New PC Build: Comments, Suggestions and Advice

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IzZzy

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Hi there

So after about 3 years without a PC since my old one broke, I am planning on building/buying a new one (to go with my telkom ADSL trial :) ).
Since it has been so long, I am a bit "out of the game" so would like your help on my suggested build e.g. is that ram fine with that mobo? Do I need a specific power supply for that GPU?

After considering the options, I have finally settled on the following (more or less):

1) Processor:

Intel Core i7 2600 Processor-3.40GHz, Socket 1155, 8MB L3, 2.0Gb/s DMI Interface OR Intel Core i7 870 2.93GHz Processor Socket LGA1156, 4 cores, Hyper-Threading, 8MB L3 Cache, 45nm OR Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor.

Which one is better? Why would I bother with the socket 1156 2.93GHZ when I can get 3.4GHz processor instead?

2) Mobo:

Depending on the answer above, something like the ASUS H55 SKT 1156 - Intel H55 Chipset - FOR CORE I7/I5/I3 PROCESSORS - 4X DDR3 2200MHZ - 6X SATA - 1X PCI-E 2.0 X16 (SUPPORTS CROSSFIREX TECHNOLOGY) - 1X OR ASUS P8H67-M LE-H67,STK1155,2X DD3,GBLAN -(MAX 16GB 1333MHZ),1X PCI EXPRESS 2.0 X16, 1X PCI EXPRESS 2.0 X4, 2X PCI, 4X SATA (RAID).

3) RAM:

Thinking 2 x 2gig Kingston DDR3. I assume that it must be 1333MHz notwithstanding any mobo I take above? What's the difference between "7-7-7-21"; "7-7-7-20" and "5-5-5-15" etc?

4) Graphics Card:

Thinking a Gigabyte GV-N550OC-1GI GeForce GTX550 TI 1GB GDDR5 192-bit PCI-E. Any other "cheaper" equivalent alternatives?

5) Power Supply:

500w Coolermaster or 550W Aerocool?

6) HDD:

500gig Seagate SATA 2. (will get a larger external later).

7) Chassis:

I assume any normal size chassis would fit the mobo, so any normal tower.


So, anything I should be getting instead of what I have listed above? Would you be happy with this build if it were your own?
 
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1. i7 2600
2. ASUS P8H67-M LE
3. Depends on what you are using the pc for
4. Depends on what you are using the pc for
5. 500w Coolermaster, consider a Corsair if you can.
6. ok
7. ok, doesn't really matter, it just must fit your motherboard.


What are you going to use the pc for?
What is your max budget?
 
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Going to use it for gaming primarily - i.e. new Starcraft, Diablo etc. Budget is...flexible but around R7k.

I see that the ASUS P8H67-M LE mobo is "micro-atx", would it fit a normal tower case? (Stupid question, forgive me).

My only issue remaining is what RAM exactly should I get? I know to look out for DDR3 1333MHz but I am lost on the pin size/voltage etc.
 
I'd get a K-series CPU and a P67-series motherboard if you want to overclock. Free performance if you want to look at it that way :)

Also, an i5 2500K is plenty for gaming, the extra power of the i7 would be great if doing a lot of multithreading though. Then take the money saved and get a GTX560Ti :)

Be sure to get DDR3 RAM that is rated at 1.5V, as Sandy Bridge does not like higher voltages there.

A mATX would fit in a normal ATX sized case, that is correct
 
Hmmm thats a new dynamic I never considered : i5 + gtx 560TI vs i7 + GTX550 TI. Overclocking has never been for me :)

I note the description for the 2500K says "no fan included". What does this mean (besides the obvious) - that I need to get something else?
 
IzZzy said:
Hmmm thats a new dynamic I never considered : i5 + gtx 560TI vs i7 + GTX550 TI. Overclocking has never been for me :)

I note the description for the 2500K says "no fan included". What does this mean (besides the obvious) - that I need to get something else?
Click to expand...
The K series do not include the stock HSF, but then again they were meant for overclocking and as such they did not include them. They are meant for enthusiast users that like to fiddle a lot ;)

My i5 2500K with a R250.00 CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ cooler achieved 4.7GHz, and I get decent temps. Very good value for money cooler.

The 560 has considerable performance above the 550 from what I've heard, and the 560Ti hits the perfect price/performance sweet spot for nVidia cards

To put it into my terms, going the i7/550 route you will have too much CPU for your available GPU power. Rather balance it out and reap the benefits :)
 
Indeed that makes sense - just Im wary of fiddling with my purdy PC when I havent been in the game for long! Maybe I keep the i7 and endure the pain of getting a 560TI, need to see my cash monies :)

Or I could just fiddle when I feel comfortable later...which Im starting to like :)

Would that same ASUS P8H67-M LE mobo work with the i5?
 
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I get cheesed when I see people planning a Sandy build and not planning on OCing... and going for any chip with hyperthreading/more than 4 cores for a gaming rig.

i5 2500K, P67 mobo, Hyper 212,4gb of the cheapest ddr3 ram and spend every penny of the rest of your money on a GPU and PSU.
 
wabbit16 said:
The K series do not include the stock HSF, but then again they were meant for overclocking and as such they did not include them. They are meant for enthusiast users that like to fiddle a lot ;)
Click to expand...

They do come with the heatsink... at least every single one I've ever seen does.
 
My 2c:

I was never one to tinker much with PC's, living by that old mantra of "if it works, don't fix it" BUT my current system has been an absolute joy to tinker with. The OC'ing on SB is soooo easy and there are folks all around the world that have achieved 5GHz+ with their core i5's. www.overclock.net is a good place to look, but not all are on air cooling. There are lots of possibilities to play around with, but an i5 2500K and a GTX560Ti seems like a very popular choice all around.

IF you are going to be gaming, I would strongly suggest getting an aftermarket cooler as they will keep your chip happier for longer (and the stock Intel fan is not up to scratch). If you do, you might as well pay the R100-odd more for the K-series CPU and have overclocking available as an option. There is also no real difference in the P67/Z68 chipsets, other than the ability to use the integrated graphics for video encoding and another feature I forgot.

As for the RAM timings, those are just how the modules are configured. My XMS3's are 9-9-9-24, for example. Here is a guide explaining the timings:

The first number is the CAS latency. There are several timing delays when accessing memory. The most important (because of the way memory accesses usually occur) is the CAS latency (Column address strobe) -- the number of clock cycles from the time a column address is asserted on the memory bus until that column is stable. This is the most important of the delays, because many memory accesses are from the same row, so only the column address changes -- for those references the CAS delay is all that's involved. But for a general random access to memory, the other delays matter as well.

The 2nd number is the tRCD => the delay needed between the RAS (Row address strobe) and CAS (Column address strobe).

The 3rd number is tRP => known as RAS Precharge. This is basically the delay needed to switch between rows (for the memory chip to terminate access to one row and start the process of accessing another).

The 4th number is tRAS => the delay between receiving a memory access request and initiating the RAS (Row Address Strobe) to start the actual retrieval process.

These delays all factor into a memory reference ... but since many accesses are "across a row", the CAS delay has the most notable impact on system performance. The others only happen when access switches to another row.

Also, go for a good Corsair PSU as they have good warranties and seem to be quite reliable. HTH :)

@Archer, some places include it, some don't. Best to phone and find out> YMMV
 
wabbit16 said:
Be sure to get DDR3 RAM that is rated at 1.5V, as Sandy Bridge does not like higher voltages there.

A mATX would fit in a normal ATX sized case, that is correct
Click to expand...

Thanks :)

And thanks so much for all the general advice :) I now have a much much clearer idea of what I should be getting.

Going to definately aim for the i5 2600k with your coolermaster HSF, and the 560TI. Might be tad over budget but will be worth it!
 
IzZzy said:
Thanks :)

And thanks so much for all the general advice :) I now have a much much clearer idea of what I should be getting.

Going to definately aim for the i5 2500k with your coolermaster HSF, and the 560TI. Might be tad over budget but will be worth it!
Click to expand...
Fixed ;)

Now you get to choose which manufacturer makes the best 560Ti. They all differ, kind of like Ford that had the Escort and Mazda that made the Sting, but they were basically the same cars. Okay bad example, but you get the idea.

Gigabyte's Windforce 560Ti is a good card from what I've heard, as are the MSI Twin Frozr II GTX560Ti (the latter might be a bit more expensive). It's all up to you - personal prefererence :)

Also, have you decided on a specific type of RAM?
 
The K series processors are quite a bit more expensive, so don't bother unless you seriously intend on overclocking.
i5 with a bigger gfx card is definitely a better idea than an i7 with a smaller gfx card :D

I know you've already decided, but DON'T get an 1156 system - 1155 is the future.

Regardless of the CPU, do yourself the favour of getting an aftermarket cooler. Again, unless you're overclocking, don't bother with the seriously expensive ones. R300ish is plenty.

If you plan on running a multi GPU setup in future, double check that your board supports it. Most boards support ATi (AMD) crossfire, but surprisingly few support nVidia SLI.

Wabbit is spot on about the ram voltage - anything over 1.5v and you'll be inadvertently over-volting your CPU too. If you force the ram down to 1.5v, it'll just run slower. Get ram
that will run at it's advertised speed at 1.5v.

With the ram timing story, just get the smallest numbers you can find. 9-9-9-24 is the norm, but the more expensive ships will run at 8-8-8. Again, check the voltage!

and lastly, ENJOY! :)
 
Sorry, my mistake: i5 2500k :)

I saw in your sig about the EVGA - so I was pretty much coattailing and going to get that - if you dont mind.

Decided on the Kingston VALUERAM KVR1333D3N9K2/4G 2x2GB Kit DDDR3-1333 1.5v CL9 Desktop. Hope thats ok!
 
IzZzy said:
Sorry, my mistake: i5 2500k :)

I saw in your sig about the EVGA - so I was pretty much coattailing and going to get that - if you dont mind.

Decided on the Kingston VALUERAM KVR1333D3N9K2/4G 2x2GB Kit DDDR3-1333 1.5v CL9 Desktop. Hope thats ok!
Click to expand...

No problem ;)

How is the warranty on the Kingston RAM? I have not come across many Kingston modules, but many Transcend (lifetime limited warranty) and Corsair (XMS3 and Dominator - very good modules, as are G.skill). Come to think of it, my XMS3 modules also have lifetime warranties.

Just note that I have the GTX570 HD, which is a non-reference (non-standard in other words) board. It is a bit smaller than a stock 570, and the fan type is different. I should have gone with the GTX560Ti,and I really wanted to but I thought I might as well buy the GTX570 as it appeals to me. The performance between the 570 and the 560Ti are very similar in most games at standard resolutions, but when you start pumping up the AA and the resolutions the 560Ti might be a wee bit slower, but not by much. The 10 year warranty of the EVGA GTX570 also seemed like a very good selling point.
 
Currently I would recommend the following gaming PC setup:
CPU: i5 2500k ~ R1900
CPU Cooler: Coolermaster Hyper 212+ or Cogage True Spirit with Socket 1156/1155 bracket ~ R250/R300
Motherboard: MSI P67A-C43 motherboard ~ R1130 from Prophecy Shop
PSU: Corsair CX500 ~ R650 from Prophecy Shop
Graphics: MSI HD6870 Hawk ~ R1900 from Take2
RAM: 2x 2GB DDR3 1333MHz 1.5V ~ R350
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TV ~ R550 from Wootware
Case: Coolermaster Elite 430 ~ R430

If you don't want to overclock at all, then go for an H67 motherboard and the i5 2500 (non-K model) CPU.

I would actually recommend that you spend that R300 more on the i5 2500k + P67 motherboard, because you can squeeze quite a lot more out of the CPU when you overclock it from 3.3GHz to like 4.5GHz !
 
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wabbit16 said:
How is the warranty on the Kingston RAM?
Click to expand...

Warranty: Lifetime

wabbit16 said:
The 10 year warranty of the EVGA GTX570 also seemed like a very good selling point.
Click to expand...

Product Warranty - This product comes with a Limited Lifetime warranty with registration within 30 days of purchase.

Seems good!

RE: Pada - nice mobo you referenced. Definately going on my list!

Looks like I will be overclocking (esp coz I'll get the i5 2500k + Coolermaster Hyper 212+) - and that MSI mobo makes it way easier.
 
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