Gaming PC setup, recommendations/criticism/will it work? :)
August 27th, 2013
Case
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/nzxt-phantom-enthusiast-white-full-tower-performance-gaming-case-with-usb-30-w-o-psu
Processor
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-core-i5-2500k-unlocked-s1155-sndy-bridge-quad-33ghz-hd3000-igp-850mhz-6mb-cache-95w-retail
CPU Cooling
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/evga-superclock-cpu-cooler-5-x-8mm-heatpipe-with-120mm-red-led-pwm-silent-fan-all-intel-amd-cpu
Mobo
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-p8z68-v-lx-intel-z68-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-20-(x16)-d-sub-dvi-d-hdmi-atx -
Ram
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/12gb-(3x4gb)-corsair-vengeance-jet-black-ddr3-pc3-12800-(1600)-non-ecc-cas-9-9-9-24-xmp-150v -
HDD
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
GFX
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1536mb-evga-gtx-580-superclocked-40nm-4050mhz-gddr5-gpu-797mhz-shader-1594mhz-512-cores-mhdmi-dl-dvi
PSU
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/750w-psu-ocz-technology-zs-series-ocz-zs750w-uk-86-eff-80-plus-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fa
Bluray
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/pioneer-bdr-206dbk-blu-ray-writer-12x-bd-r-x8-dvddl-x16-dvdr-x6-dvdrw-oem
So my justifications –
Case – just looks cool, i know it makes no difference, but i really like this one lol.
Processor – I dont feel the need for a 2600k, and various other forums agree that when the 2500k is clocked at 4+ghz its not really neccessary for gaming etc
Mobo – I want a USB 3 Sata 3 mobo, so i picked this one! dunno really
Ram – I do a degree on computing and do lots of media editing like PS and Cinema4d [3d work]
so ram is needed for rendering
HDD – using SSD for OS and small apps, 3tb external will be used until i can afford another storage drive
GFX – this card seems to be top of the line until the 590 is affordable!
PSU – i read up that 750w is recommended for the gfx, and went with a reliable brand
Bluray – just a glorified dvd burner however means i wont ever not have a bluray reader or burner if i need one!
total cost £1073.74
So does all that seem good/compatible, please let me know thanks
Here’s a few things to take note of:
1) The case has issues with tall CPU heatsinks with the side fan on.
2) Getting a motherboard that cannot take advantage of the unlocked processor is a bad choice. Get a good Z68 motherboard.
3) No CPU cooler? It’s a must for overclocking.
4) The AMD 7970 is hitting retail within a couple of weeks and depending on the game it’s almost 70% faster than the GTX 580.
5) The PSU is overkill if you’re not going to SLI. You cannot SLI nor Crossfire with the board you’ve selected anyway.
Thanks for your response! ill look through all these points and then if you wouldnt mind taking a look again that would be great!
I don’t know what your wanting to pay exactually, but I’d recommend this case:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/coolermaster-elite-430-all-black-mid-tower-case-with-side-window-120mm-front-led-blue-fan-and-120mm-
And also everything -paroxysm^ said, wise words
Okay ive updated the Mobo, i dont know ill ever be going dual cards to be honest with you and dont know if i need the capability?
Also i thought my cpu came with a cooler, but im assuming its terrible haha?
how about something like this?
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/akasa-k32-high-performance-cpu-cooler-for-intel-s775-1155-1156
Or
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/akasa-ak-960e-intel-lga-775-dual-quad-38ghzplus-3-heatpipe-alu-fin-heatsink-fan-pwm-fan-and-ebr
in regards to the case, ill look for alternatives [thanks jack] but i fell in love with the phantom!
edit how about these cases;
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/fractal-design-define-r3-usb-30-black-pearl-mid-tower-case-with-cable-routing-and-noise-absorbing-ma
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/coolermaster-haf-912-plus-black-mid-tower-case-w-o-psu
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/coolermaster-storm-enforcer-black-mid-tower-gaming-case-with-usb-30-w-o-psu
The Phantom is fine if you get a cooler of less height than say an NH-D14. Those two coolers are very bad. The least you should get right now is a Hyper 212 Evo. It’s a shame that website doesn’t have Asrock boards they have the best stuff in that price range.
Okay i did some research and apparently the low profile noctua i put up there ^ fits into the phantom, so unless you know that one sucks, bring on the next problem! thanks
Yeah that’s fine. Way expensive for the cooling performance you’re gonna get though.
Apart from that, you’re good to go man. Enjoy your rig!
Okay well you know more than me so thats saving me cash so ill use that instead lol, thanks
one last question, what cables will i need to be buying as ive never built one before, is it just 1 sata for the hdd, and the rest come with the psu?
Okay well you know more than me so thats saving me cash so ill use that instead lol, thanks Hey sorry about the Havik it seems it doesn’t fit as well with the side panel fan. It’s taller by just a hair. Strange I thought it’d fit fine. Well, anyway the side panel fan leaves 160mm of clearance so get this instead. This is the lowest good performing tower cooler
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/evga-superclock-cpu-cooler-5-x-8mm-heatpipe-with-120mm-red-led-pwm-silent-fan-all-intel-amd-cpu
Sorry about the misinformation earlier.
one last question, what cables will i need to be buying as ive never built one before, is it just 1 sata for the hdd, and the rest come with the psu?You’ll get a few SATA with the motherboard. You probably wont need anything extra.
Oh well thats even cheaper so great lol, okay mate thank you very much, mind if i PM you at a later date if i have a Q?
have a look on: http://aria.co.uk
They are cheep on the prices i just got my pc from them have a look on there it might save you some cash.
i have the phantom its an awesome case. i have put a h100 in mine i can get a bit loud when the fans are on high but it is cooling very well i get 37-40 on idle with a 3930k @4.3 GHz
thanks for the link ill duplicate the parts and see who works out better, thanks
edit; cant seem to find my Mobo or ram on there atm! will keep looking though ;D
Quick one, will the triple channel ram I’ve chosen work on my mobo, cause on scan it says it’s for X58 motherboards and mines a z68?
Hmm didn’t see that one before. You should get a dual channel kit. A triple would work but you’ll only get dual + single channel out of it not full dual channel.
Guessing a dual channel with more than 8gb won’t be available then haha maybe 8gb will do, I just wanted more for my 3d rendering
KieronBoz replied: Guessing a dual channel with more than 8gb won't be available then haha maybe 8gb will do, I just wanted more for my 3d renderingWhat? Dual channel comes in 2,4,8,16,32 etc.
-paroxysM^ replied: KieronBoz replied: Guessing a dual channel with more than 8gb won't be available then haha maybe 8gb will do, I just wanted more for my 3d renderingWhat? Dual channel comes in 2,4,8,16,32 etc.
I mean on scan, I can’t see a dual channel with more than 8gb.