I've been posting here now and then for a while now, but the time has come to order my first build. It's going to be used mainly for gaming, at first on a 32" TV (HDMI connected) then, when i can afford it, a 24" HD monitor. Here's what i'm planning on getting; CPU - Intel i5 2500K (what's the difference between OEM and retail?) http://www.scan.co.uk/products/inte...-quad-core-33ghz-gpu-850mhz-6mb-cache-95w-oem CPU Cooler - Gelid Tranquilo http://www.scan.co.uk/products/geli...-1156-1155-and-amd-754-939-940-am2-am2plus-am MOBO - Asus P8P67 Rev3 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus...i-e-20-x16-ddr3-2200(oc)-sata-6gb-s-sata-raid GPU - MSI GTX 570 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1280...-40nm-4000mhz-gddr5-gpu-770mhz-shader-1540mhz PSU - BeQuiet 530 Watt http://www.scan.co.uk/products/530w...bn106-80-plus-sli-crossfire-quiet-fan-atx-v23 HDD - Samsung 1tb Spinpoint F3 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1tb-...int-f3-sata-3gb-s-7200rpm-32mb-cache-89ms-ncq RAM - Corsair Vengeance Black 4GB DDR3 1600 MHz http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-...c3-12800-(1600)-non-ecc-cas-9-9-9-24-xmp-150v Case - Coolermaster Elite 430 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/cool...-side-window-120mm-front-led-blue-fan-w-o-psu OS - Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit http://www.scan.co.uk/products/micr...remium-64-bit-sp1-operating-system-single-oem I'm mainly worried that all the cables and sockets are compatible in the parts. This seems like a fairly standard build though. Also, will that power supply be big enough and have the right connections? Also, the case seems to show it with at least a fan in thr front grill, however in the description it says that none are included, can anyone confirm this for me, if it doesn't come with any then i'll get a couple of 120mm fans too. Finally, this might be a stupid question, but that mobo has USB 3.0 slots, will things like my iPhone or memory sticks, designed for USB 2.0 still work on that? Thanks very much for anyone who helps.
That looks very good to me mate, a nice solid build, good M/B, GPU, PSU, CPU etc Did you think about squeezing in a small 64Gb SSD as a boot drive? They are worth there wait in gold in my opinion. Compatibility is fine, as the cpu is designed for that socket motherboard, same with the graphic's card, although the PCIE 2.0 connector is the same on all motherboard's, and all the cables you need will be included, from sata data cables, to power cables that will come with the psu, only thing you might need is if the 8 pin for the motherboard is quite short on the psu you might need to purchase an extension so it will reach the board.
The Retail 2500K has a heatsink where as the OEM doesnt. Since you are getting a aftermarket HSF anyways you can get the oem one. I would drop the Asus board and get the MSI gd 53. I had the p8p67 pro and had nothing but problems with it and the msi is cheaper With the money you save from the board, get a nicer case. Look at the antec 100, fractal R3, coolermaster 690II, fractal ARC. It's hard to recommend that ram since Aria are selling 8gb of muskin for 34 pounds http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...2x4GB)+DDR3+1333MHz+9-9-9-24+?productId=41882 I know its only 1333mhz, but it well worth thinking about. If you are a student or know anybody that is then you can get windows 7 for half price. As for the USB, all should be fine.
Thanks for that, pretty much just what i wanted to hear. I have considered an SSD as a boot drive, but right now this build has passed it's budget by quite a way. And tbh booting speed isn't that much of an issue as long as it performs well when on, i don't mind waiting a few more seconds on boot up. I have a laptop that boots up in like 12 seconds (good old Linux) if i need something fast. I see, thanks for clearing that up. The only problem with that board is that it only seems to have 2 RAm slots, which could be a problem if i decided to upgrade RAM in the future. Oh right, i'll just shop around for RAM than. My brother is going to uni later this year, so i might see if he can do it for me, forgot about that, thanks.
I have the MSI G53 board and it has 4 ram slots. It's very easy to use and overclocks very well. You'll need low profile (LP) ram with bigger coolers - I don't know how much clearance you get with the tranquillo. try this: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-...0-(1600)-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-9-9-9-24-150v USB 3.0 is backwards compatable although the leads are different, but you'll have 2.0 slots anyway on both boards. That case has no included fans so buy at least two or get a better case! You only need the OEM rather than the retail processor as you are buying a seperate cooler.
the msi has 4 slots for ram... depending on price, look at the g45 as well...but if it's only a few bucks, the 53 is the better value, $15 or more and I'd go with the g45 the case isn't all that, and you can probably do better for the same money...if the antec 100 suggested above is in that range, that's a significantly better case... the psu will work, and has plenty of headroom for overclocking, but not much room for gpu expansion, so keep that in mind. overall one of the best new builds i've seen though...quality components...nj
If you click on the "special features" tab for the case then it says; So have they made a mistake where it says there is no fans below? TBH, i quite like this case, i know that my card is going to fit in, everything seems easy to install (mostly toolless if not entirely) and i personally think it looks pretty decent. Also, everywhere else seems to say that it comes with a front LED fan but no back one, so i really have no idea. I'll order a couple of 120mm fans anyway, just in case for the sake of what they cost. I think i will go for that other motherboard in that case, which saves me £30 too, which is a good way towards my screen.
Do you think a couple of these would be sufficient (i'm pretty sure the case should come with at least the 120mm fan in the front, it does everywhere else)? http://www.scan.co.uk/products/120m...ed-quiet-fluid-dynamic-bearings-(fdb)-1000rpm I don't need any special control thingy do i? I assume you just plug them in (to your mobo or PSU?) and they work automatically? Assuming the case comes with the front fan, i plan on putting one of these in the side window vent for extra intake and one in the back of the case for extra out take, would that be a good set up? Cooling is yet another thing i know nothing about.
Why not go Z68? P67 is dead by the end of the year and also Z68 is at the same cost now as the equivalent P67 boards, also the cost difference between a retail and oem cpu is minimal and you only get a 1 year warranty on oem where as retail you get 3, definitely worth the few pennies difference. Rest of the spec looks very good
Those fans look fine, if you're trying to make it as quiet as possible, then I'd go for something like Scythe Gentle Typhoons, or Enermax Appolishes, although they are each 3 and 4 times the cost of the BitFenix one respectively, and you have said budget is a concern. Connecting fans to 3 pin fan headers on your motherboard will allow you to monitor speeds and control them with software such as SpeedFan. Connecting them to a fan controller will give you hardware control over each fan; this may be an upgrade you wish to consider in the future as they are not that expensive. It is also possible to connect fans directly to your PSU if you run out of headers on your motherboard, but they will run at full speed all the time, and you will have no control over them (aside from the use of resistors to limit the current). Hope this helps with the cooling! Great build otherwise
You have fan headers on the MoBo that just run the fans at max speed, or you can get a fan controller to let you vary the speed (so it's quieter when you don't need all the cooling) Thats a nice quiet fan AFAIK. You may be better off with just the front and back fans initially and then check the temps - front to back airflow can be very efficient with just a push pull arrangement. You can always add fans later. A side fan adds turbulence. If the heatsinks on the MoBo or the GPU get too hot a side fan blows air straight at em. Check the forums on the case manufacturer as well for case specific advice.
I've just upgraded to a similar spec system. I used this ram http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002LE8D2A/ref=oss_product In fact now I've just seen it's down to 25 quid I might get another 4 gb! I used the MSI P67A-GD53 (B3) board, def has 4 memory slots, i2500k and dark rock advanced cooler, samsung spinpoint 1tb. I'd already got a geforce 460 768mb which I'm keeping for the time being and had the Antec 900 case. The performance difference between this and my previous system (used to have an e8400 core duo) is immense. BFBC2 now runs between 80-100fps at max res, used to run between 30 and 40. Crysis 2 I can play on Ultra High with DX11 turned on. In a nutshell you are building yourself a good system!
Thanks again for the fan advice, i understand now, i thought plugging the fan intot he PSU wouldn't work properly some how. I do intend on getting a controller at a later date, that's just going to have to wait though. Everything is ordered now (so too late to change the mobo) so thank you very much to all that have helped me with my stupid questions over the last few weeks, i understand computers so much more just from what i've learned here, i'm sure that knowledge will grow when all my bits arrive in a few days, can't wait, and will post pics here when i've done.
Its not. It offers thing like using a small ssd as a cache. But how many people will be able to take advantage of this anyways? Stay with the tried and tested boards.
