Hello, need help with my first build

[Meeneemee]

I've been contemplating building my own computer (gaming) for awhile now, and recently started researching the parts. I've spent a few days reading, and so far, I've got (prices thereabouts in AUSD):

Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V Pro ($255) or MSI Z68A-GD80 ($280)
Processor: Intel i5 2500k ($210)
GPU: MSI GTX 560 Ti Twin Frozr II OC ($255)
PSU: Enermax Modu87 Plus 600 Watt PSU ($155)
Ram: G.Skill Sniper 8GB CL7 DDR3 ($150)
Hardrive: OCZ Agility 3 SATA III 2.5" SSD 60gb ($155) and Seagate Barracuda XT ST32000641AS 2TB ($189)
Case: CoolerMaster Storm Enforcer ($115)

Optical drives, I'm not too worried about. I'm thinking of getting the parts as a bundle, and add in whatever drive the shop would offer.

Sound card, I think the motherboards got decent in-built ones. Do they? I'm happy to pay for $50 or so for a seperate sound card that's better than the motherboard, but I can't find much information on them (the sound cards).

Mouse, keyboard, monitor and speakers (5.1), I've got. Although I might get a LED monitor, cos I'm using sony bravia 20" TV at the moment. Fans, I think the ones that come with the chassis will suffice?

With the motherboards, I'm undecided. They both have USB3.0 and SATA6gb/s, which I'm looking for. MSI is "military" grade, which appeals to me; although I'm not sure if that's worth $30. What's the main difference between the two?

Also, I've read something about SSD caching with intel chips/motherboards. One company sells a cable that you can attach to your SSD, HDD and PSU, which connects the former two, giving faster, bigger storage. I was wondering if, with my build, the i5 2500k can do that without me having to buy the cable?

One last question, just to make sure, the parts will fit together, right? I've made sure the dimensions, slots etc. fit, although, being a novice, I might've overlooked something.

Any advice is welcome, and needed.
Thanks for you time .

(I've read the faqs; I didn't see anything regarding links. If there's a rule I've broken, I apologize, I'm unaware of it (or was) and won't do it again.)

[glc]

It's all acceptable, but I'd personally change some stuff.

1. I prefer Asus boards to MSI, but supposedly the new MSI boards are now top quality. This applies to both the motherboard and the video card. Another excellent brand of Nvidia cards is EVGA, and some of them have a lifetime warranty if you register them within 30 days of purchase.

2. Enermax has historically made very good PSU's, but I'm more partial to Seasonic and Corsair.

3. G.skill ram reviews very well, but they have had quality and compatibility issues. I prefer Corsair, Crucial, Kingston, or A-Data. If you aren't going to be heavily overclocking, you will have the best reliability and stability from 1.5 volt ram and you don't need really fast ram with tight timings. The best 1.5 volt 1600 speed ram in my opinion is Corsair Vengeance - the only downside is cheesy heatsinks that are somewhat fragile and have clearance issues with large aftermarket CPU coolers.

4. The only SATA 6.0 SSD's I trust are the Intel 510's (expensive), and I prefer Western Digital Black hard drives. See below.

Opticals - any brand except Samsung should be fine.

Sound card - probably not necessary, but you can always add one later if you feel you do need one.

SSD caching: The best performance comes from separate drives - a 80gb or larger SSD for the OS. Caching only needs a 40gb drive (maximum cache is 64gb), so the advantage is really only one of cost. No separate cable required, the Z68 chipset has native support.

[Meeneemee]

HI, thanks for the reply

I've chosen MSI for the gpu because on the reviews I've read, MSI has the lowest wattage used and temperature compared to EVGA, Gigabyte and Asus. Although, it's at the bottom bracket (compared to the 3 listed) in terms of performance. But I'm happy with that. I might go SLI later with two MSI 560 ti's. EVGA trumped the others in terms of performance (Gigabyte was close) but it used more power.

I guess I'll use the MSI board (if you guys haven't heard anything bad about it?) because of it's military class components.

I went with Enermax PSU because I've read reviews on it. I haven't seen any recent (Jan 2011 onwards) reviews of the other company's PSU's. So I went with the one that's been tested.

I've read a post (on this site) about G.SKill reliability and compatibility issues, but the post was dated a few years ago(?). What's the main issues with G.SKill?
I am planning on OC-ing, but later, depending on whether or not the games I play is demanding. I'll check the other Ram makers you've listed.

For the SSD's, I went with OCZ because of how fast it is. I'll check the Intel ones though. As for Western Digital, I've had a bad experience with an external drive I bought, so I'm wary of them...

So the motherboard does the SSD caching thing. Sweet.

Thanks again

[David M]

The problem with reviewers versus professional builders is that reviewers have no real word experience with what is reliable and what is not. Professional builders like glc and khalil who have thousands of builds under their belts know of the returns and have first hand knowledge of what is good and what is crap.

I highly recommend that you read these links before buying what may turn out to be junk.
Look here for Khalil's guide to the best computer hardware brands.
What Power Supply should I get? How many Watts? Who made it? Guide Inside.

[glc]

Our reviews do not consider performance - just stability and reliability.

[Meeneemee]

Ah, ok. I understand; makes sense to go for stability and reliability.
The reviews do only test it for a few hours, or a few days at the least. I'll go with you guys' years of experience (although, being the internet, I can't trust much, but I give the benefit of the doubt).

I've had a look at the RAM manufacturers and I have a few questions:

• Speed - How much of a difference is there between 1300MHz and 1600MHz? Is it noticeable?
• Volts - what are they based on? Volts/period or V/data?
• Will I need 4gb for high-end gaming and some low-ish image editing stuff, or 8gb?

I was going to post a question about latency, but I've found out. So that extra 2 or so latency isn't going to make a whole lot difference for me

Ok... So i've narrowed the RAM sticks to two - kingston KHX1600C9D3LK2/4GX 1600MHz OR Corsair Vengeance™ — 8GB Dual Channel DDR3. I would prefer the Kingston, as they got a lower voltage, but I don't know how much of a difference it would make. The Kingston is also $30 cheaper, so... BUT if the 8gb is what I need, I'll get that instead. Corsair's site had a "mini" version of vengeance, but I don't think I'll need it. I'll just buy it once (if) I need the clearance, for SLI later on.

Reading through Khalil's posts, MSI (for GPU and Motherboard) is on the purple list? I guess I'll go for the Asus motherboard, if it's had a good history. What's the recent happenings on MSI (from you guys, or from others)?

As for the GPU, I've changed my mind to a Asus EAH6870 DC/2DI2S/1GD5. Cheaper than 560 ti and about the same (I think); plus there seems to be problems with the MSI 560 Ti. I'm not sure about the "shaders" on the nvidia card (I don't know what it means); does AMD have something similar?
I was trying to find a HIS 6870, but in australia, I can't find one. Oh well, maybe later they'll sell it here.

For SSD's, how much should I be worrying at how fast they are? OCZ lists their speeds, but I can't find info on the intel SSD. But if speed isn't an issue, or at least there isn't a huge difference, I'll go for the intel one.
Costs about $100 more though....

If Enermax has had a good history, I'll stick to them

Thanks for the reply again.

[glc]

The best ram match for Sandy Bridge is 1.5 volt. 1333 is fine for running stock, 1600 if you plan on overclocking. If you can afford it and will be running a 64 bit OS, go for 8gb.

Actually, although I prefer Asus, I can't really complain too much about Gigabyte and MSI. I would consider those the "top 3".

Before you order the Enermax, see if you can get a Corsair TX 650, and how much it is. That's a unit I'm 100% confident with.

[David M]

Originally Posted by Meeneemee I'll go with you guys' years of experience (although, being the internet, I can't trust much, but I give the benefit of the doubt).

The mods are all the real thing. I have been around long enough to know.