First ever PC Build.

[RobMcC]

Just want to know if I'm doing it right.
I already have the case I want to use which is a Zalman Z9 Plus Tower Case with Fan Controller.

Will this work? Could I save some cash somewhere? Or pay a little extra for a noticeable improvement.

Also.. will I need to buy any cable extensions etc with this case being a bottom mounted psu.


1 x Sapphire HD 7850 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card w/ Nexuiz & Dirt Showdown PC Games £173.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - OEM £169.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £78.98
1 x Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 600W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £65.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (ST500DM002) £59.99
1 x GeIL Dragon 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (GD38GB1600C11DC) £39.95
1 x Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £24.79
1 x LG GH24NS90 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £16.99

Total: £630.34

 

[Woden]

Add an SSD if you can, you will see a massive improvement in load times.

 

[Mei]

ssd instead
i wudnt do a build without one

 

[ChocolateStarfishRammer]

Dont know your budget.. But Id change:

Add an SSD
Upgrade to i7
Faster RAM
Potentially a higher Wattage PSU (If your looking into overclocked and/or adding another gfx card at some point.

 

[LukieBoy007]

All seems good, but if you had an extra ~£80, I'd say go for an SSD. It helps a lot in boot and loading times

 

[nick.lidgett]

Scrap the dvd drive and treat yourself to a blu-ray, its the future, next gen games will almosr certainly be blu-ray.

 

[Stinger53]

Dont know your budget.. But Id change:

Add an SSD
Upgrade to i7
Faster RAM
Potentially a higher Wattage PSU (If your looking into overclocked and/or adding another gfx card at some point.

he may not need the i7 if its just for gaming theres no point in it
not much point in faster RAM

 

[jamesfreddie]

Scrap the dvd drive and treat yourself to a blu-ray, its the future, next gen games will almosr certainly be blu-ray.

Games are unlikely to be on blu-ray.

Most games are on steam.

 

[jamesfreddie]

You could change the ram to this this is cas 8 timing's vs the cas 11 you have specced.

 

[honosuseri]

Yeah not bad at all fella. I seriously doubt you need an i7!

YOUR BASKET
1 x Sapphire HD 7850 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card w/ Nexuiz & Dirt Showdown PC Games £173.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - OEM £169.99
1 x ASRock Z77 Extreme4 M Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £101.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £69.95
1 x Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 600W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £65.99
1 x Zalman Z9 Plus Tower Case with Fan Controller - Black £49.99
1 x GeIL Dragon 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (GD38GB1600C11DC) £39.95
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 612S CPU Cooler (Socket LGA1366/1156/1155/775/AM3/AM2+/AM2) £32.99
1 x LG GH24NS90 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £16.99
Total : £736.82 (includes shipping : £12.50).



I use the Z9 case, it's great for the money. The modular PSU is handy too in a midi tower. As 600W is enough to Xfire the 7850 I used this Asrock mobo which can SLI or Xfire there is THIS GB alternative for a lil more with a longer warranty.

THe 1TB HDD isn't much more than the 500GB. 1TB is ideal for storage should you wish to drop in a SSD later. I changed the heatsink to the 612S, I own the gelid it's a pretty good cooler for the price. The 612S has more heatpipes, the fans attach to the unit much easier as well, which makes adding a second fan more appealing......the gelid can only mount a single fan.

Hope this helps, any questions you know where to find me

 

[nick.lidgett]

Games are unlikely to be on blu-ray.

Most games are on steam.

Or NZBmatrix hahaha fair point though, but gaming aside its still the way forward.

 

[jamesfreddie]

Or NZBmatrix hahaha fair point though, but gaming aside its still the way forward.

Who sits infront of a 24" Monitor to watch a film?

I only watch films on my laptop when on my PC and all my films are stored on my server. So i personaly never had the thought to want a blu ray.

 

[honosuseri]

Who sits infront of a 24" Monitor to watch a film?

I only watch films on my laptop when on my PC and all my films are stored on my server. So i personaly never had the thought to want a blu ray.

But with a bluray drive you can rip/re-encode the movie in HD to the HDD and play it back over the network on a smartTV or transfer it to say a smartphone. I wouldn't bother with a bluray writer as the blanks are expensive. You can easily fit good HD bluray rips to DVD or DVD DL, if you really wanted to.

I'd start with the DVD drive unless they own a lot of blurays. The i5K overclocked and it's quicksync support will help speed up the encoding process

 

[sw1ft]

As said, an SSD would be money well spent, shouldn't need extensions in that case either.

usage will dictate whether or not you need an i7, better RAM for overclocking etc.

As a gaming build, what you have is perfectly adequate, a bluray drive is likely overkill unless you're using them currently, it will only take money away now that could go towards the build

 

[bemaniac]

lol I've not used my blu-ray drive since I bought it. I bought it because it had a shiney glossy front and a cool looking blue light. Absolutely beautiful but pointless and wasn't much more than a dvd-r drive so got it. Also you've made me realise I can afford a 3570k system fo4r my girlfriends birthday with 8gb ram, infact I'm copying a lot of that system in my bookmarks now lol

 

[sw1ft]

I think for the most part bluray drives are bought because they are shiny and make a build look a lot higher spec (to some).

If you're talking to me about the 3570k build, glad I could help!

I personally suggest not getting the bluray, if in 6 months you still think you need one/have missed having one then by all means get it, I'd predict that bluray drive wouldn't get bought.

 

[RobMcC]

Thank you all for the response and feedback. I'll look through and check some of your ideas out.

 

[Trusty]

Your original is bang on to be honest, if you've got money to spare spend it on an ssd, it's not crucial though, that'll be still quick enough.