The Nibble - Mainstream Gaming Rig

The Nibble

This system is meant for gamers who would like a mainstream gaming system. This means that the target resolution would be around 1080p (1920x1080 Full HD) with a lot of eye candy enabled in the game. If you would like to seek out game specific tweaks, head on over to our game forum.

CPU - Intel Core i5-4670K

For the last few years, Intel has dominated the performance market. Thus, it comes without surprise that parting with 190 EURO will get you a nifty CPU which is unlocked so overclocking becomes a walk in the park, especially since overclocking with Haswell CPUs is a matter of point-and-click thanks to the motherboard vendors using UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface). However, if for some reason you would not like to overclock your CPU, here are two very nice alternatives for your consideration:

• Intel Core i5-4590 (~160 EURO)
• Intel Core i3-4150 (~95 EURO)

CPU Cooler - Corsair H80i or H90

The last few generations of Intel CPUs run hot, especially if you are increasing voltages to stabilize an overclock. Thus, a good cooler which can handle the heat without breaking a sweat is needed. Enter Corsair H80i or H90 (Review), for 75 EURO you get a hassle free all-in-one liquid cooling system that is almost ready to go. All you need to do is screw in the fans and radiator in a 120/140 mm fan mount, secure the cooler on the CPU, connect the power cables and voila, you are good to go.

Obviously you an also go with other brands too. We have reviewed a good number of LCS (Liquid Cooling System) kit and air based ones too, if that is your preference (Details).
 

Corsair H90 LCS offers great cooling and it looks nice as well

GPU - AMD R9-280X

While AMD CPUs might be absent from the performance charts, their GPUs are very much present and putting up a good fight. The R9-280X (Review) has been spotted for as low as 245 EURO so can pretty much munch games at 1080p with a decent amount of eye candy. However, if you aren't willing to splurge that much, here are two other options to choose from:

• AMD R9-270X (~165 EURO)
• Nvidia GTX 760 (~210 EURO)

Motherboard - MSI Z87-G45 Gaming

This is by far, one of the most critical hardware piece in the system since all other components are connected to it. Hence, choosing the right motherboard for your needs is critical. Moreover, ensure that all other components are compatible with it and that no major issues are there. Luckily, if you stick with reputable brands, you are far less likely to encounter issues then choosing a nameless brand.

There are plenty of quality motherboards for the LGA1150 socket. Thus, you would be spoilt for choice since there are plenty of options to choose from. Let's say that you opted for a Non-K CPU and would like something small yet packed with essential features, you may get the Gigabyte G1.Sniper B5 (Review) for a mere 70 EURO. Now, if you do have a K version CPU and would like to squeeze performance out of it without parting with your arm, then MSI Z87-G45 Gaming motherboard for only 115 EURO fits the bill perfectly.

Of course, if you like a little more boom-boom-pow or features, there are so many alternatives and budgets. Basically you can stretch your wallet as far as you want to. But for mid-range Z87 is affordable enough, Z97 is a little more pricey for pretty much the same features. Have a peek of at our many motherboard reviews (Details).

System Memory / RAM - 8 GBs (2x 4 GBs) @ 1600 MHz

When it comes to RAM, always make it a point to check with the motherboard if the RAM is compatible or not (assuming that the vendor does provide this service). It is much cheaper and quicker for you to find the right product by browsing through the supported memory list on the motherboard site then buying the kit and later learning that it is incompatible. Ensure that you have a 64-bit OS to make use of RAM capacity higher than 4 GBs. A 32-bit system is limited to only 4 GBs, in most cases the usable RAM is less than 4 GBs. Do note that frequencies higher than 1600 MHz have a somewhat limited performance gain in the real world so a higher frequency doesn't necessarily mean better real world performance.

Storage - 240 GBs SSD

A few years ago, an SSD would have costed you more than a CPU/GPU! Thankfully, the prices have dropped down significantly over the last few years due to the advancements in technology and now, having a SSD in a system is the norm. Be warned that once you shift towards the boot drive being a SSD, it will never be the same with the HDD being a boot drive! There are quite a few companies offering 240/256 GBs SSDs which are of great value. Do note that if you have plenty of data, it is advisable to only keep the OS and main applications on the SSD while storing the rest of your data on a larger capacity HDD which nowadays are really cheap. Thus, it is not uncommon to have systems with multiple disks.

Right now, affordable brands are Micron and Samsung. If you want a little more performance and endurance (lifespan) then look for OCZ, SanDisk, Intel, Plextor and Corsair. You may check out the many reviews we offer you (Details).

PSU - 500 Watts To 700 Watts

Hardly any thought goes into choosing this component which is a mistake made by many. Having the right PSU can make a difference between a stable system or one that is unstable! Thus, always purchase a PSU from reputable brands like EVGA, Corsair, OCZ, Antec, Seasonic, etc. Moreover, it is common for a PSU to be re-used when building new systems so having one with some extra wattage is good future-proofing. Ensure that you are getting a high efficiency one which will help you reduce your power bill in the long run. Also, if you plan to overclock the CPU and/or GPU, be sure to get a bit more wattage as overclocking requires higher voltages and this may increases your power consumption significantly. Here is the list of PSUs we have reviewed over the years (Details).

Odds & Ends

Now that you are familiar with the innards of The Nibble, here are some other components for you to think about:

1. Chassis: Ensure that the chassis can support all your components and is of the right size. Remember that a well ventilated chassis helps heat dissipation which increases the life-span of the components. Here are some of the Chassis that we have reviewed (Details).
2. Sound card - Many may opt for the on board sound card and are content with it. However, getting a decent sound card can make all the difference between winning and loosing. If you would like to increase your odds of winning, consider getting something like the ASUS Xonar Phoebus (Review) which was made for gaming. Alternatively, you can browse our reviews of sound systems and pick something that suits your taste (Details).

 ASUS Xonar Phoebus Soundcard - a little geeky but great stuff

Now, if you would like your system to have a bloody bite, saddle up for, The Byte...