Need some advice on the PC I'm ordering from you next week!

TheJamsh

TheJamsh

TheJamsh

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17 Feb 2012
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127
Hey guys, new around here so hope I've posted this in the right place. I'm currently in the process of speccing a spanking new PC, which is something I've never really done before, so I'm asking for a little advice to ensure I get everything right the first time around! The system will be the heart of my in-progress Recording Studio, running Pro Tool 10 Native and a few other bits of audio equipment. I'm an avid gamer on the side as well, and my Toshiba Satellite laptop can only handle so much these days. I decided if I'm going to get a PC, I might as well treat myself.

I've been shopping around, reading reviews, and it stands to reason to order the entire list from OCUK. I have no plans to actually overclock the system as of yet, but that all depends on my requirements in the future. Most importantly, this has to LAST. I don't often have this kind of money to spend on things. My budget is around 1.5K, and that's got to include EVERYTHING, even thermal paste if I need it. This is the current set-up I've settled on. I'm wondering if anybody can shed light on any immediate problems they see? This is EVERYTHING i currently have on my to-buy list, so if I'm going to be missing cables or anything in-between, please let me know! All items are linked to OCUK's item.

[OLD SETUP]
- Intel Core i7-3820 3.60GHz
- Asus GeForce GTX 560Ti DirectCU II TOP 1024Mb
- Asrock X79 Extreme 4 DDR3 Motherboard
- Hitachi Deskstar 7K3000 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 7,200 RPM
- Corsair Graphite 600T Midi Tower Case (In White of course!)
- Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual/Quad Channel Kit
- Corsair Enthusiast Series TX650M High Performance 650W Power Supply
- 2x OcUK E2250SWDA 22" Widescreen LED Monitor
- Corsair Hydro H80 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
- Corsair Force Series 3 60GB SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive (This is purely for Pro Tools 10, Windows 7 64-bit, and Kaspersky Antivirus to sit on, everything else will be on the larger drive)

I've also planned to order OCUK's mouse, keyboard and speaker kit for sheer face value, two DVI-D cables for the monitors and a surge protector. What i want to know is, are there any instantly obvious problems that anybody can spot? The only potential two issues I can see are:

A) The large heatsinks on the RAM preventing me from fitting the CPU cooler (can anybody confirm this?). I've heard it's possible to remove the heatsinks, but not sure I want to run it like that.

B) I've also heard there is an issue with the Corsair Force 3 SSD's, causing BSOD's frequently. Is it worth me investing in a different brand of SSD for the Operating System and Pro Tools?

I welcome any and all feedback!

EDIT #2: The current specification, after conversation with you guys!

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-3820 3.60GHz (Sandybridge-E) Socket LGA2011 Processor - Retail £239.99
1 x Asus GeForce GTX 560Ti DirectCU II TOP 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £179.99
1 x Asrock X79 Extreme 4 Intel X79 (Socket 2011) DDR3 Motherboard £179.98
1 x Corsair Graphite 600T Midi Tower Case - Limited Edition White £139.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) £112.99
2 x OcUK E2250SWDA 22" Widescreen LED Monitor - Black £89.99 (£179.98)
1 x Corsair Hydro H80 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366/LGA2011/AM2/AM3) £84.98
1 x XFX 650W XXX Edition Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £81.98
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 64GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT064M4SSD2) £77.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual/Quad Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3K4/16GX) £74.99
2 x OcUK Value DVI-D Dual Link M - M Monitor Cable (Black) - 2 Meter £5.99 (£11.98)
Total : £1,385.05 (includes shipping : £16.85).

 
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If you're spending that much I'd crank it down to a 2500k, maybe a 2600k if budget allows at the end, and then get a much better graphics card that'll help with the games!
Oh and get a m4 ssd
 
sehcure said:
If you're spending that much I'd crank it down to a 2500k, maybe a 2600k if budget allows at the end, get a much better graphics card that'll help with the games!
Click to expand...

I was considering that, but I also do a lot of video-editing, game capture from xbox and also work in 3DS Max 2010, ZBrush and Photoshop. I'm a bit of a jack-of-all-trades I'm afraid!

Could you provide a link to the M4 SSD?
 
TheJamsh said:
I was considering that, but I also do a lot of video-editing, game capture from xbox and also work in 3DS Max 2010, ZBrush and Photoshop. I'm a bit of a jack-of-all-trades I'm afraid!

Could you provide a link to the M4 SSD?
Click to expand...

On my iPad at the moment sorry mate, wait for stulid to post, he'll link you I'm sure;)
 
I would agree with sehcure - switching to the LGA 1155 platform would be a wise move as you will spend a little bit more on a CPU like an i7 2600k (£14 more) but can save a lot of money on the motherboard, for example this perfectly good gigabyte z68 board (review here) will save you £95 (so a total £81 saving).

Considering the reviews that show that the i7 3820 performs on the same level as the i7 2600K and when overclocked to the same clockspeed any gap dissapears. Also, if you go for a s1155 system then you have the option to upgrade to Ivy Bridge CPUs after they are released in April.

I would also suggest going for a cheaper RAM kit like this one.

If you do go down the road of s1155, then this would allow you to spend more money on the graphics card - where something like a HD 6970 2GB or GTX 570 would be a nice step up.
 
Upgrading to an Ivy Bridge CPU won't be happening for a considerable amount of time for me, if ever. I'm aiming to keep this system as-it-is for well over 5 years or so, by which time I imagine Intel will have the next level CPU's ready to roll out.

Graphics card isn't overly important to me, I'm an incredibly avid Gears of War 3 fan, which is entirely Xbox based. PC games would probably be Fallout 3, Unreal Tournament 3, Gears of War 1 etc, nothing to new with the exception of Battlefield 3 perhaps, or Even Crysis 2 seeing as everybody raves about it.

Just what sort of performance can I expect from a 560Ti series?

EDIT: Also swapped out the RAM sticks. Many thanks for that!
 
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http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-002-XF&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1497
That's a cheaper, and still great, 650W PSU (modular)

560Tis are good cards, and for what you are playing would be good, especially if it's not all that often.

As for 1155 or 2011 (socket), if you plan on keep it for ages (implying you won't be upgrading the CPU) then if the i7 2600/2700K are just as good and work out cheaper, why not go for that?

Also, you may want to check with OcUK, those monitors might come with DVI cables?
 
beejjacobs said:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-002-XF&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1497
That's a cheaper, and still great, 650W PSU (modular)

560Tis are good cards, and for what you are playing would be good, especially if it's not all that often.

As for 1155 or 2011 (socket), if you plan on keep it for ages (implying you won't be upgrading the CPU) then if the i7 2600/2700K are just as good and work out cheaper, why not go for that?

Also, you may want to check with OcUK, those monitors might come with DVI cables?
Click to expand...

Just seen the PSU you linked, looks great! Might as well save myself a tenner!

The main reason I'm shifty about switching to a different processor is thusly:

- I like the PCI 3.0 support from the ASRock board, that's going to come in handy in the future if I upgrade to Pro Tools HD with PCI DSP Cards, speed is everything these days.

- It also has a built-in firewire port, which I need for my audio interface. I could get a PCI card of course, but I instantly loose a PCI slot then.

- Reviews on the ASRock board have all been 4/5 stars or higher, and after reading This Article, that explains that x79 WILL support Ivy-Bridge E, it seems to make sense to get a board that will support that in the future, even if it's a little pricey now.

I've been told to never skimp out on motherboards, which makes a lot of sense. I'd love to upgrade to a GTX 570, but I'm not sure I can warrant spending that much money on a graphics card.

(Also, apparently the Monitors come with VGA cables only, but nice one for spotting that lol)
 
sadas25 said:
Just a question, doesn't that corsair 600 case reportedly have poor cooling? just something to keep at mind.
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I know the 800d had reports of poor air cooling, but don't think the 600 series did.

I had the 800d with air cooling and had no issues with air cooling :)
 
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RJC said:
I know the 8OOd had reports of poor air cooling, but don't thing the 600 series did.

I had the 800d with air cooling and had no issues with air cooling :)
Click to expand...

Ah well that answers that! i myself sacrificed looks for cooling and cable management, seems you get both with that corsair case, looks nice.
 
sadas25 said:
Just a question, doesn't that corsair 600 case reportedly have poor cooling? just something to keep at mind.
Click to expand...

I read a few things about that, I think the large fans are a little cr*p in comparison to say two smaller fans, but that's something I can always change later if it ever becomes a problem. Running a H80 on the processor without even over-clocking is probably overkill, but i'm sure it'll keep it damn cold.

Also, seeing as all you lovely lot have managed to save me £60 on my dream build so far, what are your thoughts on upgrading the GPU to a GTX 570. Going from this to this?

The main thing that tempts me to stick with the Asus GPU is the two cooling fans as opposed to one, and the fact that it's Asus vs. OCuK. (Although I don't know enough about OCUK's products to determine wether they are any lower in spec etc).

If anybody has some benchmark tests of the OCuK GTX 570 I'd be hugely grateful!
 
You have 2 1920x1080 screens so 3GB VRAM will prove useful.

The corsair cases look great, but if you have chosen one with a side panel vent, then there is no air filter, so possible dust problems.

No need for water cooling for 2600k, the gelid will do just fine.

Added low profile ram.

Did you nned an optical drive? Blu-Ray drive added.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 7950 WindForce OC 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £399.95
1 x Intel Core i7-2600K 3.40GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £253.99
1 x Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £144.98
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 128GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT128M4SSD2) £133.99
1 x XFX 850W XXX Edition Modular '80 Plus Silver' Power Supply £119.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) £112.99
1 x Cooler Master CM-690 II Advanced USB3.0 Windowed Gaming Tower Case - Black £104.99
2 x OcUK E2250SWDA 22" Widescreen LED Monitor - Black £89.99 (£179.98)
1 x LG BH10LS38 10x BluRay-RW / 16 x DVD±RW Lightscribe Drive - Black (Retail) £74.99
2 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9) £49.98 (£99.96)
1 x Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £25.99
Total : £1,668.00 (includes shipping : £13.50).

 
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^ That above spec seems more like a PC-gaming only type of affair, and a lot more expensive than the setup of my current basket. £400 is just far too much money for a graphics card IMHO.

I've also heard bad things about Seagate harddrives. The Hitachi in my laptop has lasted a very long time, can anybody confirm if the seagates are on par?
 
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