New i5 2500k build, A few questions

chris182008

chris182008

chris182008

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Im ordering the bits for a new build next week and have a few questions this is what Iv got so far but think things need changing

Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz Socket 1155 6MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor
Corsair 8GB (2X4GB) DDR3 1600Mhz Vengeance Blue "LOW PROFILE" CL9 1.5V
MSI P67A-GD53 (B3) P67 Socket 1155 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard
OCZ Agility 3 Raid Pack 2x 60GB (120GB) 2.5" SATA-3 SSDs
Phanteks PH-TC14PE CPU Cooler

So the questions are...

1. Im hoping to get 5Ghz out of my i5 chip allowing Iv read a couple of reviews on the MSI above and it seems to get 5Ghz but Im not sure if there is a better motherboard around for around the £100 mark I dont need sli and Im installing windows to the SSD so dont think I need a z board could be wrong tho was thinking I could get a better p board for the money.

2. Is the ram any good always gone with cheap ram and never changed timings or anything bit out of my depth tbh my limit is change fsb and voltage then stability test.

3. Never bought a raid harddrive set up but double the speed for the same price it seems obvious to buy it, is there any disadvantages to using a raid harddrive

4. Will the Phanteks be good enough at 5Ghz or is it completely dependent on the chip

lastly sorry for the poor layout and lack of looking on my part at work a lot at the moment (turkey factory at xmas) and the missus will kill me if I spend the few hours Iv got at home each night looking at pc reviews

Thanks
 
1. Yes, this board. The Z68 are said to be better overclockers than the P67. At £80 it is saving you money. All good!

2. Standard timings, low profile is good so it won't foul the CPU cooler. The vengeance series is a quality RAM.

3. Not really double the speed. There can be issues with RAID'ing SSD's. Increase in speed but twice the risk of failure. Once a RIAD array is lost all the memory of them is lost too. Id just buy a 128GB SSD. This one?

4. Its a bit of both. I think they could be but not read many reviews on them. I have heard that The Noctua D14 can achieve 5Ghz with the i5.

Have you got an overall budget or any other parts you will re-use?
 
1) I would go for a Z68 board honestly, won't make any difference to the overclocking and you may want to use the SSD caching feature on a later date.

2) RAM is fine. You can't overclock the FSB though so if you want you can drop back to cheaper RAM such as this: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-094-KS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1517 . It's got the same speed and same timings.

3) Honestly, I see no reason to RAID SSDs. They're already super fast so perhaps consider sticking with one SSD, or have one SSD for Windows + other software with the other SSD for games, or use for SSD caching for your hard drives.

4) Cooler will do fine, it all depends on the chip. You just have to be lucky to get one that can clock to 5ghz. Honestly though anything over 4.5ghz is incredibly fast.
 
1) definitely go for the extra features of a z68 gen 3 board.

2) RAM is fine. Or you can pick up 8gb Kingston ram that's on special at stupidly low price and is low profile.

3) as per previous post can't see point of raiding them.. Put os on 1 and games on other

4) Cheaper coolers will keep temps low.. Just depends on your case size. Silver arrow and noctua nh d15 are both quality coolers..
 
you may as well go z68 even if not using all the extra features due to the on board vga, in the event your graphics card dies you can still use the pc for day to day stuff and some very light gaming.

the silver arrow is £25 cheaper, its the bes in terms of price/performance. the d14, phanteks and silver arrow are all within a oC or so of each other, so may as well save the money and go for the silver arrow.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-078-TR&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395

do you have the psu and graphics card for the build? also case.

depending on if you plan on going sli/xfire in the future(maybe not thinking about it now but would ou want the option open in the future) another option for the motherboard is

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-368-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1990

if you plan on ordering soon(i.e. by tomorrow night) then for the ram ocuk currently have 8gb kingston ram for £30

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-094-KS
 
Thanks for the quick replys I'm ordering on Thursday (xmas bonus) and hoping it will get here Friday budget wise around £550 would be great could maybe go a little higher but won't know for sure until Wednesday when I get my pay slip, PSU is a thermaltake 775w and Iv got a 560ti in my current rig was thinking of getting a 600 series when they are out as the 1gb memory is a little small for bf3 so buying a new one and donating the 560ti to the girlfriend hence no sli it would be a bonus but not essential will take a look at the ones suggested can read a few reviews on my breaks tomorrow

P.s case is a Bitfenix Merc Alpha and is full of fans should have a pretty good airflow my q8200 stays at okay temps with a small overclock @ 2.8 think it's lack of knowledge/cheap motherboard that's holding it back think Iv seen people with them at 3.2 and the raid SSD on overclockers is listed a 1000mb/s write speed where the single 120gb was 550 mb/s think il stick to the single as it's less hassle
 
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I don't really see the point in a Z68 board. You get way more useful stuff for your money with P67. Smart Response is pointless if you just install your OS on an SSD and the ability to use onboard graphics isn't worth the extra dough if you bear in mind that it's highly unlikely you will ever be without a dedicated GPU.

Z68 certainly doesn't OC better than P67 either.
 
kissenger said:
I don't really see the point in a Z68 board. You get way more useful stuff for your money with P67. Smart Response is pointless if you just install your OS on an SSD and the ability to use onboard graphics isn't worth the extra dough if you bear in mind that it's highly unlikely you will ever be without a dedicated GPU.

Z68 certainly doesn't OC better than P67 either.
Click to expand...

not everyone has spare componets laying about to be used incase dies, the onboard VGA as I said will be useful if the graphics card dies.

you may have spare cards from upgrades and what not but it doesn't mean the op has.
 
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