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Decided not to get a PS4 or Xbox1 but going to build a Gaming PC. Any advice


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Posted (edited)
Think I have got the type of case worked out (Full Tower E-ATX Cases) and have narrowed it down to these 3 very cheap cases

 

Cougar Archon Gaming PC Case Black with Orange Interior Mesh Window - Ebuyer

 

Cougar MX300 Gaming Case Black Honeycomb Front Windowed - Ebuyer

 

Sharkoon VS3-V Black Case, Green Application ATX Case - Ebuyer

 

Apart from one of the cases above having green lights would one of them be preferred over the others?

 

You don't need a full tower E-ATX - those things are massive. Your motherboard is normal ATX, so a mid-tower ATX would be the right size (i.e. a normal computer case, not a monstrous server-size case like those ones).

 

Without breaking the bank, these are some decent cases:

NZXT Source 210 Elite White Case - Ebuyer @ £37

Carbide Series SPEC-01 BLUE LED Mid Tower Gaming Case - Ebuyer @ £39 (but buy an extra case fan to use as an exhaust; other colour LEDs are available with the case but the blue is cheapest)

Fractal Design Core 3000 - Ebuyer @ £45

Antec GX 700 ATX Gaming Case - Ebuyer @ £53 (including fan controller + 3 fans)

 

Really decent cases are about the £70 mark, e.g. Fractal Design Define R4 Silent Black Pearl Case - Ebuyer, Cooler Master - CM 690 III Window Side Panel Edition - CMS-693-KWN1 - Ebuyer, Corsair cases

Edited by sonofsanta
Posted
You don't need a full tower E-ATX - those things are massive. Your motherboard is normal ATX, so a mid-tower ATX would be the right size (i.e. a normal computer case, not a monstrous server-size case like those ones).

I would also question the need to choose an ATX motherboard when a mATX would be perfectly fine for a gaming PC and means @edutech4schools could get an even smaller case. :)

Posted (edited)

I can also recommend Corsair for cases very high quality build. I love my 750D even if it is ma-hoooo-sive. :cool:

 

I would also question the need to choose an ATX motherboard when a mATX would be perfectly fine for a gaming PC and means @edutech4schools could get an even smaller case. :)

 

You can also get a lot of mini-ITX cases now that support full size PSU's and graphics cards it'd make it even smaller! A lot of ITX cases still come with a CPU built in but I am starting to see a few gaming one's that will allow for an 1150 socket :)

Edited by abillybob
Posted (edited)
I really hope that's a door on the front.. Else where on earth would you put an optical drive, card reader, fan controller, etc etc.

 

Yeah, hinged & foam-padded door; the R4 is built around being silent. We used that case to build the recording PC for our music department :)

 

--

 

I would also question the need to choose an ATX motherboard when a mATX would be perfectly fine for a gaming PC and means @edutech4schools could get an even smaller case.

 

I've been thinking about mATX for my next build actually - given that I will never ever dual-GPU again (too much faff & driver pain), I can't actually think of any downside to an mATX motherboard. There are hardly any nice looking cases specifically for mATX though :( Fractal Design's are about the only decent looking cases at that smaller size IMO.

Edited by sonofsanta
Posted
What type of case should I get for the hardware I am getting. They seem to do ATX, Full Tower e-ATX, midi ATX etc.

 

I am OK with the one in this post that @LeMarchand found but I can not find it on ebuyer.

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/general-chat/147264-decided-not-get-ps4-xbox1-but-going-build-gaming-pc-any-advice-7.html#post1261167

 

Cheap Computer Cases Low Prices UK Deals | Ebuyer.com

 

- Intel Core i5 i5-4690K CPU (Quad Core 3.5GHz Processor, 6MB Cache, Intel HD 4600 Graphics, Socket H3 LGA-1150)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KPRWB9...h_pcggrtest-21

£179

 

- Gigabyte GTX970 WindForce 3 OC 4GB Nvidia (Maxwell) PCI Express Graphics Card

Gigabyte GTX970 WindForce 3 OC 4GB Nvidia (Maxwell) PCI Express Graphics Card * Scan Exclusive * - GV-N970WF3OC-4GD - Scan.co.uk

£283

 

- MSI Z97-G43 Socket 1150 VGA DVI HDMI 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard

MSI Z97-G43 Socket 1150 VGA DVI HDMI 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard - Ebuyer

£77

 

- Corsair 8GB DDR3 1866MHz Vengeance Kit

Corsair 8GB DDR3 1866MHz Vengeance Kit - Intel Haswell - Ebuyer

£73

 

- Samsung 850 EVO 250GB 2.5inch SSD

Samsung 850 EVO 250GB 2.5inch SSD - Ebuyer

£109

 

Total so far £721

 

- Corsair CSM 650W Semi Modular 80+ Gold Power Supply

Corsair CSM 650W Semi Modular 80+ Gold Power Supply - Ebuyer

£76

 

I've just added all those parts up on PCPartPicker and managed to get a few quid saved from getting them from different places here is the link: Intel Core i5-4690K, Asus GeForce GTX 970 - System Build - PCPartPicker United Kingdom

 

Bear in mind that the price at the bottom includes the PSU it saves you about £12, i know it's not much but its money you could use to get a better case.

 

Hope it helps :)

Posted (edited)
You can also get a lot of mini-ITX cases now that support full size PSU's and graphics cards it'd make it even smaller!

Indeed you can. My current i7-4770K gaming PC is in a Corsair 250D which is tiny compared to the monstrous Silverstone FT02B I had previously.

 

For my next PC I think I will downsize even further and use an A4 or NCase M1. These both make the 250D look massive by comparison. :)

 

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1799326

https://www.ncases.com/

 

A lot of ITX cases still come with a CPU built in but I am starting to see a few gaming one's that will allow for an 1150 socket

All of the big motherboard manufacturers have s1150 mITX gaming (and regular) motherboards these days.

Edited by Arthur
Posted

@Sunnyknight I will not be using water or overclocking (much) any time soon and when I do I will get a decent case. I am still on a budget of sorts and saving money on the case seems better than cutting back on internal hardware.

@sonofsanta Thanks for picking out some cases, I will have a look in a moment. Just so you know I am not one for over the top looking cases and will probably go with a boring looking one.

 

You don't need a full tower E-ATX - those things are massive. Your motherboard is normal ATX, so a mid-tower ATX would be the right size (i.e. a normal computer case, not a monstrous server-size case like those ones).

 

Without breaking the bank, these are some decent cases:

NZXT Source 210 Elite White Case - Ebuyer @ £37

Carbide Series SPEC-01 BLUE LED Mid Tower Gaming Case - Ebuyer @ £39 (but buy an extra case fan to use as an exhaust; other colour LEDs are available with the case but the blue is cheapest)

Fractal Design Core 3000 - Ebuyer @ £45

Antec GX 700 ATX Gaming Case - Ebuyer @ £53 (including fan controller + 3 fans)

 

Really decent cases are about the £70 mark, e.g. Fractal Design Define R4 Silent Black Pearl Case - Ebuyer, Cooler Master - CM 690 III Window Side Panel Edition - CMS-693-KWN1 - Ebuyer, Corsair cases

Posted
I'd make a case for a mid tower case: plenty of space, room for circulation, easier to route cables. If you ever want a giant graphics card you may find that even a mid-tower won't fit some cards. I know mine won't fit the "3 fan" length ones.
Posted
Still not keen on it, no front air intake :D

 

Yeah it has - two intakes right behind that door, behind a dust filter, with a 140mm fan pre-installed ;) there are vents at the sides (just behind the door) for it to draw air in.

 

Next time I build I'll either get that or the CM 690. Not a fan of the over-the-top gaming styling either, be it flashy LEDs (so annoying in your peripheral vision) or ridiculous military get up; I just want something slick, quiet and not oversized. With cable routing. I hate not having cable routing.

Posted

Not to hijack this as I am building ( hopefully ) a pc in a few weeks but do I opt for

 

1) 4690K with 32gb of ram

 

OR

 

2) 4790K with 16gb of RAM

 

???

 

Using a Z97 motherboard, 860W Seasonic PSU and a GTX 760

Posted
Not to hijack this as I am building ( hopefully ) a pc in a few weeks but do I opt for

 

1) 4690K with 32gb of ram

 

OR

 

2) 4790K with 16gb of RAM

 

???

 

Using a Z97 motherboard, 860W Seasonic PSU and a GTX 760

 

Shup mac. Lol

 

What happened to the x99 build?

 

:p

  • Thanks 1
Posted
Not to hijack this as I am building ( hopefully ) a pc in a few weeks but do I opt for

 

1) 4690K with 32gb of ram

 

OR

 

2) 4790K with 16gb of RAM

 

???

 

Using a Z97 motherboard, 860W Seasonic PSU and a GTX 760

 

Depends what you're doing; unless you specifically need 32GB of RAM for lots of VMs or video editing, you'd get more benefit from the i7 with 16GB.

 

But if you're only gaming, save the money and get the i5 with 16GB RAM.

Posted
Depends what you're doing; unless you specifically need 32GB of RAM for lots of VMs or video editing, you'd get more benefit from the i7 with 16GB.

 

But if you're only gaming, save the money and get the i5 with 16GB RAM.

 

A few VM's at the same time , gaming, some video conversions,

 

My thoughts are I can upgrade to 32gb RAM later by getting the same ram kit again so another 16gb ram kit and get the 4790k

 

If I go with the 4690k, that will be a pain to sell and get the 4790k at a later date vs paying another £140 ish and getting the additional 16gb to bump it up to 32gb

Posted (edited)
Shup mac. Lol

 

What happened to the x99 build?

 

:p

 

About £1,500 happened as would cost too much to purchase an X99 motherboard, cpu and DDR4 so just sticking with DDR3 / Z97

 

You can change your sig back on edugeek if you want lol

Edited by mac_shinobi
Posted
A few VM's at the same time , gaming, some video conversions,

 

My thoughts are I can upgrade to 32gb RAM later by getting the same ram kit again so another 16gb ram kit and get the 4790k

 

If I go with the 4690k, that will be a pain to sell and get the 4790k at a later date vs paying another £140 ish and getting the additional 16gb to bump it up to 32gb

 

Exactly that.

  • Thanks 1
Posted
OK decided on this motherboard

 

Fractal Design Core 3000 - Ebuyer

 

Next up, unless I have missed something is OS

 

8.1 home or pro?

 

Just wondering if teachers get a discount as wife is a teacher or at what age pupils get discounts as I have a child in Primary school.

 

That's a case. If your school or your wife's has EES see if the reseller offers a store/Work At Home. Will be under £10 for pro then.

 

If you fancy living on the edge you could use 10, though there was some talk that Steam doesn't play well with it (may not be the case now).

Posted

Wife's schools does not have EES so no cheap OS for us. 8.1 pro is to expensive so getting 8.1 home.

 

OK, the list so far

 

Intel Core i5 i5-4690K CPU (Quad Core 3.5GHz Processor, 6MB Cache, Intel HD 4600 Graphics, Socket H3 LGA-1150)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KPRWB9...h_pcggrtest-21

£179

 

Gigabyte GTX970 WindForce 3 OC 4GB Nvidia (Maxwell) PCI Express Graphics Card

Gigabyte GTX970 WindForce 3 OC 4GB Nvidia (Maxwell) PCI Express Graphics Card * Scan Exclusive * - GV-N970WF3OC-4GD - Scan.co.uk

£283

 

MSI Z97-G43 Socket 1150 VGA DVI HDMI 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard

MSI Z97-G43 Socket 1150 VGA DVI HDMI 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard - Ebuyer

£77

 

Corsair 8GB DDR3 1866MHz Vengeance Kit

Corsair 8GB DDR3 1866MHz Vengeance Kit - Intel Haswell - Ebuyer

£73

 

Samsung 850 EVO 250GB 2.5inch SSD

Samsung 850 EVO 250GB 2.5inch SSD - Ebuyer

£109

 

Corsair CSM 650W Semi Modular 80+ Gold Power Supply

Corsair CSM 650W Semi Modular 80+ Gold Power Supply - Ebuyer

£76

 

Fractal Design Core 3000

Fractal Design Core 3000 - Ebuyer

£44

 

Windows 8.1- 32-bit/64-bit Eng Intl DVD

Windows 8.1- 32-bit/64-bit Eng Intl DVD - Ebuyer

£83

 

Total £924

 

Just looking at Gaming mouses and keyboards and they do have some very cheap ones, which should make SunnyKnight happy as he was not pleased at me using Dell

  • Thanks 1
Posted
Just looking at Gaming mouses and keyboards and they do have some very cheap ones, which should make SunnyKnight happy as he was not pleased at me using Dell

 

I can personally recommend Perixx as an excellent budget brand, I have this mouse and love it: [Driver Update] Perixx MX-2000IIB, Programmable Gaming Laser Mouse - Black - 8 Programmable Button - Weight Tuning Cartridge - Omron Micro Switches - Avago 5600DPI ADNS-9500 Laser Sensor - Ultra Polling 125-1000HZ: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessori

 

I need to stop reading this thread, I'm psyching myself up for a new build and my bank really can't take that again this year! :p

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