Need £1100 Max Spec

Associate
Joined
16 May 2011
Posts
324
hi everyone, i want to build a new pc which will primarily be for gaming use and also encoding a lot of videos.

This is a spec i came up with:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

I will be overclocking the i7 a bit and also i will probably SLI'ing the 580s in future. Based on this:

1) is the motherboard any good for overclocking and SLI? or would you recommend anything else?
2) will the PSU be enough for SLI in future?
3) is the gtx 580 i have selected the best option in terms of price and the manufacture overclock.

I will be gaming at 1920x1200

I don't need a SSD for now

I think thats all... Any advice/suggestions much appreciated, thank you

EDIT: also is there a cheaper case but same size? with good airflow? thanks
 
You'll probably want 8gb of RAM if you are video encoding but you are in luck, these are on offer.

Also the gigabyte board is a huge ripoff. This is generally the suggested sandy bridge z68 board now. Has a lot more features and is even a bit cheaper.

Not sure if the PSU can handle SLI 580s, might need some confirmation on that.

EDIT: Just looked up a review of SLI 580s, I think that you would want to get an 850W PSU to be safe.
 
Last edited:
Gainward GeForce GTX 580 "GOOD Edition" 1536MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £369.98
Intel Core i7-2600K 3.40GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM £234.98
Corsair Professional Series HX1050 Professional Series 1050W Modular Power Supply (CMPSU-1050HXUK) £162.98
Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £144.98
Cooler Master HAF 922 Case - Black £81.98
Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX8GX3M2A1600C9) £69.98
Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £25.99
Total : £1,108.60 (Inc Shipping)

If your getting an after market CPU cooler then get the OEM CPU, save some ££.
8Gb of RAM for your encoding.
Board seems very easy to OC (see Stulid's Thread)
Even through SLi'd 580's would run on a 850W PSU, you wouldn't want to run the PSU at max power. It is much safer to get a higher rated one.
HAF 922 is a big a** case. lots of room to get everything in with lots of fans too.
 
Last edited:
hey all, i'm about to order and just wanted a quick check.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

i like the MSI 580 because i've already done major research into it so i'm going to stick with that.

i have changed the mobo to asrock one as suggested and also changed the CPU to OEM version.

The case i have left because i think it will be easier to work with as i am not greatly experienced with building pcs (and i like the shape too, as well as the ports). The cooler is still same as i think the price v performance is very good and it will be good for overclocking.

I have decided not to SLI the 580s and instead just buy another card to replace it in the future. Based on this, will the PSU be good enough for overclocking, gtx 580 etc...

One other question i had was, will it be easy for someone like me (noob) to overclock the CPU?

PS. you may have noticed, i dont need any hard drives or optical drives.

Thank you guys for any help
 
Overclocking 2600K is easy. Dont bump the voltages too much and push the clock until you reach 60-65C max at 100% CPU load.

Usually that means 4.4GHz overclock with that kind of cooler, maybe a bit less on a 2600K (hyperthreading tends to heat up). You can go higher, up to 70C with a bit more juice, but imo not much point stressing it out for a few 100mhz. Keep the Vcore under 1.28V.

The PSU will take a single GTX580 with full OC no problem. If you want 580 SLI, take the Antec High Current Gamer 900W, or something in that power range (PCPC 910W). Maybe 850W Corsair / XFX / Seasonic X850 will do the trick.

If only thinking single 580, you can save a little and get a XFX 650 (600W+ @ 12V). 580GTX total system peak power overclocked, furmark, blablabla..., around 500W-550W.

You do want more memory than that if you're gonna encode and do various memory intesive tasks (which you'd do if you take a 2600K).

The case is all right. The HAFX is bigger, and the Corsair Obsidian 650D is my pick in that range.
 
Last edited:
I have decided not to SLI the 580s and instead just buy another card to replace it in the future. Based on this, will the PSU be good enough for overclocking, gtx 580 etc...

if your not going to SLI, go with a cheaper mobo thus smaller case and a lesser PSU and up the ram
 
ye i will add some more ram.

regarding the PSU, its 100% going to be single gtx 580, however it seems like 650W will be pushing it lol
 
thanks a lot guys for suggestions.

i'm going to keep the same PSU because i've read its good to have a little headroom than to max out PSU.

i'm not going to SLI but the case size is good as i have loads of hard drives. I do wish i could stretch budget for cases like corsair obsidian etc (i know, only £20 or so) but i have already stretched from £800 to £1000 lol (still need to buy new monitor, but thats in a month or two).

If i order now, it should be delivered monday right? it won't just turn up tomorrow as i'm not home?
 
i will show u guys every step of the way :D

Also, i turned into cheapscate at the very last moment and ended up with the HAF 922 case..

ah well
 
i will show u guys every step of the way :D

Also, i turned into cheapscate at the very last moment and ended up with the HAF 922 case..

ah well

You won't be disappointed:)

I also have HAF 922 and it is amazing mid tower case. Although much larger than an average mid tower;)
 
I would chane the Antec Kuhler for a H60 (deal on with a free fan) for £60.. It keeps my i7 2600k at 4.7 ghz at 30 idle and 100% around 70 74 75 but then I dont know what the Antec Kuhler is like.
 
Back
Top Bottom