Spec Check Please

Daniel · 17 Nov 2011 at 17:39

My current PC is now 5 years old and showing signs of wearing out so I am looking to upgrade. Can you please tell me if everything listed is compatible or if there is something that needs changing.

Crucial RealSSD M4 256GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - £299.99
Intel Core i7-2700K 3.50GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail **Supplied with BattleField 3 PC Game** - £261.98
MSI Z68A-GD65-G3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard - £149.98
Kingston HyperX Genesis 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual/Quad Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3K4/16GX) - £71.99
Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) - £25.99

I don't necessarily need 16GB of memory but for the price it seemed worthwhile. I already have a case, PSU and a 5870 graphics card from my old system.

Thanks for your help
Dan

Daniel · 17 Nov 2011 at 18:27

I have a Akasa Eclipse 62 case. It's quite an old case but it's nice and big and easy to work with so I see no reason is changing it. My reason for upgrading is because I am having random restarts. I had a new Corsair PSU about a year ago so I don't think it's that so am leaning towards the caps failing on the motherboard which is about 5 years old now.

Thanks for your help
Dan

Daniel · 19 Nov 2011 at 19:14

I have just ordered my new system but changed the Kingston memory for G.Skill RipJawsZ 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual/Quad Channel Kit (F3-12800CL9Q-16GBZL) and am now unsure if it's a good move.

The MSI site doesn't have it listed as supported and the G.Skill site says it's for the X79 chipset. However, the description on OCUK says that it's designed specifically for Intel Sandy Bridge-E LGA1155 processors, and H67, P67, Z68 and X79 motherboard platforms. So, my question is...Will this memory be ok for MSI Z68A-GD65-G3 Intel Z68?

I haven't built a PC for 5 years so am not up with the latest tech.

Thanks for your help
Dan

Daniel · 19 Nov 2011 at 19:48

Thank you for your help.

Right...If I go for a Corsair H60 I will then be able to use the memory I have. A couple of questions.

1. Is the H60 going to be better cooling over the Gelid?

2. I have an Akasa Eclipse case so how would I fit the H60? The case only has front and rear 120mm fan holes. Would the H60 radiator fit on the outside of the case in place of the rear fan?

Sorry for all the questions

Dan

Daniel · 19 Nov 2011 at 20:28

Thanks for your help. It looks like the Kuhler620 will be a good option and because the heat is vented out of the case, I guess it will be cooler than a normal heatsink and fan?

I'm not so sure about turning the front fan around as surely some cool air still needs to go into the case. Wouldn't hot air be vented out through the radiator and the PSU?

Dan

Daniel · 21 Nov 2011 at 19:34

In the end I chose to change back to the memory I originally had to save hassle and spending more money. My parts should be here tomorrow. I have some questions as My last build was a Q6600 system so am out of date with things.

My new motherboard has SATA III ports, 2x intel and 2x marvel. Am I right in thinking that the intel one is the best one to connect my SSD to?

Also, I would like to have my SATA II 1TB drive as the D: drive for backups so I guess I just connect that to a standard SATA II port and all should be fine?

I noticed it says that SSD works best in AHCI mode. If the bios is set to this mode then will the SATA II mechanical drive still run ok or is this AHCI thing changed on a per channel basis in the bios?

Thanks for your help
Dan

Daniel · 23 Nov 2011 at 13:49

I now have everything set up and it all seems to be running ok. I have a couple of questions about temps and the PWM CPU fan.

In the bios it says the CPU temp is 43C but in CPUID HW monitor and Speedfan it says: Core 0: 27C - Core 1: 29C - Core 2: 26C - Core 3: 18C. So which is best to believe? I have already updated the bios to the latest. Looking at it...Maybe the bios is giving an average on two cores added together...I have no idea.

I have a PWM fan on the cooler that is spinning at 1450rpm all the time. I can't see any setting in the bios for fan control for auto, voltage and PWM. There is a setting to set fan speed on heat threshold and the percentage the fan should spin when it hits that threshold. I don't think this is the same.

I have two PWM system fans connected to the system PWM header. These fans are daisy chained and seem to be using PWM properly as they are only spinning at 450rpm.

Thank you for your help.
Dan