Please help me with building a PC

[imdprogamer]

1. The PC would be pretty much used for gaming, movies and internet, and pretty much everything :sneaky:

2. Budget is pretty much between $ 1499 - 1999

3. I'm in India right now, so the budget would be between (Rs.80,000 - 99,999)

4. I prefer
a. Intel CPU (i7-2600)
b. Asus or Gigabyte Mobo (Z68)
c. nVidia GPU (GTX560Ti)
d. Corsair or Cooler Master tower (Mid Tower)
e. Corsair/Cooler Master/Thermaltake PSU (850W)
f. Corsair or G Skill RAM (8GB)
g. Cooler Master or Corsair CPU cooler
h. A good bluray burner
i. A good 24" LED
j. A good wireless keyboard/mouse kit

5. I would be using my old HDDs and MX5021 Altec Lansing

6. I have spent some time searching threads, but to no avail

7. I may overclock

8. The resolution to play games would be Full HD (1920x1080, 1920x1200), which ever is better

9. I plan to build it ASAP

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[lehtv]

Is your preference for GTX 560 Ti set in stone? On your budget you could get 6950 2GB Crossfire, and a 750W PSU would be fine for that. More than 1GB VRAM lets you avoid maxing out VRAM on 1080p in new titles. (Before you ask, 6950 2GB is better than 560 Ti 2GB except for PhysX).

You don't need to limit yourself to those PSU brands either. Seasonic, Antec, XFX and Enermax, to name a few, are all better than Thermaltake and Cooler Master. Also why do you have preference for a 850W PSU? Do you plan to SLI?

You can try to mirror this build or similar:

CPU i5-2500K $220 (based on your answers in 1. and 7.)
Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212+ $30 or Hyper 612 $50
Mobo Asus P8Z68-V LE (single-GPU) $133 or Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H (dual-GPU) $160; you should also not rule out Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 (dual-GPU) $125
RAM G.Skill Sniper / Ripjaws / RipjawsX or Corsair XMS3 / Vengeance Low-Profile 2x4GB 1600 1.5V $40-50
GPU 6950 2GB Crossfire $540
SSD Crucial M4 128GB $180 (Samsung 830 if you can't find that in India)
Bluray Can't really help you there but $100
Case CM HAF 922 $105 or Corsair 400R $100 + extra 140mm fan
PSU Seasonic 520W $60 (single-GPU) or XFX 750W XXX $130 (dual-GPU)

$1295 to $1535 so far

Monitor Well given the bit of flexibility in the above build and your budget, you could get anything from an Asus VH242H $180 to Asus VG236HE 120hz/3D monitor (~$300-350) or Dell U2410 IPS monitor $545
Mouse&Keyboard E.g. Logitech MK550 $65. I don't understand why it needs to be wireless though. Do you need to switch them between PC's regularly? I'd get Logitech G400 $35 and Das Keyboard $150.

 

[piasabird]

Wonder how easy it is to buy parts in India. They probably their version of Newegg or maybe amazon.com.

 

[imdprogamer]

Is there anyway you can give me differences between ASUS P8Z68 DELUXE , P8Z68 V Pro and GA-Z68XP-UD4, apart from the onboard video option and cost?

 

[lehtv]

P8Z68-V Pro = P8Z68-V with firewire ports and a couple more SATA 6gb/s ports which you won't need unless you're going for more than 2 SSDs.

P8Z68-V Deluxe = P8Z68-V Pro with dual LAN (Intel+Realtek) but no video outputs.

Gigabyte doesn't have a graphical UEFI bios, they use traditional BIOS along with a software utility that you can modify BIOS settings from directly. The Asus boards mentioned have Intel LAN, while Gigabyte has Realtek. Apart from that and some other potential differences in connectivity, Gigabyte boards are very similar.

However, I would advise you to think carefully what the connectivity and features are that you actually need or may need. Any extras most likely aren't worth paying for, which is why I recommended the boards in my first post. The more expensive boards you mentioned have 16 power phases which is great for "optimal" overclocking and power delivery, while Z68XP-UD3 and P8Z68-V LE have less phases (not sure how many though). But since overclocking sandy bridge is a lot more dependent on the particular chip you get, this hardly matters.

 

[mfenn]

Is your preference for GTX 560 Ti set in stone? On your budget you could get 6950 2GB Crossfire, and a 750W PSU would be fine for that. More than 1GB VRAM lets you avoid maxing out VRAM on 1080p in new titles. (Before you ask, 6950 2GB is better than 560 Ti 2GB except for PhysX).

You don't need to limit yourself to those PSU brands either. Seasonic, Antec, XFX and Enermax, to name a few, are all better than Thermaltake and Cooler Master. Also why do you have preference for a 850W PSU? Do you plan to SLI?

You can try to mirror this build or similar:

CPU i5-2500K $220 (based on your answers in 1. and 7.)
Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212+ $30 or Hyper 612 $50
Mobo Asus P8Z68-V LE (single-GPU) $133 or Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H (dual-GPU) $160; you should also not rule out Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 (dual-GPU) $125
RAM G.Skill Sniper / Ripjaws / RipjawsX or Corsair XMS3 / Vengeance Low-Profile 2x4GB 1600 1.5V $40-50
GPU 6950 2GB Crossfire $540
SSD Crucial M4 128GB $180 (Samsung 830 if you can't find that in India)
Bluray Can't really help you there but $100
Case CM HAF 922 $105 or Corsair 400R $100 + extra 140mm fan
PSU Seasonic 520W $60 (single-GPU) or XFX 750W XXX $130 (dual-GPU)

$1295 to $1535 so far

Monitor Well given the bit of flexibility in the above build and your budget, you could get anything from an Asus VH242H $180 to Asus VG236HE 120hz/3D monitor (~$300-350) or Dell U2410 IPS monitor $545
Mouse&Keyboard E.g. Logitech MK550 $65. I don't understand why it needs to be wireless though. Do you need to switch them between PC's regularly? I'd get Logitech G400 $35 and Das Keyboard $150.

Nice build.

However, I would advise you to think carefully what the connectivity and features are that you actually need or may need. Any extras most likely aren't worth paying for, which is why I recommended the boards in my first post. The more expensive boards you mentioned have 16 power phases which is great for "optimal" overclocking and power delivery, while Z68XP-UD3 and P8Z68-V LE have less phases (not sure how many though). But since overclocking sandy bridge is a lot more dependent on the particular chip you get, this hardly matters.

:thumbsup: Exactly. People here, "you should skimp on the motherboard and power supply" and then immediately run screaming to the other end of the price spectrum, which is just as wrong.

 

[imdprogamer]

Alright friends I have zeroed in on most of the components I need.

Just a few more.

Is there a list of 3D monitors (23"-24") with HDMI 1.4a support?

What would you guys recommend?

 

[mfenn]

Here is a list of Newegg's 3D monitors. I'm not sure which support HDMI 1.4a, what are you intending to connect it to?

 

[imdprogamer]

Intend to connect to GTX 560 Ti

 

[mfenn]

In that case, you don't need HDMI 1.4a for 3D, that only matters for certain STBs. With a proper GPU, you're best bet is to connect via DVI anyway. I think that the VG236HE is a good deal if you don't need the glasses, otherwise get the non-E version for the glasses.

 

[imdprogamer]

Well i have given up on the 3d monitor, as there was nothing good as far as reviews were concerned?

Could you please help me decide between Dell U2312HM and ST2420L (for gaming and home use)?

And please help me with a good Chassis (not full tower), but can fit the longest and largest card available right now?

Also help me decide between [FONT=&quot]MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II 2GD5/OC and [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Asus ENGTX560 Ti DCII/2DI/1GD5 (as this is what is available at my place)

And also between Corsair AX/HX 750W / 850W (for my setup)? :biggrin:[/FONT]

 

[mfenn]

Monitor: The U2312HM is definitely a better monitor.
Case: If you really want to fit a monster 12" card like a 6990, you need a full tower. If you're asking about reasonable cards that you might actually buy, get one of the cases that lehtv recommended.
GPU: Get the least expensive GTX 560 Ti or 6950 2GB, the stock OC is not worth more than a couple percent and you can easily replicate it yourself.
PSU: Neither. Get something more reasonable like 650W version of the Antec Earthwatts, XFX Core/Pro, or Corsair TX series.

 

[imdprogamer]

Thank you lehtv, piasabird and mfenn.

System Built:

Processor : Intel 2nd Gen Core i7 2600

Motherboard : ASUS P8Z68 DELUXE Gen 3
RAM : Corsair Vengeance CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9 x2
Optical Drive : Asus BW-12B1LT
Cabinet : Corsair Graphite Series 600T (this can fit any card in the market)

PSU : Corsair Professional Series Gold AX 850
Monitor : Dell U2312HM
CPU Cooler : CM Hyper 212 Evo
Graphic Card : [FONT=&quot]MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II 2GD5/OC[/FONT]
Combo : [FONT=&quot]Logitech Wireless Desktop MK320[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]UPS : APC 1100 VA[/FONT]
Wireless Controller : XBOX 360 for windows


Since we in India don't have newegg or amazon, this thing cost me 2000$+

But I'm HAPPY with it.

I just have some small doubts now.

Mys Asus BIOS reads one of the Case fans are running below RPM or it shows up in red, don't know what it means.

I don't know what some cables are meant for in the case. Are the LED's switch off-able?

Thanks again.

 

[mfenn]

Sorry to say that you wasted quite a bit of money there. It has nothing to to with the availability of large online retailers and everything to do with a poor selection of parts. You should have listened to our advice and built something more reasonable, you would have been just has happy (maybe moreso because you would have money left over!).

As for your issues:
1. Track down which fan the mobo is referring to and see if it really is spinning.
2. We need more detail to figure out which cable goes where.
3. You can typically clip a wire inside lit case fans to disable the LEDs.

 

[imdprogamer]

Well I thank you again for your advice.

Check this: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/49US

But when I get the same in India, the rates are inflated, due to various damn sick reasons. There is a difference of almost 500$. Thats insane. So in the budget I had, I wanted to get the best. The GPU, etc. on items where you believe I must have been much more decisive, I can always upgrade in future. I ensured there was ample amount of room for that. Anyway I just wanted to let you know what I felt, again what you guys advised was great.

The fan is the one which is behind the chassis, and not the two big ones.

I couldn't control the speed of the two big ones as well.

 

[mfenn]

So is the fan showing low RPM actually plugged into the mobo header that you're thinking of? If the big fans are plugged in via Molex instead of 3-pin, you won't be able to control their speed via the mobo.

 

[imdprogamer]

Sorry mfenn. I was at a remote location. Came back to city today.

I believe the fan showing low rpm is plugged into the mobo header. What's the difference?

Molex and 3-pin? I have no idea.

All I know is that the 600T comes with 3 fans: Two 240 mm and 1 smaller one. And I believe the smaller one, which is at the back of the tower, is the low rpm one.

 

[mfenn]

Do your fan connectors look like this (Molex):

or like this (3-pin):

 

[imdprogamer]

I'll check on that, this week.

mfenn, how do I appreciate your help, like adding rep points, etc. I don't find any options.

I also have other queries.

Do I use the same post or different one?

 

[mfenn]

LOL, no rep system on this board. Thanks is enough.

If you have more questions about this build, you should just update this thread so that people can get the full context without you having to repeat yourself a lot.

 

[imdprogamer]

Thank you then mfenn, though a thanks is not enough for the help you offered :thumbsup:

I'm having a dream run here. Finished BF3, MW3 on maxed out settings.

But one thing I noticed that is the temp fluctuations. GPU temp maxes out at 74 °C. CPU four cores. And the second core is always higher than the others, sometimes touches 68 °C. Is this normal?

I haven't checked the cabinet fan regulator yet. Will be doing it this week.

 

[mfenn]

GPU temps maxing out at 74C is very good, no worries there. CPU at 68C under load isn't bad either. How different are the cores? If it's only a few degrees don't worry about it. Otherwise it probably means that the HSF doesn't have pressure evenly applied across all 4 mount points.

 

[imdprogamer]

Is there any software to test the GPU and CPU? And also can you post the links.

 

[mfenn]

LinX and Furmark respectively.