Critique my build spec please

xr287

xr287

xr287

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16 Jun 2011
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I havn't built a computer since early 2008 and havn't really kept up to date since then so I'm not entirely sure what is what, although I've learnt a lot in the past 48 hours of googling.


Mobo : Asus P8Z68-V PRO Z68 Socket 1155 8 Channel HD Audio ATX Motherboard

CPU : Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz Socket 1155 6MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor

RAM : Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600Mhz CAS8 1.5V Non-ECC Unbuffered

Graphics Card : Gigabyte GeForce GTX 480 SUPER OC 1536MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card


Picked the i5 as I hear the the i7 is a bit overkill and only very slightly better for quite a higher price.

I picked the card as I hear it is actually better than a 570 although ready to be corrected? 580s are out of my budget and I found it very difficult to pick between 480 and 570 but the 480 did have more memory.

My mobo choice was not exactly scientific, I have had ASUS mobos for a while with no probs so want to stick with them but got very confused with the difference between P67 and Z68 chipsets. As i understand it the P67 wont run 1600Mhz RAM as standard and needs fiddling with but the Z68 will just plug and play 1600Mhz RAM? So thats why I went with a Z68 board.

RAM choice well 1600MHz seems the best compromise in performance to price. But don't know why I should pick Vengance over XMS3 or even how much "better" the more expensive 8-8-8-24 Vengance is over the 9-9-9-24?



So what I need to know is am I creating a bottleneck anywhere, are these components fairly well matched? This will be a gaming pc I generally play Crysis, Metro 2033 etc at 1920x1080 etc but tbh have been put off buying some new games as I don't think my current Q6700 and GTX 260 would be up to it. So it needs to be a sort of mid to high range comp.

Also will it all fit inside the Antec 900 case I already have and stay cool and will my current 650W PSU be enough?

I realise this is quite a long post so congratulations for getting this far and thanks for any help in clarifying things!
 
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Make sure you get a good aftermarket cooler and you can happily clock that CPU up to 4.4 - 4.5Ghz with almost no effort. The Hyper 212+ is a good low budget cooler, whereas the Thermalright Silver Arrow and Noctura D14 are widely considered to be the best air coolers money can buy (Without getting ridiculous). If you go with the XMS3 ram either of those will be fine, but if you go for the Vengeance ram with the large heat sinks on it you may need to look into something like the Antec 620 to avoid clearance issues.

Another question that needs asking is what is your power supply? If it's a cheap brand expect to be heckled till you replace it. ;)
 
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See handy hints like clearance issues are exactly the kind of extra info I need! Thanks. I've no reason not to pick the XMS3 I just don't really understand in what way the vengance is better, if it all.

I'm currently using a "Coolermaster eXtreme Power 650W PSU - ATX 12V V2.01 120mm Fan 20+4pin" it's a brand name so should be reliable enough?
 
That power supply should be okay but if its over a few years old you may start having problems down the road. Either way i wouldnt change it yet, See what happens you can always get another down the road if you start experiencing problems.
 
I have almost the same setup apprt from the board i went p67 as just seemed better at the time and i would not use the features of the z68 have a look at the msi p67 range very nice boards people rate them very high, what cooler are you going to run. I have the same ram and went fotpr the h50 cooler as its very compact being water and keeps my 2500k nice and cool at 4.6, i just liked the look of the ram tbh, i did have to turn turbo mode on for the ram to run 1600 but its just a button in the bios very very simple to do if youncan turn a pc on you can manage to change this lol. But good build tbh defo nice to have 8gb of ram these days and im pretty sure the next couple of years stuff will start to use it more and more
 
Oh and i ran my setup on a old 550w psu for a while it got a little warm but never caused a problem but decided to get a decent one after a short while.
 
You might look into getting one of the newer high efficiency PSUs by a more renowned brand. Yours seems to be rated at around 70% whereas modern high end ones can be around 90% efficient at peak loads. From what google tells me the one you have can run a bit hot and has a bit more ripple in the supply than is normally preferable.

Corsair, Antec, and XFX are all extremely good brands that offer long warranties, high efficiencies, and will reliably pump out their maximum rated load. Cheaper power supplies are only designed to run at maximum load for short periods of time, have lower quality components that are more likely to fail, and provide less stable power to your system which can arguably reduce the lifespan of your components. Plus if a high end power supply does die your system should be safe. If a less expensive one dies it might take components out with it.

A PSU is something you shouldn't skimp on, and if I were you I'd be looking to upgrade it. You can always keep your current one as a backup for testing purposes, or flog it to a friend with a less demanding system. :)
 
mobo = good make sure you utilize the use of lucid virtu if you get the gtx 480 soc

Also the Asus P8Z68-V Intel Z68 is almost exactly the same board but a lot cheaper

cpu = good your right in sense to get an i5 2600k unless you do a lot of rendering

gpu = good, but i think you should read this thread on that card before you purchase it

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18252461

ram = well your not going to notice any difference in the timings regardless, and anything over 1600mhz is pointless as it only makes miniscule difference and again you wont notice.
Also games don't really use more than 4gb ram so you might want to start out with 4gb and then upgrade to 8gb later if you feel the need.

Also you will need a good aftermarket cooler for overclocking the cpu as mentioned above and if you choose the noctua nh-d14 considered to be one of the best again mentioned above the vengence ram will not fit but G.Skill RipJawsX fit and so should the xms3
not sure if it will fit in your case though you would have check.

psu = With the gtx 480 soc on your average system the card requires you to have a 650 Watt power supply unit but i don't know if that would include overclocking your cpu so you might run into problems as the gtx 480 soc draws a lot of power underload.
If your going to change your psu make sure you pick a good brand as mentioned and pay attention to the amps on the rails when buying.

Lastly depending on your choices, the only bottle neck i now see will be your hdds so if you can afford it get a small ssd and make use of the new features of the z68 boards and use Smart Response Technology to really boost the performance of your hdd.
 
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Based on comments I think I'll be reconsidering the mobo see if I can get one that will be a bit cheaper but just as good and think I'll just go for XMS3 ram to save money and avoid any clearence issues.

Im decided on the i5 and gtx480 though. Will keep the same psu just now but keep an eye on it to see if I should upgrade.

HDDs is something I'll look at in the future but at the moment the ssd are just too small and expensive for me to consider.

I'm afraid I have no idea whats lucid virtu is or how to take advantage of it though!
 
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