First Time Build, Bear with me :)

[ihack__93]

Hi there! Been checking the forums and have found out a wealth of knowledge, however i just wanted to get some advice from the community (I definitely need it! )
I'm currently in the U.K. looking to build my first gaming rig, i've learnt a lot, but i know theres so much more to learn. currently hoping to spend between £600 and £650, willing to go to £700 (I know its pretty wishful :S)

Heres what i've come up with so far:


CPU= Intel i5-2500k Sandybridge

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Sandybridge-i5-2500K-Quad-Core-Processor/dp/B004FA8NX2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=IBCF02ZSGFFKN&colid=22O42U33SBDA2

RAM= Corsair Vengeance DDR3 8GB

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9-1600MHz-Vengeance-Memory/dp/B004CRSM4I/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1418AKGPMNWN4&colid=22O42U33SBDA2


Optical drive= Sony Lightscribe 24x

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-AD-7261S-0B-Internal-DVDRWRAM-Lightscribe/dp/B003SM3HH0/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=ITRZFH9NVJ60S&colid=22O42U33SBDA2

ATX case= Zalman Z9 Plus

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/cases/cases/Zalman/Z9PLUS.html#utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=products

PSU= Corsair 600w

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMPSU-600CXV2UK-Builder-Power-Supply/dp/B0050AFU46/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2AEW6MWP96ZVJ&colid=22O42U33SBDA2


HDD= Western Digital Caviar Blue Sata III 500Gb

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-Caviar-SATAIII-Internal/dp/B00461G3MS/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=IQ7GF9H2W79MK&colid=22O42U33SBDA2

CPU Cooler= Corsair H60 Water Cooler

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CWCH60-Water-Cooler/dp/B004MYFOE2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=IEHQFQAP5N693&colid=22O42U33SBDA2

GPU= Asus nVIDIA 3D GeForce GTX 550 TI (just wanted some advice about this GPU, I would most probably play games such as Battlefield 3 and Microsoft Flight Sim X)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-GeForce-TI-DirectCu-Graphics/dp/B004RHPN2M/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2E1D0TIV73Y93&colid=22O42U33SBDA2

Mobo= Have had some ideas about this but i just wanted some advice about what board to choose, heres some of my ideas so far:

Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigabyte-ga-z68ap-d3-intel-z68-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-raid-sata-pcie-20-%28x16%29-vga-on-board-atx

And AsRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 (at a stretch)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Z68-Extreme3-Motherboard-PCI-Express-ASRock/dp/B005FGQLQQ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I33CVLS1GJ31IJ&colid=22O42U33SBDA2

would very much appreciate any board recommendations inbetween those price ranges

P.S. I do want to overclock, but i wonder whether or not a 600w PSU is enough, cheers

I appreciate all replies and any knowledge you can pass on to me, thankyou

 

[g-unit1111]

Looks pretty good - these would be my suggestions:

1. Do not get the 550TI - in that price range the Radeon 6870 far outperforms it:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-11179-09-20G-6870-GDDR5-Graphics/dp/B004R7MTPQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1331060101&sr=1-1

2. Ditch the water cooler and replace that with a Hyper 212 Evo - I generally don't touch liquid cooling and even though sealed blocks are safer than a open loop, I'd still stay away from it. Air is safer in the long run and you don't want to trust a new system to a leaky pipe. Get this instead: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/coolermaster-hyper-212-evo-4-heat-pipes-direct-contact-with-120mm-quiet-fan-lga775-1155-1156-1366-am

3. Go with the Asrock board - better expansion options than the Gigabyte board will bring. The Asrock is also based on a more modern design and color scheme (who has a parallel port anymore? :lol: ).

Alternately I'd suggest this if you want to stay with Gigabyte: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigabyte-SKT-1155-Z68XP-UD3P-Motherboard-Rev/dp/B0055054T2/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1331060052&sr=1-1

4. Watch the heat sinks on the Vengance - it'd probably be better to get this to be on the safe side: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CML8GX3M2A1600C9-Vengeance-1600MHz-Memory/dp/B00569K7LM/ref=sr_1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1331059978&sr=1-4

5. That Zalman case is pretty decent. I'd suggest this instead:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Carbide-400R-Mid-Tower-Gaming/dp/B0055Q7BR4/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1331060075&sr=1-1

 

[sadams04]

HDD - Skip the WD Blue. Seagate or Samsung would be better choices. If you want to stick with WD then the Black drives are the way to go.

CPU Cooler - Water cooling won't do a better job over a good air cooler unless you spend way more than the H60 costs. The Hyper 212 EVO is a good cooler at a good price. It will keep an overclocked i5-2500k cool all day.

MB - Either of those are good boards. I would opt for the ASRock for its ability to support multiple GPUs.

PSU - The Corsair 600w is plenty of power for an overclocked CPU with a "large" GPU. If you want to leave the option for SLI open, then upgrade to a 750w model.

MEM - Look for modules without tall heat spreaders. They can get in the way of CPU coolers and impeed airflow across the motherboard. The important part is 1.5v modules (which those Vengeance are).

 

[azeem40]

Don't get the 550ti. It is crap. The 6850 is MUCH better. Either MOBO will work well. The H60 is a horrible CPU Cooler. Get the Hyper 212 EVO as it performs much better at $35. Get low profile ram so it doesn't interfere with your CPU Cooler.

 

[kcsmacker]

Looks pretty good - these would be my suggestions:

1. Do not get the 550TI - in that price range the Radeon 6870 far outperforms it:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-11179-09-20G-6870-GDDR5-Graphics/dp/B004R7MTPQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1331060101&sr=1-1

2. Ditch the water cooler and replace that with a Hyper 212 Evo - I generally don't touch liquid cooling and even though sealed blocks are safer than a open loop, I'd still stay away from it. Air is safer in the long run and you don't want to trust a new system to a leaky pipe. Get this instead: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/coolermaster-hyper-212-evo-4-heat-pipes-direct-contact-with-120mm-quiet-fan-lga775-1155-1156-1366-am

3. Go with the Asrock board - better expansion options than the Gigabyte board will bring. The Asrock is also based on a more modern design and color scheme (who has a parallel port anymore? :lol: ).

Alternately I'd suggest this if you want to stay with Gigabyte: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigabyte-SKT-1155-Z68XP-UD3P-Motherboard-Rev/dp/B0055054T2/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1331060052&sr=1-1

4. Watch the heat sinks on the Vengance - it'd probably be better to get this to be on the safe side: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CML8GX3M2A1600C9-Vengeance-1600MHz-Memory/dp/B00569K7LM/ref=sr_1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1331059978&sr=1-4

5. That Zalman case is pretty decent. I'd suggest this instead:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Carbide-400R-Mid-Tower-Gaming/dp/B0055Q7BR4/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1331060075&sr=1-1

+1 I agree with all of this

 

[aebome]

While I agree with g-unit that the Zalman case you picked out is decent, I don't agree with the alternate he recommended, as it is over £30 more expensive, and your budget is somewhat limited.

These cases are in your price range, and are excellent options, if you want a different look or other options to consider.

£45 NZXT Source 220: http://www.ebuyer.com/327898-nzxt-source-220-case-ca-so220-01

£36 NZXT Source 210 Elite: http://www.ebuyer.com/278066-nzxt-source-210-elite-black-case-nzxts210e001

£45 Antec 300: http://www.ebuyer.com/143854-antec-300-three-hundred-case-0761345-08300-3

 

[azeem40]

I don't agree with the alternate he recommended, as it is over £30 more expensive,

How is £30 more a bad thing? Corsair makes great cases and their carbide series is one of the best. If it fits in his overall budget, he should go for it.

 

[ihack__93]

thankyou for the feedback, very much appreciated I was just doing some quick surfing and i found another ASRock board, just wanted some advice as to which board to choose between the two of these

(the board in the first post)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Z68-Extreme3-Motherboard-PCI-Express-ASRock/dp/B005FGQLQQ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I33CVLS1GJ31IJ&colid=22O42U33SBDA2

and the Pro version (I think)

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/motherboards/intel1155z68chipsetmotherboards/z68pro3gen3.html

Thankyou

 

[aebome]

How is £30 more a bad thing? Corsair makes great cases and their carbide series is one of the best. If it fits in his overall budget, he should go for it.

Corsair does in fact make great cases, and they are much more affordable than previously with the 300R and 400R. But his budget is limited and I think spending more on the GPU would be a better use of the £30 when he can get very good cases at the £35-50 range.

If his budget allows it, by all means he should get a 300R or 400R, they are great. But if he can put that money towards a better GPU or it allows him to keep a 6870 in the build, that is more important, in my own opinion of course.

I just wanted to give him good less expensive options if he wanted to change his case selection.

 

[g-unit1111]

thankyou for the feedback, very much appreciated I was just doing some quick surfing and i found another ASRock board, just wanted some advice as to which board to choose between the two of these

(the board in the first post)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Z68-Extreme3-Motherboard-PCI-Express-ASRock/dp/B005FGQLQQ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I33CVLS1GJ31IJ&colid=22O42U33SBDA2

and the Pro version (I think)

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/motherboards/intel1155z68chipsetmotherboards/z68pro3gen3.html

Thankyou

Those are both good choices - the Z68 will be a bit more flexible with the hardware it will accommodate.

Corsair does in fact make great cases, and they are much more affordable than previously with the 300R and 400R. But his budget is limited and I think spending more on the GPU would be a better use of the £30 when he can get very good cases at the £35-50 range.

If his budget allows it, by all means he should get a 300R or 400R, they are great. But if he can put that money towards a better GPU or it allows him to keep a 6870 in the build, that is more important, in my own opinion of course.

I'd definitely agree with that for the most part - but the Corsair case will allow to accommodate much bigger GPUs with the removable HD cage where the Antec 300 doesn't have that feature and you're limited by the space of the case for GPUs.

 

[aebome]

I'd definitely agree with that for the most part - but the Corsair case will allow to accommodate much bigger GPUs with the removable HD cage where the Antec 300 doesn't have that feature and you're limited by the space of the case for GPUs.

The NZXT cases do allow removal of the HDD cage, but that leaves less favorable drive mounting options. Otherwise, yes he'll have to step up in price. The Cooler Master HAF 912 Plus offers this, and at £15 less than the Corsair. http://www.ebuyer.com/239757-coolermaster-haf-912-plus-case-rc-912p-kkn1

In the end, though, point taken g-unit, if a removable drive cage is what he wants.

 

[g-unit1111]

The NZXT cases do allow removal of the HDD cage, but that leaves less favorable drive mounting options. Otherwise, yes he'll have to step up in price. The Cooler Master HAF 912 Plus offers this, and at £15 less than the Corsair. http://www.ebuyer.com/239757-coolermaster-haf-912-plus-case-rc-912p-kkn1

In the end, though, point taken g-unit, if a removable drive cage is what he wants.

Definitely can't argue with that choice.

 

[ihack__93]

i cant thank everyone enough for the replies and the recommendations, you have all been a great help, thankyou