New Build - Spec Advice Needed

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Voices

Voices

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23 Nov 2009
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Cambridge
I am looking for advice on my first real build.

BUDGET: Around £900 (flexible to a certain degree).

USE: Main use will be gaming.

I have the following items already:
MONITOR: Dell U2311H
OS: Windows 7 (retail)
CASE: HAF-X
KEYBOARD: Logitech G510

I need:
CPU: Intel i5 2500k (might order today on the special offer)
MOTHERBOARD: Want something that is SLI/x-fire ready. Not ASUS.
GPU: Been thinking of GTX 570, but not sure whether this is the way to go given the resolution I will game on. Anyway, willing to spend money on this part.
RAM: No idea... XMS Corsair seems good, but need help here.
SSD: Definitely want a SSD. I guess 60/64GB will be fine for now.
HDD: Maybe a Samsung Spinpoint F3?
OPTICAL DRIVE: No idea... Don't think I will need BlueRay, so something basic will be fine.
PCU: Been thinking of Corsair HX 850W. Too expensive perhaps?
COOLER: Gelid Tranquillo seems to be good. Or should I go for something like a Corsair H80/H100?
THERMAL PASTE: No idea...
MOUSE: Thinking of the Razer Deathadder and AimB.pad bundle

I don't need (at this point):
Soundcard
Speakers
Headset

I would ideally like this build (plus potential upgrades) to last me for 3-4 years. Later on, I plan to add another monitor.

Any help is appreciated!
 
Your basketProduct Name Qty Price Line Total
MSI GeForce GTX 570 1280MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £249.98
(£208.32) £249.98
(£208.32)
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor £154.98
(£129.15) £154.98
(£129.15)
Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £144.98
(£120.82) £144.98
(£120.82)
Crucial RealSSD M4 64GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive £91.99
(£76.66) £91.99
(£76.66)
XFX Pro 850W Core Edition Power Supply £84.98
(£70.82) £84.98
(£70.82)
Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/4GX) £34.99
(£29.16) £34.99
(£29.16)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (ST3500413AS) £26.99
(£22.49) £26.99
(£22.49)
Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £25.99
(£21.66) £25.99
(£21.66)
Logitech MX518 Gaming-Grade Optical Mouse (910-000616) £24.98
(£20.82) £24.98
(£20.82)
OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.99
(£12.49) £14.99
(£12.49)
Sub Total : £712.39
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £10.00
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £144.48
Total : £866.87

Thats the ticket.

• Motherboard supports SLI/Crossfire at 8X/8X speed
• Lucid Virtu and quick sync
• PSU is made by Seasonic - http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/XFX-PRO-850-W-Power-Supply-Review/1205
• Extremely fast SSD isnt a OCZ with all their issues.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the fast reply!

Stulid, can you please just elaborate a bit why you decided on:

- That particular GTX 570 (there are so many 570's to choose between)
- That particular PSU (is it really good enough at that price?)
- That particular SSD (is it a one of the new generation SSD? I know nothing about them at all...)

Thanks for the input. It is much appreciated!
 
The GTX570 is the cheapest in stock, has a 3 year warranty now, and the stock cooler is described in many reviews as quiet, it also blows hot air out the back of the case unlike many custom coolers you see on them.

The PSU is actually made by Seasonic, added a review above, who make PSU's for many suppliers such as Corsair/Antec, it has plenty of power to even run a pair of GTX570 in SLI mode.

More reviews - http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=217 - http://www.hardwareheaven.com/revie...ies-650w-750w-and-850w-review-conclusion.html

The SSD is on special offer, extremely fast read speeds, there are many threads about OCZ SSD bluescreening on peoples chipsets and in response OCZ are releasing newer Firmware
 
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Flavour of the month currently is :

HDD : Samsung F3. Or Seagate barracuda 1TB. Ignore the 6GB/s BS marketing, no drive would max SATA2 anyway.

2500K : OEM is a good £20 cheaper atm, but has only one year warranty.

MOBO : Asrock Extreme 4 Z68 or MSI GD65 with free 212+ cooler. Free cooler! And a decent one (and mobo) too.

GPU : 6950 Twin Frozr III 2G for me, with the potential for XFire, Or a GTX 570 (dunno which one I would get, probably an Asus).

RAM : Corsair XMS3. Cheap, 8GB, seems to have the least compatibility problems of all the sticks and everyone uses them. 8GB allows you to do without virtual memory, and given the price I'd jump on it if you can afford it.

SSD : I'd avoid the Agility 3. Crucial SSD M4 (or the older C300 on the cheap, which as good stats), even though its write speed isn't great but not too important for OS drive.

PSU : XFX 850W, modualr (Black edition) or not modular (Core edition). Both great units. Also the Antec High Current Gamer 900W (not modular). Corsair TX850 also a choice.

Optical Drive : The cheapest will do. I personally don't like Samsungs, too many problems with them over the years, so I tend to prefer Sony. I have a optiarc, it's a bit noisy when full spin / burning but otherwise quiet and problem-free.

Cooler : Gelid Tranquillo is a good choice. And it's not really useful overclocking to the max anyway. 4.2-4.4GHz is easily achievable with out stressing out the components. Any decent cooler will give you that with good temps (Tranquillo, Hyper 212+, Corsair A50). I'd go with quiet over performance (Tranquillo again, MUX-120, Dark Rock Pro, NH-D14 in order or price and performance).

Thermal paste : Not necessary. All coolers come with pre-applied paste, or a tub. Unless you go for extra performance or want to reduce the temps (only by a few degrees), MX-2 / MX-4 (I dont really know tbh).
 
Last edited:
First of all, thanks for your help! Based on your suggestions, this is what I have now:

MSI GeForce GTX 570 OC Twin FrozR III Power Edition 1280MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £269.99
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor £154.98
Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £144.98
Corsair HX 850W ATX Modular SLI Compliant Power Supply (CMPSU-850HXUK) £143.99
Crucial RealSSD M4 64GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive £91.99
Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX8GX3M2A1600C9) £69.98
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (ST3500413AS) £26.99
Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £25.99
Logitech MX518 Gaming-Grade Optical Mouse (910-000616) £24.98
OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.99

Sub Total : £807.39
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £10.00
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £163.48

Total : £980

- Picked a GTX 570 that has good reviews as far as I can tell. Still not sure whether it is worth the extra £'s in comparison to the one that Stulid listed in his post. Suggestions?

- I will probably go for the Corsair HX850W. The reviews are great and it is modular. Of course, a bit more expensive than the suggestions above. Is this a wise choice?

- I am still not sure about the 8GB RAM. If I buy it now, I won't have to bother about it later on. But I am not sure whether I will need 8GB in the foreseeable future. So still undecided.

Thanks for your input.
 
Hmm £20 for a custom cooler, not really sure, that one doesnt extract hot air out the back like a standard design, Im also looking for a suitable GTX570 card for myself right now and am looking for a standard design for £230
 
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