New Computer.

[gptech]

COOLERMASTER CM STORM ENFORCER - GAMING ENTHUSIAST CASE Matter of personal choice regarding the aesthetics,the important thing to do is find one that helps get the heat out.

Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-6700k (4.0GHz) 8MB Cache OTT, the i5 6600K is more than enough...and significantly cheaper

Motherboard ASUS® Z170 PRO GAMING/AURA: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs, RGB Lighting Top end motherboard, but only worth the money if you'll use the features it offers

Memory (RAM) 16GB HyperX SAVAGE DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 8GB Kit) If you really want to build in some future proofing (outmoded term, the future arrives that quickly that what we often think of as "one eye on tomorrow" is obsolete before we know it) consider using the money saved by going to an i5 to double the RAM

Graphics Card 8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 - DVI, HDMI, 3x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready! OTT again, the 6GB 1060 will be more than adequate, and a few quid cheaper

1st Hard Disk 480GB HyperX SAVAGE 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)

2nd Hard Disk 1TB WD BLACK 3.5" WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm) Decent drives, but if you're going with that motherboard it cries out for a 256GB SM961 M.2 drive--3100 MB/R, 1400 MB/W

Do you have any memory cards to fit in that reader?---if you have, I bet you don't have 52 types.

Power supply is good, modular designs are more efficient.

Cooling---are you thinking of overclocking it?....If not, there's little need to go beyond the stock cooler. Get the case right and heat is pulled out fast enough.

Blu-Ray writer---handy enough if you'll use it, but as the price hike over a DVD writer is next to nowt (relatively) there's little to make an argument for going for the cheaper option.

[Retro]

Thanks Gary for all that information. I will be using the 1T drive just for storage. I have knocked the GTX 1080 on the head. To expensive. My next problem is the Monitor. Do I go for 144 hertz or the normal 60 hertz and would a larger 27 inch monitor cause a problem with GPU and framerates. I have given up on G-Synch that is too much to pay for me. Will have a look at Trevor's recommendation. GPU can be Zotac or EVGA which is the best ?? I have also heard that the Power Supply is entry level and not good enough for a gaming machine
It's like a minefield getting a new machine. It seemed a lot easier 5 years ago when I got this one.
Kind regards James.

[Retro]

Just found what seems to be a good Monitor from reviews ASUS VG248QE 24" GAMING DISPLAY.
Any comments on this much appreciated.
Kind regards James.

[gptech]

I have also heard that the Power Supply is entry level and not good enough for a gaming machine

The Corsair 750W CS PSU isn't a low end piece of kit; maybe not the best on the market but does offer my preferred configuration of a single 12v rail kicking out plenty of amps. That doesn't mean it's the best way to go, but it's the way I like things!
If you were going to play very demanding (power wise) games on an overclocked system for 22 hours each day then yes, look for something more robust---but I suspect that you're more like the rest of us and sleep from time to time

GPU can be Zotac or EVGA which is the best ?

Personal opinion again, but I'd go EVGA every time---they tend to be slightly faster 'out of the box', use top quality parts and come with a great warranty (as long as you register the product). You don't deal with the supplier if there's ever a fault, but with EVGA directly. This does mean you pay for any shipping if you need to return it--22 quid to ship a poorly 760 to Germany in my case, but as they replace any defective components with something equal or better, the 960 I received in exchange still worked out cheap.

Monitor...once again much of monitor choice is based on personal opinion, and whilst the Asus monitor is a good 'un it's still a £200+ touch----unless you've dropped on an unmissable deal of course---given the CPU and GPU you're after a G-Sync monitor isn't really such a luxury. It's certainly something I'd try hard to build into the spec, if not immediately then you could still use your existing monitor. Scan do https://www.scan.co.uk/products/24-asus ... eadphone-o and whilst it's nigh on twice the price of a *normal* monitor G-Sync is certainly very desirable.
As you're keeping the existing machine do you really need a 1TB drive for storage in the new one? Dropping to 500GB still gives lots of storage and would free up some money. Network the 2 PCs so you can access the drives in the old from the new, and adding more storage to the new becomes a (relatively) cheap upgrade in the future, if needed.
Basically, there's no *best* single answer, you just need to evaluate your needs now, guess at what they'll be in 12 months and work around that. The worlds your Oyster, there are ways around every *problem* you may run in to.

[Retro]

Thanks for your reply and also for the advice and information. That Monitor is very nice indeed.
Following what you said in a post previously I am now looking at a 512GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1600MB/W) as my Main Drive. It is out of stock at the moment at PC Specialist however. So if I go down this route I may have to wait a bit. The 1TB version is in stock but that will go over my price limit.
Kind regards James.

[Retro]

Just also discovered the 480GB HYPER-X PREDATOR PCIe SSD (up to 1400MB/sR | 1000MB/sW) any opinions on this compared to the M.2 much appreciated.Having said all that there are apparently some problems with using these drives as a boot drive with the Windows OS on and I may not have enough slots on the MOBO after the GPU is set up. Maybe back to ordinary SSD's
Kind regards James.

[gptech]

and I may not have enough slots on the MOBO after the GPU is set up

The GPU doesn't sit in any 'slots' that could be used by drives James.
M.2 devices sit in their own dedicated ports, directly into the PCI-e lanes on the motherboard, so using a M.2 device actually frees up a SATA port.

there are apparently some problems with using these drives as a boot drive with the Windows OS on

Not really problems, more a case of reading any instructions before diving in to install.

I am now looking at a 512GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1600MB/W) as my Main Drive

Either I've given you the wrong impression, or you haven't understood what I wrote.
M.2 devices are most often used purely for the operating system, so you only need one big enough for Windows---256GB is itself a bit OTT but does give loads of room for Windows to do whatever it does without space constraints--and cheaper. You'd have a lightening fast boot time, cached files would be loaded almost instantaneously, and Windows and applications wouldn't be waiting/conflicting for disc access.
Once you have Windows on the M.2 (Win 10 natively supports this technology, so you're unlikely to have issues, at most making sure Intel's RST is installed/available---and wouldn't PC Specialist be doing this?) you have the full complement of SATA ports available for your other drives---all 6 of 'em, still think you're going to run short?

So, stick in a SSD for games/programs that benefit from fast disc access, let's say 512GB is about right for that, then throw in a spinning drive for all your archived stuff that doesn't need such fast access---downloads, documents, etc. Once again 512GB is an enormous drive and would take some filling.
That leaves you 4 SATA ports, the DVD/BlueRay would use one so you'll still have 3 left to play with. That gives you scope to turn it into a data centre, believe me...you won't run short of connections with that motherboard (specs of it at https://www.asus.com/uk/Motherboards/Z1 ... fications/)

Yes, going with a M.2 device for Windows does add a cost, but is offset by being realistic about just how much storage space you really need and tailoring your purchases to fit that. Get it wrong and find you do need more space?---just add another drive, or get any PC shop/local techie 12 year old to fit it for you; it's a 15 minute job at most.

[Trev123]

Over on RWA someone uses a 21:9 to run TS2017. https://pcmonitors.info/articles/the-21 ... xperience/ probably a bit big and a bit pricy.

[Retro]

Thanks one and all for the help and advice. Ordered the Machine last night. I hope it will be as good and reliable as the Machine I got from them 5 years ago. This new one will probably outlive me.
Kind regards James.

[gptech]

Glad to hear we've all been of some help James, and I'm sure it will prove to be a reliable piece of kit--the components you've chosen cut no corners (or very few anyway) so you're not building in potential for problems from the onset. PC Specialiist are a pretty good outfit (as you'd expect being a Yorkshire based company ), built on *knowing* what's what rather than just being *box shifters*.

Enjoy the new toy when it arrives!!

[Retro]

Thanks Gary it's arriving on Monday.
Kind regards James.