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JamesBond007 · 06-15-2010, 03:30 AM

I am trying to build a PC from scratch for the first time. I have compe up with following spec so far and any suggestions to improve the same will be highly appreciated.

PC will be used primarily for watching videos, music, internet, occassional gaming. I intend to use it for next 3-4 years and hence it should be future proof.

Proposed specification:

CPU - Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz - £158
Graphics card - ASUS HD 5770 Cu Core 1GB GDDR5 DVI VGA HDMI Out PCI-E Graphics Card - £138.8
Mother board - ASUS P7P55D iP55 Socket LGA 1156 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard - £97.07
Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz/PC3-10666 XMS3 DHX Memory Kit - £104.99
CASE/PSU - Coolermaster Elite 330 Case With Coolermaster eXtreme Power 460W PSU - £59.99
HDD - Samsung HD103SJ Spinpoint F3 1TB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 32MB Cache OEM - £55.03
DVD - LiteOn IHAS124-19 24x DVD±RW DL & RAM SATA - OEM Black - £14.99
OS - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium - Licence and media - 1 PC - OEM - DVD - 64-bit English - £79.36
Toatal: £708.23

Don't need:
Mouse, Keyboard and monitor [Already have Samsung SyncMaster 2243BW]

David M · 06-15-2010, 09:35 AM

I would change out the Coolermaster PSU for a 500-600 watt Antec, Corsair or Seasonic PSU. These are better PSU's for around the same price.

If you can afford it, bump your graphics card up to a 5830 or 5850. Doing this will allow you to run the newer games at medium to high settings depending on your screen resolution and the game itself. Your graphics card affects gaming performance more than anything else.

***glc*** · 06-15-2010, 10:10 AM

We also prefer Western Digital Black drives to Samsungs.

JamesBond007 · 06-15-2010, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David M

I would change out the Coolermaster PSU for a 500-600 watt Antec, Corsair or Seasonic PSU. These are better PSU's for around the same price.

If you can afford it, bump your graphics card up to a 5830 or 5850. Doing this will allow you to run the newer games at medium to high settings depending on your screen resolution and the game itself. Your graphics card affects gaming performance more than anything else.

Thanks for your reply.
Please note that I am getting CASE and PSU for £59.99.
At the moment budget does not permit 5830/5850. May be upgrade later.

JamesBond007 · 06-15-2010, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glc

We also prefer Western Digital Black drives to Samsungs.

Thanks GLC. I will read the reviews of Western digital black drives.

Doom · 06-15-2010, 04:08 PM

If you're going for a case/PSU combo, it may be better to get an Antec combo. Cooler Master makes great cases, but Corsair and Antec get the most recommendations for PSUs on these forums.

Also, while a 460W PSU should handle power requirements now, if you want longevity out of the system I'd recommend bumping up the power to a 600w category. That way if you replace things or add on in the future you're all set.

David M · 06-15-2010, 10:58 PM

I'm thinking you may want to wait until you can afford a quality 500-600 watt PSU and a 5800 series card. You may be disappointed otherwise...especially with the gaming.

***glc*** · 06-16-2010, 01:11 AM

For OCCASIONAL gaming the 5770 is quite adequate. The Coolermaster can handle it, but if you upgrade later you will need to look at replacing it.

JamesBond007 · 06-16-2010, 02:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glc

For OCCASIONAL gaming the 5770 is quite adequate. The Coolermaster can handle it, but if you upgrade later you will need to look at replacing it.

Thanks again for your prompt reply. Hoping to build the system this week end unless you have any other suggestions.

JamesBond007 · 06-16-2010, 02:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David M

I'm thinking you may want to wait until you can afford a quality 500-600 watt PSU and a 5800 series card. You may be disappointed otherwise...especially with the gaming.

Unless I made a mistake calculating the required wattage, it is coming to around 300W. Why do you think the current setup need 500W PSU?

JamesBond007 · 06-16-2010, 02:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doom

If you're going for a case/PSU combo, it may be better to get an Antec combo. Cooler Master makes great cases, but Corsair and Antec get the most recommendations for PSUs on these forums.

Also, while a 460W PSU should handle power requirements now, if you want longevity out of the system I'd recommend bumping up the power to a 600w category. That way if you replace things or add on in the future you're all set.

I guess Doom have answered my question about 500W PSU. Missed Doom's post.

***glc*** · 06-16-2010, 04:34 AM

http://www.amd.com/us/products/deskt...uirements.aspx

Quote:

ATI Radeon™ HD 5770 System Requirements
450 Watt or greater power supply with one 75W 6-pin PCI Express® power connectors recommended

David M · 06-16-2010, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesBond007

Unless I made a mistake calculating the required wattage, it is coming to around 300W. Why do you think the current setup need 500W PSU?

As glc quotes, a 450 watt PSU would be the bare minimum PSU for that card, but....

Its my opinion that installing a barely adequate PSU is not a good idea since this means that it is close to working at its maximum at times. Electronics that work at near their maximum output generally have shorter lives. Additionally, PSU's do get dirty causing them to work at higher temperatures and with a temperature increase there is a loss in efficiency meaning the PSU has to draw even more current in order to provide the correct voltages to the computer. More current drawn means more heat produced. Heat also shortens the live of electronics. Were it my computer I would buy a minimum of a 550 watt PSU, but that's just how I like doing things.

***glc*** · 06-16-2010, 11:20 AM

I know people running systems with 5770's with high quality 400 watt units, but the Coolermaster is only an average quality unit. That's what the recommendations are based on. It's enough for that card, but not much more.

orbrit · 06-16-2010, 12:02 PM

it comes down to whether or not you're willing to risk the stability and possible damage to the rest of your system over a PSU that only comes with a 1 year warranty (and in the US only costs $30)

Start with the PSU - it's a critical component.

Antec Earthwatts 500W
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/120377
or Corsair 550VX (5 year warranty)
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/132563

Cases:
http://www.ebuyer.com/search?page=1&...&condition=new

JamesBond007 · 06-17-2010, 01:40 AM

orbit, glc, David M,
Thanks a lot for your suggestions. I am glad I posted my spec on this forum which seems to be very active and I am getting lot of good advise.

What do you think about case
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143854

I have updated spec to include this case and corsair 550v PSU.

Also, what do you think about OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W - 80+ & SLI Certified - ATX12V 2.2/ EPS12V -135mm Fan
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/174182
The only advantage I see here is this is a modular PSU.

I was planning to build PC over week end but may have to work in office

Planning to place the order for parts this week.

Is it possible to edit my original post ? Want to change the spec to include suggested PSU.

***glc*** · 06-17-2010, 07:24 AM

The Antec 300 is an excellent case.

If you want a modular PSU, check out this Antec 550, it's a better bet than an OCZ:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/141007

JamesBond007 · 06-18-2010, 07:52 PM

Thanks GLC. My final is given below[See also attached].

Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz Socket LGA1156 8MB L3 Cache Retail Boxed Processor 172755 300 in stock £167.78

ASUS HD 5770 Cu Core 1GB GDDR5 DVI VGA HDMI Out PCI-E Graphics Card 194707 46 in stock £139.18

ASUS P7P55D iP55 Socket LGA 1156 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard 173451 23 in stock £96.68

Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz/PC3-10666 XMS3 DHX Memory Kit 148817 9 in stock £103.90

Antec 300 Three Hundred Case 143854 229 in stock £41.99

Samsung HD103SJ Spinpoint F3 1TB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 32MB Cache - OEM 173804 409 in stock £55.03

LiteOn IHAS124-19 24x DVD±RW DL & RAM SATA - OEM Black 176026 > 200 in stock £15.44

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium - Licence and media - 1 PC - OEM - DVD - 64-bit - English 173791 204 in stock £77.95

Corsair 550W VX Series PSU - 120mm Fan, 5 Year Warranty 132563 44 in stock £70.61

Total: £768.56

orbrit · 06-18-2010, 09:32 PM

Very nice!

***glc*** · 06-18-2010, 10:17 PM

I would downgrade to the non-DHX memory and upgrade to a WD Black hard drive. End cost is almost identical.

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/178943
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/146082

JamesBond007 · 06-19-2010, 02:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glc

I would downgrade to the non-DHX memory and upgrade to a WD Black hard drive. End cost is almost identical.

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/178943
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/146082

Is the corsair - CMV4GX3M2A1333C9 memory compatible with ASUS P7P55D?
The only reason I have chosen[TW3X4G1333C9DHX] DHX memory is because it is specified in QVL.

Also will you suggest 1TB HDD or 2 * 500GB HDD?

***glc*** · 06-19-2010, 10:45 AM

It's compatible. I suggest a single drive, keep it simple.

JamesBond007 · 06-19-2010, 11:25 AM

Updated spec. I will place the order tomorrow. Thanks for all your help.

Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz Memory Kit Unbuffered CL9 £81.78
Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz Socket LGA1156 8MB L3 Cache Retail Boxed Processor £167.78
ASUS HD 5770 Cu Core 1GB GDDR5 DVI VGA HDMI Out PCI-E Graphics Card £139.18
ASUS P7P55D iP55 Socket LGA 1156 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard £96.68
LiteOn IHAS124-19 24x DVD±RW DL & RAM SATA - OEM Black £15.44
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium - Licence and media - 1 PC - OEM - DVD - 64-bit - English £77.95
Antec 300 Three Hundred Case £41.99
Corsair 550W VX Series PSU - 120mm Fan, 5 Year Warranty £70.61
Western Digital WD1001FALS 1TB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 32MB Cache - OEM Caviar Black £77.73
Total:£769.14

JamesBond007 · 06-21-2010, 04:41 PM

Received all the components from ebuyer today. By mistake touched the thermal paste which was pre-applied to stock cooler of i5. Ordered TIM which will arrive on saturday. I will have to wait till then.

JamesBond007 · 06-26-2010, 12:24 PM

Received Arctic Cooling MX-2 thermal compound today. Assembled the PC and it worked without any issues when switched on. The idling temperature of CPU is 35 degree centigrade which is normal. So looks like I have applied the thermal compound properly.

Orbit, glc, David M, thanks again for all your help.

06-15-2010, 03:30 AM	#1
JamesBond007 Member (4 bit) Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 12	Novice I5 build - help I am trying to build a PC from scratch for the first time. I have compe up with following spec so far and any suggestions to improve the same will be highly appreciated. PC will be used primarily for watching videos, music, internet, occassional gaming. I intend to use it for next 3-4 years and hence it should be future proof. Proposed specification: CPU - Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz - £158 Graphics card - ASUS HD 5770 Cu Core 1GB GDDR5 DVI VGA HDMI Out PCI-E Graphics Card - £138.8 Mother board - ASUS P7P55D iP55 Socket LGA 1156 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard - £97.07 Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz/PC3-10666 XMS3 DHX Memory Kit - £104.99 CASE/PSU - Coolermaster Elite 330 Case With Coolermaster eXtreme Power 460W PSU - £59.99 HDD - Samsung HD103SJ Spinpoint F3 1TB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 32MB Cache OEM - £55.03 DVD - LiteOn IHAS124-19 24x DVD±RW DL & RAM SATA - OEM Black - £14.99 OS - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium - Licence and media - 1 PC - OEM - DVD - 64-bit English - £79.36 Toatal: £708.23 Don't need: Mouse, Keyboard and monitor [Already have Samsung SyncMaster 2243BW] Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter Last edited by JamesBond007; 06-15-2010 at 03:20 PM.

06-15-2010, 09:35 AM	#2
David M Techphile. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: San Francisco Bay Posts: 5,959	I would change out the Coolermaster PSU for a 500-600 watt Antec, Corsair or Seasonic PSU. These are better PSU's for around the same price. If you can afford it, bump your graphics card up to a 5830 or 5850. Doing this will allow you to run the newer games at medium to high settings depending on your screen resolution and the game itself. Your graphics card affects gaming performance more than anything else. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter __________________ Asus P8P67 WS Revolution \| Intel 2600K @ 4.7 GHz \| Win 7 Pro 64 \|8 gigs Corsair 1600 \| Two Diamond 6990's in Crossfire\| Corsair AX1200 \| Thermalright Silver Arrow \| Western Digital Black 2TB 64 meg cache \| Lian-Li PC-A71B \| Logitec Z-5500 \| Three Asus 26" VW266H monitors running under Eyefinity \| Last edited by David M; 06-15-2010 at 09:45 AM.

06-15-2010, 10:10 AM	#3
*glc* Forum Administrator Staff Premium Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Joplin MO Posts: 37,767	We also prefer Western Digital Black drives to Samsungs. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

06-15-2010, 04:08 PM	#6
Doom Member (8 bit) Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 207	If you're going for a case/PSU combo, it may be better to get an Antec combo. Cooler Master makes great cases, but Corsair and Antec get the most recommendations for PSUs on these forums. Also, while a 460W PSU should handle power requirements now, if you want longevity out of the system I'd recommend bumping up the power to a 600w category. That way if you replace things or add on in the future you're all set. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter __________________ Gaming Rig(March 2008 Build): ANTEC 900 Case w/ Stock Cooling, Intel Q9300 2.5GHz Quad, 4GB Corsair DDR2 800MHz, 750w Corsair PSU, WD Caviar 500GB 7200RPM, EVGA nVidia 780i SLI, EVGA GTX-470, Pioneer DVD+/-R w/ Lightscribe HTPC (May 2010 Build): nMEDIAPC 2000B ATX, AMD Athalon II Regor 2.8GHz Dual Core, 2GB Corsair DDR2 800MHz, 400w Corsair PSU, WD Caviar 500GB, MSI 770T-C45 Motherboard, EVGA nVidia GeForce 210 512MB, Lite-On DVD+/-R w/ Lightscribe

06-15-2010, 10:58 PM	#7
David M Techphile. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: San Francisco Bay Posts: 5,959	I'm thinking you may want to wait until you can afford a quality 500-600 watt PSU and a 5800 series card. You may be disappointed otherwise...especially with the gaming. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

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06-16-2010, 01:11 AM	#8
*glc* Forum Administrator Staff Premium Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Joplin MO Posts: 37,767	For OCCASIONAL gaming the 5770 is quite adequate. The Coolermaster can handle it, but if you upgrade later you will need to look at replacing it. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

06-16-2010, 11:20 AM	#14
*glc* Forum Administrator Staff Premium Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Joplin MO Posts: 37,767	I know people running systems with 5770's with high quality 400 watt units, but the Coolermaster is only an average quality unit. That's what the recommendations are based on. It's enough for that card, but not much more. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

06-16-2010, 12:02 PM	#15
orbrit Member (9 bit) Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Oregon Posts: 329	it comes down to whether or not you're willing to risk the stability and possible damage to the rest of your system over a PSU that only comes with a 1 year warranty (and in the US only costs $30) Start with the PSU - it's a critical component. Antec Earthwatts 500W http://www.ebuyer.com/product/120377 or Corsair 550VX (5 year warranty) http://www.ebuyer.com/product/132563 Cases: http://www.ebuyer.com/search?page=1&...&condition=new Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter __________________ Main PC: ECS P55H-A \| Intel Core i5-750 OC @ 3.3GHz \| Corsair 550VX \| 2 x 2 Gb G.Skill Ripjaws 1600 \| 2 x Sapphire HD 5770 Crossfire \| WD Caviar Black 640Gb \| OCZ Vertex 2 120Gb SSD (Steam apps) Portable gaming rig: MSI 880GM-E43 \| AMD Athlon II X3 450 Rana 3.20, Core unlocked and OC @ 3.68 GHz \| Antec Earthwatts Green 430 \| 2 x 2Gb G. Skill Ripjaws 1600 \| HIS HD 5770 \| WD Caviar Blue 250 Gb Laptop: Dell Alienware M11x R1 \| Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 OC @ 1.7 Ghz \| 4 Gb RAM \| NVidia GT335M \| ADATA 128 GB SSD http://www.xfire.com/profile/orbrit/videos/ Last edited by orbrit; 06-16-2010 at 12:14 PM.

06-17-2010, 01:40 AM	#16
JamesBond007 Member (4 bit) Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 12	orbit, glc, David M, Thanks a lot for your suggestions. I am glad I posted my spec on this forum which seems to be very active and I am getting lot of good advise. What do you think about case http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143854 I have updated spec to include this case and corsair 550v PSU. Also, what do you think about OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W - 80+ & SLI Certified - ATX12V 2.2/ EPS12V -135mm Fan http://www.ebuyer.com/product/174182 The only advantage I see here is this is a modular PSU. I was planning to build PC over week end but may have to work in office Planning to place the order for parts this week. Is it possible to edit my original post ? Want to change the spec to include suggested PSU. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

06-17-2010, 07:24 AM	#17
*glc* Forum Administrator Staff Premium Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Joplin MO Posts: 37,767	The Antec 300 is an excellent case. If you want a modular PSU, check out this Antec 550, it's a better bet than an OCZ: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/141007 Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

06-18-2010, 07:52 PM	#18
JamesBond007 Member (4 bit) Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 12	Thanks GLC. My final is given below[See also attached]. Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz Socket LGA1156 8MB L3 Cache Retail Boxed Processor 172755 300 in stock £167.78 ASUS HD 5770 Cu Core 1GB GDDR5 DVI VGA HDMI Out PCI-E Graphics Card 194707 46 in stock £139.18 ASUS P7P55D iP55 Socket LGA 1156 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard 173451 23 in stock £96.68 Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz/PC3-10666 XMS3 DHX Memory Kit 148817 9 in stock £103.90 Antec 300 Three Hundred Case 143854 229 in stock £41.99 Samsung HD103SJ Spinpoint F3 1TB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 32MB Cache - OEM 173804 409 in stock £55.03 LiteOn IHAS124-19 24x DVD±RW DL & RAM SATA - OEM Black 176026 > 200 in stock £15.44 Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium - Licence and media - 1 PC - OEM - DVD - 64-bit - English 173791 204 in stock £77.95 Corsair 550W VX Series PSU - 120mm Fan, 5 Year Warranty 132563 44 in stock £70.61 Total: £768.56 Attached Thumbnails Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

06-18-2010, 09:32 PM	#19
orbrit Member (9 bit) Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Oregon Posts: 329	Very nice! Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

06-18-2010, 10:17 PM	#20
*glc* Forum Administrator Staff Premium Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Joplin MO Posts: 37,767	I would downgrade to the non-DHX memory and upgrade to a WD Black hard drive. End cost is almost identical. http://www.ebuyer.com/product/178943 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/146082 Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

06-19-2010, 10:45 AM	#22
*glc* Forum Administrator Staff Premium Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Joplin MO Posts: 37,767	It's compatible. I suggest a single drive, keep it simple. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

06-19-2010, 11:25 AM	#23
JamesBond007 Member (4 bit) Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 12	Updated spec. I will place the order tomorrow. Thanks for all your help. Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz Memory Kit Unbuffered CL9 £81.78 Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz Socket LGA1156 8MB L3 Cache Retail Boxed Processor £167.78 ASUS HD 5770 Cu Core 1GB GDDR5 DVI VGA HDMI Out PCI-E Graphics Card £139.18 ASUS P7P55D iP55 Socket LGA 1156 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard £96.68 LiteOn IHAS124-19 24x DVD±RW DL & RAM SATA - OEM Black £15.44 Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium - Licence and media - 1 PC - OEM - DVD - 64-bit - English £77.95 Antec 300 Three Hundred Case £41.99 Corsair 550W VX Series PSU - 120mm Fan, 5 Year Warranty £70.61 Western Digital WD1001FALS 1TB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 32MB Cache - OEM Caviar Black £77.73 Total:£769.14 Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

06-21-2010, 04:41 PM	#24
JamesBond007 Member (4 bit) Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 12	Received all the components from ebuyer today. By mistake touched the thermal paste which was pre-applied to stock cooler of i5. Ordered TIM which will arrive on saturday. I will have to wait till then. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

06-26-2010, 12:24 PM	#25
JamesBond007 Member (4 bit) Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 12	Received Arctic Cooling MX-2 thermal compound today. Assembled the PC and it worked without any issues when switched on. The idling temperature of CPU is 35 degree centigrade which is normal. So looks like I have applied the thermal compound properly. Orbit, glc, David M, thanks again for all your help. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

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