New computer build.

wildest_jjk · 11 Jun 2011 at 10:09

Hello just to add I sent a webnote to OC.

This is what I wrote:

"Hello,

I am looking to buy this:

MSI P67A-GD65 Intel P67 (socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard - (Sandybridge) ** B3 REVISION ** with FREE Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler

Stock Code: BU-036-OP

However I need to know if this RAM will physically fit the board and cooler:

G.Skill RipJawsX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM) [F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM]

Stock Code: MY-062-GS

And can this RAM work on dimm 2&4 at nominal 1.5V?

Thanks."

And this is the response:

"thank you for your webnote, yes this shouldnt be a problem - sandybridge memory is designed to run best at 1.5v
Regards,

Phil Fraser"

wildest_jjk · 11 Jun 2011 at 10:16

Didn't see your response! I might be changing to the 6950 yet. But will change it then!

Thanks.

olivier renault · 11 Jun 2011 at 10:56

This would be my 6950 build. I would take the opportunity for a very good mobo as well. Xfire ready.

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI ATI Radeon HD 6950 OC Twin FrozR III Power Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with FREE DIRT3 Game £205.99
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor £161.99
1 x Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £144.98
1 x OCZ Vertex 2E 60GB 2.5" SATA-II Solid State Hard Drive (OCZSSD2-2VTXE60G) £92.99
1 x G.Skill RipJawsX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM) £79.19
1 x XFX Pro 650W Core Edition Power Supply £61.98
1 x Cooler Master CM-690 II Lite Dominator Case - Black £59.99
1 x Corsair A50 High-Performance CPU Cooler (Socket AM2/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £24.98
Total : £847.09 (includes shipping : £12.50).

wildest_jjk · 11 Jun 2011 at 12:30

Hello and thanks again as usual.

olivier renault said:
YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI ATI Radeon HD 6950 OC Twin FrozR III Power Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with FREE DIRT3 Game £205.99
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor £161.99
1 x Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £144.98
1 x OCZ Vertex 2E 60GB 2.5" SATA-II Solid State Hard Drive (OCZSSD2-2VTXE60G) £92.99
1 x G.Skill RipJawsX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM) £79.19
1 x XFX Pro 650W Core Edition Power Supply £61.98
1 x Cooler Master CM-690 II Lite Dominator Case - Black £59.99
1 x Corsair A50 High-Performance CPU Cooler (Socket AM2/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £24.98
Total : £847.09 (includes shipping : £12.50).

Ok thanks for letting me know about the case.

Basically that all looks fine but just a couple of things about this. Firstly what are the differences between this motherboard and the P67A-GD65? And the P67 vs Z68 chipset?

Secondly if I wanted to, is there anything that I can change to bring down the price a little? Perhaps go back to the old motherboard and cooler? Depending on what your response is to the above question.

Lastly I presume there would be no problems with this, such as RAM fitting and sizes etc?

Thanks again!

olivier renault · 11 Jun 2011 at 13:36

Z68 : Lucid Virtu, Intel SRT, QuickSync. Probably not much use to you. I prefer Asrock to MSI in terms of quality. Asrock also has USB with extra power.

Both have UEFI Bios iirc. The GD65 is a great board. Haven't heard a thing against it so far. I suppose if you still go with the GD65 + 212+ combo, you'll save quite a lot of money (£40?). I would take the XFX 650W PSU if you go 6950 to ensure xfire compatibility for later (the xfx 650W has more power than the Antec, and also 6 PCI-E connectors).

OK fair enough, go with the GD65 and Hyper 212+

The CM 690 II is worth the investment, the 6950 Twin Froz III should fit in a Antec 100 (270 mm length, 292 mm space).

wildest_jjk · 11 Jun 2011 at 18:04

Thanks for the response. I believe we are good to go. This is I believe/hope my final parts:

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI ATI Radeon HD 6950 OC Twin FrozR III Power Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with FREE DIRT3 Game £205.99
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor £161.99
1 x MSI P67A-GD65 Intel P67 (socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard - (Sandybridge) ** B3 REVISION ** with FREE Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler £124.99
1 x OCZ Vertex 2E 60GB 2.5" SATA-II Solid State Hard Drive (OCZSSD2-2VTXE60G) £92.99
1 x G.Skill RipJawsX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM) £79.19
1 x XFX Pro 650W Core Edition Power Supply £61.98
1 x Cooler Master CM-690 II Lite Dominator Case - Black £59.99
Total : £803.62 (includes shipping : £13.75).

wildest_jjk · 11 Jun 2011 at 19:05

Oh and again just to add, was the response I got from OC above enough to clarify the RAM/Mobo selection?

Also I am a little unsure on cases now because of the GPU. Will it definitely fit in the CM-690? And the antec 100?

Thanks.

olivier renault · 11 Jun 2011 at 19:13

Well, they answered one of the questions

But I'd go with that last build. The card will fit in either. I would recommend the 690 over the Antec as it's a better case overall.

There is also a side window mod available if you ever feel the need to pimp up the case with christmas lights

BTW. Not bad for a free cooler.

wildest_jjk · 11 Jun 2011 at 19:20

Put this in a new post in case u didnt see. There is also this:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BG-041-CM

And by last build you do mean mine right?

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI ATI Radeon HD 6950 OC Twin FrozR III Power Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with FREE DIRT3 Game £205.99
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor £161.99
1 x MSI P67A-GD65 Intel P67 (socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard - (Sandybridge) ** B3 REVISION ** with FREE Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler £124.99
1 x OCZ Vertex 2E 60GB 2.5" SATA-II Solid State Hard Drive (OCZSSD2-2VTXE60G) £92.99
1 x G.Skill RipJawsX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM) £79.19
1 x XFX Pro 650W Core Edition Power Supply £61.98
1 x Cooler Master CM-690 II Lite Dominator Case - Black £59.99
Total : £803.62 (includes shipping : £13.75).

Further EDIT just read the cooler review! Nice

olivier renault · 11 Jun 2011 at 20:23

http://www.overclock.net/computer-cases/830487-difference-between-cm-690-ii-lite.html

690 II vs 690 II Advanced

Worked out the differences:
Advanced has 140mm fan in top, Basic only includes front 140mm and rear 120mm
Advanced has HDD dock on the top
Basic only has 2 tool-less 5.25" bays
Advanced has a 2.5" adaptor
Advanced has that funny GPU holder

Dunno what's wrong with the B-grade version. On a case, I wouldn't fret too much. Maybe a scratch mark, hopefully not missing a dust filter or a fan, and has the motherboard stand offs and all the little bits included. Worth sending another web note or just go with the Lite.

I think you are ready to hit that button now

wildest_jjk · 11 Jun 2011 at 20:34

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI ATI Radeon HD 6950 OC Twin FrozR III Power Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with FREE DIRT3 Game £205.99
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor £161.99
1 x MSI P67A-GD65 Intel P67 (socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard - (Sandybridge) ** B3 REVISION ** with FREE Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler £124.99
1 x OCZ Vertex 2E 60GB 2.5" SATA-II Solid State Hard Drive (OCZSSD2-2VTXE60G) £92.99
1 x G.Skill RipJawsX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM) £79.19
1 x XFX Pro 650W Core Edition Power Supply £61.98
1 x Cooler Master CM-690 II Lite Dominator Case - Black £59.99
Total : £803.62 (includes shipping : £13.75).

Thanks I have sent a webnote but will have to wait and see what happens. Just worried it might take too long! If not I will go with the lite version and order the above.

wildest_jjk · 11 Jun 2011 at 20:52

Uh oh, looks like i might just order now! Look at this:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-075-OC

wildest_jjk · 11 Jun 2011 at 21:07

Sorry just to add I have found a retail boxed i5 2500k for £155 on a reputable site, but it does not mention a warranty? What do you reckon?

RJC · 11 Jun 2011 at 21:08

Usually all retail Intel cpus are 3 year warranty.

olivier renault · 11 Jun 2011 at 21:53

I recon you'll be best buying everything from the same retailer, if it's only for a fiver. That's pretty much the cost of extra shipping anyway.

wildest_jjk · 11 Jun 2011 at 22:08

Thanks for the responses, I am getting the CM-690 lite from another store and the i5. The shipping is free and it saves me almost £10, so I thought why not!

These are the final parts, just going to have to hope that they fit and are properly compatible. I'm sure they will be, I know you have done lots of checking for me olivier!

1 x MSI ATI Radeon HD 6950 OC Twin FrozR III Power Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with FREE DIRT3 Game
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor
1 x MSI P67A-GD65 Intel P67 (socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard - (Sandybridge) ** B3 REVISION ** with FREE Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler
1 x OCZ Agility 3 60GB 2.5" SATA-3 Solid State Hard Drive (AGT3-25SAT3-60G)
1 x G.Skill RipJawsX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM)
1 x XFX Pro 650W Core Edition Power Supply
1 x Cooler Master CM-690 II Lite Dominator Case

olivier renault · 11 Jun 2011 at 22:34

I have checked all right! £10 ain't bad of a saving. Keep us posted for the build (might as well use this thread).

wildest_jjk · 11 Jun 2011 at 23:30

You are not going to believe this! I have just seen the ATI 6870 now and it is only £124.99. It doesn't seem like it is hugely different to the 6950, obviously it is slightly less in almost everything though:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/290?vs=293

But this can save me something like £75 and it will still play all of the latest games I believe? I am not a hardcore PC gamer but just want to play all of the latest titles whenever I want. What do you guys think?

Sorry!!

olivier renault · 12 Jun 2011 at 02:36

6870 is slightly better than a 5850, which I had, which was a good card (now moved to my brother's PC), and played all recent games no problems at 1080p (well, 1200p actually). So yeah, not a bad card for the money. Won't be as good as a factory overclocked 6950 2GB, but hey, it's your dough.

And BTW while we're on the subject, OCUK do the 5850 for £100. Might as well save yourself £100 and go for one of these.

Confused though. Thought this was a gaming PC. The best way to approach this is to set yourself a budget and stick to it. Because there is an infinite variation in gaming performance.

wildest_jjk · 12 Jun 2011 at 08:54

Thanks for the response I got it down to about £785 with the 6950. But was really hoping to get an optical drive as well (although this wasnt mentioned) for £750. Then the 2 monitors for about £250 which make £1000. Thats what I was really hoping.

So for example adding this:
http://overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CD-140-SA&tool=3
Makes £750 then I have the £250 for monitors.

I want an AMD card with eyefinity and an HDMI that's why I thought the 6870 (next one down). Would your suggestion be 5850 then? As long as it plays everything well and has eyefinity and HDMI I don't mind.