£450-£550 PC build HELP!

[AaronH]

Hey there!
Im new to pc building and require a little advice for my first build.

Approximate Purchase Date: this week

Budget Range: (450-550) After Rebates; /After Shipping (Excludes monitors and windows 7)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Gaming Design (Tools like UDK or Blender), Internet Browsing

Are you buying a monitor: Yes hopefully an eyefinity setup if possible.

Alright now that the details are done i will show you the parts i have selected.
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Case: Zalman Z11 plus
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zalman-Z11-Performance-Desktop-Computer/dp/B007BZS0GI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1343904736&sr=8-2

CPU: AMD FX-8150 Eight Core Processor
http://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-FX-8150-Eight-Core-Processor/dp/B005UBNLFK/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1343904810&sr=1-2

Mobo: AsRock 970 Extreme3
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASRock-970-EXTREME3-Extreme3-Motherboard/dp/B005POPRG8/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1343904869&sr=1-1

PSU: OCZ 700W ModXStream
http://www.amazon.co.uk/OCZ-OCZ700MXSP-UK-ModXStream-Power-Supply/dp/B001R28LRY/ref=sr_1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1343904927&sr=1-4

RAM: G-Skill 8GB Ripjaws X DDR3 1333
http://www.amazon.co.uk/G-Skill-Ripjaws-DDR3-1333-Dual/dp/B002X578GE/ref=sr_1_6?

Graphics Card: XFX RADEON HD 6870 925M 1GB
http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-RADEON-6870-925M-MINI-DP/dp/B005UH9GK8/ref=sr_1_7?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1343905082&sr=1-7

SSD: OCZ 128G Octane S2 128GB
http://www.amazon.co.uk/OCZ-OCT1-25SAT2-128G-Octane-128GB-Internal/dp/B006C1IGYS/ref=sr_1_10?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1343905153&sr=1-10

(May also buy an external hard drive for my family at some point and a better cpu cooler than stock.)
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Okay i think that just about covers the specs of the PC i want to make.

Now i have a few questions and would appriciate it if i could get an answer
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1.) Are all the parts fully compatible?

2.) Are then any better value alternatives to the parts i have chosen?

3.) Would a 6870 1gb be suitable for 3 way eyefinity or should i need a better card?

4.) Can anyone recommend a good source of guides to building a pc?

5.) Finally, do i need to purchase an anti-static band when building and do you know and tricks when assembling?
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Thank you so much guys, if i can get some solid answers to these questions and some decent recmentations it would be great! I don't think that ive forgot anything but if i have give me a heads up and i will post it below!
Thanks Again!

Aaron

 

[AaronH]

Just forgot to add this to the parts list...

DVD Drive: Sony Internal SATA DVD Multi Writer
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-AD-7280S-0B-Internal-Multi-Writer/dp/B0057FRTPW/ref=pd_rhf_dp_shvl2

Thats all! Sorry about that!

 

[Nw333]

No to AMD, no offense, if you like it. It may have more cores but an i5 2500K will perform so much better and Intel has an aweeeesoooome upgrade path. (i3 - i5 - i7)
Get a 700W PSU if your planning to Xfire later on, otherwise 500-600W is fine.
Toms Hardware contains some awesome guides for assembling your pc. ( cant link, using an iPad lol.)
You dont really need an anti-static wristband. You can just touch the exposed metal of your case occasioanlly to discharge any static electricity. (Watch neweggs PC assembling guide on youtube, btw. Really nice guide too.)

 

[AaronH]

Thanks for the quick reply, any idea on my other questions?

Thanks Again!

 

[dathtom]

I would say to use a static wristband, especially in the UK as it is not very humid here so static is much more common. How much is youre hardware worth to you? They are around for a reason.

And, in my opinion you will NOT be able to run a eyefinity setup with a 6870. A 1 Gb card dosn't have a large enough framebuffer (memory) and just isnt good enough. I would reccomend spending a little bit more and getting a 7850 or 7870 if you have the budget. (The latter would be better.)

AMD bulldozer is a pile of crap, DEFINATLY get a intel cpu (2500k or 3750k is a great choice, just make sure you get a mobo that can actually OC - P67, Z68, Z77) With a good enough cooler it should be a breeze to get 4.5 - 4.8Ghz.

Please feel free to ask any questions.

dathtom

 

[metal orient]

1. yes these parts are compatible

2. yes and i will give you my suggestion at the end

3. If you're gaming not a chance, otherwise yes.

4. search on youtube and we have a sticky at the top of this forum

5. No, if it makes you feel better by all means but i didn't need one and i'm in the UK

A few comments on this build before we get going I have left the 8150 in the build as despite it's terrible reputation it is actually a decent gaming cpu and if you take your game design seriously the 8 cores will wipe the floor with sandy on blender which i assume is heavily threaded. I have put in 16GB of RAM for game design as well. I have also upgraded the SSD.

All of this is from DABs.com:

Zalman Z11 Plus High Performance Mid Tower Case £46.99
XFX 550 Watt Core Edition Full Wired 80+ Bronze PSU £49.99
ASRock 970 EXTREME4 AM3+ AMD 970 DDR3 ATX £69.99
XFX ATI Radeon 6870 900MHz 1GB PCI-Express HDMI £119.98
AMD FX-8150 AM3+ 3.6GHz 16MB 125W £159.99
Corsair 16GB (4 x 4GB) Vengeance DDR3 1600MHz DIMM 240-pin CL9 LP £77.98
Sandisk 120GB Extreme SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Solid State Drive £78.99

Total price with P&P: £603.91 (if you order it tonight you get £40 off and with the £20 off you get for buying the 8150 the final price is £543.91 a little under budget)

 

[AaronH]

Thanks a bunch for your help guys its really appreciated!
You have given me loads to think about
Will definitely upgrade the graphics card for eyefinity!

Once again a big thanks for your speedy replies its a massive help!

 

[fpoon]

The SSD is crap, I'd go with Crucial M4/Vertex 4/Samsung 830 if I were you.

 

[AaronH]

Hey guys im back again, and just about ready to order components for assembly!

I have some good news for the build i have increased my budget to £600 still excluding monitors and windows 7!

After taking your ideas into consideration i have an updated parts list and a few more questions!
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Graphics Card: XFX 6950 2GB Dual fan edition XXX
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-xfx-hd-6950-dd-cooled-pcie-21-(x16)-5200mhz-gddr5-gpu-830mhz-1408-cores-eyefinity-hdmi-2x-mini-d

Ram: Corsair Vengeance 8gb (High profile or low profile?)

PSU: Two choices here which ones for me?

550W OCZ Fatality
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/550w-ocz-ocz550fty-uk-fatal1ty-series-psu-82-eff-80plus-135mm-fan

600W OCZ ModXstream
http://www.amazon.co.uk/OCZ-OCZ600MXSP-UK-ModXStream-Power-Supply/dp/B001GLFD54/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344890414&sr=8-1

SSD: A couple more choices here!

OCZ Agility 3 120gb
http://www.amazon.co.uk/OCZ-AGT3-25SAT3-120G-Agility-120GB-SATA/dp/B004Z0S6SO/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1344890652&sr=1-1

Sandisk Extreme 120gb
http://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-SDSSDX-120G-G25-120GB-Extreme-Internal/dp/B006EKJCWM/ref=sr_1_7?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1344890652&sr=1-7

Kingston Technology 120gb
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Technology-120GB-SSDNow-SATA3/dp/B006YLTY2O/ref=sr_1_20?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1344890652&sr=1-20
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I think that just about covers it anything else ive missed i will post below the rest (eg chassis) is same as before!

Now a few questions

1.) Once again are the parts compatible?

2.) Are there any more cost efficient components or cheaper parts to purchase?

3.) Are any of the monitors on this page around £100 suitable for 3-way eyefinity (i really like the acer's at the beginning!)
http://www.scan.co.uk/shop/computer-hardware/all/monitors-tvs/monitors-23inch/lcd-24
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I apologize for the last question there but i Dont have much knowledge of eyefinity so any help is appreciated!
Once again thanks for the help you guys have been a big help to me and i hope to see some more answers!

-Thanks again!

 

[AaronH]

Bumb

 

[AaronH]

bumb bumb bumb

 

[metal orient]

 

[AaronH]

 

[metal orient]

Ok so,

1. Yes the parts are all compatible

2. Hard to say, I like your choices as they seem sensible.

GPU: 6950 is still the best mid range card IMO and will stay that way until tomorrow when the GTX 660Ti and GTX 650 come out.
Then we shall see, so i would hold off a little.

RAM: Always low profile, unless you really like the look of the big, unnecessary heatsinks.

PSU: I wouldn't take either tbh, go for an XFX 550W or an OCZ ZS 550w

SSD: Sandisk is the best there, but a Samsung 830 goes for the same price so i'd get that. Stay away from Agility 3's they have high return rates. The V+200 was pretty good value at £50 for 120GB but at £60 i'd go for higher performing drives.

Could you pull together the final list as it is best to look at the whole system rather than bits.

3. You can do eyefinity on any monitor, although it is recommended they are all the same for obvious reasons. The main thing comes down to what connections they have as you may need adaptors for your GPU. You may also want to look at getting thin bezel monitors as this will mean the breaks between screens is less noticeable.

 

[billgates8889]

Gaming on three monitors on a 6950 wouldn't be really playable. You should buy a 7850 and overclock it. Not only is it sub $250, but once overclocked, it matches a 580. Plus you can crossfire the cards once the price drops.

 

[AaronH]

Hey here is the final (ish) list of parts straight from amazon!

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One last big thanks to you guys, anymore recommendations i would be glad to hear!

Thanks again!!

-Aaron

 

[AaronH]

Just changed the sandisk to another seller, same price quick delivery!3

 

[metal orient]

The processor is used.....

 

[AaronH]

Is that a problem?

It is like new from a very high rated seller and so i assumed it wont be a problem, its an 8150 for the same price as an 8120.

Seems like a deal to me...