Yet another "check my PC build" thread.

[Howard Moon]

Good evening MMOChampion!

I am going to attempt building a PC for the first time in like 8 years.

I have based my build largely on Chaud's Narwhal build. Here are the parts currently on my shopping list:

Part________	Model_____________________________	Price_______
CPU	Intel i5-2500K	192 Eur
Heatsink	Thermaltake Frio	49 Eur
GPU	MSI 560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II	207 Eur
MoBo	GIGABYTE Z68X-UD3H-B3	120 Eur
RAM	G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB (2x4GB)	47 Eur
HDD	WD 1002FAEX Caviar Black 1TB	72 Eur
DVD	Asus DRW-24B3ST	29 Eur
PSU	Corsair 650TX V2	86 Eur
Case	Fractal Design Define R3	112 Eur
Extra Fans	2 x Noctua NF-P14 FLX	44 Eur
OS	Windows 7 Home Premium 64b	100 Eur
	Total:	1058 Eur

Now a few questions:
<edited them out, since they got answered>

Appreciate any comments/sugestions from the experts.

Thanks!



UPDATE:

I built my baby over the weekend! Exact spec as described above. Behold!



It is currently running smoothly and with the following (non-overclocked) temps according to RealTemp:
Max idle temp: 30°C
Max temp while in 40-man raid killing Garrosh in Org (Ultra settings): 42°C (with 30 fps and no lag whatsoever)
Max temp at 100% CPU load during Prime95 test: 47°C

So I think the temps look pretty good, right? Or should they be even lower given my setup?

Thanks again for the help and useful advice!

[Milkshake86]

Everything seems in order for moderate to high graphic gaming will smash wow, i suggest aftermarket Thermal compound i personally donot use Arctic silver because it is electric conductive.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186020

if your buying aftermarket cooler i highly suggest a good thermal compound well if your buying a cpu anyways

As for audio editing the mobo likely wont have an issue but may not provide the best sound quality on playback.

<Mod Warning. Arctic Silver 5 does not conduct electricity. Please review their website prior to posting misinformation.>

[taekvideo]

Looks great... the only thing I'd change is getting a spinpoint f3 instead of a caviar black as they're just as fast and usually cheaper.

1) no problem there
2) 64bit can run any 32bit program... and most antiviruses have 64bit versions.
4) Fractal Design Define r3 is great for noise-dampening, and it has good airflow too.
5) Most heatsinks I've seen come with thermal paste. Don't know much about that one specifically though.

[Milkshake86]

Most heatsinks do come with thermal compound of some sort but uhhh yea sometimes its as good as top of the line sometimes its playdoh in a tube

[Howard Moon]

the mobo likely wont have an issue but may not provide the best sound quality on playback.

No worries about that, forgot to mention that I have an awesome external audio interface at my disposal, so I won't be using the MoBo's audio at all.

Thanks for the comments so far, will look into some good thermal paste and that Fractal case!

[Milkshake86]

Keep your eyes on cases i havent seen too many Owner reviews on the 912 that would warrant me saying anything good or bad about it. I do love my 922 tho.

[Howard Moon]

After a bit of research, seems I might be going for the Fractal Design Define r3 after all. Looks aren't that important to me (computer will sit under my desk anyway), but it does look much much better than the HAF912. And it does seem to help with the noise according to reviews.

New question: will I need any additional fans? The heatsink comes with 2: one integrated into the heatsink, and a second one that can either be installed on the case or on the other side of the heat sink (which is recommended, btw?). The Define case comes with 2, one on the front and one on the back. There are 5 more fan slots on the case that I could use: a 2nd frontal one, a bottom one (which sucks in air from the floor), one on the left side, and two on the top.

So how many - if any - additional fans should I get? Which ones? I have read Noctua makes great quiet ones, any recommendations? And finally, where should I install them?

Thanks again!

Xebu

[taekvideo]

After a bit of research, seems I might be going for the Fractal Design Define r3 after all. Looks aren't that important to me (computer will sit under my desk anyway), but it does look much much better than the HAF912. And it does seem to help with the noise according to reviews.

New question: will I need any additional fans? The heatsink comes with 2: one integrated into the heatsink, and a second one that can either be installed on the case or on the other side of the heat sink (which is recommended, btw?). The Define case comes with 2, one on the front and one on the back. There are 5 more fan slots on the case that I could use: a 2nd frontal one, a bottom one (which sucks in air from the floor), one on the left side, and two on the top.

So how many - if any - additional fans should I get? Which ones? I have read Noctua makes great quiet ones, any recommendations? And finally, where should I install them?

Thanks again!

Xebu

If you can use both fans on the heatsink that's probably a good idea.
The noctua low noise case fans would be good. Probably 2 more for the case would be fine if you want good airflow. Setup 2 blowing in and 2 blowing out.

[Howard Moon]

If you can use both fans on the heatsink that's probably a good idea.
The noctua low noise case fans would be good. Probably 2 more for the case would be fine if you want good airflow. Setup 2 blowing in and 2 blowing out.

Ok great, thanks for the info!

[RodneyStanger]

Anyone mind checking my build aswell? http://www.inet.se/kundvagn/visa/956229/supernajzzz

The link is in swedish, though it brings you straight to the components. As far as price go, just divide it by 10 and you'll have it in euros.

<Mod Warning. Please create your own thread to ask your own question. It is forum policy.>

[Tripl]

Everything seems in order for moderate to high graphic gaming will smash wow, i suggest aftermarket Thermal compound i personally donot use Arctic silver because it is electric conductive.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186020

if your buying aftermarket cooler i highly suggest a good thermal compound well if your buying a cpu anyways

As for audio editing the mobo likely wont have an issue but may not provide the best sound quality on playback.

I'm sorry, but where do you get that crappy idea?


I can really recommend AS5, it is easy to apply and my CPU (i7920 in combination with a mugen 3) is only about 35 degrees celcius with an outside temp of 22.

Edit: I just saw you are going for a HAF912, I got that casing this summer. Awesome thing, however, If you plan on putting a fan on the side door, take one that is low in rpm. I bought a 1700RPM 120mm but it turned my casing into a vaccum cleaner. I swapped it with the fan that was connected on the back of the casing, which runs on lower rpm and that reduced it. But that is seriously the only fan-place in that casing that is making a lot of noise.
I do however reccomend buying a 200mm fan and put it on the top roster (you can choose 2x 120mm or 1x 200 mm for that roster) I got the Cooler Master Megaflow on there and itis really quiet.

Also, I only got one fan with my CPU-cooler and I placed in it in Push, since the casing already comes with an inbuild fan on almost the exact same hight as the CPU cooler.

Also: your HDD's will be running nice and cool btw, mine are 25 degrees

Another also: What HAF912 do you have? Since you are from germany I find it highly likely that you have the 912plus, since that is the european edition, but do note that there are 3 different models which are slightly different and are all called 912. I also have the 912plus and like i said, it is awesome (and silent as long as you manage to find a super silent fan for the side or put no fan on the side at all)

oh, another Also, they keep coming!
You said you have a fan-slot on the bottom, this is not true, this is the fan-slot that your PSU will be using. Your psu will suck its own air in and blow it out through the back, thus not intefering with the air in your case itself.

[Howard Moon]

You said you have a fan-slot on the bottom, this is not true, this is the fan-slot that your PSU will be using. Your psu will suck its own air in and blow it out through the back, thus not intefering with the air in your case itself.

Hey Tripl. You missed my other post where I said I might be getting the Fractal Design Define r3 instead of the HAF912. That one has a fan slot on the bottom (facing the floor) in addition to the usual hole for the PSU on the bottom-rear. So I was thinking of placing a sucking fan there and a pushing fan on the top, so that the air flows from bottom to top and from front to back. Thanks for the info on the Megaflow fan, will check it out!

[Milkshake86]

I'm sorry, but where do you get that crappy idea?


I can really recommend AS5, it is easy to apply and my CPU (i7920 in combination with a mugen 3) is only about 35 degrees celcius with an outside temp of 22.

Edit: I just saw you are going for a HAF912, I got that casing this summer. Awesome thing, however, If you plan on putting a fan on the side door, take one that is low in rpm. I bought a 1700RPM 120mm but it turned my casing into a vaccum cleaner. I swapped it with the fan that was connected on the back of the casing, which runs on lower rpm and that reduced it. But that is seriously the only fan-place in that casing that is making a lot of noise.
I do however reccomend buying a 200mm fan and put it on the top roster (you can choose 2x 120mm or 1x 200 mm for that roster) I got the Cooler Master Megaflow on there and itis really quiet.

Also, I only got one fan with my CPU-cooler and I placed in it in Push, since the casing already comes with an inbuild fan on almost the exact same hight as the CPU cooler.

Also: your HDD's will be running nice and cool btw, mine are 25 degrees

Another also: What HAF912 do you have? Since you are from germany I find it highly likely that you have the 912plus, since that is the european edition, but do note that there are 3 different models which are slightly different and are all called 912. I also have the 912plus and like i said, it is awesome (and silent as long as you manage to find a super silent fan for the side or put no fan on the side at all)

oh, another Also, they keep coming!
You said you have a fan-slot on the bottom, this is not true, this is the fan-slot that your PSU will be using. Your psu will suck its own air in and blow it out through the back, thus not intefering with the air in your case itself.

Then they found a miracle to make 99% metal not conductive, in any event not long ago they did mention they were conductive ever since i stopped using it. Especially on stuff i was doing for others. Also the reason that fan is so loud on the side is the grating its just an open fan sitting there basically. Personally use the middleish brother 922 w/ 3 200mm fans front in side in top out rear fan is clearly out aswell.

[Howard Moon]

So I just updated the OP and the end price is 1058 Euro, which is not bad.

Thanks everyone for their suggestions! I think I will just use the thermal paste that comes with the heatsink, as I won't be overclocking much. I am getting 2 extra 140mm Noctua fans so I will have nice airflow with the Fractal case. I also decided to stick with the WD hard disk. I've owned WD in the past and haven't had any problems with them so it will be a loyalty purchase

So unless someone has any strong suggestions about my build, I will be ordering the parts soon! Thanks again.

[Deleted]

I find that a 1000 euro build with "only" a 560 Ti is a bit steep. Not saying it's bad - you got some quality parts stealing some of your budget, that's all. However, I personally would step up the card to a 570/6970 and cut down a little on some stuff as the GPU is the core in any gaming rig. For reference:

Gaming 1000

MoBo: MSI P67A-G43 – $129.99 Review CPU: Intel i5 2500k – $219.99 RAM: G.Skill Sniper 1600MHz 2x4GB – $54.99 GPU: Gigabyte Radeon 6970 – $349.99 HDD: Samsung Spinpoint 1TB – $59.99 PSU: Corsair CX600 V2 – $69.99 Heatsink: CM Hyper 212+ – $27.99 Review Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 – $99.99 Review Estimated Total Price – $1013

Essentially, your build picks up a better CPU cooler, extra fans and a better mainboard (Z68 vs P67). And the sample build above is unfortunately without OS.

I guess what I'm getting at is that you should distribute your budget a bit wiser. You don't need those extra Noctua fans. The Thermaltake Frio is pretty high end; you would be just fine with a Hyper 212+. I'd also advise to cut down the PSU to a good 500W option.

[Howard Moon]

That's some solid advice, Marest, thanks! Yeah I had a feeling that I was placing too much budget on the "accessories".

I think I will take your advice and get the more affordable Hyper 212 heatsink, and a less juicy Corsair PSU. Maybe I will also get only 1 extra fan instead of 2.

I'm not really sure I need a better GPU, though. I don't play any of the demanding games like Crysis or BF3. Like I said in the OP, other than gaming I will also be doing some heavy audio editing and using music production software. That's why I wanted to go for the more expensive case and fans, to make sure my computer isn't too loud.

I also want to be able to raid my 25-mans at highest settings without lagging when 1000 little adds spawn

[Deleted]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with spending a bit extra on the "accessories" and enjoy quality products. I'm just so snowed in on getting the best available gaming performance for a given budget so I guess I can't help myself. You can safely get a lower wattage PSU though.

[Xuvial]

Not sure what's the point of spending $112 on the case and then another $44 on fans. In that case you might as well go for a Corsair 600T or a Storm Sniper for $140-150, they both come with 2 x 200mm and 1 x 120mm fans. 200mm fans move a ton of air compared to 120mm and also run quieter due to having to spin slower to move the same amount of air.

GTX560 Ti will slice through any MMO including WoW and will run Crysis/BF3 on medium settings. Getting decent performance in 25mans will mostly be taken care of by the i5 2500K, you can alleviate the FPS dips during add-heavy encounters by overclocking the CPU to atleast 4.5ghz (more or less the standard nowadays with Hyper212+ cooler).

[DeltrusDisc]

Not sure what's the point of spending $112 on the case and then another $44 on fans. In that case you might as well go for a Corsair 600T or a Storm Sniper for $140-150, they both come with 2 x 200mm and 1 x 120mm fans. 200mm fans move a ton of air compared to 120mm and also run quieter due to having to spin slower to move the same amount of air.

GTX560 Ti will slice through any MMO including WoW and will run Crysis/BF3 on medium settings. Getting decent performance in 25mans will mostly be taken care of by the i5 2500K, you can alleviate the FPS dips during add-heavy encounters by overclocking the CPU to atleast 4.5ghz (more or less the standard nowadays with Hyper212+ cooler).

Too true, my 560 Ti munches up Rift at about 50 fps for all settings maxed pretty much. I'll double check my graphics settings in a moment here, but I have to say, Rift is like WoW completely recoded and with totally upgraded graphics. I've just sat here gawking sometimes because Rift is just so damn beautiful.

I very rarely dipped under 60 fps back when I was still playing WoW, totally maxed out - if I recall right. :P

Course I do have a 1680x1050 monitor. >_>

[Xuvial]

I've just sat here gawking sometimes because Rift is just so damn beautiful.

That's enough of your Rift advertising, out with you now.