Compatibility / Alternative Advice

gabz001

Hey guys I am building a new PC intended for gaming from scratch, my current pc is seriously obselete so I dont have as much knowledge in building pc's nowadays.

Here is my current intended setup and here are my following questions
1. Is everything compatible
2. Would there be a better alternative to what I have
3. Is my power supply sufficient?

At the moment i think it should work but im not entirely sure about the PSU so im asking here just to make sure before placing an order.

Thanks

Motherboard
CROSSHAIR V FORMULA :
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/CROSSHAIR_V_FORMULA/

CPU
AMD Phenom II X4 965 :
http://shop.amd.com/us/All/Detail/Processor/HDZ965FBGMBOX

Memory
Corsair Vengeance Red 4x2GB 1600MHZ :
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-Desktop-Memory-CMZ8GX3M4X1600C8R/sim/B0067I57BG/2

GPU
ASUS GeForce GTX 650 : https://www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/GTX650DC1GD5/

Power Supply
CORSAIR 430W CX PSU CP-9020046-UK :
http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/powersupplies/cp-9020046-uk.html

**I didnt add a CD Drive / HDD as those are generally standard and are not as high profile as these parts

Tij da feen

Fill out these questions so we can help you better. One noticeable thing is that you're spending way too much on a motherboard which could better be spent on CPU and GFX card.

BloodBath

Fill this out and we can help you make the most of your money.

1. What is your budget? [€xxx]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Gaming/Video editing/3D Modelling/HTPC/Internet] (If gaming include which games)

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [Yes/No]

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [Hard drive/DVD Drive/Case/PSU/etc.] (If possible state brand and model of the parts to ensure compatibility)

5. Do you need a monitor? [Yes/No]

5a. If yes, what size do you need. [19'/20'/22'/24'/etc.]

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? [1920x1080/1440x900/etc.] [Yes/No]

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.]

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Yes/No]

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser]

9. When are you purchasing? [In x days]

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [South Dublin City/Cork City/Kerry/etc.]

gabz001

1. What is your budget? [€550]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Gaming] (Aload , Dota 2 , Sc2 , Diablo 3 , Planetside 2 , perhaps some FPS, WoW , MMorPG)

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [No]

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [Hard drive/Case/] (These are general and not as high profile so ill leave em out)

5. Do you need a monitor? [No]

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [No]

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [No]

8. How can you pay? [Credit Card/Laser/PayPal]

9. When are you purchasing? [Near Future 6 odd weeks]

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [No need]

BloodBath

Not sure if you wanted a case or hard drive but I threw them in anyway. Took me a bit over budget but could easily cut back a little to get it below €550 if you wanted. This would play all the latest games on or near max settings with good frame rates.

Item|Price
AMD FX-6300 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+|€123.59
ASRock 970DE3/U3S3, AM3+, ATX|€55.64
8GB Corsair XMS3 PC3-10667U CL9-9-9-24|€48.37
Club 3D Radeon HD 7870 XT jokerCard, 2GB GDDR5, DVI, HDMI, 2x Mini DisplayPort|€209.13
be quiet! SYSTEM POWER 7 400W|€39.02
BitFenix Merc Alpha|€33.65
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1000GB, SATA 6Gb/s|€59.28
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€587.67

gabz001

All right so I took TiJ da feen's advice on the motherboard and did some tweaking with the build ,
what are your opinion guys
230
1.Motherboard - M5A78L-M/USB3 - 70€
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M5A78LMUSB3/

2.CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 965 - 95€
http://shop.amd.com/us/All/Detail/Processor/HDZ965FBGMBOX

3.Memory - Corsair Vengeance Red 4x2GB 1600MHZ - 60€
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengea...m/B0067I57BG/2

4.GPU - GeForce GTX 660 - 235€
http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-660

5. Power Supply - 50€
CORSAIR 430W CX PSU CP-9020046-UK :
http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/c...020046-uk.html
** Need some advice on this one, is the Wattage Sufficient and is it compatible as im not that informed when it comes to this part.

Tij da feen

gabz001 wrote: »

All right so I took TiJ da feen's advice on the motherboard and did some tweaking with the build ,
what are your opinion guys
230
1.Motherboard - M5A78L-M/USB3 - 70€
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M5A78LMUSB3/

2.CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 965 - 95€
http://shop.amd.com/us/All/Detail/Processor/HDZ965FBGMBOX

3.Memory - Corsair Vengeance Red 4x2GB 1600MHZ - 60€
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengea...m/B0067I57BG/2

4.GPU - GeForce GTX 660 - 235€
http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-660

5. Power Supply - 50€
CORSAIR 430W CX PSU CP-9020046-UK :
http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/c...020046-uk.html
** Need some advice on this one, is the Wattage Sufficient and is it compatible as im not that informed when it comes to this part.

Not a great PSU. Go with Bloodbath's build as the 7870XT is better than a 660, better CPU and better power supply. €70 for that motherboard is way too expensive and you're spending way too much for a 660.

EDIT: Those 5 parts on pretty much the same budget.

Item|Price
AMD FX-6300 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+|€123.59
ASRock 970 Pro3, AM3+, ATX|€62.99
8GB G.Skill RipJawsX PC3-14900U CL10|€56.03
Club 3D Radeon HD 7870 XT jokerCard, 2GB GDDR5, DVI, HDMI, 2x Mini DisplayPort|€209.13
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€46.34
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€517.07

gabz001

Hey Bloodbath, thanks for the suggested build i have tried using that website which is quite good and they actually provide financing which makes big purchases not as painful

gabz001

ok thanks for the help guys

BloodBath

No problem. It's a far better build that the parts you are suggesting so you should get them there.

gabz001

Just for future knowledge, how do you guys determine the PSU requirement of the build?

Serephucus

If you're unsure, you can look at graphics card reviews. Since most CPUs pull in and around the same sort of power, the GPU is the only real factor. Look at a bunch of reviews, take the average, and if you're thinking of overclocking, add another 50-100W.

Bear in mind though, that most reviewers will measure power from the wall, so if they say a setup draws 400W, you have to take the PSU's efficiency into account. Odds are they're using a good one, so we'll say it's 85%. 400x.85=340, so you'd want to look for a 350W PSU, or 400 if you're thinking of overclocking.

People tend to think that they need an extra 200W if they're going to be adding a few hard drives to their build, which isn't the case. On average, once a hard drive is spinning it'll use between 5 and 10 watts. It might jump up to around 25W for a split second during start-up, but PSUs are designed for this. If it's a good PSU, the wattage rating will be for continuous power. A good 500W unit for example should be able to spike up to 550W with no problems.

BloodBath

Safe estimates with some overhead - cpu's average around the 100w mark, gpu's around the 200w mark, the rest of the system around 50w.

Good 400-450w psu's are fine for single gpu systems with overclocks. Good 650-700w for dual gpu with overclocks.

There are cheap psu's that will die a fiery death though.

Serephucus

Rule of thumb cost wise is that you could be spending 1/10 of the wattage in Euro, at minimum. Anything less, and it'll likely blow up on you.