£2,000 Gaming PC First Build

[Milkym0o]

Hey guys,

Been meaning to get some more opinions or advice on an SB build.

It will be my first PC build, ive been eager to build one as i will be going to college/uni to study Digital Media (video editing, graphic design etc).

I am a very keen gamer and would want to be able to play future releases, id run games at max

Cost isnt too much of an issue, but would preferably keep the cost within £1,500-£2,000 ex VAT

Main uses:

Gaming
After Effects/Photoshop, C4D
Day to day stuff

The prices were taken from OCuk and ebuyer at 10/2/11, choosing the cheapest of the two retailers for the listed components (all prices are inc. VAT)

CASE: Coolermaster HAF X
[£129.99]

MOBO: Asus P8P67 PRO Intel P67
[£144.98]

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K 3.40GHz
[£269.99]

CPU COOLER: Corsair Hydro H70
[£73.55]

RAM: G.Skill RipJawsX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz
[£83.99]

GPU X2: EVGA GeForce GTX 570 1280MB GDDR5
[£575.98]

PSU: Corsair AX850
[£147.58]

SSD: Intel X25-M 80GB SSD - SATA-II 2.5"
[£137.06]

HDD X2: Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB
[£79.97]

OPTICAL DRIVE: Samsung SH-B123L/RSBP Blu-ray
[£41.99]

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
[£74.20]

MONITOR: Benq XL2410T 24" 1920x1080 TRUE 120Hz
[£264.92]

overclockers.co.uk
ebuyer.com

=============
TOTAL: £2,024.20

ex. VAT: £1,686.83
=============

So yeah any advice on anything you would do differently or can recommend?

Thanks,

Milkym0o

 

[sadams04]

You have a good build laid out there. Stick with 8GB of memory for now and monitor your memory usage while rendering to see if you are bumping against the 8GB limit.

Sandy Bridge.... um... might want to stay away until motherboards with the "fixed" SATA controllers ship. Anything you buy now is suspect and will degrade over time. More info @ http://www.tomshardware.com/news/sandy-bridge-sata-error-sata-3,12112.html

 

[Milkym0o]

Thanks sadams04 for the quick reply! I'm well aware of the SB + mobo issue currently, read somewhere they will have it fixed and re-shipped in April.

I was leaning towards 8gb for now just because I can add another 8gb if I feel it's not quick enough.

One concern is the Corair Ax850, despite it being a quality PSU, I heard it's short cables are a bit tricky in a haf x, but I also heard but can't confirm that the haf x comes with extenders?

 

[sadams04]

For the memory, 6GB kit or 12GB kit (tripple channel). Would advise against 8GB in dual channel mode. They need to be installed in matching sets of three...

Not sure about the externders from Corsair...

The EVGA 570 should have plenty of headroom to overclock, but you will need to use their utility all the time.

 

[Milkym0o]

SB mobos are compatible only with dual channel kits. Can't use tri channel.

Options are 2x2gb, 2x4gb, recommended volts are 1.5 as far asi know... Dunno if you can use a higher voltage RAM

 

[Silvune]

Yes indeed P67 and H67 (sandy bridge motherboards) don't utilise triple channel memory.

I don't think the cables on the AX850 will have problems reaching where they need to reach in the HAF X. For instance the CPU connector cables according to jonnyguru are 600mm long, the HAF X is 'only' 550mm tall, and it's not like the cables are starting from right at the very bottom of the case and need to go all the way to the very top, so I think they will be long enough. You can always buy the extenders later if you need to.

 

[Milkym0o]

For the RAM, and considering ill be doing lots of rendering and encoding etc, what should I look for? Faster timings>Power or the Power>Timings. Which will show better results? And I know SB recommends 1.5v ram kits but is it able to run more?

And any difference in the overclocking headroom of the evga gtx 570 or the SC version? Is it the same just SC is pre overclocked for you?

Should i be jumping into SLI straight away with the gtx 570s or single gtx 580?


Thanks for the replies

 

[Milkym0o]

Bump.

 

[Milkym0o]

Bump

 

[4ktv]

Single cards are better if you can pay more for it and you could buy one more and sli it if you want to later. I think you may want a faster SDD too. Like this one OCZ 120GB PCI Express MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD).

 

[Milkym0o]

Single cards are better if you can pay more for it and you could buy one more and sli it if you want to later. I think you may want a faster SDD too. Like this one OCZ 120GB PCI Express MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD).

Ye I probably gonna wait and see what the ocz vertex 3 is like whenever that is being release (Q3-Q4 2011 supposedly)

Still can't decide on GPU;

GTX 570 is cheaper for similiar performance to the 580 but Im worried the 1.2gb memory wont be enough in a year or so as game developers introduce more tessellation... I know at my preferred res of 1920x1080 it wont be so heavy but having that extra memory would be comforting... May try out 3D gaming at some point.

If I get the 580 I'd get the ax1200, I have SLI in mind.

May wait for reviews/benchmarks of the 590... But unsure about dual GPU and the issues that come with it

Anyone know if better timings or MHz on RAM effect render times? Bit in the dark on that one...

 

[vibhas]

Ye I probably gonna wait and see what the ocz vertex 3 is like whenever that is being release (Q3-Q4 2011 supposedly)

Still can't decide on GPU;

GTX 570 is cheaper for similiar performance to the 580 but Im worried the 1.2gb memory wont be enough in a year or so as game developers introduce more tessellation... I know at my preferred res of 1920x1080 it wont be so heavy but having that extra memory would be comforting... May try out 3D gaming at some point.

If I get the 580 I'd get the ax1200, I have SLI in mind.

May wait for reviews/benchmarks of the 590... But unsure about dual GPU and the issues that come with it

Anyone know if better timings or MHz on RAM effect render times? Bit in the dark on that one...

Forgive me if im wrong, but im rather sure than in a 2x single card set up, the video memory is combined, giving you effectively 2.4gb.

Thats why the 5970 had problems - a 'single' 5970 had 2x1 gbs that didn't combine, CF helped at gave you 2GB / 2 GB.

 

[Milkym0o]

If you SLI two cards, the memory usage is split over the cards but the memory isn't doubled... Gtx 570 in SLI doesn't give you 2.4gb, it's only 1.2 but the usage is split across the two cards. As far as I know

 

[focus_pRo]

Unless you pick up an after-market CPU cooler/heatsink for your i7-2600k and overclock it up to 4.4+ (that's with powerboost going), you're going to bottleneck 2x 570s, esp. with a 1920x1080 resolution.

 

[Milkym0o]

I am getting the corsair h70 to deal with my CPU... Aiming for 4.5ghz stable 24/7

The 580 is the one that has bottlenecked in a few benchmarks, but at 4.5ghz it should be good for SLI

 

[Somebody_007]

About the shared video memory and all. SLI works with an alternating frame system(or split screen) so technically each card is just making half the images. In theory the difference between 1 card and 2 cards is just that you get twice as many frames in sli even though in practice this isn't always the case.

For the rest I think you're good to go. Exept why the haf x? Ohh please god tell me why the haf x??

 

[binoyski]

Since you're buying from UK e-tailers, I think the HAF 912 Plus is a better case. You can put more high end fans liks Scythe or Delta 120mm or 140mm to better cool your components. HAF X is overrated. The 912 plus can fit longer video cards, smaller, if you LAN PARTY.

CPU COOLER: If you can wait, wait for the Antec Kuhler 620. It's a better performer than the Corsair H70, read the review on http://benchmarkreviews.com.

MEMORY: If you a have a business, & time is important to you, go with Kingston HyperX 2133 MHz, go w/ 16GB, from 8GB then upgrade. If not, you're better with a 1600MHz memory.

GPU: Go w/ a dual gtx 580s. Dual gpu single cards just gonna complicate your life. For example, if there's a new game about to be release, you have to wait for a SLI/CF profile driver before you can play, unlike a single gpu single card, just disable SLI/CF or just use one GPU you're good to go.

PSU: Go w/ the Corsair 1200 if you're gonna buy 2x gtx580 and an OC'd 2600k, even though if you're gonna add more components in the system. Just not another gtx580, it would not handle it.

MONITOR: Asus VG236HE, it's also a 120HZ, & it's cheaper but not a lower performer then the BenQ you want. The money you save, you can buy another one in the future, plus another one for surround gaming. That is if you're buying 2x gtx580.

The other parts you listed are great! Hope this helps.

 

[Milkym0o]

Since you're buying from UK e-tailers, I think the HAF 912 Plus is a better case. You can put more high end fans liks Scythe or Delta 120mm or 140mm to better cool your components. HAF X is overrated. The 912 plus can fit longer video cards, smaller, if you LAN PARTY.

CPU COOLER: If you can wait, wait for the Antec Kuhler 620. It's a better performer than the Corsair H70, read the review on http://benchmarkreviews.com.

MEMORY: If you a have a business, & time is important to you, go with Kingston HyperX 2133 MHz, go w/ 16GB, from 8GB then upgrade. If not, you're better with a 1600MHz memory.

GPU: Go w/ a dual gtx 580s. Dual gpu single cards just gonna complicate your life. For example, if there's a new game about to be release, you have to wait for a SLI/CF profile driver before you can play, unlike a single gpu single card, just disable SLI/CF or just use one GPU you're good to go.

PSU: Go w/ the Corsair 1200 if you're gonna buy 2x gtx580 and an OC'd 2600k, even though if you're gonna add more components in the system. Just not another gtx580, it would not handle it.

MONITOR: Asus VG236HE, it's also a 120HZ, & it's cheaper but not a lower performer then the BenQ you want. The money you save, you can buy another one in the future, plus another one for surround gaming. That is if you're buying 2x gtx580.

The other parts you listed are great! Hope this helps.

Thanks, i doubt I'd go tri SLI... By the time I felt it was necessary I would expect there to be newer and more powerful GTX card available.

For memory, well I'm not sure which is the best for video editing/Photoshop and that goes with an i7 2600k well. The G. Skill RAM met the recommended requirements for an i7 2600k but don't know how well it performs in editing etc

Doubt I'd buy multi monitors any time soon... 1920x1080 for now, then 2560x1600 when they become cheaper and more are available on the market. My desk real estate isnt big enough for 3 monitors, my room only just fits a small ish king size bed and so I had to get a smaller desk to fit, like 175cm x 70cm lol

I picked the haf x for these reasons; its big, spacious, great cooling even with stock fans, good GPU cooling (SLI will get hot obviously), good cable management and a relatively simple case to build in, I haven't built one before, keep that in mind.

As for the brand of the GTX 580s, think I'll go Asus, voltage tweaking doesn't void warranty and I've seen overclocks of up to 950mhz without water blocks.

I need a RAM wiz or links to reviews/benchmarks as to which i7 2600k RAM is best for editing and rendering etc...

Thanks for the replies, reassuring my thoughts so far xD

 

[Somebody_007]

First of all I definately wouldn't go with a haf 912 lol it's very very good for the price, but regardless for a fairly extreme build like this you would want a good case. Not only is it a good investment(cases have no real technology so it can't get old lol). Also you seem to be someone who wants a decent pc. So do you really want a loud, dust collecting, huge(and I mean this in a bad way because with this size it's really ugly) and esthetically poorly designed case to represent the beast you're building? I mean sure it's a good case spec wise but the things I've said above are certainly true.

I would reccomend a more proffesional type case like the silverstone ft02(best air cooling case hands down leaving the haf x and any other case way way behind especially with EE gpu's, it's also very very quiet and retains the legendary silverstone build quality.) The cooler master cosmos or 840 atcs are also good so is the corsair 700d/800d or 600t andy lian li you like the looks of is also an great choice, but I think you've understood I would reccomend the silverstone ft02 lol.

I'm not a fan of 580s nor tri sli seeing as both are beyond bang for buck and aren't nice to wallets.

As far as ram is concerned. Corsair vengeance is optimised for sandy bridge and corsair is just a great brand.

I wouldn't get and an all in one H20 cpu cooler though air coolers like the CM v6 gt ussually outperform them at a lower cost and lower risk.

 

[4ktv]

If you want a GTX 580 then get the 3gb(Palit Geforce GTX 580 3072 MB 384-bit GDDR5) when it's back in stock. I have read the 1.5gbvram ones are bottlenecked by the vram. I think you may be able to get 4.7-5GZ out of the i72600k.

I like ATI cards most of the time, but thats just because I don't like to pay 300-500 for a GPU. Back in 09 I got the 4870 ati for 150 and that was the most I paid for a GPU. If you don't feel like paying 500 for a gtx580 then the gtx570 or a 6970 would both likely be good.

For the ram 8Gb of drr3 1600mz is good. I have 6GB of drr3 1600mz and It takes alot to fill it more then 50%.

For the OS will only do 16Gb of ram so if you are thinking about puting more ram then that then you may want windows 7 pro.

 

[Somebody_007]

again sandy bridge is dual channel so 4/8/16gb...

 

[Milkym0o]

Thanks for your replies.

I know SB is dual channel, all I need to know

 

[bordas10]

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[Milkym0o]

Bah couldn't finish my comment, my aunts dog jumped on me, it had been in the sea >.< and by accident I sent the first bit of my reply then had to go to work! Ugh... Wet dog

 

[Milkym0o]

Here is a case review of the haf x, the GPU temps and CPU temps were very good

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cases/2010/07/26/cooler-master-haf-x-review/2

And just another review

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/cooler_master_haf_x/6.htm

I don't like the silverstone cases, I want one with great features and a sort of personality rather than bland square black boxes...

Was looking a the antec 1200 V3, NZXT Phantom, Corsair 600t and the haf x.

NZXT was a nice case but it sucks for aftermarket CPU coolers as the side fan limits your options.

Corsair 600t's cooling isnt so great, it's a good case but not my cup of tea

Antec 1200 V3 I was heavily considering, has USB 3.0 and has great cooling an would certainly fit to the color scheme of my room, desk and razer deathadder respawn mouse and razor lycosa kbd.

At the time of making the list the 1200 V3 isn't on sale in the Uk as far as I know. So picked the haf x based on reviews and I thought I could add some mega flow blue led fans to replace the front and top ones.

But if the antec 1200 V3 does become in stock then I'll have a tough choice choosing... Vs haf x!

I prefer the looks of the antec 1200 v3 but for size and cable management and sheer amount of features the haf x I see as the winner, antec is still a great case and by no means am I counting it out.