My first gaming PC

Hi Guys,

I'm looking at building my first gaming PC, I've come up with a couple of alternate specs and I'm unsure which is better (if either are any good). I'm not going to be playing anything really intensive (I have an Xbox for that) but I do want it to last me for a few years without too much in the way of upgrades.
I think I'm going to be ordering from fiercepc.co.uk; I seem to be getting better value on there than on other similar sites.
My budget is roughly £600, I have a monitor; but do need a keyboard and mouse included in that price.

The first spec is:
  • Aerocool Aero-800 Gaming Case - Black
  • Intel Core i5 6600 Quad Core 3.30GHz CPU
  • Stock Cooler
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 4GB Graphics Card
  • Gigabyte Ultra-Durable H110M-S2H Motherboard
  • 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 2400MHz DDR4 Memory (2 x 8GB)
  • 1TB SATA3 6Gbps Hard Drive
  • 24x DVD / CD Re-Writer
  • Aerocool Integrator 600W 80+ Power Supply
  • 300Mbps PCI WIFI Card
The second is:
  • Fierce Nova Gaming Case - Blue
  • AMD FX-9590 Black Edition 4.70GHz (5.00GHz Turbo) Octa Core CPU
  • Stock Cooler
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 4GB Graphics Card
  • Gigabyte 970A-DS3P Motherboard
  • 16GB Corsair Vengeance LP 1600MHz DDR3 Memory (2 x 8GB)
  • 1TB SATA3 6Gbps Hard Drive
  • 24x DVD / CD Re-Writer
  • Aerocool Integrator 600W 80+ Power Supply
  • 300Mbps PCI WIFI Card
My main concerns are the Power Supply and the Cooler. I don't know how vital these are, or if I should be looking at investing more in these.

Thanks in advance.
 
Hi. First the Intel i5 is considered by many to be the so-called sweet spot for gaming. I am not an Intel fanboy nor an an AMD fanboy. I have built many systems using both processors and they all have worked well. However, that AMD processor will get HOT so that you'll need an aftermarket cooler and its older hardware as it still uses the AM3+ socket.

Your better choice is the first one.That i5 cpu is the latest from Intel. But keep in mind as one person stated in a review: "Stock cooler isn't terrible as long as your case has some good ventilation. I always prefer to use a different thermal compound but that's preference." Go with an Arctic Silver 5 compound and replace the compound that comes with the Intel processor. Use at least 90% isopropyl alcohol to remove it and replace it with the Silver 5.

Some other things to keep in mind: 1) Power supplies that come bundled with a case are usually garbage (there are a few exceptions; 2) There are better power supplies. I researched the one you listed and it has mixed reviews at best. NEVER go cheap on a psu. They are the backbone of your system so... 2) My suggestion is look into Corsair power supplies. They are well built and dependable; there are other good options, 3) Consider an SSD for your OS along with a hard drive for storage, games, etc. The Western Digital Black series in hard drives is what I recommend and 4) Make sure your case is well ventilated.

By the way, either system will do very nicely for gaming.
 
I've traded the power supply for a Corsair VS650 80+ Power Supply, I've left the cooling system alone for now, but added two additional fans to the case.

I've looked at the SSD's would it be worth adding one as small as 30GB if it's just to install the OS on? Or do I really need one larger. A sizeable one will take me quite over budget but I could just about afford a small one.

Thank you very much for the assistance.
 
I would get at least a 120 gig SSD and then get a 500 gig hard drive. Are you storing a lot of photos/music/videos/games? If you are I could see utilizing 16 gigs of RAM otherwise 8 gigs is more than enough. This should save you some money that you can put towards a larger SSD. Also, before you install your motherboard chipset drivers do research on your motherboard and see what is recommended to install and what to avoid. Too often manufactures will load their cds with useless and sometimes headache causing drivers. I did this with my build, which has a Gigabyte board, and it saved me grief.

What OS will you be running?
 
I plan on purchasing Windows 7 and then doing the free upgrade to Windows 10. That's something else I'm not 100% sure on though. I've always had 32 bit Windows before but as I've got a decent chunk of RAM is it worth going with 64 bit?

I've actually just found out I can get a 120GB SSD for the price of a 30GB one so I don't have to downgrade the main hard-drive

My spec now is:
  • Zalman Z9 Neo Gaming Case - Black/Blue
  • 2x 120mm Fan - Black
  • Intel Core i5 6600 Quad Core 3.30GHz CPU
  • Stock Cooler
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 4GB Graphics Card
  • Gigabyte Ultra-Durable H110M-S2H Motherboard
  • 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 2400MHz DDR4 Memory (2 x 8GB)
  • 120GB Solid State Drive
  • 1TB SATA3 6Gbps Hard Drive
  • 24x DVD / CD Re-Writer
  • Corsair VS650 80+ Power Supply
  • 300Mbps PCI WIFI Card
This comes to £650 so I'm at the high end of my budget here.
 
Nice system there. 64-bit OS all the way. 32 bit OS cannot handle even a full 4 gigs of RAM but the 64-bit will have no issue at all with 16 or more. After you install 7 and get all its updates installed (this takes a while so make sure you have the fastest connection you can) then upgrade to 10. Make sure when you do your secondary drive, your hard drive, is disconnected from the motherboard. See this answer and especially read the last response: https://windowsforum.com/threads/windows-10-hdd-ssd-problems.220050/ Once you have fully upgraded then install whatever software you want.
 
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Thank you so very much on all the help. I'll update this post when everything is (hopefully) up and running. I should be ordering tomorrow.
 
You are most welcome. :) And we will be looking forward to your update.

One other thing. Is there a reason you are going with 7? Will you be running it for awhile before you will upgrade? If not I say go ahead and purchase 10 64-bit and skip the need for updating.
 
I had thought it would be cheaper to do it that way, I'm looking into purchasing Windows 10 directly and it doesn't seem like that's the case.
I've been looking into OEM licences and the only downside seems to be that they're not transferable; apart from this is there a reason I should be avoiding these as they're being sold at £20 a pop rather than the £65 or so it would cost for a full licence.
 
OEM is the normal procedure for personal builds. And, yes, they are non-transferable but consider this: 10 will last you for several years whereas Windows 7 has a little time left. Check this out: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/search/default.aspx?alpha=windows 7 So, in my opinion, 10 seems like the more logical choice but 7 should be okay in the near future.

Make sure you get your OEM copy from a reliable source because if it isn't genuine MS will invalidate it and you will not be able to get updates. That price seems awfully low.
 
You will be making a mistake if you buy any less then the Corsair RMx series PSU. Spend less on the RAM if you have to. It's easily and cheaply upgradable and current mem sells easy on ebay or amazon. The PSU is the BASE of your system
 
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