£700 system-advice please

[natseb]

Hi,

could you please comment on the parts I have already selected for my system? Will they be compatible together?


Approximate Purchase Date: the closer the better

Budget Range: around £700-800

System Usage from Most to Least Important: photo editing, gaming, watching movies , surfing the internet,

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: amazon.co.uk

Country: UK

Parts Preferences: no preference

Overclocking: Yes, in the future but not hardcore

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe, it's good if it's there but I am not going to use it now - maybe a second GPU in the future

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200

Additional Comments: I would like it to be as quiet as possible


Parts I have selected so far:

http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/2NJY (without PSU as they don't have BeQuiet there)

Intel i5 2500k

Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3 (with possible purchase of mSATA SSD 20GB in the future if they will be cheaper)

Asus 1GB GeForce GTX 560TI DirectCUII PCI-E Graphics Card

CPU Cooler - Thermalright Silver Arrow

SAMSUNG SpinPoint F3 Desktop Class HD103SJ 3.5" internal hard drive
or
Seagate ST31000524AS 3.5 inch Barracuda 1TB GB 7200rpm SATA Drive with 32MB Buffer

Kingston HyperX Genesis 1600MHz CL9 2x4GB ??

Case - Fractal Design Define R3 USB 3.0

PSU - BeQuiet Pure Power L8 630W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply - With 120mm Silent Wing Fan Built in


1. Do I need low profile heatsink RAM? Can you recommend something?
2. So which hard drive of the two (or should I get something different)?

Cheers

 

[Silvune]

1. Yes I think it would be a good idea to get low profile RAM. The set that is listed when I look at your list (KHX1600C9D3B1K2/8GX for £31.98) is low profile so you don't really need to change it. Apart from to buy RAM which is rated at 1.5V (Sandy Bridge's memory controller prefers it to be below 1.6V):
Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz CAS9 1.5V CMX8GX3M2B1600C9 £34.56
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb-(2x4gb)-corsair-ddr3-xms3-pc3-12800-(1600)-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-9-9-9-24-15v

2. Whichever is cheaper.

 

[natseb]

Thanks Silvune. Corsair XMS3 8GB is decent but the description on their website states:

8GB XMS Memory kit for dual channel systems, 1600MHz, 9-9-9-24, 1.65V

 

[Silvune]

I couldn't find it on Corsair's website, but if you want another set then the Corsair Vengeance LP sets are definitely 1.5V.

Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz CAS9 1.5V
http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/part/corsair-memory-cml8gx3m2a1600c9
http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/part/corsair-memory-cml8gx3m2a1600c9b
Only difference is colour.

Something I want to point out is that the cables on the Be Quiet Pure Power L8 630W are quite short. 45cm on the ATX12V cable means that you won't be able to route it behind the motherboard tray in the R3.
If you care about this then you can buy an extension cable such as this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Akasa-AK-CB8-8-EXT-extension-cable-30cm/dp/B000TV7M7E/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1323007382&sr=8-6
Or
http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/customer/Akasa-AK-CBPW08-40BK-Flexa-P8-400mm-8-Pin-ATX-PSU-Extension-Cable-pid-14701.html

 

[natseb]

That's what they have on their website in overview:
8GB XMS Memory kit for dual channel systems, 2000MHz, 9-10-9-27, 1.65V

if you go to specs you see this:
Tested Voltage
1.65
.
SPD Voltage
1.5

Is it SPD we're after here or tested?

I am ordering parts at this very moment

 

[natseb]

BTW
thanks for letting me know about the cables - I was about to ask what else do I need as the last time I was building a PC, usb 2.0 was this new cool thing...

Do I need to buy SATA cables for HDD separately as well?
How do I connect the front usb ports with the mobo - from what I know cables for that are not included in mobo or case

 

[Silvune]

That's what they have on their website in overview:
8GB XMS Memory kit for dual channel systems, 2000MHz, 9-10-9-27, 1.65V

if you go to specs you see this:
Tested Voltage
1.65
.
SPD Voltage
1.5

Is it SPD we're after here or tested?

I am ordering parts at this very moment

2000MHz and the timings (9-10-9-27) suggests to me that you are not looking at the same set that I linked.
I had a good look around on Corsair's website for the model number (CMX8GX3M2B1600C9) but couldn't find any that matched it.

The SPD numbers are what the BIOS will default to, I think 'tested' is what it has been tested to run it at.

BTW
thanks for letting me know about the cables - I was about to ask what else do I need as the last time I was building a PC, usb 2.0 was this new cool thing...

Do I need to buy SATA cables for HDD separately as well?
How do I connect the front usb ports with the mobo - from what I know cables for that are not included in mobo or case

The Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3 comes with four SATA cables.

Actually the front panel cables are pre-installed into the R3 (as they are for most cases released these days). You will have to consult your motherboard's manual to know exactly where on the motherboard they need to be plugged into.

 

[natseb]

Didn't sleep well last night - I meant:
8GB XMS Memory kit for dual channel systems, 1600MHz, 9-9-9-24, 1.65V
Tested Voltage
1.65
.
SPD Voltage
1.5
This is it, it runs at 1.5V

http://www.corsair.com/memory/intel-memory-upgrades/dual-channel-intel-memory-upgrade-kits/cmx8gx3m2a1600c9.html

 

[longpig]

Mate, get this:
http://www.ebuyer.com/264750-g-skill-8gb-2x4gb-ddr3-1600mhz-ripjawsx-memory-kit-cl9-9-9-9-24-1-5v-f3-12800cl9d-8gbxl

 

[natseb]

Also if I decide to go with two GTX 560Ti in SLI in the future do I need more power than 630W?

 

[Silvune]

Yes you will need higher wattage.
A 650W unit with more than 600W available on its 12V rail is capable of powering a build with two GTX 560Tis, but it is probably easier to find a 750W PSU with a favourable fan curve.

Some units which I have seen reviews which show a favourable fan curve include the
Antec Truepower New TPN-750 £80
http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/part/antec-power-supply-tp750blue
Lepa G700-MA 80Plus Gold £110
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-009-LA&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=
At maximum load the fan on this one will only spin at 900RPM

Seasonic M12D based units:
XFX 750/850W Black Edition (otherwise known as XFX Pro *50W XXX Edition)
http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/part/xfx-power-supply-p1750bnlg9
Silverpower Gorilla SP-SS750M / SP-SS850M
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/850w-silver-power-ss-850m-modular-80plus-silver-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v23
The fans on the Seasonic and Silverpower units are Sanyo Denkis (very high quality) and have been shown to spin below 1000RPM up to 600W load.