This build any good?

[HappyFlap]

So I currently have this build going and I feel like I need to have it checked over to make sure I am getting my bang for my buck. My budget is currently £850 - £900 GBP, if I can make any dramatic changes that are better by upscaling the price a little, I will do so. The computer will be for gaming. The types of games I will be wanting to play are Grand Theft Auto 5, Counter Strike, Far Cry, Fallout, Skyrim, Mortal Kombat X, all these great games.

 

I currently have one monitor at a 1280 x 1024 resolution, but I am hoping to upgrade to a 1920 x 1080 resolution soon, but I don't really want a monitor put into my build. The reason I am upgrading is because the computer I have now is coming up six years old, and I don't have no use for it anymore and I will end up giving it to my brother or becoming the family computer for college work and general web browsing etc.

 

This is the current build I have.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£144.00 @ Novatech)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 Evo 43.1 CFM CPU Cooler  (£16.90 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£39.37 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Kingston Savage 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (£49.34 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£77.94 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£56.34 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card  (£272.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Silverstone TJ08B-E MicroATX Mini Tower Case  (£64.90 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: Zalman 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£49.08 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £770.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-15 03:00 BST+0100

[CalebTheEternal]

I'd change the PSU and that's it.

[HappyFlap]

I'd change the PSU and that's it.

Mind you my budget is like £850 to £900 and I have only spent £770. Also what's wrong with the power supply?

[TechDookie]

I suggest upgrading to the I5 4690K. Your MOBO isn't the best, but it depends on what your build is going to be. Is sound that big of an issue? Your video card is decent and you could always upgrade for crossfire. Also, are you sure you need 2 TB HD? Why not downgrade to 1 TB. On top of that your PSU isn't that great of a deal. I think their is a EVGA 80+ Gold 650W for 5 pounds under fully modular. 

[CalebTheEternal]

Mind you my budget is like £850 to £900 and I have only spent £770. Also what's wrong with the power supply?

Never cheap out on a PSU. It is the heart of the build pretty much, if it shorts out it can kill the whole system.

[Matacks]

That build looks good. Go for it! But, like they say maybe there's a better PSU. I think antec ones are decent for being in the cheaper side. But you may have to find some reviews.

[Buffon07]

I would have to agree with the other comments, the PSU does seem a bit under what I would recommend for a gaming rig. Also, are you planning on doing mostly gaming and no workstation functions (video/photo editing)? if not, same a few bucks (20GBP) and move that elsewhere in the budget by lowering the HDD to 1TB (35.34GBP/ 51.99 US @Newegg_Support). With the overclock and the quad-core you should be able to get some good work out of it. Just my thoughts. Hope it helps and good luck with the build.

[HappyFlap]

That build looks good. Go for it! But, like they say maybe there's a better PSU. I think antec ones are decent for being in the cheaper side. But you may have to find some reviews.

Could you suggest a specific PSU thanks. I don't want to make the same mistake twice.

 

I would have to agree with the other comments, the PSU does seem a bit under what I would recommend for a gaming rig. Also, are you planning on doing mostly gaming and no workstation functions (video/photo editing)? if not, same a few bucks (20GBP) and move that elsewhere in the budget by lowering the HDD to 1TB (35.34GBP/ 51.99 US @Newegg_Support). With the overclock and the quad-core you should be able to get some good work out of it. Just my thoughts. Hope it helps and good luck with the build.

I doubt I'll do any video editing or anything that. I don't plan on streaming or doing youtube videos anytime soon. I also don't want to get 1TB HDD just because games are always becoming bigger, like MKX and GTA V both being around 65GB.

 

Never cheap out on a PSU. It is the heart of the build pretty much, if it shorts out it can kill the whole system.

I don't want that to happen, any suggestions on what I could get instead.

 

I suggest upgrading to the I5 4690K. Your MOBO isn't the best, but it depends on what your build is going to be. Is sound that big of an issue? Your video card is decent and you could always upgrade for crossfire. Also, are you sure you need 2 TB HD? Why not downgrade to 1 TB. On top of that your PSU isn't that great of a deal. I think their is a EVGA 80+ Gold 650W for 5 pounds under fully modular. 

So in terms of motherboards what would you suggest instead? and I don't see reason on downgrading the harddrive, I am going to be installing lots of games that will take up space. Some examples are GTA V and MKX which both are about 65GB each. Why do you suggest upgrading the processor to an I5 4690K?

[CalebTheEternal]

Could you suggest a specific PSU thanks. I don't want to make the same mistake twice.

 

I don't want that to happen, any suggestions on what I could get instead.

Corsair CX750M same PSU I have an it gives you upgrade room. It's semi modular so if your cable management is non existent like mine then it wont look AS bad.

[Guest]

Corsair CX750M same PSU I have an it gives you upgrade room. It's semi modular so if your cable management is non existent like mine then it wont look AS bad.

Definately not a Corsair CX.

[CalebTheEternal]

Definately not a Corsair CX.

Why? Works great.

[Guest]

The XFX is a solid psu. I own the 750W version. It is made by Seasonic.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£174.90 @ Amazon UK) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  (£26.34 @ Aria PC) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£68.36 @ Scan.co.uk) 

Memory: Kingston Fury Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  (£52.84 @ Amazon UK) 

Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£77.94 @ Aria PC) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£56.34 @ Aria PC) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card  (£274.98 @ Amazon UK) 

Case: Corsair 350D Window MicroATX Mid Tower Case  (£83.00 @ Aria PC) 

Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£61.62 @ CCL Computers) 

Total: £876.32

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-16 22:40 BST+0100

[Guest]

Why? Works great.

They are budget units. For the same price you can get the 750W version of the XFX in my spec. 

[Matacks]

^ thats a really good find on that gigabyte motherboard. The only thing about it I can see it it's not suited for sli. I'd recommend a GIGABYTE GA-Z97MX-Gaming if ever wanting to do sli. I can't speak on how well it works though but it at least has the specs needed for that.

Could you suggest a specific PSU thanks. I don't want to make the same mistake twice.

Here's some antec ones I spotted.

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-edg550

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-ea550

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-neoeco520c

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8571/antec-edge-550w-power-supply-review/5

I always like reviews from these guys. They seem pretty in depth and objective, so they're good for checking out different brands.

I'm just showing some antec ones to be random. You have plenty of overhead with the lowest PSU I linked but if you ever decide to do dual gpu something like 600w 620w would be good. Everything since haswell and the new nvidia gtx series has become so energy efficient that people can get away lower wattage PSUs. Remember you'll also need a motherboard capable of dual gpu if you ever want to do that though.

goodluck! [emoji4]

[Guest]

^ thats a really good find on that gigabyte motherboard. The only thing about it I can see it it's not suited for sli. I'd recommend a GIGABYTE GA-Z97MX-Gaming if ever wanting to do sli. I can't speak on how well it works though but it at least has the specs needed for that.

 

If the op doesn't mind going a bit over budget, then it can be made SLI ready.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£174.90 @ Amazon UK) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  (£26.34 @ Aria PC) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97M Gaming Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£109.97 @ Dabs) 

Memory: Kingston Fury Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  (£52.84 @ Amazon UK) 

Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£77.94 @ Aria PC) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£53.94 @ Aria PC) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card  (£274.98 @ Amazon UK) 

Case: Corsair 350D Window MicroATX Mid Tower Case  (£83.00 @ Aria PC) 

Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£62.98 @ Aria PC) 

Total: £916.89

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-17 12:07 BST+0100

[HappyFlap]

 

The XFX is a solid psu. I own the 750W version. It is made by Seasonic.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£174.90 @ Amazon UK) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  (£26.34 @ Aria PC) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£68.36 @ Scan.co.uk) 

Memory: Kingston Fury Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  (£52.84 @ Amazon UK) 

Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£77.94 @ Aria PC) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£56.34 @ Aria PC) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card  (£274.98 @ Amazon UK) 

Case: Corsair 350D Window MicroATX Mid Tower Case  (£83.00 @ Aria PC) 

Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£61.62 @ CCL Computers) 

Total: £876.32

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-16 22:40 BST+0100

 

Thank you for this build!

 

 

If the op doesn't mind going a bit over budget, then it can be made SLI ready.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£174.90 @ Amazon UK) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  (£26.34 @ Aria PC) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97M Gaming Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£109.97 @ Dabs) 

Memory: Kingston Fury Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  (£52.84 @ Amazon UK) 

Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£77.94 @ Aria PC) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£53.94 @ Aria PC) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card  (£274.98 @ Amazon UK) 

Case: Corsair 350D Window MicroATX Mid Tower Case  (£83.00 @ Aria PC) 

Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£62.98 @ Aria PC) 

Total: £916.89

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-17 12:07 BST+0100

 

Thank you for this build also I appreciate your help!

 

^ thats a really good find on that gigabyte motherboard. The only thing about it I can see it it's not suited for sli. I'd recommend a GIGABYTE GA-Z97MX-Gaming if ever wanting to do sli. I can't speak on how well it works though but it at least has the specs needed for that.

Here's some antec ones I spotted.

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-edg550

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-ea550

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-neoeco520c

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8571/antec-edge-550w-power-supply-review/5

I always like reviews from these guys. They seem pretty in depth and objective, so they're good for checking out different brands.

I'm just showing some antec ones to be random. You have plenty of overhead with the lowest PSU I linked but if you ever decide to do dual gpu something like 600w 620w would be good. Everything since haswell and the new nvidia gtx series has become so energy efficient that people can get away lower wattage PSUs. Remember you'll also need a motherboard capable of dual gpu if you ever want to do that though.

goodluck! [emoji4]

I'll be sure to check these out, but I think I'll go with the builds above thanks!