Someone with experience want to help me buy components for a new build?

[Donjonson]

Old faithful is getting fairly creaky at this stage, so it's time for an upgrade!

If I can use my old case I will (It's this http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/wi...n-30/100423605) and I reckon I'll probably use the hard drive and dvd aswell.

So I need a new motherboard, processor, ram and graphics card and if my psu isn't up to scratch I'll get one- it's one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CR-WINPOWE...#ht_3911wt_905
Maybe a bit too crappy?

I reckon I'm budgeting at around €500 to €600.. I haven't done this in a LONG time, I really need some help and suggestions!

I've been looking here http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/site/KomplettHome.aspx, maybe there's a cheaper Euro site with free postage though?

[Kamikaze-X]

what kind of hard disk do you have? If its an old IDE disk i wouldnt bother.

In regards to the power supply, take off and nuke it from orbit, its the only way to be sure (in other words, get rid of it.).

[Feldspar]

So, Intel i2400 or i2500k if you want to overclock, compatible motherboard, 8gb memory, whichever mid-range graphics card (depending on any manufacturer loyalties) strikes your fancy, new hard drive (yeah you have one, but use that as a second drive and get something with a newer SATA interface)? 600 watts sounds enough, but replacing it might save heartache in the long run, at least clean it up.

[Mistabashi]

Yeah, get rid of that PSU, not only is it terrible quality it also lacks the necessary connectors for a modern system (no PCI-E power connectors, only 4-pin CPU power).

[Donjonson]

I'm using 2 adaptors to power a PCI-E card at the moment but yeah, maybe I'll get a new psu :p Nuke from orbit it is.

Not too interested in overclocking, disk drive is SATA, though a miniscule one- usually don't have a lot on it so it'll probably do the job.

How does this look?
What should I spend more/less on? Like, should I get a cheaper MB and a more expensive graphics card or processor?

Intel Core i5 2400 3.1GHz 6MB S1155
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...5/details.aspx

ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M - Socket 1155 - Micro-ATX
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...x/details.aspx

MSI GeForce N560GTX-Ti Twin FrozrII/OC -1GB -PCI-E
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...e/details.aspx

Corsair Vengeance - 8GB 1600MHz PC3-12800
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...0/details.aspx

Corsair - Builder CX600 V2 - 600 Watt
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...t/details.aspx

[Kamikaze-X]

the processor is great. i have the 2400, and it hasnt missed a trick. I was going to go 2500K but in all honesty, im bored of OCing now.

you might want to consider getting a 6870, which is a bit cheaper, but still very capable for gaming. you can use the cash towards something like a small SSD as a boot disk, which is a game changer when it comes to how you use your computer.

[Donjonson]

the processor is great. i have the 2400, and it hasnt missed a trick. I was going to go 2500K but in all honesty, im bored of OCing now.

you might want to consider getting a 6870, which is a bit cheaper, but still very capable for gaming. you can use the cash towards something like a small SSD as a boot disk, which is a game changer when it comes to how you use your computer.

Was thinking about an SSD alright, but would it actually be worth it to go for a cheaper card and get even a 60GB SSD? Seems fairly pitiful.

[Kamikaze-X]

Was thinking about an SSD alright, but would it actually be worth it to go for a cheaper card and get even a 60GB SSD? Seems fairly pitiful.

I'm not exaggerating here, a pc with an SSD changes the way you use a computer, for the better.

I personally have a 60GB ssd, with a large HDD for storage. OS goes on the SSD, and you have a pc that is from a cold boot to a usable desktop in 15-20 seconds.

It is definitely worth it.

[kalelovil]

Intel Core i5 3450 3.1GHz 6MB S1155
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...5/details.aspx

Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...x/details.aspx

Asus Radeon HD7850 2GB
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...e/details.aspx

Corsair Vengeance - 8GB 1600MHz PC3-12800
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...0/details.aspx

Corsair - Builder CX600 V2 - 600 Watt
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...t/details.aspx

[Donjonson]

I'm not exaggerating here, a pc with an SSD changes the way you use a computer, for the better.

I personally have a 60GB ssd, with a large HDD for storage. OS goes on the SSD, and you have a pc that is from a cold boot to a usable desktop in 15-20 seconds.

It is definitely worth it.

Ok, taking SSD under serious consideration, cheers!

Intel Core i5 3450 3.1GHz 6MB S1155
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...5/details.aspx

Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...x/details.aspx

Asus Radeon HD7850 2GB
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...e/details.aspx

Corsair Vengeance - 8GB 1600MHz PC3-12800
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...0/details.aspx

Corsair - Builder CX600 V2 - 600 Watt
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...t/details.aspx

Getting a bit more over-budget with these, why choose the Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H and Intel Core i5 3450 3.1GHz 6MB S1155 over the others? Cheaper MB and slightly better processor? Would it make a big difference? I'm experiencing problems with my current cheap MB, don't want it happening again....

[kalelovil]

Getting a bit more over-budget with these, why choose the Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H and Intel Core i5 3450 3.1GHz 6MB S1155 over the others? Cheaper MB and slightly better processor? Would it make a big difference? I'm experiencing problems with my current cheap MB, don't want it happening again....

In my own experience, and that of other gamers I know, Gigabyte motherboards have been the most reliable brand of motherboards.

ASRock used to be a budget motherboard maker, although they have been moving upmarket in the past few years.


The new Ivy-Bridge CPUs such as the i5-3450 are slightly faster than their same clockspeed Sandy Bridge predecessors and consume a fair amount less power. They are also more future proof with support for PCI-E 3.0. The lower power consumption will pay for the small difference in retail price within a year or less.

[Kamikaze-X]

they do run hotter however, and arent that much of an increase speed wise over the 2XXX series.

[Donjonson]

Intel Core i5 3450 3.1GHz 6MB S1155
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...5/details.aspx

Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...x/details.aspx

Asus Radeon HD7850 2GB
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...e/details.aspx

Corsair Vengeance - 8GB 1600MHz PC3-12800
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...0/details.aspx

Corsair - Builder CX600 V2 - 600 Watt
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...t/details.aspx

I'm not exaggerating here, a pc with an SSD changes the way you use a computer, for the better.

I personally have a 60GB ssd, with a large HDD for storage. OS goes on the SSD, and you have a pc that is from a cold boot to a usable desktop in 15-20 seconds.

It is definitely worth it.

Thanks guys, gonna order today.. Pretty much going with kalelovils choices and an SSD as suggested by Kamikaze-X, thanks Feldspar and Mistabashi for advice on PSU!

Can't wait to stick this stuff together!

Should I get thermal paste for the CPU fan?

Also- I presume the case I've got will be ok? One of these http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/t322059.html

[Mistabashi]

That case should work fine, although I would say you might want to consider replacing it for something a bit better quality with decent cable routing and dust filters on the intakes (I can't stress enough how useful these are for keeping your cooling running optimally).

Also, if you're getting an SSD be very careful about which one you choose - reliability is far more important than performance here (the Intel 330 series is a solid bet).

[Donjonson]

That case should work fine, although I would say you might want to consider replacing it for something a bit better quality with decent cable routing and dust filters on the intakes (I can't stress enough how useful these are for keeping your cooling running optimally).

Also, if you're getting an SSD be very careful about which one you choose - reliability is far more important than performance here (the Intel 330 series is a solid bet).

I was thinking about the 60GB Intel one from here http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/cata...d/default.aspx
although there are a few cheaper 60GB drives
The inside of of this case tends to get dusty alright but I don't mind cleaning every so often :) Maybe I could get some dust filters anyways

[sinomatic]

Question from an SSD noob: Is cutting (up to) a minute or so off the boot time worth the extra expense of an SSD on this sort of budget? I'd presume if everything were on the SSD too then the system would be all speedy for general use, but as all the files you're accessing are on the slower hard drive, isn't a lot of that advantage undermined/cancelled out?

It's probably a stupid question, but I'm genuinely interested. I only know one person with an SSD and they hate it with a passion (I imagine they got one of the less reliable ones).

[Mistabashi]

Question from an SSD noob: Is cutting (up to) a minute or so off the boot time worth the extra expense of an SSD on this sort of budget? I'd presume if everything were on the SSD too then the system would be all speedy for general use, but as all the files you're accessing are on the slower hard drive, isn't a lot of that advantage undermined/cancelled out?

It's probably a stupid question, but I'm genuinely interested. I only know one person with an SSD and they hate it with a passion (I imagine they got one of the less reliable ones).

Personally I don't find the quicker boot times to be much of a benefit, you can just use sleep/hibernate instead of shutting down fully an dthat only takes a few seconds to wake up. I think the reason people bang on about it so much is because it's one of the few easily measureable ways that you can tell your SSD is actually an improvement. That's not to say SSDs are useless, it's just that the performance imrpovements are often rather hard to put your finger on, it definitely helps with the general responsiveness of Windows, and loading times of any programs you install to it, and things like caching for Photoshop etc. It's great for noise levels too.

It's definitely still a luxury item, with prices what they are, so if your budget is tight I would honestly say you'd be better off putting your money into other parts, but if you don't mind splashing out a bit then I'd definitely recommend one. Reliability is the most important factor though, one of the most popular brands seems to be OCZ but the failure rates on their Agility & vertex drives have been horrific. Stick with Intel Crucial or Samsung and you can't go too far wrong though (I've got a 128GB Crucial M4 myself, but the newer Intel 330 series is probably a better buy now, depending on price).

[sinomatic]

That's what I thought, thanks. I think I'll be giving them a wide berth until they are a lot cheaper and a tad more stable.