Need advice on first build

[MxAxSxH]

My nasty dell just died, and it's gonna be more trouble than it's worth to fix it (no warranty). So, I've decided to take the plunge and build my very first system. Having spent quite a bit of time looking round the various etailers and forums, I thought the following looked like a good setup -

Case - Silverstone TJ05B
Mobo - Asus P5B
PSU - Xclio X12P4S4 700W
CPU - C2D E6600
HD - Western Digital 320GB
HSF - Scythe Infinity
DVD - Samsung SH182M

I already have memory, gfx card and monitor, so I need to know if the above parts are any good. I don't have a strict budget, but I'd like to keep it below £700 ($1400). All feedback appreciated

 

[apt403]

i dont really like Xclio psu's, and i couldnt find anything in google with "Xclio X12P4S4" so could you give a link or something? i would go with something like an antec myself. also, you said you have ram and a gfx card, what kind? other then that it looks good.

 

[yas]

do you plan to OC because I am not sure about your motherboard.

 

[MxAxSxH]

Whoops, it's x12s4p4. Here's a link - Xclio PSU. I've read that the people who make Xclio psus also made antec ones.

I was hoping to OC, as I've heard good things about the E6600. More of a bonus than a requirement. What board would you reccommend?

Gfx card is a sapphire x850xt, which i'll be upgrading next year, and the ram is 2GB of corsair DDR2 667Mhz.

 

[apt403]

hmmm, £54 is way to cheap for a 700w psu, do you have to order from that site? i cant find any psu's from companys that i trust there. (there are a couple, but there kind-of expensive)

 

[MxAxSxH]

The main parts I was worrying about were the psu and the hsf. I've seen favourable reviews of that xclio psu, but as I'm finding out, reviews aren't always accurate. Also, there apparently concerns over the infinity's bracket - plastic screws for 1 kilo hsf worries me.


That's by no means a site I have to order from, there's also dabs and komplett.


Another thought; how much power do I need? After putting that setup (plus a few other things and oc cpu) into a wattage calculator it came out at almost 600W. Is 700W too much or not enough?

 

[yas]

For the HSF get the: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro. Its got very good reviews.

 

[MxAxSxH]

Really? Seems suspiciously cheap at less than £20.

As for psu, all the high wattage are ludicrously expensive. The seasonic 700W one http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-007-SS is £150.

 

[yas]

For the motherboard I dont know how good the P5B is? You may be better off with a P5B-e which I know is a very good OCer or a abit AB9 pro which is a bit more expensive but is worth it. You may also want to look at the gigabyte DS3 which is good bang for buck.

 

[yas]

I have just been looking at a PSU roundup:

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=1359&page=26

and I think the FSP Group FSP Epsilon 700 FX700-GLN looks like a good option if you want something a bit cheaper. It still has 700W and sells for a reasonable $150.

 

[MxAxSxH]

Hmmm, would appear I miscalculated how much power I need. Seems like 550W would be more than enough now, 700 would be overkill. That in mind, would the Antec NeoHE 550GB be a good choice?

 

[zjohnr]

don't get the p5b, for the same amount you can get the evga 680i board which is far better (the 975x boards are pretty bad)

:?: :? :?: :? :?: :?
Newegg is selling the P5B for ~140 at the moment. Even the P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP, which perhaps is what you were thinking of, is "only" ~$215. The eVGA 122-CK-NF68-AR nForce 680i SLI is jut a tad under $250.

And FWIW, the Asus P5 boards use the P965 chipset, not the 975. :?

 

[MxAxSxH]

Just to update, seems like this is a pretty good setup -

Case - Silverstone TJ05 or Antec P180
Mobo - Gigabyte DS3
PSU - Thermaltake Toughpower 700W (modular)
HSF - AC Freezer 7 Pro
HD - Seagate Barracuda 320GB

CPU and DVD as before.

Only thing I'm wondering about is whether or not the thermaltake has long enough cables for the antec and whether or not it'll fit.

 

[Andelin]

The TT PSU's have ample cord lengths for getting around in your case. I have he 750 version and had no prob hooking everything up and then routing them out of the way. It's always better to go for more wattage than you need do to the fact that over time the psu starts to slowly decrease in power output with age. Not to mention if you ever want to upgrade anything in the future you'll most likely need the extra power. ie. new gfx card.

 

[n0odle]

I seriously think 700watts PSU is overkills lol.

 

[Andelin]

MxAxSxH, here is a great little tool for calculating power requirements for your build. Just enter in all the components you'll be using and it will calculate your needs for you. Just remember to alot for capacitor aging and surge compensation, if you are planning to overclock, ect.. . Then add a lil more for future proofing. More is always better. 8)

 

[MxAxSxH]

MxAxSxH, here is a great little tool for calculating power requirements for your build. Just enter in all the components you'll be using and it will calculate your needs for you. Just remember to alot for capacitor aging and surge compensation, if you are planning to overclock, ect.. . Then add a lil more for future proofing. More is always better. 8)

That's what I used 8).

I also think that 700w is overkill, but for upgradeability, you may want to consider sticking with your original plan of 600w

700w is overkill, but $150 for high quality psu like this seems like a pretty good deal to me. Here's the url for the thermaltake - specialtech - thermaltake psu. They have the best selection of thermaltake psus in the UK and they're almost all the same price. Also PCP&C aren't readily available here in the UK.


Having read more on the P180, I'm not so sure about it. Most brands of psu don't fit, and it seems pretty cramped overall. This would fit in it - Cosair HX 620 but it's not exactly cheap.

Also rethinking mobo choice. Asus P5B Deluxe seems very popular, as does the Abit AB9 Pro. Anyone with experience of those two boards?

 

[Andelin]

I'm sry I forgot to put the link in. Here it is:

eXtreme Power Supply Calculator v2.0

 

[yas]

Actually the AB9 PRO has a very wierd layout if you look at some pics. You may find it very anoying. The asus P5W DH deluxe is defiantely a better board all around with the newer 975 chipset although it is around $70 (i think) more expensive, if you can afford it I would go for it.