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Critique My New Build

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petedwilliams

Junior Member
Hey guys,

I was wondering if you would be kind enough to provide some feedback/advice on my new build. Budget isn't great (roughly £800/$1,300 - give or take a couple hundred - the lower the better!) and i plan on running multiple apps most of the time, but plan to game in the future.
I'll be buying my parts from the UK and all parts will be new. I do plan to overclock a bit and i plan to buy really soon.

This is what i'm thinking...

Case - Antec 300 Three Hundred
Power - OCZ Technology 550W Fatal1ty Series PSU OR Antec Earthwatts 430W ATX 12V 80Plus
Mobo - Asus M5A97 PRO AM3+ AMD 970 + SB950 DDR3 ATX OR Asus M5A99X EVO AM3+ AMD 990FX SB950 DDR3 ATX ??
CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black, Deneb Core, S AM3, 3.2GHz, 8MB Cache, HT 3600MHz, 125W, Retail + Deus Ex 3 (comes with free game....not the reason for choosing the cpu though!) OR maybe the 965 (also comes with the free game)??
Cooler - XIGMATEK Dark Knight OR Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus
Memory - Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz CL9 XMP
SSD - Crucial 128GB m4 SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Solid State Drive 128GB
HD - Western Digital 1TB Caviar Blue 3.5" SATA-600 32MB 7200RPM OR 1TB Western Digital WD10EARX Caviar Green, SATA 6Gb/s, IntelliPower, 64MB Cache, 8ms ???
DVD-RW - LiteOn 24x DVD-RW Internal Black SATA Retail Box OR LiteOn IHAS124-19 24x DVD±R, 8x DVD±DL, DVD+RW x8/-RW x6, DVD-RAM x12, SATA, Black, OEM ??
GPU - 1GB MSI GT 430 OC, 40nm, 1800MHz GDDR3, GPU 730MHz, Shader 1460MHz, 96 Cores, DL DVI/ HDMI/ D-Sub OR Sapphire HD5570 1GB DDR3 HDMI Graphics Card
Monitors - 2 x ViewSonic VX2239WM 22" 1920 x 1080 Full HD LCD TFT with 2MS VGA DVI-D HDMI Monitors
OS - Windows 7 Pro 64 Bit


Please suggest modifications if you think you could come up with a better build for a similar price. Many thanks in advance.

Pete
 
What would the cost difference be to switch to intel i5-2400 and a H67 chipset motherboard? The stock HSF is all you need for intel CPUs so compare the AMD with extra HSF against the intel with stock cooling.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/88?vs=363

plan to game in the future.
Click to expand...

Also, HD2000 graphics are fine for non-gaming use so with a H67 you could skip the video card now, then buy a good one when you do want to start gaming later. The two cards you listed are almost useless for gaming.

Edit: as Ken points out, get the 550 watt PSU to support a gaming video card
 
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First thing I notice: those video cards are kind of pitiful for gaming. Get the 550W PSU if you ever plan on getting a better GPU.

Second thing I notice is your processor. AMD? Intel really is a better value right now. The main problem with Intel now is that only the higher-end chips can be overclocked. Compare the prices for a 2400 (which can be overclocked "a bit") or 2500k with a Z68 motherboard to your AMD build. But note that even the lowly 2100 (which you can't overclock) beats your AMD chips at stock.

HDD : Prefer 7200RPM, look for cheaper deals like Samsung Spinpoints.
 
Processor change would be from:

£85 for the AMD 955 (HSF are £31 or £22) to
£145 for the Intel i5 2400

Board change would be from:

M5A97 - £80 or M5A99X - £95 to
P8H67 - £85-95 or Z68 £110-145 (Looing at ASUS boards as i tend to favour these. The Z68s seem much nicer)

So the changes would cost me anywhere from £40ish - £100ish (minus the cost of the crappy choice of graphics card (£50), thanks to onboard/chip graphics?
 
Also less the cost of the heatsink. The retail box intel heatsink is pretty good, fine for stock speed (which includes intel's Turbo Boost automatic overclocking) or even a mild overclock.

To overclock you'd want an i5-2500K and Z68 motherboard. The K chips are the only ones that support much more than Turbo Boost.

If not overclocking, an i5-2400 and H67 or Z68 should be fine. Make sure the Z68 has video out on the motherboard, a few models do not. Here in the US the ASRock Pro3 and Extreme3 are popular cheap Z68 boards.
 
After reading your recommendations and checking out pricing etc, plus feedback from others on another forum, i have the following...

Monitors: 2 x 22" Viewsonic VX2239WM Black DVI/ HDMI 1920x1080, 100,000:1, 300 cd/m², 2ms Speakers

Case: Antec 300

DVD-RW: Not important, but a decent 1

Heatsink: Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus, 4 Heat Pipes, with 120mm Quiet Fan LGA775/1155/1156/1366/AM2/AM2+/AM3

PSU: OCZ Technology 550W Fatal1ty Series PSU (will this be suitable if i add a GTX 560 Ti?)

HDD : Samsung 1TB Spinpoint F3 7200rpm SATA 3Gb/s 32MB OR 1TB Western Digital WD10EARX Caviar Green, SATA 6Gb/s, IntelliPower, 64MB Cache, 8ms, Quiet (They're a similar price, which would be better?)

RAM: 8GB (2x4GB) Corsair DDR3 Vengeance Jet Black, PC3-12800 (1600), Non-ECC, CAS 9-9-9-24, XMP, 1.50V OR G-Skill 8GBXL Ripjaws X for Intel Sandybridge Platforms DDR3 PC12800 1600MHz 8GB Kit (Again, a similar price. Does it matter?)

SSS : Crucial 64GB m4 SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Solid State Drive (Do you think 64gb is enough (OS, programs etc)? I chose this over the 128gb to bring down the overall cost)


AND THEN THE DIFFICULT BIT...

Do i go AMD with the following...

Mobo: Asus M5A99X EVO AM3+ AMD 990FX SB950 DDR3 ATX @ £95
with
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz Black Edition Socket AM3 L2/L3 6MB @ £86

and still require a GPU? (the following was suggested...GTX 560 Ti @ £180)....So a Total cost of £361
(obviously this could be lower with a cheaper card that is the equivalent to Z68 onboard graphics)

OR

Do i go Intel with the following...

CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K Unlocked, S1155, Sandy Bridge, Quad Core, 3.3GHz, GPU 850Mhz, 6MB Cache, 95W OEM @ £160
with 1 of...
AsRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 Motherboard, Socket 1155, PCI-Express 3.0, DDR3, USB 3.0, HDMI, 7.1 HD Audio, ASRock Instant Boot @ £120
ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3, Intel Z68, S 1155, DDR3, SATA 6Gb/s, RAID SATA, PCIe 3.0 (x16), Graphics On Board, ATX @ £146
ASRock Z68 Extreme 4 LGA1155 Intel Z68 DDR3 ATX @ £135
Asus P8Z68-V PRO LGA1155 Intel Z68 DDR3 ATX (USB 3.0) @ £144
Asus P8Z68 M PRO, Intel Z68, S 1155, DDR3, SATA III - 6Gb/s, RAID SATA, PCIe (x16), Graphics On Board, Micro ATX @ £111
Asus P8Z68-V, Intel Z68, S 1155, DDR3, SATA III - 6Gb/s, RAID SATA, PCIe 2.0 (x16), VGA On Board, ATX @ £126*****

and use onboard graphics for now?

****NOTE: The board with the stars next to it is on a bundle offer (today only). It includes that board, the i5 2500k and 8GB of the Corsair memory mentioned above for a saving of £20.


Please tell me which combination you favour. The sooner you can answer the better (due to the today only offer). Thanks guys, i really appreciate it!!!
 
If it was my money I would go for the 2500k, and use the onboard graphics for now. Regarding the HDD- go for the Samsung, it's 7200 rpm so it's much faster than the Green WD series drive.
 
I'd get the i5-2500K, ASRcok Extreme3 or Asus, and use the retail heatsink.

Note: for i5, you just need DDR3 - 1333 at 1.5v, faster RAM does not help so don't pay extra for it. 1.5v is important, don't get 1.65v RAM by mistake.

The OCZ 550 is fine for a 560 ti.
 
I agree with the posters above:
- PSU: I'd get something better than an OCZ. The XFX Core 550W for instance.
- HDD : The F3 is much faster than a WD Green
- RAM: Neither. Get some well-priced non fancy RAM like this Corsair instead.
- SSD : The m4 is a good choice and 64GB is fine if you're careful
- CPU: i5 2500K
- Mobo: The P8Z68-V is a good deal in that bundle, but otherwise get the ASRock Z68 Extreme3
 
petedwilliams said:
Mobo: Asus M5A99X EVO AM3+ AMD 990FX SB950 DDR3 ATX @ £95
with
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz Black Edition Socket AM3 L2/L3 6MB @ £86

and still require a GPU? (the following was suggested...GTX 560 Ti @ £180)....So a Total cost of £361
(obviously this could be lower with a cheaper card that is the equivalent to Z68 onboard graphics)

OR

Do i go Intel with the following...

CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K Unlocked, S1155, Sandy Bridge, Quad Core, 3.3GHz, GPU 850Mhz, 6MB Cache, 95W OEM @ £160
with 1 of...
AsRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 Motherboard, Socket 1155, PCI-Express 3.0, DDR3, USB 3.0, HDMI, 7.1 HD Audio, ASRock Instant Boot @ £120
ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3, Intel Z68, S 1155, DDR3, SATA 6Gb/s, RAID SATA, PCIe 3.0 (x16), Graphics On Board, ATX @ £146
ASRock Z68 Extreme 4 LGA1155 Intel Z68 DDR3 ATX @ £135
Asus P8Z68-V PRO LGA1155 Intel Z68 DDR3 ATX (USB 3.0) @ £144
Asus P8Z68 M PRO, Intel Z68, S 1155, DDR3, SATA III - 6Gb/s, RAID SATA, PCIe (x16), Graphics On Board, Micro ATX @ £111
Asus P8Z68-V, Intel Z68, S 1155, DDR3, SATA III - 6Gb/s, RAID SATA, PCIe 2.0 (x16), VGA On Board, ATX @ £126
Click to expand...

Still undecided with the above.

I’ve been told that a Phenom x4 is a waste of time, but that it may be worth considering a Phenom x6.

The phenom x6 is roughly £140
Plus
Mobo: Asus M5A99X EVO AM3+ AMD 990FX SB950 DDR3 ATX @ £95
and still require a GPU (any suggestions?)

I have also been told that onboard graphics are crap for the overall performance of the pc and that I’m better off having a discrete GPU.

Do I go the AMD route and spend a little more on a GPU or go the Intel route and have to get a cheaper GPU?

What are your thoughts guys?
 
The i5-2500K is better at everything except a couple of video encoding programs, and is much better for gaming.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/203?vs=288

I’ve been told that a Phenom x4 is a waste of time, but that it may be worth considering a Phenom x6.

I have also been told that onboard graphics are crap for the overall performance of the pc and that I’m better off having a discrete GPU.
Click to expand...

It sounds like you've been talking to AMD fanboys and people living in 2009. Yes, HD3000 is lousy for serious gaming, but it's a huge improvement over old intel integrated graphics. Please read the Sandy Bridge articles on the main AnandTech site before trusting the people who have been feeding you that misinformation.
 
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64GB SSD would let you put more money into your cpu and not effect your overall experience too terribly. If you are careless either size SSD will get filled up on you before you know it. With the smaller SSD it forces you to think a bit more about where you install stuff, and how you manage your data. But you will run into that problem no matter what size SSD you have so Imo it is better to get more cpu power. In most cases all you'll ever need to do is move one or two of your biggest game installs over to the 1TB drive when you find that you are not playing it, and move it back when you decide to play it. It takes just a few seconds to set up a background folder transfer.

edit: One of my machines is still merrily chugging along with a win7 install on a 30GB ocz vertex 1. Sims 3 has been steadily creating more files in the "my documents" folder (up to 3GB now) but I just moved the entire folder to my big platter drive. Now I have 5GB free again.
 
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Hey guys,

Thanks for all your input. I just thought i'd let you know what i ended up going for (i upped the budget a touch)...

Case: Antec 300

PSU: Thermaltake TR-700P TR2 700W ATX 12V V2.3 / EPS 12V 2.91 SLI/CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Bonze PSU

Mobo: ASRock S1155 Intel Z68 Pro3-M DDR3 mATX

CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K Unlocked, S1155, Sandy Bridge, Quad Core, 3.3GHz, GPU 850Mhz, 6MB Cache, 95W OEM

Heatsink: Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus

SSD : Crucial 64GB m4 SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Solid State Drive

HDD : Samsung 1TB Spinpoint F3 7200rpm SATA 3Gb/s 32MB

RAM: Corsair Memory 8GB (2 x 4GB) Vengeance DDR3 1600MHz DIMM 240-pin CL9 Low Profile

Burner: Lite On DVD Writer, IHAS124-19, SATA, Black, OEM

GPU: PNY GeForce GTX 560 Ti 850MHz 1GB PCI-Express HDMI OC1 Edition

Monitors: 2 x 22" Viewsonic VX2239WM Black DVI/ HDMI 1920x1080, 100,000:1, 300 cd/m², 2ms Speakers

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
 
petedwilliams said:
Yep! Is that bad?
Click to expand...

No, it's fine and will work with your case.

People often buy regular (baby) ATX for their full-size cases because the mATX boards have fewer PCI-E slots, sometimes only 2 RAM slots, and often less SATA ports.

If the mATX board has all that you need then it's all that you need.
 
petedwilliams said:
Hey guys,

Thanks for all your input. I just thought i'd let you know what i ended up going for (i upped the budget a touch)...

Case: Antec 300

PSU: Thermaltake TR-700P TR2 700W ATX 12V V2.3 / EPS 12V 2.91 SLI/CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Bonze PSU

Mobo: ASRock S1155 Intel Z68 Pro3-M DDR3 mATX

CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K Unlocked, S1155, Sandy Bridge, Quad Core, 3.3GHz, GPU 850Mhz, 6MB Cache, 95W OEM

Heatsink: Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus

SSD : Crucial 64GB m4 SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Solid State Drive

HDD : Samsung 1TB Spinpoint F3 7200rpm SATA 3Gb/s 32MB

RAM: Corsair Memory 8GB (2 x 4GB) Vengeance DDR3 1600MHz DIMM 240-pin CL9 Low Profile

Burner: Lite On DVD Writer, IHAS124-19, SATA, Black, OEM

GPU: PNY GeForce GTX 560 Ti 850MHz 1GB PCI-Express HDMI OC1 Edition

Monitors: 2 x 22" Viewsonic VX2239WM Black DVI/ HDMI 1920x1080, 100,000:1, 300 cd/m², 2ms Speakers

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
Click to expand...

That all looks quite good to me except for the PSU. Thermaltake is not know for making (ok OEMing) quality PSUs. Check out the XFX Core 550W.
 
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