First Ever PC Build

fowler002 said:
not sure if you'll see much 'real life' benefits but

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-094-KS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1517

don't know if the extra speed of the wd is worth the extra £20 over http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-082-SA&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=1279

oh and for the blue-ra you want retail not oem unless you happen to have blue-ray program licence as no free(legal) alternatives from what I've read.
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Thanks for the reply,

I have swapped the RAM for the Genesis Grey instead, might aswell as it's only about £3 more

And I have swapped the blu-ray for the retail version. Thanks for telling me about that as I wasn't aware of the issue with the licence

So it currently looks like this:


YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £167.99
1 x Asus GeForce GTX 560Ti DirectCU II 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **Supplied with FREE Batman: Arkham City PC game** £157.99
1 x Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.98
1 x Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (WD1002FAEX) £67.99
1 x Samsung SH-B123L/RSBP 12x BluRay ROM DVDRW DL & RAM Lightscribe SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (Retail) £59.99
1 x Antec TruePower New Modular 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £59.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £47.99
1 x Cooler Master Elite 430 Windowed Case - Black £39.98
1 x Corsair A50 High-Performance CPU Cooler (Socket AM2/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £24.98
1 x Samsung SH-S222AB/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £17.99
Total : £739.87 (includes shipping : £12.50).



Someone else also previously suggested the Samsung HDD but I hadn't changed it yet as I wasn't sure yet whether to go for the Samsung or WD. Does anyone else have any views on Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB vs WD Caviar Black 1TB? Anyone out there that has used both and can compare them? Is the extra money worth it for the WD? Just let me know, because if it is a wasted £20 then I will swap it out for the Samsung instead

Also fowler002, what do you think of the mobo I specced?

Thanks again :)
 
fowler002 said:
as you have the blue-ray/dvd-rw combo drive do you need the seperate dvd-rw?

I missed that earlier :)
Click to expand...

I wasn't sure about that either, I was thinking along the lines of I'd put the CD/DVD/Blu-Ray I'm burning onto in the Blu-Ray drive, and the disc I'm maybe making a copy of in the DVD-RW? Or is there a better way of doing this (letting it make a temp copy on the HDD first, then burning that to the new disc) ??

Does that DVD-RW read and write DVDs and CDs? I think it does
Is it a waste of money/space?


Thanks
 
Also, I have not specced any fans for the build

What do you all recommend as I'm unsure

So far I have thought of:
One 120mm intake on front (included with case)
One 120mm intake on side (will this interfere with the heatsink fan blowing air out, will they be blowing at each other cancelling out the point?)
Two 120mm exhaust fans on top of case (since heat rises)
One 120mm exhaust on back of case

Does it matter if you are taking out more air than you are putting in, or putting in more air than you are taking out? Or does it not make a difference?

Also what do people say, should heatsink fan be blowing air away from heatsink then the exhaust fans in the case will take this hot air out (what I think) or should it be blowing onto the heatsink to cool it and the CPU(what some people on the WWW think) ?

Thanks for any advice,
 
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azibux1 said:
So far I have thought of:
One 120mm intake on front (included with case)
One 120mm intake on side (will this interfere with the heatsink fan blowing air out, will they be blowing at each other cancelling out the point?)
Two 120mm exhaust fans on top of case (since heat rises)
One 120mm exhaust on back of case

Also what do people say, should heatsink fan be blowing air away from heatsink then the exhaust fans in the case will take this hot air out (what I think) or should it be blowing onto the heatsink to cool it and the CPU(what some people on the WWW think) ?

Thanks for any advice,
Click to expand...

i'd go with an inlet and exhaust fan for starters, fewer fans you have less noise there is, make sure you keep your cables as tidy as possible to help with air flow.

check the temps, then if you remove the side panel off the case and the temps drop think about using another fan, i'd go with a top fan to exhaust.

cpu fan, try it as push and then as pull see which help your temps the best, so initially locate the fan to push air through the cooler towards the back of the case, then change it over to pull air through the cooler and towards the exhaust fan and see how your temps work out.
 
danewesley said:
get a normal 7,200rpm 1tb hdd sata II, paying for the black because its sata III is a waste as it makes it no faster, save yourself £25 and get this http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-248-SE&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=1279
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Thanks for the link, I never saw the Seagate drive on the site, and that says "SATA 6Gb/s", so surely that is SATA III anyway and still cheaper than the WD Black?

Can someone confirm that? But I will spec it into the build anyway instead of the WD Black

mp260767 said:
i'd go with an inlet and exhaust fan for starters, fewer fans you have less noise there is, make sure you keep your cables as tidy as possible to help with air flow.

check the temps, then if you remove the side panel off the case and the temps drop think about using another fan, i'd go with a top fan to exhaust.

cpu fan, try it as push and then as pull see which help your temps the best, so initially locate the fan to push air through the cooler towards the back of the case, then change it over to pull air through the cooler and towards the exhaust fan and see how your temps work out.
Click to expand...

OK Thanks I'll try that once I've built it :)

So does it matter if you are doing what I mentioned earlier, taking out more air than you are bringing in or vice versa? Does it have to be even?
 
azibux1 said:
So does it matter if you are doing what I mentioned earlier, taking out more air than you are bringing in or vice versa? Does it have to be even?
Click to expand...

nope, doesn't have to be even, positive/negetive pressure in a case can make a difference, worth experimenting with to find out which you find works best for your setup.

also, keep in mind when testing temps/fan setup the room temp, normally should't make any difference but if you check over 2 days and u find a temp change of 5 degrees worthwhile checking to see the same 5 degrees isnt room related :).
 
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mp260767 said:
nope, doesn't have to be even, positive/negetive pressure in a case can make a difference, worth experimenting with to find out which you find works best for your setup.

also, keep in mind when testing temps/fan setup the room temp, normally should't make any difference but if you check over 2 days and u find a temp change of 5 degrees worthwhile checking to see the same 5 degrees isnt room related :).
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll remember that :D

Any views on the current build? Anything need changing?

What is this motherboard like? Is it good?


YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £167.99
1 x Asus GeForce GTX 560Ti DirectCU II 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **Supplied with FREE Batman: Arkham City PC game** £157.99
1 x Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.98
1 x Samsung SH-B123L/RSBP 12x BluRay ROM DVDRW DL & RAM Lightscribe SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (Retail) £59.99
1 x Antec TruePower New Modular 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £59.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £47.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £41.99
1 x Cooler Master Elite 430 Windowed Case - Black £39.98
1 x Corsair A50 High-Performance CPU Cooler (Socket AM2/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £24.98
1 x Samsung SH-S222AB/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £17.99
Total : £713.87 (includes shipping : £12.50).




Thanks :)
 
Also, I have been reading reviews of everything I'm looking at here and I have a couple of question

1. Is the lack of cable management on the case really that much of an issue? If you spend time on it, can you do a tidy job with just cable ties and hiding small wires behind mobo tray? Because I really like the case otherwise

2. People say the A50 cooler is quite big and may not fit in some cases, does anyone know if it will fit in this case?


Thanks :D
 
should be able to work the cable management if you take time, just try to keep the wires grouped as best you can and where possible out of the way to allow a clean air flow.

there are extensions you can buy if some cables are being a pain, i don't like to use them unless necessary, but worth keeping in mind.

looking at the spec for the a50 and the case you should be fine, cooler is 160mm high and the case shows as 190mm wide.
 
mp260767 said:
should be able to work the cable management if you take time, just try to keep the wires grouped as best you can and where possible out of the way to allow a clean air flow.

there are extensions you can buy if some cables are being a pain, i don't like to use them unless necessary, but worth keeping in mind.

looking at the spec for the a50 and the case you should be fine, cooler is 160mm high and the case shows as 190mm wide.
Click to expand...

OK That's what I thought, just spend time on it and you'll get a tidy job :)

And thanks for checking if it will fit for me :)

Some people on other threads recommend the Gelid Tranquillo (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-001-GD), it is a similar price. But which is better?

Also sorry for asking this again but it is the one thing no one has confirmed yet, is the motherboard that I have chosen a good choice?

Also, how do I know which way air flows through the fans, so I know which way to mount them for intake / exhaust ?


Thanks for your help,

EDIT: Surely if the cooler is 160mm high, and case is 190mm wide, that is only 30mm gap, with the motherboard tray taking up some of that 190mm, and the motherboard taking up a bit more, will it still fit?
 
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azibux1 said:
Thanks, I'll remember that :D

What is this motherboard like? Is it good?
Click to expand...

Think you got a nice little system there, and not to dissimilar to mine.

The motherboard is a great "bargain of the year" according to reviews here - http://www.kitguru.net/components/m...-z68ap-d3-z68-review-bargain-buy-of-the-year/

"If you are in the market for a new system and want to keep the costs down as low as possible, then this is one of the best motherboards on the market. If you partner it up with a Core i5 2500k and some decent, inexpensive DDR3 memory then you will be futureproofed for some time yet. Adding a single card now, then another later will ensure you will be playing the latest Direct X 11 games at 1080p without a problem"

I have it, and it is a great board.

People have a personal preference, and bad experience with certain brands. You will see some people say "I will never buy a Gigabyte again, it was awful, had to RMA it 3 times" etc etc, and then you will get people who "I will always buy a Gigabyte board, never had problems with them, great value" etc etc.

Same goes for ASUS, AS Rock, and any other manufacturer.

The reviews of this board however, speak for themselves. Packed with plenty of great features (for the price), and all for a tidy price under £80 (this week only). Can't go wrong with that I think.
 
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barneystuta said:
Think you got a nice little system there, and not to dissimilar to mine.

The motherboard is a great "bargain of the year" according to reviews here - http://www.kitguru.net/components/m...-z68ap-d3-z68-review-bargain-buy-of-the-year/

"If you are in the market for a new system and want to keep the costs down as low as possible, then this is one of the best motherboards on the market. If you partner it up with a Core i5 2500k and some decent, inexpensive DDR3 memory then you will be futureproofed for some time yet. Adding a single card now, then another later will ensure you will be playing the latest Direct X 11 games at 1080p without a problem"

I have it, and it is a great board.

People have a personal preference, and bad experience with certain brands. You will see some people say "I will never buy a Gigabyte again, it was awful, had to RMA it 3 times" etc etc, and then you will get people who "I will always buy a Gigabyte board, never had problems with them, great value" etc etc.

Same goes for ASUS, AS Rock, and any other manufacturer.

The reviews of this board however, speak for themselves. Packed with plenty of great features (for the price), and all for a tidy price under £80 (this week only). Can't go wrong with that I think.
Click to expand...

Sounds good then :D That is what I like about it too, lots of features and a nice low price :D

What are the specs of your system?

And is it overclocked?

That is one thing I'm not sure about, whether I want to overclock or not, since I do not want do damage any of my parts :confused:
 
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azibux1 said:
Some people on other threads recommend the Gelid Tranquillo, it is a similar price. But which is better?

Also, how do I know which way air flows through the fans, so I know which way to mount them for intake / exhaust ?

EDIT: Surely if the cooler is 160mm high, and case is 190mm wide, that is only 30mm gap, with the motherboard tray taking up some of that 190mm, and the motherboard taking up a bit more, will it still fit?
Click to expand...

there both good coolers, whichever is cheapest when you buy will do you fine.

on the fan body itself you'll see arrows that point in the direction of the flow.

mobo is around 2-3mm, mobo stands maybe 5mm so should be plenty of space left :).

overclocking it will be fine, just check the details in the overclock/cooling forum, only 2 things to watch for:

1) don't use too much voltage on cpu/northbridge etc
2) temps don't go to high under load testing.

other than that you'll be fine.
 
- Same mobo and CPU (Processor running at 4GHz - it can run a lot faster, but not with the cooler I currently use)
- Arctic Cooler 13 (OK for small overclocks, not massive, but I am happy with what I have)
- 4GB (2x2) Corsair XMS3 RAM
- Xclio Goodpower 550w PSU (got it as part of a deal, does my job fine, but there are better out there).
- Same DVD RW
- 500GB HDD (Western Digital)
- EVGA 560 ti Maximum Graphics Edition (overclocked also)
- All inside a second hand HAF 932

I'd never built a PC, never overclocked, and never even thought about much of it until I got the i5. It really is VERY easy to overclock, even on the the stock cooler (small over clocks). My Arctic Cooler will allow me to push it a bit more (up to 4). It has run a stable run in 3D Mark at 4.5Ghz, but it wasn't too stable for long periods.

Enjoy your system and your build :)
 
mp260767 said:
there both good coolers, whichever is cheapest when you buy will do you fine.

on the fan body itself you'll see arrows that point in the direction of the flow.

mobo is around 2-3mm, mobo stands maybe 5mm so should be plenty of space left :).

overclocking it will be fine, just check the details in the overclock/cooling forum, only 2 things to watch for:

1) don't use too much voltage on cpu/northbridge etc
2) temps don't go to high under load testing.

other than that you'll be fine.
Click to expand...

Alright, I will get the cheapest one at the time then :)

I'll look out for the arrows when building it :)

And that's good, should fit nicely then :)

I probably won't overclock just yet, I will read up some more, then maybe after a couple of months or so I might do it. I take it both of those coolers are fine for overclocking with?

barneystuta said:
- Same mobo and CPU (Processor running at 4GHz - it can run a lot faster, but not with the cooler I currently use)
- Arctic Cooler 13 (OK for small overclocks, not massive, but I am happy with what I have)
- 4GB (2x2) Corsair XMS3 RAM
- Xclio Goodpower 550w PSU (got it as part of a deal, does my job fine, but there are better out there).
- Same DVD RW
- 500GB HDD (Western Digital)
- EVGA 560 ti Maximum Graphics Edition (overclocked also)
- All inside a second hand HAF 932

I'd never built a PC, never overclocked, and never even thought about much of it until I got the i5. It really is VERY easy to overclock, even on the the stock cooler (small over clocks). My Arctic Cooler will allow me to push it a bit more (up to 4). It has run a stable run in 3D Mark at 4.5Ghz, but it wasn't too stable for long periods.

Enjoy your system and your build :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info on yours, sounds like a nice PC, and like you say, mine will probably be similar :D

Like I said above I will read up on it a bit more and then maybe overclock it after a couple of months.

Thanks, I'm sure I will enjoy it :D
 
I've not used the motherboard myself so can't comment on it but its being recommended by stulid who's more knowledable about these things, the thing is if you plan on going sli in the future the mb is not compatible even tho it has 2x pci-e x16 slots(it says xfire ready but 1 of pci-e x16 slot is actually x4 not x16 so the xfire performance will suffer).

if you plan on going sli/xfire you'll want http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-368-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1990

on the subject of the case fans, the case already comes with an intake and exhaust fan so you don't need to spend extra(unless you want to go for better/quiter fans or for top/side/bottom fans).
 
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