System build around a Coolmaster 212x

q974739

q974739

q974739

Associate
Joined
4 Feb 2009
Posts
1,396
Hi All

So, I've got a great big coolmaster http://www.coolermaster.com/cooling/cpu-air-cooler/hyper-212x/ which I was going to use on my AMD, but can't because of screw problems.

So I'm going to build a whole system instead. It's the sensible thing to do. What I want is a desktop which will
  • Fit and use the coolmaster 212 - it's a bit big, so case size is important
  • Re-use my current graphics card (7850), which will be replaced next generation
  • Be Quiet (sound proofing in case welcome?)
  • Cost no more than £400, ex VAT. (Slightly soft limit, would consider shifting up for good reasons)
  • Not be wasteful. We all know that it's possible to waste money on a bleeding edge chip, when dropping it 2 models will save you 1/3 the cost, while reducing performance by 4%. I don't want to wince at the wasted £100 every time I boot it because I went bleeding edge.
  • It must last. Will be the last upgrade I do for, well, a long time.

Parts will most likely be ordered new year/boxing day. Motivation for upgrade is that Inquisition is killing my CPU, but my graphics card is only running at 50%. Current CPU is an AMD 945 phenom 2.

Oh, and I've promised the wife that if I don't upgrade by the end of January I'll stop thinking about it till next year. Been thinking about upgrading for months, and she's getting tired of it. (She probably means till 2017, not next year, but I didn't check...)

Edit to add: I have a couple of SSDs I can use for this - no need for drives.
 
Last edited:
Bickaxe said:
What is your current spec?
What else do you need?
Click to expand...

Current spec
Phenom 2, 945 quad core
4gb ram (no name)
512gb crucial SSD
sapphire (?) 7850 amd graphics

Things I think I can recycle
-Graphics
-SSD

What I want: To not need to upgrade in the three years. To be able to play Inquisition without my CPU running at 100%, my graphics running at 60% and framerates in the 30s.

The shopping list is probably...
-Case
-Motherboard
-CPU
-Ram
-PSU
-Additional cooling (optional)
 
You said you had a soft budget of £400, what would you consider your total max? That way we can spec something worth the extra £100 or so...?!
 
The actual hard budget limit is £2400. An extra £100 is entirely doable, if there was good reason.

But this stack of money exists because I find it very difficult to spend money. The bigger the bill, the more I'll vacillate, procrastinate and avoid ordering anything. Add too much and I'll never be able to bring myself to spend it.

Case in point - took me 6 months to order a £70 battery for a laptop, despite knowing I really needed it. The PC upgrade is something I could procrastinate about for *years*.
 
ok, well putting it into perspective, you can build a very solid system for about £1200-1400 depending on how you want it to look. If that's the kind of money you want to spend on a system, I wouldn't recommend the 212 but an AIO or high end air cooler.
 
snips86x said:
ok, well putting it into perspective, you can build a very solid system for about £1200-1400 depending on how you want it to look. If that's the kind of money you want to spend on a system, I wouldn't recommend the 212 but an AIO or high end air cooler.
Click to expand...

I could not bring myself to spend £1200 on a system. Thinking about it has me... uncomfortable. Anxious.

On the other hand, a £400-500 system that could be significantly upgraded later is quite possible. I'm expecting to replace the graphics card with something 4K compliant in 1-3 years, for example. Picking a motherboard that could have a high end CPU dropped in in 2-3 years, along with a decent graphics card? That would probably be sensible :)

Edit to add: I realise it's less fun to think small, but it might be more interesting for you to imagine the build in stages? Stage one, motherboard and holding CPU, 212x heatsink. Enough to run modern games. Stage two, GPU upgrade - 4K gaming. Stage 3, CPU upgrade to best/last CPU to fit in slot+real cooling. Only "waste" in such a plan is the intermediate CPU and 212x, which I already have.
 
Last edited:
You may as well spend the extra and get up to speed now but without spending the entire budget as Snips says. However....

4k Compliant will require a 980 so you should upgrade the GPU now (R9 390) which will last a good few years before you make that switch.

Will you overclock? If yes, high end air cooler or AIO.

A low end Skylake system that you can't overclock (the CPU won't, but the board can if thats what you intend to do) using parts from your current build....

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £418.91
(includes shipping: £0.00)
​


​
 
Bickaxe said:
Will you overclock? If yes, high end air cooler or AIO.
Click to expand...

Plan would be, not at first. To give context, my current system started as a dual core athlon with an AMD 3670. I've since replaced the CPU, GPU and drives. The Coolmaster 212x was going to be used to overclock it, delaying replacement by another year or two - until I ran into a screw based problem with that plan.

With this rig I would again upgrade over the years and eventually overclock, to add a little life at the end. So a motherboard that supports that is a Good Choice.

Bickaxe said:
A low end Skylake system that you can't overclock (the CPU won't, but the board can if thats what you intend to do) using parts from your current build....
Click to expand...

That list looks quite good. Why that particular chip though? Assuming 1151 as it's a new socket and might (it's Intel, it's might *at best*) take the next generation of chips. How far up the Skylake line would you sensibly go, if I could bring myself to spend the money? Or would you say "No, stick with the lower chip until you do the big upgrade and add water cooling"?
 
I would say a 6600k would be a good chip so you can overclock.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £482.91
(includes shipping: £0.00)
​


​



I wouldn't rule out a Haswell i5 though with a z97 board

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £446.91
(includes shipping: £0.00)
​


​
 
Last edited:
Last edited:
q974739 said:
Even though there are reports of over clocking on non K CPUs?
Click to expand...

Will still be under budget as you stated £400 excluding VAT ;)

I haven't looked into that but as snips said the 6600k will be worth it, and you won't need to upgrade it for the foreseeable future :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom