Need some advice on a few comparisons!

[MercilessSuggy]

Hey there

Build below is here: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/mercilesskiller/saved/#view=PZmMnQ - Due to some black friday deals I got the SSD with £60 off so the price isn't accurate. A couple of other components are cheaper elsewhere but more interested in advice re processor.

Currently building a machine with the main aim to play CS GO on a 144hz monitor but also to play newer games too. I had a machine specced out but accidentally bought RAM on offer that didn't fit the mobo I had planned: HyperX FURY Series (2 x 8 GB) DDR3 1866mhz

The main other components are a 750W semi modular Bronze+ PSU..

Also an R9 380 4GB for £160 from amazon and this mobo:
https://www.epsilonpc.co.uk/asus-z97-k-atx-motherboard-lga1150-socket-intel-z97.html?gclid=CIu7y8XxsskCFVW7Gwod8r0CeQ

The main question I have is the CPU. Planned on a i5 4460 3.2ghz for £134 from Amazon but Ebuyer are doing a great one day offer on an i5 4960 3.5ghz for £170 (reduced from £200). Should I go for that?

Will all this be compatible with the existing mobo and PSU and would my upgrade path in this machine only be a better GFX card (next gen next year) before needing to start replacing things like the Mobo and PSU?

FYI the entire budget was around £900 inc a £200 144hz monitor.

Thanks

 

[MercilessSuggy]

P.S I also have a 1TB SSD in there from Amazons lightning deal woop.

 

[lunyone]

The 4460 CPU would be plenty for what you want to do. If you want the best gaming performance for the $, get the i5 4460 and the best GPU that you can afford. If you like AMD's options, go with the R9 390/390x or if Nvidia is an option I would go with at least the GTX 970/980. Buy the most GPU that you can get for your $.
Here is what I'd get with the parts you selected on your build:
* CPU - it 4460 which is plenty for 95% of peoples needs.
* Mobo - Go with H97/B85 Mobo, since you won't be needing to OC the CPU and it also saves more $ for a GPU upgrade.
* RAM - Stick with 8 gb's of RAM unless you get a good deal on the 16 gb's. 8 gb's is plenty for gaming and most other situations.
* SSD - Go with 512 gb one to tide you buy until you need/want more storage. This will free up some more $ for a better GPU.
* GPU - Get the most GPU that you can afford, like I said earlier, go with R9 390/390x or even the GTX 970/980.
* PSU - 550w should be okay up to about R9 390/390x/GTX 970/980, but if you want a bit more room for upgrades I would opt for a 600-650w XFX or go with the EVGA 750w one that you had in your build.
* Case- The case looks okay, but I'd at least opt for the Corsair 200R (plenty of room and is well built).

These are my suggestions, but overall you should be looking for an i5 w/the best GPU you can afford to get close to the 144 fps that your monitor can handle.

 

[MercilessSuggy]

Thank you! A few things:
1) I already bought the RAM and SSD due to amazing Black Friday deals. I got the Ram for just under £50 and the SSD for less than £150 and the extra value from the discount was worth it
2) I will downgrade the CPU to the 4460
3) Main question: GPU, GTX 970 4GB for £220 from Ebuyer, or the R9 390 4GB is more at the £260 mark which starts getting high. I know there's a next gen of gfx chips next year though - It sounds like the GTX 970 would be more than enough?
4) The PSU in the build was only £15 more than the lower W PSU's so simply going for extra wattage for future proofing more than anything else...
5) Will look at upgrading the case...

Thanks!

 

[MercilessSuggy]

Can't seem to find a mobo much cheaper that supports the 1866mhz DDR I've already bought but can afford the 970 4GB with the current one.

 

[MercilessSuggy]

Updated the part list with lower CPU (4460) and higher GFX (970 GTX Gigabyte). RAM and SSD already bought (discounted majorly).

PSU and Mobo I think I'm happy with unless I can save £20+ (no point in saving £10 when it reduces upgrade potential).

Planning on buying everything in 2 hours woop.

 

[lunyone]

Don't worry about the RAM speed. 1600 mHz is just fine for Intel CPU's on socket 1150. The GTX 970 is plenty for 1080p gaming and should do fine. The R9 390 is also a good GPU, but if it is 40 pounds more, I would opt for the GTX 970. The GTX 970 will generally consume less power, so the XFX 550w PSU should be okay, since you won't be OC'ing the CPU.

 

[MercilessSuggy]

Thanks! Updated with a 650w PSU (just in case I'll be upgrading the gfx card in the future seeing as it was the same price as the 550w).

Seeing as I've bought the 1866mhz RAM I'll just use that in the new mobo I've put in the build after taking your advice which only supports up to 1600mhz. Doesnt sound like the reduced clock speed will make any diff.

 

[lunyone]

No you won't probably ever notice the change in speed. Intel CPU's run just fine on 1600 mHz DDR3 without really any performance difference. If you had an AMD APU, then that could be a bigger issue, but since you have an Intel CPU there should be no worries.

 

[MercilessSuggy]

Great Just saved cash by putting in the BenQ 144mhz monitor which is £10 cheaper. Win.

 

[lunyone]

Cool, sounds like you will be having a nice system soon!

 

[MercilessSuggy]

Ha thanks - Just moved into a new house and they're laying down some 1Gbps fiber too but not here till next week (as long as there's no delays). I may end up with a computer but no internet at this rate