Build Advice/Review

duffman85

I've filled out the template but also specced up a PC below.
I'd appreciate any advice or suggestions.
Thanks!

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1. What is your budget? €800 - €1000

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? Occasional Gaming/Programming/VMs/Internet
Games - F1 2013/Far Cry 3/Grid and various indie/older games from steam sales

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [Yes/No]No

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [Hard drive/DVD Drive/Case/PSU/etc.] (If possible state brand and model of the parts to ensure compatibility)
500GB Hard Drive, DVD drive , AMD 7850 2GB, Crucial 128GB M4 SSD
Also have a 500W Seasonic PSU - but I bought it back in late 2008.... so I put a new one in the build below

5. Do you need a monitor? [Yes/No] No

5a. If yes, what size do you need. [19'/20'/22'/24'/etc.]

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? [1920x1080/1440x900/etc.] [Yes/No] 1680x1050 - might upgrade to 1080p down the line but fine for now

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.] No

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Yes/No] No - don't think it's needed for my uses

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser] Bank Transfer/Credit Card

9. When are you purchasing? [In x days] approx next 2 weeks

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [South Dublin City/Cork City/Kerry/etc.] Dublin/Athlone - don't think I'll need help with it. Have built PC before.

Main things I want from this PC is decent performance CPU/GPU/SSD, small - hence the M-ITX and quiet.

The case comes with a 200mm fan at the front and reviews say it's quiet. Are the fans on stock cpu coolers very noisy

Here's the build I have so far:

Prices are from HWVS after going through geizhals.de:

Item|Price
Thermaltake Core V1|€37.92
Intel Core i5-4460 in-a-Box|€174.50
Samsung SSD 850 EVO SATA 6Gb/s 500 GB|€178.78
Corsair CX Series Modular CX430M, 430W|€52.89
ASRock H97M-ITX/ac, Sockel 1150, ITX|€95.13
16GB Kit Crucial Ballistix Sport Series DDR3-1600, CL9|€96.17
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€654.38

Digital Solitude

If you're going ITX I wouldn't look past the BitFenix Prodigy, its pricy but would be worth it imo

I've the same i5, can't hear the CPU fan when it's idling

I'd upgrade the GPU to a 290 or 970, you've got the budget for it after selling 7850.

duffman85

Thanks, will have a look at the bitfenix again.

Not so sure about the R270. Had a read of http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-radeon-r9-390x-r9-380-r7-370,4178-4.html and it appears the R370 is rebranded R270 which is a rebranded 7850 with minor spec bumps

Haven't been keeping up with hardware news, so don't know how accurate this is.

This is the 7850 card I have http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008HV63F0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

Digital Solitude

R9 290 or GTX 970 are massive upgrades from a 7850

TerrorFirmer

If those are the only games you're playing I don't think there's any real need for an R9 290 or GTX970, an R9 380 or GTX960 would more than suffice and be a strong improvement on a 2GB 7850.

If fact if you're only playing at 1680x1050, even the 7850 is pretty much fine for all of those games at high settings.

duffman85

Thanks, for the all the advice. I've decided to stick with the thermaltake case -like the compactness of it and it gets great reviews.
Staying on the 7850 for now as I don't game enough to justify upgrading.
Thinking of swapping the 430m for the 500W version - for the extra power and extra 6/8 pin PCI-E power connector should I upgrade the graphics card in the future.

Any more thoughts on this? Almost ready to pull the trigger.:D

Digital Solitude

Don't bother with PSU upgrade, Cross firing is not worth the effort unless you've something to overcompensate for.

430w is enough for most single cards

duffman85

Digital Solitude wrote: »

Don't bother with PSU upgrade, Cross firing is not worth the effort unless you've something to overcompensate for.

430w is enough for most single cards

I was thinking more that it would let me to upgrade later on to a card that needs 2 6pin connectors not anything else ...... :-D

Digital Solitude

Sorry misread that, yeah that's a good idea