Seeking advice on R11K self-built PC

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jatx50

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Hi
I've never done this before but I'm keen to finally get a decent gaming PC that will last me a while. This is what I've come up with so far (I've edited the selection since first post):

CASE: Cooler Master Silencio 550
R780,00
1 year warranty
Cool. (Ha, pun.)
http://www.takealot.com/electronics/cooler-master-silencio-550,10805880

PSU: Corsair GS600
R887,00
http://rebeltech.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=39_85&products_id=1498

CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K
R2 057,64
3 year warranty
I intend to OC to 4.5GHz
http://www.bonanzatech.co.za/product.php?id_product=3724

CPU COOLING: Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo
R331,88
1 year warranty
Apparently this is sufficient?
http://rebeltech.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_90&products_id=9136

MB: Asus P8Z68 - V
R2 102,00
3 year warranty
http://www.rampage-gaming.co.za/ind...duct_id=5095&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=207

RAM: Corsair vengeance Lp 4Gb x2 kit ddr3-1600 , CL9 , 1.5v
R571,51
Limited lifetime warranty
http://rebeltech.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_4_10&products_id=8243

GPU: MSI nVidia GeForce N570 GTX Twin Frozr III PE/OC
R4 145,00
2 year warranty
Considering stock options, this seemed to be my best choice.
http://www.rampage-gaming.co.za/ind...egory_id=300&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=207

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 500gb, Sata6G, 7200rpm, 16mb cache
R855,00
2 year warranty
I decided not to get this, as I already have HDDs.
http://rebeltech.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=70_233_235&products_id=8702

DVD: Liteon - iHAS524-T32 B - 24 Speed DVD Super All-Write - SATA
R165,41
1 year warranty
http://rebeltech.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=75_77&products_id=6084

With shipping (from 4 different online stores), the total comes to exactly R11 341,87. I do not want to go beyond R12K - I'd rather stay around R11K to R11,5K. I'm really eager to hear whether this is a good setup or not.
Thanks, James
 
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Go for the GTX560 Ti and the Evo motherboard. That GTX570 is a bit overpriced for its performance and those motherboards are generally the same chipset just with different features. Spend that cash you saved on another hardrive or another 4GB of ram.

PS

4GB of Ram is enough for Windows 7 but 8GB is gonna be better in the long run.
 
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Yeah I thought so about the motherboards. What about a decent case?

And this GPU? Cheaper and looks better too, with same warranty.
http://www.takealot.com/electronics...twin-frozr-iii-power-edition-oc-1-2gb,9759205

Why don't I just buy a 4GB x1 kit of RAM and buy another when I need to?

tiandup said:
Go for the GTX560 Ti and the Evo motherboard. That GTX570 is a bit overpriced for its performance and those motherboards are generally the same chipset just with different features. Spend that cash you saved on another hardrive or another 4GB of ram.

PS

4GB of Ram is enough for Windows 7 but 8GB is gonna be better in the long run.
Click to expand...
 
Personally I would buy the following:
ASUS P8Z68-V LGA 1155 Motherboard, Retail Box 3 year warranty, R2050.86
Intel Core i5 2500k Processor-3.30GHz, Retail Box 3 year Limited Warranty , R2050.86

Point Of View GTX580 1536MB GDDR5, 2 year Limit warranty R4444.86
OR
AMD Radeon 6970 2GB GDDR5, R3190.86 <--- Personally I would take this card if not the GTX580
OR
Point Of View GTX570 PCI-E 1280MB GDDR5, 2 year Limit warranty R3190.86

Firstly, you GFX card choice, you are paying a R1k premium for a Gigabyte card. Is there a specific reason you are buying that card?

Secondly, you motherboard choices. The P8Z68-V Pro is EXACTLY the same as the P8Z68-V but with IEEE 1394 (Firewire) port, and 2 extra marvel based useless SATA-6G ports. For that you pay R500 extra. Do you need those ports?

Also I wouldn't go lower than 8GB of RAM these days, but you are paying a premium because you buy more expensive RAM in order to overclock?
 
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The reason I went for the P8Z68-V Pro over the P8Z68-V is because one has dts surround technology (the v-pro) and ther other doesn't. They are priced the same on rebel tech and I have a dts decoder in my sound system. Compare here:
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z68V/
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z68V_PRO/

In any case, I think I'm going to go with the P8P67 Evo because it's cheaper. Bad choice?

The GTX580 is seriously nice. I do prefer Nvidia cards too. I went for the gtx570 because of my budget and since I thought it would be powerful enough to last 3 years or so. Is the gtx580 a better choice long term? Also, is the MSI card a good brand of the gtx570? It's quite cheaper.
http://www.takealot.com/electronics...twin-frozr-iii-power-edition-oc-1-2gb,9759205

I decided to go with 2 sticks of 4GB ram (see edited original post). I thought Corsair vengeance was a must for gaming builds. I'm going to overclock the CPU and maybe (prob not) the GPU. I don't think I know how to overclock anything else...

Gnome said:
Personally I would buy the following:
ASUS P8Z68-V LGA 1155 Motherboard, Retail Box 3 year warranty, R2050.86
Intel Core i5 2500k Processor-3.30GHz, Retail Box 3 year Limited Warranty , R2050.86

Point Of View GTX580 1536MB GDDR5, 2 year Limit warranty R4444.86
OR
AMD Radeon 6970 2GB GDDR5, R3190.86 <--- Personally I would take this card if not the GTX580
OR
Point Of View GTX570 PCI-E 1280MB GDDR5, 2 year Limit warranty R3190.86

Firstly, you GFX card choice, you are paying a R1k premium for a Gigabyte card. Is there a specific reason you are buying that card?

Secondly, you motherboard choices. The P8Z68-V Pro is EXACTLY the same as the P8Z68-V but with IEEE 1394 (Firewire) port, and 2 extra marvel based useless SATA-6G ports. For that you pay R500 extra. Do you need those ports?

Also I wouldn't go lower than 8GB of RAM these days, but you are paying a premium because you buy more expensive RAM in order to overclock?
Click to expand...
 
Gnome said:
Personally I would buy the following:
ASUS P8Z68-V LGA 1155 Motherboard, Retail Box 3 year warranty, R2050.86
Intel Core i5 2500k Processor-3.30GHz, Retail Box 3 year Limited Warranty , R2050.86

Point Of View GTX580 1536MB GDDR5, 2 year Limit warranty R4444.86
OR
AMD Radeon 6970 2GB GDDR5, R3190.86 <--- Personally I would take this card if not the GTX580
OR
Point Of View GTX570 PCI-E 1280MB GDDR5, 2 year Limit warranty R3190.86

Firstly, you GFX card choice, you are paying a R1k premium for a Gigabyte card. Is there a specific reason you are buying that card?

Secondly, you motherboard choices. The P8Z68-V Pro is EXACTLY the same as the P8Z68-V but with IEEE 1394 (Firewire) port, and 2 extra marvel based useless SATA-6G ports. For that you pay R500 extra. Do you need those ports?

Also I wouldn't go lower than 8GB of RAM these days, but you are paying a premium because you buy more expensive RAM in order to overclock?
Click to expand...


I would second what Mr Gnome has said.

I would go for the P8Z68-V, awesome board, overclocking is a cinch on this mobo. My 2500K is on 4.3Ghz and I just used the asus software.

I would also go for the 6970. I just upgraded to one from 2 5850's and this card is insane, runs a little hot but otherwise it is a monster.
 
I'm getting the Coolermaster Elite 431 plus , from what I read on reviews this case is budget with features of more expensive cases (I would love a HAF 912 Adv or CM690 II plus but not for R 1k), but it does not have great (I read easy ) cable management. System looks good, I doubt you will be disappointed. Now if I could just get that call telling me my system is ready for collection (chews nails), I should stop reading these threads, it's like torture.
 
rinkjames said:
The reason I went for the P8Z68-V Pro over the P8Z68-V is because one has dts surround technology (the v-pro) and ther other doesn't. They are priced the same on rebel tech and I have a dts decoder in my sound system. Compare here:
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z68V/
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z68V_PRO/

In any case, I think I'm going to go with the P8P67 Evo because it's cheaper. Bad choice?

The GTX580 is seriously nice. I do prefer Nvidia cards too. I went for the gtx570 because of my budget and since I thought it would be powerful enough to last 3 years or so. Is the gtx580 a better choice long term? Also, is the MSI card a good brand of the gtx570? It's quite cheaper.
http://www.takealot.com/electronics...twin-frozr-iii-power-edition-oc-1-2gb,9759205

I decided to go with 2 sticks of 4GB ram (see edited original post). I thought Corsair vengeance was a must for gaming builds. I'm going to overclock the CPU and maybe (prob not) the GPU. I don't think I know how to overclock anything else...
Click to expand...

Just get the P8P67 if you're only looking at higher end mobos because of sound options they provide. P8P67 is cheapest of the lot, packed with features and overclockability, and enough left over to get a proper HTPC sound card like Asus Xonar HDAV...

If you think you need Z68 chip set, then agree with others on the non-Pro version.

That power supply is overkill for your rig and not great value for money, rather get the Antec High Current Gamer 520/620 and save about R500. 520 will be more than enough, 620 would only be a bit quieter. The Antec's are Seasonic OEM and the Corsair's CWT. Both offer 3 year warranty. Basically 700watt PSUs would only be needed for dual mid-high end graphics cards.

CM Elite cases are OK but seems you're skimping there a bit, it's a rather small case for ATX size with top mounted PSU. Rather look at the new CM Silencio range (particularly 550), thank me later. ;) Also check out CM Gladiator, Centurion, and CM690 cases for budget gaming cases with more space inside and bottom mounted PSU.
 
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PostmanPot said:
Just get the P8P67 if you're only looking at higher end mobos because of sound options they provide. P8P67 is cheapest of the lot, packed with features and overclockability, and enough left over to get a proper HTPC sound card like Asus Xonar HDAV...

If you think you need Z68 chip set, then agree with others on the non-Pro version.
Click to expand...

Well, I have a sony surround sound speaker system (the DAV-DZ870W) which can decode dolby digital and dts via optical input. I'm prob not going to watch movies off this PC, but I definitely want to take advantage of surround sound with gaming. So that's why I'm looking closely at motherboard sound capability. I actually have an X-fi Xtrememusic card in an old PC and I'll likely use that, but creative drivers have always been a serious pain so I wanted a good motherboard sound solution to fall back on. I'm not sure whether the old X-fi has Dolby Digital Live or DTS Connect etc. and though the awesome Xonar cards would definitely provide nice surround sound to my speakers, I don't want to have to spend more money on a sound card if I can avoid it. This is not the biggest deal, but I want to do it right.

PostmanPot said:
That power supply is overkill for your rig and not great value for money, rather get the Antec High Current Gamer 520/620 and save about R500. 520 will be more than enough, 620 would only be a bit quieter. The Antec's are Seasonic OEM and the Corsair's CWT. Both offer 3 year warranty. Basically 700watt PSUs would only be needed for dual mid-high end graphics cards.
Click to expand...

Thank you - I suspected this. I found this:
http://rebeltech.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=39_85&products_id=1498

PostmanPot said:
CM Elite cases are OK but seems you're skimping there a bit, it's a rather small case for ATX size with top mounted PSU. Rather look at the new CM Silencio range (particularly 550), thank me later. ;) Also check out CM Gladiator, Centurion, and CM690 cases for budget gaming cases with more space inside and bottom mounted PSU.
Click to expand...

I really like the look of the CM Silencio 550! I worry the Hyper 212 evo won't fit though.
Here it says the max height is 15,4cm:
http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6702
And here it says the height of the Hyper 212 evo is 15,9cm:
http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6741
 
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rinkjames said:
Yeah, I also saw that. Weird.
Click to expand...

Sorry, edited my post. I think it's because of the sound dampening foam on the side panel(s). Of course this wouldn't entirely be necessary, or you could just cut out the outline of the top of the heat sink that's touching.

In any case, apparently sound dampening foam in a PC helps very negligibly.
 
PostmanPot said:
I see, that's a pity. I guess it's taking into account the sound dampening foam on the panel(s). Maybe check Google if it can be done?

Was going to say look at the Thermalright HR 02 Macho, but that's 160mm tall.

CM GeminII M4 is 59mm tall http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6738

CM Hyper TX3 is 139mm tall http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?category_id=7&product_id=6602
Click to expand...

I was actually looking at the TX3 and then decided to go with the Hyper 212 evo as it had better reviews, I think. If I'm overclocking the i5 2500K from 3.3GHz to 4.5GHz, which is better I wonder: a super-snug Hyper 212 or a comfortable TX3?
 
Hyper 212 definitely. More heat pipes, more metal, bigger fan.

I have a feeling it will fit if you cut away some foam.
 
PostmanPot said:
Hyper 212 definitely. More heat pipes, more metal, bigger fan.

I have a feeling it will fit if you cut away some foam.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I agree. I think the only things I'm still not 100% convinced of is the motherboard/soundcard issue and the brand of RAM I should use.
 
rinkjames said:
Yeah, I agree. I think the only things I'm still not 100% convinced of is the motherboard/soundcard issue and the brand of RAM I should use.
Click to expand...

Corsair Vengeance 1.5v is my choice. Any 1.5v RAM will do. Usually best going for the low profile heat sinks as the tall ones can get in the way of CPU coolers.

For sound I wouldn't bother with onboard. Perhaps the Xonar DX (about R650) has optical with DTS?
 
PostmanPot said:
Corsair Vengeance 1.5v is my choice. Any 1.5v RAM will do. Usually best going for the low profile heat sinks as the tall ones can get in the way of CPU coolers.

For sound I wouldn't bother with onboard. Perhaps the Xonar DX (about R650) has optical with DTS?
Click to expand...

Well I'm already feeling a bit stretched at R11 700. I could get the Xonar DS from Rebel tech for R420,91, but then that makes R12 125. I think I might stick with my current X-fi card and the motherboard sound and see how that goes. I can always get a Xonar later.

2 questions:

1. Is it ok that I'm buying two sticks of 4GB of RAM separately, as opposed to buying a 4GBx2 kit? I'm getting 2 of these:
http://rebeltech.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_4_10&products_id=153

2. I'm currently going to get the P867 Evo here:
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8P67_EVO/
But the P867 (Rev 3) is R215 cheaper:
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8P67_REV_31/
Is the P867 (Rev 3) a poorer choice than the P867 Evo?
 
What does the Evo provide that the P8P67 doesn't? If it provides something you need, then OK.

Separate RAM is fine, I've had plenty matched kits that turned out faulty after supposedly being tested together.

All current LGA1155 are B3 revision. It fixed problems with SATA ports, compared to the first batch of LGA1155 mobos.
 
PostmanPot said:
What does the Evo provide that the P8P67 doesn't? If it provides something you need, then OK.
Click to expand...

I've scrutinised boards and I don't think there's anything I need from the evo that isn't in the standard board, at least at the moment. Probably the biggest (potential) issue is the lack of Nvidia SLI support on the standard. I only intend to use one card now, but in a few years' time I might change my mind. The dual LAN isn't that important to me. The extra heatpipe helps I guess. I'm definitely leaning towards the Evo. I was reading this:
http://www.asusrog.com/forums/showthread.php?1223-P8P67-Series-Overview!

PostmanPot said:
Separate RAM is fine, I've had plenty matched kits that turned out faulty after supposedly being tested together.

All current LGA1155 are B3 revision. It fixed problems with SATA ports, compared to the first batch of LGA1155 mobos.
Click to expand...

Great. I wonder why some 4GBx2 kits are significantly more expensive than twice the price of a single 4GB stick...

I think I'm done. Thanks for the advice guys, especially PostmanPot.
 
rinkjames said:
I've scrutinised boards and I don't think there's anything I need from the evo that isn't in the standard board, at least at the moment. Probably the biggest (potential) issue is the lack of Nvidia SLI support on the standard. I only intend to use one card now, but in a few years' time I might change my mind. The dual LAN isn't that important to me. The extra heatpipe helps I guess. I'm definitely leaning towards the Evo. I was reading this:
http://www.asusrog.com/forums/showthread.php?1223-P8P67-Series-Overview!
Click to expand...

Have you looked at the P67 Sabertooth? It's the same price as the P8P67 Evo. Excellent mobo with 5 year warranty, compared to the usual 3 year on all/most other Asus mobos.

Great. I wonder why some 4GBx2 kits are significantly more expensive than twice the price of a single 4GB stick...

I think I'm done. Thanks for the advice guys, especially PostmanPot.
Click to expand...

Their only selling point is being "tested together", which my experience with pairs seems to disprove... Sometimes using more than 2 sticks of RAM can be problematic, so perhaps when buying kits of 3/4 there is more reason buying matched...
 
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