New-old rig

[cc143]

First I would like to somewhat introduce myself, I used to be into computers, gaming, mild overclocking etc about 8-9 years ago.

 

Since I haven't really needed anything more than my laptop since I stopped gaming, I have not been very much into things lately.

 

So I am currently studying in the UK and was thinking of getting a rig together around christmas since I think I'm getting the old bug back.

 

Parts I already have which are supposed to go into this from back home include:

 

PSU: CM realpower M1000 /CM silentpro 850

 

I am  still considering this but, If the 850, which is currently in my pc back home is fully modular I might swap them out.

 

SSD:  Agility 240gb

 

I have this already, OS is already installed so no need for it.

 

Storage: 1TB drive (cant remember what it is really...)

 

Parts to be bought: 

 

Obsidian 450D @ 99.95GBP ocuk

 

I know this is a much more expensive case than is worth it for a sub 300GBP rig, but the 800d came out a year before I "quit the scene" so to speak so its more of an obsession to build in an obsidian than anything else. 

 

Pentium G3420 @35 GBP cex uk

 

Memory:Crucial ballistix DDR3 2x8GB, 1600  kit @ 60 GBP ocuk

 

Mobo:any 1150 board up to 70 GBP is available in ocuk clearance with some creature comforts like USB 3.0 and Sata 6.0g, preferrably ASUS. (I guess these are pretty standard now.)

 

Notes:

 

The Grand Total of this config is 270GBP as is, I am really looking at something sub 300GBP for the time being, to upgrade in thr future. 

 

My workload is mostly multitasking so for the time being, I will persevere with the onboard graphics until I can get something like an r9 280x cheap used.

 

Once haswell prices drop a bit I will be upgrading to a 4770/90k, but for the time being I will not spend the extra money, don't see the point. 

 

As I said, most of the gaming i do these days unfortunately involves a sofa and a TV, with the most intensive task this will do being a bit of photoshop, although I do fill RAM pretty much with browsers etc.

 

I won't be w/c any time soon since I did so a long time ago and found it necessary back home in the summer, but given UK weather I find it redundant. 

 

My peripheral setup is:

Mouse: Logitech MX Performance

Keyboard: Logitech G710+

Monitor: 2x Samsung Syncmaster 2494HM

 

which serve their purpose since I spend most of my day on the pc for uni etc.

 

So guys, please comment on my thoughts, last pc I built was on LG 1156 so any input is welcome, thanks 

[Streetguru]

First I would like to somewhat introduce myself, I used to be into computers, gaming, mild overclocking etc about 8-9 years ago.

So what's your budget? And you already have a power supply and storage drives?

[Mc_Joker]

Dude, next time read it. He has it already yes.

 

OT:

To save some money I would pick this case:

https://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-cas340wb1

I've the same one and I'ts amazing

 

For Mobo:

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-b85g43gaming

or:

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-h81gamer

 

Yes, I would re-use that PSU. Will save you again some money.

[Streetguru]

Dude, next time read it. He has it already yes.

I skimmed it, but his budget isn't listed, looks to be about 300 for the rest of the parts

 

So...860K + 380 and you should be all set

[PCPartPicker part list](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/DpFTK8) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/DpFTK8/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-ad860kxbjabox) | £54.96 @ Aria PC

**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-DS2 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaf2a88xmds2) | £42.16 @ Amazon UK

**Memory** | [Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/patriot-memory-psd38g1600k) | £29.99 @ Amazon UK

**Video Card** | [MSI Radeon R9 380 2GB Video Card](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-r9380gaming2g) | £151.00 @ Aria PC

**Case** | [Cooler Master N300 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-nse300kkn1) | £33.70 @ Aria PC

 | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |

 | **Total** | **£311.81**

 | Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-11-10 20:34 GMT+0000 |

[cc143]

So what's your budget? And you already have a power supply and storage drives?

I'm sorry, you are right, budget was not clearly mentioned, I've updated it now.

 

@ IceOps_Joker

 

I realise the case is too expensive (1/3rd+ of the budget), but as I said I really like it, so its more of a preference.

 

as far as the mobo is concerned, I wouldn't mind going used Z87 even, as long as it is fairly cheap and Wifi support is a big plu although a 10 quid wifi card off ebay or amazon will still work.

 

@Streetguru

 

Given the fact this isn't actually for gaming, I prefer going with an intel platform as to upgrade to an i7 down the line. 

 

The GPU is also an afterthought since onboard will cover my needs for the time being. 

 

Thanks for your input guys I really appreciate it. 

 

 

Mostly what I believe I should mostly improve is a wifi supporting mobo.

[Mc_Joker]

I would get a cheaper mobo like this one:

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gab85mds3h

And then buy a adapter for Wifi:

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/tp-link-wireless-network-card-tlwn781nd

could even be cheaper but then U'll have slower internet.

But that's the choice u can make.

Some are cheaper and are suing USB 2.0

[Streetguru]

I'm sorry, you are right, budget was not clearly mentioned, I've updated it now.

Should just buy the case down the road as you can fit an i5 in the budget rather easily

[PCPartPicker part list](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/W399gs) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/W399gs/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [intel Core i5-6600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662i56600) | £155.00 @ Amazon UK

**Motherboard** | [MSI Z170-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z170apro) | £79.99 @ Ebuyer

**Memory** | [Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-memory-ct8g4dfd8213) | £36.92 @ Amazon UK

**Case** | [Cooler Master N300 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-nse300kkn1) | £33.70 @ Aria PC

 | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |

 | **Total** | **£305.61**

 | Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-11-10 21:14 GMT+0000 |

[cc143]

I would get a cheaper mobo like this one:

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gab85mds3h

And then buy a adapter for Wifi:

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/tp-link-wireless-network-card-tlwn781nd

could even be cheaper but then U'll have slower internet.

But that's the choice u can make.

Some are cheaper and are suing USB 2.0

 

USB 3.0 is somewhat of a requirement for me so I won't be going that cheap, as far as wifi is concerned, I need something that can run on a 5g dual band connection ideally.

 

Should just buy the case down the road as you can fit an i5 in the budget rather easily

[PCPartPicker part list](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/W399gs) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/W399gs/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [intel Core i5-6600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662i56600) | £155.00 @ Amazon UK

**Motherboard** | [MSI Z170-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z170apro) | £79.99 @ Ebuyer

**Memory** | [Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-memory-ct8g4dfd8213) | £36.92 @ Amazon UK

**Case** | [Cooler Master N300 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-nse300kkn1) | £33.70 @ Aria PC

 | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |

 | **Total** | **£305.61**

 | Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-11-10 21:14 GMT+0000 |

 

I'm not sure about the skylake thing, it is cheaper than I imagined, but I'm not convinced it's actually worth it.

 

Looking at a haswell i7 vs skylake, they are comparable performance wise and the haswell is bound to get cheaper in 3-4 months. Skylake has the added benefit of being upgradable next year but with that rationale, the cheapest i3 would be a better option if planning to install an i7 after they change the architecture in 2016 or whenever.

I believe that it can only last a year more and I don't think its worth it to go skylake. 

 

+allows for cheaper DDR3 which is comparable to DDR4 and more capacity is more useful given my usage.

 

Also, as far as the case is concerned, changing the CPU is easier, and you only have a cpu to get rid of rather than an entire case, in my mind, spending a bit on that comes on cheaper down the line since it can potentially survive endless upgrading provided it's within reason and the 450D is very versatile, I also like the SSD mounting options the look etc. 

 

I have played around with pcpartpicker (pretty handy!) though and managed to get price down a bit. 

 

A used G3240 vs the new G3258 would be even cheaper. or better still, a used i5 would only come to approx. 300, still with 2ble the RAM, which i think makes a bigger difference.

 

[PCPartPicker part list](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/FgmGQ7) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/FgmGQ7/by_merchant/)

 

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646g3258) | £51.36 @ Aria PC 

**Motherboard** | [ASRock Z97 PRO3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z97pro3) | £70.69 @ More Computers 

**Memory** | [Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-memory-bls2kit8g3d1609ds1s00) |-

**Case** | [Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-cc9011049ww) | £95.90 @ More Computers 

**Wireless Network Adapter** | [Asus PCE-N15 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-wireless-network-card-pcen15) | £13.70 @ Amazon UK 

 | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |

 | **Total** | **£231.65**

 | Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-11-10 21:24 GMT+0000 |

[Streetguru]

 

USB 3.0 is somewhat of a requirement for me so I won't be going that cheap, as far as wifi is concerned, I need something that can run on a 5g dual band connection ideally.

You might as well go skylake since you'll get USB 3.1 on the platform and be better prepared for the near future, it's more about the platform than it is about raw performance.

Spending that much money on your case when your budget is so low doesn't make much logical sense. Same with getting 16gbs of RAM with a G3258, you can spend that money elsewhere and get better performance, since RAM is a simple upgrade later.

Buy the case you want after you have really solid hardware, rather than buying it now and costing yourself performance.

[cc143]

Entertaining the idea of skylake, i came up with the following, the price is getting on a bit but I guess its not that tragic provided I don't go over any more. 

 

[PCPartPicker part list](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/Gntg99) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/Gntg99/by_merchant/)

 

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [intel Pentium G4400 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662g4400) | £46.49 @ Ebuyer 

**Motherboard** | [Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-z170a) | £114.98 @ Amazon UK 

**Memory** | [Kingston FURY 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-memory-hx424c15fb8) | £37.91 @ Ebuyer 

**Case** | [Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-cc9011049ww) | £95.90 @ More Computers 

**Wireless Network Adapter** | [TP-Link TL-WN881ND 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/tp-link-wireless-network-card-tlwn881nd) | £12.95 @ CCL Computers 

 | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |

 | **Total** | **£308.23**

 | Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-11-11 09:25 GMT+0000 |

 

My rationale on the CPU is change it to an i7 (6700k ),in 4-6 months or if I can go by for longer, wait for the new architecture on the 1151 socket and go i7 next year. 

 

This still gives me a fairly ok motherboard and 16gb of RAM, which given the workload this will have, I think is becoming more and more necessary. afterall, given most of my work now is browser based, with browsers taking up so much RAM I think that is preferrable. 

 

I will be getting used when it comes to CPU and mobo if I get the chance, so the price could end up being a bit closer to the 300 GBP mark, and since this is gonna be built around December, I may even take advantage of holiday discounts etc...if these are a thing.

 

Again the case is a personal thing, Ilike the obsidian line, I haven't had a chance to build in any of them so I just really want to use it. I realise its too expensive for such a build for no performance gain but still, since I can't fit an i7 in my budget right now, I may as well use that and get an i7 later down the line.

[cc143]

Guys, more on the topic of Haswell Vs. Skylake, 

 

Since Black Friday is getting here, I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on some stuff and was wandering if you had to choose between the following, what would you do? 

 

[PCPartPicker part list](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/GCCJcf) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/GCCJcf/by_merchant/)

 

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662i56500) | £143.94 @ Aria PC 

**Motherboard** | [Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-z170a) | £110.87 @ More Computers 

**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cmk8gx4m1a2400c14r) | £39.48 @ Ebuyer 

**Case** | [Phanteks Enthoo Pro M ATX Mid Tower Case](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/phanteks-case-phes515pbk) | £50.54 @ Aria PC 

 | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |

 | **Total** | **£344.83**

 | Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-11-25 14:08 GMT+0000 |

 

Is this preferrable to a haswell system with an i7 instead of an i5?

 

I should note that an r9 380 will most probably be bought at some point.

 

In addition, I also have 2x2gb of DDR3 Ram which I could use temporarily if it comes down to it, which would make the haswell build more affordable at the moment. 

[cc143]

Guys I feel the need to revive this since I had to delay purchasing anything due to my laptop dying, which means I will need to buy a new pc right after the holidays.

 

Given that a laptop that would suit my need would most probably exceed 1000 GBP, I am thinking of building a pc as my main system, to be complemented by my tablet (surface 3) for uni work/ travel/ anything mobile. 

 

therefore, I have come up with this setup and would like to run it past you. 

 

[PCPartPicker part list](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/VYHTGX) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/VYHTGX/by_merchant/)

 

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662i76700) | £248.98 @ CCL Computers 

**CPU Cooler** | [be quiet! Shadow Rock 2 51.4 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/be-quiet-cpu-cooler-bk013) | £27.84 @ Amazon UK 

**Motherboard** | [Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-z170a) | £115.87 @ More Computers 

**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cmk16gx4m2a2400c14) | £73.98 @ Amazon UK 

**Video Card** | [Asus Radeon R9 380 4GB Video Card](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-strixr9380dc2oc4gd5gaming) | £172.99 @ Novatech 

**Case** | [NZXT H440 (Matte Black) ATX Mid Tower Case](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-cah442cm8) | £88.74 @ Aria PC 

**Wireless Network Adapter** | [Edimax EW-7811UTC 802.11a/b/g/n/ac USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/edimax-wireless-network-card-ew7811utc) | £13.80 @ Aria PC 

**Other**| Cable extenders| £15.06 

**Other**| Cooler master real power M1000 | Purchased 

**Other**| OCZ Agility 240GB SSD| Purchased 

**Other**| Logitech G710+| Purchased 

**Other**| Logitech Performance MX| Purchased 

**Other**| Samsung Syncmarster 2497MH| Purchased 

**Other**| Samsung Syncmarster 2497MH| Purchased 

 | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |

 | **Total** | **£757.26**

 | Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-12-17 16:20 GMT+0000 |

 

You will notice that I finally moved away from the 450D, I don't see the point, I wanted to go with something even cheaper (since -10GBP is not that much) but couldn't find anything I particularly liked. The S340 isn't an option since I will most probably be adding 3.5' drives in the future and need the expandability. 

 

Note that the CPU will actually be a 6700k, since I can find it used for the price of the 6700 and thus added the 6700 for a price reference. This is also the reason I added an aftermarket CPU cooler.

 

This will be used for very heavy multitasking and photoshop with gaming being in the list but way down.  

 

Peripherals as you can see already exist, and there is a 2 monitor setup running at 1080p.

 

Thank you once more for your help. 

[Streetguru]

 

Guys I feel the need to revive this since I had to delay purchasing anything due to my laptop dying, which means I will need to buy a new pc right after the holidays.

You'd save a decent amount going with haswell with basically no performance loss

 

also this one's an ITX build, with a 390 for around the same budget, and an extra SSD, the 390 is a bit overkill for your 1080p display though

 

and the motherboard has an onboard wifi card

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/Rrkr4D

Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/Rrkr4D/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£200.82 @ Dabs)

Motherboard: MSI Z97I AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£90.90 @ CCL Computers)

Memory: Kingston 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (£58.48 @ Amazon UK)

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£56.76 @ Amazon UK)

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 390 8GB PCS+ Video Card  (£239.59 @ Overclockers.co.uk)

Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case  (£39.60 @ CCL Computers)

Total: £686.15

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-17 21:14 GMT+0000

[cc143]

You'd save a decent amount going with haswell with basically no performance loss

 

also this one's an ITX build, with a 390 for around the same budget, and an extra SSD, the 390 is a bit overkill for your 1080p display though

 

and the motherboard has an onboard wifi card

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/Rrkr4D

Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/Rrkr4D/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£200.82 @ Dabs)

Motherboard: MSI Z97I AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£90.90 @ CCL Computers)

Memory: Kingston 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (£58.48 @ Amazon UK)

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£56.76 @ Amazon UK)

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 390 8GB PCS+ Video Card  (£239.59 @ Overclockers.co.uk)

Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case  (£39.60 @ CCL Computers)

Total: £686.15

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-17 21:14 GMT+0000

 

Given the 390 is really overkill (all the games I play are 3-4 years old and don't care playing in med-high), and I really don't need a 2nd SSD (unless we are talking 1TB class for mass storage) 

 

Why not go with something like this for haswell:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/R7YZVn

Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/R7YZVn/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£247.14 @ Aria PC) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£89.99 @ Novatech) 

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury White 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  (£60.11 @ Amazon UK) 

Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 380 4GB Video Card  (£172.99 @ Novatech) 

Case: NZXT H440 (Matte Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  (£88.74 @ Aria PC) 

Wireless Network Adapter: Edimax EW-7811UTC 802.11a/b/g/n/ac USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter  (£13.80 @ Aria PC) 

Total: £672.77

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-17 23:13 GMT+0000

[Streetguru]

 

 

Given the 390 is really overkill (all the games I play are 3-4 years old and don't care playing in med-high), and I really don't need a 2nd SSD (unless we are talking 1TB class for mass storage) 

Because it's simply not worth spending the extra for the unlocked CPU and Z chipset motherboard

Although if you were going to get the 380 you could just fit a larger SSD into the budget, a 240gb isn't going to last too long is it?

 

and I wouldn't use a USB wifi adapter, as most aren't built to handle heavy traffic

Why go ATX if you aren't going to use the extra features it gives you over ITX?

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/cp8c99

Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/cp8c99/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£200.82 @ Dabs)

Motherboard: MSI Z97I AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£90.90 @ CCL Computers)

Memory: Kingston 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (£58.48 @ Amazon UK)

Storage: Sandisk Ultra II 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£89.99 @ Amazon UK)

Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card  (£159.98 @ Novatech)

Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case  (£39.60 @ CCL Computers)

Total: £639.77

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-17 23:35 GMT+0000

[cc143]

I guess I will have to think about it a little further, I like the expandability and future proofeness the z170 platform comes with in the ATX form factor, wether that is ram or crossfire/sli capability. 

 

My other question is, which graphics card is worth it the most? the gtx 960, r9 380 or r9 380x? given that it is unlikely to run a 1440p setup anytime soon of course.  

[Streetguru]

I guess I will have to think about it a little further, I like the expandability and future proofeness the z170 platform comes with in the ATX form factor, wether that is ram or crossfire/sli capability. 

the AMD cards mostly, AMD cards tend to run better at higher resolutions

 

it's really not future proof by much, all it gives you is USB 3.1 which doesn't have many devices and most people really can live without the bonus speeds over USB 3.0, and intel sockets seem to live only 2 generations anyways.

[cc143]

So I thought I would post the system I actually bought in the end to close the thread altogether. 

 

I realise that the final build is MUCH different from what it was initially supposed to be, and very objectionable by everyone who has contributed to this thread, however, I have already bought everything and am currently posting from this system. If I were to build a system for a similar budget for someone else I would do it differently in the same way everyone who objects to it would so I guess do as I say not as I do applies. 

 

Case: NZXT H440

Motherboard: Asus Z170-Deluxe (mostly for onboard wifi, storage options and personal preference, a board half the price would probably do just fine.)

CPU: Intel 6700k (now oced to 4.5ghz, running rock stable)

CPU Cooler: CM Hyper 212 evo (easiest aftermarket cooler installation ever!)

GPU:Asus Strix GTX970 (chosen over r9 390 due to TDP and lack 3-surround vs eyefinity) mostly + at 1080p I found no need for 8gb, runs everything amazingly, Shadow of mordor was at 80-90 fps at ULTRA, although I didn't run it for long.

Memory: Teamgroup 2x8gb 2400ghz

Storage: OCZ Agility3 240gb SSD

              Seagate Green 2TB HDD (Off an external drive I had and rarely used)

PSU: Coolermaster Realpower M1000

 

Everything together was at approx 950 GBP due to offers etc. 

 

Remarks: 

 

Case: Not much room behind the motherboard tray, took another person to close the sidepanel.

 

I had an issue with the mobo's BIOS (ver.1203) and it took a lot of time and tinkering to get it updated.

 

Thank you everyone for your contributions.