ultra efficient light gaming pc needed

[XenatR]

hi all,

currently i have an overclocked phenom x4 955 system, which runs at a constant 4ghz overclock for approx 6hours per day

i am seriously considering an ultra efficient light gaming pc, as i only really need the top gaming performance (bf3) for about an hour at a time (or sometimes not even playing that day)

the other game i play is counter strike 1.6, which of course is not demanding in the slightest, and a little counter strike global offensive

i mainly browse the web and watch a lot of youtube (1080p etc)

im looking for a very efficient pc which will allow me to do some light gaming

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/inte...l-qs77-c847-11ghz-2xhdmi-ddr3-sodimm-5xusb-20


this is one i have been considering, however, i doubt i will be able to play any games on it other than original counter strike!


another option is a build around the Haswell Pentium

another is the AMD A4-4000


i was wondering what you guys would recommend

i dont really want to cross the line where i compromise on gaming performance (cs:go for example), where either the Haswell P or A4 wouldnt run it to my satisfaction (over 60fps), and simply use the Phenom system when i want to play these games

all-in-all, the complete systems would all likely cost a similar amount (~£280 with memory and ssd etc)

 

[KING_OF_SAND]

Get a high end AMD APU, crossfire it with a mid range GPU, 256gb SSD, microATX mobo and PLEASE FOR ALL THAT IS HOLY, if you go with an APU you NEED the fastest RAM the motherboard will support. RAM speed on the APUs makes a MASSIVE difference I am talking about double digit frame difference.

 

[XenatR]

Get a high end AMD APU, crossfire it with a mid range GPU, 256gb SSD, microATX mobo and PLEASE FOR ALL THAT IS HOLY, if you go with an APU you NEED the fastest RAM the motherboard will support. RAM speed on the APUs makes a MASSIVE difference I am talking about double digit frame difference.

yes of course i would go with fast memory

thanks for the building suggestion, but i only want to go with apu and sff!

i dont want the high end apu because i need as efficient as possible

the intel nuc range are interesting.. i wonder if they are ok for light gaming

 

[KING_OF_SAND]

yes of course i would go with fast memory

thanks for the building suggestion, but i only want to go with apu and sff!

i dont want the high end apu because i need as efficient as possible

the intel nuc range are interesting.. i wonder if they are ok for light gaming

If you want to play BF3 or any real gaming the NUC will piss you off. Granted an i5 NUC can play Skyim and 30fps min to med settings at 720p (I have done it). But that is the thing with the APUs is even the most bad ass one (separate GPU aside) is enough to play crysis at a pretty decent setting at 1080p and still be more efficient and faster than an Intel CPU. Their is really no doubt that if you go intel you will need a separate GPU if you want to any kind of gaming. The ultra high end APU will use more power (not by much), but you have to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of both.

 

[XenatR]

If you want to play BF3 or any real gaming the NUC will piss you off. Granted an i5 NUC can play Skyim and 30fps min to med settings at 720p (I have done it). But that is the thing with the APUs is even the most bad ass one (separate GPU aside) is enough to play crysis at a pretty decent setting at 1080p and still be more efficient and faster than an Intel CPU. Their is really no doubt that if you go intel you will need a separate GPU if you want to any kind of gaming. The ultra high end APU will use more power (not by much), but you have to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of both.

i know what you mean

thing is, i play bf3 maybe 5% of my time.. for those times, ill simply switch my monitor, keyboard and mouse over, and play it on my current phenom 955 4ghz desktop

thats the reason i didnt want to go with a top level apu, rather, efficiency, because my needs for 95% of the time arent that much

i play more cs1.6 than anything. do you think i could get away with playing cs:source on that celeron nuc? also, it is listed as being only 1333mhz compatible.. will 1600/1866 definitely not work?

regards~

 

[KING_OF_SAND]

i know what you mean

thing is, i play bf3 maybe 5% of my time.. for those times, ill simply switch my monitor, keyboard and mouse over, and play it on my current phenom 955 4ghz desktop

thats the reason i didnt want to go with a top level apu, rather, efficiency, because my needs for 95% of the time arent that much

i play more cs1.6 than anything. do you think i could get away with playing cs:source on that celeron nuc? also, it is listed as being only 1333mhz compatible.. will 1600/1866 definitely not work?

regards~

An i5 model NUC yes. I would wait, I hear their is supposed to be an i7 model soon. And I also hear with a little work the NUC is easily converted to a hackentosh

 

[XenatR]

An i5 model NUC yes. I would wait, I hear their is supposed to be an i7 model soon. And I also hear with a little work the NUC is easily converted to a hackentosh

linux vs win8 vs macosx?

which would you choose for an nuc?

 

[XenatR]

hmm just realised the nuc's dont have audio 3.5mm output.. :S how to get sound into headphones??

 

[KING_OF_SAND]

hmm just realised the nuc's dont have audio 3.5mm output.. :S how to get sound into headphones??

The audio is 100% HDMI on the NUC. You can however get a USB to 3.5mm jack for headphones. You have to realize the NUCs' intentions. It was never designed for gamers. The original intention was for it to turn your TV into a "smart" tv with a Windows OS. This is why it comes with vesa mounting holes. And from the TV you use the AUX pass through to the sound system and from the sound system to headphones.

 

[XenatR]

The audio is 100% HDMI on the NUC. You can however get a USB to 3.5mm jack for headphones. You have to realize the NUCs' intentions. It was never designed for gamers. The original intention was for it to turn your TV into a "smart" tv with a Windows OS. This is why it comes with vesa mounting holes. And from the TV you use the AUX pass through to the sound system and from the sound system to headphones.

would the usb to 3.5 produce good sound??

also, is there a way of undervolting a non-k intel cpu?

eg if i went the way of mini itx with a i5-4570S.. could i undervolt this or even, limit its volts and cpu speed, while browsing/watching video content, then ramping up the speed and power when gaming?