Looking for 1k euro setup

[Duilliath]

Use: non-demanding games (such as League of Legends or the odd older Steam game); a fair amount of Photoshop & Indesign (hence the 16GB ram)

Main goals are to have a set that will deal with the demands Indesign places on memory and, very importantly, to have as little noise and heat production as possible. As such, I'm aiming to have a setup that will not be remotely challenged. Additionally, I'll be looking to use this setup for a while, rather than replacing it as soon as something newer pops up.

I don't need peripherals, though I suppose I will probably need to add Windows, seeing how that's computer bound. -May- be able to grab Win7 from my old deceased PC.

I was looking at the following setup with an indication of prices (based in the Netherlands). Feedback is more than welcome. If possible, I'd like to get it below 1k.

Processor	Intel Core i5-4590 Boxed		200
Mobo	MSI B85-G41 PC Mate		75
Memory	Corsair Vengeance 16GB 1600MHz CL10		130
Video	Sapphire Dual-X R7 265 2GB GDDR5		150
SSD	Crucial MX100 256GB		100
HDD	Seagate ST1000DX001, 1TB		75
Case	Corsair Carbide Air 540 Wit		150
Power	Corsair RM450		90
Cooling	Corsair Hydro H75		80
Total			1050

[Deleted]

That setup aint good at all. Mobo with that cpu, ram little more expensive than needed and really bad/old gpu.

You need something more balance and well...better overall for your money. The following is miles ahead overall:

cpu: intel i5-4690k 245€
cpu cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock 32€ (not counted on total, buy it later if you cant now)
mobo: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI 115€
ram: 2x8gb Crucial Ballistix Sport 122€
ssd: Crucial MX100 256GB 100€
hdd: WD Blue WD10EZEX, 1TB 56€
gpu: Sapphire R9 280X 3GB GDDR5 TRI-X OC 242€
psu: Seasonic M12II Evo 620W 80€
case: NZXT S340 Zwart 70€
-----------------------
total: 1062€


If you can't handle the extra cost above change the following to save around 50€:
gpu: MSI GeForce GTX 960 2GD5T OC 220€
psu: Seasonic M12II Evo 520W 64€

edit: Changed psu and a little clarification whats wrong with your setup:

- cpu its not bad but its not overclockable. The one i linked it is tad faster but if you can overclock it easily to 4.2-4.4 GHz.
- cpu cooler you isn't need on your setup because you cant overclock that cpu. Besides its expensive for your budget.
- Ram isn't bad but you can get cheaper. Most importantly if you get an aftermarket cpu air cooler ram won't fit below it cause of tall fins.
- Gpu you had is really old. The one i linked is miles ahead like double the performance.
- Case is overkill again for your budget. You miss on performance parts to get an expensive case. The one i linked is very good for the money.
- psu is more expensive than needed. The seasonic is just very good for what it offers at a good price.

[Deleted]

If you buy a Non-K CPU a Water-Cooler is a complete waste of money.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz ~200€
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ~90€
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ~60€
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ~90€
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ~50€
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ~360€
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ~72€
Power Supply: be quiet! Straight Power 10-CM 500W ATX 2.4 ~90€
Total: ~1012€

[Duilliath]

Let me explain my reasoning, because I get the impression that some of the advice here is counter to my goals I have for this setup:

* 16GB Ram is non-negotiable. InDesign / Photoshop are currently already stretching the limits of my 8GB. What ram to use is debatable and it is well possible I'll use a different version than the one I listed.

* I went for a cpu that can not be overclocked, as I won't anyway. Overclocking increases heat production, which is counter to my goals. This is the same reason for the case, as its airflow will reduce heat production. If the cases listed above have the same effect, great.

* Similarly, I went for water cooling as, to my understanding, it is quieter than regular cooling. This, too, is the reason for the Corsair PSU, as it is (to my knowledge) the quietest of the bunch.

* For old games like LoL or programs like InDesign, I don't really require top of the line gpus. I am not sure I would even notice a massive upgrade to, say, the 4GB version.

[Lathais]

Let me explain my reasoning, because I get the impression that some of the advice here is counter to my goals I have for this setup:

* 16GB Ram is non-negotiable. InDesign / Photoshop are currently already stretching the limits of my 8GB. What ram to use is debatable and it is well possible I'll use a different version than the one I listed.

* I went for a cpu that can not be overclocked, as I won't anyway. Overclocking increases heat production, which is counter to my goals. This is the same reason for the case, as its airflow will reduce heat production. If the cases listed above have the same effect, great.

* Similarly, I went for water cooling as, to my understanding, it is quieter than regular cooling. This, too, is the reason for the Corsair PSU, as it is (to my knowledge) the quietest of the bunch.

* For old games like LoL or programs like InDesign, I don't really require top of the line gpus. I am not sure I would even notice a massive upgrade to, say, the 4GB version.

I agree with you on 16GB.

If you are not overclocking, you do not need additional cooling. You can overclock and still run quiet and cool. The K chips are designed for overclocking, it's what they are meant for.

Water cooling is not always quieter than air. In many cases it can be noisier. It kinda depends on the fans. A water cooler with noisy fans and a loud pump will be noisier than an air cooler with silent fans. Unless you go with a crazy expensive custom loop, some air coolers are better than a lot of the AIO water coolers out there. The be quiet pure rock Kost put is his build is a very quiet cooler that is more than sufficient to keep your CPU cool and quiet, even with a mild OC. the thing with water coolers is they attach a radiator and a fan to your case, where an air cooler does not attach a fan directly to your case. If you get any fan wobble or radiator shaking, that can cause case rattle and will be noisy.

I'd got for the GTX960 on the GPU. You are obviously overly concerned with heat so stick with nVidia as they use far less power and therefore generate far less heat.

[Duilliath]

With the above recommendations, I updated the list to the following. One of the stand outs is the PSU, but it's one of the few plat+ PSUs and on top of that is listed as one of the most quiet ones. Dropped down to a mATX, which affected mobo as well. It also affected the choice of ram, as this was listed directly on the QVL for the mobo.

	Intel Core i5-4590 Boxed	200
	MSI B85M-G43	75
2x	Crucial CT102464BA160B	120
	MSI GeForce GTX 960 2GD5T OC	220
	Crucial MX100 256GB	100
	WD Blue WD10EZEX, 1TB	55
	Fractal Design Define Mini	80
	Seasonic Platinum Series 460 Watt Fanless	120
	Scythe Kotetsu	30
		1000

[Deleted]

I am not sure what you are trying to achieve here. You want a silent pc? Sure the psu is silent but thats not what its going to be doing the noise either way. Its going to be your gpu and hdds. There is plenty of psu's out there that will not spins their fans untill 40-60% load. The one's i linked 520/620w are quiet and much cheaper. On those watts going for a platinum rated compared to a gold or bronze won't make you save your electric bill. By the time you make up for the price diffence you need a new pc cause this one will be really old.

You also keep going for really low end mobo's. If not for a Z97 since you said no overclocks get at least a h97 especially for that price. As far as i can see you have H97 options between the 75-85 euro range. Better lan chips, audio and overall alot better quality.

[Xs]

With the above recommendations, I updated the list to the following. One of the stand outs is the PSU, but it's one of the few plat+ PSUs and on top of that is listed as one of the most quiet ones. Dropped down to a mATX, which affected mobo as well. It also affected the choice of ram, as this was listed directly on the QVL for the mobo.

	Intel Core i5-4590 Boxed	200
	MSI B85M-G43	75
2x	Crucial CT102464BA160B	120
	MSI GeForce GTX 960 2GD5T OC	220
	Crucial MX100 256GB	100
	WD Blue WD10EZEX, 1TB	55
	Fractal Design Define Mini	80
	Seasonic Platinum Series 460 Watt Fanless	120
	Scythe Kotetsu	30
		1000

Gotta chip in with my quiet build suggestions:
To add with Kos, buying a plat fanless and having a 960 in a case with poor airflow are just going to render a lot of your efforts pointless. If you want to build a quiet (you're not going to get silent with the power you want in the price you want) PC you'll want to have:

• A windowless case with good airflow
• A quiet grade PSU (one that doesn't spin unless needed)
• A solid CPU cooler (you can try with the stock intel one, and see if you need to go quieter)
• An ASUS Strix or equivalent "doesn't spin unless needed" GPU
• A solid set of specifically quiet/low RPM case fans to keep your CPU, GPU and PSU from having to spin up

I'm running a somewhat similar build to what you're thinking about (link if you wanna check it out) all be it the next tier up, and the loudest part of it is the fan supplying the CPU AIO. If you stick to the "smart and quiet" idea, rather than trying to go for silent you'll have a much better time

[Duilliath]

Yea, was thinking of replacing the mobo with an alternative, but wasn't sure. Anything in particular you'd want to recommend?

Also seen the Strix pop up. Went with the suggested GTX 960, but if you feel the Asus Strix version of that does a better job, it's about the same price tag anyway.

[Xs]

Haven't checked the cooler options for the 960 personally, but I've been a bit of an ASUS fan boy since their DirectCUII coolers started doing things better than the others, but if you can find a similar brand that mentions the semi-fanless system then give them some research. You certainly can't go wrong with the Strix though.

As for the mobo, I'd agree with the others and suggest you go for a H97, you're looking at a similar dilemma to me with regards to brand choice (outside of standard ports and stuff) and when I choose my ASUS one it was because of Linus' Motherboard showdown, don't worry that it applies to different actual boards, for the most part they run the same actual BIOS software, so that specific episode should still be useful to you.