Hi folks. I'm just rounding off a plan for a new build and want to run the build past you for any problems / thoughts in general. I used to be into builds back in the Pentium 3 / 4 days, and now tend to build when necessary, whihc tends to be 1-2 systems over 5 years or so. So I can understand general stuff, but some of the in-depth, newer stuff might escape me.
First up, it's a PC with a pretty strict £500 budget, and ideally in a smaller case than normal. It's supposed to be a bit of an all rounder. Its primary purposes will be Office apps and Internet activity in general. Occasional DVDs and older games (all pre-2009). The system it's replacing is a decent 2009 E8400, 4GB, with a Velociraptor as the main drive. However, in the past few weeks I hear the occasional drive clicking on startup / awaken. As you can guess I'm keen to get a new system sorted out. So on with the spec (commentary below):
CPU - AMD A8-7600 (65W)
CPU Cooler - Cooler Master Seidon 120V
Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-F2A88XN-WIFI Mini ITX
Memory - Kingston Beast 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400
Storage - Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" SSD
Case - Cooler Master Elite 130
PSU - Corsair CX 500W Semi-Modular
Operating System - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Prem
Case Fan - Noctua NF-S12B redux-1200 PWM
I started with the ITX board and chose it over the ASRock and MSI versions, out of sheer experience of Gigabyte boards. They have been generally good to me in the past.
With a tight budget in mind, a CPU and gfx solution for about £70 is a pretty good option, and from what I have seen of the 7600 APU reviews, the gfx is probably good enough for my needs (my current system did have a 9800GT, but it borked and am currently running an X800XL from 2005
Examples of games I might play would be FS2004, Sniper Elite (orig). Nothing too taxing by today's standards.
Now I originally planned to use a Noctua L9a low profile cooler, but it's inclined to touch the RAM, and low profile RAM at 2400 speeds is thin on the ground at the right price. Hence, I have opted for the Seidon 120V, and can choose any RAM I fancy (Kingston's Beast 2400 being a decent price).
My current setup has a WD Velociraptor as main, with a 1TB Spinpoint F3 as backup. The new system will have the 840 evo as main, with at least one of these drives as backup. Ideally if I can squeeze both in and use one as a virtual CD for game ISO files, with the other as backup for files (once I find which of my three drives is clicky and if the two additional drives can fit).
The PSU is basically the cheapest semi-modular one I can get my hands on. It's overkill in wattage terms, but that's ok. My current PSU is a non-modular 750W OCZ, but is 2-3 years old, so best to leave it. The case had to be able to accommodate an ATX PSU and a 5.25 drive, and be quite small, so the Elite 130 seems to be a reasonable choice. The Noctua case fan will replace the fan that comes with the 120V, as a quiet alternative. I don't expect this build to be all that hot.
Windows 7, as I am using a very stable and fast tweaked Vista and hope that I see something similar from Win 7 (perhaps less tweaking required). Also the DVD drive from the old system. It's the one part that I can take and not worry if it breaks early. I plan to have the 120V taking in air through the front, with the PSU setup to vent out the back. No other fans or cooling planned. It's hopefully going to be a stable, cool, quiet system.
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So any thoughts on potential problems? My own concerns were:
1) Will the Noctua fan (replacing the 120V fan) just spin up to max and spin at max due to the 120V fan generally being a faster speed? So why swap?
2) Based on reading, I came to the conclusion that with an APU, the greater the bandwidth on the RAM, the better, but will the Mobo / CPU both work with the 2400 RAM? I get the impression it might drop to 2133.
I DO NOT want to overclock this build, but I really appreciate the input of seasoned overclockers as to the load on a given system. I want to get the most from this build without killing it or having to add extra cooling (noise), so am trying to choose parts that fit for a stock setup.
All input appreciated.
Oh, and the whole spec there, including delivery and VAT is coming in at £514, so an extra £14 isn't too bad.
First up, it's a PC with a pretty strict £500 budget, and ideally in a smaller case than normal. It's supposed to be a bit of an all rounder. Its primary purposes will be Office apps and Internet activity in general. Occasional DVDs and older games (all pre-2009). The system it's replacing is a decent 2009 E8400, 4GB, with a Velociraptor as the main drive. However, in the past few weeks I hear the occasional drive clicking on startup / awaken. As you can guess I'm keen to get a new system sorted out. So on with the spec (commentary below):
CPU - AMD A8-7600 (65W)
CPU Cooler - Cooler Master Seidon 120V
Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-F2A88XN-WIFI Mini ITX
Memory - Kingston Beast 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400
Storage - Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" SSD
Case - Cooler Master Elite 130
PSU - Corsair CX 500W Semi-Modular
Operating System - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Prem
Case Fan - Noctua NF-S12B redux-1200 PWM
I started with the ITX board and chose it over the ASRock and MSI versions, out of sheer experience of Gigabyte boards. They have been generally good to me in the past.
With a tight budget in mind, a CPU and gfx solution for about £70 is a pretty good option, and from what I have seen of the 7600 APU reviews, the gfx is probably good enough for my needs (my current system did have a 9800GT, but it borked and am currently running an X800XL from 2005
Examples of games I might play would be FS2004, Sniper Elite (orig). Nothing too taxing by today's standards.Now I originally planned to use a Noctua L9a low profile cooler, but it's inclined to touch the RAM, and low profile RAM at 2400 speeds is thin on the ground at the right price. Hence, I have opted for the Seidon 120V, and can choose any RAM I fancy (Kingston's Beast 2400 being a decent price).
My current setup has a WD Velociraptor as main, with a 1TB Spinpoint F3 as backup. The new system will have the 840 evo as main, with at least one of these drives as backup. Ideally if I can squeeze both in and use one as a virtual CD for game ISO files, with the other as backup for files (once I find which of my three drives is clicky and if the two additional drives can fit).
The PSU is basically the cheapest semi-modular one I can get my hands on. It's overkill in wattage terms, but that's ok. My current PSU is a non-modular 750W OCZ, but is 2-3 years old, so best to leave it. The case had to be able to accommodate an ATX PSU and a 5.25 drive, and be quite small, so the Elite 130 seems to be a reasonable choice. The Noctua case fan will replace the fan that comes with the 120V, as a quiet alternative. I don't expect this build to be all that hot.
Windows 7, as I am using a very stable and fast tweaked Vista and hope that I see something similar from Win 7 (perhaps less tweaking required). Also the DVD drive from the old system. It's the one part that I can take and not worry if it breaks early. I plan to have the 120V taking in air through the front, with the PSU setup to vent out the back. No other fans or cooling planned. It's hopefully going to be a stable, cool, quiet system.
-----
So any thoughts on potential problems? My own concerns were:
1) Will the Noctua fan (replacing the 120V fan) just spin up to max and spin at max due to the 120V fan generally being a faster speed? So why swap?
2) Based on reading, I came to the conclusion that with an APU, the greater the bandwidth on the RAM, the better, but will the Mobo / CPU both work with the 2400 RAM? I get the impression it might drop to 2133.
I DO NOT want to overclock this build, but I really appreciate the input of seasoned overclockers as to the load on a given system. I want to get the most from this build without killing it or having to add extra cooling (noise), so am trying to choose parts that fit for a stock setup.
All input appreciated.
Oh, and the whole spec there, including delivery and VAT is coming in at £514, so an extra £14 isn't too bad.
