First PC Build project

TeRmInAlCrAzY

Hi,

My name is TeRmInAlCrAzY, and I'm terrified.

Why, you ask.

Well, I'm nuts enough to contemplate building my own PC.

Boss was nice enough to say he will pay for some of this, so I have pushed the boat out a little.

I will be mainly using this to play games such as WoW and Skyrim, and also to transcode media using Tversity to view on the PS3 in the front room. I'm looking to push the graphics on games such as Skyrim a bit, high res and options turned up for the pretty.

URL="http://www.dabs.ie/products/intel-core-i5-2500k-3-30ghz-lga1155-6mb-79Q8.html"]link[/URL Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz LGA1155 6MB 
URL="http://www.dabs.ie/products/asus-p8z68-v-gen3-s1155-intel-z68-ddr3-atx-7S27.html"]link[/URL Asus P8Z68-V/GEN3 S1155 Intel Z68 DDR3 ATX 
URL="http://www.dabs.ie/products/asus-geforce-gtx-560-ti-900mhz-pci-express-hdmi--directcu-ii-top--7FYV.html"]link[/URL Asus GeForce GTX 560 Ti 900MHz PCI-Express HDMI (DirectCU II TOP) 
URL="http://www.dabs.ie/products/best-value-liteon-24x-int--dvdrw-black-sata---s-w-rev-b-6M84.html"]link[/URL Best Value LiteOn 24x Int. DVDRW Black SATA + S/W Rev B 
URL="http://www.dabs.ie/products/corsair-750w-enthusiast-series-tx750-modular-power-supply-7LGL.html"]link[/URL Corsair 750W Enthusiast Series TX750 Modular Power Supply 
URL="http://www.dabs.ie/products/corsair-800d---obsidian-case--no-psu--6571.html"]link[/URL Corsair 800D - Obsidian Case (No PSU) 
URL="http://www.dabs.ie/products/corsair-memory-8gb--2-x-4gb--vengeance-ddr3-1866mhz-dimm-240-pin-cl9-red-7JJQ.html"]link[/URL Corsair Memory 8GB (2 x 4GB) Vengeance DDR3 1866MHz DIMM 240-pin CL9 Red X 2
URL="http://www.dabs.ie/products/samsung-1tb-spinpoint-f3-7200rpm-sata-3gb-s-32mb-65QC.html"]link[/URL Samsung 1TB Spinpoint F3 7200rpm SATA 3Gb/s 32MB 
URL="http://www.dabs.ie/products/best-value-duratool-antistatic-wrist-band-7GHG.html"]link[/URL Best Value Duratool Antistatic Wrist Band - 'cos I don't want it to go boom while building  

I was reasonably confident about this spec, until I was just about to push the button on the order, and then had a crisis of confidence. My main concern (silly as it may be) is to be sure that the ram above [link] will work with the motherboard [link], and the cpu [link] will work with both.

I already have an SSD in my current machine which I will re-use. I like the hotswap hard drive bays in the case, I have a lot of drives lying around which I can slot in as needed. I figure that I will be able to keep using the case for my next few builds, as well.

I'd be very glad to hear this is a reasonable build

papajimsmooth

Id get a cheaper case and use the extra money to upgrade the 560 Ti to a radeon 7970

Completionist

That case is expensive!:eek:

Edit: So is the ram. >_>

TeRmInAlCrAzY

Thanks for the feedback.

Yeah, reconsidering the case.

URL="http://www.dabs.ie/products/corsair-memory-obsidian-650d-mid-tower-black-case-7GNW.html?refs=50113&src=3"]link[/URL Corsair Memory Obsidian 650D Mid-Tower Black Case

Ram - I'm going to end up with 16GB of ram for Eur 140, seems ok to me? What alternative would you suggest?

TeRmInAlCrAzY

Hmmm. I can save EUR 100 on the case, but the cheapest 7970 is EUR 439 O.o. This would increase the budget by EUR 120 when I figure it all out. Hmmm. Not sure about that

ShadowHearth

TeRmInAlCrAzY wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback.

Yeah, reconsidering the case.

URL="http://www.dabs.ie/products/corsair-memory-obsidian-650d-mid-tower-black-case-7GNW.html?refs=50113&src=3"]link[/URL Corsair Memory Obsidian 650D Mid-Tower Black Case

Ram - I'm going to end up with 16GB of ram for Eur 140, seems ok to me? What alternative would you suggest?

8gb is max you need. in fact 4gb is max you need for gaming, but it is so cheap that it is a sin not to get 8gb.

downgrade case.
downgrade psu to 500-600w
upgrade GPU to 7970

if still got money in budget get 60-64gb ssd.

question: why dabs? everyone here are using german website, which is way cheaper.

plus if you will just say your budget, it will be easyer to make you a build m8.

Eboggles

This build would be better, even room for crossfire 7970s :eek:.

Total build cost: €1,286.06 + €30 shipping
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9 €32.32
Intel Core i5-2500K Tray, LGA1155 €195.37
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 13 Pro(Sockel 775/1155/1156/1366/754/939/AM2/AM2 +/AM3/AM3+/FM1) €23.64
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, Sockel 1155, ATX €121.37
XFX PRO750W Core Edition Full Wired Power Supply €84.57
XFX DD RADEON 7970 925M 3GB D5 2x mDP HDMI DVI €508.15
LiteOn iHAS122-18 schwarz SATA €16.78
Samsung EcoGreen F3 1TB,SATA II HD105SI €109.90
Crucial M4 64GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5") €92.99
Corsair Carbide Series 500R schwarz, ATX, ohne Netzteil €100.97

ShadowHearth

Eboggles wrote: »

This build would be better, even room for crossfire 7970s :eek:.

Total build cost: €1,286.06 + €30 shipping
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9 €32.32
Intel Core i5-2500K Tray, LGA1155 €195.37
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 13 Pro(Sockel 775/1155/1156/1366/754/939/AM2/AM2 +/AM3/AM3+/FM1) €23.64
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, Sockel 1155, ATX €121.37
XFX PRO750W Core Edition Full Wired Power Supply €84.57
XFX DD RADEON 7970 925M 3GB D5 2x mDP HDMI DVI €508.15
LiteOn iHAS122-18 schwarz SATA €16.78
Samsung EcoGreen F3 1TB,SATA II HD105SI €109.90
Crucial M4 64GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5") €92.99
Corsair Carbide Series 500R schwarz, ATX, ohne Netzteil €100.97

this. thought if i may...

750w psu will be in a limbo mode for this build. its overkill for single 7970 and its not enough or on the limit for CF 7970.

so aither get cheaper psu for now and when op ready for CF get psu too, or bite the bullet now and get 850w psu for future.

TeRmInAlCrAzY

Ok, modified build :

*deleted*

Looks like I will go with Eboggles build, and drop the PSU a bit as suggested by ShadowHearth

Tij da feen

Eboggles wrote: »

This build would be better, even room for crossfire 7970s :eek:.

Total build cost: €1,286.06 + €30 shipping
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9 €32.32
Intel Core i5-2500K Tray, LGA1155 €195.37
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 13 Pro(Sockel 775/1155/1156/1366/754/939/AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1) €23.64
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, Sockel 1155, ATX €121.37
XFX PRO750W Core Edition Full Wired Power Supply €84.57
XFX DD RADEON 7970 925M 3GB D5 2x mDP HDMI DVI €508.15
LiteOn iHAS122-18 schwarz SATA €16.78
Samsung EcoGreen F3 1TB,SATA II HD105SI €109.90
Crucial M4 64GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5") €92.99
Corsair Carbide Series 500R schwarz, ATX, ohne Netzteil €100.97

Change the HDD to this since that one is out of stock.

Drop to this PSU.

That 7970 is out of stock so go with the Sapphire one.

Other than that it's seems perfect.

Eboggles

Tij da feen wrote: »

Change the HDD to this since that one is out of stock.

Drop to this PSU.

That 7970 is out of stock so go with the Sapphire one.

Other than that it's seems perfect.

Didn't see the ordering right now part of the OP, silly me! The Double D cooling card is amazing looks-wise though .

As for the PSU I thought with overclocking and for safety's sake I should up the PSU a bit (€10 difference) to the 750 mark, but I didn't think the 7970s were that efficient! For crossfire and the such.

ShadowHearth

Eboggles wrote: »

Didn't see the ordering right now part of the OP, silly me! The Double D cooling card is amazing looks-wise though .

As for the PSU I thought with overclocking and for safety's sake I should up the PSU a bit (€10 difference) to the 750 mark, but I didn't think the 7970s were that efficient! For crossfire and the such.

that is the beauty of 7970, its not just fast, but it is very power efficient!

ah one day....

Monotype

The prices of those 7970s are very high and possibly far above your needs. What resolution is your monitor? If you're not in a desperate hurry, the 7950 is due in a week.

deconduo

ShadowHearth wrote: »

this. thought if i may...

750w psu will be in a limbo mode for this build. its overkill for single 7970 and its not enough or on the limit for CF 7970.

so aither get cheaper psu for now and when op ready for CF get psu too, or bite the bullet now and get 850w psu for future.

750W will do crossfired 7970s no problem, total system draw under load would be about 600-650W.

TeRmInAlCrAzY

Monotype wrote: »

The prices of those 7970s are very high and possibly far above your needs. What resolution is your monitor? If you're not in a desperate hurry, the 7950 is due in a week.

(1680 x 1050) x 2 screens

ShadowHearth

deconduo wrote: »

750W will do crossfired 7970s no problem, total system draw under load would be about 600-650W.

I stand corrected.

Last time I checked I had stuck in my mind that it was a little bit less then gtx570 power use, but I rechecked it now and it's waaay lower then grx570.

Keep that 750 psu amd you are set for life

TeRmInAlCrAzY

Hnnnh.

Doesn't seem to be a way to order as a company from hardwareversand.de.

"General conditions of sale: Private customer"

Gonna be awkward if we can't claim back the VAT.

Monotype

I suppose with that many pixels, you'd need a powerful graphics card - although two screens isn't suitable for most games with a split down the middle! I'd still wait for the 7950 though... €500 is a lot to put into a graphics card.

I think people have claimed back VAT before with HWV. I think that, on average in most situations, scan.co.uk is a little cheaper when you discount VAT.

ShadowHearth

Monotype wrote: »

I suppose with that many pixels, you'd need a powerful graphics card - although two screens isn't suitable for most games with a split down the middle! I'd still wait for the 7950 though... €500 is a lot to put into a graphics card.

I think people have claimed back VAT before with HWV. I think that, on average in most situations, scan.co.uk is a little cheaper when you discount VAT.

Well he does get vat back on that so its a 400eu card

Scan.co.uk is really good. Delivery times are shockingly good too. If you take var back they could be an option too.

Op does have a nice budget ( I presume ) and ability to get cat back, so why not? If I could sell my gtx 570 for 220ish eu I would get 7970 myself!

Monotype

I'd say you could get €220 for a 570 easily enough. Most of the time, they're above €300. €220 would be a good deal for a card only a few months old. Is there anything that the 570 doesn't handle well? Aside from benchmarks.

TeRmInAlCrAzY

My budget on the build is
Company putting up 1K
I am adding on top whatever else I can. This will be about 500. I have already spent 148 on OS and bits and bobs.
So my total budget, is 1350.
Also, I already have SSD HD and 1TB HD from my old PC.

ShadowHearth

Monotype wrote: »

I'd say you could get €220 for a 570 easily enough. Most of the time, they're above €300. €220 would be a good deal for a card only a few months old. Is there anything that the 570 doesn't handle well? Aside from benchmarks.

well gtx570 handles any game on ultra 1080p on my pc. bf3 is set on ultra with AA only on x2 or x1.

i guess i am just being silly with trying to have more power which i really dont need... plan was: my birthday is in march, so i wanted to sort out second gtx570 for myself as present . so now 7970 came out and it looks just better deal for future.

i will look at it later on, i want to get PS vita too so i will have to chose . its a bitch to be a gadget whore .

sorry for OFF topic op!

TeRmInAlCrAzY

Got my machine built, but I guess I screwed up the heatsink on the cpu. Running prime95 pushes the temp to 87-90c. I've shut it down.

I've bought some Arctic Cleaner, and an Akasa Intel LGA 775/1156 heatsink/fan combo off dabs. A friend has some Arctic Silver left over from a build, and I'll swap it over when it all arrives. Machine is switched off while I wait.

Bloody Intel stock cooler was a pig to install, and it doesn't seem to have installed right. Ah well. Better luck next time

ShadowHearth

TeRmInAlCrAzY wrote: »

Got my machine built, but I guess I screwed up the heatsink on the cpu. Running prime95 pushes the temp to 87-90c. I've shut it down.

I've bought some Arctic Cleaner, and an Akasa Intel LGA 775/1156 heatsink/fan combo off dabs. A friend has some Arctic Silver left over from a build, and I'll swap it over when it all arrives. Machine is switched off while I wait.

Bloody Intel stock cooler was a pig to install, and it doesn't seem to have installed right. Ah well. Better luck next time

gratz m8. happy to see one more HAPPY pc junky

stock cooler should be easy to install. those aftermarket ones come in pieces and you need to put it together, before puting it on .

TeRmInAlCrAzY

Yeah, I thought it would be, but it was a pig. It doesn't seem to have sat right, as shown by the 90c temps running prime95. Should only be about 75 or so. I'm going to remove the stock cooler, clean the thermal paste residue off the cpu, and slap on the Akasa cooler (which should have paste attached). If it doesn't work, I'll stripclean the paste again off the cooler and the cpu, and try again with Arctic Silver.

After that, I dunno

Nothingbetter2d

papajimsmooth wrote: »

Id get a cheaper case and use the extra money to upgrade the 560 Ti to a radeon 7970

i'd just buy a 6970 and use the extra money to upgrade the cpu to an i-7

Nothingbetter2d

TeRmInAlCrAzY wrote: »

Yeah, I thought it would be, but it was a pig. It doesn't seem to have sat right, as shown by the 90c temps running prime95. Should only be about 75 or so. I'm going to remove the stock cooler, clean the thermal paste residue off the cpu, and slap on the Akasa cooler (which should have paste attached). If it doesn't work, I'll stripclean the paste again off the cooler and the cpu, and try again with Arctic Silver.

After that, I dunno

dont bother with the paste just use the artic silver thermal grease its way way better.

TeRmInAlCrAzY

I'm kinda wanting to be involved as little with the process as possible If the stock grease does the trick, I will be a happy camper - not looking to overclock or do anything terminal.

Monotype

TeRmInAlCrAzY wrote: »

not looking to overclock or do anything terminal.

It's sacrilege not to overclock the 2500K. Very easy and even the crappy stock cooler is enough for ~4GHz.
But get your temperatures under control first and worry about squeezing the performance out of it later.

TeRmInAlCrAzY

Yay, it's built, and hums along nicely. I installed an Akasa X4 cooler that a friend had from a previous build, used Arctic Silver Matrix thermal paste. It was still a pig to get installed - I messed up the first attempt. I didn't switch on, I just knew it was wrong. Took it apart, stripped, cleaned with Arcticlean, re-tinted, and installed. Second time around was the charm.

Today is a warm day, and idle temp is 36-37 degrees, and fully loaded with prime-95, it gets up to 60. I'm happy with that.

I will be looking at overclocking in a bit, when it's settled down. Very very carefully