Help on a PC Build

[Patrick164]

Hi,

I want to build a PC for gaming. Specifically I would like it to run BF4, and in the future Battlefront, quite well. I have a 120Hz monitor and I care about frames per second.

Could you suggest a good PC build for me. My price range is around £800 - £1200.

I would also like to not have to upgrade for a year or two.

 

[sadams04]

Non-overclocking...
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£154.36 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£68.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£62.75 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£79.89 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£42.47 @ Ebuyer)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card (£284.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case (£72.48 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£48.64 @ More Computers)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.16 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£76.74 @ Aria PC)
Total: £901.47

Overclocking with the option to add a second GTX 970 in SLI in the future...
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£185.20 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£25.49 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£114.66 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£62.75 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£79.89 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£42.47 @ Ebuyer)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card (£284.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case (£72.48 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£65.52 @ Aria PC)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.16 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£76.74 @ Aria PC)
Total: £1020.35

 

[Patrick164]

Thanks, is i7 not needed then for gaming?

 

[RafaSimpsons]

Here it, you wont need to upgrade for like 4 years or more. You will have the best GPU on the planet.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£143.99 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: MSI H97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£61.16 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£50.50 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£71.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£38.34 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 295X2 8GB Core Edition Video Card (£533.58 @ More Computers)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£80.90 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Corsair 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£167.99 @ Aria PC)
Total: £1148.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-11 19:26 BST+0100

 

[RafaSimpsons]

Thanks, is i7 not needed then for gaming?

No you dont need i7 for gaming, the i5. Its better spending less on the CPU and invest more on the GPU than the other way around. The i7 is overkill.

 

[sadams04]

Thanks, is i7 not needed then for gaming?

Nope. Not needed at all... A small handful of games can benefit from hyperthreading.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106.html

 

[Patrick164]

Thanks, is i7 not needed then for gaming?

No you dont need i7 for gaming, the i5. Its better spending less on the CPU and invest more on the GPU than the other way around. The i7 is overkill.

And I won't need it in the future?

 

[RafaSimpsons]

Thanks, is i7 not needed then for gaming?

No you dont need i7 for gaming, the i5. Its better spending less on the CPU and invest more on the GPU than the other way around. The i7 is overkill.

And I won't need it in the future?

No, dont worry. Anyway you can always upgrade later.

 

[RafaSimpsons]

I added three fans to your system for better airflow.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£143.99 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: MSI H97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£61.16 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£50.50 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£71.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£38.34 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 295X2 8GB Core Edition Video Card (£533.58 @ More Computers)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£80.90 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Corsair 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£167.99 @ Aria PC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan (£14.26 @ Ebuyer)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan (£14.26 @ Ebuyer)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan (£14.26 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £1191.22
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-11 19:35 BST+0100

 

[Brunostako]

A bit over the budget, but it looks great:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£143.99 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: MSI H97M-G43 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£64.99 @ Novatech)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£87.46 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston Fury Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£46.50 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£38.34 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290X 8GB Double Dissipation Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) (£321.72 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290X 8GB Double Dissipation Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) (£321.72 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H34 ATX Mid Tower Case (£54.76 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 1050W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£125.24 @ More Computers)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer (£9.59 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £1214.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-11 19:39 BST+0100

 

[Patrick164]

I added three fans to your system for better airflow.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£143.99 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: MSI H97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£61.16 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£50.50 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£71.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£38.34 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 295X2 8GB Core Edition Video Card (£533.58 @ More Computers)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£80.90 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Corsair 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£167.99 @ Aria PC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan (£14.26 @ Ebuyer)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan (£14.26 @ Ebuyer)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan (£14.26 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £1191.22
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-11 19:35 BST+0100

Are Radeon R9 295x x2 the best way to go for that price?

 

[Patrick164]

Is it worth using an SSD for the games and for the OS?

 

[Patrick164]

A bit over the budget, but it looks great:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£143.99 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: MSI H97M-G43 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£64.99 @ Novatech)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£87.46 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston Fury Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£46.50 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£38.34 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290X 8GB Double Dissipation Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) (£321.72 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290X 8GB Double Dissipation Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) (£321.72 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H34 ATX Mid Tower Case (£54.76 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 1050W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£125.24 @ More Computers)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer (£9.59 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £1214.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-11 19:39 BST+0100

why do i need two sets of memory?

 

[RafaSimpsons]

A bit over the budget, but it looks great:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£143.99 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: MSI H97M-G43 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£64.99 @ Novatech)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£87.46 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston Fury Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£46.50 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£38.34 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290X 8GB Double Dissipation Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) (£321.72 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290X 8GB Double Dissipation Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) (£321.72 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H34 ATX Mid Tower Case (£54.76 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 1050W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£125.24 @ More Computers)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer (£9.59 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £1214.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-11 19:39 BST+0100

why do i need two sets of memory?

You dont need that much memory and the SSD will vastly improve your system overall performance when reading or writing stuff (load times much lower). And the r9 295x2 is basically the best card you can get right now and since you can fit on the budget, why not. I will last 4 years or even more.

 

[Patrick164]

ok, any particular SSD I should get? I probably won't need it to be bigger than 250gb

 

[RafaSimpsons]

I have included one in my build suggestion, its the SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB, its one of the best.

 

[Brunostako]

A bit over the budget, but it looks great:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£143.99 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: MSI H97M-G43 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£64.99 @ Novatech)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£87.46 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston Fury Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£46.50 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£38.34 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290X 8GB Double Dissipation Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) (£321.72 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290X 8GB Double Dissipation Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) (£321.72 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H34 ATX Mid Tower Case (£54.76 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 1050W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£125.24 @ More Computers)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer (£9.59 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £1214.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-11 19:39 BST+0100

why do i need two sets of memory?

Sorry, my bad. I did not see that i didn't delete the 16GB kit. I changed it for a SSD.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£143.99 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: MSI H97M-G43 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£64.99 @ Novatech)
Memory: Kingston Fury Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£46.50 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra II 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£76.03 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£39.23 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290X 8GB Double Dissipation Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) (£321.72 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290X 8GB Double Dissipation Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) (£321.72 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H34 ATX Mid Tower Case (£54.76 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 1050W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£125.24 @ More Computers)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer (£9.59 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £1203.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-11 22:57 BST+0100