Help with a first build for work

Okay, I wont overclock it then. I really don't fancy messing with things like the temperature of the system.

Motherboards seem to be a lot cheaper than I would imagine, are they capable of keeping up with the i7?

Potty's build looks very much ideal, does anybody have any additions or things they would change, I know honosusiri mentioned that the case has a small fan, will that be an issue? I will be using the computer at it's limits due to SPSS quite often?

Finally, I noticed a couple of things say they are **B-Grade**, does that mean anything to me or is it just marketing speak?

Edit - Also, the graphics card comes with games, are they actually free or is there a way to get the same card cheaper without them? They would be nice, it's just they would be impossible to justify at work.
 
Case fans and cooling are more of in issue if your overclocking, due to the overclock creating more heat. So for a system running at stock speed that case (or any of the others mentioned here) should perform fine in my opinion.

B Grade basically means customer returns or manufacturer refurbished, should look and perform as new, the SSD still has a 3 year Warranty. They may come in brown packaging, but should work fine. Recommended them to fit the budget while keeping maximum performance.

Regarding the "free games" it will be free codes to download the games free, a marketing tactic and most mid-high end GPU's have "free games", you can't chose to buy it cheaper without them sadly.
 
B grade are opened returned items (think managers specials in retail stores) or refurb'd units with a 90day warranty with OCuk and whatever the manufacturer has left to offer. Once sold they are gone (you dont get the game codes with GPUs either), it's silly to base a build around a B grade item if there is only one in stock. If it goes then you need to reshuffle the build and tO be fair we are struggling to your needs and budget as it is.

An SSD is a bit of a luxury item but it does make for amazingly fast boot and loads times for the OS and software installed onto it. Nothing wrong with overclocking you can do it later on when you feel the CPU needs more oooompf, buying a heatsink will be cheaper than swapping out the CPU. The only thing that can harm the CPU is when the voltage is raised. People do this to stabilise the CPU at higher speeds but it's not necessary. With a decent budget cooler (£25-30) at stock volts you can expect say 4.2Ghz easy enough, even on the stock intel heatsink I reckon you'd manage 4Ghz

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £185.99
1 x MSI GeForce GTX 650Ti OC Boost Black Knight 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £134.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £83.99
1 x Asus P8Z77-V LX2 Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x Toshiba SSD HG5D Series THNSNH 7mm 60GB Solid State Hard Drive - (THNSNH060GCST) £64.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 500w Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020059-UK) £54.98
1 x Patriot Viper "Black Mamba" Generation 3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (PV38G160C9K) £49.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £48.95
1 x Corsair Carbide 200R Compact ATX Case - Black £47.95
1 x Edifier M1370 2.1 Speaker System - Black £23.99
1 x LG GH24NS95 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
1 x Gigabyte KM6150 Keyboard and Mouse Set £9.98
Total : £820.79 (includes shipping : £12.50).



If I was buying speakers, I'd want a 2.1 set. The subwoofer helps with the low range, 2.0 speakers sound tinny and you might as well just use a pair of headphones to be honest.
 
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I'd not want to be buying a new 60GB SSD these days to be honest, just fill up too quickly, though it does depend on the size files / programs the OP will wont to be using regularly.
 
Well to be honest, I do deal with large amounts of data, but It would just be the work stuff on the drive, I think the 120gb is a good size with the 1tb drive for backup.

What the drive would have on it is:

Windows 7
ArcGIS
SPSS
Football Manager 2013

and I suppose to get the best out of the drive I would need to put the files which those programs use (data & savefiles etc) on the drive as well?

I am struggling with the graphics card as I can see know way of comparing them, the processors, memory and hard drive all have a numerical element in the name (120gb/ i7/ 8gb) but I have no idea how to compare graphics cards and how to see what they are capable of doing. For example, I have no idea what the difference between:

MSI HD 7750 2048MB GDDR3 PCI-Express Graphics Card -£74.99

and

MSI GeForce GTX 650Ti OC Boost Black Knight 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card - £134.99

By the way, thank you everyone for all this help, the response has been remarkable :). Especially seeing as I have only just joined!
 
Potty27 said:
I'd not want to be buying a new 60GB SSD these days to be honest, just fill up too quickly, though it does depend on the size files / programs the OP will wont to be using regularly.
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I pointed out the B grade Samsung 840 but this toshiba although smaller is a faster drive. 60GB is enough for a OS boot drive and software, there is additional storage. I'm trying to balance the budget and avoid using cheap tat just to keep the price down. What are you going to do if those B grade Items sell out?

I won't ever spec the Bitfenix Merc (I have used one personally), it lacks USB3 and only has one fan. The Asgard Pro is a better alternative at the same price as it has two 120mm fans and USB3 for the same price, it's out of stock at the mo but will come back in. The front fan cools the HDD and brings cooler air into the case, the rear fan exhausts the hot air from the CPU. OC or not it just makes sense to have two fans if you can buy a case with them.

The OCZ PSU is pretty naff, I'd take the XFX 450W at a push being seasonic made. Ok I've used a modular PSU which is a bit of a luxury but will make building easier and helps improve airflow too.

*EDIT*

morro19 said:
By the way, thank you everyone for all this help, the response has been remarkable :). Especially seeing as I have only just joined!
Click to expand...

You are most welcome. It can get very confusing I do appreciate that. There is always a little wiggle room in spec'ing and it's rare that everyone will completely agree what is best.

In my mind a decent budget gaming GPU needs 2GB of VRAM and I would personally buy no lower than a 7850 or the 650Ti Boost (The boost part is important). There are actually some pretty decent free to play games on steam for example. Whilst a 7850/650Ti Boost might be slight overkill for the football manager game it's nice to have grunt there for other titles. GPUs can be used to accelerate other software (Nvidia uses CUDA which is widely used) so it's not difficult to "justify" a half decent one. GPUs can also be overclocked to get you more performance by the way ;)

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £185.99
1 x MSI GeForce GTX 650Ti OC Boost Black Knight 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £134.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £83.99
1 x Asus P8Z77-V LX2 Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x Plextor M5S 128GB Solid State Drive - (PX-128M5S) £79.99
1 x Patriot Viper "Black Mamba" Generation 3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (PV38G160C9K) £49.99
1 x Thermaltake Smart 530W '80 Plus' Power Supply £49.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £48.95
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £32.99
1 x Edifier M1370 2.1 Speaker System - Black £23.99
1 x LG GH24NS95 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
1 x Gigabyte KM6150 Keyboard and Mouse Set £9.98
Total : £822.25 (includes shipping : £17.85).



Tweaked the spec around slightly if you felt you had to have a bigger SSD, this Plextor is better than the 840
 
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The Samsung SSD and MSI 7850 may be B grade, but the are certainly not cheap tat to keep the price down.

I'm currently using a 60GB SSD, it's fast and I love it, but the capacity is not enough for the files I generally use + a game or two. I'm always running out of space and things will only get worse as more windows updates come out.

The OCZ 80 Plus 500w is fine for this build, the reviews for it are good.

Case wise, there are quite a few in this price range that will do fine for the OP's needs.

The Bitfenix Merc also has great reviews for a budget case, USB3 front panel is a non issue for most people, the mobo does have USB3 ports on the back anyway.
 
honosuseri said:
If I was buying speakers, I'd want a 2.1 set. The subwoofer helps with the low range, 2.0 speakers sound tinny and you might as well just use a pair of headphones to be honest.
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From personal experience and reading reviews, I'd not want to touch cheap 2.1's, cheap 2.0 speakers can sound a bit tinny, but I'd rather that than Tinny with a lot of bass.

I've always found Creative speakers to be reasonable anyway.

No offence either way though mate, I'm happy to agree to disagree. ;)
 
Word to the wise fella, don't post specs if you can't handle them being commented on. Don't take things personally ;) I never called the 840 SSD (which I used earlier btw) or the 7850 tat, just that it's silly to base a build off of B grade parts when few are in stock. I'm really pointing out I spec what I would buy with MY cash if I was the OP. I've balanced things a number of different ways already.

I don't need to read a review of the case, I've already used one ages ago. I know there are better alternatives and that's why I will NEVER spec it. Edifier is NOT a cheapo brand, 2.1 will be better that's just how it is. The Edifier are 7.5W the Creative are 2W per channel ;) Nothing wrong with Creative, I own a 5.1 set which I've had for over a decade but they are in a different league to a 2.0 set

Bit pointless arguing with me when you are already borrowing from my specs. It would help the OP more if you spec'd without the B grade parts incase they aren't an option when he comes to buy ;)

Potty27 said:
No offence either way though mate, I'm happy to agree to disagree. ;)
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Like I said there is always wiggle room in spec'ing, we won't always agree. £800ish isn't a bad budget, I'm sure some other well practiced speccers will pop in with some thoughts too :)
 
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I've not taken anything personally, simply backing up my opinions.

One persons opinion of a case is just that, one persons opinion, there are plenty of people happy with that case also.

I did not say it was a "cheapo brand", but that they are cheap 2.1's, as they are. Bottom of the line 2.1's by other good makers are also poor. They may have higher watts, but I would question the quality of the sound produced, even if it's loud.
 
I also don't see the issue spec'ing B Grade items if they are suitable and fit the budget, if they go out of stock by the time the OP orders, then something else can be found. Not all that different to using This Week Only offers. The prices are a guide as much as anything, of what can be had.

honosuseri said:
I'm really pointing out I spec what I would buy with MY cash if I was the OP.
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The exact reason I pointed out that 60GB SSD will likely seem too small etc ;)
 
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How do I post the build that I am thinking about on here? With the hyperlinks? When I try to copy them they just come up without links
 
Potty27 said:
I also don't see the issue spec'ing B Grade items if they are suitable and fit the budget, if they go out of stock by the time the OP orders, then something else can be found. Not all that different to using This Week Only offers. The prices are a guide as much as anything, of what can be had.
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Because they are NOT guaranteed to come back into stock fella that's why. I can spec new parts that are out of stock, they can be purchased and the delivery will be sent out once the items come back in. If he can get the 840 B grade for £60 then sweet but he needs to know alternatives. The Asgard case is out of stock because it is a popular item, people will buy that over the Merc because it's the better alternative hence why the Mercs will be in stock ;)

I'm not buying that BS over the speakers. The Edifiers are worth the extra cash, they have a volume knob and one to adjust the bass level you are so worried about. You are allowed an opinion but I personally think certainly with the Case, PSU and speakers you have gone with a "it'll do" attitude.

It's all well and good shooting for the i7 bit to be fair even the i5 is going to be a million times better than what he has at the moment. I look forward to seeing other balanced suggestions and ultimately what the OP decides on :)

morro19 said:
How do I post the build that I am thinking about on here? With the hyperlinks? When I try to copy them they just come up without links
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It's BLACK MAGIC ;)
 
Here's hoping I have this right.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-4770 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £249.95
1 x MSI GeForce GTX 650Ti OC Boost Black Knight 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £134.99
1 x Asus P8Z77-V LX2 Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x Plextor M5S 128GB Solid State Drive - (PX-128M5S) £79.99
1 x Patriot Viper "Black Mamba" Generation 3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (PV38G160C9K) £49.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £48.95
1 x Corsair Carbide 200R Compact ATX Case - Black £47.95
1 x Edifier M1370 2.1 Speaker System - Black £23.99
1 x LG GH24NS95 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
1 x Gigabyte KM6150 Keyboard and Mouse Set £9.98
Total : £759.88 (includes shipping : £11.75).



I know I am missing windows, and a power supply. I was just wondering, if it were you, which components in my build would you sacrifice.

Would I notice the shift down to an i5 more than a shift down in the graphics card / motherboard?

Also, post build how easy would it be to upgrade a graphics card if needed? As I am leaning towards sacrificing that.
 
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honosuseri said:
I'm not buying that BS over the speakers.
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You may call it "BS" but this is my opinion. The cheap (branded) 2.1's I've used have also had volume control and bass control, but they were still awful sounding to me. Low end (branded) 2.0's I've used have been a bit tinny and had little depth, but I found them far more useable, clearer vocals etc.


honosuseri said:
certainly with the Case, PSU and speakers you have gone with a "it'll do" attitude.
Click to expand...

That's because I do believe they will suit the OP's needs.

honosuseri said:
It's all well and good shooting for the i7 bit to be fair even the i5 is going to be a million times better than what he has at the moment.
Click to expand...

I'm not shouting for the i7, though the OP did say he would like an i7 ideally. An i5 would also be good, I'm not disagreeing.
 
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