Is this system compatible?

impala123 · Jul 25, 2013

Hey guys,

I just wanted to check if this system and all its parts are compatible together? The specs are as follows:

Case
COOLERMASTER ELITE 311 BLUE CASE

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-3470 (3.2GHz) 6MB Cache

Motherboard
ASUS® P8H77-M: M-ATX, DDR3, USB 3.0, SATA 6.0Gb/s, CrossFireX™

Memory (RAM)
4GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 4GB)

Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 650 - DVI, mHDMI, VGA - 3D Vision Ready

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 32MB CACHE

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM

Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT

Power Supply
450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan

Processor Cooling
INTEL STANDARD CPU COOLER

Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Network Facilities
WIRELESS 802.11N 150Mbps PCI-E CARD (Special Offer) (£6)

USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

Power Cable
1 x 2 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)

Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)

Office Software
Microsoft® Office 365 Home Premium (12 Month Subscription) (£69)

Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL

DVI-D & HDMI Monitor Cables
1 x 2 METRE DVI-D CABLE (£5)

Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® K200 USB MEDIA KEYBOARD (£10)

Mouse
LOGITECH® OPTICAL USB MOUSE (£5)

Cpt Underpants · Jul 25, 2013

1. it looks like you have a mid-tower case and are using a mini ATX mobo. If you've got the case size to fit a full size mobo you should most definitely take advantage of it. You'll pay more to get the same features of a regular ATX mobo on an M-ATX mobo.

2. I understand you got a deal for your network card, and ti is very cheap so go for it. But if you plan on gaming (don't know, you never indicated the purpose of the build) then iti s a crime to bottlekneck the gaming hardware with the high latency of wireless connections. Go LAN if you want to game.

3. Consider a cheap mechanical keyboard in the future. GO to a tech/hardware store to try the actual different switches and see what you like, but I know that people who go mechanical never go back

4. the cpu you have FAR outpaces that gpu. if you don't have the money now and don't want to wait, then buy something really cheap to hold you over until you can get something better, but optimally you'd want at least a gtx 660 or 7870 XT in that system. A gtx 760 would be even better and offers great value for money (see the 760 review and July gpu rundown articles).

5. After your anti-virus 90 day trial is up, you can get free programs out there that will do a good job of protecting you as long as you don't take blatantly stupid risks (in which case even paid programs may not catch everything). I know people who use absolutely no antivirus and are just conscientious of their activities online and have no problems. Consider AVG or other similarly free anti viruses.

CommentariesAnd More · Jul 25, 2013

I agree with Cpt , also seems like your getting the PC built from somewhere , so would recommend to build you one for yourself by yourself , since you get down with the building fees + the fun to build one ( most do have ) + 100% customisability. Now here's what I would change from that PC -

1. CPU , GPU - The i5-3470 + GTX 650 isn't a good combo for gaming in both performance and price/performance. The GPU will not let the CPU reach its best. Also the GTX 650 isn't going to play games for you for a long time even on low settings. So If you still want to stick with the GTX 650 , get a i3-3220. Else , get a GTX 650Ti Boost + i3-3220 , almost equally price + more FPS and no bottleneck as well.
2. PSU - Most custom PC builders sell some rebranded PSU's from poor OEM's. So get a good PSU from brands like Antec , Corsair , SeaSonic , XFX ,etc. Check my PSU guide for some great budget series and pick one your builder can provide you with.
3. Change the motherboard to any B75 motherboard.

Thats all. Also remember to get some more case fans for cooling

Jonathan Sifleet · Jul 25, 2013

You'll also want 2*2gb RAM sticks, to take advantage of dual channel technology. How much is your budget, we can get you more for your money.

g-unit1111 · Jul 25, 2013

CommentariesAnd More :

I agree with Cpt , also seems like your getting the PC built from somewhere , so would recommend to build you one for yourself by yourself , since you get down with the building fees + the fun to build one ( most do have ) + 100% customisability. Now here's what I would change from that PC -

1. CPU , GPU - The i5-3470 + GTX 650 isn't a good combo for gaming in both performance and price/performance. The GPU will not let the CPU reach its best. Also the GTX 650 isn't going to play games for you for a long time even on low settings. So If you still want to stick with the GTX 650 , get a i3-3220. Else , get a GTX 650Ti Boost + i3-3220 , almost equally price + more FPS and no bottleneck as well.
2. PSU - Most custom PC builders sell some rebranded PSU's from poor OEM's. So get a good PSU from brands like Antec , Corsair , SeaSonic , XFX ,etc. Check my PSU guide for some great budget series and pick one your builder can provide you with.
3. Change the motherboard to any B75 motherboard.

Thats all. Also remember to get some more case fans for cooling

Yeah I agree about the GPU and CPU. The 650TI Boost would be a better choice in the ~$150 range, but so would the Radeon 7850.

CommentariesAnd More · Jul 25, 2013

g-unit1111 :

CommentariesAnd More :

Yeah I agree about the GPU and CPU. The 650TI Boost would be a better choice in the ~$150 range, but so would the Radeon 7850.

The GTX 650Ti Boost has been my favourite since its released so I recommended it. Also the HD 7850 is a bit slower and behind the GTX 650Ti Boost.

g-unit1111 · Jul 25, 2013

CommentariesAnd More :

Yeah the 650TI Boost is definitely a solid choice. As far as which one is faster that depends on which drivers are being released at the time.

CommentariesAnd More · Jul 25, 2013

g-unit1111 :

Lets take the drivers both GPU's have today , the GTX 650Ti Boost still outperforms , plus its going to OC better.

impala123 · Jul 26, 2013

Cpt Underpants :

1. it looks like you have a mid-tower case and are using a mini ATX mobo. If you've got the case size to fit a full size mobo you should most definitely take advantage of it. You'll pay more to get the same features of a regular ATX mobo on an M-ATX mobo.

2. I understand you got a deal for your network card, and ti is very cheap so go for it. But if you plan on gaming (don't know, you never indicated the purpose of the build) then iti s a crime to bottlekneck the gaming hardware with the high latency of wireless connections. Go LAN if you want to game.

3. Consider a cheap mechanical keyboard in the future. GO to a tech/hardware store to try the actual different switches and see what you like, but I know that people who go mechanical never go back

4. the cpu you have FAR outpaces that gpu. if you don't have the money now and don't want to wait, then buy something really cheap to hold you over until you can get something better, but optimally you'd want at least a gtx 660 or 7870 XT in that system. A gtx 760 would be even better and offers great value for money (see the 760 review and July gpu rundown articles).

5. After your anti-virus 90 day trial is up, you can get free programs out there that will do a good job of protecting you as long as you don't take blatantly stupid risks (in which case even paid programs may not catch everything). I know people who use absolutely no antivirus and are just conscientious of their activities online and have no problems. Consider AVG or other similarly free anti viruses.

Thanks for all this good advice, the only thing I'm a bit confused on is my network option? Wireless cant be that bad for gaming can it? And yes I plan on gaming but pretty casual gaming. Also when you say mobo you mean motherboard right? Sorry I'm a bit new to pcs just checking

impala123 · Jul 26, 2013

Jonathan Sifleet :

Yeh the thing is the website doesn't have that option for 4GB only for 8GB and above. Also my budget is around £715 £750 at most

impala123 · Jul 26, 2013

Ok so I have swapped out the CPU with the i3 3250. I have replaced the GPU with the GTX 650 Ti boost and the motherboard has been swapped with the ASUS P8Z77-V LX. Would this be ok or would the CPU bottleneck the GPU?

Just to add if I kept the GTX 650 would it work the i3 processor because I know the TI Boost is in my budget but I really don't think I actually need such a good card because the only pc games I'm really gonna play are ESO and Rome 2.

Again, if I were to stick with the CPU and GPU at the start what would be the consequences of that on the system performance as a whole not just for gaming so Word, browsing, multitasking e.t.c?

Cpt Underpants · Jul 26, 2013

or gaming, wireless is seen as the worst option. Then again, that view is held by most that would consider themselves "true gamers" or enthusiasts, which it doesnt sound like you are so wifi could work for you if it's what you've always been using. I used wifi for the longest time until I built a performance rig and went with a hard LAN connection and the difference is like night and day.

Also, since you've indicated you're not very interested in gaming (as I take it, you've only listed 2 games you'll play), then going with the i5 would noticeably extend the life of your pc in other (non-gaming) functions. Dual-core cpu's have all but disappeared in custom builds and even pre builts (ie. best buy etc.) and more programs are being written for multiple cores. Quad-core i5 would definitely set you up for longer than dual-core i3 (hyperthreading 2 cores is not the same as a true quad-core, for those who will try to claim otherwise), but a regular gtx 650 and will quickly get outdated if you expect to play games after ESO and Rome 2. (fyi, the Total War series games is more dependent on cpu power and having sufficient ram, gpu is not first priority here due to massive physical scale of battles. Rome 2 recommended specs on steam are a quad core cpu

).

impala123 · Jul 26, 2013

Cpt Underpants :

or gaming, wireless is seen as the worst option. Then again, that view is held by most that would consider themselves "true gamers" or enthusiasts, which it doesnt sound like you are so wifi could work for you if it's what you've always been using. I used wifi for the longest time until I built a performance rig and went with a hard LAN connection and the difference is like night and day.

Also, since you've indicated you're not very interested in gaming (as I take it, you've only listed 2 games you'll play), then going with the i5 would noticeably extend the life of your pc in other (non-gaming) functions. Dual-core cpu's have all but disappeared in custom builds and even pre builts (ie. best buy etc.) and more programs are being written for multiple cores. Quad-core i5 would definitely set you up for longer than dual-core i3 (hyperthreading 2 cores is not the same as a true quad-core, for those who will try to claim otherwise), but a regular gtx 650 and will quickly get outdated if you expect to play games after ESO and Rome 2. (fyi, the Total War series games is more dependent on cpu power and having sufficient ram, gpu is not first priority here due to massive physical scale of battles. Rome 2 recommended specs on steam are a quad core cpu

).

Ok thanks a lot, so even though I have a poor video card it wont decrease the performance of the CPU? Also do you think the GTX 650 is enough for those games?

Cpt Underpants · Jul 26, 2013

Your video card bottlenecking the cpu will most likely happen in games just because a 3470 outclasses a 650 by so much. Specifically in the case of Rome TW, I can tell you the first game was very cpu demanding and the second one releasing soon recommends a quad core. The 650 might bottleneck the game anyways, but conversely an i3 might have the same effect.

The reason I suggest going the quad core i5 route is because you have stressed that gaming is not the only purpose of this machine, as you want it to fill many other functions in an effective way. These other functions that are not gaming related will not (or extremely rarely) benefit from a stronger gpu. cpu performance is preferable here.

Also, it goes without saying that gpu's are much more easily upgraded than cpu's, as you may require a motherboard upgrade to do a cpu upgrade in the future (and if you stuck with your current socket so as not to upgrade the mobo, you'd be upgrading within the Ivy Bridge processors which would be a very insignificant upgrade compared to a new mid/low end gpu 2-3 years from now).

CommentariesAnd More · Jul 26, 2013

Wait , eh , why not a Xeon E3 ? They are at almost the same price but have HyperThreading which should help you.

impala123 · Jul 26, 2013

Cpt Underpants :

Ok yeh I probably will go with the i5 because I can just upgrade the GPU later. Just onelast thing, what actually happens when my video card bottlenecks the CPU?

Cheers for this detailed advice as well

Cpt Underpants · Jul 26, 2013

impala123 :

Cpt Underpants :

Ok yeh I probably will go with the i5 because I can just upgrade the GPU later. Just onelast thing, what actually happens when my video card bottlenecks the CPU?

Cheers for this detailed advice as well

Yes I believe that would be advisable in your situation.

bottlenecking means that a single component will pushed to its limits before any other, thus effectively bottlenecking the performance of your other parts. This can result in reduced frame rates in game or having to turn down settings.

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