First Build

[keirat]

Hi all,

I've recently started researching a new desktop build, which will be not only my first build but also my first desktop of any kind for 8 years. So the information on these forums has been incredibly useful, and now I'm looking for some more specific advice as I start to purchase components. As I'm completely new to this, please bear with me.

First, a basic summary of the system I'm planning:

CPU: i5-2500k [~$230] with CM Hyper 212+ HSF [<$30]
MB: ASUS P8P67 [~$190] Pro OR ASRock P67 Extreme 4 [price unclear] (both B3, obviously)
VGA: GTX 560 Ti [~$250]
RAM: 2x4GB G.Skill Ripjaws 1600 (F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL) [$75, purchased]
HD: ~120GB SSD such as OCZ Vertex 2 [<$250]
PSU: Corsair HX850 [~$170] or AX850 [~$190]
Case: Antec 300 or NZXT Beta Evo [both ~$45] with additional case fans [~$25]
Optical Drive: no preference; any DVD+/-RW around $25 or less
OS: Windows 7 64-bit home premium [~$100] or professional [~$130] system builder

That sets my budget at approximately $1400, but I'm buying components with an eye out for discounts, so I'm thinking of $1400 as my ceiling before peripherals. Obviously, I'd like to spend less than that, especially if the expected performance and longevity of the system won't be hindered too seriously, so I'm willing to consider radical changes.

I will be initially using the system primarily for gaming (single monitor likely at 1900x1080 or 1900x1200) and watching video/video streams, and not for daily work (which I do on my laptop), but future use could change. Of course any general advice on the build and its overall balance (problems, potential bottlenecks, components that seem like an unnecessary expense) would be appreciated, but I also have some specific concerns.

Motherboard: Assuming the ASRock board costs $20 less than the Asus, is it a good alternative? How is ASRock's support/RMA compared to Asus? Are there any decent (and cheaper) P67 alternatives with comparable features (SLI/Crossfire support at 8x/8x, etc.) that I should be aware of?

GPU: I think the 560 is a good choice for me, but which manufacturer should I go with in that price range of $250? Should I go for factory overclocking (such as the EVGA SC version) or not? Specifically, I've looked at the MSI and EVGA versions of this card - any advice?

PSU: I want a solid, reliable unit with some modular capability (hence HX or AX) and the potential to support SLI on the system in the future (hence the 850w). Everybody seems to endorse the Corsair models, but are there cheaper alternatives of the same quality as Corsair HX, or do I pretty much get what I pay for?

HD: I've read a little on the SSD/HDD debate and am pretty much sold on SSDs. What I'd like to know is whether the performance gain - given my system - from the new/upcoming SATA-III SSDs (such as OCZ Vertex 3) would be noticeable enough to warrant waiting for them.

A second HD question: 120GB drives give me around 100GB usable space, and the OS will take up anywhere from 10-20GB according to varying accounts I've seen. 80GB let for programs and everything else may not seem like a lot, but I'm going to use external HDDs to store media (video, music) that I won't usually need to access. Is my thinking right on this, or do I need to think about getting a larger SSD (or a secondary data HDD later on)?

OS: Home premium v. Pro, the only differences that seem relevant to me are maximum supported RAM (16GB v. more than the MB can handle) and expected support cutoffs (2015 v. 2020). Are these considerations worth the extra ~$30?

I think that's all for now. Thanks very much for reading through. I look forward to what you have to say.

[glc]

I would not build a system using ONLY a SSD. I personally would not use one, I'd get a Western Digital Caviar Black. 120gb does NOT go very far these days. You can always add a SSD later. All a SSD does is boot faster and load software faster, once the programs are loaded they don't run any faster.

Not only would I not use an Asrock board, I'd cough up the extra cash for an Asus Sabertooth P67. It will support 32gb ram when the 8gb modules come out, it has a very innovative cooling system, and a 5 year warranty.

I'd get either an Asus or EVGA card.

The HX is an excellent modular. The AX is even better, and I think it has a longer warranty.

Too bad you already bought G.skill memory - they have been having quality and compatibility issues. We recommend Corsair, Crucial, Kingston, or A-Data. The new Corsair Vengeance looks like a real good choice - it's 1.5 volt ram which makes for better stability.

[David M]

Since you are building a gaming rig...

You will soon fill up a SSD with games if you have no hard drive. Get a single large WD Black drive. Take the money you would have spent on a SSD and put it into your graphics card. SSD's load the game faster but they do not allow you to paly the game faster than a hard drive. Games do play faster with a faster graphics card. The speed of the graphics card is the most important factor for gaming by a very large factor.

Cut back to a 650 watt Corsair and put that money into a graphics card as well. A quality 650 watt power supply will power 98% of any single graphics cards out there including a 580 or a 6970.

[keirat]

Thanks for your reply. A couple of follow-ups, if I may?

Regarding the HD: Your point about 120gb being insufficient is well taken. Apart from that, is there a particular reason you personally wouldn't use an SSD (is it just a matter of cost/benefit or are there other issues)?

Thanks for the recommendation on Asus over Asrock. I assume here the issue is quality / customer support? And regarding sabertooth versus P8P67 Pro, I'll certainly keep that in mind; price comparison is difficult right now because of the still limited availability of rev 3. I assume you are aware, but both models are supposed to support 32GB RAM when that becomes possible. The 5 year warranty does appeal.

Finally, on the G.Skill memory, I hope I don't regret it but that particular model is listed on ASUS's memory QVL and is specified at 1.5V as well, so should that alleviate any concerns?

Thanks again!

[David M]

It's cost-benefit, storage space and the fact that too many people are reporting problems with SSD's. Even though solid state they still have failures and will not last forever because they have a finite number of read-writes.

If the memory is on the Asus QVL and it works then excellent. I would imagine you could always return it and exchange it if you are experiencing any problems.

You will probably never need 32 gigs or RAM or even 16 gigs of RAM if all you are doing is games and not editing any sort of media.

Asus is truly the most reliable brand and you don't necessarily need to pay more than the other brands. This info is from people who build computers for a living and have thousands of builds under their belts.

[glc]

There is a valid price comparison - the Sabertooth is about $30 more than the Pro. Newegg is out of both of them right now, but they were $189 and $219 when they were in stock.

[keirat]

A quick update and question. I went for the Asus P8P67 Pro because Fry's claimed to have it in stock and I've been a bit impatient with the rev 3.0 rollout. Hopefully I won't regret that somewhat rash decision to take it over the Sabertooth.

More pertinently, I am wondering with my setup and an EVGA GTX 570sc, whether this 650w PSU will be reliable/sufficient? There's a sale ending soon at newegg that brings its cost down to $105, and perhaps to $90 if the MIR works out.

David M already mentioned that 650w would be enough (for a single GPU) - does that take into account light overclocking on the CPU?

Newegg.com - CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-650HX 650W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Thanks again for your advice.

[glc]

That PSU will be more than sufficient in any single GPU machine, no matter whether you are overclocking or not.

[Nuclear Krusader]

Originally Posted by David M SSD's [...] have a finite number of read-writes.

This means that on a single-drive machine the SSD would die a prematurely death, for Windows would be using it for the swap file.

[quartet-man]

G.Skill was on the QVL for my system (in sig) too, but it caused a world of problems and expense. I had to return it and get the memory in my sig.