My New Build!

Parky-RFC

Baseband Member
Messages
84
Hi guys! I created a similar thread about a year ago but unfortunately couldn't go ahead with the build but I'm ready now.

Let me start off by saying, I have limited computer hardware/technology knowledge. I've decided on the parts below from quite extensive research, reading and watching expert and user reviews! I have not purchased anything yet and I'm looking for feedback, be it positive or negative, don't hold back I will take all advice into serious consideration. There could be an embarrassing major flaw somewhere (feel free to insert face palm gifs:D) I will take it on the chin and learn from it.:) If you believe I can get better value for money on certain parts or if I push the boat out slightly for a certain part that would be a better purchase, please say.

The set-up below will be replacing a Dell Dimension 4600 (Dinosaur:D). I have been using this TANK for the best part of 9 years and I have to say it has been outstanding value for money, I've only had a few minor problems with it. Obviously as you will see this is a huge step up but after so long with a Dinosaur I felt it's about time to treat myself. :)

In terms of usage of this set-up, there will be plenty of web browsing, watching movies and I've just taken an interest in PC gaming. It won't be hardcore gaming but I would like a system that can play games well. I'd say the majority of gaming will still be on my PS3, I will be capturing a lot of footage with a Hauppauge HD PVR and rendering it using Sony Vegas.

I need a system that I can rely on, I'm not someone who upgrades every 6 months. (Dell for 9 years lol) In saying that, I would like the potential to upgrade. I won't be overclocking for the foreseeable future, really don't know enough about it tbh.

In terms of my budget, I really can't afford to go any higher than what's below at the moment. (Just under £1,800).

Okay so here it goes:

Case: NZXT Phantom Enthusiast USB3.0 Full Tower Case - Orange/Black - £99.98
NZXT Phantom Enthusiast USB3.0 Full Tower Case - Orange/Black [PHAN-002OR]

Additional fan: Cooler Master Megaflow 200 - £9.98
Cooler Master 200mm MEGA Flow FAN - Blue [R4-LUS-07AB-GP]

Optical Drive: Asus 24x DVD±RW DRW-24B3ST SATA ReWriter - £21.98
Asus 24x DVD±RW DRW-24B5ST SATA ReWriter - Black (Retail) [90-D4CHVB-UB0010-]

Hard Disc Drive: Solid State Drive: Crucial M4 128GB SSD - £93.98
Crucial RealSSD M4 128GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT128M4SSD2) [CT128M4SSD2]

Hard Disc Drive: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB - £59.72
Samsung F3 HD103SJ 1TB internal Hard Drive SATAII 32MB Cache 7200RPM – OEM: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

Power Supply: Corsair CMPSU-650HX Professional Series 650W - £104.95
Corsair CMPSU-650HX Professional Series 650W Power Supply: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

Motherboard: Asus Z77 Sabertooth - £170.14
Asus SABERTOOTH Z77 Motherboard (Socket 1155, 32GB DDR3 Support, Intel Z77 Express, ATX, PCI-E 3.0, USB 3.0, Quad GPU AMD CrossfireX, Supports HDMI 1.4a): Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - £79.99
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) [GFC-00599]

Processor: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.50GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - £259.99
Intel Core i7-3770K 3.50GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail [BX80637I73770K]

Graphics Card: EVGA GF GTX 660Ti - £220.98
EVGA GF GTX 660Ti 2GB GDDR5 Graphics Card: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GXM - £68.68
G.Skill 16GB (2 x 8GB) Ripjaws X Blue 1600MHz DDR3 DIMM 240-pin CL9 (F3-1600C9D-16GXM) - dabs.com

Speakers: Corsair Gaming Audio Series SP2500 - £184.99
Corsair Gaming Audio Series SP2500 High-Power 2.1 PC Speaker System - 232 Watts RMS [CA-SP211EU]

Keyboard: Filco Majestouch-2- £120.00
The Keyboard Company's FKBN105M/UKB2 - UK Filco Majestouch-2, NKR, Tactile Action Keyboard

Mouse: Razer DeathAdder 3500 - £49.99
Razer DeathAdder Respawn 3500 DPI Xtreme Precision Gaming Mouse - Retail [RZ01-00151400-R3G1]

Monitor: Dell Ultrasharp U2412M - £225.00
Dell Ultrasharp U2412M 24 inch IPS Widescreen LED Monitor: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

Any feedback would be much appreciated!
 
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Check mark to everything except a few things that aren't any major concerns.

First being, I would swap out that Crucial with a Samsung 840pro or Corsair Force GT.
Next would be, do you really need a full tower? These things are huge, and I mean huge. A mid tower would suite you just fine and still have plenty of room for dual cards and proper cooling.
You can also save some cash by not getting an overly expensive board like the Sabertooth. Nice board, but you can achieve the same goal easily by a lesser Asus or ASRock board and still have the same quality.
Finally my last thing which isn't such a big deal is I wouldn't get that Corsair 2.1 setup. I've heard mixed things about it from audio enthusiasts but the major thing I heard from everybody is isn't worth the price.

Just my 2 cents.
 
I'm not much of an expert like PP Mguire, but those speakers are terrible, and extremely overpriced. I myself would go with a 5.1 Set-up, I know that Logitech have an amazing 5.1 Surround sound speaker range starting From £60+ And if you're really wanting to spend £180 on speakers you can 100% easily get much much better speakers. I personally like the Logitech X530 5.1 Speakers however I know PP Mguire doesn't really approve of those, and if you stick around long enough you'll know that he's pretty much the alpha male around here. But For just casual Gaming/Film watching and general use the X530's are perfect, don't expect studio like quality because well, if you're wanting top of the range speakers you'll need a big wallet. Price varies From different shops however if you're British/From The United Kingdom, as I'm guessing you are since you used Pounds, you can pick up some X530 5.1's For around £60 in almost anywhere, Currys, PC World etc. However I'd recommend picking them up in a shop like Argos or Maplin Electronics seeing as Currys/PC World generally overprice their stuff.
 
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I would grab this power supply, it's the newer version of the one you listed. The reason why is because I am not sure if its "80 PLUS CERTIFIED". It may be, but it only says "high efficiency" in the description so you can't be sure if it is, and you can see why it's a little ify because manufactures would want to advertise it, it just looks like they got lazy when listing the item, anyway get this one just in case.

Also, why are you spending so much on a keyboard? It doesn't look worth it.

Other than that do what PP said with the mobo and SSD. The case can be smaller but that doesn't make much of a difference(I think it looks cool)

One more thing, websites like these are your friend, they have more speakers on hand to test and know what a good quality speaker should sound like with value in mind.
 
im surprised you didnt say this Mguire.

i wouldnt get the 3770K, get the 3570K. in gaming you will see absolutely ZERO difference, but about a $100 price difference ( i know you are in europe, i dont know how to do the pound sign ).

i agree with Mguire, dont get that board, its a pretty enthusiast level board, and it has more features than you need. get the MSI Z77A-GD55 motherboard. its my favorite ivy/sandy bridge board. awesome features, looks SO sharp, i love the spacing between the first and second pci express slots, it has EVERYTHING you will need for just $129.

so use the $100 from the processor and the $100 from the motherboard that we saved and put it towards a 680. will be set for another 5+ years!

and again,im going to agree with mguire, just ad a little. i wouldnt suggest a full tower, they are a pain in the arse. Get an awesome case from corsair, check them out, you cant go wrong with a corsair case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...DeactivatedMark=False&Order=PRICE&PageSize=20

EDIT:

oh, and whats the difference between a pound and a quid? is quid slang for pound? like buck is for dollar?
 
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I would grab this power supply, it's the newer version of the one you listed. The reason why is because I am not sure if its "80 PLUS CERTIFIED". It may be, but it only says "high efficiency" in the description so you can't be sure if it is, and you can see why it's a little ify because manufactures would want to advertise it, it just looks like they got lazy when listing the item, anyway get this one just in case.

Also, why are you spending so much on a keyboard? It doesn't look worth it.

Other than that do what PP said with the mobo and SSD. The case can be smaller but that doesn't make much of a difference(I think it looks cool)

One more thing, websites like these are your friend, they have more speakers on hand to test and know what a good quality speaker should sound like with value in mind.
All HX series are Gold rated. It's just an old pic on Amazon.

im surprised you didnt say this Mguire.

i wouldnt get the 3770K, get the 3570K. in gaming you will see absolutely ZERO difference, but about a $100 price difference ( i know you are in europe, i dont know how to do the pound sign ).

i agree with Mguire, dont get that board, its a pretty enthusiast level board, and it has more features than you need. get the MSI Z77A-GD55 motherboard. its my favorite ivy/sandy bridge board. awesome features, looks SO sharp, i love the spacing between the first and second pci express slots, it has EVERYTHING you will need for just $129.

so use the $100 from the processor and the $100 from the motherboard that we saved and put it towards a 680. will be set for another 5+ years!

and again,im going to agree with mguire, just ad a little. i wouldnt suggest a full tower, they are a pain in the arse. Get an awesome case from corsair, check them out, you cant go wrong with a corsair case.
Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, Computer Cases, Computer Cases, Corsair

EDIT:

oh, and whats the difference between a pound and a quid? is quid slang for pound? like buck is for dollar?
He is going to be video editing and the higher clocks and HT will come in handy in Vegas. That is why I didn't say get the 3570k instead.
 
I just noticed this as I was distracted last time. That Cooler Master fan wont fit in the NZXT. You have to buy NZXT's fan to fit in their case as they have a different mount.
 
All HX series are Gold rated. It's just an old pic on Amazon.

He is going to be video editing and the higher clocks and HT will come in handy in Vegas. That is why I didn't say get the 3570k instead.


ah, i didnt see that he is going to be editing, get the 3770K then.

but still, get a lower end mobo and put the saved money towards a better graphics card. +$100 will get you a 670 easy, and within striking distance of a 680.
 
ah, i didnt see that he is going to be editing, get the 3770K then.

but still, get a lower end mobo and put the saved money towards a better graphics card. +$100 will get you a 670 easy, and within striking distance of a 680.

+1
 
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