New PC Build Check Please

robbieshanks · 5 Sep 2011 at 15:47

Hi all, I've been asked to build a new PC for a work colleague for some gaming, fast movie encoding a plus and relatively future proof for the next few years. This is what I've come up with:

Intel Core i5 2500K
Asus P8Z68-V PRO
XFX 550W Core PSU
4GB XMS3 Classic 1600
1TB Samsung F3
Antec 300 Case
1GB XFX HD6870
Samsung SH-S222 DVD writer

Any thoughts on the chosen components?

Will the MB be compatible with Ivy Bridge?

I'd originally included a Hyper 212+ Cooler but he has said he is not too worried about overclocking initially (I've picked the 2500K as I intend to talk him into this later!)

Is there a safe overclock for this system with the stock cooler? I'm sure I remember reading 3.8GHz would be safe enough but I don't want to risk damaging anything.

robbieshanks · 5 Sep 2011 at 16:15

Oh well, my personal feeling is that an i5 2500k might well be future proof enough and if we add a cooler later on down the line he can overclock to keep the system running quickly.

Any strong arguments for making sure there is future compatibility with Ivy Bridge?

If I'm not going to get an MB with Ivy Bridge compatibility would it be better to save money and go for a cheaper P67 board?

robbieshanks · 5 Sep 2011 at 16:34

Cool, thanks for the options. Budget is £850 including system, OS and 24" monitor.

Any reason why the Antec PSU rather than XFX? The reason for my choosing XFX was that it was a Seasonic unit...

I've seen the ASUS P8Z68-V PRO motherboard and i5 2500K chip bundled for around £290 elsewhere and thought that was good value hence my original choice. I've also got to make room in the budget for a card reader and internel wireless PCI card.

I love speccing PCs but it's so easy to get muddled! :eek:

robbieshanks · 5 Sep 2011 at 16:59

Looks like a nice system but definitely breaks the budget! I think the 6870 will be fine for his gaming needs (he's not an enthusiast so I don't think his Crysis 2 FPS keep him awake at night.

)

I'm also loathe to give him a PSU above 550W as I really don't think he'll ever need to do massive overclocking or crossfire.

Apart from that it looks pretty good - I've heard great things about the ASROCK Z68 board. Is there ever any need to go for a SATA 3 hard drive? I thought it was just a gimmick to extract an extra £10 from unwary buyers. Happy to be proven wrong though!

robbieshanks · 5 Sep 2011 at 17:17

I looked into that Gigabyte motherboard when I started speccing. I was a bit concerned about some of the things being said about the quality of these boards and then decided I liked the sound of the user friendly BIOS and other perks such as Bluetooth in the ASUS board. I do plan on putting a very mild overclock on the processor (surely it would be rude not to...). Thinking about 3.8GHz max.

I haven't found anything definitive about whether this is possible with stock cooler. I'm hoping that with the cooling in the Antec 300 case this should be reachable on stock with acceptable temps under load.