Building a new PC

[Charlie_B]

Hi all,

I'm starting to think about building a new computer and would be interested to know if anyone has any input on the components I'm considering. This is all pretty vague at the moment, I've not settled on anything, but here's where I'm going with so far:

Processor: Intel Core i5 2500K £160
GFX: GeForce GTX 560 Ti £160
Mobo: Asus P8Z68-V Gen 3 £140
RAM: 16GB (4x4gb) Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 MHz £70
SSD: 60gig OCZ Agility 3 £80
2nd HD: 500g Western Ditigal Caviar Blue £70
Monitor: Open to suggestions. I'm looking for something with these specs:

1080p, ~23", IPS, <£150, HDMI/DVI/VGA inputs (ideally), suitable response time for gaming (<6ms?), decent brightness and contrast ratios.

I haven't yet sussed out whether I can use my old PSU, what case to buy (easy to cool and quiet will be pluses, not too bothered about appearance) nor what heatsink/fans - they're all of secondary importance really.

Any comments, suggestions?

[Dark_Angel]

Hullo Charlie!

I'm nowhere near as up on PC building as I was a few years ago but know this place to be decent if you want to check out how to get the best components for your money:

http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc

You can also sign up, if you haven't already got a reddit account, and post your proposal for others to scrutinize. :)

[CFalcon]

In my opinion, AMD systems are better value for money at the moment.

But otherwise that build looks great.

[Charlie_B]

Hi both!

DA: Thanks for the suggestion. I'd never really looked at reddit before but there's a lot of valuable info on there.

CF: AMD may be better value for money, but surely that's only for low-mid range builds? AMD offer nothing to compare with Intel's second-gen i5/i7 chips as far as I can tell.

Update

Having looked around some more I'm drawn to these two monitors:
LG IPS235V (http://www.ebuyer.com/284103-lg-ips235v-ips-lcd-led-23-hdmi-monitor-ips235v-bn)
Iiyama Prolite XB2374HDS-B1 (http://www.scan.co.uk/products/23-iiyama-plxb2374hds-b1-led-monitor-1920x1080-5ms-250cd-m-10001-speakers-black)

And, while I've not really paid much attention to cases so far, this is currently at the top of my list:
Fractal Design Define R3 (http://www.cclonline.com/product/43171/FD-CA-DEF-R3-WH-/Cases/Fractal-Design-Define-R3-Computers-Case-Arctic-White/CAS1282/)

I'll be using my old Antec 500W ATX12V PSU. If I were buying a new one I'd probably go for a 650w but I can't justify doing so when there's a fairly new PSU just sitting in my old PC.

[Polo]

I don't think you need 16gb of ram. What are you planning on doing with it?

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Monitors/23%26quot%3B+Monitors/23%22+Dell+UltraSharp+U2312HM+Widescreen+IPS+LED+Monitor+?productId=46999 is the best 23" IPS you can get (and aria is the cheapest place to get one). I have one and it's brilliant. Tempted to get a second.

[Charlie_B]

Hey loop.

Reddit seems to be obsessed with Dell Ultrasharps as well. They're just a bit more than I was planning on spending tho, and they don't have HDMI input which seems weird.

The difference between the Dell and the LG is £45 - for that money I could upgrade the GFX to at 2GB 560 Ti or a 1.25GB 560 Ti 448. I'm not sure whether I'm better to invest in card or monitor tbh.

I think you're right about the RAM - I was swayed by how cheap RAM is without really thinking enough about whether it was going to be used. I suppose I can always go with 8GB and upgrade to 16GB if I ever need to in the future.

[Polo]

Hey Charlie. :)

What use is a better graphics card if your monitor sucks? :P

You'll be spending a good few hours a day (I assume) looking at your monitor, make sure it's good quality. Also, the fully adjustable stand on the Dell rocks.

Just incase you're interested, I bought the following last March:
https://www.aria.co.uk/WishList/Yk2bhz2NfN2F8G3OM6tIyQ,,
Although I have a MSI Twin Frozr instead of the Gigabyte gpu as the Gigabyte was faulty so sent it back.

650W Be Quiet! PSU
Hiper Osiris case
Both from my old pc.

[Steve_God]

Interesting timing! I'm about to put my new PC together tomorrow when the motherboard arrives! Here's the spec :)

- 3.4 GHz Quad Core processor (Intel i7 - 2600K)
- 16Gb DDR3 RAM (Corsair 4x4Gb)
- 1Gb graphic card (Sapphire ATI HD6870)
- Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3
- 120Gb Solid State Hard-drive (Corsair)
- Blue-ray player / DVD-RW (Samsung)
- Case and fans are silent/sound reducing 120mm ones (including a beast of a heat-sink - Zalman CNPS10X, and fans with golf-ball tech - Sharkoon Silent Eagle)
- Card reader/ Bluetooth v3 / Build in Wireless / other ports
- 21.5" LED Widescreen Monitor (Samsung)

Plus: a Network-Attached Storage box with a 2Tb HDD

It's also being built to work with OS X as a Hackintosh, so planning on a triple boot with Windows 7 / OS X Lion / uBuntu :)

For the box, I was going for quiet so went for this one which is designed to get a good flow from lower front to upper rear, and accomodate larger fans to less noise: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aerocool-VS4-Tower-Case-Black/dp/B004OXXQ82/ref=sr_1_40?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1325854618&sr=1-40
However, the one you've picked was one I was tempted to pay the extra to go for, but changed my mind as apart from the design, the only difference seemed to be the built in sound proofing - which for over £40 I wasn't willing to go for as it wasn't my style of case. If you prefer that while style of case, then it's definately a good one for noise as long as you go for 120mm fans.


I've got a spreadsheet on google docs with prices and links if you're interested, but I have a feeling you might not be given you're going for cost a bit more, whereas I was gearing mine up to run as a Hackintosh, which limited some of the componants quite a bit.

[Podunk]

I would defiantly get a new & more powerful PSU for that system. The capacitors in power supplies slowly degrade lowering the actual output wattage. To ensure you don't have any power problems for a long time, get a more powerful PSU now and it should last you a very long time. Not to mention it gives you room to expand later. Also aim for the highest efficiency possible, I save quite a bit on my power bills :).

[atsanjose]

I quite recently bought 2 dell ultrasharps,
must say good price for value.

also 8 gig is enough ram.

steve what does that storage box cost? link?

[Steve_God]

steve what does that storage box cost? link?
£66 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/D-Link-ShareCenter-Network-Storage-Enclosure/dp/tech-data/B004AIWOXY/ref=de_a_smtd
The 2Tb drive that's going in it was £103.

You could do it on the cheap using old/spare computer parts and running some server software, but it's small, already set-up, and will fit next to my router nicely :)

[Steve_God]

[quote]Processor: Intel Core i5 2500K £160 - Only thing I would suggest would be go for a i7 chip if the budget allowed for an extra £80ish (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Sandybridge-i7-2600-Quad-Core-Processor/dp/B004FA8NLO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3MMD6HO09IGAU&colid=2NN2GX9QLZB6Z), as while it only has the same number of phyical chips, it has hyper-threading which creates 8 threads instead of 4, acting as a psudo 8-core at the software level and is a bit better for multi-tasking, which is something I know I'm personally terrible for - although if you're not like me and don't have a million things open at once, the chip you've picked is damn good!
GFX: GeForce GTX 560 Ti £160 - I have no-idea what GFX cards are good and which aren't these days, will leave that to someone who knows what they're talking about here :P
Mobo: Asus P8Z68-V Gen 3 £140 - Ditto here
RAM: 16GB (4x4gb) Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 MHz £70 - I went for the same and also kept getting told that very little software can make use of that much RAM - that said, I got it for £69 too which I thought was really reasonable, and figured at least I'm future proofing it to an extent for when software can make use of it.
SSD: 60gig OCZ Agility 3 £80 - Decent spec, I almost went for it - if you change your mind on the size, you can get a 120gig Corsair Force Series 3 for £131 (http://www.scan.co.uk/products/120gb-corsair-force-sries-3-25-ssd-sata-iii-6gb-s-sandforce-read-550mb-s-write-510mb-s-85000-iops-pc?utm_source=google+shopping&utm_medium=google+shopping) delivered from Scan.
2nd HD: 500g Western Ditigal Caviar Blue £70 - for only £103, (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-EcoGreen-5400RPM-SATA-II-Internal/dp/B0042SGDVG/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1326373463&sr=8-6) you can get a Samsung 2Tb - Worth an extra £30 if you ask me.
Monitor: Open to suggestions. I'm looking for something with these specs: [/snip] - I went for a Sansung 21.5" LED screen, mainly because it wasn't all that much more than LCD screens at £110 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-S22A300H-21-5-Widescreen-Monitor/dp/B0060KBY7C/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1326457793&sr=1-1). That said, I wasn't looking at refresh rates or anything like that as using it for gaming wasn't is the consideration for the box, given I'm mainly on consoles for gaming these days :P
Also (now I'm awake, lol) I've put up a few comments in red above next to your options :)

In addition, if you're going for quiet, I'd definately recommend giving the Sharkoon Silent Eagle fans a go (case (http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?q=cpu+heatsink&hl=en&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&biw=1024&bih=509&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=11540971259123572202&sa=X&ei=i2gPT9GnEYjW8QOD5MTLAw&ved=0CHcQ8gIwAQ)/ cpu (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001U0MR1O/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE)) - they have dimbles on the fan blades like a goal ball, the outcome of which is similar to that of a goal ball in that there's less air resistance when cutting through the air, and therefore less energy and noise created for the same rpm. It also produces a turbulent wake rather than a linear airflow, which pushes a higher volume of air per rpm too, meaning it can run at a lower rpm still for the same air volume compared with others.

[Steve_God]

Just to update, built it last night, and the fans are AMAZING!
I had to check they were actually moving when I first booted they were that quiet.

Would SERIOUSLY recommend them if you're going for quiet :)

[Mattheus]

Out of interest Steve, why would you need a computer to triple boot as 3 different OS' ? o.0

[Steve_God]

Out of interest Steve, why would you need a computer to triple boot as 3 different OS' ? o.0

Not a case of need... more a case of want, and just cos I can :P


Windows - Because it's what I'm used to, I've got a load of programs I use that only run on Windows, and it'll do 99% of what I want do to with the pc.

OS X - Because I want to, and I'd like to be able to use some software that runs on Macs.

uBuntu - Because while at the moment I have to rely on the big boys to support my daily computing needs, I like to think that one day I might be able to make the move over to uBuntu (or another open source free Linux distro), so I'd like to be able to log on from time to time and have a tinker without having to boot up a seperate machine.

[Mattheus]

We all thought that about ubuntu once

[atsanjose]

all installed on the ssd stevegod?

[Steve_God]

all installed on the ssd stevegod?

Yup, all OS's will be installed on the SSD.

I've got windows up and running all fine, just having a few issues getting OS X to install, but nothing that's not solvable yet :)

[Dark_Angel]

Nvm, I can't read (removed link)

[Steve_God]

How's the build going Charlie? :)

[Dark_Angel]

Monitor of possible interest:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0060LCBRI/ref=nosim/?tag=hotukdeals-21

[Polo]

http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/23%22+Dell+UltraSharp+U2312HM+Widescreen+IPS+LED+Monitor+?productId=46999

£168. Get it.

[Charlie_B]

Hi folks!

Thanks for all the input, it was very helpful.

I built everything last week after seeing that Scan had a one-day special on mobo, ram and processor that saved me about £50. I ended up buying all the components in a bit of a hurry because once I'd started I got a bit excited. Forunately the weeks of research meant everything went smoothly. Almost...

I hadn't settled on a heatsink so I just picked on that had been well reviewed, seemed quiet and was on offer at the same place I was buying other components:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/be-quiet!-dark-rock-advanced-bk014-cpu-cooler-lga775-1155-1156-1366-am2-am2plus-am3-754-940?utm_source=google+shopping&utm_medium=google+shopping

(I think it was about £30 at the time.)

I reasoned that it's pretty hard to go wrong with a heatsink and although it was a bit more than I needed to pay that would hopefully ensure a quality component. The one thing I hadn't reckoned on (actually not true I had thought about it but rather than scour the internet for figures I decided it couldn't possibly pose a problem):

The size.

Seriously, I've seen cars with smaller radiators. Windmills with smaller fans. I was worried that once I plugged the thing in it would go airborne.

I bolted it down and was relieved to see that it just - just - fit inside the case. It just - just - missed the graphics card (a beast in its own right) too. All was going well until I realised that it was impossible to install RAM with the bloody thing plugged in. Worse - even when I took the big metal ******* off it became clear that it would not fit back on unless I limited myself to just one of the four DIMM slots I had. Like that was going to happen.

Who the hell sells a heatsink so large it covers three DIMM slots on a standard ATX motherboard? Even if I had checked the dimensions how was I going to know that'd happen? I'm utterly confused.

I gave up and went with the default heatsink. With the temperatures in my house at the moment overheating is far, far from a pressing worry. Ah well, live and learn!

I missed the deadline for returning the heatsink. Fortunately it probably has the scrap value of a small ship.

[Charlie_B]

Hmm, that turned into a bit of a rant.

I went with the Ultrasharp btw! I think it was from Aria as well - shame I missed the £9 off but c'est la vie. I've never had a 16x9 monitor before and it's taking some getting used to (never been a fan of widescreen) but the image quality is bloody lovely. Went for a GTX 560 Ti 448 Core as well and it's running superbly. Absolutely no problems running Skyrim on Ultra.

Everything's so fast and sexy I'm a bit wary about oc'ing, although not to do so seems like a bit of a waste of the processor (2500k i5). In a few weeks perhaps.

[Steve_God]

Who the hell sells a heatsink so large it covers three DIMM slots on a standard ATX motherboard? Even if I had checked the dimensions how was I going to know that'd happen? I'm utterly confused.
Could you not mount it at 90 degrees? I had the same issue with mine so just mounted it so the air flow was horizonal rather than vertical, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get my RAM in either. Annoying... but not the end of the world.

[atsanjose]

Who the hell sells a heatsink so large it covers three DIMM slots on a standard ATX motherboard? Even if I had checked the dimensions how was I going to know that'd happen? I'm utterly confused.
Could you not mount it at 90 degrees? I had the same issue with mine so just mounted it so the air flow was horizonal rather than vertical, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get my RAM in either. Annoying... but not the end of the world.

turn it 90 degrees?

doesnt your airflow need to go out off the case?

[CFalcon]

I feel your pain Charlie. My cooler (Venomous X-RT) still doesn't fit in my case properly. RAM goes in ok, width and length are ok, but it's just too damn tall. Can't actually get the side of the case back on :(

Well, I can, but have to kick it. Alot.

Assuming you have a rear exhaust, turning 90 degrees is a perfectly good solution.

[Steve_God]

Who the hell sells a heatsink so large it covers three DIMM slots on a standard ATX motherboard? Even if I had checked the dimensions how was I going to know that'd happen? I'm utterly confused.
Could you not mount it at 90 degrees? I had the same issue with mine so just mounted it so the air flow was horizonal rather than vertical, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get my RAM in either. Annoying... but not the end of the world.

turn it 90 degrees?

doesnt your airflow need to go out off the case?

In an ideal situation, yes, and having the heatsink at 90 degrees keeps that.
Having the fan blowing the hot air up through the heatsink vs out towards the back fan makes no odds whatsoever.

[timtadams]

Next time dont even use a tower. I would just screw the motherboard and power supply to a piece of wood and position fans to blow across coolers. That way i could even see the dust build up and then I would know when to get the vacuum cleaner/compressor onto it.