MadShadow's Build

[MadShadow]

Alright, so Im asking for help again when it comes to picking the parts I am going to buy. I think I've got a fairly solid list, but Im looking for some approval/criticism/comments on my choices. It is just meant to be a gaming build really. Im not planning on streaming, editing, or anything of that nature.

Specs:

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/sWjDTW
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/sWjDTW/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460

CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3

Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition (Ive got a bit of a white/black thing going right now)

Memory: Kingston Fury White Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory

Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290 4GB PCS+ Video Card

Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Total: £770.90

Im fairly sceptical about that GPU as it is only priced at £200 and it even comes with a backplate. is it too good to be true?

By the way, please dont recommend a 212 Evo, as I went with the Dark Rock 3 purely for the looks.

Thanks guys!

 

[Thelosouvlakia]

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/LHHg4D How would this work for you if you swapped the 280x for the 290 you've found? (Although especially with used 290s..... I wonder how many hours has it been on running 100% minining coins...)

 

[Feronix]

Looks pretty good actually, well balanced!

What about a 4690k with a stock cooler for now though? Then you can get the BeQuiet! heatsink later.

Edit; PowerColor have been around for ages and I don't think they're that bad, although I have no personal experience with them.

 

[JR23]

Im fairly sceptical about that GPU as it is only priced at £200 and it even comes with a backplate. is it too good to be true?

Not really reference Powercolor 290X's were £209 last year. I've no idea how good that cooler is but I would imagine it's 100% legit.

JR

 

[MadShadow]

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/LHHg4D How would this work for you if you swapped the 280x for the 290 you've found? (Although especially with used 290s..... I wonder how many hours has it been on running 100% minining coins...)

Tbh I really want to go with the Z97 platform as I may want to upgrade to a top-tier i5 in the future. Thanks for the reccomendations though mate

Looks pretty good actually, well balanced!

What about a 4690k with a stock cooler for now though? Then you can get the BeQuiet! heatsink later.

Edit; PowerColor have been around for ages and I don't think they're that bad, although I have no personal experience with them.

Holy shit man, thats actually a great idea! I didnt even consider that at first, but it seems ideal now

Not really reference Powercolor 290X's were £209 last year. I've no idea how good that cooler is but I would imagine it's 100% legit.

JR

Okay thanks. I guess Im going for this 290 then

 

[Feronix]

Not really reference Powercolor 290X's were £209 last year. I've no idea how good that cooler is but I would imagine it's 100% legit.

JR

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/gpu_displays/powercolor_r9_290_review/1

AMD Stock cooler is well shit though! What about getting something like the Raijintek Morpheus? Although the grey heatsink would ruin the perfect black/white balance.

Edit;
This is a 290x review, but it does have the PCS+ cooler on it:
http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/gpu_displays/powercolor_r9_290x_pcs_review/1

 

[Dawelio]

AMD Stock cooler is well shit though! What about getting something like the Raijintek Morpheus? Although the grey heatsink would ruin the perfect black/white balance.

Come on Feronix dude, what if the guy wants to actually have a jetplane in his room though and wants to see if his PC actually can take off?, then he's well on the right track

 

[barnsley]

PowerColor's PCS cooler is pretty good, can be a little noisy but noisy in the Nvidia reference way, not amd reference .

 

[MadShadow]

Edit;
This is a 290x review, but it does have the PCS+ cooler on it:
http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/gpu_displays/powercolor_r9_290x_pcs_review/1

Well if Tom's happy with it, I suppose I will be as well

Come on Feronix dude, what if the guy wants to actually have a jetplane in his room though and wants to see if his PC actually can take off?, then he's well on the right track

I think it will be alright for the first few weeks or maybe months. If needed, Ill just underclock/undervolt the card untill I can get a better cooler.

PowerColor's PCS cooler is pretty good, can be a little noisy but noisy in the Nvidia reference way, not amd reference .

Alright, I guess I can deal with a little noise. Ive only got a laptop now and that gets pretty loud, so Im used to it

 

[barnsley]

If you can find an XFX card you might want that instead, its a bit quieter (but a little bit warmer running) and would fit your build much better.

 

[MadShadow]

If you can find an XFX card you might want that instead, its a bit quieter (but a little bit warmer running) and would fit your build much better.

True, but I just love the backplate. I dont think I can do without it

 

[NeverBackDown]

True, but I just love the backplate. I dont think I can do without it

Then get an aftermarket or used one I'd rather have a better GPU then an ever so slightly worse one that has a backplate

 

[MadShadow]

Then get an aftermarket or used one I'd rather have a better GPU then an ever so slightly worse one that has a backplate

I'll have a look at what ColdZero has for that card. If there isn't a backplate, I'll ask Patuga if he can make one for me

Edit: Sorry for those who clicked on this thread thinking it was a build log

 

[barnsley]

Then get an aftermarket or used one I'd rather have a better GPU then an ever so slightly worse one that has a backplate

Arguably the powercolor is the better card in terms of performance.

 

[MadShadow]

Arguably the powercolor is the better card in terms of performance.

That's what I was thinking. I don't mind it its a bit louder than the XFX card. I don't really want to go XFX because of all their problems with VRM cooling.

 

[barnsley]

That's what I was thinking. I don't mind it its a bit louder than the XFX card. I don't really want to go XFX because of all their problems with VRM cooling.

They seemed to have mostly fixed it since launch. There were quite a few with the first reviews but they seemed to have done a distinctly un-XFX thing and release a card with a fix.

I'd go for the XFX card if I was getting a 290x as their top of the range one has a lot of improvements. Since it is a 290 I'd probably go powercolor.

 

[Thelosouvlakia]

There's also a brand called VTX 3D which is a powercolour subsidiary. Ther 290x is cheaper than a 290 made by other brands

 

[barnsley]

There's also a brand called VTX 3D which is a powercolour subsidiary. Ther 290x is cheaper than a 290 made by other brands

Can't get them over here very easily (last time I cheacked) and I wouldn't touch their cards with a barge pole personally.

 

[MadShadow]

Can't get them over here very easily (last time I cheacked) and I wouldn't touch their cards with a barge pole personally.

Yeah thye look really dodgy