Thoughts on Build

Nazata · 26-06-2012 12:55pm #1

I'm ordering my first build in the next few days (when Ulster Bank sorts themselves out and lets me send bank transfers...), and would be grateful if anyone could comment on my build. I've definitely stretched my budget, but can change by maybe €50 if really necessary.
These are the components I'm buying from Hardwareversand.de:

Item|Price
Intel Core i5-3570K Box, LGA1155|€211.70
ASRock Z77 Extreme4, Sockel 1155, ATX|€128.51
ARCTIC COOLING CPU-Kühler Freezer i30|€23.27
EVGA GeForce GTX 670, 2048MB DDR5, PCI-Express|€361.81
Corsair Enthusiast Series Modular TX750M, 750Watt|€104.95
NZXT Phantom 410 Midi - gunmetal, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€108.24
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€957.47

I'm also buying a 256GB Samsung 830 from Scan.co.uk and 8GB of 1600mhz Corsair Vengeance LP from Amazon. I got an Asus Xonar DG cheap second hand so I'm sorted for that... Have a DVD drive also.
As for monitors, I'm thinking of a LGIPS235V-BN, a Dell U2312HM or maybe a Dell Ultrasharp 2412m if I can get one cheap second-hand.
I have around €190 left for the monitor after the purchase of everything else.
Would I need anything for assembly bar some screwdrivers and an anti-static wristband? (I know some people swear by anti-static mats, though they seem to be less popular than they used to be and I'm not sure if I'll need one...)

I enjoy constructive criticism and thoroughly appreciated all help.

Eboggles · 26-06-2012 1:06pm

That's way too much to spend on a PSU, and it's overkill. Get a super-flower Amazon 550 watt for €50.

Tij da feen · 26-06-2012 1:17pm

You don't even need to wear an anti-static wriststrap if your careful. Just remember to touch the case every once and a while to discharge the static off of yourself.

You may as well just get this set of RAM from HWVS. 1600Mhz makes an iota of difference in an Intel based system Vs 1333Mhz.

That PSU is only barely modular, you only need a 650w PSU for SLI 670s. Have a look at the Super-Flower Amazon 650w or if you want the PSU to be modular have a look at the Super-Flower Atlas 680w.

I would also recommend bumping up the CPU Cooler to a Macho, but be warned it's a biatch to install.

The Samsung 830 is cheaper on HWVS than amazon as fair as I see. €206 on HWVS compared with €218 on amazon. If you really want the small discount it's 200 quid on dabs.ie.

EDIT: Just see that your getting the 830 from scan. With shipping factored in it's €194, it's not really worth while and you may as well just get it all together.

Nazata · 26-06-2012 1:19pm

Eboggles wrote: »

That's way too much to spend on a PSU, and it's overkill. Get a super-flower Amazon 550 watt for €50.

Thanks, had specced that build for when I was going for a Fermi GPU, and wanted to be prepared for SLI, forgot how much more energy efficient Kepler is, will be adjusting my PSU

Are super-flower reputable? I only heard of them for the first time a week ago (though previously Scan was my primary place for looking at parts, so the fact that they aren't stocked there is probably why).

Skylinehead · 26-06-2012 1:20pm

I'd buy a Corsair Carbide 500R instead of that phantom, cheap(er) and a fantastically built case. Although if it comes down to looks it's all about opinion.

Nazata · 26-06-2012 1:34pm

Tij da feen wrote: »

You don't even need to wear an anti-static wriststrap if your careful. Just remember to touch the case every once and a while to discharge the static off of yourself.

You may as well just get this set of RAM from HWVS. 1600Mhz makes an iota of difference in an Intel based system Vs 1333Mhz.

That PSU is only barely modular, you only need a 650w PSU for SLI 670s. Have a look at the Super-Flower Amazon 650w or if you want the PSU to be modular have a look at the Super-Flower Atlas 680w.

I would also recommend bumping up the CPU Cooler to a Macho, but be warned it's a biatch to install.

Cool, I guess I can skip the wriststrap then. I intend to overclock (to around 4.2ghz), would the difference in ram frequency still be minimal?
Cool, I'll check out the Super-flower PSUs then.

Hmm Ivy Bridge runs cooler with Macho I'm guessing? Haven't seen it any benchmarks, might check some out later.
Thanks Tij, I really appreciate all your help

Skylinehead wrote: »

I'd buy a Corsair Carbide 500R instead of that phantom, cheap(er) and a fantastically built case. Although if it comes down to looks it's all about opinion.

I was strongly considering that case, but it really came down to aesthetics at the end of the day, the Gunmetal Edition of the phantom is the only case near that price range that I really have an eye for...

Also what's the general consensus on this PSU? Which of the Super-flower PSUs should I be looking at?

Tij da feen · 26-06-2012 1:40pm

Nazata wrote: »

Cool, I guess I can skip the wriststrap then. I intend to overclock (to around 4.2ghz), would the difference in ram frequency still be minimal?
Cool, I'll check out the Super-flower PSUs then.

Hmm Ivy Bridge runs cooler with Macho I'm guessing? Haven't seen it any benchmarks, might check some out later.
Thanks Tij, I really appreciate all your help

I was strongly considering that case, but it really came down to aesthetics at the end of the day, the Gunmetal Edition of the phantom is the only case near that price range that I really have an eye for...

The RAM makes no difference for overclocking on an Intel based system and here's the difference in FPS in Crysis.

The Macho is a better cooler, it will come in useful when overclocking because Ivy runs quite hot.

Nazata · 26-06-2012 2:04pm

Tij da feen wrote: »

The RAM makes no difference for overclocking on an Intel based system and here's the difference in FPS in Crysis.

The Macho is a better cooler, it will come in useful when overclocking because Ivy runs quite hot.

Sweet thanks, I think I'll be going for that ram and cooler then.

Is there any point in getting the box version over the tray of the 3570k? If I get the tray will I still have remove whatever TIM they have on it?

Tij da feen · 26-06-2012 2:07pm

Nazata wrote: »

Sweet thanks, I think I'll be going for that ram and cooler then.

Is there any point in getting the box version over the tray of the 3570k? If I get the tray will I still have remove whatever TIM they have on it?

There's no TIM on the processor itself. The TIM is pre-applied to the stock heatsink itself. Go for the boxed version since it has a longer warranty.

Nazata · 26-06-2012 5:45pm

Tij da feen wrote: »

There's no TIM on the processor itself. The TIM is pre-applied to the stock heatsink itself. Go for the boxed version since it has a longer warranty.

Perfect, I'll go for the boxed version then. Thanks again Tij!

Nazata · 03-07-2012 7:57am

Is the Antec True Power 750W meant to be good? It's very reasonable on Scan's today only page, and so I'll probably order it this morning along with a Samsung 830 SSD...
Also does anyone have any recommendations for 120mm fans?

Monotype · 03-07-2012 10:13am

Tij da feen wrote: »

The RAM makes no difference for overclocking on an Intel based system and here's the difference in FPS in Crysis.

One game doesn't really tell the fully story. While RAM doesn't make difference in limiting your overclocking capabilities as it did in previous generations, it might make a difference in the performance of an overclocked system.
Take a look at the results for Civ 5 at the bottom of the page.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/memory/display/sandy-bridge-ddr3_7.html

Granted, 4.7GHz is a substantial enough overclock, but it is pretty clear that some games and programs will benefit from faster RAM. Since 1600MHz RAM is now officially support by Ivy Bridge, I would be inclined to go for that. That is assuming budget allows and you're not sacrificing other high priorities like an overclockable CPU or SSD.

http://www2.hardwareversand.de/1600+Low+Voltage/44321/8GB-Kit+G.Skill+RipJaws-X+PC3-12800U+CL9.article

Nazata · 10-07-2012 5:25pm

Would the Be Quiet Pure Power L8 730W struggle with SLI 670's due to only having 29A max output on +12V?
Could someone clarify what the significance of this figure is please?

Monotype wrote: »

One game doesn't really tell the fully story. While RAM doesn't make difference in limiting your overclocking capabilities as it did in previous generations, it might make a difference in the performance of an overclocked system.
Take a look at the results for Civ 5 at the bottom of the page.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/memory/display/sandy-bridge-ddr3_7.html

Thanks Monotype, think I will go for 1600mhz ram after all...

Procrastastudy · 10-07-2012 10:22pm

Is that frame rates in Civ5? That does strike me as a bit redundant

Point taken though - guess I need to OC my RAM

v.e.r.b.a.l · 11-07-2012 6:35pm

I'd maybe go for the wrist-strap for a bit of added peace-of-mind. I mean, you can get them for about a fiver and that's definitely worth it so that you can be sure that you don't fry something very expensive.

Monotype · 11-07-2012 7:06pm

Nazata wrote: »

Would the Be Quiet Pure Power L8 730W struggle with SLI 670's due to only having 29A max output on +12V?
Could someone clarify what the significance of this figure is please?

It's got two 12V rails at 30A each. The significance is that that it can deliver 660W of 12V power according to the specifications. Most components in your PC, including the hungry graphics cards, use 12V so that's why it's important.

Review and info on the PSU here.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/beQuiet/PurePower_L8_730W/2.html

Is it scan that you're buying from? Over the weekend on their today only page, they usually have a few reasonable PSUs. The Antec True Power New 750W has been showing up lately there at around £65/€80.
A good 600W PSU could carry SLI 670s with a bit of overclocking. 650W-750W would be plenty to cover expansions and some extreme overclocking. Going beyond that would be overkill.

Nazata · 11-07-2012 8:20pm

Monotype wrote: »

Is it scan that you're buying from? Over the weekend on their today only page, they usually have a few reasonable PSUs. The Antec True Power New 750W has been showing up lately there at around £65/€80.
A good 600W PSU could carry SLI 670s with a bit of overclocking. 650W-750W would be plenty to cover expansions and some extreme overclocking. Going beyond that would be overkill.

I'll probably be ordering it from either Hardwareversand (where I'm ordering most of my build from tomorrow), or Komplett (where I'm ordering my monitor from)...
So if I were to use the L8 730W I would be able to use 670's in SLI even though the max +12V output is 29A?

Will be ordering some stuff from Amazon too soon, so they're also a contender (though their PSUs are usually priced terribly) will also pick up a wrist-strap from them (good call v.e.r.b.a.l).
Would there be any PSUs that would be more suitable for this price range? (Will be ordering from Hardwareversand tomorrow morning, so would love if someone could reply tonight...)

Monotype · 11-07-2012 8:31pm

Nazata · 11-07-2012 9:06pm

Monotype wrote: »

It's not 29A, it's 2 x 30A. (Where do you see 29? Is it on their website?) I'm not bowled over by the quality of that PSU. It's okay, but if I had the opportunity, I'd go for some others first.

On the Scan page for the BeQuiet 730W L8 it says Max. Output +12V:29 A
after saying each rail is 30A.

Of the PSUs you suggested which are modular?
Once again Monotype, thanks a million!

uncle_sam_ie · 11-07-2012 11:17pm

This ones not bad, http://www2.hardwareversand.de/600+-+700+Watts/28059/Corsair+650HX%2C+650+Watt.article

Nazata · 12-07-2012 8:05am

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

This ones not bad, http://www2.hardwareversand.de/600+-+700+Watts/28059/Corsair+650HX%2C+650+Watt.article

I've heard great things about that PSU myself, I think I may just pick it...

Nazata · 12-07-2012 11:09am

Turns out that PSU is 24 euros more expensive than it says on the website...
Will probably just change my PSU, but can't decide which to change it to

Edit: Think I'll order an Adata 850W from Komplett.ie on Monotype's recommendation, thanks Monotype your knowledge of PC components seems second to none

Monotype · 12-07-2012 11:36am

Good modular ones that come to mind, are the modular Superflower golden greens - they come in modular and non-modular flavours. You'll see clearly in the picture. Usually the ones ending in 50W aren't modular, so the modular ones are the 600W, 700W, 800W ones while 550, 650, 750 aren't.
Other ones on hardwareversand are the HX as uncle sam said, of course,... usually kind of expensive though. The TXm from Corsair is also modular, but this is very similar to the Adata on komplett which is cheaper. There's also their high end AX line, which is also pretty expensive and competing with high-end Enermax and Seasonic X series.

On scan, there's a load of PSUs, a quick look at their modular 600W+ range, I see the XFX XXX edition (core edition is their non-modular line - the 750W and 850W of this line are very good quality). XFX 650W, Corsair HX, AX, a load of Enermax PSUs, and good Antec ones too (e.g TPN). Some of the Bequiet ones are actually decent enough but I can't remember their series straight off. Scan have a good selection but you'd really need to be buying other stuff from them to make their shipping worthwhile.

Ah, they've got loads of them, how much do you want to spend?

You could get an OCZ 750W ZT for €94.53 delivered from dabs.

Nazata · 12-07-2012 12:14pm

Monotype wrote: »

On scan, there's a load of PSUs, a quick look at their modular 600W+ range, I see the XFX XXX edition (core edition is their non-modular line - the 750W and 850W of this line are very good quality). XFX 650W, Corsair HX, AX, a load of Enermax PSUs, and good Antec ones too (e.g TPN). Some of the Bequiet ones are actually decent enough but I can't remember their series straight off. Scan have a good selection but you'd really need to be buying other stuff from them to make their shipping worthwhile.

Ah, they've got loads of them, how much do you want to spend?

You could get an OCZ 750W ZT for €94.53 delivered from dabs.

Will check the OCZ out...
I may be able to wrangle half price delivery from Scan as I have more than 20 posts on the Bit-Tech forums and their representative there said I should be able to get the discount equivalent to UK delivery if I rang them.
Would like to spend around €90 for a decent modular PSU somewhere near the 600-750W range.
I'd probably need more SATA ports and Molexes than the Adata provides, (maybe 4+ of molexes and 3+ of SATA) preferably with x4 6 Pin molexes (even though I can't see SLI happening any time soon, would like to be prepared...)

Edit: I'm really liking the look of the OCZ, reading some reviews right now, seems to have ample connectors, good performance and a 5 year warranty to boot. Will have a look at some of the others you suggested but this is on top at the moment...

Monotype · 12-07-2012 12:19pm

Oh yeah, I heard someone getting discounted shipping alright by ringing them on this forum. I've ordered from them a few times but couldn't really be bothered talking an order through on the phone.
I'd still wait until the weekend or late Friday to see if that Truepower New shows up again. Don't know if their offices would be open on the weekend but late Friday/early Monday, the stuff would still be the same on today only.
Have you got a lot of old hard drives that you need so many molex cables? What's that about 6pin molexes? The PCI-E connectors is it?

Nazata · 12-07-2012 12:31pm

Monotype wrote: »

Oh yeah, I heard someone getting discounted shipping alright by ringing them on this forum. I've ordered from them a few times but couldn't really be bothered talking an order through on the phone.
I'd still wait until the weekend or late Friday to see if that Truepower New shows up again. Don't know if their offices would be open on the weekend but late Friday/early Monday, the stuff would still be the same on today only.
Have you got a lot of old hard drives that you need so many molex cables? What's that about 6pin molexes? The PCI-E connectors is it?

Sorry, yeah I meant PCI-E connectors. I have a couple old hard-drives I'd like to use and a few case fans (though I think the fan controller in my case should be able to distribute power to them from one or two molexes). Will take up your advice and check out Scan's weekend Today Onlys, will probably arrive before HWVS's items with a Monday order anyway.

Nazata · 12-07-2012 12:37pm

Monotype wrote: »

Oh yeah, I heard someone getting discounted shipping alright by ringing them on this forum. I've ordered from them a few times but couldn't really be bothered talking an order through on the phone.
I'd still wait until the weekend or late Friday to see if that Truepower New shows up again. Don't know if their offices would be open on the weekend but late Friday/early Monday, the stuff would still be the same on today only.

They're on yesterday's (for £64.79) which haven't changed yet, do you reckon I should get it?

Monotype · 12-07-2012 12:39pm

The Adata PSU has 2x6pin and 2x8pin. The 8 pins are 6+2 pins, so you could use them as 4x6pin!

If you're going to have old hard drives, have you considered the IDE (PATA) connectors that they need? There's none on your board...

You can buy adapters or even different modular cables to get extra 4 pin molex connectors. You can get IDE->SATA adapters too.

Nazata · 12-07-2012 12:41pm

Monotype wrote: »

The Adata PSU has 2x6pin and 2x8pin. The 8 pins are 6+2 pins, so you could use them as 4x6pin!

If you're going to have old hard drives, have you considered the IDE (PATA) connectors that they need? There's none on your board...

You can buy adapters or even different modular cables to get extra 4 pin molex connectors. You can get IDE->SATA adapters too.

Yeah I already picked up some IDE adapters which were going cheap.
Do you reckon I should go with the Adata, True Power New or the OCZ ZT (which won't be in stock for 1-2 weeks in dabs)?
Hmm interesting, if I do go for the Adata will look into getting some extra 4 pin adapters...

Monotype · 12-07-2012 12:42pm

Nazata wrote: »

They're on yesterday's (for £64.79) which haven't changed yet, do you reckon I should get it?

~ 82-83 euro.

If you're sure that it has everything that you want. You can always add it to your basket now and buy later today. Might disappear if you close the browser window. I don't know how a telephone call or saving the basket will come into effect. I wouldn't make a rushed decision anyway (but it's a good PSU ata good price).

Nazata · 12-07-2012 12:48pm

Monotype wrote: »

~ 82-83 euro.

If you're sure that it has everything that you want. You can always add it to your basket now and buy later today. Might disappear if you close the browser window. I don't know how a telephone call or saving the basket will come into effect. I wouldn't make a rushed decision anyway (but it's a good PSU ata good price).

Yeah I think that's a good call, will wait and do some more research on the PSUs, it'll take around a week (quite possibly more) for my HWVS order to get here since I'm only making the bank transfer today. Thanks for all the help Monotype, it's very hard to find someone knowledgeable about PSUs, most people I know tend to just buy a branded name and be done with it..

Monotype · 12-07-2012 1:15pm

I suppose if absolute modularity is an issue, the TPN mightn't be the best choice as I'd class it a bit more as a semi-modular; there's still quite a few cables attached. The ZT is great in that regard.

Don't forget to look them up on the review database. There's not very many on the Adata PSU, but bear in mind that it's built on CWT's PSH II series, which is also the same used in Corsair's GS and TXm lines, so you can always look at those for a comparison of quality to expect. Adata are still new in the PSU world, which is probably why they are cheaper than their competitors. Corsair knows that people will just throw the extra money at them for their name.

...rightly enough too, I suppose, since any time they have released sub-par products, they have been quickly replaced when greeted by an uproar (e.g., CX line and the TX replacement line in their PSUs, as well as their recall of SSDs).

For reference if you're researching, the Antec TPN is built on a variation of Seasonic's M12D platform. There's more tweaks on this one so you can't directly compare it, but you could probably look at the likes of XFX's PSUs or Corsair's TXv2 (built on S12II, if I recall correctly) or Seasonics own PSUs for comparisions of quality.

By the time you've studied all the PSUs, I don't know if it will be worth saving a tenner but you will know a lot more! Have a read of the PSU guide in my signature if you want a starting place.

ZeroThreat · 12-07-2012 2:19pm

I got a Golden green 650W non-modular for €80 from HWVS.
As I opened it last night and seen the thick mass of connections, I wondered to myself if I should've just ponied up the few extra lids & purchased a modular

Still waiting for my carbide series 500 case to arrive, hopefully it has good cable management options.

Nazata · 17-07-2012 5:37pm

On some reviews on Amazon (I know it's hardly the best place to get info on components but I was looking for a place with the PSU in stock) the OCZ 750W ZT has some bad reviews due to being very noisy under load?
Does anyone have experience with this PSU? Is this problem genuinely in all of these PSUs or did these people have bad luck and get damaged ones/ they didn't have them in a suitable environment?

Nazata · 18-07-2012 9:16am

I've been checking out some reviews and I think I'll pay the extra 20E for a Corsair HX Series 650W (essentially the CMPSU-650HXUK) from dabs, especially as the ZT won't be in stock for 1-2 weeks.
Has anyone heard anything negative about it? If anyone could share their experiences of this PSU I'd be really grateful...
I've been checking out reviews on the PSU Review Database (thanks for showing me that Monotype) and they all seem positive...

Edit: The PSU is cheaper on Amazon, is there any reason to go with the more expensive option of Dabs?

Monotype · 18-07-2012 1:07pm

Both seem to be the older 650W HX, unless they just haven't relabelled them. The newer version has a gold rated efficiency - I'd expect it to show up more expensive as a result.

A good PSU in all, likely to be similar quality to the Antec TPN with extra modularity, although possibly slightly expensive for what you are getting. No reason not to get it from amazon really unless you don't like them.

Another line to look at are XFX high end ones, the 750W and 850W XXX Black Edition ones. Not as good value as they were unfortunately, with the 750W one now actually €5 dearer.
http://www.dabs.ie/products/xfx-850w-xxx-edition-single-rail-semi-modular-psu-7TD1.html

It's a silver rated PSU and apparently very good and quiet. Made by Seasonic and should be a little better than the HX. Maybe you might find a 750W one when you're look around. The 650W is a little lower in quality.

Nazata · 18-07-2012 2:09pm

I'm tempted by the XFX, but I feel like I may go below 20% load at times on an 850W and the efficiency will be compromised (those links in your sig really helped regarding power efficiency).
Have a couple of Amazon vouchers so I think I'll use them and go for the HX650

Edit: Just got an email from Hardwareversand saying my packages have been given to DHL, very happy right now...

Thoughts on Build

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