Need tips on sub £900 system

[Roverno]

Approximate Purchase Date: Week beginning 10th September

Budget Range: MAX £900

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Movies, 2nd year university engineering modelling.

Parts Not Required: none

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: scan (although a little overpriced), Amazon. Not too bothered, price is more important.

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Parts Preferences: Intel- due to current performance, cpu already decided.

Overclocking: Yes, i5 to approx 4.5GHZ i hope.

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Monitor Resolution: Regular HD 1080 Screen preferable, due to price benefit.


The following list HAS been purchased

Coolermaster CM 690II Lite Dominator Case


The following list has not been purchased, just current ideas

i5 2500k- no explanation needed.

A Z68 Motherbord i think?
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-p8z68-v-pro-intel-z68-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-raid-sata-pcie-20-(x16)-vga-on-board-atx
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-p8z68-v-intel-z68-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-raid-sata-pcie-20-(x16)-vga-on-board-atx
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-maximus-iv-gene-z-intel-z68-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-raid-sata-pcie-20-(x16)-vga-on-board-mic

Msi GTX 560 ti Twin frozr II GPU
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-msi-gtx-560-ti-hawk-40nm-4200mhz-gddr5-gpu-950mhz-shader-1900mhz-384-cores-2x-dual-link-dvi-i-mi

OCZ z-series 850w psu OR Corsair 850w psu
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-039-OC&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1098
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/850w-psu-corsair-hx-cmpsu-850hxuk-modular-90-eff-80-plus-silver-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-fan-atx-v291

Gskill RipjawsX 1300mhz ram that would run at 1600mhz.

either 1 or 2 2TB HDD for £50 each.

Unsure About getting an SSD? Best to wait as buy as an upgrade later?

Windows 7 Home Premium OS

Any ideas on CPU Cooler? Im thinking air to keep in the budget. or i can get a Coolit ALC Vantage for £60


Appart from the case and cpu, all parts are up for question.

 

[Silvune]

Thermalright Archon £44
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/thermalright-archon-120-140mm-intel-775-1155-1156-1366-and-am2-3-cpu-heatsink-with-one-ty14-pwm-fan

If I was you I'd use Asus' compare function and try and see if one board offers the features that you want with the best value.
http://uk.asus.com/Compare/

 

[Why_Me]

A 750w psu will easily push dual 560's. This one down below is manufactured by Seasonic as is the Corsair psu.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/750w-psu-xfx-black-edition-p1-750b-nlg9-modular-88-eff-80-plus-silver-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fa £89.70 Inc VAT
XFX P1-750B-NLG9 Black Edition 750W Modular Power Supply (PSU)

I wouldn't go with the Maximus seeing how it's a mATX board and has horrible slot spacing if you plan on going with a dual card set up later on.

 

[Roverno]

Thermalright Archon £44
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/thermalright-archon-120-140mm-intel-775-1155-1156-1366-and-am2-3-cpu-heatsink-with-one-ty14-pwm-fan

If I was you I'd use Asus' compare function and try and see if one board offers the features that you want with the best value.
http://uk.asus.com/Compare/

That Air cooler looks a little on the expensive side, but im guessing you have had a god experience with it? If it worth the money then i see no reason not to get it.

I tried the Asus compare but i seems that its no longer functional. The page didnt respond.

A 750w psu will easily push dual 560's. This one down below is manufactured by Seasonic as is the Corsair psu.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/750w-psu-xfx-black-edition-p1-750b-nlg9-modular-88-eff-80-plus-silver-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fa £89.70 Inc VAT
XFX P1-750B-NLG9 Black Edition 750W Modular Power Supply (PSU)

I wouldn't go with the Maximus seeing how it's a mATX board and has horrible slot spacing if you plan on going with a dual card set up later on.

Thanks for the tip with PSU wattage, im never quite sure what im gonna need.

The problem with the Maximus board is that when you have 2 cards they sit directly on top of eachother? i can see that would be an issue.

Can anybody recommend any other z68 mothboards that dont go over about £150? i tend to overlook companies like ASrock by accident and just wondered if im missing something good.

 

[AdrianPerry]

My personal choice of ASUS P8Z68-v PRO motherboard is about £145 and ive been very happy with its performance. Using the auto-overclock feature on the motherboard clocked me right up to 4.5GHz on my i5-2500k using Arctic Freezer 13, CPU cooler.

ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 - Nice future proof motherboard that will support PCI 3.0 for ~ £145

Gigabyte Motherboard GA-Z68XP-UD3P - Again another solid z68 board with SLI support for a good price ~ £130

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/components/motherboards/intel1155z68chipsetmotherboards/asrock/z68extreme3gen3.html £114.98 inc vat
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) Motherboard

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=Z68%20Extreme3%20Gen3 <----- a better look at that asrock board


http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/components/motherboards/intel1155z68chipsetmotherboards/gigabyte/ga-z68xp-ud3p.html £129.98 inc vat
Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3P Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) Motherboard

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3912#ov <----- a better look at that gigabyte board


http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/components/motherboards/intel1155z68chipsetmotherboards/asus/90-mibgc0-g0aay00z.html £132.98 inc vat
Asus P8Z68-V Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) Motherboard

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z68V/ <----- a better look at that asus board

 

[Silvune]

That Air cooler looks a little on the expensive side, but im guessing you have had a god experience with it? If it worth the money then i see no reason not to get it.

I recommended the Archon because it can compete with the Silver Arrow and Noctua NH-D14 which are widely regarded as the best performing air coolers available, yet it is 'significantly' less expensive than those. Plus the CM 690 II is wide enough to accommodate it.

But there are cheaper heatsinks which would allow you to get to 4.5GHz.

 

[AdrianPerry]

Almost any 120mm CPU cooler fan should allow 4.5GHz to be fair.

Im using a 92mm Arctic Freezer 13 (non-pro version) and have a 4.5GHz OC with highest temps of mid 60's under 100% load.

 

[Roverno]

Look like i will go with that archon cooler then, but it doesn't support dual push/pull fans?

Also, i must say, is it only me that thinks the ASUS board look really cheap in blue? gigabyte and asrock boards look so much nicer?

 

[Silvune]

Yes the Archon will support a second fan for push/pull. In fact it comes with enough clips to install a second fan.

 

[Why_Me]

Look like i will go with that archon cooler then, but it doesn't support dual push/pull fans?

Also, i must say, is it only me that thinks the ASUS board look really cheap in blue? gigabyte and asrock boards look so much nicer?

Asrock boards had a similar colour scheme to the Asus boards when those companies were affiliated. Asrock saw how a lot of peeps were buying those Gigabyte boards for that black colour scheme and they just switched up to the black a few weeks back with those new Gen3 boards. If Asus was smart, they would switch to that black also. It's nice looking.

 

[Roverno]

Ok, looks like i will end up on an ASrock or Gigabyte.

Think i could get myself an agiltiy 3 or some SSD in this rig still under £900?

 

[Why_Me]

Ok, looks like i will end up on an ASrock or Gigabyte.

Think i could get myself an agiltiy 3 or some SSD in this rig still under £900?

Screw them OCZ SSD's. They have more bugs than a safari in Africa. Any brand and/or make other than OCZ.

 

[Roverno]

haha ok, maybe a crucial m4 then? think it will fit in a £900 budget?

 

[Why_Me]

haha ok, maybe a crucial m4 then? think it will fit in a £900 budget?

Crucial would be the #1 choice. But Patriot, Muskin, Adata...anything but those OCZ's.

 

[metal orient]

Crucial would be the #1 choice. But Patriot, Muskin, Adata...anything but those OCZ's.

What's so bad about them?

 

[Why_Me]

What's so bad about them?

Do a google. Of all the SSD's out there, OCZ has the highest failure rate.

 

[Roverno]

Ok, so this is the stage im at.

Cpu: i5 2500k
Case: CM c90 II
Mobo: ASrock Extreme3 Gen3
PSU: corsair hx750
RAM: Gskill RipjawsX 8gb
GPU: MSI GTX560ti OC twin frozr II
SSD: Crucial M4 64gb
HDD: 2 tb


My Remaining Questions are:

1) the archon cooler is out of stock at scan and will cost £50 inc P&P from OCuk, can i do better for that money?

2) should i use the ssd as boot drive and for couple of programs, or setup the z68 smart responce software with the 2TB HDD?

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/coolermaster-hyper-212-plus-4-heat-pipes-with-120mm-quiet-fan-lga775-1155-1156-1366-am2-am2plus-am3 £21.94 Inc VAT
Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler

 

[madchemist83]

for 50 quid u can do better
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118074

 

[AdrianPerry]

2) should i use the ssd as boot drive and for couple of programs, or setup the z68 smart responce software with the 2TB HDD?

From what I've seen around these forums the recommendation is to just use the SSD and a boot drive with a few apps.

This grants the best performance to the things you really want (loading windows and opening your fav applications) than letting the cache choose for you.

 

[Roverno]

Hi all thanks for all your help with this system, I ended up with the following gear and its all built and running.

2500k
ASrock extreme3 gen3
be quiet dark rock advanced cooler
GSkill RipjawsX
MSI gtx560 ti
corsair HX750
crucial m4 64gb
WD 2TB Caviar Green

The performance from the SSD is awesome, and i managed to find a guide for getting the user files etc onto the 2TB Storage.

I posted the following in the OC forum area, but wondered if any of you could help since it is a "new Build" too.

Trying to overclock on this motherboard seems to be a little different to what i have used before and i am having trouble gettin past 4.5GHz, i get error code 70 (something to do with DXE southbridge) when trying anything over 4.5. The temperatures are nothing above 62C on Prime after about an hour.

I think that i am not getting any proper control over the Vcore, so i cant boost voltage through cpu enough to get to higher clocks. Is this a limitation of the motherboard UEFI or am i missing something that i really should have seen?

Also, a different issue i have is that my HX750 psu makes a sound that goes on and off, not very loud and slightly buzzy, when under load during games. it doesnt seem to happen running prime or tesmark, so im a little unsure about whats going on here.