Help with first build

[MaxB90]

I currently have an MSI 6970 + 30GB SSD + 1TB HDD from an old desktop build and here is what I want to put in atm:

Asus Sabertooth 990FX AMD 990FX (Socket AM3+) DDR3 Motherboard
AMD Phenom II X6 Six Core 1100T Black Edition 3.30GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail
Asus VE228H 22" Widescreen LED Multimedia Monitor - Black
Fractal Design Define R3 Midi Tower Case - Arctic White
Corsair Enthusiast Series TX 650W V2 High Performance '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CMPSU-650TXV2UK)
Corsair Vengeance Blue 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B)

Is all of this compatible? I won't be looking to put an extra 6970 in the future in for x-fire so I don't need a higher wattage PSU and I can currently run it off my 650W PSU but it's not so reliable.

Any help would be great

 

[MaxB90]

For gaming I take it?

You don't want the AMD hex core. Games currently dont use more than 4 cores. You are looking for an i5K and Z series mobo 4GB of RAM is adequate for gaming but it is reasonably cheap so 8GB certainly won't hurt.

It's worth noting that BF3 will use hyperthreading as featured on the i7, games haven't been utilising it so the i5 is always spec'd for gaming rigs. However it's too early to say wether it makes any real difference having hyperthreading, although it certainly makes the i3 a capable budget CPU.

The i5K is still an excellent CPU, personally i'd rather omit an aftermarket heatsink and put the money towards a better CPU (i7) but it's your call.

*edit*

Oh RAM! Most people avoid those kind of RAM sticks as the heatspreaders can be a hinderance. Corsair XMS3 or Kingston RAM from the 12800 dual channel section is where you want to be looking. The site does daily as well as weekly offers, the RAM we spec is usually dependant on those offers.

For very basic gaming ( Crysis 2, Mafia 2, Metro 2033, BF BC2, BF3 and MW3 ), Will be using the system for Business purposes mainly & for multimedia watching. I mainly chose the AMD set up because they have served me well in the past and tend to draw less power than their Intel counter parts. This is mainly supposed to be a "green" business PC with part time gaming. I'm not expecting to get Enthusiast settings with 32xAA etc but good enough to game with. I will try to pick up a spec for the core i5k and see what I can come up with and see how much that will cost.

Edit:

- CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K 3.30GHz @ 4.40GHz Sandybridge CPU
- Motherboard: Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 (default choice)
- RAM: Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel
- Cooler: Corsair A50 CPU Cooler

around the same price, would this give better performance? also I could probably set up an i7 95/70 for around the same price.

 

[MaxB90]

OK for £678.13 including next day parcel & VAT I have:

Intel Core i5-2500 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail [BX80623I52500]
Asus P8Z68-V PRO Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard [90-MIBFI0-G0EAY00Z] ( chose this because it has inbuilt bluetooth and will find that a lot easier to synchronise my mobile phone with.
Asus VE228H 22" Widescreen LED Multimedia Monitor - Black [VE228H]
Fractal Design Define R3 Midi Tower Case - Arctic White [FD-CA-DEF-R3-WH]
BeQuiet Efficient Power 600W '80 Plus Gold' Power Supply [BN188]
Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX8GX3M2A1600C9) [CMX8GX3M2A1600C9]
TP-Link 300Mbps High-Gain Wireless-N USB Adapter (TL-WN822N) [TL-WN822N] ( I have no direct Ethernet connection so this is a temporary measure ).

How is this?

 

[MaxB90]

You want the i5K buddy. This is the overclockabubble CPU, the P and Z series mobos are for overclocking so get the "K"

An aftermarket heatsink (gelid tranquillo maybe) would be advisable but you should expect around 4ghz from the stock heatsink depending on the case and it's cooling ability

Ok upgraded to the K for a few pounds more wasn't sure what it was for. Trying to keep my over all spend under £650 if I could never mind 700, except from changing the motherboard to something £80 are there any other areas where I could shave some money off?

Also do I need the thermal compound for the CPU / GPU?

 

[MaxB90]

The heatsink will have thermal paste, wether you use the stock heatsink or buy an aftermarket one. So no it's not really needed.

Choice of mobo is really down to you. Most people opt for a Z series mobo as you get the best of both from the P and H series. Check reviews and see what features you will use. The Z series has support for lucid virtu too.

I would probably go for the BenQ 21.5 screen. Ok it doesnt have HDMI but is slightly cheaper and I dont think that asus monitor has speakers so having HDMI isn't such a bonus.

Does a heatsink come with the CPU? :S

I have decided to downgrade the mobo and just get a cheap bluetooth USB attachment which has nocked off £80. I'm sticking with the asus because it has HDMI + 1920 x 1080 resolution, I already have my own set of speakers and subwoofer + looking to get a nice set of sennheisers nearer to christmas.