£1500 build for daily usage. Should I buy components for overclock?

[napster_88]

Hi guys.

Planning to build a new PC. My budget is around £1500 and not sure if to buy components designed for overclocking or not.
I have been looking over forums, youtube videos and on different websites and have seen that for daily tasks there is not much gains from overclocking unless doing intensive Photoshop video editing tasks. On the new pc I will mostly do daily tasks, like browsing the web, programming, gaming(1440p), movies this kind of stuff.

What would you guys do if you had this budged? Using your PC for this tasks would you go for overlocking or would you invest your money in other components for your build. For example not investing in a "k" cpu and overclocking motherboard, I could invest in a 970 GPU, and a good monitor etc.

What MBO and CPU would you suggest if I am planning not to overclock?
Any suggestions on the build?

 

[Chayan4400]

Hi guys.

Planning to build a new PC. My budget is around £1500 and not sure if to buy components designed for overclocking or not.
I have been looking over forums, youtube videos and on different websites and have seen that for daily tasks there is not much gains from overclocking unless doing intensive Photoshop video editing tasks. On the new pc I will mostly do daily tasks, like browsing the web, programming, gaming(1440p), movies this kind of stuff.

What would you guys do if you had this budged? Using your PC for this tasks would you go for overlocking or would you invest your money in other components for your build. For example not investing in a "k" cpu and overclocking motherboard, I could invest in a 970 GPU, and a good monitor etc.

What MBO and CPU would you suggest if I am planning not to overclock?
Any suggestions on the build?

For 1500 pounds, you can build a respectable machine!!! Here is my suggestion (includes a monitor and a keyboard + mouse and windows 8.1 64-bit):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£184.66 @ Ebuyer)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£61.38 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Asus Z97 PRO GAMER ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£107.01 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£50.04 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£52.12 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£61.19 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card (£291.54 @ Aria PC)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£85.62 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNova B2 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£76.74 @ Aria PC)
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 60Hz 27.0" Monitor (£425.07 @ Amazon UK)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse (£26.28 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £1421.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-07 13:09 BST+0100

Here is the link for the EVGA SuperNova B2 (PCPartPicker doesn't seem to have it listed): http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Supernova-Supply-Certified-1...

 

[napster_88]

Hi guys.

Planning to build a new PC. My budget is around £1500 and not sure if to buy components designed for overclocking or not.
I have been looking over forums, youtube videos and on different websites and have seen that for daily tasks there is not much gains from overclocking unless doing intensive Photoshop video editing tasks. On the new pc I will mostly do daily tasks, like browsing the web, programming, gaming(1440p), movies this kind of stuff.

What would you guys do if you had this budged? Using your PC for this tasks would you go for overlocking or would you invest your money in other components for your build. For example not investing in a "k" cpu and overclocking motherboard, I could invest in a 970 GPU, and a good monitor etc.

What MBO and CPU would you suggest if I am planning not to overclock?
Any suggestions on the build?

For 1500 pounds, you can build a respectable machine!!! Here is my suggestion (includes a monitor and a keyboard + mouse and windows 8.1 64-bit):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£184.66 @ Ebuyer)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£61.38 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Asus Z97 PRO GAMER ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£107.01 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£50.04 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£52.12 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£61.19 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card (£291.54 @ Aria PC)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£85.62 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNova B2 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£76.74 @ Aria PC)
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 60Hz 27.0" Monitor (£425.07 @ Amazon UK)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse (£26.28 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £1421.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-07 13:09 BST+0100

Here is the link for the EVGA SuperNova B2 (PCPartPicker doesn't seem to have it listed): http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Supernova-Supply-Certified-1...

So I see from your suggestion is to build and overclock, even if I will use my PC for the tasks above.
I was thinking maybe If I would not go for an overclock, I would maybe do a slim of the 970, invest in a higher capacity SSD and so on.

 

[ykki]

Your budget allows you to get something that overclocks as well as getting components that allow overclocking therefore I suggest going for it because OC'ing will give you a "free" upgrade later down the road when you need it.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£247.14 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC12DX_BK 68.5 CFM CPU Cooler (£33.74 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£103.16 @ Aria PC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£50.77 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£80.00 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£42.92 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 4GB Twin Frozr Video Card (£445.42 @ Ebuyer)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£56.81 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£99.98 @ Novatech)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£76.74 @ Aria PC)
Monitor: BenQ GW2765HT 60Hz 27.0" Monitor (£294.01 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1530.69

Fully SLI redy.

 

[Onus]

I'm not familiar with UK pricing, but I'd think something like this would be under your budget:
CPU: i5-4690 (K if you decide you want to overclock; there is no requirement to do so).
Motherboard: H97 chipset (Z97 if you want to overclock)
Cooler: stock (for overclocking, choose from http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2478892/alternatives-hyper-212-evo-budget-cooling.html instead)
RAM: 8GB DDR3-1600 CAS9 or DDR3-1866 CAS10; either should be 1.5V.
SSD: 250GB-256GB Samsung
HDD: depending on needs, pair of 1TB-2TB WD Black or Red drives in RAID1 configuration.
Graphics: GTX970
PSU: 500W-550W from Seasonic or XFX.
Case: ATX mid-tower of your choice; suggest Fractal Designs, NZXT, Corsair, Rosewill, or Antec.

 

[napster_88]

I can see from the answers most of the users would suggest to overclock..

 

[Mike BD]

You may not need any overclocked component for daily usage.
But,it depends how much you want the PC be with you.
As much you use it,as much you need it to be there for many happy years.
If upgrades like this won't come every 2 years or so,go for as much components that allows overclock as you can.

 

[Onus]

You may wish to choose components that allow overclocking, but never do it; it just gives you a choice. CPU speeds are a lot better than they used to be; ten years ago there was a greater need to overclock in order to "keep up" with new titles. If your budget doesn't allow it, especially if you want a nicer monitor, or that GTX970 (instead of a GTX960), then you can give up on the overclocking and not be suffering by any stretch.

 

[Mike BD]

You may wish to choose components that allow overclocking, but never do it; it just gives you a choice. CPU speeds are a lot better than they used to be; ten years ago there was a greater need to overclock in order to "keep up" with new titles. If your budget doesn't allow it, especially if you want a nicer monitor, or that GTX970 (instead of a GTX960), then you can give up on the overclocking and not be suffering by any stretch.

I think another ''con'' for overclocking is the higher temps.
Is it so?

 

[Chayan4400]

Hi guys.

Planning to build a new PC. My budget is around £1500 and not sure if to buy components designed for overclocking or not.
I have been looking over forums, youtube videos and on different websites and have seen that for daily tasks there is not much gains from overclocking unless doing intensive Photoshop video editing tasks. On the new pc I will mostly do daily tasks, like browsing the web, programming, gaming(1440p), movies this kind of stuff.

What would you guys do if you had this budged? Using your PC for this tasks would you go for overlocking or would you invest your money in other components for your build. For example not investing in a "k" cpu and overclocking motherboard, I could invest in a 970 GPU, and a good monitor etc.

What MBO and CPU would you suggest if I am planning not to overclock?
Any suggestions on the build?

For 1500 pounds, you can build a respectable machine!!! Here is my suggestion (includes a monitor and a keyboard + mouse and windows 8.1 64-bit):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£184.66 @ Ebuyer)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£61.38 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Asus Z97 PRO GAMER ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£107.01 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£50.04 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£52.12 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£61.19 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card (£291.54 @ Aria PC)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£85.62 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNova B2 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£76.74 @ Aria PC)
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 60Hz 27.0" Monitor (£425.07 @ Amazon UK)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse (£26.28 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £1421.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-07 13:09 BST+0100

Here is the link for the EVGA SuperNova B2 (PCPartPicker doesn't seem to have it listed): http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Supernova-Supply-Certified-1...

So I see from your suggestion is to build and overclock, even if I will use my PC for the tasks above.
I was thinking maybe If I would not go for an overclock, I would maybe do a slim of the 970, invest in a higher capacity SSD and so on.

OK, certainly that's possible! I don't tghink you'd benefit much from an i7, seeing as an i5 4460 can handle dual 970s, you'd hit maximum GPU power long before you hit max CPU power. With that said, if you don't want to overclock, here is the modified build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£143.99 @ Novatech)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£61.38 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI H97 GAMING 3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£76.99 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£50.04 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£52.12 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£61.19 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card (£444.10 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£85.62 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNova B2 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£76.74 @ Aria PC)
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 60Hz 27.0" Monitor (£425.07 @ Amazon UK)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse (£26.28 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £1503.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-07 13:36 BST+0100

Here is the link for the EVGA SuperNova B2 (PCPartPicker doesn't seem to have it listed): http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Supernova-Supply-Certified-1...


The price saving in ditching the overclocking-ready components is approx. 74 pounds, which allows for a GTX 980 just
over the budget. You can also stick with the 970 and upgrade other stuff like RAM and HDD or SSD space, of course. 970 SLI isn't possible for 1500 pounds, unfortunately.

(As before, this price includes the monitor (1440p, forgot to mention that), keyboard and mouse, and windows 8.1)

I too reccomend going for overclockable components, since it means better future proofing, and even higher performance. I actually recommend gaming at 1080p at this pricepoint, since a 970 easily achieves 60 FPS at 1080p, but at 1440p can struggle to deliver 40 FPS in some games. Keep in mind the SSD should only be used for installing windows, and a few frequently used programs on, while the rest of your files, programs and games should be kept on the HDD.

 

[napster_88]

Thanks your your replies and help. 😉

 

[Onus]

You could cut the PSU down to 650W for the GTX980; 500W for the GTX970. EVGA G2, B2, or GS is another good choice though.
Overclocking can produce higher temps, yes, which is why you'd get an aftermarket cooler for overclocking.
Only get an i7 if you're also going to be running well-threaded pro applications. For routine daily use, most (if not all) games will still run well even on an i3.

 

[Chayan4400]

You could cut the PSU down to 650W for the GTX980; 500W for the GTX970. EVGA G2, B2, or GS is another good choice though.
Overclocking can produce higher temps, yes, which is why you'd get an aftermarket cooler for overclocking.
Only get an i7 if you're also going to be running well-threaded pro applications. For routine daily use, most (if not all) games will still run well even on an i3.

I included an 850w so there is headroom to upgrade to dual 970s/ 980s in the future.