[luke27]

Okay college is finished, at least for now, and so i have a lot of time on my hands. Ive wanted to try my hand at building my own computer for years, mainly just so i can say 'i built that'. So with the holidays here i plan on making enough money to buy a good one . Im really not sure on what my budget will be as ive been told to expect in excess of £1000 however im sceptical. I would expect to spend a maximum of £700 on this build however i will not need an OS or a huge HDD for now since i already have an external 2tb and also i will be using my TV as a monitor. I have made an example build on CPP and here it is example build.

Things i could use help with are (and theres a lot since im brand new to this sorry):

Is this AMD processor good? ie in comparison to a intel core i5 2500 since these are both similarly priced and i have looked at buying both. Note that i have no current plans to overclock however its always an option in future i suppose, after i read up on it and learn all about it first .

Is this motherboard good? for the price. I made sure it was SLI capable for future upgrades as i heard that buying a single more powerful GPU is better than 2 moderate ones, is this true? if so then my plan is to buy the suggested and in future if needed, buy another identical one to use in tangent. This leads me to my next question, is my graphics card a good choice? I think the most demanding game i will play on it will be the command and conquer series, including the upcoming C&C Generals 2.

I think my RAM is okay but im open to suggestions.

I chose the HDD just as a place to keep my files untill i get more money together, yes i have my external drive but ideally id like to keep using it for my laptop, hence the cheap 1tb HDD. Also i think i would buy a SSD to install my windows 7 ultimate(not needed in budget since i already have) and other applications that i would often use, what size SSD do you think i should get? Also whats this thing where you can connect drives together to get them to run faster/have more storage space?

What PSU would be good for this build? Bearing in mind im keen to upgrade a few months down the line.

Im guessing the optical drive is okay? i will practically never use it, so as long as its usable i really dont care.

Is this a good case? Good airflow? cable management? also does it have removable dust filters? ive heard its good but i dont think it has the dust filters and id really like them since dust is a pain in my room, can anyone suggest a good case for me if this one isn't already a good one?

One final thing, liquid cooling, is it worth considering for me? Id love a silent computer, how loud would my current build idea be? and how much better/harder to install/more expensive is liquid cooling?

sorry for all the questions but thankyou if you read this far and are willing to help
all advice is massively appreciated, i will check back tomorrow to see any replies since its 5AM :/

thanks again

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luke27

Nice build for the budget so only a couple of points for you to consider

I would look to spend a little more on a case that has USB 3.0 ports (like your MB) also the Rosewill case does have dust filters but are they the removable/washable type?

The i5 2500k CPU is one of the best CPUs for a long time and the upgraded Ivy Bridge range is also highly rated, the high end AMD CPUs are also very good so often it is a matter of personal preference and/or budget.

Yes a 120-128GB is recommended for your OS a couple of suggestions http://www.dabs.com/...tm_content=TB00 or http://www.dabs.com/...tm_content=TB00

The present components would require a PSU with a Minimum of a 600W output rating (This does not include your external HDD).

I am not a fan of overclocking and so cannot comment too much only to mention that certain elements of it can void your CPU warranty.

Liquid cooling is high maintenance and if it leaks will cause serious damage and possible personal injury from electrocution.

You have a W7 ultimate disk is it the full retail type?

**To elaborate on the SSD capacity a little, 120GB will give you plenty of room for the many updates that you will need to install for years to come + run your favourite game from.

[phillpower2]

luke27

Nice build for the budget so only a couple of points for you to consider

I would look to spend a little more on a case that has USB 3.0 ports (like your MB) also the Rosewill case does have dust filters but are they the removable/washable type?

The i5 2500k CPU is one of the best CPUs for a long time and the upgraded Ivy Bridge range is also highly rated, the high end AMD CPUs are also very good so often it is a matter of personal preference and/or budget.

Yes a 120-128GB is recommended for your OS a couple of suggestions http://www.dabs.com/...tm_content=TB00 or http://www.dabs.com/...tm_content=TB00

The present components would require a PSU with a Minimum of a 600W output rating (This does not include your external HDD).

I am not a fan of overclocking and so cannot comment too much only to mention that certain elements of it can void your CPU warranty.

Liquid cooling is high maintenance and if it leaks will cause serious damage and possible personal injury from electrocution.

You have a W7 ultimate disk is it the full retail type?

**To elaborate on the SSD capacity a little, 120GB will give you plenty of room for the many updates that you will need to install for years to come + run your favourite game from.

[luke27]

thanks can you recommend any good cases with removable dust filters, built in fans, and usb ports on the top? i quite like the antec 900 case however i have no idea on the dust filters, not many cases mention this :/. Then again maybe theyre not as important as im thinking.

am i right in saying that the i5 2500k is only different from the i5 2500 in the fact it is easier to overclock? do you think the amd processor in my build is better? or equal? its cheaper so i still think ill stick to the amd.

im pretty certain ill buy an ssd so thanks for the suggestions whats best to look for in an ssd?

with the power supply do you recommend getting a 800w? Am i right in saying that a 800w will only supply as much power as is needed untill its needed? also do you have any suggestions on a good power supply? this is another area i have no idea on whats good and whats not seems to be a lot of those areas :/

i think ill stick away from liquid cooling and overclocking... at least for now

one last thing, whats wrong with this motherboard? cheap one to me it seems just as good but the price leads me to believe somethings wrong with it :/

thanks for the help

[luke27]

hows this build? better than the original? new build with ssd still wondering which case to get. With the ssd im planning on using it untill i get some more money and then buy a bigger hdd to use aswell as

[phillpower2]

Yes a good build at present but prices drop and new products are released all the time so you may still wish to amend your list up until you are ready to purchase.

Sorry but I am struggling to find an inexpensive case that has both USB 3.0 and removable/washable dust filters, you may need to decide which you would prefer http://www.overclock...rodid=CA-165-AN best I can find at present.

In my post #2 I asked;

You have a W7 ultimate disk is it the full retail type?

What is the answer please.

The reason that I ask is to ensure that you are aware of the limitations of licensed software such as Windows operating systems, please see below:

Just a cautionary note, unless your OS disk is the full retail edition you cannot use it with a new MB as an OEM disk is tied to the original MB it was paired with, to use an OEM disk with a new MB is software piracy and therefore illegal.
Exceptions to the above are 1: If your MB is replaced under warranty and 2: If your MB is replaced out of warranty with an alternative type but same brand due to the original model no longer being available, an upgraded MB however will require the purchase of a new OS licence.

[Macboatmaster]

am i right in saying that the i5 2500k is only different from the i5 2500 in the fact it is easier to overclock? do you think the amd processor in my build is better? or equal? its cheaper so i still think ill stick to the amd.

This may help you decide
http://www.hardwares...U-Review/1402/4

[luke27]

nice case i like it a lot, and if i can get the cash together it seems like the best one ive seen, thanks . Sorry for not answering your question originally, i just forgot to answer it haha but yeah my windows is a brand new box from the shop unopened, donated by a family friend . Back to the case issue, could you please explain whats so good about usb 3.0? and what about those motherboards i asked about? i dont understand why its so much cheaper :/ and is the psu and other stuff good? thanks

thanks for the cpu link looks like the amd isnt as good as i hoped however i still think ill be getting it since the price is significantly cheaper when you facor in the motherboard and cpu. hopefully this saved cash can go to getting the antec case suggested above

thanks again for the help

[phillpower2]

Yes it is a nice case and although it appears expensive you can pay a lot more for others and get neither the spec or the quality.

USB 3.0 is the latest and fastest port of it`s type.

Good to hear you have an unused OS disk but please check if it the 32 or 64-bit type and let us know which.

I saw nothing wrong with the less expensive MB and the rest of your list is ok.

Some further CPU benchmarks http://www.cpubenchm...h_end_cpus.html just remember to compare the prices of the better CPUs and you will understand exactly why they should be better than the less expensive CPUs.

Thanks for providing the previous CPU link Macboatmaster

[luke27]

yeah i like the case the OS comes with both 32 and 64 bit, ill be using the 64 bit .

Does the cheap motherboard have all the features of the expensive one?

thanks for the link to the cpu benchmarking, however i have already looked at that when trying to find intel i5 benchmarks, thats how i originally decided i wanted the amd 8150 thanks anyways though.

what about the psu? any recommendations?

thanks

[phillpower2]

8GB of Ram is the sweet spot for Windows 7 64-bit so I recommend that you install that.

MB has everything you need.

PSU is adequate for your present build but would need upgrading if you wanted to add a second video card in the future.

[luke27]

thanks

[phillpower2]

You are welcome
Let us know when you are ready to build or if you have any questions.

[luke27]

will do shouldnt be too long