PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£198.62 @ More Computers)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£124.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£82.99 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£139.89 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£53.94 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card (£280.68 @ Aria PC)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£80.76 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£74.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1036.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-05 23:08 BST+0100
I'm a hobbyist programmer. I run genetic algorithms, neural networks and other impressive-sounding crap, and recently I've started wanting to throw more CPU power at things. I also play games and would like a performance boost from my 7790. I'm buying in the UK asnd would like to stay around the same price, but I can spend a little more if something is worth getting. Here are my part justifications.
CPU
The Xeon-1231v3 is £20 more than an i5-4690, loses the iGPU and gains hyperthreading. I write a lot of multithreaded code and compilers work with as many cores as you have, so the hyperthreading is worthwhile to me.
CPU Cooler
The CPU comes with a stock cooler, which I'm hoping won't be too loud. If I think it is I can upgrade later.
Mobo
I haven't actually found a Z97 motherboard that I'm totally happy with, but this one seems pretty good. I'd still like more than 8 rear USB ports, but that seems to be the best you can do. Since I'm not overclocking I should consider H97 boards, but most of them seem lacking in other areas too, like rear IO and SLI support (which is an option I'd like to leave open).
RAM
It was the lowest price/GB when I checked. I admit that I've only once actually felt lacking for RAM at 8GB, and that was a time when I was intentionally pushing it. Nevertheless, I do run some VMs and, you know, street cred.
GPU
I don't want to spend the extra for a 980, and I don't want to downsize to a 960. I run Linux so if I want decent driver performance Nvidia is my only option, which is a damn shame because I'd really like to support AMD and their use of open source standards.
Case
I've looked at a lot of cases and I like this one. I'm a fan of minimalist design and I hate excessive LEDs. I have my computer in my bedroom and sometimes I like to leave things running overnight, so I definately don't want some glowing blingbox keeping me awake. Low-noise is also good for this reason.
PSU
Maybe it's a little more power than needed, but you seem to pay a premium for modularity at the 500-600w range so it's not much more expensive.
So yes, what do you think?
CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£198.62 @ More Computers)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£124.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£82.99 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£139.89 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£53.94 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card (£280.68 @ Aria PC)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£80.76 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£74.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1036.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-05 23:08 BST+0100
I'm a hobbyist programmer. I run genetic algorithms, neural networks and other impressive-sounding crap, and recently I've started wanting to throw more CPU power at things. I also play games and would like a performance boost from my 7790. I'm buying in the UK asnd would like to stay around the same price, but I can spend a little more if something is worth getting. Here are my part justifications.
CPU
The Xeon-1231v3 is £20 more than an i5-4690, loses the iGPU and gains hyperthreading. I write a lot of multithreaded code and compilers work with as many cores as you have, so the hyperthreading is worthwhile to me.
CPU Cooler
The CPU comes with a stock cooler, which I'm hoping won't be too loud. If I think it is I can upgrade later.
Mobo
I haven't actually found a Z97 motherboard that I'm totally happy with, but this one seems pretty good. I'd still like more than 8 rear USB ports, but that seems to be the best you can do. Since I'm not overclocking I should consider H97 boards, but most of them seem lacking in other areas too, like rear IO and SLI support (which is an option I'd like to leave open).
RAM
It was the lowest price/GB when I checked. I admit that I've only once actually felt lacking for RAM at 8GB, and that was a time when I was intentionally pushing it. Nevertheless, I do run some VMs and, you know, street cred.
GPU
I don't want to spend the extra for a 980, and I don't want to downsize to a 960. I run Linux so if I want decent driver performance Nvidia is my only option, which is a damn shame because I'd really like to support AMD and their use of open source standards.
Case
I've looked at a lot of cases and I like this one. I'm a fan of minimalist design and I hate excessive LEDs. I have my computer in my bedroom and sometimes I like to leave things running overnight, so I definately don't want some glowing blingbox keeping me awake. Low-noise is also good for this reason.
PSU
Maybe it's a little more power than needed, but you seem to pay a premium for modularity at the 500-600w range so it's not much more expensive.
So yes, what do you think?
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