1. #1

    Need building/buying advice! - ~$1500 budget - Gaming/streaming/video-editing PC

    I'm doing some paid programming work this summer and getting a chunk of cash for doing it. I need a new computer (in fact - I've never had a computer, always just used a laptop ) and I would love to build one.

    I spend most of my time on my computer gaming, but I would love to start doing some streaming and video-editing too (which my laptop has never really been powerful enough to handle). I would also love to be able to enjoy games at really decent graphics (at the moment I mainly just play WoW, which I know isn't very graphically demanding, but I would love to play some of the latest PC games too (just bought the new Wolfenstein for example, which looks amazing, but I don't want to play it on my shitty laptop)).

    I was planning on going with the latest 'Unicorn' build (found here) with some changes.

    1. I live in England - is this going to present any problems with the power supply? I cannot find the Rosewill Fortress 750W on Amazon.co.uk. Does anyone know of a viable alternative I could shop for that would definitely work with the power outlets in England?

    2. I currently have a 24" monitor that I use to dual-screen with my laptop. This is the monitor I currently have: Samsung S24C300HS 24 inch HDMI VGA LED Monitor. Will I need to buy a different one? I'm quite keen on actually having 2 or 3 monitors (One for playing the game, one for watching the stream, one for managing spreadsheets and stuff (I'm an officer in my guild and often have to tab out to look at documents etc)). How important is it that I buy a really good monitor to go with my computer? Would this: ASUS VS248H-P 24-Inch Monitor be fine?

    3. My parents live in America, and I'm currently staying with them until the end of this month. This means that I can actually buy some parts in America and take them over to England in my luggage. Most parts do seem cheaper if I buy them in America first. Does anyone know if mixing English and American components would present any problems when building my computer? And does anyone know anything about any laws or anything about importing computer parts like this? Getting really particular: would the x-ray at security damage any of the parts?


    Thanks for any and all help!

  2. #2
    Deleted
    Figure out how much you can import before getting taxed and stay below that amount. CPU + Motherboard (RAM/CPU can be put in the motherboard box) or maybe the GPU is easy to fit in your luggage. SSD is an option too. If you're near a Microcenter you can buy a CPU+MB bundle there and save some money.

    If the work you're doing is really CPU intensive, then an i7 might be a good idea. THis build includes that and 16GB RAM, obviously anything you can bring home with you without getting taxed will saved you some money:

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

    CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£231.54 @ Aria PC)
    CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.25 @ Scan.co.uk)
    Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£97.02 @ Ebuyer)
    Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£111.08 @ Ebuyer)
    Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£77.04 @ Aria PC)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£38.70 @ Aria PC)
    Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card (£211.54 @ Scan.co.uk)
    Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£44.99 @ Amazon UK)
    Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£44.11 @ CCL Computers)
    Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£11.32 @ CCL Computers)
    Total: £891.59
    Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

    If the i7 really isn't needed then the total is brought down to £811 with the Intel Core i5-4690K

    No matter the build this is the monitor I'd pick:

    Dell U2414H £168 || Review
    Last edited by mmocca5d152c38; 2014-07-12 at 06:02 PM.

  3. #3
    Wow thank you for such a detailed response.

    I'll have to find out the non-taxable limit, then I'll buy some parts in America to save myself some money.

    As far as video-editing goes, I just plan on making class/boss guides or lets play videos etc for YouTube. Would I be able to get away with the i5 for that?

    If it isn't too much trouble, could you give a brief explanation of some of the choices of parts? I'm doing my best to read-up and stuff but it's still a bit confusing for me trying to work out why some parts are better than others. For instance, is there a reason you chose the Radeon rather than the Asus GTX770? Or was it a price decision?

    And thanks for giving the prices in £, I've been playing with PCPartPicker and didn't realise there was an English version... that's helped a lot!


    I watched a couple of videos on how to build a PC. There's always a lot of wires and stuff to connect everything together. Do these normally come with the relevant parts? Or are they extras that I need to buy? And for sound cards / wireless adaptors, is there any advice I can get there?

    Thanks again!

  4. #4
    Deleted
    As far as video-editing goes, I just plan on making class/boss guides or lets play videos etc for YouTube. Would I be able to get away with the i5 for that?
    Yeah the i5 would be just fine, rendering videos you'd see a ~15-20% difference in rendering time or roughly 10 minutes per 60 min.

    For instance, is there a reason you chose the Radeon rather than the Asus GTX770? Or was it a price decision?
    GPU - Price to performance ratio is more or less the reason and you're getting 3GB vRAM instead of 2GB which might matter in a few select games, especially high res. texture modded games. Other than that the two cards trade blows depending on the game title. You also get 3 free games with the AMD card which may or may not matter to you.

    By the way it seems the link for the Gigabyte card listed the wrong price, I edited in a different one. This Sapphire card is also an option, slightly cheaper:

    Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X

    CPU HS- The CM 212 EVO is just a nice budget cooler, you can get better and quieter options but you'll have to pay maybe double.

    PSU - The XFX unit is just a solid, fairly cheap and good quality PSU. You can spend more and get something modular to help with cable management but it's not a must.

    Case - Just a solid budget case from Corsair, lots of "performance" for your money. Again you can spend more to get slightly better cable management, more silent, more fans etc.

    If you have more question about any specific parts just ask.

    I watched a couple of videos on how to build a PC. There's always a lot of wires and stuff to connect everything together. Do these normally come with the relevant parts? Or are they extras that I need to buy? And for sound cards / wireless adaptors, is there any advice I can get there?
    You need one SATA cable per HDD, SSD and DVD drive. There is 2 in the motherboard box so if you need a DVD drive you'll want to buy an extra SATA cable. Any SATA data cable will do as long as it's long enough.

    You don't need a sound card, the onboard option is fine.

    If you needed Wi-Fi then yes you'll need to buy a separate wireless card.

    Other than that all you need is a standard Phillips Head screwdriver, take your time, check with motherboard manual if you're in doubt. Some videos about building:




  5. #5
    Thank you for the reasonings

    I've found the untaxable limit on importing goods from US -> UK (£390) so I'll buy some things here and put them in my luggage.

    Do I need to do anything special to be able to have 3 screens, or would there be enough outputs without me needing to do anything extra?

    And why in particular did you recommend the 'Dell U2414H' monitor? What kind of things make monitors good? Are cheaper ones not able to 'keep up' in some way with higher-performing parts?

  6. #6
    Deleted
    Do I need to do anything special to be able to have 3 screens, or would there be enough outputs without me needing to do anything extra?
    No, just make sure the GPU and monitors have the appropriate connections (HDMI, DVI, DP).

    I've found the untaxable limit on importing goods from US -> UK (£390) so I'll buy some things here and put them in my luggage.
    So that's roughly $650, could pick up these parts:

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

    CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
    Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($120.99 @ Amazon)
    Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($148.50 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz)
    Total: $609.47
    Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

    And why in particular did you recommend the 'Dell U2414H' monitor? What kind of things make monitors good? Are cheaper ones not able to 'keep up' in some way with higher-performing parts?
    It's just one of the best monitors in the price range and size. IPS has more accurate and better colors, better viewing angles. I would at least get something good for your main monitor then maybe you can save a little on the other ones. Read the review and judge for yourself

  7. #7
    Thanks again. I think I might do what you suggest and buy one good monitor and then cheaper ones for the extra screens.

    Is 256GB SSD overkill? Just thinking I could save some money by buying a 128GB one. Bad move?

    I save about £100 if I import some parts from US to England. Do you reckon there is much chance of any of the parts breaking? I would keep them in my hand luggage (so they don't get thrown about in and out of cargo etc). I just don't know how fragile some of these pieces are. They would still be in their original packaging.


    EDIT: Just did a bit more looking around. Monitor's aren't actually much cheaper than the Dell, so isn't really worth sacrificing the performance for £30 or something. Also the SSD seems really cheap for what it's offering, on par price with a lot of the 128GB, so I'm not sure it'd even save me money if I dropped down to a 128.


    EDIT2: Here is what I'm looking at so far. Basically just your recommendation (can't find good enough reasons to change anything you suggested):

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

    CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£161.94 @ Aria PC)
    CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.25 @ Scan.co.uk)
    Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£97.02 @ Ebuyer)
    Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£111.08 @ Ebuyer)
    Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£77.04 @ Aria PC)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£38.70 @ Aria PC)
    Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card (£211.54 @ Scan.co.uk)
    Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£44.99 @ Amazon UK)
    Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£44.11 @ CCL Computers)
    Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£11.32 @ CCL Computers)
    Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£69.65 @ CCL Computers)
    Monitor: Dell U2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor (£167.94 @ Aria PC)
    Monitor: Dell U2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor (£167.94 @ Aria PC)
    Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013 Wired Gaming Keyboard (£99.97 @ Scan.co.uk)
    Speakers: Logitech Z523 30W 2.1ch Speakers (£55.19 @ Amazon UK)
    Total: £1382.68
    Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available


    It seems a bit pricey, but I can't see anywhere where I could save some money. I could not buy any monitors at all because I already have one, but I am quite keen on the whole 3-screen total nerdout thing. I'll manage to save about £100 if I import some of them from the US.

    EDIT3: I could always delay buying the extra monitors until later. Doesn't make any difference in the end but might make me feel better about spending so much at once
    Last edited by Yax; 2014-07-13 at 12:11 AM.

  8. #8
    Fluffy Kitten Remilia's Avatar
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    While not strictly necessary to have 256GB SSD it is really nice being able to put more games and stuff onto the SSD without playing micro management.

    Just a note you should change your sig as it's above 500x100 and 50kb size. I feel nice today.
    Last edited by Remilia; 2014-07-13 at 12:12 AM.

  9. #9
    Deleted
    I'd swap to Windows 8.1, it's simply better performance and better support for longer. Windows 7 updates end in ~6 months. If you don't like the uI just install Classic Shell

    (btw check my PM if you didn't already)

    Could always wait with the one monitor. Two is still quite good and efficient.

    Cooler Master CM Storm Quick Fire TK would save you £27
    Corsair Vengeance K70 £99, nothing saved but anything is better than Razer, right?

    Perhaps the speakers could wait too? If money is tight.

  10. #10
    You are probably right about Windows 8.1 - just me being scared of change I don't actually know too much about Windows 8 so I'll look into it, but it will be the best option for future stability I imagine.

    Thanks for the keyboard alternatives, I'll look into them. I actually love my Razer Naga (controversial opinion I know!).

    Speakers could probably wait too. I have some speakers that I could use for a while actually. Nothing amazing, but they... well.. they make sound waves xD


    @Remilia: Thank you for pointing it out! Changed it now. Picture should be 48kb so just within the limit Sorry! Didn't mean to break the regulations



    EDIT: I suppose a keyboard is something I could also wait on and buy a cheap one for now? Or am I about to be raged at for even suggesting such an obscenity?
    Last edited by Yax; 2014-07-13 at 12:55 AM.

  11. #11
    Fluffy Kitten Remilia's Avatar
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    I think you'd get less flak from a cheap keyboard than a very weird weird build.

    I have a K70 and like it but I don't know much about keyboards / mouse sooo... /shrug

  12. #12
    I'm not going to lie, I don't understand the importance of expensive keyboards and mice, which is why I'm not as inclined to buy them (admitting ignorance here, not pretending that I think there's no difference between cheap and expensive ones).

    My list of things to buy is now looking like this to begin with:

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

    CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£161.94 @ Aria PC)
    CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.25 @ Scan.co.uk)
    Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£97.02 @ Ebuyer)
    Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£111.08 @ Ebuyer)
    Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£77.04 @ Aria PC)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£38.70 @ Aria PC)
    Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card (£211.54 @ Scan.co.uk)
    Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£44.99 @ Amazon UK)
    Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£44.11 @ CCL Computers)
    Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£11.32 @ CCL Computers)
    Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£79.11 @ Amazon UK)
    Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard (£12.55 @ Amazon UK)
    Total: £913.65
    Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available


    And then adding on the monitors, speakers, and a new keyboard later on.

    So about ~£800 after importing a few parts to save money - which is a price I'm quite happy with!
    Last edited by Yax; 2014-07-13 at 01:16 AM.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Josh Yaxley View Post
    2. I currently have a 24" monitor that I use to dual-screen with my laptop. This is the monitor I currently have: Samsung S24C300HS 24 inch HDMI VGA LED Monitor. Will I need to buy a different one? I'm quite keen on actually having 2 or 3 monitors (One for playing the game, one for watching the stream, one for managing spreadsheets and stuff (I'm an officer in my guild and often have to tab out to look at documents etc)). How important is it that I buy a really good monitor to go with my computer? Would this: ASUS VS248H-P 24-Inch Monitor be fine?
    1) No you do not need to buy a new monitor, your current one will be just fine. Monitor tech hasn't changed much.
    2) If you really want to dual screen, sure, just take price and the space it takes up into account.
    3) Importance of upgrading your monitor: nil. Purely a personal choice if you want to dual screen.

    Quote Originally Posted by Josh Yaxley View Post
    3. My parents live in America, and I'm currently staying with them until the end of this month. This means that I can actually buy some parts in America and take them over to England in my luggage. Most parts do seem cheaper if I buy them in America first. Does anyone know if mixing English and American components would present any problems when building my computer? And does anyone know anything about any laws or anything about importing computer parts like this? Getting really particular: would the x-ray at security damage any of the parts?


    Thanks for any and all help!
    As long as your PSU is domestic there should be no issue, it does all the power conversion. Look on something like Newegg vs. your local retailer and compare prices, taking currency conversion and any shipping into account. You can ask people to carry smaller components back for you but cases, monitors and maybe motherboards and video cards - well it depends how willing they are to help you out because the boxes can be kinda big. Also beware of damage in transit.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Josh Yaxley View Post
    I watched a couple of videos on how to build a PC. There's always a lot of wires and stuff to connect everything together. Do these normally come with the relevant parts? Or are they extras that I need to buy? And for sound cards / wireless adaptors, is there any advice I can get there?

    Thanks again!
    Double check that your PSU has the right cables to connect to everything. Check that your motherboard has enough SATA2/3 connectors for any SATA2/3 components you're going to use. Those are the important ones I think. If you're buying all your components at the same this will likely be no problem.

    Oh and your CPU must match the pins on the motherboard. That's the "LGA1150" thing above. 1150 is the number of pins.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Josh Yaxley View Post
    And why in particular did you recommend the 'Dell U2414H' monitor? What kind of things make monitors good? Are cheaper ones not able to 'keep up' in some way with higher-performing parts?
    The best way to compare components is to google reviews online. Unfortunately there aren't a lot for monitors.

    Basically just look for a good brand and a low MS, that's all I do.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Josh Yaxley View Post
    It seems a bit pricey, but I can't see anywhere where I could save some money. I could not buy any monitors at all because I already have one, but I am quite keen on the whole 3-screen total nerdout thing.
    Well that's undoubtedly the easiest place to save money. You could shave off over 300 pounds if you just stick with your current monitor. Also you could keep your current case if you're happy with it (personally I recommend spending a decent amount on a case you really really like because that's the one component you never need to upgrade provided you have a good one).

    Also, stick with your current keyboard or buy a cheap one. I'm using like a $15 keyboard at the moment (razer arctosa I think), because last time I upgraded I couldn't bring myself to lay down a lot on something super fancy. It gets the job done. Peripherals are 100% personal preference IMO. Speakers, again unless you really dislike your current ones or want something much better don't buy new ones. Could also say the same of optical drives though that's fuck all money anyway.

    You can also downgrade the video card and/or CPU. Now that is potentially a performance hit but it may not even be a noticeable one. I spend a lot of time selecting those two components - what I generally do is look at a range of cards and prices, and look for the one where to go any higher would require spending a lot more money. Then I look for reviews of that CPU/card and compare it with the upgrade. So like, if it costs 50% more but only improves performance by 10%, I might think fuck it I'll get the cheaper one. Provided it's a good brand of course. On the other hand if the more expensive one is a lot better, I might be willing to pay for it.
    Quote Originally Posted by Tojara View Post
    Look Batman really isn't an accurate source by any means
    Quote Originally Posted by Hooked View Post
    It is a fact, not just something I made up.

  14. #14
    Deleted
    Basically just look for a good brand and a low MS, that's all I do.
    That will really get you nowhere Also how do you know what is a good brand if you know nothing about monitors.

  15. #15
    Fluffy Kitten Remilia's Avatar
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    I suppose I should go all monitory again.
    Quote Originally Posted by Mormolyce View Post
    1) No you do not need to buy a new monitor, your current one will be just fine. Monitor tech hasn't changed much.
    2) If you really want to dual screen, sure, just take price and the space it takes up into account.
    3) Importance of upgrading your monitor: nil. Purely a personal choice if you want to dual screen.
    Monitor tech has changed. Examples, IPS glow reduce or even inexistant like shown in Eizo EV2736W
    Better or at least around 1000:1 contrast ratio is more prevalent now for IPS and TN panels.
    From LED backlit, CCFL and now a newer GB-r LED exists.
    Changes from things like VA, MVA, AMVA and certain aspects like the viewing angle improving over time, 120Hz MVA panels from Sharp utilized by Eizo exists. Increased contrast from the usual 3000:1 to 5000:1 within the past year.
    Less PWM usage in LED monitors.
    Motion blur reductions like Eizo's 240Hz or BenQ's Motion Blur Reduction (it's name is that) tech.
    New panel AHVA IPS from AUO.

    Things to look out for in monitors aside from resolution and size.

    1. Panel type. Whether it's a IPS, VA or TN type. OLED if you want to include but no feasible commercially available one exists.
    IPS and VA are generally the better all around performer. TNs have more minimal G2G pixel response which helps with motion blur but it's not something that affects many people and are generally for fast paced twitchy gaming, like counter strike.
    2. Color accuracy. Best one to worse IPS > VA > TN. IPS and VA are pretty good but since VA has an issue with off center contrast shift, that makes it just a tiny bit behind but not really too bad. TN panels aren't really great in this term majority of the time.
    This includes the dE for the colors, white point, and gamma.
    3. Color gamut / coverage. This widely varies from panel to panel. So you're not going to be able to get a blanket statement. W-LED (White) backlit only supports around the sRGB color coverage.
    4. Color channel. This isn't so huge but depending on the case, a higher color channel can be beneficial. Whether it's 6bit+FRC, 8bit, 8bit+FRC or 10bit depends on the user and profession. For general consumers 6bit+FRC or 8bit is good enough.
    5. Ports, accessories, ergonomics and software. Things like USB ports, ambient light sensor, tilt, swivel, rotate, VESA compliant, etc etc may be things you'd look into.
    6. Hardcore gaming, input lag. Most people aside from twitch shooter competitive player generally do good at 16.6ms or less total lag, which includes signal process and pixel response.
    Quote Originally Posted by Notarget View Post
    That will really get you nowhere Also how do you know what is a good brand if you know nothing about monitors.
    And sort of this.
    While I like Asus components like their MoBo, GPU, and such. Their monitors are pretty meh. They're okay for low end but other than that it's not so good.
    Last edited by Remilia; 2014-07-13 at 01:56 AM.

  16. #16
    Okay so this is where I'm at atm:

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

    CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£161.94 @ Aria PC)
    CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£63.00 @ Amazon UK)
    Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£106.39 @ Aria PC)
    Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£112.31 @ Ebuyer)
    Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£77.10 @ Scan.co.uk)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£38.70 @ Aria PC)
    Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB DirectCU II Video Card (£238.58 @ Amazon UK)
    Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£44.99 @ Amazon UK)
    Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£67.98 @ Ebuyer)
    Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£11.32 @ CCL Computers)
    Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard (£13.15 @ Amazon UK)
    Total: £935.46
    Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available


    Decided to not skimp too much on some pieces - want this thing to last.

    Changes from previous build are Cooler, MoBo, GPU, PSU

    I asked around some of my friends too. Heard some bad things about the Gigabyte pieces (both the GPU and the MoBo), so decided to go with ASUS versions of these that still had good reviews. I also went for a slightly better Cooler and PSU because I wanted to be sure that the computer would last.

    Thoughts on these changes?

    I am happy with the price - just about. Still need to leave some money for 1 or 2 monitors and some speakers.

  17. #17
    Deleted
    a) Dunno if you noticed something simple. Your last build compared to Notarget's very first one is worse and costs more.

    b)Your friend that said bad about gigabyte probably are ignorant. Amongst the other got gigabyte mobo/gpus for over 10years, and they still worked till i bined them like a year ago.

    c) What kinda of speakers are you going for, 2 - 2.1setup?

    c) Looking above the build you had with double monitors, i would reckon the following gets you up to R9 290 while keeping the i7 for video editing.


    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

    CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£247.73 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
    CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3 113.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler (£41.99 @ Aria PC)
    Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£79.99 @ Ebuyer)
    Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£112.31 @ Ebuyer)
    Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£77.10 @ Scan.co.uk)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£38.70 @ Aria PC)
    Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X Video Card (£295.55 @ Scan.co.uk)
    Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£44.99 @ Amazon UK)
    Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£67.98 @ Ebuyer)
    Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£11.32 @ CCL Computers)
    Monitor: Dell P2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor (£168.99 @ Amazon UK)
    Monitor: Dell P2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor (£168.99 @ Amazon UK)
    Total: £1355.64
    Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

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