Building a new PC but I'm a bit out of the loop

Bobo888

Bobo888

Bobo888

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5 Aug 2011
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14
I have put together what I think is a good build from any info I can find online but as I don't get to upgrade often I want to make sure I do it right.

The computer will be used for gaming (I already bought a 660ti but it's being bottlenecked by my Q6600, hence the upgrade) as well as for 3D work.

I also plan to overclock the cpu as far as possible (I have a H50 modified with a dual rad for cooling, will upgrade to a full water setup eventually).

2700k ( I went with this over an ivy bridge because they appear to overclock easier and stay cooler)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-390-IN

Asus P8Z68-V GEN3 Intel Z68 (not sure if I need a gen3 or if I could get a better non-gen3 for similar money)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-493-AS

OCZ Agility 3 120GB (new to ssd, this appears to be about the cheapest with 500mb read and write)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-076-OC

Patriot Viper "Black Mamba" Generation 3 8GB (2x4GB) 1600MHz (x2 for 16gb, this was also about the cheapest which didn't look like "value" ram)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-058-PA

Arctic Cooling MX-4 Thermal Compound (good but not too expensive or hard to use)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=TH-003-AR

Please correct me if I have anything wrong. Thanks
 
You don't need an i7 for gaming purposes fella

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - OEM £167.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard with FREE BOOGIE BUG XXL GAMING MOUSE MAT £129.98
1 x Samsung 128GB SSD 830 Series SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive - (MZ-7PC128B/WW) £83.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Blue Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9B) £35.99
Total : £429.35 (includes shipping : £9.50).



I've used the OEM IB i5K to save a few quid as you dont need the cooler. It has a shorter warranty than the retail one though (1yr vs 3yr). IB does more clock for clock so don't worry about not reaching the same clock speeds as SB.

The IB i5K also has a better IGP. The IGP can be used to boost the GPU with lucidMVP. It is also used by quicksync to speed up video encoding which again means that IB is better. The mobo has a good 3 year warranty. Z77 so it supports IB, don't buy a Z68. It supports SLI/Xfire properly and has some nice little geeky extras not to mention a free gaming surface.

You could use the Viper RAM as you are not using an air cooler. I changed to LP RAM (will easily fit under air coolers) that was colour coded to the mobo. 8GB of RAM is ample for gaming you could easily add more if you wanted later on. The SSD is also better for not much more and has a slightly bigger capacity.

As far as paste is concerned stulid did a test of thermal paste you can find it here
 
Thanks for the response.

I really did have my heart set on an i7 though, and it wont go to complete waste because I also do 3d rendering etc. and the price isn't too much different when you consider how much the overall build will be. I might as well spend a little more while I'm at it.

And the 16gb ram is also useful for 3D sculpting/photoshop etc.

With that being said would you still recommend ivy bridge and a z77?
 
 
Bobo888 said:
Thanks for the response.

I really did have my heart set on an i7 though, and it wont go to complete waste because I also do 3d rendering etc. and the price isn't too much different when you consider how much the overall build will be. I might as well spend a little more while I'm at it.

And the 16gb ram is also useful for 3D sculpting/photoshop etc.

With that being said would you still recommend ivy bridge and a z77?
Click to expand...

Just trying to save you some cash bud, you put gaming before 3D work ;)

If you think you are doing enough 3D work to warrant the i7 fair enough but I'd still go Ivy. The i7 has hyperthreading over the i5 that's the difference, I did try to explain the advantages of ivybridge but i neglected to mention it consumes less power too.

The i5K is no slouch when overclocked and the nvidia 660Ti will give you CUDA support which your 3D software can use I would well imagine. Yes 16GB of RAM would be better, remember thats as high as you can go without having windows pro or ultimate. 8GB is a safe minimum which can be expanded on if you want 16GB from the get go thats cool.

My mate Idleman has done as nice spec, if you are keen on overclocking you might prefer my mobo suggestion.
 
Thanks guys. Think you have persuaded me to go 3770k. Only thing that puts me off is the reports of high temperatures on the ivy chips. But I guess that's not a problem when cooled properly, which it should be.

Edit: Is 2 x 8gb better than 4 x 4gb?
 
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Ivybridge does more clock for clock than Sandy. So you don't need to worry about matching the sandybridge clockspeeds in fairness. Remember the IGP is packed in there too and it is improved so expecting it to produce a bit more heat is logical. As you are putting it "under water" you will be more than ok.

Technically 2x8GB would be better. If you fill all the RAM slots it can make overclocking a little more tricky as it "stresses" the memory controller. If your not pushing for really high overclocks filling all the slots isn't the end of the world especially if doing it that way works out cheaper.

If you wanted to buy a quad kit, something like THIS would be more than ok. It's not LP but as you are using a waterblock that's not really a concern i suppose.
 
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