New i5 2500k build ( a few questions )

[niallcameron]

Hi all, I have just bought what I think is a very good deal! I have a few questions about my purchase though and possible build...

I bought :

Intel® Core™ i5-2500K, 3.30GHz
Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3 Motherboard (Socket 1155)
16GB (4x4GB) Corsair Vengeance Dual Channel DDR3 1600MHz
Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 CO CPU Cooler

for the total price of £363.97.

you can buy/view it here :

http://www.utopiacomputers.co.uk/utopian-stinger-i5-2500k-overclocked-bundle-16gb-upgrade-1429?osCsid=2192636d94799d303f6ee0d80c827a0d

It should arrive tomorrow, I'm so excited!

I have a old galaxy 3 case to put it in for now, see the case here :

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/cases/cases/galaxy3.html

as for power I have a new unused CiT 700 watt cheapo PSU that I never got round to using

again here :

http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/10136934/CiT-700UB-Black-Edition-700W-PSU-Power-Supply-Unit/Product.html

I also have my old ATI sapphire 4830 512Mb out of my old rig for gaming.

My questions are ;

A: Is the bundle I bought a good deal?

B: Do i need a better/More expensive PSU?

C: Should I get a new GPU? I have around £150 to spare on one, Suggestions please? I like games like Skyrim/Fallout/MoH and the Stalker series.

D: Do you think I will need any extra cooling? ( If you are kind enough to suggest a new GPU please can you factor this into the budget

E: Any other suggestions for a possible build?

I usually game at 1920x1080 on mid-high settings using a DVI connection :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002XNOJMC/ref=asc_df_B002XNOJMC6477306?smid=A1V6Z2X9I7KSQG&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22218&creativeASIN=B002XNOJMC

Thanks in advance for your answers!

 

[g-unit1111]

A. That is actually an excellent deal for the money and it's professionally OC'd at that.

B. I would not recommend using a cheapo PSU for that build especially if it's OC'd. You might want to read what happens about bad PSUs if you use the wrong one: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/low-cost-psu-pc-power-supply,2862.html

C: Couldn't hurt. If you can factor a 560TI or 6950 into your budget those are the best price/performance GPUs currently. If you have a site you buy from I can suggest specific models for each.

D: Not necessarily. Your case should have pretty decent air flow and you don't necessarily need extra fans but if you want to buy them they can be had for really cheap.

E: I'd say just get the new video card - the one you have now I don't think will suffice for most modern games like BF3 and Skyrim. And you definitely want to get a new PSU - especially one that's certified (I don't think they have UL in the UK so whatever the equivalent agency is) and rated 80+ bronze or better. Otherwise you should be good to go.

 

[niallcameron]

A. That is actually an excellent deal for the money and it's professionally OC'd at that.

B. I would not recommend using a cheapo PSU for that build especially if it's OC'd. You might want to read what happens about bad PSUs if you use the wrong one: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/low-cost-psu-pc-power-supply,2862.html

C: Couldn't hurt. If you can factor a 560TI or 6950 into your budget those are the best price/performance GPUs currently. If you have a site you buy from I can suggest specific models for each.

D: Not necessarily. Your case should have pretty decent air flow and you don't necessarily need extra fans but if you want to buy them they can be had for really cheap.

E: I'd say just get the new video card - the one you have now I don't think will suffice for most modern games like BF3 and Skyrim. Otherwise you should be good to go.

Thanks g-unit1111!

Ref A : Yeah I thought so but after I bought it I did start to wonder...
Ref B : I will defo get a new PSU then! Any ideas on power/models?
Ref C : I was thinking of just getting a Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6870 1024MB GDDR5 ( £136.99 ) I liked my old 4830 an never had an issue with it.
Ref D: thanks for the info.
Ref E: The frame rate is kinda choppy on high settings. I'm using an old Phenom X4 2.6ghz BE at the moment. Time for an upgrade!

Thanks again!

 

[g-unit1111]

Ref B : I will defo get a new PSU then! Any ideas on power/models?

Do you have a store that you buy from? I'm US-based and I don't really know any UK-based sites all that well aside from Ebuyer. If you give me a link I can provide some specific models. You want to stay close to 600W - 700W range.

Ref C : I was thinking of just getting a Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6870 1024MB GDDR5 ( £136.99 ) I liked my old 4830 an never had an issue with it.

That's a good choice. The 7770 should be out in a month or so so you could reuse your GPU until then and buy a new one when the new ones are released.

 

[niallcameron]

Ref B : I will defo get a new PSU then! Any ideas on power/models?

Do you have a store that you buy from? I'm US-based and I don't really know any UK-based sites all that well aside from Ebuyer. If you give me a link I can provide some specific models. You want to stay close to 600W - 700W range.

I could use these guys :

http://www.aria.co.uk/

or

http://www.novatech.co.uk/

Ref C : I was thinking of just getting a Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6870 1024MB GDDR5 ( £136.99 ) I liked my old 4830 an never had an issue with it.

That's a good choice. The 7770 should be out in a month or so so you could reuse your GPU until then and buy a new one when the new ones are released.

Thanks again g-unit1111.

 

[g-unit1111]

Thanks again g-unit1111.

No problem. Here's a couple of suggestions:

- http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power+Supplies/700-950W/750W+XFX+Core+Edition+80PLUS+Bronze+Power+Supply+%28Seasonic+OEM%29+?productId=45334
- http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power+Supplies/700-950W/750W+Corsair+TX750+V2+80PLUS+Bronze+Power+Supply+?productId=43906

The OEM on the XFX PSU is Seasonic so it will be much higher quality than a lot of what you can buy out there is.

 

[niallcameron]

Just an update for you...

I bought a OCZ StealthXStream2 700w Silent ATX2 Power Supply 80PLUS

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/powersupplies/ocz700sxs2-uk.html

and a

Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6870 1024MB GDDR5

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/atiradeongraphicscards/atihd6800series/11179-09-20g.html

pretty cool huh!

I also invested in some new fans for the old galaxy 3 case

Coolermaster SickleFlow Blue Case Fan - 120mm

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/cooling/r4-l2r-20ac-gp.html

and 2 Xilence Red Wing Quiet Fan - 80mm for the intake fans

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/cooling/fans/80mm/redwing80mm.html

so do you think its a neat build?

 

[g-unit1111]

Just an update for you...

I bought a OCZ StealthXStream2 700w Silent ATX2 Power Supply 80PLUS

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/powersupplies/ocz700sxs2-uk.html

and a

Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6870 1024MB GDDR5

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/atiradeongraphicscards/atihd6800series/11179-09-20g.html

pretty cool huh!

I also invested in some new fans for the old galaxy 3 case

Coolermaster SickleFlow Blue Case Fan - 120mm

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/cooling/r4-l2r-20ac-gp.html

and 2 Xilence Red Wing Quiet Fan - 80mm for the intake fans

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/cooling/fans/80mm/redwing80mm.html

so do you think its a neat build?

That should be a really good build.