Intel i3 Build with RAID support

[AnotherMuggle]

Hi All,

I am thinking of a new PC and hoping to build something that's "future proof" (loose term in the IT world, I understand that).

I have come up with the following system and just wanted to run it past you guys/gals in case you have any suggestions:

• intel Core i3 530 2.93GHz Socket 1156 4MB L3 Retail Box Processor
• Gigabyte GA-H57M-USB3 H57 Socket 1156 VGA DVI HDMI Out 8 Channel Audio MATX Motherboard
• Western Digital WD5000AADS 500GB Hard Drive SATAII 32MB Cache - OEM Caviar Green
• Kingston 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz HyperX Memory Kit CL9(9-9-9-27) 1.7 - 1.9V
• XFX 650W XXX Edition Single Rail Modular PSU
• Coolermaster Elite 330 Black Mid Tower Case

As a non-gamer I plan on using the Intel Graphics Technology along with a RAID 1 mirror, hence the H57 chipset.

I have chosen memory that I think is in Gigabytes QVL but I'm not 100% certain they are the exact modules. The board says it supports 1.5V modules but those Kingstons state they are 1.7 - 1.9V. I don't know if this is important and/or what affect it would have?

I already own optical drives and PCI wifi card, as well as all peripherals.

Any input much appreciated.

Build comes to just under £500 (top end of budget) from a large online retailer in the UK.

Cheers,
Tom

[David M]

For a non-gaming, non-overclockers rig, I would get RAM rated at a lower voltage and looser timings. Its less likely to cause problems. The Kingston brand is okay.

Here is some Kingston DDR3 1333, dual channel RAM rated at 1.65 volts with looser timings.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820104140

If needed, you can raise your RAM voltage in your BIOS.

The board you selected is a micro-ATX form factor. Although it will work in an ATX case there is no need to get a micro-ATX board unless you have space considerations in your case.

Gigabyte overall is not the worse nor the best motherboard manufacturer. I would consider Asus if you prefer top quality.
Motherboard Brand Rating

This Asus board may be to your liking.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-604-_-Product

[AnotherMuggle]

Originally Posted by David M For a non-gaming, non-high end rig, I would get RAM rated in the 1.5 or 1.6 volts range and looser timings. Its less likely to cause problems. The Kingston brand is okay. Here is some Kingston DDR3, dual channel RAM rated at 1.65 volts with looser timings. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820104140 If needed you can raise your RAM voltage in your BIOS. Gigabyte overall is not the worse nor the best motherboard manufacturer. I would consider Asus if you prefer top quality. Motherboard Brand Rating

Thanks for the response.

Would you recommend the linked RAM even though they are not on the QVL?

The only Asus H57 board I have come across has received lower ratings from a variety of critics, and costs 50% more. Otherwise Asus would be my first choice also...

Cheers,
Tom

[David M]

Tom,
I see now. The least expensive H57 Asus board I see is $200.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-624-_-Product

There is an Intel H57 mini-ATX board available for $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-415-_-Product

I'm guessing glc will tell you that Intel boards are better than Gigabyte boards.

I don't know whose ratings you are using but the egg ratings in Newegg in my opinion don't mean much.

[AnotherMuggle]

Originally Posted by David M Tom, I see now. The least expensive H57 Asus board I see is $200. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-624-_-Product There is an Intel H57 mini-ATX board available for $110 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-415-_-Product

Interesting find, I wasn't actually aware of that one...

Are you suggesting the Intel is a safer bet than Gigabyte? The link you posted, created by Khalil, categorises Intel lower than Gigabyte. Gigabyte labelled green and Intel purple.

Thanks again,
Tom

[David M]

I will let the experts like Kahlil or glc decide which is the better board for you.

[AnotherMuggle]

Originally Posted by David M I will let the experts like Kahlil or glc decide which is the better board for you.

OK, thanks for your input

[David M]

Tom,
I just noticed this open box Asus H57 for $150. It says "not available" but I don't know what that means if they still have an open box board still listed. Why not just remove the listing if true? You may want to call on that if interested.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...624R-_-Product

[glc]

Dave, Tom is in the UK and can't use Newegg.

Tom, I would get 1.5 volt ram, DDR3-1333 is all you need.

The Green drives are not recommended for RAID. Use Blue or Black. You are really adding expense to this build by specifying RAID, a H55 build will be considerably cheaper. I'd recommend a single drive H55 build and an external backup solution.

That power supply is MAJOR overkill - and XFX is a questionable brand.

[AnotherMuggle]

Originally Posted by glc Dave, Tom is in the UK and can't use Newegg. Tom, I would get 1.5 volt ram, DDR3-1333 is all you need. The Green drives are not recommended for RAID. Use Blue or Black. You are really adding expense to this build by specifying RAID, a H55 build will be considerably cheaper. I'd recommend a single drive H55 build and an external backup solution. That power supply is MAJOR overkill - and XFX is a questionable brand.

glc thanks for responding. You have helped me a number of times in the past and I trust your advise!

RAID is something that has appealed to me for quite some time but I've never gotten around to implementing it. My current system uses an external hard drive but I find it a chore and so don't backup as regularly as I should. I have lots of photographs, for example, that I'd be so sorry to lose.

Are you able to offer advise on a power supply that is not overkill but offers good quality and headroom if I were to add additional components in the future? I've done some reading but it's difficult to get accurate information on wattage, amps and quality of the supplies. I chose the XFX based on an article in this months Custom PC magazine (they loved the 750W version).

Thanks again,
Tom

[glc]

Do you ever anticipate installing a video card? If so, how powerful?

All RAID 1 protects you from is a physical hard drive failure. If you get file system corruption, accidentally delete files, or malware eats it up, BOTH drives will be in the same boat. Manual backups are really a lot better, and you can somewhat automate the process for less hassles.

EDIT: Which UK vendor are you using?

[AnotherMuggle]

Originally Posted by glc Do you ever anticipate installing a video card? If so, how powerful? All RAID 1 protects you from is a physical hard drive failure. If you get file system corruption, accidentally delete files, or malware eats it up, BOTH drives will be in the same boat. Manual backups are really a lot better, and you can somewhat automate the process for less hassles.

I "think" basic graphics is all I need, but its hard to get an idea of what kind of performance these give.

I certainly won't be gaming on the machine but I am spending some time programming DirectX applications so there's potential that I may require a dedicated card in the future. Even then it would likely be a middle of the road card...

[glc]

Bump for my edit.

[Khalil]

Intel motherboards are made by Foxconn, Intel has awesome support however because the motherboard is made by Foxconn it leaves little to be desired.
If you want a stable motherboard with the least amount of hassle go with an Asus.
Gigabyte makes great motherboard, problem is their support can be hit or miss, sometimes you can get great support other times its a nightmare dealing with them however I have no idea how their support is like in the UK.

[AnotherMuggle]

glc - I have priced the system up with a few sites and get similar pricing from each. My order of preference would usually go like this, based on past experience:

• eBuyer
• Overclockers UK
• Scan

Khalil - Thanks for clarifying. It seems Asus is almost always the manufacturer recommended by enthusiasts.

[glc]

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150985
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/114929

[AnotherMuggle]

These are the components I now feel confident on:

• intel Core i3 530 2.93GHz Socket 1156 4MB L3 Retail Box Processor
• Western Digital WD5001AALS 500GB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 32MB Cache - OEM Caviar Black
• Corsair 400W CX PSU - 12cm Fan 80Plus Certified Efficiency 6x SATA 1x PCI-E
• Coolermaster Elite 330 Black Mid Tower Case - No PSU

All that I am left wondering about are the motherboard and 4GB of appropriate ram. If I were to scrap the idea of a RAID and go with a H55 chipset...which boards are currently being recommended? Presumably Asus, preferably with DVI connection.

Thanks.
Tom

[AnotherMuggle]

This is what I have now, from Scan.co.uk, totalling under £400:

• Coolermaster Elite 335 Black Mini Tower Case with Rear 120mm Fan w/o PSU
• 500 GB Western Digital WD5001AALS Caviar Black, SATA 3Gb/s, 7200rpm, 32MB Cache, 8.9 ms
• 400W Corsair CMPSU-400CXUK Power Series PSU, ATX, PS/2, UK Version 3 year warranty
• 4GB (2x2GB) Corsair XMS3 Classic, DDR3 PC3-10666 (1333) Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 9-9-9-24, 1.50V
• 2m Scan HDMI to DVI-D Male Cable (v1.3) Gold Plated Male to Male (CDLDV-302)
• Intel Core i3 530 Dual Core Clarkdale 32nm, 2.93GHz, 4MB Cache, 73W, Integrated GPU @ 733MHz, Retail
• Asus P7H55-M, Intel H55 Express, 1156, PCI-E 2.0 (x16), DDR3 2200(OC), SATA 3Gb/s, mATX, OnBoard VGA

I'm hoping the HDMI to DVI converter will be OK for connecting to my DVI only Samsung monitor..

[glc]

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Asus-...TX-OnBoard-VGA

5 quid more and it has native DVI.

[AnotherMuggle]

Originally Posted by glc http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Asus-...TX-OnBoard-VGA 5 quid more and it has native DVI.

Yes, I found that one, but couldn't find it on the Asus site which kinda put me off

[AnotherMuggle]

I am trying to make sure I buy memory from the QVL for the motherboard.

Does anyone know if I am right to assume these are the same modules?:

QVL = "TW3X4G1333C9A G"
scan.co.uk = "TW3X4G1333C9A"

Cheers,
Tom

[glc]

Close enough!

[AnotherMuggle]

All items purchased and set up

Only "issue"? I have noticed is that the BIOS and Asus Probe II both report that the chassis fan is running too slowly (590ish rpm).

If I disable q-fan it picks up to around 1200 rpm and stops warning. Is it normal that the chassis fan is slowed down to the point that the software warns about it?

Edit: I also couldn't find a connection on the motherboard (P7H55-M SI - as suggested by glc) for the internal speaker.

[glc]

It may have a built-in piezo speaker. Does the motherboard manual address this?

Asus Probe can be reset to a different fan warning threshold.

[AnotherMuggle]

Originally Posted by glc It may have a built-in piezo speaker. Does the motherboard manual address this? Asus Probe can be reset to a different fan warning threshold.

I can't see anything in the manual, paper or electronic version.

Asus Probe seems to want 600rpm to be the lowest possible value.

[glc]

Then I'd disable the monitoring on that fan, or turn off Qfan.

If the mobo manual doesn't show a header for a speaker connector, then it almost has to have a piezo.

[AnotherMuggle]

Originally Posted by glc Then I'd disable the monitoring on that fan, or turn off Qfan. If the mobo manual doesn't show a header for a speaker connector, then it almost has to have a piezo.

I am going to disable Qfan when I get in this evening, the fan wasn't noticeably louder when I disabled it it to test.

I will also make the internal speaker beep to see if I can hear anything without the speaker cable connected.

I bought the WD Black drive mentioned above and it seems quite noisy. Idling it is barely audible but any activity makes a significant rumbling noise. I'm not complaining, just a little surprised, so need convincing that's just the way these drives are.

Cheers,
Tom

Edit: Qfan is now disabled for the chassis fan. Sorted!

I have tried a few methods of making the internal speaker beep:

cout << char( 0x07 ) << endl; in C++ and entering junk commands in dos window.

Interestingly the beeps I am used to hearing from the internal speaker come from the pc speakers. Maybe Asus have configured the board to play the beeps through these speakers instead of an internal one?

[glc]

That's very possible, and there may be a bios setting to enable/disable that.

[AnotherMuggle]

Originally Posted by glc That's very possible, and there may be a bios setting to enable/disable that.

OK, thanks.

Speaking of the BIOS, is it advisable to update to the latest version even if I am having no issues?

Asus UPDATE is not showing any versions higher than that which is installed, but the Asus website is offering 5 more recent versions.

[glc]

It won't hurt, and using EZ-Flash 2 is a very safe way to do it. I do NOT like using an online flash at ALL. Unzip the rom file onto a USB flash key, shut the computer off, insert the key, power it up, press Alt+F2, and go to town. Just don't bother with a beta bios.