First Time Building.

[jamaza]

Hello guys, im new to this forum and new to building computers, infact this is going to be my first time, so far i have decided to go with this setup and i would like to ask your opinion on it.

CPU: Intel Core i5 760 quad core 2.80 GHz
Motherboard: Asus Maximus III Formula
RAM: Corsair 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600MHz
Power: CORSAIR TX 750W Power Supply
HDD: Spinpoint F3 1TB
Disk Drive: Samsung 22x DVD-RW IDE Drive
Graphics: HD 6850
Case: HAF 922 Computer Case

The computer is intended for use of games, i would like to know if the setup looks descent for you guys and is there anything i should change, also the new Intel's Sandy Bridge platform is coming out in a month and i would like to know if it's worth waiting for it, i mean is the CPU i choose sufficient for current games.

Thanks
Tomas

[Nuclear Krusader]

You don't want a Samsung HDD, or a Samsung optical drive for that matter.

Change your HDD to a Western Digital Black, and the optical drive to an ASUS.

[jamaza]

thanks for the suggestion, i will change the optical drive to asus, altough i was recommended Spinpoint F3 1TB over WD 640gb because spinpoint f3 is faster because of the way it's built or something. Is there anything you would recommend changing in the other parts, or do they seem descent for current gaming and possibly future.

[Nuclear Krusader]

Samsung drives are not reliable. They make excellent memory, but their hard drives are abysmal. When it comes to a hard drive, you have to take reliability over speed, for data is the most important "component" of a computer.

[jamaza]

ok thanks, i would like to ask a question, on my CPU description i found this: 2 channels of DDR3 1333 MHz memory. The RAM i was thinking of getting are DDR3 1600 MHz so is it ok if i use 1600 which is more, and is there a point using 1600 over 1333 MHz. Thanks

[Nikon]

although you wont see and increase in performance by having faster memory, you can use it w/o any problems. as long as it's on the QVL you will be fine. memory over 1333 is really only useful for overclockers at this point in time. standard 1.5v 1333 is what you need.

[jamaza]

ok thanks, any other suggestions regarding other parts?

[Jbc223456]

Make the optical drive SATA capable.. The one I saw listed was IDE.

[jamaza]

ye i will change that, also do you guys think it's a good investment into that mother board, on newegg its $190 but here in uk its £190 cheapest, which is around $300, i have no idea why it's such a high difference, would you suggest buying it or getting a different one?

[Jbc223456]

I'm not sure on the price differences, but if that Maximus is too expensive, you could also look at the ASUS P7P55D Deluxe (or -E or -E Pro). I have the ASUS P7P55D-E motherboard and it's more than adequate.

[glc]

Who is your preferred UK vendor?

[jamaza]

My vendor is Overclock.co.uk - Computer Hardware for Overclockers someone recommended this site from other forum, i dont really know any others since im new to building, maybe you have any suggestions?

Thanks

[jamaza]

Current Parts:

CPU: Intel Core i5 760 quad core 2.80 GHz
Motherboard: Asus Maximus III Formula
RAM: Corsair 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600MHz
Power: CORSAIR TX 750W Power Supply
HDD: Spinpoint F3 1TB
Disk Drive: Sony Optiarc 24x DVD+/-RW 12x Dual Layer SATA Black
Graphics: HD 6850
Case: HAF 922 Computer Case

I still have around £80 to spend, could anyone suggest getting something extra/different and im thinking of either upgrading HD 6850 to 6870 or intel i5 760 to i7 860, which would be better for gaming performance, i think graphics card since i5 quad core is enough unless you heavily multi task which would then mean i7 hyper threading is better.

Thanks

[Jbc223456]

I've heard that Komplett is also a very good UK vendor as well. I have a friend who used them and was very pleased with the service.

Instead of the Samsung HDD, I'd try to look for a Western Digital HDD. The I5-760 is more than enough processing power for anything. I have the same processor and it smokes the Pentium Dual-Core I upgraded from. If it's mainly for gaming, go for a 6870 is the budget permits.

[jamaza]

Thanks for advise, il go along with 6870 then, as for HDD i've been told to change to western digital but is there any particular reason?
P.S Komplett is closed for uk
Thanks

[Jbc223456]

Western Digital HDDs are more reliable and stable than Samsung drives. Reliability is what you want to look for in a HDD. It would be very upsetting to store all your important files, pictures, and music to have it disappear in a year due to a failed hard drive.

[jamaza]

Hey there, so with the help of this forum and few others i have decided what my final build will be like, i have created a word document with all the component, prices, warranty time and direct links to parts. I have excluded optical drive because i own one.

This PC is my 17th Birthday and Christmas present from parents, i intend to use the computer for gaming and ofcourse for casual use. If you have any last minute suggestions please say.

Final Cost:
£644.14 (Exc VAT) $1016.16
£757.00 (Inc VAT) $1194.21

P.S I dont have to pay VAT

Thanks

[Nikon]

CPU: Intel Core i5 760 quad core 2.80 GHz £115.99 3 Years Warranty
Motherboard: Asus Maximus III Formula £150.21 3 Years Warranty
RAM: Corsair 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600MHz £36.29 Life time Warranty
Power: CORSAIR TX 750W Power Supply £70.00 5 Year Warranty
HDD: WD Caviar Black 1 TB £54.50 5 Year Warranty
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 6870 1024mb £152.15 3 Year Warranty
Case: HAF 922 Computer Case £65.00 1 Year Warranty

pasted for ease of use, all of these are from LambdaTek

good choices all around. the maximus III might be a little overkill, are you intending to overclock (OC)?

gigabyte is a good manufacturer, but asus is our (PCMech) preferred choice, unless glc or other staff says otherwise.

dont forget an optical drive.
other than that looks good to me.

[quartet-man]

Not only Western Digital, but go for the black version. It has the best warranty, and is best in quality. Blues would come in second and greens last. Some use one of the latter two for enclosures, which is probably okay as they aren't used or accessed as frequently.

[jamaza]

I dont intend to OC CPU just yet, after my single core 3GHz CPU computer this will feel like a monster, but im gona buy maximus for future OC. I already own an optical drive so theres no need for it, and is there any difference between the gigabyte and asus same graphics card? the costs can vary to around £40 depending on the make, XFX is the most expensive ones going as i've seen.

[matt99881]

Maybe it's just me but $240-ish is a bit much for the motherboard. If I were you I would drop that price down a bit and focus on the video card. I have an $80 MOBO and I have no issues when OC'ing my CPU.

And depending on the company, yes sometimes there actually is a significant difference in performance. Check the clocks on the cards from both companies and then you can decide which one you think is worth it. Or, you could just buy a card based on the company you like better and have had a good experience with. I have an XFX 5770 and an XFX 5850 and I have never had any issue, so I would recommend XFX, however I realize that they were strongly not recommended in this thread.

[jamaza]

I know im spending a bit much for that mobo, but i think it's wourth it, it has excellent sound card included in it and supports quad sli/cross fire which maybe will come in handy later on, also the OC process is simplified and has over clocking protection which is very useful in my case, so im sticking with the mobo. as for the graphics card, i will go fos asus, just because they're exactly the same price and highly recommended in that thread you gave.
Thanks for advise.

[glc]

Threads merged - please do not start new threads for the same build. Thank you.

You can save some with this motherboard:

P7P55D-E PRO Asus P7P55D-E Motherboard PROLGA11564DDR3(Dual Channel)16G

[jamaza]

Sorry about the double thread i read some reviews of both cards, they both seem to be excellent tho maximus is £40 more, but because it looks so great, easy OC and has ROG connection therefor im gona go for it.
Thanks

[jamaza]

Could anyone suggest which operating system to go for with my setup, windows 7 32bit or 64 bit? which one is faster and whats the difference between them?

[David M]

Same speed. The difference is that a 64 bit OS can utilize more than 4 gigs of RAM. People are not really finding so much anymore that their 64 bit OS cannot run 32 bit software. There are also plenty of 64 bit drivers out there.

If your board will natively run 1600 RAM and it's less expensive than the same 1333 RAM, then get it.

[matt99881]

I would recommend getting the 64-bit version. In a 32-bit operating system, memory addresses are 32 bits in length, limiting the total number of unique addresses available to around 4 billion—effectively capping the total amount of memory your system can use at one time to 4GB. With 64 bit addresses, an operating system could theoretically use up to 16.8 million terabytes of RAM. Now, you’re obviously not going to have access to that kind of hardware for quite a while, but it does mean you’re actually going to be able to take advantage of today’s dirt-cheap memory prices. However, some cons to a 64-bit OS are:
-You need at least 4GB of memory
-Most 32-bit applications work in 64-bit, but some old drivers are not compatible with the 64-bit version. For example, your 7 year old printer may not work as well as it used to...
However, keep in consideration that a 64-bit OS is excellent at programs such as Photoshop, video editing, 3d modeling, and even Crysis is utilizing the awesomeness of 64-bit.

[Nuclear Krusader]

No!

You don't need at least 4 GB in RAM to run a 64-bit OS. It can run with less.

[jamaza]

i think il stick with the 32bit, as im only using 4GB which is plenty for games at the moment, also is corsair TX 750w a bit of over kill for my system?

[Nuclear Krusader]

I'd advise thinking ahead and going with the 64-bit version. Note that a 32-bit version will only see about 3 GB of the 4 GB you're going to put in. Kind of a waste.