i5-2500k Build - First Time Build for Novice

[marz001]

Hello All

First time poster, long time reader

Im pretty much a novice, especially compared to alot of you guys, and I'm looking at building a new pc for the first time. I have researched for hours upon hours but the more I read the more contradictions I read and thus the more confused I become which makes me feel like Im further away now than I was when I first started.

I have a few questions and am looking for answers and recommendations and I know I'm going to sound like an idiot when I ask these questions but im starting to get a little anxious and nervous. Spending $2000 only to find that its not compatible or optimized would make me cringe and has left me very worried about making the purchases.

To all who have read thus far and can or do help I thank you in advance. Hopefully your input gives me the confidence to splash the cash

This is basically what i think I should get but not sure if its all compatible with each other for optimized performance

CASE: Coolermaster HAF X
POWER SUPPLY: Coolermaster Silent Pro Gold 800w

CPU: Inter i5-2500k
MOTHERBOARD: ASUS P8P67 Deluxe
MEMORY: G.Skill x 8gig (not sure)

COOLER: Noctua NH-D14
GRAPHICS: Radeon 5770 (want it for the occasional game / but want duel monitor support)

HARD DRIVE: 2 x 1TB Western Digital Caviar Black 7200rpm 64MB SATA 6Gbs
SSD: 1 x 120gb OCZ Vertex 2 (want to get another down the track when prices drop)

Questions: The ASUS deluxe board comes with the usb 3.0 box. Is this needed with the HAF X case or is a cable enough to make the front USB 3.0 ports operational on this case?

Ive read that G.Skill have Ram made for Sandy Bridge and its advised that if you dont already have ram (s775 current) that you should gets this. Is this advisable?

Also read that 1.5v is the max you should get but on the m/board ram compatibilty is says you can get 1.65v Will this make a difference and is it possible?

Since I dont have a clue, and dont want to make the wrong choice, what should I be getting. 2133, 1600, etc

Will the Noctua cooler fit in the HAF X?
And will it fit in if I get ram with its own fan covers?

Also when going thru the m/boards compatibily list for power supply I couldnt findthe Coolermaster Silent Pro Gold 800w. Does this mean I shouldnt get this power supply as from what I read this is a great unit and I would have thought that the power supply wouldnt make a difference and would be compatible with all boards?

Even my choice of ssd drive was not on the list. The 100gb drive was listed but not the 120gb

Am I going about my build all wrrong

 

[sandybridge]

The HAF X does come with 2 USB 3.0 ports. I think you're all set. See there are 2 USB 3.0 connectors (for a total of 4 ports) on the mobo. One for the bundled ASUS USB 3.0 black box. One for the case. In total you'd have 6 USB 3.0 ports. I wouldn't worry much about USB 3.0 as there are few to none USB 3.0 devices that are worth buying.

That ram thing is B.S. You can use ANY DDR3 ram in the mobo, but if the ram is faster than what the mobo supports, it will run at lower speed & you're wasting money. Buy the slowest speed with the highest amount. i.e. DDR3 1333 2X4GB. The best bang.

Higher voltage ram can be overclocked better. Gen-speak, you increase voltage on cpu/ram/gpu to overclock it if necessary. The ultimate limiting factor will be heat.

Yup, the Noctua will fit the HAF X, but the more pressing issue would be whether a D-SUB/DVI/HDMI connector will fit the back. I have a CM Scout. If my mobo has a PCI-E in the uppermost slot, I can't plug in a HDMI. I had to use a cutter to thin out the connector. Now I upgraded to LGA1155 and the PCI-E is in the 2nd topmost slot. I see the ASUS P8P67 Deluxe is the same as well. No problem there. I believe a few other cases had the same issues. Most defo Antec Sonata.

I recommend CORSAIR Hydro H70 CWCH70 which is almost the same price as the Noctua, but better. It's watercooling. I installed one on a friend's i5 750 and the temps dropped at least 5'C idle & 10'C load.

You're correct that the compatibility list or certification wouldn't make much of a difference. Do you know how many people use ram that are not on the compatibility list. It's crazy. I don't think the mobo manufacturers have the time or resources to test out each ram kit.

That's not the point, though. If I had $2000 for a pc, I'd get a better make like Antec, Corsair, Enermax, Seasonic, PCP&C, etc.

What games do you play?

 

[marz001]

Thanks mate. Your response is much appreciated and makes things a lot clearer for me. A few last questions, sorry to bust em on ya, but the point on the ram where you say buy the slowest with the most ie: DDR3 1333 2X4GB. Bang for Buck. For the sake of $100, for arguments sake, wouldn't it be better to get DDR 3 2000 2X4GB. Or for even less get DDR 3 1600.

I did look at the corsair H70 but I heard a lot of good things about the Noctua so I didn't bother looking too deep into it. Is the H70 as quiet as the Noctua as my main objective is for the pc to be quiet. Being water cooled Id imagine it would be as quiet if not more.

One last thing. Im surprised you say the Coolermaster power supply is not as highly rated as the ones you mentioned. Everything I read about it is positive and to be honest it came down to that and the Corsair. I will probably switch my attention back to the corsair now especially since they are roughly the same price

Thanks again for the time and effort but more importantly for giving me the confidence to go buy my system

 

[marz001]

ps: too answer your question about what games do I play. Well lately none cause the box in my pc room is to old and slow and my 775 build is in the lounge room as more of an entertainment pc and its too much hassle to unplug it and connect a monitor to it etc

but when my new one is up and running ill be playing strategy, war type games like World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, StarCraft etc

 

[sandybridge]

Regarding ram, where I live, DDR3 1333 2X4GB is cheaper than other speeds of the same amount. You just get the cheapest 2x4GB and you're all set. i.e. this one has heatspreaders so you won't accidentially damage it with static electricity from your hands.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144460

Fan noise level is determined by dba. Take the highest one out of multiple ones like those in Noctua. The highest is 19.8 dB(A). It's barely audible. The H70 has 26 - 31.5 dBA so it'll be louder. You can always switch the H70 fans out for quieter ones with similiar cfm (air flow) so that cooling power will be more or less the same. i.e. this one has 14 dBA so you won't hear it at all at arm's length & it cools better than H70 stock fans.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835191013

CM is a new comer in terms of psu's. They are by no means as experienced as other big guys. CM has been making good pc cases. I'll give you that. FWIW, a friend of mine has been running a 1000W CM PSU for years no problem.

That's the right cpu for RTS. CoD & StarCraft II are quite intensive. That HD 5770 won't cut it. Not even close to supporting dual-monitor gaming. Which CoD is it? Black Ops is the latest and again quite gpu intensive. At least a GTX 460 or better GTX 560 or if you prefer AMD, HD 6970 2GB. A slightly overkill gpu will last you a while without another gpu upgrade. Unless you meant the oldest of the games. In which case, HD 5770 will suffice.