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My first build - suggestions welcome!

SilliusSoddus

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Hi, I've drawn up a list for my first rig and would really appreciate any feedback. The cost of all this would be £275.56, as I already have the Radeon 5870 and the sound card from my old Dell E520:

Chassis: Thermaltake V3
PSU: ATX 800W
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-M68MT-S2P
GPU: ATI Radeon 5870 HD 1GB
CPU: Phenom Quad Core 955 3.2 GHz
RAM: 8GB Corsair Vengeance
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 500GB SATA 2
DVD drive: Sony 24 x SATA

Have I missed anything out, or does this rig look workable?

Any suggestions and comments are most welcome, as I am a complete novice at this!
 
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Don't skimp on the PSU, buy a quality unit. I'm a fan of Corsair PSU's, but there are a lot of good, quality units to be had out there. A couple of things to look for in selecting a PSU. Most people prefer units with a single 12v Rail which, I guess, delivers power more reliably. IIRC the HD5870 requires that the 12v Rail delivers power at 24A to work effectively an efficiently.

If you plan on overclocking at all, I would invest in an aftermarket CPU cooler. I actually don't overclock myself, but I have always ditched the OEM heatsink in favor of aftermarket cooling. There's a plethora of choices out there, do your research on them. Megahelms is a very popular option for CPU coolers.

Also, take your time assembling your system. If you're a novice, reading all of the documentation that comes with your hardware should be your first step, and there is no such thing as a stupid question on these forums when it comes to building your system.

Be sure to look at the manufacturers website to a Hardware Compabaility List (HCL) for the RAM you are going to buy to make sure it's supported by the motherboard.

I'm probably missing a lot of information in this post, but it's early and I'm tired. Welcome to TPU!
 
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SilliusSoddus

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Thanks :) I'm not planning on overclocking just yet, not sure what make the PSU is but here's the link http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300596670...X:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_1563wt_1139

My 2nd option was the EZCool PS-1000 800W Infinity http://www.dabs.com/products/best-value-ezcool-ps-1000-800w-infinity-793V.html

Does the Corsair have any major advantages over these? It seems to be a hefty price increase for the Corsair.

As for the motherboard and RAM I know they are both DDR3 but I will look up some lists like you say, to make sure they are compatible.
 
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for psu, please buy that has good quality
it aint worth to risk your rig over bad psu
 

SilliusSoddus

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Just been reading the PSU guide on this forum and have to say I agree with you guys. In the scheme of things an extra £40-50 for a quality PSU seems worth it.
 
D

Deleted member 24505

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If you're in the uk go to pcworld and get an ocz 600watt stealthXstream 2 for £60. cracking psu for the price.
 
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looking at your build i don't see that you need 800, i guess my point is, if you have to go down to 650 or so to get a quality psu, do it.
you should even be able to crossfire off of 650, but if you plan to oc and put it through the ringer an extra 50w would make a difference.

the bigger number isn't always better. go for the better brand. corsair, and imo pc power & cooling is still a great brand. I have 3 of their psus, each over 3 years, powering my listed rigs and another. no issues.
 

SilliusSoddus

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Much appreciated. I've shortlisted that Xstream 600W, it seems to be the kind of strong balance I'm looking for.
 
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Looked at the MB and CF isnt possible only one x16 pcie slot, and the ram 1600mhz, Corsair dosent support 4gb modules, but Kingston does. As for the psu deffo go for brands: Corsair/Ocz/Coolermaster and a 650w will do it.
That Asusboard is way better more ramslots,usb 3 support.

Oh and remember 64bit OS for 4gb+ ram
 
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I think you made a mt there DannibusX the 12v rail needs to deliver more than 24watts. :)

Good lookin' out, bro. I totally meant 24 Amps.

Serious typo is serious.
 
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The question still remains about where you plan on buying your parts? I'm sure one of the UK brothers could tell you a good place to shop.

Here's another option that is even cheaper than the one I mentioned before.

http://www.dabs.com/products/asus-am3--amd-760g---sb710-ddr3-atx-7JG3.html

It's an AM3+ board. So you are set up for the future. And here's another thing to think about. There is a newer CPU (bulldozer) That should hit the market soon (fingers crossed), which could mean a reduction in prices.
 

SilliusSoddus

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Looked at the MB and CF isnt possible only one x16 pcie slot, and the ram 1600mhz, Corsair dosent support 4gb modules, but Kingston does. As for the psu deffo go for brands: Corsair/Ocz/Coolermaster and a 650w will do it.
That Asusboard is way better more ramslots,usb 3 support.

Oh and remember 64bit OS for 4gb+ ram

I'm planning on Windows 7 for the OS. Do you know if the Asus board is compatible with the 8GB Corsair RAM?

If you can, change the 955 with a 1090T, they are the same price here in US on newegg

Sadly can't use newegg over here :( and the 1090T is stretching my current budget, maybe that could come later.

The question still remains about where you plan on buying your parts? I'm sure one of the UK brothers could tell you a good place to shop.

Here's another option that is even cheaper than the one I mentioned before.

http://www.dabs.com/products/asus-am3--amd-760g---sb710-ddr3-atx-7JG3.html

It's an AM3+ board. So you are set up for the future. And here's another thing to think about. There is a newer CPU (bulldozer) That should hit the market soon (fingers crossed), which could mean a reduction in prices.

I did reply but I have to wait from my comments to be moderated before they appear :)
 

JrRacinFan

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If you can, change the 955 with a 1090T, they are the same price here in US on newegg

Wait what? I just looked B, the 955 is like $110 and the 1090t is $170.

While the 760G is nice onboard video isn't needed I would go the tiny bit extra along with sacrificing the onboard video for the ability to crossfire later on if wanted
http://www.dabs.com/products/gigabyte-870a-usbl-am3-amd-870-ddr3-atx-7KSF.html

Regarding the power supply, I know the ones you are choosing would power the rig and run it. What I am questioning is how long it would last. I would go the little extra
http://www.dabs.com/products/corsair-500-watt-cx500-v2-builder-series-80-plus-power-supply-7K9H.html

The rest of the build looks more than fine to me. :)

@Hoss

I don't think AM3+ capable cpu's would work that great on anything but a 9 series chipset. Again AMD does state AM3+ cpu's are unsupported by them on anything other than a 9 series chipset.
 

brandonwh64

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I looked on the wrong website. sorry

170$ isnt bad for a 6 core unlocked multi :)
 

JrRacinFan

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I looked on the wrong website. sorry

170$ isnt bad for a 6 core unlocked multi :)

Yeah it is bad, especially when an A8-3850 can outperform it in most tasks. Also not to mention, $175 gets you a 6 core FX on release date.
 

JrRacinFan

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SilliusSoddus

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Wait what? I just looked B, the 955 is like $110 and the 1090t is $170.

While the 760G is nice onboard video isn't needed I would go the tiny bit extra along with sacrificing the onboard video for the ability to crossfire later on if wanted
http://www.dabs.com/products/gigabyte-870a-usbl-am3-amd-870-ddr3-atx-7KSF.html

Regarding the power supply, I know the ones you are choosing would power the rig and run it. What I am questioning is how long it would last. I would go the little extra
http://www.dabs.com/products/corsair-500-watt-cx500-v2-builder-series-80-plus-power-supply-7K9H.html

The rest of the build looks more than fine to me. :)

Thanks :)

I'm going to stick with the 955 processor and the 600W Corsair I reckon, for the time being.

As for the motherboard, if my original choice would work then I'm happy, but is there anything to be gained with this build by having an extra PCI Express slot?

Thanks again for all the input, it really is helpful.
 

SilliusSoddus

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Cooling

Can anyone tell me, as there are 4 fan slots on the chassis is it necessary for me to install fans in all of them? It says on the description there are no fans installed but there is a blue LED fan at the rear, so do I need to get a separate fan or not?

If I do, I'm looking at the Arctic 13: http://www.dabs.com/products/arctic-cooling-freezer-13-pro-cpu-cooler-7H0S.html

Again, any advice would be much appreciated.
 

JrRacinFan

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is there anything to be gained with this build by having an extra PCI Express slot?

Thanks again for all the input, it really is helpful.

First, you are very welcome. Second, the added PCIe slot would be there in case you ever want to add a 2nd matching card for crossfire OR any other add-on card you wish to add that can utilize the additional bandwith from a x4 slot.

Can anyone tell me, as there are 4 fan slots on the chassis is it necessary for me to install fans in all of them? It says on the description there are no fans installed but there is a blue LED fan at the rear, so do I need to get a separate fan or not?

If I do, I'm looking at the Arctic 13: http://www.dabs.com/products/arctic-cooling-freezer-13-pro-cpu-cooler-7H0S.html

Again, any advice would be much appreciated.
http://www.dabs.com/products/xigmatek-achilles-hdt-s1284c-cooler-77Q5.html
Much better for not much more.

As for the case, I suggest at least 1 intake and 1 exhaust. See if you can find some Yate Loon 120mm medium speed as they are good fans that can push air but they aren't loud.
 
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