Budget: £1200 for complete system. (Speakers & Soundcard not required) Main uses of intended build: 3D CAD/modeling. Photo editting. Video encoding. Some gaming Monitor resolution: prefer 1920x1200 and 24" Storage requirements: Using a NAS for all documents so only thinking of 500gb for main drive Will you be overclocking: yes Any motherboard requirements: I don't plan to ever run a pair of graphics cards. Okay heres what I have planned: Processor - i7 2600k Motherboard - Asus P8P67 R3 Memory - Corsair vengeance 8gb (4 x2gb) Graphics - GTX560 Cooler - Bequiet Darkrock Advanced PSU - Antec truepower 650w Case - Antec one hundred HDD - Samsung spinpoint F3 1tb 7200rpm OS - windows 7 HP Optical Drive - Samsung bluray/dvd writer Monitor - Samsung SM2443 Does this sound okay? Any changes? Do cpu coolers still come with thermal paste? Should I go for 4 x gb ram or 2 x 8gb? Thanks.
That looks... well perfect ''' If you've got extra money to spend put an SSD in there :3. Also, if you're willing to spend more on the monitor go for one of the Dell Ultrasharps with an IPS panel . Although those things are really expensive -_-. I think they come with thermal paste, but I'm not sure.
Because of your main intended uses you'd gain from (in some order) - having extra drives for temp purposes (for your modeling, photo & video editing), doubling the memory & upping from the 560... ...other than the extra drives (which is kind of a no brainer - stick with the 1TB F3s though), it all depends on exactly what your priorities are as to whether you'll appreciate the gains that the memory & GPU will bring vs the outlay. i would & do, but that's with my pocket footing the bill, not yours. As to buying memory, do it in the lowest no of sticks (that fill a channel) as it'll be more stable & more likely to be overclockable - but if you do go for more sticks, it's better to buy, for example, a single 16GB set than 2x8GB sets as the former's been tested as working together by the manufacturer, whilst only each pair will have been with the latter. Oh, & obviously would agree on the SSD as well but that's a given - maybe add in a nice shiney 120GB V3 once the price drops?
I have done a similar build quite recently and yours looks good. I used the gelid tranquillo and that came with thermal paste so I would think your cooler would too but I can't be sure. I agree with getting bigger sized RAM sticks and less of them when possible. 8GB is fine for me but you might find more having more would be quite an advantage if your doing complex things like 3D CAD.
Great replies. As suggested I'm leaning towards plumping for the 2x4gb sticks of ram to leave room for adding more at a later date. Budget wise, I really don't want to break the £1200 barrier so without lowering specs in other areas a more expensive monitor/graphics card would be a struggle. I'm torn between getting an SSD or not. My current laptop c:/ drive is around 100gb so I'd really want a 128gb drive. I think that shall have to be an addition in a couple of months. I rip a lot of footage from my brothers DVD camcorder for him, would a SSD have any influence on this or is processor speed king in this area? On another note, I'd planned on buying the OEM version of windows 7, but just reading the Bit-Tech recommended monthly builds they mention about further upgrades being a no no with the OEM version. What's that all about? I thought it was just no retail packaging and supposed to be delivered with new pc's?
Looks good - you can always add more memory later on if you feel that you need it but if you're unsure, why not try what you have first and go from there. One thing to watch with those Vengeance kits however is that the heatspreaders are quite tall and may interfere with your CPU Cooler.
The vengence wont fit with the dark rock cpu cooler. Get some XMS3 instead, the 2x4GB variety so you can upgrade in the future. If you don't need a 16:10 monitor look at the Dell U2311H. I'm sure you can squeeze a SSD or GTX 570 in there aswell.
Is that definate on the memory not fitting? If so I'll switch. The way I have my CAD/Max toolbars and menus setup means it's a pain not having the extra 120 high pixels. Would you say the Dell you mention is better than the samsung? I'll be sat staring at it for quite a few hours when overtimes on, so I could be swayed. Is there any point in going to a GTX570 when a lot of GTX560's overclock to deliver similar speeds?
Monitor - look at the PA246Q. Exactly designed for what you need it for: P-IPS/LED for incredible colour and 1920x1200 res with several different input types. 24" - 1" bigger than the Dell /dickswing. Try to squeeze and SSD in if you can it'll greatly benefit your vid/photo/CAD work on IO alone. Also look into if HyperThreading is REALLY worth it on the software you're using. 2600k is only pseudo-8 core remember.
The Asus looks nice, I quite like the idea of monitor mounted usb's. Only downside is the red stripe but I could cover that with post it notes. I'm already tempted by an SSD but it really would be pushing the budget. Hmmm.
Hi ! I just build a machine for exactly the same work you do... Depending on the size of your CAD model/drawing and if your doing some analysis i would go for 2x 8gb of ram ( i would go for Kinston with timing of 7-7-7-21) The SSD is really worth it only if your work your files localy on the computer otherwise it will only booth faster. For a professional and afordable monitor there's the viewsonic VP23....color are really true ...what you see on screen is what yoou get on printer. For the cooler i'm kinda liking the new antec kuler 920 or 620... water cooling is great and since it's closed it's easy as intalling an air cooler. Hope this helps your decision.... Another thought maybe you should wait for the z68 chipset they are just around the corner...
If you use 3DS Max or similar software for rendering (particularly ray tracing) I can tell you that hyper threading is usually worth it, I looked into it a while ago and there was an article on toms hardware examining which applications hyper threading was useful in (to be honest the list was fairly sparse).
I'm going for 2x4gb with the Ram, funds won't allow for 16gb. Similarly, I think I'll leave the SSD for now until I replenish some savings then I'll review it. Usually I only have the project file on my local hdd which then gets backed up to my NAS and rarely exceeds 4/5gb total. I am right in thinking that the i7-2600k would be better for my uses than the i5-2500k even though it may not be a squick in games? The i5 doesn't have hyperthreading does it?
You could always change the CPU cooler to a Antec Kuhler 920 / 620 so the RAM will fit(Both cheaper and generally cool better than the H70/H50). Will only add a couple of degrees to your temps.
Looks great. The only thing I would change is the case. Sure the 100 is a great case but its a 1200 pc. At lest give it a case worth 80 pounds like the fractal R3. If you put in the Coolermaster hyper 212 plus you will be saving money and you will be able to use all the ram slots. The only reason to go for the H70 or other large coolers is if you want to hit 5.0ghz really.
Lol, the case is one area I'm kinda cutting corners on. My last pc build I bought a cheap piece of crap and always regretted it. Fractal r3 is a great choice!
I've decided to include an SSD. Either a Corsair CS300 128gb or a Kinston V100 128gb. Thoughts on either of these?
The only gripe I have with it is the case, I just think it's a bit too small what about a Coolermaster HAF 922 or even a Antec 902 especially with the stuff you putting in
Just completed a similar build to yours. I was advised time and time againto go for the i5 instead of the i7. Unless your doing rendering and that kinda stuff, there is no need for it. You will see no difference ingaming with the i7 and normal applications. I was even told at 1 point that the i5 will match it, and in some cases do a bit better than the i7 in gaming. Also, if u save afew quid by getting the i5. U can get a GTX570. Or maybe sli some 560's
The only thing stopping me going for the Fractal Design R3 over the Antec is the cooling. As I plan to overclock the Antec looks better as it seems to run cooler.
