[HELP] Rate My Build v2.0

[phurbs]

All,

I posted here a little while ago to get some feedback on a new build. I am now in a position to be able to go ahead with the build, so I wanted to get some more feedback on the final choices of parts.

To give a little background, I am looking at swapping my massive tower case for a smaller, quieter and better spec machine. I use my PC for normal internet browsing, movies/music, and audio encoding (mp3/FLAC). I do a little light non-extreme gaming (Civilisation, Football Manager, Portal2) and some light web development/photoshop.

I realise that this build will be able to complete the above tasks with no issue, so to give a little more background, I am also looking for the system to generally responsive with minimum lag. It is also very important that the system be a) small b) very quiet and c) energy efficient.

I will be cannibalising my old PC for gfx card (Radeon 512MB HD4850) optical drive and 2x1TB HDD. Budget is around the £400 mark but obviosuly the cheaper the better. That said, I am not adverse to spending a little more if it is worth it! I will be buying all parts from Scan where possible.



To pre-empt a question I see a lot on these kinds of posts, I generally have lots of applications open simultaneously and I regularly use 3.5GB of RAM, so I am decided that I want to use 8GB in the new PC.

Also, I know the PSU is probably overkill Wattage wise, but I want a quiet and modular PSU and this one seems like the best. Let me know if I am missing a better option though!

Finally, I do have a few questions about the above spec which I hope you guys can clear up.

Case: I have read a few reviews and it seems like thermally it may not be the best. Will this cause me any issues? Also, would I be able to mount the 2.5" SSD in the internal 2.5" floppy bay? I can't see why not myself? This would then allow me to install my 2x 5.25 HDD.

CPU: I am not looking for a monster PC, but I am looking for the best bang per buck. I have read a couple of reviews and this CPU seems easily overclockable to 4Ghz. Is this right? If so, will my Mainboard allow for this level of OCing?

Cooler: I want a cooler which diverts air perpendicular the the CPU, so that air flows through the case more easily. Is this the best option? If so, given the OC I am looking to do, is this the best cooler for performance/noise?

As always, I thank you all for you help and feedback!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The SG03 will be a bit cramped for space with two hard drives and an SSD.

I would also consider going for a Core i3 2100 too although it cannot be overclocked. A highly overclocked i3 530 may beat it but TBH socket 1156 is an EOL platform. At least with socket 1155 you have an upgrade path.

Also,would you consider a mini-ITX based computer??

[phurbs]

The SG03 will be a bit cramped for space with two hard drives and an SSD.

I would also consider going for a Core i3 2100 too although it cannot be overclocked. A highly overclocked i3 530 may beat it but TBH socket 1156 is an EOL platform. At least with socket 1155 you have an upgrade path.

Also,would you consider a mini-ITX based computer??

I realise it will be cramped, but will that adversely affect performance or just make it a little harder when I need to upgrade/replace parts? I mean the case is designed for 2x5.25 and 1x2.5 so it should all fit?!

One thing I have just realised though, there may not be enough headroom between the CPU and the PSU to install a 'tower' cooler, so I may have to rethink that a little.

In regards to S1156 being EOL. I realise this, but I dont think it makes a difference to me. My upgrade cycle is every 3/4 years (I have had my current rig for 3yrs) and always replace board/CPU/RAM all at the same time. So, if a OCd 3 i530 will beat a i3 2100 at a lower price, then I will go with the 530.

In terms of mini-ITX, no I would not consider it. I need at least 2xHDD but preferably 3xHDD.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I realise it will be cramped, but will that adversely affect performance or just make it a little harder when I need to upgrade/replace parts? I mean the case is designed for 2x5.25 and 1x2.5 so it should all fit?!

One thing I have just realised though, there may not be enough headroom between the CPU and the PSU to install a 'tower' cooler, so I may have to rethink that a little.

In regards to S1156 being EOL. I realise this, but I dont think it makes a difference to me. My upgrade cycle is every 3/4 years (I have had my current rig for 3yrs) and always replace board/CPU/RAM all at the same time. So, if a OCd 3 i530 will beat a i3 2100 at a lower price, then I will go with the 530.

In terms of mini-ITX, no I would not consider it. I need at least 2xHDD but preferably 3xHDD.

My H67 mini-ITX motherboard has 4 SATA and one e-SATA port.

Also,TBH I would still not get a socket 1156 based setup and if you are not going to upgrade for a few years get a quad core. An overclocked CPU will also run hotter which will be more of an issue in a small case. Overclocking is also not guaranteed too!

[phurbs]

My H67 mini-ITX motherboard has 4 SATA and one e-SATA port.

Also,TBH I would still not get a socket 1156 based setup and if you are not going to upgrade for a few years get a quad core. An overclocked CPU will also run hotter which will be more of an issue in a small case.

Err. I was more thinking that a mini-ITX case would limit the number of HDDs, not the board? Am I wrong there?

Good point RE temps though. I will do a little research on OCd i3 530s and see what kind of temps to expect.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Err. I was more thinking that a mini-ITX case would limit the number of HDDs, not the board? Am I wrong there?

Good point RE temps though. I will do a little research on OCd i3 530s and see what kind of temps to expect.

Not with the Lian Li Q08 although it is not the cheapest case in the world:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/lian-...%28atx-fits%29

6 internal hard drives can be used or 4 if you have a long graphics card.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

TBH,I would consider getting a quad core over a dual core if you intend to keep the PC for three to four years. If anything I would get 4GB of RAM as I doubt this is going to be a limitation for a while as many PCs still use a 32 bit OS. I have an i3 2100 myself but chose it over a Core i3 540 as it runs cooler and has more of an upgrade path.

[phurbs]

TBH,I would consider getting a quad core over a dual core if you intend to keep the PC for three to four years. If anything I would get 4GB of RAM as I doubt this is going to be a limitation for a while as many PCs still use a 32 bit OS. I have an i3 2100 myself but chose it over a Core i3 540 as it runs cooler and has more of an upgrade path.

I am a little confused now. AFAIK all i3s are dual core? I don't think I would ever use any applications which would warrant quad cores so I think that would be money wasted. As stated above, I dont think the EOL line aspect is that important to me. However if an OCd 540 is going to cause me temp issues but only have a similar performance to a stock 2100 then I might go 2100, but the lack of upgrade path does not concern me.

In terms of RAM. I run Win7 x64 so it can handle the 8GB RAM. A stated, I am definitely using 8GB RAM as I nearly max out my current 4GB of RAM and for the price difference (£25ish) I would definitely rather have the extra.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

BTW,the total you have listed does noot include VAT. With VAT it comes to around £450.

I came up with the following build.



The motherboard cannot be used for overclocking but the Core i5 2300 is much faster than the previous generation Core i5 760. The Agility 3 is also much faster than the older Vertex 2.

The Intel stock heatsink has a low profile so should be fine for the case.

The black version of the SG03 will be around £8 more and the 3.1GHZ Core i5 2400 is around £8 more too.

I am a little confused now. AFAIK all i3s are dual core? I don't think I would ever use any applications which would warrant quad cores so I think that would be money wasted. As stated above, I dont think the EOL line aspect is that important to me. However if an OCd 540 is going to cause me temp issues but only have a similar performance to a stock 2100 then I might go 2100, but the lack of upgrade path does not concern me.

In terms of RAM. I run Win7 x64 so it can handle the 8GB RAM. A stated, I am definitely using 8GB RAM as I nearly max out my current 4GB of RAM and for the price difference (£25ish) I would definitely rather have the extra.

The Core i3 is a hyperthreaded dual core. The new Intel Core i3 CPUs cannot be overclocked though. The non-K Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs can be overclocked a small amount. If you want to overclock a decent amount you need a K series CPU and a P67 or Z68 motherboard.

A socket 1156 Core i3 with a decent overclock probably will bypass a Core i3 2100 but remember you are paying extra for a heatsink. Decent low profile heatsinks are £20 to £30 too. I suspect if you used the stock Core i3 540 heatsink the overclock would mean it would be around i3 2100 speed anyway IMHO.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

If you go with a Core i3 2100 then the build will be cheaper than the one you originally suggested.

[phurbs]

Hmmm.

I looked at the i5 (Both the non-k and k variants) and while it was tempting, I just cant justify the extra cost. It was looking like an extra £100 or so and I just dont think I need the quad cores.

I have come up with a new build based on the i3 2100 running at stock (obviously) and with a couple more of your reccomendations and it comes in at around the same price as the i3 540.



Also, in terms of VAT, I will be buying through a business account so I get my VAT back

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Hmmm.

I looked at the i5 (Both the non-k and k variants) and while it was tempting, I just cant justify the extra cost. It was looking like an extra £100 or so and I just dont think I need the quad cores.

I have come up with a new build based on the i3 2100 running at stock (obviously) and it comes in at around the same price as the i3 540.



Also, in terms of VAT, I will be buying through a business account so I get my VAT back

The i5 2300 cost £44 more than a Core i3 2100 including VAT.

Edit!!

The motherboard you chose has only two RAM slots and lacks USB3.0 too.

The MSI motherboard looks decent value although you might want to consider this Intel one too:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel...s-raid-atx-vga

[phurbs]

The i5 2300 cost £44 more than a Core i3 2100 including VAT.

Edit!!

The motherboard you chose has only two RAM slots and lacks USB3.0 too.

The MSI motherboard looks decent value although you might want to consider this Intel one too:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel...s-raid-atx-vga

Good point. If I was going i5 I would probably want to spend the extra to go to i5 2500k so I can have the option of overclocking it, which mean getting a P67 mainboard, which cost around £110 for a mATX version. Plus a HSF for the OC (£20) so we are then getting at £100 overall.

That said, I will consider the 2300, but I am just not sure the quad core will be worthwhile. Although to overall performance increase may justify the cost.

Good spot on the board re USB3.0. I will swap that out. I am not bothered about 2DIMM slots since, as mentioned, when I upgrade I will swap out the Mainboard at the same time!

[phurbs]

[double post]

[Blackmage]

This is what I recommend, I know that it hasn't got 8GB of Ram but I feel this balance is a lot better. Ram can always be added, Do you really need more than 4Gb? I no you have alot of programs open but a better system can be had if you cut down the ram, case, PSU.

https://secure.scan.co.uk/aspnet/Sho...30d9b82d245426