New PC Build

[Ktank]

Looking to build up my first medium/high end PC

- LG 24" IPS (Already bought this for PS3 anyways)
- GIGABYTE - GA-Z77-D3H (ATX)

- i5 3550

- Antec Eleven Hundred Desktop - XL-ATX
(Max Mainboard Size XL-ATX
Supported Mainboards ATX, microATX, Mini-ITX, XL-ATX)

- RAM - I'm not too sure
Board can support 1600MHz - DD3-SDRAM so any suggestions? Crucial RAM?

- Graphics Card
- I may play games such as Counter Strike Source / Call Of Duty on "medium" so any recommendations for a fair price?

Am I missing anything else?

Thanks a lot!

 

[Mmatuu]

Well for MoBo i think AsRock Extreme4 could be best for price.
and for RAM Corsair vengance 8gp(2x4) low profile is good.

 

[Ktank]

Well for MoBo i think AsRock Extreme4 could be best for price.
and for RAM Corsair vengance 8gp(2x4) low profile is good.

Is that better then the GIGABYTE - GA-Z77-D3H ?

Which graphics card?

 

[mrdowntownkiller]

set a budget and we will pick the best parts for you

 

[Ktank]

£700-800 GBP

 

[mrdowntownkiller]

of course you will not be purchasing from newegg so do you have a website in uk that you prefer , cuz i am not from UK , and go with my link below ( how to ask for new build )

 

[Ktank]

of course you will not be purchasing from newegg so do you have a website in uk that you prefer , cuz i am not from UK , and go with my link below ( how to ask for new build )

scan.co.uk
ebuyer.com
pcworld.co.uk
amazon.co.uk

It doesn't matter to me really as long as it's a good build, I will take time and find the best deals through trusted sites and sites like HotUkDeals to see best prices as long as it has a EU model available

Will edit OP with the build info

 

[Ktank]

Looking to build up my first medium/high end PC


Approximate Purchase Date: End of friday - ready to build on sat/sun

Budget Range: £700 - 800 excl shipping - $1200ish?

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (Medium quality) / Monitoring Servers via win application / photoshop

Are you buying a monitor: No


Parts to Upgrade: Completely new build

Do you need to buy OS: Yes - Windows 8 64bit seems best option & cheaper then w7?

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Any - I can look up each part and find best deals - major UK dealers for PC components (ebuyer.com & scan.co.uk)

Location: City, State/Region, Country: UK - England

Parts Preferences: by brand or type: Intel Proc pref

Overclocking: No past experience so preferbably not

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 LG IPS Monitor

Additional Comments: Quiet preferred
Already have a Seagate Momentus XT 750 GB (Hybrid SATA+SSD Drive) - 2.5"
So would maybe like an 1TB SATA III drive for backups
Will only use ~400GB

 

[mrdowntownkiller]

CPU : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-core-i5-35501155-ivy-bridge-quad-core-33ghz-5-gt-s-dmi-650mhz-gpu-6mb-smart-cache-33x-ratio-77

Motherboard : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-p8h77-v-le-intel-h77-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-pcie-30-(x16)-usb-30-d-sub-(vga)-dvi-d-hdmi-atx

Ram : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb-(2x4gb)-corsair-ddr3-vengeance-jet-black-pc3-12800-(1600)-non-ecc-cas-9-9-9-24-xmp-150v

Case : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/nzxt-phantom-410-white-performance-mid-tower-case-with-2x120mm-and-1x140mm-fans-usb-3-and-side-windo

GPU : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/3gb-gigabyte-radeon-hd-7970-overclocked-5500mhz-gddr5-1000mhz-dvi-i-hdmi-2x-mini-dp

PSU : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/620w-seasonic-bronze-s12ii-620-87-eff-80-plus-bronze-quiet-fan-atx-psu

SSD : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/128gb-samsung-830-series-ssd-notebook-kit-sata-iii-3-core-mcx-nand-flash-read-520mb-s-write-320mb-s-

optical : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/samsung-sh-224bb-rsms-24x-dvdr-8x-dvddl-dvdplusrw-x8-rw-x6-x12-ram-sata-retail

total = £789

 

[Ktank]

CPU : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-core-i5-35501155-ivy-bridge-quad-core-33ghz-5-gt-s-dmi-650mhz-gpu-6mb-smart-cache-33x-ratio-77

Motherboard : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-p8h77-v-le-intel-h77-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-pcie-30-(x16)-usb-30-d-sub-(vga)-dvi-d-hdmi-atx

Ram : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb-(2x4gb)-corsair-ddr3-vengeance-jet-black-pc3-12800-(1600)-non-ecc-cas-9-9-9-24-xmp-150v

Case : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/nzxt-phantom-410-white-performance-mid-tower-case-with-2x120mm-and-1x140mm-fans-usb-3-and-side-windo

GPU : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/3gb-gigabyte-radeon-hd-7970-overclocked-5500mhz-gddr5-1000mhz-dvi-i-hdmi-2x-mini-dp

PSU : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/620w-seasonic-bronze-s12ii-620-87-eff-80-plus-bronze-quiet-fan-atx-psu

SSD : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/128gb-samsung-830-series-ssd-notebook-kit-sata-iii-3-core-mcx-nand-flash-read-520mb-s-write-320mb-s-

optical : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/samsung-sh-224bb-rsms-24x-dvdr-8x-dvddl-dvdplusrw-x8-rw-x6-x12-ram-sata-retail

total = £789

Think the 128GB would be too small, think an RE4 drive be better 1TB?

Does the case have 1 x 2.5" or more? Can't seem to find info on that in case in future I want 2 x RAID1 or so

 

[mrdowntownkiller]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/mana-136-midgard-ii-phantom-410,3203-5.html

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Internal-Desktop/dp/B0036Q7MV0

 

[Ktank]

Thanks a lot! Here is the setup I went for, got carried away and spent a bit more.

CPU:
Intel i5 3550

Motherboard:
ASRock Z77 Extreme6

RAM:
Corsair(R) Vengeance LP Jet Black 2x4GB DDR3

Case:
NZXT Phantom 410 White

GPU:
Gigabyte Overclocked Radeon HD 7970 AMD Graphics Card - 3GB

PSU:
Corsair TX650M

Hard Drive:
1 x Samsung 840 256GB
2 x 500GB WD Caviar Black

Windows 8 64Bit - OEM

I'm thinking of setting up RAID1 or RAID0 for the WD, what do you think is best? (Software RAID)

What'd you think of the setup?

Thanks!

 

[mrdowntownkiller]

having a z77 chipset board without overclocking is useless !! unless you jump to a 3570k and overclock it. about the raid0 and raid1 am honest i really dont have the experience in these things am just hardware guy but overall the build is perfect

 

[Ktank]

having a z77 chipset board without overclocking is useless !! unless you jump to a 3570k and overclock it. about the raid0 and raid1 am honest i really dont have the experience in these things am just hardware guy but overall the build is perfect

As long as it's fairly quick it's fine for now, hopefully this is future proof? Ie. can upgrade to i5 / 7 and over clock it if I need the extra performance

Is this all I need or have I missed anything out? I have speakers and so on not sure

Any ideas on making it look better? Water cooling / led fans and so on? Case:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/nzxt-phantom-410-white-performance-mid-tower-case-with-2x120mm-and-1x140mm-fans-usb-3-and-side-windo

 

[Ktank]

What cables would I need for Front Internal 2x USB 3.0 headers, 2x USB 2.0, audio and microphone input to work?

scan.co.uk

 

[mrdowntownkiller]

all the cables you need included with the case , screws , zip tights , front usb and audio cables.
- this case with blue led fans will be freaking sexy.
- wahh water cooling !! the stock fan that will come with the 3550 will do just fine , if you change your mind and go with any intel k series and overclock option then you should look for aftermarket cooler and anyway water cooling is not the best option nh-14 is best cooler in the market now.

 

[Ktank]

all the cables you need included with the case , screws , zip tights , front usb and audio cables.
- this case with blue led fans will be freaking sexy.
- wahh water cooling !! the stock fan that will come with the 3550 will do just fine , if you change your mind and go with any intel k series and overclock option then you should look for aftermarket cooler and anyway water cooling is not the best option nh-14 is best cooler in the market now.

Awesome! Thanks a lot!

I already have my motherboard, psu, ram & optical drive delivered. Getting case, gpu, ssd & 2xSATA HDDs tomorrow

So will probably build it tomorrow and mess around with installing Ubuntu and wait for my Windows 8 to arrive on fri/sat

I have no idea but for quick reviews why I went with the Corsair TX650M for PSU, what is the difference between modular / non modular? Modular supports SLI or is there more to it?

 

[mrdowntownkiller]

there is no difference between modular and non modular psu except that the non modular psu have all the cables attached to it which will make the case a lil bit messy and hard to make the cable management , while the modular psu is better because you just connect the cables that you will use which will make a clean look inside your case.

 

[Ktank]

there is no difference between modular and non modular psu except that the non modular psu have all the cables attached to it which will make the case a lil bit messy and hard to make the cable management , while the modular psu is better because you just connect the cables that you will use which will make a clean look inside your case.

Ah ok great!

Just remembered I need a keyboard & mouse lol! (As i'm a laptop guy and have owned only laptops & MacBooks)

Guess I will have to see it running on Friday, surprisingly there's many videos on how to setup the case so will follow that and should go fine hopefully.

 

[mrdowntownkiller]

for a mice buy : razer deathadder or gigabyte gigabyte m8000x.
keyboard : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126260
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823201048
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823334002
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823794002

don't you ever spend a lot of money on keyboards i bought a lot of expensive gaming keyboards and they are useless , but i recommend not to go cheapo on mices. search for one of the keyboards up in the UK and they will do just fine

 

[Ktank]

for a mice buy : razer deathadder or gigabyte gigabyte m8000x.
keyboard : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126260
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823201048
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823334002
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823794002

don't you ever spend a lot of money on keyboards i bought a lot of expensive gaming keyboards and they are useless , but i recommend not to go cheapo on mices. search for one of the keyboards up in the UK and they will do just fine

Wanted an wireless keyboard / mouse, any idea on good wireless mouse?

 

[mrdowntownkiller]

- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826501012
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826146006
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104639
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826146023