New rig - Input & suggestions welcome!

SirPsychoZeo · 14 Aug 2011 at 13:05

Hi Guys

I'm currently looking to upgrade by rig after 4 years and would like to build it around late August / early September in time for a few new games. Back in late 2007 I posted a similar thread before building and I got some really great feedback, so I thought I would chance my arm again! If you guys could quickly skim over the list and if you spot any issues or improvements I would be grateful if you could briefly flag them up for me.

Components from OcUK:
- Hazro HZ27WC 8-Bit 27" LED Widescreen Professional Monitor (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-013-HO&groupid=17&catid=1120&subcat=)
- Krypton Z68 650i Intel Core i7 2600K 3.40Ghz @ 4.60Ghz Overclocked - Bundle [8GB RAM] (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-072-OE)
- Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-336-WD&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=1279)
- OCZ Agility 3 60GB 2.5" SATA-3 Solid State Hard Drive (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-075-OC&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=910)
- OCZ 2.5" to 3.5" SSD Adaptor (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-084-OC&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=910)
- OcUK GeForce GTX 580 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-153-OK&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1812)
- Samsung SH-B123L/BSBP 12x BluRay ROM / 16x DVD±RW Lightscribe SATA-II Optical Drive (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CD-140-SA&groupid=701&catid=10&subcat=314)
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SW-127-MS&tool=3)

Components I own already & will be using:
- Thermaltake ToughPower 850W Modular Power Supply (http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1264&ID=1503)
- Thermaltake Shark Case (http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1268&ID=1416)
- Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty 5.1 Sound Card
- LG DVD Writer / Keyboard / Mouse / Headset

Some of the concerns I have and some notes I would make are as follows:
1) I am aware that the monitor does not have HDCP, but I would still like a blu-ray in my machine just in case needed / can be put to use in future.
2) I understand there is two motherboard options for Intel, P67 and Z68 I believe, but I do not know the significance of this difference!
3) My PSU was bought from OcUK back in 2007 and its worked flawlessly since then powering my current rig (Q4400 / GTX260). It's not longer on sale on the website, but I believe its still very good - any comments on this?
4) The choice of GTX580 was to provide support for potential future games which might require the extra memory when playing at the max res of the monitor (2560x1400 I believe). I know some reviews say this is hardly needed now, but don't want to shoot myself in the foot so to speak.
5) With regards to the CPU/MoBo/RAM bundle; best to replace the included heatsink?
6) Is Windows 7 OEM okay, or do I need Retail version?

I understand that I am (once again) asking for advice for nothing, so I really appreciate any time spent even glancing at this list. Thank you!

stulid · 14 Aug 2011 at 13:21

Where to start,

A Samsung F3 is as fast but cheaper than a WD Black.

If you bought a CPU/RAM/Heatsink and motherboard separately, you can save money and overclocking is easy.

Your basketProduct Name Qty Price Line Total
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £169.99
(£141.66) £169.99
(£141.66)
Asus P8Z68-V Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £131.99
(£109.99) £131.99
(£109.99)
Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £44.99
(£37.49) £44.99
(£37.49)
Corsair A50 High-Performance CPU Cooler (Socket AM2/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £23.99
(£19.99) £23.99
(£19.99)
Sub Total : £309.13
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £9.50
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £63.73
Total : £382.36

P67 and Z68 I believe, but I do not know the significance of this difference!

A Z68 has onboard display outputs and has three more features,

SSD caching
Lucid Virtu
Quicksync.

Is Windows 7 OEM okay, or do I need Retail version?

Its fine.

My PSU was bought from OcUK back in 2007 and its worked flawlessly

Good PSU, will be fine.

Jony27 · 14 Aug 2011 at 13:24

and if the use of this pc is mainly gaming, then get an i5 2500k as it performs exactly the same with the i7 2600k in games.

SirPsychoZeo · 14 Aug 2011 at 17:05

Hi guys.

Many thanks for your replies. I think I'm happy to drop down to the i5 as I will be using the rig for gaming only. Comparing the i5 bundle vs separate components, £382.36 vs £421.69, that's a saving of approximately £40 which is quite good.

I will also go with the Samsung F3 as well, giving a another saving of appox. £25. Together with the overall saving from i7 bundle to i5 separate components, thats about £160 saved. Thank you guys!

stulid · 14 Aug 2011 at 17:07

Its worth getting a retail Blu-ray player so it comes with some playback software - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CD-109-LG&groupid=701&catid=10&subcat=314

SirPsychoZeo · 14 Aug 2011 at 18:04

stulid · 14 Aug 2011 at 18:06

Now then,

The 3GB GTX580 isnt needed, the 1.5GB card will save a fortune and is as fast - http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_580_Lightning_Extreme_Edition/27.html - the only performance difference bewteen the Green and Blue is because of the MSI GeForce GTX 580 Lightning Xtreme Edition 3 GB overclocked speeds.

Reaper 392 · 14 Aug 2011 at 18:07

if your interested, Akasa do a dual 2.5" to 3.5" adapter for the hard drives, which means you can get two 2.5" drives into one 3.5" space. only £1 more too

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-059-AK&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=72

Spydell · 14 Aug 2011 at 18:20

Jony27 said:
and if the use of this pc is mainly gaming, then get an i5 2500k as it performs exactly the same with the i7 2600k in games.

Not exactly, but very little difference in them dependent on the game.

But the answer is still an i5 2500k for a gaming only rig.

If you plan on doing any serious overclocking then you might want a serious heatsink.

Nice build

SirPsychoZeo · 14 Aug 2011 at 21:27

I could swop out that GTX580 listed above for this:

- MSI GeForce GTX 580 OC Twin FrozR II 1536MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-116-MS&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1812)

It would save me about £80, which is always good

Thanks again for the feedback!

Spydell; I do plan to OC the CPU to 4.5ghz-ish - what CPU heatsink would you recommend?

Spydell · 15 Aug 2011 at 16:00

SirPsychoZeo said:
I could swop out that GTX580 listed above for this:

- MSI GeForce GTX 580 OC Twin FrozR II 1536MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-116-MS&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1812)

It would save me about £80, which is always good Thanks again for the feedback!

Spydell; I do plan to OC the CPU to 4.5ghz-ish - what CPU heatsink would you recommend?

SirpsychoZeo if your not that fussed about having the extra v-ram at high resolution
then you might want to look here and save yourself a small fortune http://overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-160-OK

As for the cooler in my personnel opinion this is the best performing and best priced cooler you can get. http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-078-TR&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=

EDIT: Hence the reason why its always out of stock here on ocuk

SirPsychoZeo · 15 Aug 2011 at 18:42

Thanks for those links Spydell. I think I'll definitely drop down to the 1,500 RAM versions. Not 100% sure which I'll go for (stock V OC'd).

That does look like a very good heatsink, but as you've noted its always out of stock! Should it not be in supply when I come to upgrade, what alternatives would you recommend?

Thanks again for great feedback

stulid · 15 Aug 2011 at 18:44

SirPsychoZeo said:
Thanks for those links Spydell. I think I'll definitely drop down to the 1,500 RAM versions. Not 100% sure which I'll go for (stock V OC'd).

That does look like a very good heatsink, but as you've noted its always out of stock! Should it not be in supply when I come to upgrade, what alternatives would you recommend?

Thanks again for great feedback

That £290 GTX580 only has a 1year warranty as its a refurbished card.

Spydell · 15 Aug 2011 at 20:10

SirPsychoZeo said:
Thanks for those links Spydell. I think I'll definitely drop down to the 1,500 RAM versions. Not 100% sure which I'll go for (stock V OC'd).

That does look like a very good heatsink, but as you've noted its always out of stock! Should it not be in supply when I come to upgrade, what alternatives would you recommend?

Thanks again for great feedback

Your welcome

The Noctua NH-D14 is another outstanding cooler but a little pricey compared to the silver arrow for my taste.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=hs-011-nc&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=

some things to remember when choosing your heatsink are

1.] size.
the two heatsinks i have mentioned are massive so its best to double check the dimensions of your case before buying to make sure there going to fit.
[you don't want to have to leave the side of the case off

]
i did have a quick look at the link to your case but when i clicked specification
nothing showed up.
also check ram clearance because any ram with large heatsinks on are unlikely to fit under, so in this case it would be best to make sure the ram is low profile ram.
if you went with a liquid cpu cooler such as the corsair hydro h60
then clearance is not a factor.

2.]performance & noise
depending on your needs [e.g. how far you would like to overclock] depends on the type of cooler you will need.
so if your planning on overclocking and getting the most out of your cpu then your going to need a top performing heatsink like the above,
however if your not planning on overclocking or plan on maybe just a small overclock say anything under 4.0ghz then you might be best saving a few £££
and going for something a little cheaper.
noise if you plan on having a quiet rig then there would be no point in having the cpu cooler being the the loudest component in your case, however high end graphics cards when gaming tend to get pretty loud especially the ones with stock coolers on them so be aware of that.

edit: just a quick link regarding some performance on the noctua nh-d14 and other coolers to help maybe give you an idea
http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/noctua_nh_d14_cpu_cooler_review,8.html

SirPsychoZeo · 16 Aug 2011 at 00:22

Thanks for this info Spydell. I do plan on overclocking it to get the most out of the CPU, and if OcUK bundles are @4.50ghz, then i would ideally want to get somewhere near that.

Here is a link with the dimensions of my case (and some decent pics from an angle): http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=178&num=1

I notice the width of the case is more than the height of this cooler. Is that the right way to analyse whether or not it would fit?

Jony27 · 16 Aug 2011 at 00:26

I notice the width of the case is more than the height of this cooler. Is that the right way to analyse whether or not it would fit?

nope, you have to measure the distance from the motherboard tray to the side panel.
theres a space behind the motherboard tray for cable routing, so using the width as a measurement would be around 1 1/2 inch off.

SirPsychoZeo · 16 Aug 2011 at 18:50

Thanks Jony27.

I have looked into it abit more and understand my current heatsink (for current rig) is 124mm tall. The heatsink in question is 160, meaning I need another 36mm of headroom. I have measured from the top of my current headsink to the edge of the case, and this is about 35-40mm (can't measure precisely due to angles & not being able to measure with case closed!).

I guess I can go with this as it should just about fit. With that said, would there be any slightly lower heatsinks that you would recommend, just in case?

stulid · 16 Aug 2011 at 18:53

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-005-AN&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395

That would solve any issues with height and fitments, just attach the radiator to a rear 120mm fan space.

Spydell · 16 Aug 2011 at 19:36

Your welcome,
I found a picture of the noctua dh-14 fitting inside the thermaltake shark case, so hopefully it will give you some sort of refference as to what it will look like

Its not the best picture, but gauging from that it looks like it will fit.
The op of the picture was japense unfortunatly so i couldnt ask any questions on the combination of the two on your behalf.

SirPsychoZeo · 17 Aug 2011 at 13:47

Excellent find! I didn't think there was a chance someone would have a picture of that exact cooler in my exact case. That's going beyond the call good sir, thank you! I think I'll definitely go for that one, have saved money elsewhere with people's advices so am in a good position.