top end of your budget then its about as good as you can get.

 

[caci]

Please can someone check this spec for a gaming PC ?

Many thanks mantadog.
I have (hopefully) changed my spec to your recommendations

Have I done that correctly, and is there anything else I could/should change ?

The PC will be used only for gaming, and the budget is around £1000

Many thanks

COOLERMASTER HAF 912 PLUS MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4590 (3.3GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® Z97-A: ATX, USB3.0, SATA 6GB/S, SLi, XFIRE
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 970 - 1 DVI, 1 mHDMI, 3 mDP - 3D Vision Ready
1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
DUAL-BAND WIRELESS 802.11N 450Mbps PCI-E CARD
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 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
DVD Recovery Media
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 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

 

[mantadog]

looks good to me.

 

[caci]

Gaming PC - help needed with cooler and monitor please

The spec for this PC is taken from PC Specialist home page, however, I am not sure if I should up grade the cooler (I don't want water cooled)

Also, I would like someone's advice about a suitable monitor (both size and anything else relevant)

This PC will only be used for gaming

Thanks for your help

Case
SHARKOON BD28 GAMING CASE (Green LED)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-4790k (4.0GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® H97M-E: Micro-ATX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X FURY DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 970 - 1 DVI, 1 mHDMI, 3 mDP - 3D Vision Ready
1st Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON V300 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (450MB/R, 450MB/W)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 32MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES™ VS-450 POWER SUPPLY
Processor Cooling
INTEL STANDARD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
DUAL-BAND WIRELESS 802.11N 450Mbps PCI-E CARD
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 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
DVD Recovery Media
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Monitor
ASUS VE228TR 21.5" LED DISPLAY, D-Sub, DVI-D
Keyboard & Mouse
Razer® Black Widow Tournament 2014 Gaming Keyboard
Mouse
Razer® Deathadder Chroma Gaming Mouse - 10000dpi
Headsets
Creative HS-800 Fatal1ty Gaming Headset
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Quantity
1

 

[keynes]

I would stick to the one you posted on your original thread. You have a micro mothetboard, SSD that suffers from performance issues. Very expensive peripherals as well, I would for a better case and at least the triple copper heatpipe cpu cooler

 

[caci]

Thanks for your reply, but I have no idea what I had on my previous thread (and no idea how to find it).

Sorry to be so thick, but please could you spell out exactly what you are suggesting (in VERY basic English)

 

[Rakk]

Thanks for your reply, but I have no idea what I had on my previous thread (and no idea how to find it).

When you are new to the forums, your posts will often get auto-moderated and this includes edits to already approved posts, you just have to wait til a moderator approves them

 

[Blip]

Hello Caci,

May I suggest that if you choose to stick with the standard Intel CPU cooler (which should prove adequate), that you choose also some ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND?

There have been leaps and bounds in this field with carbon nano particulates blah blah etc - I'm sold on it anyway. Reckon you would find this a worthy investment.

With regards to selecting a monitor - just use your gut! (Personally, I like to decide monitors almost purely on aesethetics). You could easily go mainstream with any good lookin' 1920x1080 or 2560x1440 up to 27" - and you shouldn't really need a monitor with refresh rates beyond 100Hz until you are gaming with at least that much frames-per-second consistently (would wish good luck on that!) Most 1080p monitors @ 60Hz would do you fine I reckon.

Happy gaming!

P.

 

[caci]

Keynes suggested my original spec was better, but I can't find my earlier post. I know I posted it on 15th Jan, and commented on it on 16th Jan too, but it seems to have vanished !
Please can anyone find it for me ?

 

[keynes]

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?39782-PC-for-gaming

 

[caci]

Thank you Keynes !

If I stick with the spec below,(my 1st post) but change the processor from i5 to i7, do I need to change anything else ? Also is this one Hard drive better than 2 ?

.COOLERMASTER HAF 912 PLUS MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4590 (3.3GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® Z97-A: ATX, USB3.0, SATA 6GB/S, SLi, XFIRE
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 970 - 1 DVI, 1 mHDMI, 3 mDP - 3D Vision Ready
1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
DUAL-BAND WIRELESS 802.11N 450Mbps PCI-E CARD
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 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
DVD Recovery Media
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 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

 

[keynes]

I would downgrade to the hd3 gigabyte motherboard if you are not planning to add a 2nd gpu and the triple copper heatpipe cpu cooler

 

[Rakk]

Keynes suggested my original spec was better, but I can't find my earlier post. I know I posted it on 15th Jan, and commented on it on 16th Jan too, but it seems to have vanished !
Please can anyone find it for me ?

It was still there - same section of the forums, viewable by all, I have merged both threads together - this is why it's better to stick to one thread, means its more difficult to lose it - also means people don't ask/answer the same questions twice.

 

[caci]

I would downgrade to the hd3 gigabyte motherboard if you are not planning to add a 2nd gpu and the triple copper heatpipe cpu cooler

Sorry, Keynes, but I don't understand what you are suggesting.

I am sure you are right, but I know nothing about PCs and I am getting very confused.

Too many choices : -

i5 or i7 ?
one hard drive or 2 hard drives ?

I don't what a gpu is, so I have no idea is I want/need 1 or 2

Would it be possible for someone here, to suggest a PC build for gaming, budget around £1000 for PC, (plus another £500 for monitor, gaming keyboard, mouse etc.) Ideally best graphic card available within budget, (Nvidia GEForce GTX 970 ?) must have wi fi and windows 7 home 64. (It needs to be able to play older STEAM games, and GTA V (when it is finally released) Thank you

 

[caci]

Can I buy Minerva PC with Wi fi , and windows 7, but without Hydro cooler ?

I am really struggling to choose the right spec for a gaming PC. (do I need i5 or i7 ? do I need 1 hard drive or 2 hard drives ?)

So I thought it would be easier to choose a ready built version.

If I use the Minerva spec, can I add wi fi , change to windows 7, and have a different cooling system (as I don't want water cooled)

If I can, which cooling system ?

Also can I change the case to something with green on it (apparently it 'needs' to match the Razer keyboard ! )

(price isn't the main issue here, I am just hoping to get it right)

Thank you

 

[keynes]

Can I buy Minerva PC with Wi fi , and windows 7, but without Hydro cooler ?

Don't think so but best ask PCS for an official response

price isn't the main issue here, I am just hoping to get it right

you can then use the minerva as a template or modify it

 

[caci]

Thanks Keynes - which cooling system could replace the water cooled one ?

 

[keynes]

triple copper heatpipe cpu cooler

 

[grimsbymatt]

Alternatively, if you detail what sort of games you want to play at what quality/fps and a desired budget, people here will help make a spec for you.