Advice on new build (Intel/Nvidia)

Anarch

Anarch

Anarch

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23 Apr 2013
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Hi all,
I would like to get your advice on my new build - whether I should change anything to get a better value.
I tried to cut down costs of all the components in order to afford as good GPU as possible. I'm still not sure about the motherboard choice (P8z77 LX / LX2 /LE plus / V) and case.
The exact amount of my cash pool depends on how much I'll be able to sell my good old Clevo Gaming laptop for (auction ends on Sunday).

Desktop will be mainly used for gaming and working remotely (thus I'd prefer to have the desktop relatively quiet while not under stress).


YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU II 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £379.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £189.95
1 x Samsung 250GB SSD 840 SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TD250BW) ** Cash Back Promo ** £139.99
1 x Asus P8Z77-V LX Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £85.99
1 x Corsair 2013 Edition Gamer Series GS 600W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020063-UK) £66.95
1 x Zalman Z11 Plus Midi Tower Gaming Case - Black £59.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9) £55.99
1 x Akasa USB 3.0 internal adapter cable (AK-CBUB09-15BK) £5.99
Total : £999.84 (includes shipping : £12.50).



Thanks guys !
 
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YOUR BASKET
1 x Sapphire HD 7970 VAPOR-X GHZ 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £379.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £189.95
1 x Samsung 250GB SSD 840 SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TD250BW) ** Cash Back Promo ** £139.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £89.99
1 x Zalman Z11 Plus Midi Tower Gaming Case - Black £59.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £55.99
1 x XFX Pro 550W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £54.98
1 x LG GH24NS95 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £17.99
1 x Akasa USB 3.0 internal adapter cable (AK-CBUB09-15BK) £5.99
Total : £1,009.86 (includes shipping : £12.50).



7970 is better than the 670 and comes with a some free games. If you do want to stick with Nvidia then find an extra £30 and get a 680.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-177-EA&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=2255
 
Fire_fly said:
YOUR BASKET
1 x Sapphire HD 7970 VAPOR-X GHZ 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £379.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £189.95
1 x Samsung 250GB SSD 840 SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TD250BW) ** Cash Back Promo ** £139.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £89.99
1 x Zalman Z11 Plus Midi Tower Gaming Case - Black £59.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £55.99
1 x XFX Pro 550W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £54.98
1 x LG GH24NS95 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £17.99
1 x Akasa USB 3.0 internal adapter cable (AK-CBUB09-15BK) £5.99
Total : £1,009.86 (includes shipping : £12.50).



7970 is better than the 670 and comes with a some free games. If you do want to stick with Nvidia then find an extra £30 and get a 680.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-177-EA&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=2255
Click to expand...

I would personally add a larger mechanical drive (~1-2TB) just for general storage such as pictures, music etc, and just put games, OS and similar on the SSD. Even a WD green as it's a storage drive so you don't need super fast find speeds :)
 
YOUR BASKET
1 x **B Grade** EVGA GeForce GTX 680 SC Signature 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (02G-P4-2683-KR) £330
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £189.95
1 x Samsung 250GB SSD 840 SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TD250BW) ** Cash Back Promo ** £139.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £89.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 300R Mid Tower Case - Black £64.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9) £55.99
1 x XFX Pro 550W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £54.98
1 x **B Grade** Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (S (HD-257-SE) £45
1 x LG GH24NS95 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £17.99
Total : £1,003.88 (includes shipping : £12.50).

 
Hi all,
Thanks for all the suggestions,
DotFifty - as far as I understand it, B grade card was returned by a customer - so either he didn't like it, or it was faulty - isn't it slightly risky ?
 
Anarch said:
Hi all,
Thanks for all the suggestions,
DotFifty - as far as I understand it, B grade card was returned by a customer - so either he didn't like it, or it was faulty - isn't it slightly risky ?
Click to expand...

Ocuk would not be selling it, if it was faulty. It comes with an OCUK 90 day warranty, plus whatever EVGA warranty is remaining. You can also register the card within 30 days with EVGA and extend the warranty up to 10 years, for a small charge. But the choice is yours, whether you buy or not.
 
The B Grade stuff is tested and has a 90 day warranty, plus if its EVGA they will *usually* let you register it for the remainder of its warranty.
 
Made a few changes after your suggestions, I have to wait to get money from auction or until Tuesday (salary) to order it - thus the EVGA graphic card might be gone - in which case I'll probably go with the GTX670 (I'm just used to Nvidia). Does anyone have C70 case -> How are the stock fans and airflow ?
Thanks

YOUR BASKET
1 x **B Grade** EVGA GeForce GTX 680 SC Signature 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (02G-P4-2683-KR) £330
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - OEM £179.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £112.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance C70 Midi Tower Gaming Case - Military Green £109.99
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TD120BW) £89.99
1 x Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (WD1002FAEX) HDD £68.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Blue 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX) £59.99
1 x XFX Pro 550W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £54.98
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU Cooler (Socket 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £25.79
Total : £1,047.71 (includes shipping : £12.50).

 
YOUR BASKET
1 x **B Grade** EVGA GeForce GTX 680 SC Signature 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (02G-P4-2683-KR) £330
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - OEM £179.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance C70 Midi Tower Gaming Case - Military Green £109.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £89.99
1 x Toshiba SSD HG5D Series 7mm 128GB Solid State Hard Drive - (THNSNH128GCST) £89.99
1 x Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (WD1002FAEX) HDD £68.99
1 x XFX Pro 550W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £54.98
1 x GeIL EVO Leggera 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (GEL38GB1600C9DC) £53.99
1 x Thermalright HR-02 Macho CPU Cooler (Socket 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366) £39.98
Total : £1,032.90 (includes shipping : £12.50).



Not much point in buying a sli capable mobo and only a 550w Psu.
 
YOUR BASKET
1 x EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £309.95
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - OEM £179.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £112.99
1 x Antec P280 Super Midi Tower Case - Gun Metal Black £99.95
1 x Toshiba SSD HG5D Series 7mm 128GB Solid State Hard Drive - (THNSNH128GCST) £89.99
1 x XFX 750W XXX Edition Modular '80 Plus Silver' Power Supply £83.99
1 x **B Grade** Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (S (HD-255-SE) £62.40
1 x Alpenföhn K2 Mount Doom CPU Cooler (Socket 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £56.39
1 x Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-16000C9 2000MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX8GX3M2A2000C9) £53.99
Total : £1,064.63 (includes shipping : £12.50).



There are cheaper coolers to bring you back to what you wanted to pay. Although in truth it's probably best to wait on Haswell next month and see if the rumours of Nvidia dropping the 700 Series this month are true ;)
 
Anarch said:
Made a few changes after your suggestions, I have to wait to get money from auction or until Tuesday (salary) to order it - thus the EVGA graphic card might be gone - in which case I'll probably go with the GTX670 (I'm just used to Nvidia). Does anyone have C70 case -> How are the stock fans and airflow ?
Thanks

YOUR BASKET
1 x **B Grade** EVGA GeForce GTX 680 SC Signature 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (02G-P4-2683-KR) £330
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - OEM £179.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £112.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance C70 Midi Tower Gaming Case - Military Green £109.99
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TD120BW) £89.99
1 x Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (WD1002FAEX) HDD £68.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Blue 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX) £59.99
1 x XFX Pro 550W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £54.98
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU Cooler (Socket 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £25.79
Total : £1,047.71 (includes shipping : £12.50).

Click to expand...

I've got a C70, it's a great case. Good build quality, plenty of cable management options, easy to build in, great airflow, dust filters etc, can't really fault it if you like the looks. There's a C70 owner's club in the case section, or just google some reviews, but all around it's a solid case :)
 
ozzymundo said:
I've got a C70, it's a great case. Good build quality, plenty of cable management options, easy to build in, great airflow, dust filters etc, can't really fault it if you like the looks. There's a C70 owner's club in the case section, or just google some reviews, but all around it's a solid case :)
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot :) I've read tons of reviews for C70 and other cases - but still getting feedback from someonwe who has owned it for a long time is very useful - and i think it looks great.
honosuseri - I've sold my laptop, so I need a desktop rather soon. Waiting until June for Haswell + Motherboards & coolers to support might be too long for me. I might wait for Nvidia - or buy a graphic card and still be able to return it within 30 days (if 700 series do launch in May).

Thanks again
 
Anarch said:
Thanks a lot :) I've read tons of reviews for C70 and other cases - but still getting feedback from someonwe who has owned it for a long time is very useful - and i think it looks great.
honosuseri - I've sold my laptop, so I need a desktop rather soon. Waiting until June for Haswell + Motherboards & coolers to support might be too long for me. I might wait for Nvidia - or buy a graphic card and still be able to return it within 30 days (if 700 series do launch in May).

Thanks again
Click to expand...

if you've got any questions about it just ask :)

I also might wait for Haswell, undecided at the moment, it probably would be good if you could wait till June 1st... I know the feeling though
 
I did a small test and it seems that my tiny Asus laptop can pull 1920x1200 without overheating - that means that I can possibly wait for GTX700 & Haswell.
This might be slightly offtopic - is the release date of motherboards supporting given CPU usually tied to the CPU release date (ie whether the motherboards supporting Haswell will be released for sale in the first part of June). The same with release of GTX700 and its versions by Asus and other companies.

I do apologise if these are mundane questions but I haven't been up to date with the hardware news - so I have no idea what's the standard practice when new GPUs/CPUs are released (and how long would I effectively have to wait before I would get all the hardware on my desk).
 
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A good thing to do with laptops is raise them up slightly, that way they get better airflow in and it can lower temps quite a bit, on some books or something works quite well... pointing a small desk fan at them can do the trick as well
 
ozzymundo said:
A good thing to do with laptops is raise them up slightly, that way they get better airflow in and it can lower temps quite a bit, on some books or something works quite well... pointing a small desk fan at them can do the trick as well
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip - will check out the desk fan if the temps get out of control.
I've always used a cooler stand with the laptop I just sold (Clevo M860tu), for the smal one (Asus u36s) I usually use a file with notes - does the trick.

I'll wait with the build until June (logic vs I wanna build it now)
 
Anarch said:
.......that means that I can possibly wait for GTX700 & Haswell.
Click to expand...

Was gonna say wait 4 weeks and get a Haswell/GTX 700 setup. I wouldn't have thought you'd have too long to wait to get a 700 series or a Haswell CPU after launch.

The only issue at the moment is the 'sleep' USB bug on haswell motherboards which isn't being fixed until July/August though I don't know how big an issue it will be?
 
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