hi, first build

jtr2012

jtr2012

jtr2012

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Joined
23 Aug 2012
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4
just considering building my first custom. i have owned a custom pc in the past and changed some components, but never done it from scratch.
My goal is to be able to play videogames on very high settings and also act as my personal media centre. ideally it has to be powerful and quiet.

i want this build to last about 3 years, and i plan to keep some of the components (power supply, case, fans, cpu cooler) for the next build. the cost has to be below £1300. i don't require a display or an optical drive.

this is my current plan, please critique the build accordingly:

EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor OCZ Agility 3 240GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive Seagate Barracuda 3TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache
Corsair Vengeance Blue 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 PC3
Fractal Design Define R4 Midi Tower Case - Black Pearl
Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard
Corsair HX 650W ATX Modular SLI Compliant Power Supply
Noctua NH-D14 Dual Radiator CPU Cooler

P.S. i might have a copy of 64bit home premium lying around

Sub Total : £1,005.75
Shipping : £11.25
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £203.40
Total : £1,220.40
 
YOUR BASKET
1 x KFA2 GeForce GTX 670 EX OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £311.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £184.99
1 x Samsung 256GB SSD 830 Notebook/Apple Series SATA 6Gb/s KIT with Norton Ghost - (MZ-7PC256N/EU) **BTS £20 CASHBACK** £155.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 3TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST3000DM001) £129.98
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £112.99
1 x XFX 750W XXX Edition Modular '80 Plus Silver' Power Supply £96.98
1 x Fractal Design Define R4 Midi Tower Case - Black Pearl £89.99
1 x GeIL EVO Leggera 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (GEL316GB1600C9DC) £74.99
1 x Alpenföhn K2 Mount Doom CPU Cooler (Socket LGA1156/1155/1366/AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1) £59.99
Total : £1,231.39 (includes shipping : £11.25).

 
Tamzzy's spec is great as it prepares you for SLI. The K2, is a great cooler, on par with the DH-14 and Phanteks PH-TC14.

The samsung SSD is better quality

I would also consider the Fractal Arc Midi, the R4 reviews havn't been great.
 
tamzzy said:
i disagree, i think ppl had put too much expectations on the r4. its evolutionary, not revolutionary
Click to expand...

From the reviews i have read, it markets itself as a 'better value' case rather than an overall better case. It's (apparently) as quite as the R3 but with worse CPU but mainly GPU cooling. Nothing wrong with the case, i just feel the Arc is better value (and looks better too... IMO)
 
Thanks for the constructive criticism Vidar...

@Doomedspeed If you don't think the r4 is any good, ill go for the r3. I read very good things about it. Supposedly it's quiet and cool, and I really like the slab like design of it.
I'll take your word on the SSD. It's just difficult to get my head around because I thought OCZ was fairly reputable, as well as being faster and cheaper.
Thanks for your help otherwise, especially with the cooler (I read that the Noctua was 'the best' air cooler on the market, and was really quiet even under load).

@tamazzy: Thanks for the recommendation, I was just wondering why you chose certain components (i.e. GFX card, RAM and PSU).

Thanks!!
 
jtr2012 said:
@Doomedspeed If you don't think the r4 is any good, ill go for the r3. I read very good things about it. Supposedly it's quiet and cool, and I really like the slab like design of it.
I'll take your word on the SSD. It's just difficult to get my head around because I thought OCZ was fairly reputable, as well as being faster and cheaper.
Thanks for your help otherwise, especially with the cooler (I read that the Noctua was 'the best' air cooler on the market, and was really quiet even under load).
Click to expand...


I don't know if the R4 is good. I just wanted you to know the other options. The R4 is defiantly good value and while not being as cool (heatwise) as the R3 it's still pretty good. Just read a few reviews and take your pick, you can't go wrong with Fractal. :)

I've just heard a few horror stories about the sandforce driver. a lot of success stories aswell. But if i were to buy another, id go for an intel, samsung or cruical.

The K2, Dh-14 and PH-TC14 are pretty simular performance wise, it's whatever fits best with your budget/colour scheme.
 
I see nothing wrong with the spec above, it looks great to me. A*
Though i would take the R3 over the R4 any day.
 
jtr2012 said:
@tamazzy: Thanks for the recommendation, I was just wondering why you chose certain components (i.e. GFX card, RAM and PSU).

Thanks!!
Click to expand...

the kfa2 gtx670 oc is a good, cheap 670
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/geforce-gtx-670-test-review,review-32475-13.html

ram-wise, doesnt really matter what you get. i went with a cheapish low profile (to fit under the heatsink). in reality, outside of benchmarks, the difference is negligible (<1%)
and i chose 16gb, well, because it was within budget ;p

psu is 750w cuz the board i spec is dual gpu capable. so the psu is specced as such. wont need to change it if you decide to pop in a 2nd gtx670 in the future
 
@ tamzzy = what do you think of the asus 670? i read it was the quietest (and 2nd highest clock), as well as cool, even though it is about 50 quid more.

@Acme- thanks, ill go with the r3 then.

Thanks everyone!
 
The case is always personal taste, if you like it, dont be swayed by owners.
The rest of it looks OK, does the RAM fit under the cooler?
I would not trust a single large HDD. Better to get smaller 1TB drives for versatility etc.
More outlay but more P.O.M.
 
jtr2012 said:
@ tamzzy = what do you think of the asus 670? i read it was the quietest (and 2nd highest clock), as well as cool, even though it is about 50 quid more.
Click to expand...

up to you, not worth the extra outlay imo, which is why i also didnt suggest the windforce. its massively overpriced. and the asus is just the vanilla version. not the direct cu2 top version
 
tamzzy said:
up to you, not worth the extra outlay imo, which is why i also didnt suggest the windforce. its massively overpriced. and the asus is just the vanilla version. not the direct cu2 top version
Click to expand...

theres also an asus top version i think. but if you dont think it's worth the price thats cool.
 
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