Spec me my first self-build

AntCodd

AntCodd

AntCodd

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29 Jul 2011
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I'm looking to but the components to build myself a PC, but before I pull the trigger I thought that I would post the specs here to get some advice.

The specs I have at the moment are:

Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V
CPU: Intel i5 2500k
Graphics: Sapphire 1Gb Radeon HD 6850
Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB 1600 DDR3
HDD: Seagate barracuda 1TB 7200 6Gb/s
PSU: OCZ ModXstream Pro 600w
Case: Bitfenix Shinobi (non-window)

A few of the options I was looking at was subbing the motherboard for a Asus P8P67 LE; the p67 is less expensive, but I guess the z68 is a bit more 'future-proof' (as much as it can be in the components world!)

Also, I'm not completely clued up on PSUs so if 600w is ridiculous for that spec then let me know of a different one, and I can save a few pennies if it's less.

Also, as it's the non-windowed version of the shinobi, should I get another 120mm fan, which would normally come included with the windowed one. If so, which?

Like I said, it's my first foray into building PCs so be kind!
 
The spec looks good :) , what will you be using the PC for, gaming? You may want to consider a aftermarket cooler for the i5 if you want to overclock it in the future.
 
Sorry, I should have put that in.

I'll be using it for work and gaming. Nothing too heavy but I'd like to be able to play Guild Wars 2 when it comes out, and I also need it for a bit of light to medium 3D modelling on occasion.
 
You could go for something like the below, i cant find that OcUK has any 6850's in stock :(

Product Name Qty Price Line Total
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560Ti OC 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560Ti OC 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £179.99
(£149.99) £179.99
(£149.99)
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM £155.99
(£129.99) £155.99
(£129.99)
Asus P8Z68-V Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard Asus P8Z68-V Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £129.98
(£108.32) £129.98
(£108.32)
Antec TruePower New Modular 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply ** FREE 3D Mark 2011 Advanced ** Antec TruePower New Modular 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply ** FREE 3D Mark 2011 Advanced ** £59.99
(£49.99) £59.99
(£49.99)
BitFenix Shinobi Gaming Case - Black BitFenix Shinobi Gaming Case - Black £49.99
(£41.66) £49.99
(£41.66)
Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) £26.39
(£21.99) £26.39
(£21.99)
Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £23.99
(£19.99) £23.99
(£19.99)
Sub Total : £521.93
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £12.50
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £106.89
Total : £641.32


If you want to Sli in future you may want to select a better PSU.
 
AntCodd said:
Sorry, I should have put that in.

I'll be using it for work and gaming. Nothing too heavy but I'd like to be able to play Guild Wars 2 when it comes out, and I also need it for a bit of light to medium 3D modelling on occasion.
Click to expand...

- GW2 will no doubt scale down like Guild Wars did (can play on Laptop GMA4500!). Games such as BF3 and the new COD will work better with more firepower.

- I would take the Antec semi-modular for a little bit more. Or a XFX 650W Core. The Antec 'should' power 460ti SLI, but I would take a Lepa B 850 or the Antec TPN 750.

- You said P8P67 LE, surely you meant the P8P67 Pro on offer, as it is more in comparison with the Z68 board. P8P67 is a great board no doubt. It up there at the top in terms of overclocking and stability under stress. I would still pick up the Z68, as I feel it has everything that I would need. It also has decent VRM design and will overclock easily anyway.

If you meant the P8P67 LE, I would forget about this one. It's cramped, it's tricky to overclock and has minimal potential, I think you'd be better off with a decent board (which imo would start at the MSI-P67-GD53).

- The Shinobi is OK, I've added the immensely popular CM 690 II Lite, which is only a little more.

- Gelid is a good cooler, if a bit tricky to install. I'd stick with that.

The 5850 outperforms a 6850. In fact, a GTX 460 OC would perform similar to a 5850. These go on offer sometimes as low as under £110. The next step up would be a GTX 560 1GB, at under £150. Would probably be a better buy than a 5850 at £130. If you can afford a 560ti OC, then by all means.

- I would consider the 2500K retail with the 3 years warranty.

- The RAM is fine, and cheap. Also the Kingston HyperX 8GB at under £50, but it's a luxury rather than a necessity unless you use memory intensive programs like photoshop or video editing a lot.

£650 budget.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £163.99
1 x MSI GeForce GTX 560 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £149.99
1 x MSI P67A-GD53 Intel P67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard ** B3 REVISION ** £114.98
1 x Cooler Master CM-690 II Lite Dominator Case - Black £59.99
1 x Antec TruePower New Modular 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply ** FREE 3D Mark 2011 Advanced ** £59.99
1 x Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD502HJ) £31.99
1 x Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) £26.39
1 x Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £23.99
1 x Sony Optiarc AD-5260S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £15.98
Total : £662.29 (includes shipping : £12.50).





£750 budget

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560Ti OC 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £179.99
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £163.99
1 x Asus P8Z68-V Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £129.98
1 x Antec TruePower New Modular 750W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply ** FREE 3D Mark 2011 Advanced ** £80.99
1 x Cooler Master CM-690 II Lite Dominator Case - Black £59.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £47.99
1 x Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD502HJ) £31.99
1 x Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £23.99
1 x Sony Optiarc AD-5260S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £15.98
Total : £749.89 (includes shipping : £12.50).



With SLI potential, more powerful GPU and 8GB thrown in. 6950 2GB also a possibility. IMO well worth the extra £100 over either £650 build.

This is what 560sli / 6950 Xfire will give you (skip the first half) :

 
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Is the 560ti OC worth the extra 20 quid over the other 560?

Also, are there any large advantages to the CM case over the shinobi?
 
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Good stuff.

Just noticed the 460 OC that you mentioned is on sale today for £108.

Tempting price if it will fit my needs, but the performance increase by getting the 560ti oc looks mighty fine.

Also, if I go for the shinobi, will I need an extra fan, as the windowless only comes with one 120mm.
 
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Just an idea I had, but I'm sure stulid or someone will have a go at me haha!
 
- Triple channel mem.
- IMO 30GB SSD not that useful. I'd rather have a 60GB OS drive than 30GB SRT, which I doubt the Gigabyte will support.
- 6950 2GB is also an option. Not so long ago, you could get a 6950 Twin Frozr III for £200.
- Zalman is a good case if you are on a budget.
- OEM CPU so missing a fan :p
- and I really don't like the budget gigabyte boards. something about them...

SSDs are nice, still expensive, and eat £100 off a budget. Still, I would find it hard to go back to a mechanical drive for OS.
 
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AntCodd said:
How will taking the 560ti affect the PSU I choose? Will it still run off a 550W or will I need something with more juice?
Click to expand...

the Antec 550W will be good for it. the 750W version will SLI them for later. You want ideally over 500W on the 12V rail for single 560 OC. That's got room to spare, and PSUs like to have a bit of breathing space (less stress means less heat means less noise, more efficient, more durability). It's a bit like engines, you don't want to redline, and they give their best in the 'power band' :)
 
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Nice analogy.

So I have three small points that I would like to clear up before I go ahead and buy this rig:

1. Is the aftermarket cooler important if I'm not looking to OC until I've settled in with PC. It's a false economy but taking that extra £25 off makes the pill a little easier to swallow!

2. Extra case fans - I keep going on about it but shall I chuck in an extra one seeing as the shinobi only comes with one case fan.

3. Assuming I take the 560ti OC and may look at adding in an SSD for the OS before the end of the year, will the 550W PSU be alright?

I keep asking stuff but I really appreciate the help I've had so far!


Edit: changed OC for OS. On this forum I imagine that mistake would cause a whole heap of confusion!
 
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1 - You can stick with the retail for a while. a 2500K stock is still very quick. All modern cases have a cut out at the back of the motherboard tray, so changing the backplate of a 3rd party CPU cooler should be no problems.

2 - Yeah, at least two case fans. One intake at the front, one exhaust at the back. That's the minimum setup for cases. I would also move the shinobi intake fan higher, IIRC, it sits at the bottom of the case. Better air flow around the GPU and motherboard.

3 - Antec 550W will power a 560 ti OC. You will be hitting 450W absolute max at load (and that's at the plug, with 100% CPU and GPU AND being conservative). Not all 500W PSUs are equal, and this is a very good one. A SSD has minimal power requirements. Probably the most energy efficient component in the whole rig.

review of the PSU, among others (I think this is the slightly older version), and why it pays to pay attention to the quality of a PSU.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3985/three-550w-psus-for-different-prices/1

Post final build before hitting that button, but it looks to be settled.
 
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AntCodd said:
Any suggestions for case fans? They seem to range from barely anything to quite expensive.
Click to expand...
The Antec Tri-Cool 120mm fans are reasonably good fans...retail ones sell for around £8~£10 each average. These £1.49 one that OcUK selling are OEMs, so no box, no screw...all you get are the fans that get delivered to you in bubble wrap/wrapped bag. You would have to pick up some case fan screws elsewhere yourself...probably either from the bay, or your random local PC shop.
These OEM Antec fans you get are either just the standard black one, or if you are lucky you would get the transparent Blue-LED ones. You won't get to choose which one you get, it's random.
 
This is looking like a near final spec for me. Comments appreciated as always.


Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560Ti OC 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £179.99

Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £163.99

Asus P8Z68-V Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard
£129.98

Antec TruePower New Modular 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply ** FREE 3D Mark 2011 Advanced **
£59.99

BitFenix Shinobi Gaming Case - Black
£49.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS)
£39.98

Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9)
£26.39

Antec Tri-Cool 3-Speed 120mm Fan - Clear
£9.98


Overall £675.30 with shipping.
 
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