As the title says, last time I did a scratch build was 2007 (with a GeForce 8800GTX). I kept up with hardware for a while but dropped off about 3-4 years ago as I was using a MacBook Pro exclusively. I'm about to return to the land of PCs and better gaming so I'd like some other eyes on my build before I pull the trigger. My main game is Eve Online so as long as I can run two-three clients on that I'm golden. I'm going for the 4K screen so I can have three 1080 clients on one screen plus a browser. I've many games to catch up on from the last few years, the main one I'm looking forward to is GTAV on PC. In a few months or so I might decide to add another 970 for some of the newer titles but I'm not hugely fussed about either playing at 1080 or 1440 rather than the full 4K for most games. Specs: Intel Core i5 4690K with NZKT Kraken X41 Gigabyte GA-Z97MX (Micro ATX) LGA1150 Kingston Fury White series 16GB (2x 8GB) Samsung 850 Pro 256GB EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Cheesecake+ ACX 2.0+ Seagate Barracuda 2TB Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV mATX case EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W PSU TP-Link TL-WDN4800 Wi-Fi card Asus PB287Q 60Hz 4K monitor Cooler Master CM Storm QuickFire TK Total around £1550 - £1600. Debating dropping to 8GB (2x 4GB) on the RAM and to a slightly lower 970 (still 3xxx series) EVGA card and overclocking myself. PSU is probably overkill but I'd like the option of dropping another 970 in at some point. A full PC part picker spec list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/YTKT7P
first instinct is to drop the wifi card for something like homeplug. I would also stick to 16GB especially if you plan to keep the pc for a while or plan to add more clients later on.
Good point with the ram, especially with multiple clients running. Whats the benefit of homeplug over Wifi? I have a 5Ghz wireless connection atm and I've never had any issues with playing over Wifi. I don't play twitch shooters or anything and I seem to get a decent stable connection (on my MacBook Pro at least). Would I lose a socket to the Homeplug or could it go on a powerbar?
It looks good. I agree with javaman, for your uses 16gb would be beneficial. Is there any reason you want to go M-atx? You could go with a m-itx system. You will save money and space. http://www.cclonline.com/product/17...ayPort-HDMI-DVI-Gigabit-LAN-Mini-ITX/MBD1506/
The case I want (I really love it after seeing at at an event) is mATX. Plus mITX wouldn't support the addition of a further GPU down the line. I do like the idea of a little mITX machine, Linus Tech Tips recently did a tiny one with a Titan in it, beastly little machine.
There is a similar Itx version available, but if you need expansion room then it's no good. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/phan...vnlfGQ-Gkhs0ZtzInXSWgUS9ubROSH8YuThoC5vLw_wcB
If you haven't had any issues with wi-fi you can stick with it. IMO I never use wifi unless it is a last resort. dedicated cable > home plugs > wifi, the amount of issues I see caused by wi-fi is unreal. Would a 750 + PSU be better if you are thinking of going SLI at some point in the future? I'm happy to be proven wrong but I don't think you can SLI on m-itx? Stick with 16gb it will be used at some point in the future.
Well from my spec'ing even with 650W I should have ~150-100W headroom on full load. The 970 is quite a light card on power. I'll doublecheck I think though. mITX boards don't support SLI but many mATX ones do. Including the one I'm aiming for. For obvious reasons they only support up to two cards though, not four-way. What would you recommend around the £400 budget? I'd prefer at 1440p and up. One of my main drives for 4K is I can have 4x1080p Eve Online clients running at once on the same screen. This excites me more than is reasonable.
I personally don't like homeplug. I've seen too many problems when used in older homes. If you live in a new home, or recently had all your wiring and outlets upgraded to code, then you should be fine. But if I have a choice, I will take Ethernet, then 802.11ac, then homeplug. If you are not overclocking, there is no need for the aftermarket cooler. Contrary to what many will tell you, today's OEM coolers are very good, fully capable of keeping the CPU adequately cooled, even with mild to moderate overclocking - and quietly too! It is critical to remember it is the case's responsibility to provide a sufficient supply of cool air flowing through the case. The CPU fan need only toss the CPU's heat into that air flow and today's OEM coolers do that well. And looking at the specs of that case, it provides outstanding cooling options. I don't see an OS listed. New computers require new licenses. OEM licenses cannot legally be transferred to new computers. I think your choice of motherboards is a good one. Besides Gigabyte being my preferred brand, that particular board will allow your other components to stretch their legs.
Hmm, good point. I might buy them from a local place that has a good 7 day return policy and test them out once I'm setup. Not going to lie, the cooler is primarily an aesthetics choice but it is the K model processor and z97 so OC'ing is on the table. I have a Windows 7 licence I got through being a student 4 years ago. It currently lives as a VM on Parallels Desktop on my MacBook but I don't believe it's an OEM licence so I can transfer it. I toyed with getting 8.1, especially with a 4K screen but I think I'll just tough it out until Windows 10. Good point about OEM though, I hadn't thought about that. Good to know Thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply to my build check.
Student license will transfer fine, I've been using mine that I got through Uni for the last couple of years, all four have been reinstalled chopped and changed between machines as needs require, and never had a problem with activation. Last time I reinstalled I used a media refresh ISO on a USB stick, soooo much nicer than using a disc, .
Yeah, I've already made a boot USB disk from the ISO in preparation as my new build won't have a disk drive.
There's nothing wrong with aesthetics. I for one, take pride in a tidy interior with good cable management and keeping it clean of heat trapping dust. And I do like a side panel window, but I generally use it for visual inspections because even with air filters, it will get dusty in there eventually. Plus, with a windows, I can see if all the fans are spinning. But other than that, I expect my case to sit discreetly off to the side and NOT draw attention to itself. Because after all, I prefer to pay attention to what's on my monitors, not gawking at my case interior. That's why fancy case lighting does nothing for me - besides the fact they do nothing for performance, add some heat, consume some power and do nothing for performance (worth repeating!). If you are not still a student at a qualifying school, then that license is not legally transferable. Just because the product can technically be installed and activated, that does not mean it is legal to do so, any more than running a stop sign is legal just because you don't get caught. This is in our EULAs which we agreed to abide by when we first started using the license after purchase. And because we agreed to abide by those terms, that makes it legally binding. Can you get away with reusing it? Most likely because MS is more concerned about the pirates selling 1000s of illegal copies and keys. So it is not a matter of technically being able to, it is a matter of right from wrong. And since I don't walk on water, it is not my place to judge. I am just here to provide the facts so you can make an informed decision and you can let your own conscience be your guide. That said, Windows 7 is already more than 6 years old! Windows 8.1 is more secure and performs better right out of the box. So even setting the legality issue aside, I recommend getting a modern OS for your modern HW.
Not being a student anymore has no bearing on whether it's still valid or not. When a Microsoft representative came to our uni to talk about dreamspark, I asked if the licences remained valid indefinitely or if they expired once we finished uni, he said that once you've got them, they're yours forever. I wouldn't buy a copy of win 8.1 if I had a copy of win 7, when 10 comes out 7 will get upgraded to 10 for free.
That's true - on the computers they were initially installed on. As I said above, this is about transferring it to a new computer. Again, it is in the EULA.
