Hardware Is this a good configuration?

benno300

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Hey tempers,

This is my first time building a pc and I hope you guys can help me aout with this, I would really like to know if this parts are compatible with each other and if this is a good configuration for the money.
So here's my configuration:

case:CM storm enforcer
Processor:Intel core i5 3550
Graphics card: MSI Radeon HD6870 1gb gddr5
ram: corsair venguance 16gb
HDD: seagate 2TB 7200rpm
PSU:ocz zs series 750W
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3
Windows 7 OS
wifi adapter
sony dvd drive
keyboard+mouse
monitor:LG IPS235V

Total: 1064 euros

And my last question: Will I be able to build it on my own??
Thank you for reading,

Benno
 

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If you're getting Ivy Bridge, you may want to get a Z77 motherboard instead. I don't know if Z68 supports it (because I've not seen an in-depth review yet) or not.

16GB of RAM is excessive unless you're editing very large media files or really need a RAM-drive. You should probably get 8GB instead and use the money you saved to get an after-market CPU cooler.

I won't say if it's a good build or not because you've not said what you're going to use it for.

You should be able to build it on your own. Sometimes it helps to have an extra pair of hands when putting the motherboard and power supply in. Just make sure you take your time and understand how the different parts go in (e.g. motherboard goes into the case, CPU into the motherboard, heatsink over the CPU, RAM in the slots, then fit the PSU, drives and graphics card in and make sure all the wires get tidied up). Also make sure you have the right screwdrivers ready.
 
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benno300

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If you're getting Ivy Bridge, you may want to get a Z77 motherboard instead. I don't know if Z68 supports it (because I've not seen an in-depth review yet) or not.

16GB of RAM is excessive unless you're editing very large media files or really need a RAM-drive. You should probably get 8GB instead and use the money you saved to get an after-market CPU cooler.

I won't say if it's a good build or not because you've not said what you're going to use it for.

You should be able to build it on your own. Sometimes it helps to have an extra pair of hands when putting the motherboard and power supply in. Just make sure you take your time and understand how the different parts go in (e.g. motherboard goes into the case, CPU into the motherboard, heatsink over the CPU, RAM in the slots, then fit the PSU, drives and graphics card in and make sure all the wires get tidied up). Also make sure you have the right screwdrivers ready.

Thank you for answering,

I will change the 16 gb to 8 gb because I am only going to play games on it and not edit any big media files, and does it need to be Z77 or can it be H77 too?
And do I really need the 750 watt PSU or is a lower amount enough.
And I am going to game with this pc in games like skyrim and such games so is it a good build for this?
 

ZAFDeltaForce

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Thank you for answering,

I will change the 16 gb to 8 gb because I am only going to play games on it and not edit any big media files, and does it need to be Z77 or can it be H77 too?
And do I really need the 750 watt PSU or is a lower amount enough.
And I am going to game with this pc in games like skyrim and such games so is it a good build for this?
My rig is slightly more powerful than yours but it operates comfortably with a 650W power supply. Something you might want to consider if you don't plan on overclocking or putting fancy lights and stuff.

It's a decent build and will run Skyrim nicely. I myself run Skyrim on the highest settings at ~40 FPS, you should get similar results
 

benno300

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Thank you for answering,

I will change the 16 gb to 8 gb because I am only going to play games on it and not edit any big media files, and does it need to be Z77 or can it be H77 too?
And do I really need the 750 watt PSU or is a lower amount enough.
And I am going to game with this pc in games like skyrim and such games so is it a good build for this?
My rig is slightly more powerful than yours but it operates comfortably with a 650W power supply. Something you might want to consider if you don't plan on overclocking or putting fancy lights and stuff.

It's a decent build and will run Skyrim nicely. I myself run Skyrim on the highest settings at ~40 FPS, you should get similar results

Thank you for answering,

My case has some leds on it on the front fan can I still use a 650W PSU, and if I plan to overclock?
My last question: Do I need a Z77 motherboard to use with the ivy bridge processor or are there other options?
 

ZAFDeltaForce

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Thank you for answering,

My case has some leds on it on the front fan can I still use a 650W PSU, and if I plan to overclock?
My last question: Do I need a Z77 motherboard to use with the ivy bridge processor or are there other options?
Oh wait a minute, completely missed the fact that you're using an Ivy Bridge processor. I retract my silly claims of myself having a more powerful system. I use Sandy Bridge, but Ivy Bridge is supposed to be more energy efficient.

LEDs are fine. I was referring to incessant and unecessary bling like disco lights and UV lights and 240mm fans. Sounds pretty crazy but you'll be surprised at the enthusiasm some people have for custom builds.

I would highly discourage you to overclock, especially if you lack experience. The last thing you'd want is to fry a freshly built $1000 system over a few mistakes in the BIOS. If you're really up for it though, I'd say the 700W zone would be more suitable for overclocking, especially if you plan to overclock everything; your processor, your RAM and your graphic card. But since I have no experience in overclocking, you should talk take my advice at face value

I have no idea about the motherboard since I have insufficient knowledge of with Ivy Bridge processors, so I can't help you there. But any motherboard is fine as long as they use the same chipset as the Ivy Bridge processor
 

benno300

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Thank you for answering,

My case has some leds on it on the front fan can I still use a 650W PSU, and if I plan to overclock?
My last question: Do I need a Z77 motherboard to use with the ivy bridge processor or are there other options?
Oh wait a minute, completely missed the fact that you're using an Ivy Bridge processor. I retract my silly claims of myself having a more powerful system. I use Sandy Bridge, but Ivy Bridge is supposed to be more energy efficient.

LEDs are fine. I was referring to incessant and unecessary bling like disco lights and UV lights and 240mm fans. Sounds pretty crazy but you'll be surprised at the enthusiasm some people have for custom builds.

I would highly discourage you to overclock, especially if you lack experience. The last thing you'd want is to fry a freshly built $1000 system over a few mistakes in the BIOS. If you're really up for it though, I'd say the 700W zone would be more suitable for overclocking, especially if you plan to overclock everything; your processor, your RAM and your graphic card. But since I have no experience in overclocking, you should talk take my advice at face value

I have no idea about the motherboard since I have insufficient knowledge of with Ivy Bridge processors, so I can't help you there. But any motherboard is fine as long as they use the same chipset as the Ivy Bridge processor

OK thank you for all your help,

I think I won't overclock because of the risks and thank you for answering my motherboard qustion :D
 

Alaude

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it's good you stick with the 750w psu if you plan to overclock. you can also calculate the approximate power supply needed with this site
Z77 motherboard is recommended(as what Orignality said), though z68 is also supported.
and i wish for you to change your gpu choice to Nvidia GTX 560 Ti as it outperforms the Radeon 6870.
 

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If you're only gaming, you actually shouldn't get nVidia, since AMD gets higher framerates for games (and generally does better in benchmarks). The exception to this is the GTX 570/670 and above, but they're much more expensive.

For nearly the same price as a GTX 560 Ti, you can get a HD 7850. Of course, both of these are around $50 more than a HD 6870, so it's a matter of checking your balance and seeing how far up the GPU scale you can go.

Use this site for reference, but beware that it's only a benchmark and does not accurately reflect real-game performance.

EDIT: And to add, you should not be thinking about overclocking. Wrong settings can fry systems. Leaving the settings high can wear your parts down much quicker. Also it will consume much more energy and produce much more heat, which you'd rather not think about if you're an average gamer (that plays for hours on end). Plus you didn't include an aftermarket cooler for your build, so it can't overclock much at all.
 

Alaude

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If you're only gaming, you actually shouldn't get nVidia, since AMD gets higher framerates for games (and generally does better in benchmarks). The exception to this is the GTX 570/670 and above, but they're much more expensive.

For nearly the same price as a GTX 560 Ti, you can get a HD 7850. Of course, both of these are around $50 more than a HD 6870, so it's a matter of checking your balance and seeing how far up the GPU scale you can go.

Use this site for reference, but beware that it's only a benchmark and does not accurately reflect real-game performance.

EDIT: And to add, you should not be thinking about overclocking. Wrong settings can fry systems. Leaving the settings high can wear your parts down much quicker. Also it will consume much more energy and produce much more heat, which you'd rather not think about if you're an average gamer (that plays for hours on end). Plus you didn't include an aftermarket cooler for your build, so it can't overclock much at all.

Yes i agree with what you say, but Nvidia has Physx which gives significant differences in games like more detailed artifacts and more. thats the reason why i recommended Nvidia :D.

Overclocking ai'nt so bad as you think, but yes it can damage and overload the system thats why we have stress tests and stability tests. but as you say it is better to install an aftermarket cooler to prevent overheating.

EDIT: i overclock only occasionally when i get low fps in some games. so...overclocking when needed is recommended.
 

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Ok, to clarify, a first timer should not be thinking about overclocking. Overclocking is for enthusiasts who want to squeeze out more performance from their systems and know enough about how the hardware works to recognize the limits and not screw something up, such as increasing voltage by 2v increments instead of 0.2v increments... and even that's a lil high for some OCers. Let the OP gain a bit of experience with this computer first before recommending risky procedures.
 
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benno300

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Ok, to clarify, a first timer should not be thinking about overclocking. Overclocking is for enthusiasts who want to squeeze out more performance from their systems and know enough about how the hardware works to recognize the limits and not screw something up, such as increasing voltage by 2v increments instead of 0.2v increments... and even that's a lil high for some OCers. Let the OP gain a bit of experience with this computer first before recommending risky procedures.

Thank you all for helping, lat question: why would I want a Z77 motherboard over a Z68?
 

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I don't have a solid answer outside of every review site I've looked at so far for Ivy Bridge has always tested it with a Z77 motherboard. As I mentioned before, I've not actually seen any reviews on Z77 motherboards so far, so I can't give a definitive answer.
 

Alaude

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Ok, to clarify, a first timer should not be thinking about overclocking. Overclocking is for enthusiasts who want to squeeze out more performance from their systems and know enough about how the hardware works to recognize the limits and not screw something up, such as increasing voltage by 2v increments instead of 0.2v increments... and even that's a lil high for some OCers. Let the OP gain a bit of experience with this computer first before recommending risky procedures.

yes i agree i forgot that the user is a first timer :D.

Ok, to clarify, a first timer should not be thinking about overclocking. Overclocking is for enthusiasts who want to squeeze out more performance from their systems and know enough about how the hardware works to recognize the limits and not screw something up, such as increasing voltage by 2v increments instead of 0.2v increments... and even that's a lil high for some OCers. Let the OP gain a bit of experience with this computer first before recommending risky procedures.

Thank you all for helping, lat question: why would I want a Z77 motherboard over a Z68?

you can use the ivy bridge processors on a z68 only after a BIOS Update so u have to update your bios before install the new processor. z77 gives you a slight boost in performance and it is future proof meaning you do'nt have to upgrade your motherboard for a year or two. and also some new features might be present in the z77. sorry i'm not an intel user so this is the info i have :(

EDIT: the z68 and z77 are almost similar but if you already have the z68 then i recommend keeping but if you are going to buy the z68 then its better to buy a z77. the difference is the z77 has native support for usb 3.0 and ivy bridge.

hope i helped :)
 
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benno300

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Ok, to clarify, a first timer should not be thinking about overclocking. Overclocking is for enthusiasts who want to squeeze out more performance from their systems and know enough about how the hardware works to recognize the limits and not screw something up, such as increasing voltage by 2v increments instead of 0.2v increments... and even that's a lil high for some OCers. Let the OP gain a bit of experience with this computer first before recommending risky procedures.

yes i agree i forgot that the user is a first timer :D.

Ok, to clarify, a first timer should not be thinking about overclocking. Overclocking is for enthusiasts who want to squeeze out more performance from their systems and know enough about how the hardware works to recognize the limits and not screw something up, such as increasing voltage by 2v increments instead of 0.2v increments... and even that's a lil high for some OCers. Let the OP gain a bit of experience with this computer first before recommending risky procedures.

Thank you all for helping, lat question: why would I want a Z77 motherboard over a Z68?

you can use the ivy bridge processors on a z68 only after a BIOS Update so u have to update your bios before install the new processor. z77 gives you a slight boost in performance and it is future proof meaning you do'nt have to upgrade your motherboard for a year or two. and also some new features might be present in the z77. sorry i'm not an intel user so this is the info i have :(

EDIT: the z68 and z77 are almost similar but if you already have the z68 then i recommend keeping but if you are going to buy the z68 then its better to buy a z77. the difference is the z77 has native support for usb 3.0 and ivy bridge.

hope i helped :)

Yes you really helped, thank you all for helping me out here :D
 

benno300

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I changed the motherboard to a asrock z77 extreme4 so it should be working now right?
It adds 50 euros though but I think I'll have to deal with that.
 

benno300

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Case: CM storm enforcer 75,-
CPU: Amd Phenom II X6 1045T 123,-
GPU:Asus Radeon HD 7850 DirectCU II Graphics Card 200,-
PSU: Cooler Master GX 550W 61,-
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 62,-
RAM: Corasair 8GB vengeance 50,-
Memory: Crucial ssd 128GB+ Seagate barracuda 2TB 220,-
LG IPS 245v 145,-
Wi-fi adapter 20,-
Keyboard+mouse 24,-
Optical drive Sony 16,-
Windows OS 7 89,-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1085,-

So I changed almost everything in my build because of the price of my last one( which was more expensive thatn this on but less powerfull I think)
so I would really like to know what you guys think of it and if the price is right for the components.
Although I am not really sure if I want this case and I hope the AMD processor is good enough.
Thanks in advance,

Benno
 

Alaude

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Case: CM storm enforcer 75,-
CPU: Amd Phenom II X6 1045T 123,-
GPU:Asus Radeon HD 7850 DirectCU II Graphics Card 200,-
PSU: Cooler Master GX 550W 61,-
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 62,-
RAM: Corasair 8GB vengeance 50,-
Memory: Crucial ssd 128GB+ Seagate barracuda 2TB 220,-
LG IPS 245v 145,-
Wi-fi adapter 20,-
Keyboard+mouse 24,-
Optical drive Sony 16,-
Windows OS 7 89,-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1085,-

So I changed almost everything in my build because of the price of my last one( which was more expensive thatn this on but less powerfull I think)
so I would really like to know what you guys think of it and if the price is right for the components.
Although I am not really sure if I want this case and I hope the AMD processor is good enough.
Thanks in advance,

Benno


its a really good build :D. i'm also an AMD user xD.
 

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