Build Advice Time for a build I think...

Hello fellow bit-techers,

I decided that my dell inspiron 1525 isnt cutting it now im starting to not only multi-task a lot more and started to dabble in a bit of gaming. I thought to my self that, seen as im going to uni in a years time, another laptop would be the way to go, something more powerful, more up to date, and overall quicker.

Now this is where my dilema began, after looking into the laptops (Dell notably as i have a great track record with them) I found that to get the spec that i wanted, with all the bells and whistles that i need (read :desire) it comes in close to £800 inc vat.

Now while i can afford £800 right now i have found with my current laptop that upgrading in the future is essentially impossible, you can up the RAM and the HDD but that is essentially it, so i thought my best bet would be to build a PC with that £800 because:

• It will be far more powerful
• More customisable/Upgradable
• More fun to build my own again (its been 7 years)
• Allow me to keep my current laptop as a run around/Internet machine

Now this is where you guys come in, I have been on these forums for little over 2 years now and have seen technology grow and develop and stuff become obsolete in less that 6 months (GTX460 for example), I've been lurking recently just watching to see what roughly is good etc.

By no means does this machine need to be the most powerful machine in the world, and it doesnt need to be the most efficient or green PC in the world. So here goes:

Budget: Up to £800 but the cheaper the better
Main uses of intended build: Multi-tasking, Film watching, Odd Bit of gaming
Parts required: All (inc keyboard and mouse) but no monitor atm as will be connected to my TV
Previous build information (list details of parts): None in passed 5 years, currently on Dell Inspiron 1525 (4Gb Ram, 320GB HDD, 1.83GHz Core2Duo
Monitor resolution:32" 1080P TV
Storage requirements: 500GB +
Will you be overclocking: yes/no (delete as required) Yes if i can (no experience so will need you guys on this)
Any motherboard requirements (no. of USB, Xfire/SLI, fan headers):Needs to be overclocking friendly (as im a complete novice)
Extra information about desired system: Preferably as quiet as possible as will be in my room a lot and nothing massively flashy and bright, just something simple to look at.

So I was looking at possibly something like this, what i was hoping you lovely guys could do would be point me in the direction of areas I could improve, could be reduced, save cost, any reason to wait a while etc, im not too fussed with LGA2011 as im not going for top end so LGA1155 is perfect for me...Here goes

CPU: Intel CPU Core i5 2500K Unlocked Sandy Bridge Quad Core Processor OEM
CPU Cooler: Gelid Tranquillo
Case: Antec 300
Optical: LG Generic DVD Writer etc
PSU: Corsair HX650 Modular
Mobo: Asus P8P67-Pro Rev 3
RAM: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4GB)
GPU: 1GB XFX 6850
HDD: 1TB Spinpoint F3
OS: Windows 7 Pro 64-Bit OEM

TOTAL: £810.62

I've got a keyboard and mouse I can use at the moment and connecting it to the TV negates the need for a monitor at the moment, will grab a copy of windows 7 but dont need to factor that
Now, the key areas i need your help on are the GPU, i have no idea which one to get really so am open to any suggestions, the motherboard, do i need this one, is there a better choice etc?, the RAM, is there anything better etc?

Any ways to reduce the cost would also be appreciated so let the comments flow.

Thank you for reading and i know your replies will be excellent

Matt

 

The Antec TruePower New is highly recommended by this site, and fellow bit-techers and the 650W version is currently a couple of quid more than the HX650.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/650w...bronze-82-eff-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-120mm-fan

Also the MSI-P67 GD53 over the Asus p8p67 pro - unless there is something specific to the Asus board I would go with the £30 cheaper MSI board.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi-...-ddr3-2133-sata-6gb-s-sata-raid-atx-sli-xfire

Finally my advice is not to buy in 1 big lump, but to watch the 'Today Only' deals like a hawk. I've currently saved a bit over £50 in total from discounts on that - it depends how far you think waiting a couple of weeks for the complete system is worth it.



Edit:

also 4gb rather than 8gb RAM if you want to save 30 quid or so, you're never going to need that much unless you're multi-tasking with 3d rendering programs. The graphics card is the weak point of your system right now - it just depends how far you value gaming, and what games you want to play.

 

if you want quiet swap the antec 300 which is more like a jet engine.

fractal R3 would be lots better if noise is a concern

 

You could drop Win7 Pro down to Home and save some cash unless you need the extra features.

Also I couldn't get that board to boot with 2 sticks of XMS3 installed, only 1. There could be a compatability issue or I could have been unlucky in having a freak sample of each, but it's not like you can get RAM installation wrong (arguably ) so I'm going with the former unless anybody has the same gear and can correct me.

EDIT: I second that you don't need 8GB but I plumped for some Mushkin 1.35v from Aria after returning the XMS3 kit to Scan. I'd also second that the Antec 300 isn't that quiet. I love mine but even with Sharkoon Golfballs and Be Quiet! Silentwings all around it's still fairly noisy. I can really hear the HDD thrashing around as well but I do have it on standard metal thumbscrews.

 

See quick and useful replies all ready, thats what i love about bit-tech, taking on board what you have said and looking a bit more into it after posting this is my new proposed build:

CPU: Intel CPU Core i5 2500K Unlocked Sandy Bridge Quad Core Processor OEM
CPU Cooler: Gelid Tranquillo
Case: Antec 300
Optical: LG Generic DVD Writer etc
PSU: Corsair HX650 Modular
Mobo: MSI P67A-GD53 (B3)
RAM: 4GB (2x2GB) Corsair DDR3 XMS3 Classic
GPU: 1GB XFX 6850
HDD: 1TB Spinpoint F3
OS: Windows 7 Pro 64-Bit OEM

Now coming to ...£743.18

Is 650W overkill? would something like a 430W be more appropriate, also, would i be better to get the sapphire 5850 1GB extreme from yoyotech?

Thank you guys

 

650w is overkill, for now anyway. I'll look like a hypocrite for saying that but my 650w was carried over from a previous build - where it was overkill there as well! Somebody else more qualified can confirm how low you should go. You could also pick up an HD6870 for the same price as that HD6850 from Pixmania or Aria.

 

id still drop the antec 300 and the windows 7 pro unless your joining a domain ?

 

Instead of the Antec perhaps a CM 690 II lite? I'm biased because I just bought the Advanced version in white, but afaik the only real difference is that with the Lite version you don't have the (pointless) hot-swap hdd bay on top.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/coolermaster-cm-690-ii-lite-black-mid-tower-case-w-o-psu

£53 today.

 

So after taking on board what everyone has said and the comments from people this is generally what i have decided:

CPU i5-2500k 159.78 (Scan)
CPU Cooler Gelid Tranquillo 23.98 (Scan)
Case Antec 300 49.19 (Aria)
Optical Generic LG 14.98 (Scan)
PSU Corsair HX650 91.98 (Scan)
Mobo MSI P67A-GD53 104.00 (Scan)
RAM 4GB Corsair XMS3 Classic 33.72 (Scan)
GPU AMD 6870 1GB 123.95 (Aria)
HDD 1Tb F3 Spinny 39.30 (Aria)
OS Windows 7 Home Premium 64 65.40 (Aria)

This totals £706.28 which i think is excellent. Firstly is there anything ghastly wrong with that system? and also now i have picked the main components i obviously will need case fans.

Which are the best and quietest case fans i can buy, i know the 300 isnt the quietest case but im planning a bit of work on that dremel so just some good quiet case fans (possibly controller to)

Thanks guys!

 

looks good. as others have said you could do a decent amount better on the case for not much more, but cases are always a personal taste thing. i'll tell you what though, once you get a case that's fairly silent, you will never go back...get the r3...

 

its not just the fans that make the antec 300 noisey its the great big vents and holes in it that dont dampen the GPU, PSU and CPU cooler noise.

 

I've got a pair of Sharkoon Golfball 1000's up front and have just swapped the standard Antec Tri-Cool fans for a pair of Be Quiet! Silentwings USC's at the back. It's definitely audible but about as silent as the case gets while still maintaining great (maybe too much?) airflow. As other's have said, the case is full of holes so it's hard to keep quiet will all fan mounts filled. I can hear my HDD over all my fans easily though to give you an idea. The R3 is arguably better but I like the way the 300 looks.

On a personal note would you report back how you get on with the MSI and Corsair XMS3? I'm really curious as to whether my issue with booting was a one-off.

 

Thank you Looks like those may be the fans i look for, will probably get it all set up and running, then swap out fans etc money dependent.

I will report back on the board and RAM when i get it all together
One question, how well does the dark rock cooler handle overclocking the i5? Temps?

 

easily

SB runs very cool anyway so any decent cooler will provide you with 4.5Ghz+ overlcocks

 

Me too, my CPU arrives on Monday so I really, really hope it was just a one-off