Gaming PC - What do you think?

S

Sam the Dude

Bronze Level Poster
I am thinking about buying a gaming PC so I can capture PC and console games. What do you guys think of this spec? Anything I could change?

Case
COOLERMASTER SILENCIO 452 QUIET MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-6700k (4.0GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® Z170 PRO GAMING/AURA: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs, RGB Lighting
FREE MAFIA III game code with select ASUS*® Motherboards!
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX FURY DDR4 2133MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP
1st Hard Disk
1TB WD BLACK 3.5" WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SANDISK X400 M.2 2280 (up to 540MB/R, 520MB/W)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES™ VS-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
1x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Game Streaming
Elgato Game Capture HD60 PRO - PCIe Card
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
PCS EXTRA-CARE DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI, PRE-NOON
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,465.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-skylake-pc/hHsWVT2XEU/
 
Oussebon

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
The " 3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP" is a bit lean for a gaming build over £1000. 3gb VRAM isn't very futureproof for one thing (in fact it's below what many games now use at the highest settings - it's fine for a lower budget, but not good for yours).

I also don't really recommend the SILENCIO 452 for gaming builds as the temps aren't great. If you want something that can handle temps ok but not be too loud, then the Fractal R5 is a better, albeit more expensive, choice.

"ASUS® Z170 PRO GAMING/AURA: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs, RGB Lighting" You don't seem to be using most of the features this motherboard offers (e.g. SLI, overclocking, faster DDR4 support) in which case a cheaper motherboard would be worth looking at.

"1TB WD BLACK 3.5" WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)" If you're looking for a quiet-ish build, bear in mind that this HDD is pretty loud. It's also apparently £38 more expensive than a regular 1TB HDD. You could get a 3TB regular HDD for about the same money.

Note that although the PCS website says the i7 6700 is 3.4ghz and the i7 6700k is 4ghz, it's quoting the base frequencies. If you look at the boost frequencies, they're 4ghz and 4.2ghz respectively: http://ark.intel.com/compare/88196,88195
Making the difference between them at stock speeds relatively small:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1481-page4.html
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1554?vs=1543

So perhaps a build like this might offer better overall value:

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE R5 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-6700 (3.4GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
Gigabyte G1.Sniper B7: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX FURY DDR4 2133MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
480GB HyperX SAVAGE 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Hard Disk
2TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1[SUP]st[/SUP] DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Super Quiet Titan DragonFly Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Game Streaming
Elgato Game Capture HD60 PRO - PCIe Card
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
PCS EXTRA-CARE DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI, PRE-NOON
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,397.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-skylake-home-office-pc/mRkxdmsGw2/

The configurator doesn't let me add a wifi card (perhaps because it thinks the mobo's MATX like the H110M-R?) but you can get a USB adapter for £10-15 off any website you want.
 
S

Sam the Dude

Bronze Level Poster
Oussebon said:
The " 3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP" is a bit lean for a gaming build over £1000. 3gb VRAM isn't very futureproof for one thing (in fact it's below what many games now use at the highest settings - it's fine for a lower budget, but not good for yours).

I also don't really recommend the SILENCIO 452 for gaming builds as the temps aren't great. If you want something that can handle temps ok but not be too loud, then the Fractal R5 is a better, albeit more expensive, choice.

"ASUS® Z170 PRO GAMING/AURA: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs, RGB Lighting" You don't seem to be using most of the features this motherboard offers (e.g. SLI, overclocking, faster DDR4 support) in which case a cheaper motherboard would be worth looking at.

"1TB WD BLACK 3.5" WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)" If you're looking for a quiet-ish build, bear in mind that this HDD is pretty loud. It's also apparently £38 more expensive than a regular 1TB HDD. You could get a 3TB regular HDD for about the same money.

Note that although the PCS website says the i7 6700 is 3.4ghz and the i7 6700k is 4ghz, it's quoting the base frequencies. If you look at the boost frequencies, they're 4ghz and 4.2ghz respectively: http://ark.intel.com/compare/88196,88195
Making the difference between them at stock speeds relatively small:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1481-page4.html
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1554?vs=1543

So perhaps a build like this might offer better overall value:

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE R5 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-6700 (3.4GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
Gigabyte G1.Sniper B7: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX FURY DDR4 2133MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
480GB HyperX SAVAGE 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Hard Disk
2TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1[SUP]st[/SUP] DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Super Quiet Titan DragonFly Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Game Streaming
Elgato Game Capture HD60 PRO - PCIe Card
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
PCS EXTRA-CARE DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI, PRE-NOON
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,397.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-skylake-home-office-pc/mRkxdmsGw2/

The configurator doesn't let me add a wifi card (perhaps because it thinks the mobo's MATX like the H110M-R?) but you can get a USB adapter for £10-15 off any website you want.
Click to expand...

That looks great. I could get a mini ITX system built with this configuration. The reason why you couldn't select the PCI-WIFI is because you used the 'home office PC' page. I configured mine on the 'top spec' page:
https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/intel-computers/
 
Oussebon

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
That looks great. I could get a mini ITX system built with this configuration. The reason why you couldn't select the PCI-WIFI is because you used the 'home office PC' page. I configured mine on the 'top spec' page:
https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/intel-computers/https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/intel-computers/
Click to expand...
I know I did mate, I did that because it's cheaper and as discussed above you didn't seem to be using the extra features of the Z170 chipsets that you were paying for. :) The Home/ Office has 2 mobos on offer, one of which is an H110M-R Micro ATX which would lack the PCI-E slots, just as you say.

The other, and the one that I used, is a B150 ATX board they recently added. It's possible they haven't updated the configurator to reflect the new board (just like you can't add an M.2 drive despite the board having an M.2 slot). I'm pretty certain the ATX B150 one would support the GTX 1060, plus the Elgato, plus a wifi card.

I wouldn't recommend a mini ITX build if you don't really need it to be smaller. For a start they're not actually very small (obviously, if they need room for high end GPUs), they're more expensive, and some of the cases aren't great for temps. Also you have less room for future upgrades. They'll likely also be louder as they tend to have the GPUs right up against some holes in the case to try to handle temps with high end hardware, so there's nothing between the GPU and your ear. e.g.
finishedside1.jpg(that's the squirrel-cage cooler of the GPU you can see there)

There's certainly a role for mini-ITX builds but I wouldn't suggest it if you don't actually need it.
 
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S

Sam the Dude

Bronze Level Poster
Oussebon said:
I know I did mate, I did that because it's cheaper and as discussed above you didn't seem to be using the extra features of the Z170 chipsets that you were paying for. :) The Home/ Office has 2 mobos on offer, one of which is an H110M-R Micro ATX which would lack the PCI-E slots, just as you say.

The other, and the one that I used, is a B150 ATX board they recently added. It's possible they haven't updated the configurator to reflect the new board (just like you can't add an M.2 drive despite the board having an M.2 slot). I'm pretty certain the ATX B150 one would support the GTX 1060, plus the Elgato, plus a wifi card.

I wouldn't recommend a mini ITX build if you don't really need it to be smaller. For a start they're not actually very small (obviously, if they need room for high end GPUs), they're more expensive, and some of the cases aren't great for temps. Also you have less room for future upgrades. They'll likely also be louder as they tend to have the GPUs right up against some holes in the case to try to handle temps with high end hardware, so there's nothing between the GPU and your ear. e.g.
View attachment 8979(that's the squirrel-cage cooler of the GPU you can see there)

There's certainly a role for mini-ITX builds but I wouldn't suggest it if you don't actually need it.
Click to expand...

Ok. I think the Fractal Design R5 is a good case so I think I'll go for that for my next build.
 
S

Sam the Dude

Bronze Level Poster
Well I just had a quote from my local IT company who I know very well and they provided me a quote for a gaming mini ITX system. They have built quite a few ITX systems in the past and they can provide me a water cooled system with similar spec for £1656.

Specs include
Processor Intel Core i7 6700 @ 4.0GHz x 4 cores (Turbo Mode)
Cooler Corsair Hydro Series H105 Liquid Cooler with 240mm Radiator
Motherboard ASUS H170I-PRO Mini ITX Motherboard
RAM 16GB Corsair Vengeance (2 x 8GB) DDR4 2400MHz
HDD 1 480GB Sandisk SSD Plus Solid State Drive
HDD 2 1TB Seagate Solid State Hybrid Drive 8GB MLC NAND 64mb cache
Graphics Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5, 1280 Cores
Disc Drive 24x Samsung DVD RW
Sound Realtek ALC887 7.1 HD Onboard sound
Ethernet 2 x 10/100/1000 (LAN)
Case Corsair Obsidian 250D Mini ITX case
Case Fans 1 x AF140L 140mm front fan, 2 x 120mm AF120 RED LED Radiator fans
PSU 750Watt EVGA GQ Series Modular 80+ Gold PSU
Wireless Dual Band 802.11ac WiFi + BT v4.0 Module, 1 x WiFi Antenna
OS Genuine Microsoft Windows 10 PROFESSIONAL 64bit
USB Ports 2 x USB 3.0 (front), 6 x USB 3.0 (back)
Display Outputs 1 x DVI-D, 1 x HDMI 2.0b, 3 x DP 1.4
Audio Ports 1 x mic, 1 x headphone (front) 3 x audio (back)
Power Cable UK power cable
Size 277 x 290 x 351.2 (WxHxD mm)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Oussebon

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Users aren't supposed to discuss competitor builds on the forums (makes sense since the primary function is sales advice on PCS computers I guess) so I can't comment in detail, but since this is something we were discussing above..

It looks like the CPU there is cooled with an AIO water cooler, not the GPU. PCS do sell mini ITX builds, with that case, and with AIO water coolers like the H60, but the reason I didn't recommend those earlier is that it doesn't matter how cool and quiet you keep the CPU in gaming, it's the GPU that's always going to be noisier.

I assumed you were going for a quiet build because of the initial discussion of the silencio, but if you're into a mini-ITX build where noise isn't a particularly big consideration, then a PCS option might be something like this:

6700k CPU, Z170 chipset, 2666MHz DDR4, an Elgato HD60 (I assume you still need one of those?), GTX 1060, etc etc for £1649.

Case
CORSAIR OBSIDIAN 250D MINI-ITX CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-6700k (4.0GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® Z170I PRO GAMING: Mini-ITX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
FREE MAFIA III game code with select ASUS­® Motherboards!
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX SAVAGE DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 8GB Kit)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
480GB HyperX SAVAGE 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Hard Disk
1TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE
1[SUP]st[/SUP] DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H60 Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Game Streaming
Elgato Game Capture HD60
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,649.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-skylake-sff-gaming/R4xQS7x05Z/

In fact if you scale the RAM back to 2133MHz, the CPU to the non-K version, and went with the H110I-PLUS mobo you could upgrade to a GTX 1070 and have the price be only a little more than the above. If that was of interest.
Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-skylake-sff-gaming/!5wTB8yWAh/

But again, if you don't need it to be mini ITX you'll get a more powerful PC for the same money with a regular desktop.
 
S

Sam the Dude

Bronze Level Poster
A smaller gaming rig would be good for me because my desk at my Grandparent's hosue is quite small. A few years ago, I bought a mini Packaard Bell tower that suited the desk. But now I'm looking into building a mini gaming system to sit on the bottom of the desk.
 
Oussebon

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Aha, I see :) So what's the budget (including an Elgato)? At £1600-£1650 there's something like the spec above. Tbh I wouldn't bother with the liquid cooling unless you plan to overclock.
 
S

Sam the Dude

Bronze Level Poster
Oussebon said:
Aha, I see :) So what's the budget (including an Elgato)? At £1600-£1650 there's something like the spec above. Tbh I wouldn't bother with the liquid cooling unless you plan to overclock.
Click to expand...

My budget is up to £1500 but I can pay monthly installments if I had to. There is a new game coming out next year from Oddworld which I want to play on my PC. They haven't announced what platforms they are releasing Soulstorm on yet but even New 'n' Tasty requires 'desktop' specification for it to run. But I also livestream my speedrun attempts on Twitch which is why I need a performance graphics card overall.
 
S

Sam the Dude

Bronze Level Poster
Well in the end I went for the mini ITX system with a water cooler. I saved money by not buying Windows installed and getting a license key cheaper elsewhere. I am planned to be dual booting Windows 10 and 7 with this new build so here's what I end up buying:
Corsair Obsidan 250D Mini ITX Case
ASUS Z170I Motherboard
Intel i7 6700 3.4ghz CPU
16GB DDR4 RAM
480GB Kingston UV400 SSD
2TB Seagate Barracuda Hard Drive
Nvidia Geforce GTX 1080 8GB Graphics Card
Corsair Liquid Cooler
DVD Drive
 
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