Newbie builder - help needed.

pumaknight · 10 Nov 2013 at 17:50

Hello all,
I really could do with some advice and guidance. I have become quite taken with the Bitfenix small form cases, Prodigy M and am desperately wanting to build myself one. But having not built a PC for about 20 years, I am quite at a loss where to start on the spec I would like to build up.

Firstly, I have some components from my existing rig that I would carry across, namely, memory, i5 2500k socket LGA 1155, 2xHIS IceQ7950 GPUs.

I know that the new Prodigy M case would fit crossfire, but then I come unstuck on specs. Things like:

1. Smaller, PSU with enough power to allow those cars to fit?
2. Water cooling and if so what sort of cooling equipment is needed???
3. Ease of build and level of difficulty?

Arrggg....and calm again. I would love to wait for Overclocker to do a prebuilt one, but given that I have lots of gear already, and really fancy the challenge, any help you could give as to gear to buy and a build guide would be so welcomed.

here's hoping you can help.
Thanks,
Michael H

Fulax · 10 Nov 2013 at 18:21

By watercooling do you mean a custom loop or an AIO like the Corsair h100i? You won't get a custom loop in a Prodigy M, nor will you fit an h100i in with two GPUs. The best you'll get in an h80i or similar 120mm AIO cooler.

Your PSU can be a maximum of 160mm deep for Crossfire, but I would recommend trying to find a 150mm one to make fitting the cables a bit easier.

pumaknight · 10 Nov 2013 at 20:13

Fulax said:
By watercooling do you mean a custom loop or an AIO like the Corsair h100i? You won't get a custom loop in a Prodigy M, nor will you fit an h100i in with two GPUs. The best you'll get in an h80i or similar 120mm AIO cooler.

Your PSU can be a maximum of 160mm deep for Crossfire, but I would recommend trying to find a 150mm one to make fitting the cables a bit easier.

Thanks, really appreciate the feedback.

I will be honest, not sure what you mean by custom loop or AIO....ahem. Being a bit thick here, does taht mean water cooling kit that is off the shelf is not possible, so I will need to air cool? I do want to OC my CPU, to about 4ghz, so thought water was the better way to go.

Really appreciate any help.

Fulax · 10 Nov 2013 at 20:43

AIO stands for all-in-one. Essentialy, you get a radiator, pump, tubes, and coolant as one package. They require no special knowledge to set up, and no maintenance. Like this: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-014-CS

A custom loop you buy everything separately. You'll get better performance and aesthetics, but it will cost more and will require upkeep. It also requires more space - more than you'll have in a Prodigy M.

An AIO will get you similar performance to a higher-end air cooler, albeit at slightly higher cost and more noise (due to the pump). The problem you may face with air coolers is that the good ones tend to be quite large, so you have to check for compatability. They can also get in the way of your RAM, particularly if you RAM modules have large heatspreaders.

So...based on the size of the case an h80i or similar 120mm AIO cooler may be the best way to go. It will get you a bit more than 4ghz, too.

Some questions:

Do your GPUs have a blower-style cooler? That is, do they expel air out of the back of the case? If they dump the hot air back into the case, things could get a little toasty - they will be very close to one another. EDIT: Blower cooler, if you've got this http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-065-HS

Have you considered Bitfenix's Phenom M? Same internal layout, sleeker design.

What is your overall budget?

pumaknight · 10 Nov 2013 at 21:13

Fulax said:
AIO stands for all-in-one. Essentialy, you get a radiator, pump, tubes, and coolant as one package. They require no special knowledge to set up, and no maintenance. Like this: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-014-CS

A custom loop you buy everything separately. You'll get better performance and aesthetics, but it will cost more and will require upkeep. It also requires more space - more than you'll have in a Prodigy M.

An AIO will get you similar performance to a higher-end air cooler, albeit at slightly higher cost and more noise (due to the pump). The problem you may face with air coolers is that the good ones tend to be quite large, so you have to check for compatability. They can also get in the way of your RAM, particularly if you RAM modules have large heatspreaders.

So...based on the size of the case an h80i or similar 120mm AIO cooler may be the best way to go. It will get you a bit more than 4ghz, too.

Some questions:

Do your GPUs have a blower-style cooler? That is, do they expel air out of the back of the case? If they dump the hot air back into the case, things could get a little toasty - they will be very close to one another. EDIT: Blower cooler, if you've got this http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-065-HS

Have you considered Bitfenix's Phenom M? Same internal layout, sleeker design.

What is your overall budget?

Oh thanks, that really helped. I have the HIS GPU with the blower style cooler (one's that you linked to

) My RAM is just standard DIMMS with no active cooling above them. Dont know if that complicates it at all.

So from what I can see, water would actually be louder, but allow higher clock speeds at the CPU.

I have no real budget in mind, cheaper is better, of course, but given the cost of the GPUs already, to scrimp on cooling and casing seemed a bit odd.

The Phenom looks good too and could be an option. I will have a look and see if I can put a spec together and if okay, hopefully anyone can advise on whether it will work

Thanks