Okay will include all the details!.... Right so partners computer has packed up and she wants a "gaming" PC. Now we're not talking trying to run cutting edge current gen games on high, she likes games like Sims 4, SimsCity, Civ 5, hypothetically lets say a Zoo tycoon 3 or another Spore game came out, she'd play that. Current PC is one of those ultra-slim types which isn't designed for such things. She'd of course she'd like it to last a few years on these sort of titles without needing to upgrade. The budget is around £700 (this excludes a monitor, OS and ram as I got her current PC 8GB of decent DDR3 recently, she also had an old HD she wants to plug in, albeit that won't fill in for a new one) Monitor used will be 1920x1080 res. She won't want to do any OCing. Storage wise I'll get a 1TB HDD, she complains the Sims 2 which she has about 7GB of custom content for loads very slowly due to that having to be all loaded up, now clearly her current PC isn't even design for gaming and is fairly old so anything made here will be substantially quicker, however I was thinking of a small SSD to fit a couple of games on that she has a lot of 3rd party content that needs booting up. Two caveats, I'd like if possible to purchase everything from this retailer, I've always had very good CS from them and they're close enough to drive to if I have issues. www.aria.co.uk Secondly she wants the NXZT Phantom 530 case with a few white LED fans thrown in, so that part of the build is fixed. Might suggest she gets the Phantom 410 midi though. This my attempt at something, if there are any changes needed keeping it under £700 would be ideal, but not the end of the world if it squeezes over.... Case: http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...ll+Tower+Gaming+Case+-+White+?productId=60595 Additional case fans: http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...on=shoppingBasketAdd&productId=63649&context= (two) CPU: http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...uad+Core+(Haswell)+Processor+?productId=60658 Cooler: http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...U+Air+Cooler+?productId=20729&page=2&rqcType= (unsure if stock would be enough, so threw a cheap but decent one in) GPU: http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...GAMING+AMD+Graphics+Card+4GB+?productId=64014 (possibly overkill but would perform well for a good few years with her types of game me thinks) Mobo: http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...+Motherboard+?productId=60524&page=2&rqcType= HDD: http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials...asketAdd&productId=48501&context=superSpecial SSD: http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Stor...-GAME+DOWNLOAD+WORTH+$30.00*+?productId=59734 PSU: http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...+Silent+Modular+Power+Supply+?productId=57196 So we're at £667 there. I've probably missed something lol. Noticed for the SSD there are comments saying it comes without a bracket, would a med to high end case as I've chosen have an SSD compatible bracket with it, or will I need to throw one in? Clearly they're only a couple of quid anyhow. Cheers for any info/advice guys! Optical drive: http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...-Writer+-+SATA+-+Black+-+OEM+?productId=55524
I would definitely double the SSD storage to 240GB as 120 will get swallowed up pretty quick. http://www.amazon.co.uk/computers/d...UTF8&qid=1435687340&sr=1-2&keywords=240gb+ssd Here is a link to a decent 240GB for under £60 on Amazon. Also, get an AIO Watercooler for the CPU if budget allows. Is there a specific need for an optical drive? Not much call for one these days with KODI (XBMC), Steam for games etc.
I find my AIO much quieter than a cheap air cooler. Also fifty billion times easier to fit and places less strain on the MOBO.
That much on a case and then using that cooler. 212 Evo is a great cooler assuming it fits in the case.
It's pretty and stylish and HAS A DOOR, please understand this lol. Yeah but trust me no OC'ing is ever going to happen so...tbh I don't see the point spending anything more than a bit, as I say stock was tempting but thought probably best to chuck something more in. That said the evo is under a tenner more, so...could stick it in tbh.
All the 3.5" caddies in the Phantom 530 also accept 2.5" drives (SSDs). Also there is a space behind the motherboard tray for a single 2.5" drive. So no need for adapters/brackets.
OK, you can say all that but in my experience of countless builds, air coolers are (in the main) large, fiddly to fit and can be noisy. AIO coolers are smaller, quieter and far far less fiddly to fit. And having that big lump of metal dragging on your mobo cannot be beneficial to its longevity. Will never ever go back to air coolers. I can honestly say I have had no trouble whatsoever with the 3-4 air coolers I have had. I am currently sat right next to my PC with a H80 in and a huge Air Penetrator 180MM at the front and it is DEAD quiet.
