First time builder: Power/Cooler/Case issues

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
abuja_limey

abuja_limey

Distinguished
Aug 3, 2012
34
0
18,530
Hi all,

I've had a prebuilt PC for about 7 years now, upgrading graphics cards and memory as I go. However, the time has really come for a proper revamp, as an AMD 5200+ and the motherboard is starting to feel quite antiquated now.

My biggest problem has been what to keep from my old computer, and what to buy new. Before I talk about the power/case, this is my planned set-up so far (any advice on what you think of it is most welcome). Just so you know, my budget is around £700 ($1150) (although the less spent the better). This is what I am planning to get:

AMD FX-8350 4GHz Socket AM3+ 8MB Cache
http://www.ebuyer.com/409184-amd-fx-8350-4ghz-socket-am3-16mb-cache-retail-boxed-processor-fd8350frhkbox?
Geforce GTX 760
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Palit-GeForce-Graphic-Express-980MHz-1033MHz/dp/B00DM9B6J0/?tag=logicaincre05-21
Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Motherboard
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-M5A78L-M-USB3-Motherboard-Socket/dp/B0054U7HIO/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1390229889&sr=1-2&keywords=am3%2B+motherboard
G-Skill 8GB Ripjaws X DDR3 1333 Dual Kit
http://www.amazon.co.uk/G-Skill-Ripjaws-DDR3-1333-Dual/dp/B002X578G/?tag=logicaincre05-21120
Seagate Barracuda 3.5 inch 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB 6GB/S Internal SATA Drive
http://www.amazon.co.uk/SEAGATE-ST2000DM001-Barracuda-7200-12-Internal/dp/B006CKCRMQ/?tag=logicaincre05-21
Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5 inch Basic SATA Solid State Drive
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-120GB-Basic-Solid-State/dp/B00E391KA8/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1384707624&sr=1-1&keywords=Samsung+840+EVO+120GB&tag=logicaincre05-21


So far, so good? This is now where I'm unsure:


1.) Case

My current case (it came pre-built, remember)
Stylish Trident Case
http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/pc-images/361/

Would this be up to scratch/the right size for everything listed above? Part of me would love to purchase a new case, but I am wary of spending unnecessarily if this will do the job.


2.) Power Supply

My current one is:
500W (Peak) Quiet Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (can't find any photos)

This has served me fine for 7 years with no problems at all. Could it cope with the new system? I don't do anything like overclocking. I have a friend who tells me if it crashes I can always get a new one, but I'd rather be absolutely sure :)


3.) CPU Cooler

My current cooler:
ASUS SILENT KNIGHT II PURE COPPER ULTRA COOLER
http://www.quietpc.com/asus-silentknight

I bought this as an 'extra' when selecting the pre-built parts prior to ordering. I have been told it should work with the above build, but is it up to scratch? Also bearing in mind this is my first build, so I don't know how complicated it would be to 're-attach' this to a new motherboard?



Any advice/opinions/answers to the above questions would be very much appreciated!
 
Solution
Rammy
Graphics cards. There's a lot of decent GTX760s on the market. It boils down to cost mainly, as despite the minor differences in clock speed they will be fairly similar in outright performance.
If it were me, I'd probably be tempted by the MSI Twin Frozer version - http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-n760tf2gd5oc
It's not the fastest nor the cheapest, but it's a good balance of the two.
Sub £200 you have the Gigabyte, Asus, MSI and EVGA models. I have a bit of a soft spot for the Gainward Phantom version as I used a version of that cooler in a different build a while back, but it's a little thicker than a standard card and not the cheapest. There isn't really a bad choice amongst those, they are all pretty well...
Sort by date Sort by votes
Rammy

Rammy

Honorable
Sep 3, 2012
2,492
0
12,960
You are definitely on the right track but there's maybe a few things you could tweak. Without a specific intended usage (see the sticky on asking for advice) it's a bit tricky to hone in on what you need, but there's some general stuff to consider.

The FX8350 is good, but it's worth keeping the FX8320 in mind. £30 cheaper and broadly similar in performance, they are the same basic chip at different clockrates. If you don't need anything super high end, but want the extra threads, the 8320 might be a really good solution.

The GTX760 is a good pick for that price, though without spending much more you could have one with a factory overclock and a better cooler. It'd likely run faster, cooler and quieter.

Ditch the 760G chipset motherboard, it's pretty antiquated. A basic 970 motherboard is far more suitable and start at £50 like the Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P. If you wanted to keep the option of overclocking on the table, spending an extra £10-15 on say a Asus M5A97 R2.0 wouldn't be a bad way to spend money. Both of these are ATX. Your case info doesn't specify if its ATX, but at a glance it certainly looks to be.

Go for 1600Mhz memory, it's likely to be the same price. No reason not to as any modern motherboard will support it.

A 7 year old PSU, especially an unbranded one, is unlikely to be in good shape. Something like an XFX Core 550 for £50 has a load of quality and value, and a 5 year warranty.

A CPU cooler is potentially reusable, and it's not a hard thing to attach. Any retail CPU will come with a cooler supplied, and while these are basic they are fine if you aren't overclocking. The one part of a cooler that will wear is the fans, and that cooler looks like it might be hard/uneconomical to replace these. If they are still in decent condition there is no reason you can't continue to use it.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
abuja_limey

abuja_limey

Distinguished
Aug 3, 2012
34
0
18,530
Many thanks for your advice, Rammy. I put the FX8350 in after seeing the performance tests, but I will definitely bear the FX8320 in mind.

I admit that I got a lot of these parts from the very helpful Logical Increments website. I am not an expert on graphics cards; is there anything particular to look out for when trying to find a GTX760 with a factory overlock and a better cooler?

Thanks for the motherboard advice, I am pretty clueless when it comes to them and pretty much chose the first thing I saw on Amazon. Is this the Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P you were writing about? I also found a 1600mhz 8gb (link below). Would it be suitable?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigabyte-970A-DS3P-Motherboard-Socket-Express/dp/B00CX4MUCC/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1390242840&sr=1-1&keywords=Gigabyte+GA-970A-DS3P

Or perhaps:

Asus M5A97 R2.0
http://www.amazon.co.uk/M5A97-R2-0-Motherboard-PCI-Express-Flashback/dp/B008RPYB0U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390243811&sr=8-1&keywords=Asus+M5A97+R2.0

Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 Mhz CL9 XMP
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9-Vengeance-Performance-Desktop/dp/B004CRSM4I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390242972&sr=8-1&keywords=8gm+ram


For a piece of mind I will most likely buy a new PSU in that case. This looks like the one you recommended?

XFX ATX 550 Power Supply - P1550SXXB9
http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-ATX-550-Power-Supply/dp/B004RJ8EKI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390243504&sr=8-1&keywords=XFX+Core+550


I will check my CPU cooler, the last time I looked it was okay, albeit a little dusty. It is probably under-used in my current setup anyway.

Again, many thanks for your help. Do you think my current 7 year old case is suitable, or would it be wise to purchase a new one? Bearing in mind mind I am a first time builder, perhaps it would be easier to start from scratch? If so, I was thinking perhaps of this:

Corsair Carbide Series 300R CC-9011014-WW Mid-Tower Gaming Case
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006I2H0YS/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&psc=1&s=computers&tag=logicaincre05-21

There is also another Corsair which is is £20 less:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Carbide-Series-Compact-Computer/dp/B009GXZ8MM/?tag=logicaincre05-21
Corsair Carbide Series 200R Compact ATX Computer Case - Black
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Rammy

Rammy

Honorable
Sep 3, 2012
2,492
0
12,960
Graphics cards. There's a lot of decent GTX760s on the market. It boils down to cost mainly, as despite the minor differences in clock speed they will be fairly similar in outright performance.
If it were me, I'd probably be tempted by the MSI Twin Frozer version - http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-n760tf2gd5oc
It's not the fastest nor the cheapest, but it's a good balance of the two.
Sub £200 you have the Gigabyte, Asus, MSI and EVGA models. I have a bit of a soft spot for the Gainward Phantom version as I used a version of that cooler in a different build a while back, but it's a little thicker than a standard card and not the cheapest. There isn't really a bad choice amongst those, they are all pretty well reviewed.

Motherboard
970 is definitely the way to go. The Gigabyte is actually quite good for the price, but it's not really a board you want to overclock on. That is the one I meant.
If you want to keep a bit of performance in hand incase you ever need it, spending the extra £14 to step up to that Asus board gives you a solid overclocker. Whether or not the extra cash is worth it is up to you.

Memory
Actually the same memory I use, it'll do the job absolutely fine, though you can find 1600Mhz kits for under £60 so they might be a better option if you want to hunt for some extra funds. Nothing wrong with the Corsair though.

PSU
Yeah that's the one I meant. Very well priced, it's definitely a decent investment and not really somewhere to try to save money.

Case
There's nothing really to stop you from using your existing case if you are happy with it, though having a quality modern case can be easier to work on and give you better aesthetics, acoustics and airflow.
Both of the Corsair cases are pretty good for the price. If you just want something simple, the Bitfenix Comerade is new and comes in black and white, for £30 it's hard to beat.
The NZXT Source 210, NZXT H230. Bitfenix Shinobi, Antec One, Antec Three Hundred Two, Fractal Design Core 3000 are all worth a look if you want a different aesthetic, and all priced between £35 and £60.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
abuja_limey

abuja_limey

Distinguished
Aug 3, 2012
34
0
18,530
Thanks again, Rammy.

I am actually now thinking that as well as being a first-time builder, why not be a first time overclocker as well? As that is so, I'll spend a little bit extra on that ASUS motherboard, and I found a decent looking guide on overclocking the FX8350, I imagine it would apply to this setup?:

Beginners Guide: How to overclock AMD Processors FX-8350 Piledriver
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MckeAmnDeTk

Bearing overclocking in mind, do you think everything is ready to go with this set up? Or is it worth spending and extra £4 on the FX8350 black edition?

AMD FX 8350 Black Edition 8 Core Processor 4.00GHz Piledriver Socket AM3+
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/amd-fx-8350-black-edition-vishera-8-core-s-am3plus-40ghz-16mb-total-cache-125w-retail?utm_source=google+shopping&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CNeuupuvj7wCFQcTwwod3kYAFA
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Rammy

Rammy

Honorable
Sep 3, 2012
2,492
0
12,960
Yeah it's certainly worth keeping in mind. One thing I would say is that if you have any doubts about your CPU cooler, grabbing something like a Hyper 212 Evo for £24 makes a lot of sense and should give you more confidence.
Another thing to note is that the FX8320 and FX8350 are both unlocked and if you run them at the same clockspeed then they will perform identically. Due to production reasons you are likely to get a higher overclock on the 8350, but as overclocking is a bit of a lottery anyway, the 8320 is unlikely to be too far behind.

All FX8350s are "Black Edition", it's just a marketing term. Both of the processors are the same.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom