Would appreciate feedback on specs, been away from the gaming scene for a while.

[ERosser]

I need to replace a very old gaming pc that died months ago, not been keeping up to date on what new builds need so would appreciate feedback.

Case
NZXT PHANTOM 240 WHITE GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD FX-9370 Eight Core CPU (4.4GHz-4.7GHz/16MB CACHE/AM3+)
FREE DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED with select AMD FX Processors!
Motherboard
ASUS® 970 PRO GAMING/AURA (DDR3, USB3.0, 6Gb/s, CrossFireX/SLI)
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX SAVAGE DUAL-DDR3 2133MHz 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
500GB Samsung 750 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H80i V2 Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
1x 120mm Apache Black Quiet Fan (fitted to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 2100Mbps/5GHz, 1000Mbps/2.4GHz
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 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
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2016 (1 License)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
Monitor
Samsung LS27D590CS/EN Curved 27” LED monitor
Monitor Cables
1 x 2m DisplayPort Cable - DP (M) to DP (M)
Keyboard & Mouse
ASUS Cerberus Gaming Bundle - Keyboard, Mouse, Headset & Mouse Mat
Speakers
LOGITECH Z506 5.1 SURROUND SOUND SPEAKERS - 75W RMS
Webcam
Logitech® HD Webcam C525 - 720p HD Video, 8 Megapixel Photos
Surge Protection
8 Socket 2m Surge Protector
Cable Management
3 x PCS 1.5M Zip Cable Tidy - Professional Cable Management
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)



I essentially am trying to build a top teir gaming PC, that I can use for work (which can include basic video/image/audio editing), and will ideally last me 5 years. Feedback would be nice.

 

[Stephen M]

What is your budget, that will help decide some things. I would go for the WD 7200rpm as the HDD as they are excellent drives plus a m2 instead of a normal SSD for the OS as they are way faster. Not sure about the CPU, AMD are cheaper but in general not as good.

 

[ERosser]

Thanks for the feedback. My budget is £1000-£1800 for the build, ideally at the lower end, but happy to push it for a build that will last. I have actually decided since posting to go for intel. Think I might upgrade to the Hyper X as well for the OS and make the other change you reccomended. One thing I know little about is how useful an upgraded sound card is?

 

[Stephen M]

I am using the standard sound card with my laptop, an old Octane, along with Logitech speakers, not as meaty as the ones you have ordered, and am very happy with the quality and volume of sound, I rarely game but watch a lot of films and listen to a lot of music of different sorts and have no complaints. The Hyper X are good standard SSDs but if you go for an m2 the Samsung high speed, although expensive, is superb.

 

[Oussebon]

have actually decided since posting to go for intel.

A very good idea.

Processor (CPU) AMD FX-9370 Eight Core CPU (4.4GHz-4.7GHz/16MB CACHE/AM3+)

This CPU is almost never the right answer to any question. It uses 220W of power, requires liquid cooling due to the insane heat it produces, and is still outmatched by an Intel i7.

This is its big brother the FX9590 vs the i7 6700k http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1289?vs=1543
http://www.techspot.com/review/1235-deus-ex-mankind-divided-benchmarks/page5.html

Even when it was released it was a poor match to the i7 4770k: https://uk.hardware.info/reviews/51...arks-hd-7970-hitman-absolution-1920x1080-high

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?51750-Advice-on-this-spec-welcome

Wireless/Wired Networking
ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 2100Mbps/5GHz, 1000Mbps/2.4GHz

Why that wifi card? What speeds does your router support?

Office Software
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2016 (1 License)

You may want to consider just using Open Office (which is free) instead. There's a discussion on it here: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/foru...C-Build-advice&p=376791&viewfull=1#post376791 Since it's free you can just try it out on an existing PC and see whether MS Office is still worth paying £85 for.

Monitor
Samsung LS27D590CS/EN Curved 27” LED monitor

That a 1080p VA monitor for £240. It's apparently decent enough looking at reviews, but it's worth bearing in mind you can get 1440p IPS monitors for slightly less e.g. https://pcmonitors.info/reviews/aoc-q2577pwq/

--

This is an intel OCed build:

Case
NZXT PHANTOM 410 WHITE GAMING CASE
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™i7-6700k Quad Core (4.00GHz @ upto MAX 4.60GHz)
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z170X Gaming 3 ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX SAVAGE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB Kit)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
500GB Samsung 750 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Hard Disk
1TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE
1[SUP]st[/SUP] DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W CS 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
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
Samsung LS27D590CS/EN Curved 27” LED monitor
Keyboard & Mouse
ASUS Cerberus Gaming Bundle - Keyboard, Mouse, Headset & Mouse Mat
Speakers
LOGITECH Z506 5.1 SURROUND SOUND SPEAKERS - 75W RMS
Webcam
Logitech® HD Webcam C525 - 720p HD Video, 8 Megapixel Photos
Surge Protection
8 Socket 2m Surge Protector
Cable Management
3 x PCS 1.5M Zip Cable Tidy - Professional Cable Management
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 4 to 6 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £2,170.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-skylake-overclocked/XVJFYzzERf/

A fair way above £1800 though. To rein the price in I might be temped to cheap-out on the peripherals, and possibly get a smaller SSD since you can add as much extra storage as you want in future.

 

[ERosser]

The reason I got that wifi card is more of an investment for when I move as I am planning on upgrading and don't want to have to go through the effort of sorting it out then. I need office for work, so had to commit to that. The monitor was more as an upgrade from my current samsung one that is slightly smaller, offers to sound from the monitor, and has a nasty scratch down it. Probably could have got a better one for visuals, but can easily change that in the future. The exact specs I went for in the end is:

Case
InWIN 503 MID TOWER GAMING CASE (WHITE)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-6600K (3.5GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® Z170 PRO GAMING/AURA: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs, RGB Lighting
FREE MAFIA III game code with select ASUS*® Motherboards!
Memory (RAM)
32GB HyperX PREDATOR QUAD-DDR4 3000MHz X.M.P (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
FREE PARAGON GAME READY PACK with select GTX 1060 Systems!
1st Hard Disk
250GB Samsung 850 2.5" EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD BLACK 3.5" WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
M.2 SSD Drive
128GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 600MB/W)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES™ VS-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H55 Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
LED Lighting
60cm UV LED Strip
Extra Case Fans
1x 120mm Apache Black Quiet Fan (fitted to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 2100Mbps/5GHz, 1000Mbps/2.4GHz
USB Options
2 PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2016 (1 License)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
Monitor
Samsung LS27D590CS/EN Curved 27” LED monitor
Monitor Cables
1 x 2m DisplayPort Cable - DP (M) to DP (M)
Keyboard & Mouse
ASUS Cerberus Gaming Bundle - Keyboard, Mouse, Headset & Mouse Mat
Speakers
LOGITECH Z506 5.1 SURROUND SOUND SPEAKERS - 75W RMS
Webcam
Creative Live! Cam Sync HD
Surge Protection
8 Socket 2m Surge Protector
Cable Management
3 x PCS 1.5M Zip Cable Tidy - Professional Cable Management
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 4 to 6 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £2,294.00 including VAT and delivery.


Also, the £1,800 was not including extras, hence the higher price. If there are any problems I belive I can still make some changes.

 

[ERosser]

One worry I do have is that the power supply might need to be upgraded if I overclock.

 

[Oussebon]

One worry I do have is that the power supply might need to be upgraded if I overclock.

If you're going to overclock, get a pre-overclocked system as it will at least shield you from terrible luck in the silicon lottery and mean that if the CPU needs replacing it will still be covered by the warranty. My OCed PCS system had its CPU replaced under the warranty when it couldn't maintain the OC - but if I'd bought a stock clocked system and OCed myself I'd have been out of luck.

Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES™ VS-450 POWER SUPPLY

I wouldn't overclock on a 80+ White PSU, no. Better to buy at least the CS PSU outright (buying an £80 PSU now is cheaper than buying a ~£50 cheap PSU and then just having to buy an £80 one later anyway).

Memory (RAM)
32GB HyperX PREDATOR QUAD-DDR4 3000MHz X.M.P (2 x 16GB)

Why 32gb RAM? If it's for gaming you absolutely do not need more than 16gb. Spend what you save on an i7 perhaps.

Processor Cooling
Corsair H55 Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans

The Noctua cooler will be significantly more effective, £6 cheaper, and probably quieter too. https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NH-U14S/6.html Cheap AIO water coolers generally aren't the best solution.

USB Options
2 PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS

How many USB 3.1 devices are you likely to want to plug into the PC simultaneously? The motherboard already has 1 x USB 3.1 type A and 1 x USB 3.1 type C. Probably all you're doing is spending money on a PCI-E card you won't use and that will just sit there potentially reducing air flow.

Wireless/Wired Networking
ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 2100Mbps/5GHz, 1000Mbps/2.4GHz

Worth bearing in mind that the only routers to support speeds like this are about £300. And that's only really useful anyway if you transfer a lot of data around your home network. If you just transfer some files and stream a bit of stuff on a daily basis with your home network, you could get something a lot cheaper wifi card and router wise - a wifi card supporting upto 1300Mbps on the 5ghz band is only £39 and AC 1750 routers are ~£90-150.

Just to reiterate about Office, the basic MS Office package doesn't include things like Outlook which you need for MS Exchange servers etc. If the basic MS Office package is sufficient however (i.e. if you don't need the software that businesses really use MS Office for), it's extremely likely Open Office will be too. Since it's free I'd definitely suggest trying it out We migrated our small office to Open Office (with a combination of Davmail and Thunderbird for MS Exchange, since that happened to be viable).

M.2 SSD Drive
128GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 600MB/W)

It's a shame PCS seem to be out of stock on the 256gb PM961s. Sadly the mobos only get one M.2 slot. Might be worth buying the PC without an M.2 SSD and sourcing your own one. 128gb is a bit small, and it's a fair bit slower than its 256gb relation.

 

[ERosser]

I think you are right about the overclocking, but tbh I doubt I will need it with that processor anyway.

32G ram as I do some video editing and may get more into it, so figured for the low cost of extra ram it was worth it.

I might go for the cheaper cooler, for me noise is the main concern so that review gives me something to think about.

The USB thing was about a past experience with slowly building up more devices plugged in that eventually used up all the slots and meant I had to invest in one of those adaptors for additional slots.

You are probably right about the wifi adapter, I was just trying to think long term when in the future I buy more devices and build up a home network, but I guess I can wait on that and upgrade then as it is a problem for me 2-3 years down the line.

I need the office package mainly for Excel which I use extensively, and while alternatives are available, others at work use excel so I have to stick to the same platform.

The size of the M.2 SSD isn't a massive concern as I don't keep much on my primary drive and can work around the size easily. A fair bit slower?? It is rather fast on its own, so not sure how it cna be much quicker.

Thanks for the feeback though, will probably change the cooler and wireless network, and might then see if I stretch to an I7.

 

[Oussebon]

I think you are right about the overclocking, but tbh I doubt I will need it with that processor anyway.

32G ram as I do some video editing

Video editing is one of the strongest reasons for buying an i7 over an i5. See the multithreaded cinebench scores: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/skylake-intel-core-i7-6700k-core-i5-6600k,review-33276-7.html If cost is an issue and it's a toss up between an i5 with 32gb RAM and an i7 with 16gb RAM, I'd probably get the i7 as it's more cost effective to add more RAM in the future than to replace a CPU.

I might go for the cheaper cooler, for me noise is the main concern so that review gives me something to think about.

Noctua are known for making some of the quietest but most effective air coolers on the market. This review has an H60 in there as well, albeit with the stock fan: http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/noctua_nh_u12s_u14s_review,9.html

A fair bit slower?? It is rather fast on its own, so not sure how it cna be much quicker.

The 256gb version has getting on for double the write speed "Up to 2800MB/s Read, 1100MB/s Write." apparently.