New PC specs

[djh269 264]

Hey guys, I've recently ordered a new PC as I said I would from PCspecialist.co.uk and I was wondering if some people who knows a lot more about PCs can take a quick glance over if I've gone overboard or if I need something added before they start to build it in a couple of days. Here's the specs:

 

Case:                                                                             CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ AIR 540 GAMING CASE

Processor (CPU):                                    Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-7700k (4.2GHz) 8MB Cache

Motherboard:                       Gigabyte Z270X-Ultra Gaming: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready!

Memory (RAM):                                                               16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB)

Graphics Card:                       11GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 Ti - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - GTX VR Ready!

1st HardDrive:                                                 2TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE

M.2 SSD Drive:                                        500GB WD Blue™ 3D NAND M.2 SSD (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)

DVDS / BLU-RAY DRIVE:                                                            24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM 

Power Supply:                                                             CORSAIR 650W VS SERIES™ VS-650 POWER SUPPLY

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:                                                                        EK-TIM ECTOTHERM THERMAL COMPOUND

Fan Controller:                                                     AS PER KEXIKUS ADVICE THERE'S NO FAN CONTROLLER

Sound Card:                                                  ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Wireless/Wired Networking:                          WIRELESS 802.11 AC 867Mbps + BT4.0 + Intel Wi-Di PCI-E CARD

USB Options:                                      2 PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.0 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS

 

I wish to play Skyrim / Witcher 3 and K1 + K2. 

 

Cheers guys!

[Guest Qui-Gon Glenn]

Your setup is quite overkill for your target games. However, they will look as good as your monitor can display them with this kit.

 

Load your OS on the SSD. That's my only real advice. When installing Win10, pay attention when it asks you things. There is A LOT you want to turn off.

[djh269 264]

I've recently bought a 49Inch 4K TV, would you advise on getting a PC monitor also?

 

How do you load an OS on the SSD?

 

I upgraded from Windows 8 to Windows 10 before, or is it different when I purely have Windows 10 on the PC? What options that stand out do you advise to turn off?

 

I also read somewhere that sometimes the CPU can be too powerful for the computer have I gone too far with mine? Also, why do people get two graphics cards? Do you know if I can pay a PC technician to add further things in the future?

 

Sorry for all the noob questions lol!

[Kexikus 995]

You could easily play those games on a GTX 1080 or even a 1070 (actually, only Witcher 3 can really take advantage of these. Skyrim and the KotOR games really don't need the latest GPU generation) and an i5 core. But then again, your system here is certainly future proof.

 

You could save some money and get the latest i5 processor instead as the i7 only offers a few % of extra fps in games, but if you need a fast processor for other applications, there's certainly nothing wrong with getting the i7.

And about the GPU: Just make sure not to buy the Founders Edition, but one of the other editions as the FE is usually the least powerful and ridiculously overpriced. Not sure which one you're currently looking at, as the manufacturer is not currently in your list but as long as the reviews don't say that it's overly loud you should be fine.

 

Other than that, my only recommendation would be to get a 500GB SSD as 250GB can fill up very fast with just the OS, some software and one or two modern games.

 

Oh, and make sure that your power supply has actually enough power for your GPU/CPU combination. It probably has but it's better to check before ordering it. BeQuiet has a great calculator for that on their website that also works for non-beQuiet power supplies of course.

And you probably don't need to buy an extra power cable. Every power supply I ever bought had one included and even if it doesn't, you can still use your current power cable.

[djh269 264]

You could easily play those games on a GTX 1080 or even a 1070 (actually, only Witcher 3 can really take advantage of these. Skyrim and the KotOR games really don't need the latest GPU generation) and an i5 core. But then again, your system here is certainly future proof.

 

You could save some money and get the latest i5 processor instead as the i7 only offers a few % of extra fps in games, but if you need a fast processor for other applications, there's certainly nothing wrong with getting the i7.

And about the GPU: Just make sure not to buy the Founders Edition, but one of the other editions as the FE is usually the least powerful and ridiculously overpriced. Not sure which one you're currently looking at, as the manufacturer is not currently in your list but as long as the reviews don't say that it's overly loud you should be fine.

 

Other than that, my only recommendation would be to get a 500GB SSD as 250GB can fill up very fast with just the OS, some software and one or two modern games.

 

Oh, and make sure that your power supply has actually enough power for your GPU/CPU combination. It probably has but it's better to check before ordering it. BeQuiet has a great calculator for that on their website that also works for non-beQuiet power supplies of course.

And you probably don't need to buy an extra power cable. Every power supply I ever bought had one included and even if it doesn't, you can still use your current power cable.

 

How do I check out if it's a founders edition? It doesn't say 

 

Funnily enough when I went to buy it they recommended I switch down a level in my power supply as I didn't need the stage up from my current choice. It done it via a power calculator. I didn't put the correction on there but I have now edited my original post to this: CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY.

 

Here's my power calculator: 

 

Wattage

Maximum Required Power 531W

 

Can you get an external SSD or is that a stupid question?

[Guest Qui-Gon Glenn]

You don't want an external SSD, since mostly external HDDs are for longer term storage.

 

Your SSD should be your primary drive. Installing an OS to a new SSD is identical to installing a platter drive. I agree with Kexikus that a larger main SSD would be beneficial.

 

It is always better to have more PSU than you need. It doesn't have to work as hard as something that is close to maximum potential. There will be less heat, less fan noise, etc.

 

TV gaming is different, and you will never get the same performance from a TV as you do from a monitor. That said, it isn't necessarily bad, especially for your favorite titles.

[djh269 264]

I have now ordered a 500GB SSD card instead of 250GB. If I fill that up should I buy a larger SSD drive in the future?

 

Apologies have I got a better PSU than I need? Or do I need to upgrade?

 

Won't the OS come installed on the SSD or do I have to move the files across? 

 

Gaming monitor it is then!!

[Guest Qui-Gon Glenn]

Ah... This is your first build?

 

 

Don't be afraid, it is really all a plug and play affair these days, and really you just need to be patient. Your hardest job will be cable routing... Cable management is difficult without having a chance to build it first and see which cables need to be longer, and which could be shorter. All depends on your case, but again it isn't a nightmare and it doesn't have to be beautiful to work.

 

Once you have your parts, follow any online tutorial on PC building. I do recommend getting an anti-static mat and wrist-strap. Hook up your PSU to your MB and a monitor (any monitor) with the parts on the mat to see if your MB will at least post. I have built PCs two different times with MBs that were DOA. It is a time consuming process, so you don't want to build with anything that is obviously dead. It shouldn't be a concern, but this step, called "breadboarding" is a smart test against faulty gear.

 

After that, disco the monitor and psu, and install your MB into the case and begin your install.

 

Once you have all your components installed, and feel good about it, hook up your monitor again, plug in your power cord to the mounted PSU, and turn it on.

 

You will see your MB manufacturer's splash screen. Then, you will see something to the effect, IIRC, "There is no operating system installed, insert media into bla blah blah and then press any key to proceed..."

 

So, you have to buy a new Windows license. That is part of your build, because you cannot migrate an installation to a new motherboard and cpu. That is something you should add to the build. It cannot be pre-installed to any HD you buy, since an OS installation is hardware dependent.

 

Edit: the 500gb should be fine... I guess it depends on how many games you like to have installed at the same time. Only TW3 takes up a lot of space of the games on your list. Even with mods for your other games, 500gb should be enough for all of your favorite games to be installed simultaneously. I use a 500gb SSD and a 2TB WD Black HDD. The SSD is primarily of benefit for programs you use a lot, as it speeds up loading times considerably over most HDDs.

 

I set up Windows to have all of "My Documents/Music/Pictures/etc" on my D drive, while my OS, installed games, modding tools, and work software are on the C drive.

[djh269 264]

I didn't post the Windows license part but here it is: 

 

Operating System Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Single Licence

Operating System Language United Kingdom - English Language

DVD Recovery Media Windows 10 (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve

Build Time Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 14 working days                                             - Does this mean they'll do it for me?

 

Also, it says I'm unable to have a DVD/Blu-Ray Drive does that mean I'll be unable to play disks :S

[DeadMan 103]

It is always better to have more PSU than you need.

This. PSU tend to give lower power output when time passes, so some reserve never hurts. For a system like yours I'd recomend something with 650W or more. You will also benefit from it if you decide to upgrade your system in the future.

[Sith Holocron 2,477]

I look forward to seeing your new set up once it's done!

[djh269 264]

This. PSU tend to give lower power output when time passes, so some reserve never hurts. For a system like yours I'd recomend something with 650W or more. You will also benefit from it if you decide to upgrade your system in the future.

 

So I should change my Power supply to this instead of the 550W: 

 

Corsair 750W TXm Series Semi-Modular 80 Plus Gold, Ultra Quiet

 

I'm such a twit I thought the more power would break the PC haha. 

 

I look forward to seeing your new set up once it's done!

 

I look forward to showing you

 

No fancy lights on anything though. 

[Kexikus 995]

If it's 531W max, I'd keep the 650W or at least 600W. 750W would be total overkill though. IIRC something like 80% usage is ideal for the PSU, so that's why 600 or 650W is better here than 550W.

 

About the SSD, OS installation and general PC building: The website you ordered from looks like it assembles the computer for you, but you might want to check that. If it doesn't come assembled, Qui-Gon Glenn is right in that it's really not that hard to build a PC from its parts by just following the instructions coming with those. However, in that case, it might still be a good idea to ask a friend who has some experience with building a PC to assist. I don't think that will be necessary though and if it comes assembled, then the OS is most likely already installed as well. They probably know that you want your OS installed on your SSD, but it wouldn't hurt to specify this in a comment added to your order.

 

Finally the GPU: As you can see here, there's tons of different versions of the same GPU (GTX 1080 Ti in this case), so usually you choose one of those based on reviews and cost. But your website only has a general GTX 1080 Ti listed and no manufacturer with it. That could mean that they use the Founders Edition (which, btw, is the version released by NVidia itself) or that they just have one special brand they always use. I'd write them an email or something to confirm this and if it is the FE, I'd skip the GPU on their site and order a better one elsewhere. That of course takes some more time for researching which one to actually get, but should give you some more FPS and save you some money. So you could just go with whatever they install too as the GTX 1080 Ti is definetly a great GPU no matter which version you get.

 

Oh and a final thought: In my eyes a fan controller is not really necessary, unless you specifically want to manually control your case fans. The easier and IMO sufficient way of handling case fans is to have them connected to the motherboard and set the motherboard to control their speed depending on the temperature. That's a thing of personal preference though as manual control allows for better finetuning, but I'm just too lazy to have to do that.

[djh269 264]

Everyone please be aware I've took all your advice and have made a few amendments of my original post regarding your suggestions. 

 

 

If it's 531W max, I'd keep the 650W or at least 600W. 750W would be total overkill though. IIRC something like 80% usage is ideal for the PSU, so that's why 600 or 650W is better here than 550W.

 

About the SSD, OS installation and general PC building: The website you ordered from looks like it assembles the computer for you, but you might want to check that. If it doesn't come assembled, Qui-Gon Glenn is right in that it's really not that hard to build a PC from its parts by just following the instructions coming with those. However, in that case, it might still be a good idea to ask a friend who has some experience with building a PC to assist. I don't think that will be necessary though and if it comes assembled, then the OS is most likely already installed as well. They probably know that you want your OS installed on your SSD, but it wouldn't hurt to specify this in a comment added to your order.

 

Finally the GPU: As you can see here, there's tons of different versions of the same GPU (GTX 1080 Ti in this case), so usually you choose one of those based on reviews and cost. But your website only has a general GTX 1080 Ti listed and no manufacturer with it. That could mean that they use the Founders Edition (which, btw, is the version released by NVidia itself) or that they just have one special brand they always use. I'd write them an email or something to confirm this and if it is the FE, I'd skip the GPU on their site and order a better one elsewhere. That of course takes some more time for researching which one to actually get, but should give you some more FPS and save you some money. So you could just go with whatever they install too as the GTX 1080 Ti is definetly a great GPU no matter which version you get.

 

Oh and a final thought: In my eyes a fan controller is not really necessary, unless you specifically want to manually control your case fans. The easier and IMO sufficient way of handling case fans is to have them connected to the motherboard and set the motherboard to control their speed depending on the temperature. That's a thing of personal preference though as manual control allows for better finetuning, but I'm just too lazy to have to do that.

 

I'm about to give them a call on installing the OS on the SSD Drive and if their Graphics cards are founders edition or not. I'll be back

 

Edit: They stated that their graphics cards are by Palit / Zotac. Is that bad?

[Kexikus 995]

Some other thoughts:
 

Your mainboard already has 2 USB 2.0 and 5 USB 3.1 ports. Do you really need more than that?

 

And depending on whether or not you use your PC to watch movies, you could consider upgrading your DVD drive to a BR drive, but watching Blu-rays on PC really isn't a fun process so I can't exactly recommend that. It just came to my mind when I saw your parts list.

[djh269 264]

I actually use a lot of USB ports for various different reasons. I have 2 x 8TB Seagate External Harddrives, 1 x 2TB Seagate External Harddrive and a 250GB External Harddrive (I have 150GBs worth of Kotor files copied on all of them 'cause I'm that weird about collecting and not losing the mods!). A Xbox gaming PC controller. A wireless mouse and a keyboard. 

 

I have recently bought a PS4 Pro for the playing of BLU-RAY movies. The DVD Drive is for games and software etc. 

 

You've really got me paranoid about my Graphics Card now haha. The founders edition are more expensive than the rest aren't they? Is that why you advised not getting it because it's Overpriced? And... why do people get two Graphics Cards? And do you know if I'll be able to install another one and maybe another internal SSD card in the future with my PC case?

[djh269 264]

I emailed them and they said: 

 

Regarding the GPU's we have aftermarket cards. 

 

Whatever that means!

[Kexikus 995]

Keep in mind that in addition to the 7 mainboard USB ports, you'll probably have another 4 at the front of your computer. It's of course up to you whether or not you want more than that, I just wanted to mention it.

 

About the GPU: I have no idea what "aftermarket cards" are supposed to be. But here's how NVidia handles GPUs: When they release a new GPU like the GTX 1080 Ti earlier this year, the first version that will be sold is the so called Founders Edition, developed completely by NVidia itself. Then, some weeks or a month later, the same GPU will be sold by other manufacturers as well. These usually have a better cooler, sometimes different ports, higher clock rates and some other tiny enhancements, but still the same chip. The thing is that NVidia sells the Founders Edition for about 100€/$/etc more than their actual recommended price for the GPU. The idea here is that the FE is just for those who really can't wait to get the new GPU but for everyone else, NVidia actually wants them to get the cheaper 3rd party GPUs. The problem is that most of these other brands then also sell their own GPU for 100€ more than NVidia's recommended price. There are some exceptions however that sell theirs for the recommended price. In any case, those "3rd party GPUs" are usually 8-10% more powerful than the FE and should be cheaper. And they're usually also more quiet and have other benefits.

In short: You really don't want the FE.

 

And people use two GPUs for more GPU power. NVidia and AMD both have their own technology for using two GPUs at the same time, called SLI and Crossfire respectively. Those two GPUs will then split the work that's usually done by only one GPU, resulting in higher framerates. But it's not like you can expect doubled framerates by using a second GPU. It's usually closer to a 50% boost and quite a few games don't actually support Multi-GPU setups. Not to mention that getting a second GPU (in your case a GTX 1080 Ti) would be a complete waste of money for the games you want to play.

[djh269 264]

I now have a problem where the guy on the phone said they have Founders Edition and that they sell Palit / Zotac GPUs. But the support team say they sell aftermarket cards and that they aren't Founders Edition. Confusing. 

 

Here's some info on "Aftermarket cards". From what I read they aren't Founders Edition. 

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4manyj/eli5_what_are_aftermarket_graphics_cards_and_what/

 

From your expertly written replies I now know so much more about Graphics Cards! Nvidia are cruel haha. $100 more for a worse specs GPU is nasty haha. 

[Kexikus 995]

Okay, so aftermarket cards are just all the non reference/FE cards. Palit and Zotac are two manufacturers of GPUs, so getting one of theirs would be a good thing.

[Mephiles550 227]

Holy sh*t, you're spending some $3000 on a NASA build so you can play Kotor at 1000FPS? All the power to you, but you could spend probably 1/3 of what you're paying for all of that and get a build that can play all of those games at max settings with 60-120FPS and several graphical mods.

[djh269 264]

Okay, so aftermarket cards are just all the non reference/FE cards. Palit and Zotac are two manufacturers of GPUs, so getting one of theirs would be a good thing.

 

 

Yay all my ducks are lined in a row now. Happy bunny. Such good advice on this website!!

 

Holy sh*t, you're spending some $3000 on a NASA build so you can play Kotor at 1000FPS? All the power to you, but you could spend probably 1/3 of what you're paying for all of that and get a build that can play all of those games at max settings with 60-120FPS and several graphical mods.

 

I do want to buy a Bugatti Veyron for the nice looking cup holders! 

[Guest Qui-Gon Glenn]

I didn't realize they were building for you.... That does change things, as Kex said. They will install your OS in that case, which IMO for Windows 10 is not a great thing.

You can always reinstall your OS if you aren't happy with the choices they made... Windows 10 will assume that you want Tablet/Mobile stuff on your PC, because ???. That is annoying, to me, and must be switched off during the install process or it is a lot more work changing after the install.

LOL at their response about GPU choice. They should be able to tell you exactly what you are getting, or I honestly would find a different company.

Building is pretty easy, and despite some learning curve and patience practice, you will get what you want when you build it yourself.