Gaming PC build, 1200$ budget

ihoks · Jun 26, 2013

Hi there,
I recently managed to save some money and want to spend it on a nice gaming pc.

It’s about 15 years ago since I had the chance to build my own system so I have no clue what to go for. Whilst searching through the web I found this promising forum, hoping you guys can help me.

My budget is 900 euros (1200$), and I don’t need a mouse, monitor or keyboard. A SSD would be nice since I was told it provides “the boost of Satan”

otherwise I don’t care much about design (case) rather go for a solid, silent and fast gaming system.

I found this nice list of Spirit but it’s a bit over my budget, so I was thinking about no BR drive, maybe 128 SSD, also don’t need 2TB, 1 should totally do it..

spirit said:
I was configuring a build for myself the other night and I came up with these parts:

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/cases/cases/815671010520.html

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/...ncorei3,i5andi71150socket/bx80646i74770k.html

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/...z87chipset/atxformfactor/90mb0fu0-m0eay0.html

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/...3-14900/1866mhzplus/f3-14900cl10d-16gbxl.html

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/powersupplies/p1-750s-nlb9.html

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/...nal/solidstate/128gbandabove/mz-7td250bw.html

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/harddrives-internal/sata2tbto2.5tb/st2000dm001.html

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/...vidiagtx660tikeplerseries/02g-p4-3662-kr.html

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/cooling/watercooling/cw-9060007-ww.html

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/opticaldrives/bluray/bdr-s07xlt.html

All of that equates to £1,262 - so there's still room to grow.

I'd probably get a more powerful graphics card. Since you have £1,500 to spend, I'd get this instead of the 660 Ti which I was looking at getting for myself http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/...ds/nvidiagtx770keplerseries/n770tf2gd5oc.html if you got that 770 instead of the 660 Ti the whole thing would cost £1,362.

Appreciate your help!

Cheers,
ihoks

Jiniix · Jun 26, 2013

That's a very good plan.
Only things I would change:
Get an i5-4670k instead. It's cheaper and it's just as good for gaming.
Get the NVIDIA GTX 760 instead of the GTX 660 Ti. The 760 should cost a bit less and perform a bit better, and it supports all the new NVIDIA features of the 700-series.
You might be able to shave a few dollars off the motherboard too, but the one spirit has chosen is very good indeed.
Just get a Samsung 840 120GB and a Seagate Barracuda 1TB.
Also, you don't need 750W for this machine, the Corsair CX600M will do you just fine, and it's £20 cheaper on Novatech.
Haven't calculated to total cost, but should save you some money and perform a bit better in games as well.

spirit · Jun 26, 2013

Ah yeah I put a 660 Ti in that build because it was for me and I was being a cheapskate and not willing to spend more than about £250 on a card.

I added a 770 to that list for another guy who wanted a £1500 system.

If you're on a smaller budget, yeah get rid of the BR drive and go for a DVD-RW, put an i5 4670K in there, go for 8GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD and a 1TB HDD and then spend whatever you can on the graphics card.

The CX 600M is a good power supply too (I only went for the 750W because I was thinking of SLI down the road).

I know Novatech ship to Europe, but I would recommend buying from a Continental European store (if you're in Continental Europe) just to save money on postage. If you want to use Novatech, take it from me they're a good shop. :good:

Jiniix · Jun 26, 2013

Oh yeah, didn't notice it was 16GB RAM that was linked. Go for 8GB.
I would also buy these RAM instead: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2x4GB) 1600MHz
A bit cheaper and you won't really notice a difference in games. (Cheaper because of the speed, these are high quality and brand new from Corsair)

Here's a composed list of the PC I would buy. It should fit within your budget:

Intel i5-4670k
Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H
Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2x4GB) 1600MHz
Gigabyte Windforce 3 GTX 760 2GB
Samsung 840 120GB
Seagate Barracuda 1TB
Corsair CX600M
Fractal Design Arc Midi R2

You'll also need a CPU cooler and Windows 7/8.
Can you tell me which store you will be buying from? Then I can calculate the total cost and figure out if there's room for a better GPU when buying a CPU cooler.
I changed the case because I don't know much about the NZXT case, but I know a lot about the Fractal one. The Fractal case has perfect stock cooling (2x140mm in the front, 1x120mm in the rear) and it uses Fractal Designs new fans, which are quiet and have a longer life span. I also prefer the look of it, but that's just me. It's cheaper too.

sarahmiller29513 · Jun 27, 2013

I think you should spend more over the quality than the features segment of the pc as modern games require more power from the computer to get better results..

spirit · Jun 27, 2013

The NZXT case is great and so is the Fractal. I think at the end of the day you go for the one which suits your style most, but you can't go wrong with either. :good:

ihoks · Jun 27, 2013

Hey there and thank you all for the help!

Looking at all the sweet stuff I can’t resist to cut some spending next month and raise my budget to 1200 Euros (1000 pounds/ 1500$) for this system (including shipping costs).

I’m from Germany and moved recently to Denmark and thought it might be cheapest to buy from:
http://www.alternate.de/html/index.html
http://www.notebooksbilliger.de/
http://www.amazon.de/

Don’t know any Danish shop which might be suited but assume that they are more expensive.
Comparing some prices (including exchange rate) does it seem that http://www.novatech.co.uk is cheaper, but I’m not sure how much the shipping cost are.

@sarahmiller29513 Not sure where to increase the quality, but it seems like a good plan to be able to upgrade my system in the future.

@Jiniix and spirit thanks a lot for the harmonious combinations and help

Both cases look pretty cool but the look of the Fractal Design suits me better. I got Windows 7 from a friend and also considering a Linux version as a second OS. Even with a bit higher budget I still won’t need more than 1TB HD (also have an external) and the 120 SSD seems enough too. A DVD-RW is also fine, so where to put the extra?

Man this is fun, feels like Christmas is coming up and can’t wait for it

Cheers,
ihoks

Edit: this shop is supposed to be good in dk: topdata.dk but well...

spirit · Jun 27, 2013

Alternate.de is a well known shop. We've got a member here who does part time work for them (SmileMan).

Take a look at this for Novatech's delivery charges to continental Europe http://www.novatech.co.uk/deliveryeurope.html

Jiniix · Jun 27, 2013

I live in Denmark too, and I can vouch for www.komplett.dk being a top notch site to buy from.
We have quite a few taxes here in Denmark, including one that if you buy from any country other than Denmark, the price is increased by 20%. So in the end it's cheaper to buy in Denmark when you factor shipping and the increased price per item.
The site only comes in danish, swedish and norwegian tho, but I think Chrome can translate it to english quite well.

ihoks said:
Edit: this shop is supposed to be good in dk: topdata.dk but well...

I would only recommend these two websites:
www.komplett.dk
www.computersalg.dk
They are far superior to any other sites in Denmark (topsalg.dk doesn't even carry 10% of the amount if items Komplett does) and both have extremely good service and cheap shipping.
I ordered a shipment of 2x24" monitors, a case, 3 keyboards, a power supply, thermal paste, a switch and a liquid cooler monday night from Komplett at around 23.00, had all the items at the door wednesday morning.

ihoks · Jun 27, 2013

Hehe nice coincidence Jiniix

I roughly compared the prices and komplett.dk is only 10% more expensive compared to alternate.de, without taxes and so on. So komplett.dk it is

My Budget should not exceed 9000 Krona, any further suggestions?
Cheers and tusind tak

Edit: trying to find some information on the taxes, cant find anything proper..
Edit2: http://www.skat.dk/skat.aspx?oId=2083356&vId=0 the max. value seems like 3.250DKK.. but this is outside the EU. hm..
Edit3: Ok just called Skat, and according to them do I only pay the German taxes if I get the computer for my private entertainment and not a company. So alternate.de it is, but thx a lot for the help Jiniix, ill make a list with prices and post it soon. Cheers

Jiniix · Jun 27, 2013

In danish the tax is called 'moms', but it's called VAT on english I think.
Køb af varer i andre EU-lande

Du skal betale 25 procent dansk moms, når du køber varer fra momsregistrerede virksomheder i andre EU-lande. Du beregner momsen som 25 procent af fakturabeløbet. - skat.dk (tax.dk)
Translated: You must pay 25% danish-VAT when buying from VAT registered companies from other EU countries. You calculate the VAT by adding 25% to the cost.

I can't tell you how much it pains me to see such cheap hardware on sites like Newegg and Amazon, as prices in Denmark are generally 10-25% higher than most countries.

With your money I would build this system:

Intel i5-4670k: 1699kr
Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD5H: 1480kr (20% discount, ends july 30, same price as UD3H)
Kingston HyperX 1600MHz 8GB (2x4GB): 399kr (27% discount, don't know duration)
Gigabyte Windforce 3 GTX 760 2GB: 2049kr
Samsung 840 120GB: 695kr
Seagate Barracuda 1TB: 489kr
Corsair CX600M: 539kr
Fractal Design Arc Midi R2: 749kr
Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo: 249kr

Total cost without shipping (should be around 50-100kr): 8348kr ($1460/€1120)

This system will play just about anything on high settings in 1920x1080.
I would be happy with this system, but you were to upgrade something, I'd probably look at buying two of the 8GB kits (27% is a nice discount, and the RAM is good).
Also the SSD is not available until the 6th july, so perhaps spend some money on a 240GB.
Or you could leave it like it is and save the ~800kr ($140]

In order to get the 20% discount on the UD5H, you have to go to this facebook page and like it: Gigabyte Nordic Facebook
You can read the rules here: http://golden.offer.gigabytenordic.com/
(Saw the promotion on Komplett's facebook page

)

ihoks · Jun 27, 2013

Cheers,
ihoks

Edit: Sorry Jiniix, dint see your post before. Thx for the effort, though im pretty sure that there is no tax if you buy as a private person. The link you gave me refers to a "company situation" (Virksomhed) which is the same as the Skatlady told me. If I buy as a private person and not for my job I don't have to pay the Danish tax: "Du skal ikke betale told og dansk moms af varer købt i andet EU-land." http://www.skat.dk/SKAT.aspx?oId=1615423&vId=0&lang=DA

spirit · Jun 27, 2013

All looks good. I'd go for the ASUS board over that particular Gigabyte board (just because the ASUS is higher-end). If you want to go Gigabyte, look at the GA-Z87X-OC. That's a great board.

RAM doesn't really matter, so I'd just go G.Skill because it's cheaper but either option is a good one.

Case is nice but I prefer Fractal Design's Define line-up personally. Look at the Define R3 and R4.

Jiniix · Jun 27, 2013

Look at my previous post

No one had replied so I've just been editing it.
Danish links on the list
And also, in Denmark it's 'kroner', not 'krona'. Don't mix us up with those swedishmen!
I also chose the Arc Midi R2 over the R4 because of the stock fans (I have an army of Define R2s, R3s, a Mini and a XL, love them all!)
Just take the top mounted fan and mount it in the front, then you have a nice dust-covered, positive air pressured case with silent fans. No need to buy extra.

G.Skill Ripjaws 2x4GB cost 550kr and have to bought from a different retailer (quite rare brand in Denmark)

All the items that have a fan in anyway are all silence optimized fans. You might not be able to reach high overclocks on your CPU, but if you take it to 4.2GHz, all your fans will operate very quietly and it'll be a silent PC for sure,.

ihoks · Jun 28, 2013

Hey guys,

So here my “final” setup based on your comments, thank you all for your help and input. Would be nice if you could have a last look over before I order that beast

Intel Core i5-4670K

ASUS MAXIMUS VI HERO

G.Skill DIMM 8 GB DDR3-2133 Kit

Corsair CX600M 600W

Samsung 840 Series 2,5 120 GB

Seagate ST1000DM003 1 TB

Fractal Design ARC MIDI R2

LG GH-24NS, DVD-RW

GIGABYTE GV-N760OC-2GD

For the CPU cooler I have now 3 options, which I would like to discuss, the cheapest is the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo, though seems quite loud with 31dB, spirit mentioned a liquid system Corsair Hydro Series H60

And I came up with this one, Zalman CNPS12X , which seems quite big (would that fit in the case?) but also silent with 24dB. Also I would like to overclock my CPU and I’m not sure to which extend I need to consider the CPU cooler for that.
Thanks for all the effort Jiniix, but after research and phone calls with Skat and Alternate I figured out that in fact I can buy in Germany without the Danish tax since I do this for private purpose, so alternate.de it is (delivering costs 32 Euros). So if you guys have some suggestions, feel free

Also if anyone is interested would I provide some pics once the setup is done

Thanks guys, you helped me a lot!
Cheers,
ihoks

Jiniix · Jun 28, 2013

All of these items are quality components and are compatible with each other.
Cool thing about the tax, I buy everything through a company.
In my personal experience, the Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo is very silent (Have it running on a few 2600K's, a 3570k and a 2500k), but the H60 will offer better performance.
I have the old H60 (with the old fan, I think the pump is the same) and it was quite loud. I actually use it with a fan taken directly from a Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo, and the performance is great + it's quiet.
The new fan on the H60's should be just as or quieter and perform a bit better.

The exhaust mounts are actually 140mm, so you could look at something like a NZXT Kraken X40 or a Corsair H90 (140mm liquid coolers).
When it comes to liquid cooling, larger surface area is usually much better.

'be quiet!' makes some amazing coolers, but they're very scarce in Denmark. I think this Dark Rock Advanced would perform great + it's a bit cheaper than most liquid. Look at the 19dB.

ihoks · Jun 29, 2013

Thanks a lot Jiniix,
Concerning the CPU cooler am I going for the Corsair H90. Though I have another question, since my budget allows me little bit more would I like to go for more/ better RAM and was looking at the Quad-Kit and Dual-Kit, basically they are the same whilst the Dual is a bit cheaper. But if I get it right does the MB only support dual-channel, so the quad kit would only work in dual mode?
Cheers,
ihoks

spirit · Jun 29, 2013

Yes you picked good parts there. Should all work well! :good:

Jiniix · Jun 30, 2013

ihoks said:
But if I get it right does the MB only support dual-channel, so the quad kit would only work in dual mode?

Yes. If you install 2 pieces of RAM, it will run in Dual (assuming they match)
If you install 4 pieces of RAM, you'll have two separate Dual Channel RAM configs. You won't really notice a difference between Quad Channel and Dual tbh, especially in gaming.

And you're welcome

Instead of trying to explain it in words, here's a picture of how I would install fans + the H90

ihoks · Jun 30, 2013

Hehe thanks guys! I really appreciate your awesome support!
The fan set-up looks perfect, ill stick to it and provide some nice pics, might take a week+ till I have everything, but ill be back, probably with more questions

Cheers and tusind tak,
ihoks

Gaming PC build, 1200$ budget

Member

Well-Known Member

Moderator

Well-Known Member

New Member

Moderator

Member

Moderator

Well-Known Member

Member

Well-Known Member

Member

Moderator

Well-Known Member

Member

Well-Known Member

Member

Moderator

Well-Known Member

Member