Is this rig compatible?

[GangoFett]

Hello guys,
I've decided to build a computer myself, to reduce cost and get more for my money. The only problem is, I haven't done this before, so I would really appreciate if someone with a knowledge of this kind of thing can tell me if there's any problems with the following:


Processor: Intel Core i7 - 2700K (3.50 GHz)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-390-IN

Motherboard: Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-390-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=2261

Memory: TeamGroup Elite 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600 MHz Dual Channel Kit
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-019-TG&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1517

Graphics Card: XFX HD 6850 1GB DDR5 VGA DVI HDMI PCI-E
http://www.ebuyer.com/391772-xfx-hd-6850-1gb-ddr5-dual-dvi-dual-mini-displayport-hdmi-pci-e-hd-685x-zcfc

Internal Storage: Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM 1TB SATA 6GB/s 64MB cache
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-257-SE&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=1279

Solid State Drive: OCZ Agility 3 60GB 2.5" SATA 6GB/s
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-075-OC&groupid=701&catid=2104&subcat=910

CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2 CPU Cooler (Socket 939/AM2/AM3/775/1155/1156/1366)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-035-AR

Intake Fan: Arctic F8 PWM case fan - 80mm
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FG-027-AR&groupid=701&catid=2331&subcat=819

Outtake Fan: Artic F12 PWM case fan - 120mm
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FG-029-AR&groupid=701&catid=2331&subcat=4

Case: Galaxy III Tower Case - Black(500W)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-017-OP&groupid=2362&catid=505&subcat=

The whole system comes to: £649.16

Is each component proportionate to the rest of the system, or is there something that needs to be desperately up/downgraded? (I'm a little worried whether the mobo is up to the job.)

Will it all physically fit together, and be compatible, without any errors?

Is a 500W PSU going to be enough if there's a chance I'll overclock it, and is there sufficient ventilation/cooling?

Are the brands I have chosen good/bad? I'd rather pay more and never have to replace something, than buy it on the cheap.

And lastly, is it good value for money, or is there a pre-built system out there you've found that's better/cheaper?

Thanks in advance to all replies!

 

[Gallarian]

Compatibility - Check. All components would be fine with one another.

Mobo - More than sufficient, overkill if anything.

PSU - It comes with the case, thats a bad sign, as it will be unbranded and only serves as premotion scheme for the case. You want a reliable, trusted brand (OCZ, Corsair, Seasonic, Cooler Master, Antec etc). Any 500w from those brands will be fine. Edit: Upon closer inspection, the supplied PSU is only 450w - this will not do.

Brands - Apart from the PSU, fine.

Value for Money - Heres where it gets interesting, but in order to answer that, youre going to have to specify what yours using the system for? Gaming? Photoshop? Video?


Suggestions:

PSU - http://www.scan.co.uk/products/550w-xfx-pro-series-core-edition-p1-550s-ukb9-85-eff-80-plus-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-fan-atx-v2

Case - http://www.scan.co.uk/products/coolermaster-elite-430-all-black-in-out-mid-tower-performance-case-with-side-window-120mm-front-led-

Mobo - Exact same model, but for £10 cheaper - http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigabyte-ga-z77x-d3h-intel-z77-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-30-d-sub-dvi-d-hdmi-atx

SSD: Use the £10 saved on the Mobo to buy a 120GB Sandisk SSD currently on offer, instead of the 60GB OCZ - http://www.scan.co.uk/products/120gb-sandisk-extreme-25-ssd-sata-iii-6gb-s-read-550mb-s-write-510mb-s-83000-iops-max


(If you're worried about the extra costs involved by implementing my suggestions, once you tell me what your using the PC for, we can reduce it in some areas)

 

[GangoFett]

Thanks Gallarian, that was exactly the reply I was looking for.

I will be using this PC for an 'overlap', to basically have a great home-use computer that can player lower-end games, as opposed to having a poor gaming computer. And one that I know will last me five years, really. After hearing that, areas such as the RAM might be seen as overkill, but I found the difference in price between something like 8GB and 16GB is pretty minimal.

It's reassuring to hear that about the motherboard, but if possible, I would like to get as many components as I can from Overclockers to take advantage of their buy now - pay later schemes. Sorry, forgot to mention that. I'm happy sticking with a 60GB SSD though, all I want on it is my OS, my favourite game and perhaps an internet browser.

You're absolutely right about the PSU, after reading the comments about the case on their site, the PSU really seems to let it down. If I'm honest, I don't really want to go above £700 on this build. If we keep everything the same, minus the case, I'd have spent £614.17 .

I found a OCZ CoreXtreme 500w '80 Plus' Power Supply, from the same site to keep things simple:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-063-OC&tool=3
Will 500w be enough, even with a bit of overclocking? This would bring my total to £647.16, leaving me just over £50 to find a case and the necessary fans for it.

Do you see any way to reduce the costof the build in some areas? Many thanks for the help so far!

 

[Gallarian]

Ok, well a gaming computer is perfectly suited for home use, there are no components that will be better for one or the other, as the same component will be fine for both.

Scan also offers a buy now, pay later scheme - so either site would be fine. Having bought from both companies, I whole heartedly support scan over anyone to be honest. But if your adamant that you want to stick with OCers, then theres no reason why you cant find the same products I link on their site.

Anyway, here are further recommendations:

CPU - No need for the i7-2600k. It offers no advantage (and sometimes the Hyperthreading it offers causes problems) in gaming, so the extra money spent there is wasted. Suggestion: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-core-i5-2500k-unlocked-s1155-sandy-bridge-quad-33ghz-hd3000-igp-850mhz-6mb-cache-95w-retail. This has equal real world performance to its i7 counterpart in gaming.

GPU - Use the £45 you saved on the CPU change to upgrade your GPU. Suggestion: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-asus-hd-6870-directcu-4200mhz-gddr5-gpu-915mhz-1120-stream-processors-2x-dvi-2-x-dp.

RAM – As you say 16GB is overkill currently. 8GB is the standard and is more than enough. Also, your choice is a bit steap, I suggest: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb-(2x4gb)-corsair-ddr3-vengeance-jet-black-lp-pc3-12800-(1600)-non-ecc-cas-9-9-9-24-xmp-15v

Total with all my amendments (including case and PSU):
~£650

 

[GangoFett]

Thanks for another great response Gallarian.

After researching several i7 2700k vs i5 2500k articles, I have decided to go with your suggestion. The considerably lower CPU score on PassMark has made me doubt it a little, but I think it's the right move anyway.

I have also downsized the RAM to save me some moolah. TeamGroup Elite 8GB 1600MHz Single Channel: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-027-TG&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1180
I thought single channel will give me the best possible option for upgrades, and for some reason I'd prefer to have a consolidated number in my performance monitor, what do you think of this?

Case has been completely scrapped. As previously discussed, going with a OCZ CoreXtreme 500w '80 Plus' Power Supply: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-063-OC&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=

What do you think of this as a case?
Aerocool CyborgX Midi Tower Case - Black:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-033-AE
I would use the same fans as before, just 2 x 120mm now.

I'm sticking with the graphics card, it may not be the best, but I found it considerably cheaper than its immediate competition. After some research I have discovered it requires 2 x 6 pin power connectors, I'm not sure if my PSU is compatible, would I need to buy any adapters for this?

Also, I have never assembled a rig. I've heard some complaints from Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2 CPU Cooler owners (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/show [...] =HS-035-AR) that the RAM stick sometimes doesn't fit in correctly as a result. Do you think this will be a problem too?

Many thanks again.

 

[Gallarian]

Single channel is fine, as you say, it frees up your expansion slots for upgrades down the line.

Woah, thats an aggressive looking case! It seems to offer everything you'll need - Cable management holes, USB front panel, Graphics cards up to 290mm, bottom mounted PSU etc. so I cant see a reason not to get it if you like it.

The PSU you have chosen does have 2x 6 pin PCI-E power cables, so dont worry about that. (one of the 6 pins will have an extra 2 pin attached, but its optional and it separated from the 6).

Fair enough, the 6850 is very good value for money. Rule of thumb for graphics cards; the more you spend, the less bang for your buck you get.

Some coolers do cover DIMM slots, but if you choose low profile RAM sticks (which you have) and install them before you install the cooler, it should be fine.



I think that just about covers it then, I hope Ive helped and good luck with your build Feel free to post on this thread if you have any questions during the process.

 

[idroid]

Hello guys,
I've decided to build a computer myself, to reduce cost and get more for my money. The only problem is, I haven't done this before, so I would really appreciate if someone with a knowledge of this kind of thing can tell me if there's any problems with the following:


Processor: Intel Core i7 - 2700K (3.50 GHz)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-390-IN

Motherboard: Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-390-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=2261

Memory: TeamGroup Elite 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600 MHz Dual Channel Kit
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-019-TG&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1517

Graphics Card: XFX HD 6850 1GB DDR5 VGA DVI HDMI PCI-E
http://www.ebuyer.com/391772-xfx-hd-6850-1gb-ddr5-dual-dvi-dual-mini-displayport-hdmi-pci-e-hd-685x-zcfc

Internal Storage: Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM 1TB SATA 6GB/s 64MB cache
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-257-SE&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=1279

Solid State Drive: OCZ Agility 3 60GB 2.5" SATA 6GB/s
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-075-OC&groupid=701&catid=2104&subcat=910

CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2 CPU Cooler (Socket 939/AM2/AM3/775/1155/1156/1366)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-035-AR

Intake Fan: Arctic F8 PWM case fan - 80mm
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FG-027-AR&groupid=701&catid=2331&subcat=819

Outtake Fan: Artic F12 PWM case fan - 120mm
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FG-029-AR&groupid=701&catid=2331&subcat=4

Case: Galaxy III Tower Case - Black(500W)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-017-OP&groupid=2362&catid=505&subcat=

The whole system comes to: £649.16

Is each component proportionate to the rest of the system, or is there something that needs to be desperately up/downgraded? (I'm a little worried whether the mobo is up to the job.)

Will it all physically fit together, and be compatible, without any errors?

Is a 500W PSU going to be enough if there's a chance I'll overclock it, and is there sufficient ventilation/cooling?

Are the brands I have chosen good/bad? I'd rather pay more and never have to replace something, than buy it on the cheap.

And lastly, is it good value for money, or is there a pre-built system out there you've found that's better/cheaper?

Thanks in advance to all replies!

*Yes, absolutely everything is compatible

*forget about buying a PC good enough for gaming that will last 5 years at this price range, you would need a ~8000$ PC to come close to that...

*there are a lot of things that can be improved.

*i don't know if you will do any kind of HEAVY video editing but if you're not then a i7 and 16GB of ram are not necessary, use that money in getting a better GPU

*500w is enough.

*i've never heard anything of "Teamgroup Elite".

buy this modified version of one of the builds in my signature:

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£174.94 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS10X Performa CPU Cooler (£26.50 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£76.37 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£36.19 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£59.99 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Crucial M4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£57.10 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card (£161.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Case: Zalman Z11 ATX Mid Tower Case (£44.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: XFX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£64.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Total: £703.06

*this will be more than enough for home use and mid-high gaming, the 7850 has the same power of the GTX480.

*the case is really good.

*the PSU allows you to add a second 7850 anytime you want to maximize your performance and play any game you want @1080p with the setting you want for a long time.