Sandy Bridge budget build

oweneades · 22 Jan 2011 at 11:59

Hi all,

I am just after a bit of advice and comments on the budget SB build I have put together (not purchased).

I was going to spec up a 2600k, CF based build but I think that is most likely overkill for what I need. Therefore the purse strings have been rained in the price limit has been set at £500-550 for everything bar the graphics card (I already have a GTX460 1GB that will be used).

So far I have specced the following:

Obviously this is right at the top of the budget but I think it does a good all round system with no real weak spots.

The system will be used primarily for gaming (1680x1050 22" monitor) and media encoding (for my media server / HTPC). It will also be used for general productivity so needs to be reasonably quiet as well.

A few comments of my own:

- 2500 non K chosen on OCUK for balance of price and performance. The K is very overpriced here so I might end up getting it elsewhere.
- P67 motherboard chosen for ability to partially overclock. With the non K processor might it be worth dropping down to a H67 motherboard to possibly utilise quick sync (native GPU / IGP issues aside)?
- 4GB of memory should be enough for my needs
- Case and PSU seem to be well balanced and are very good value for money. I prefer the layout of the CM 690 over say the Antec 100.

Anyway I look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions.

stulid · 22 Jan 2011 at 12:03

A good selection of parts except for the psu, which gets poor reviews, the CM690 lite case is on offer today, so could get a different psu.

Your basketProduct Name Qty Price Line Total
Intel Core i5-2500 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £167.99
(£139.99) £167.99
(£139.99)
Foxconn P67A-S Intel P67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard - (Sandybridge) £99.98
(£83.32) £99.98
(£83.32)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-00599) £81.98
(£68.32) £81.98
(£68.32)
XFX Pro 650W Core Edition Power Supply £66.37
(£55.31) £66.37
(£55.31)
Coolermaster CM-690 II Lite Dominator Case - Black £53.99
(£44.99) £53.99
(£44.99)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000528AS) £40.99
(£34.16) £40.99
(£34.16)
GeIL 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz VALUE PLUS Dual Channel (GVP34GB1600C9DC) £33.98
(£28.32) £33.98
(£28.32)
Sony Optiarc AD-5260S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.98
(£12.48) £14.98
(£12.48)
Sub Total : £466.89
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £10.50
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £95.48
Total : £572.87

bhavv · 22 Jan 2011 at 12:05

If your not going to overclock, then a 2500 + H67 board would be fine, otherwise you''ll want a 2500k and P67 board.

Also since you have free delivery here, you should grab that Ram before the this week only offer ends because its a steal at £33.

Or just order the above post.

oweneades · 22 Jan 2011 at 12:16

Blimey that was some quick replies, thanks guys

I have tweaked the build a little to this:

stulid · 22 Jan 2011 at 12:18

shadow_boxer · 22 Jan 2011 at 12:43

Latest one looks spot on. Good selection of components. Case is very good. Quite spacious from inside and good airflow too.

The i5 2500K is certainly overpriced here but can be had for £178.99 from a Manchester based retailer, so only just a little more than the non-K version you spec'd here.

Once overclocked, when your ready and get a decent aftermarket cooler, this will fly even more.

If you decide to get the 2500K at a later date, you'll almost certainly end up considerably out of pocket as I don't think there'll be much demand for a non-K 2500K CPU.

Other than this, looks spot on.

oweneades · 22 Jan 2011 at 12:53

shadow_boxer said:
Latest one looks spot on. Good selection of components. Case is very good. Quite spacious from inside and good airflow too.

The i5 2500K is certainly overpriced here but can be had for £178.99 from a Manchester based retailer, so only just a little more than the non-K version you spec'd here.

Once overclocked, when your ready and get a decent aftermarket cooler, this will fly even more.

If you decide to get the 2500K at a later date, you'll almost certainly end up considerably out of pocket as I don't think there'll be much demand for a non-K 2500K CPU.

Other than this, looks spot on.

This was my thought as well. Stick in the 2500k sourced elsewhere into this build (albeit with the P67 foxconn motherboard) and the system overall would be much more balanced. It would also be more "future proofed" given the boost the cpu could see.

shadow_boxer · 22 Jan 2011 at 12:58

oweneades said:
This was my thought as well. Stick in the 2500k sourced elsewhere into this build (albeit with the P67 foxconn motherboard) and the system overall would be much more balanced. It would also be more "future proofed" given the boost the cpu could see.

Spot on, it'll give you much more flexibility if you decide to overclock for example. I'm sure you'd be taking a fairly significant loss trying to flog you i5 2500 later on.

The foxconn board is quite popular, particularly as it offers x8 on the second PCI-E slot for Crossfire, which is pretty impressive at its current price point.

Edit.

Also a better PSU is the Antec TruePower New Modular 650W Power Supply which is on a Today Only (actually until Monday lunch time) offer elsewhere for £59.98!