Need Help!Will everything work?

[RE-EM]

Hello! I'm about to buy my own built pc, but as I'm new to building pc's I thought I could get some advice from you. All I'm worried about is if everything is gonna work as it's supposed to work, I mean how am I supposed to know if everything's gonna fit in the casing? Will the motherboard support the video card? Will it fit there? how about the power supply, how many watts do I need? Will I need any additional fans? Am I missing anything?
I just checked the specs of the motherboard and it didn't support SLI, hadn't I checked that I could have bought a motherboard and get the SLI feature disabled because of my incautiousness. I'm concerned about such delicate things. Could anyone check if I got everything right and the pc will work just fine?

Here's everything I'll buy:

Gigabyte Z68XP-UD4 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128507
EVGA GeForce GTX 570 1280MB Classified http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130692
Intel Core i7 2600K 3,4GHz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070
Corsair 8GB (2x4096MB) CL9 1600Mhz VENGEANCE LP http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233144
Fractal Design Core 3000 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352010
Samsung SH-222AB, SATA Svart OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151233
Cooler Master Silent Pro M 1000W http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?product_id=2949
OCZ SSD Agility 3 60GB (I'm going to stick with my old HDD until ridiculous prices drop) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227725

My friend says everything's gonna work? Should I believe him?
BTW i can get it all for 1 500 USD or 1,100 EUR, is the price OK?
Thank You!!!!

[RickyTick]

Everything looks great. That motherboard supports SLI and Crossfire.
Your power supply is more than adequate for this system.
I don't see any problems, and I think it's an awesome setup.

[RE-EM]

Thank you for your reply! Should buy a cheaper power supply since this one is too powerful? It would be great to spare as much money as possible. What do you think of the price 1500USD/ 1100 EUR ? Do I also need an additional cooling system?

[RickyTick]

The power supply is just fine. If you need to cut some expense, you could use a GTX560 Ti video card instead of the 570.

[ARchamps]

I'd say stick with the 570 if you can. If you plan to play Battlefield 3, it will run a lot better. For the price, seems like a good build. Depending on what you are using it for, you can possibly consider stepping down to the i5. It wont affect you with games but if you do any CPU intensive work, the i7 is better long term.

[RE-EM]

I've seen many people have liquid cooling system, is it necessary for me?

[zburns]

You do not have any cooler specified. It is better (my opinion) to use a liquid cooled 'closed system' such as the Corsair H60 or H80 -- these are only for the cpu and are in lieu of the air cooled fin type coolers. The liquid cooled system will keep your cpu at a lower temp than the fin type cooler.

Could you please provide the Corsair part # of the RAM you have chosen!!

[RE-EM]

Exactly! I haven't specified any cooling system at all because what I specified is all I would buy. Am I supposed to buy a fan myself too? Won't it be included with the processor? Please point out what else I am missing!!! And what do you mean by ''Could you please provide the Corsair part # of the RAM you have chosen!!

[zburns]

You can use the fan that comes with the cpu. Whether that fan is sufficient for overclocking is a point that I do not think you will get a absolutely sure answer on. The i7 2600K can be overclocked so I am assuming you are considering doing an overclock.

Here is the link to the Corsair Home webpage for memory: http://www.corsair.com/memory.html I cannot find your memory on these Corsair webpages. I see the numbers you gave on Google, but again not on the Corsair webpage. The reason I was wanting to check the memory was to see the voltage specified for its operation. The Intel i7 2600 K is not recommended for use with memory that exceeds 1.5 v or 1.65 volts. Intel makes a statement to the effect, that if you exceed this particular operating voltage for your memory, that the 'life of the cpu may be shortened' or words to that effect.

This is an edit about 15 min after the above post: Here is a sample of a cat # from the Corsair website: CML8GX3M2A1600C9B (This may or may not be the product you specified but this is what the cat #s on the Corsair site look like. The letters LP stand for low profile I believe.)

Another comment related to the above is this: If your choice of RAM is indeed 'low profile', then it may not come with heat spreaders. Heat spreaders may be a benefit if you overclock. The heat spreaders help cause heat to get clear of the RAM stick faster than if the 'heat spreader' was not present.

[RickyTick]

Exactly! I haven't specified any cooling system at all because what I specified is all I would buy. Am I supposed to buy a fan myself too? Won't it be included with the processor? Please point out what else I am missing!!! And what do you mean by ''Could you please provide the Corsair part # of the RAM you have chosen!!

Zburns wants to verify that your ram is on the QVL for your motherboard. (at least that's my guess)

If you're interested in one of the liquid cooling setups, they come with a fan, or two.

I still don't see any problems with your proposed build.

[RE-EM]

Thank you guys you're brilliant!!! Thank you for pointing out such things and thank you for clarifying your previous post, I didn't even know about such effects!
Here is all the info provided on the website I'm ordering my hardware from:
Memory DDR3
Quantity per pack 2
Capacity 8 GB, 2x4096MB
1600 MHz
Form Factor 240-pin DIMM
latency 9-9-9-24
Voltage 1.5 V
Error correction code (ECC) No.
Warranty 1 year
Item
Our Item No. 5315153
Manufacturer Item CML8GX3M2A1600C9

Now please, if there's anything else I should know before buying, point it out!! I'm still raw and inept in computer building, for instance yesterday I found out it is important to wear an anti-static wrist strap or ground yourself before touching any sensitive electronics.

I also wanted to ask whats the difference between EVGA GeForce GTX 570 1280MB HD and KFA2 GeForce GTX 570 1280MB ?

And is there any better case than the one picked? A cheap and a good case with good airflow is what I aim for.

Is a good idea to get a more powerful power supply for overclocking?

I just found out that OEM means that you get the hardware itself without any accessories like cables, does that mean I will have to buy extra cables for my DVD rom?

[ARchamps]

Stick with EVGA. Their lifetime warranty and support is really good. A good cheap case with good air flow is the Cooler Master HAF 912. You would likely need a few fans. The Antec 300 is good too. Both are cheaper than the one you selected and more popular.

Your motherboard should come with SATA cables and you plug in power from your PSU, so you won't need anything else. You should be good with 650W if you aren't extreme overclocking.

The wrist strap is a good idea but not required. Just make sure before you touch any component that you ground yourself by touching the case.

Best of luck!

[zburns]

The wrist strap is a good idea but not required. Just make sure before you touch any component that you ground yourself by touching the case.

A true statement provided the builder obeys all the rules 100 % of the time. Static electricity is insidious; if you have it on your body and you touch a component in just the 'wrong way', you may not destroy the component right then, but you may set the stage for component failure months to a year down the road (premature failure or said differently, failure that never should have happened).

Assume you do the above and touch the case always before touching the component. Depending on conditions, the builder may be well insulated and the case also; assume you the builder has 15,000 volts static on your body. Touch the case, a current will circulate between the case and your body until the current is 'dissipated' thru the total resistance provided by your body, the plastic and metal of the case. If you do not 'touch the case long enough', the static voltage may not fully dissipate. The formula is simple. E = IR. E is the static voltage, I is the current in milliamps and microamps that circulates between the case and the body. R is the resistance of the body plus the resistance of the case.

Think about this differently. You as the builder can hold a static charge as high as 15,000 volts (I imagine some will say as high as 25,000 volts). I am guessing now (regards specific numbers), but many micro chips incl the cpu can be destroyed or damaged by one to three volts of static electricity being applied to the 'right pin' on the device. Just because a chip is hit by static does not mean immediate destruction of the chip. Failure can occur later, weeks, months or a year later -- premature failure that should not have occured except for the application without knowledge of static electricity to the chip.

Summing up. Take a look at manufacturing in the circuit board assembly industry. Not only wrist straps, but special assembly tables, special flooring, the requirement for special shoes, strict rules for assemblers. The reason for using a wrist strap is not to guarantee 100 % that static will not somehow get to a component, but you want to reduce the odds of it happening to as close to 'zero' as possible.

When you assemble a computer, you may physically handle components and circuit boards a total of 30 times, give or take. Even when one wears a wrist strap and handles components properly by their insulated fibreglass or plastic edges, one always 'hopes' he did it correctly everytime -- but there is no way to be certain but to minimize the opportunities to make a 'static' error. Wrist Strap a big part of this solution.

Summing up. Take a look at manufacturing in the circuit board assembly industry. Not only wrist straps, but special assembly tables, special flooring, the requirement for special shoes, strict rules for assemblers. The reason for using a wrist strap is not to guarantee 100 % that static will not somehow get to a component, but you want to reduce the odds of it happening to as close to 'zero' as possible.

I am not saying it is impossible to assemble a computer flawlessly without the assembler using the wrist strap. I am much more comfortable and certain that I can consistently obey the rules and prevent static, certainly lessen or prevent, altogether, the 'static opportunities' by using the wrist strap.

[RE-EM]

Am I good with the RAM sticks? Zburns mentioned that if I use 1.5 V RAM sticks the life span of the CPU might be shortened. Please suggest other adequate RAM sticks, if these are inadequate for my CPU.

Samsung SH-222AB, SATA OEM what does OEM mean? It means I get the product itself only, without cables right?

And what is extreme overclocking? I plan to overclock the cpu up to 4.5 Ghz in the future, though I don't think I'll want to exceed that for a long time. Is that extreme?

Is there anything else I should know about computer building?

[ARchamps]

If you want to go lower voltage, check out the G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB 1.25V. I have them and they're pretty neat.

[zburns]

RE-EM Your RAM sticks come in either 1.5 volts or 1.35 volts (1.35 new to me). I will probably try to call Corsair ref the 1.35 this afternoon and try to get their comments on the 1.35 volt stick and whether the lower voltage stick is as 'reliable' as the 1.5 volt stick. You misread what I wrote regards the life span of the cpu being shortened. A year ago, I read the specs on the i7-2500 and i7-2600K. At that time, in the Intel document, Intel warned against using RAM voltages over 1.65 volts (all this regarding overclocking). Intel warned that RAM voltages higher than 1.65 could have a long term degrading effect on the cpu that could result in premature failure of the cpu chip.

I would like to clear up Corsair's reasoning in producing two voltage versions of the same RAM stick, so I will have to make a call to do that. I will try to get it done this afternoon.

'If you want to go lower voltage, check out the G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB 1.25V. I have them and they're pretty neat.' Glad to see this comment from AR -- further fuels my suspicion that the RAM mfgs have lowered RAM voltages for small nanometer chips in the last year. But I would like to confirm this thought; I would like to also see some respectable reviews from the well known reviewers on these lower volt RAM sticks.

[RE-EM]

I want to thank you all for your time, I just wanted you to know you all are very helpful!

Could anyone confirm that OEM means that no accessories are included such as cords etc.

Samsung SH-222AB, SATA [OEM] means I have to buy cords myself?

[RickyTick]

I want to thank you all for your time, I just wanted you to know you all are very helpful!

Could anyone confirm that OEM means that no accessories are included such as cords etc.

Samsung SH-222AB, SATA [OEM] means I have to buy cords myself?

The only cords needed should come included with the motherboard and power supply.

[RE-EM]

Will the 650W power supply suffice if I plan to oc the cpu to 4.5 ghz?

[RickyTick]

Will the 650W power supply suffice if I plan to oc the cpu to 4.5 ghz?

Yep, should be fine.

[RE-EM]

Would it be a waste of money if I would buy Corsair TX V2 750W ? And how do I calculate how much power the whole pc will consume?

[zburns]

Your video card is responsible for the largest component of current your computer will draw on an 'instataneous basis'. If you are running multiple video cards in SLI, etc., then the current draw will be larger than that caused by a single card. Your cpu will draw the next chunk of power. These are the two largest current draws of the computer.

Evga on their website helps you figure out how much power by giving an estimate of the maximum size of a power supply coupled with a statement about the max current capacity of at least one of the +12volt rails. Look up on the Evga website under the cat# for the 570 video card you have chosen. On the Evga site, you will see a 550 watt minimum psu recommendation with a single +12 volt rail current of minimum 38 amps.

The psu you first picked at 650 watts has a single +12 volt rail current max of 53 amps, the Corsair above, a +12 volt rail of 62 amps. Either one will work fine for the single 570 card.

If you add a second 570 card in SLI, you will have to rethink the psu requirements because video cards current requirements are high.

There is nothing wrong in buying a psu that is 'somewhat' too large. It would be a mistake, for example to buy a psu that 'tightly' fit the EVGA requirement for a single 570 card. Instead you need some 'headroom' on the wattage of the psu. The above comments sort of 'tell you that story'. The Evga site, for one 570 card, reccs 38 amps on at least one of the +12 volt rails; but the psu you initially picked has 15 more amps additional (53 amps compared to Evga recc of 38 amps). The Corsair above on the +12volt rail is 62 amps (24 amps more than Evga reccs for one 570 card). This extra amperage on both the original psu choice or the Corsair above is what I refer to as 'Headroom' -- simply extra, 'more than you need' wattage' , etc..

If you psu is 'tightly picked' to coincide 'sort of exactly' with the Evga recc of 38 amps -- you will be running the psu at 'max power' (ie max speed, so to speak) with no elbow room (headroom). The EVGA recommendation does have some allowance in it -- but there is nothing wrong in adding more 'extra', 'elbow room' or 'headroom' -- whatever you want to call it.

I would always add more 'headroom' to an EVGA recommendation in picking a psu -- hence your earlier choice is ok, as is the Corsair above.
-----------
Last summarizing comment: The Evga recommendations are helpful and speed up the process. Without the Evga recommendation, you must figure (calculate) each individual components maximum 'wattage' requirements -- this is information readily available from the respective manufacturers if you want to take the time to get it out of the mfg or search 'specifications' for it. The video card manufacturer, by recommending a minimum psu wattage spec, really shortens this process. The fact that it is smart to add wattage to the Evga reccomendation simply means that your psu will run 'cooler' with some decent headroom in extra available watts, as opposed to running 'hot' (literally) if psu maximum watts are very close to the computers actual wattage 'draw'.
-----------------
The psu is a relativly simple device compared to cpus, motherboards, etc.. That does not mean that every psu on the market is a high quality product 'made with high quality components'. When you think about the necessity for 'quality' in the psu, compare that thought to the 'quality you expect' in your automobile engine -- you expect dependability and many years of unimpeded use from the product. This is why purchasing from respected manufacturers and reading reviews from multiple quality reviewers helps a lot in the computer build community.

[RE-EM]

WOW! that was a detailed explanation! Thank you! I'm also curious if there is any news on the RAM sticks?

[zburns]

Not yet. Hopefully, tomorrow! But just in general reading several reviews on the lower voltage DDR3 RAM, in the case of the 1.35 version of Vengenance, and AR's 1.25 GSkill, I got the impression that both versions were not for overclocking! This is a new subject and I feel like one needs explanations from several sources. Conversations directly with a person in customer service at the manufacturer is the most trusted source. One or both reviews that I read implied that the lower voltages were for 'power savings' (use less electricity, your electric costs, etc). It just so happens that the skinny on these low voltage RAM sticks coincides with both one year old and current Intel comments about not exceeding 1.65 volts (I still have to recheck this value) for OC purposes (these comments by Intel now a year old) on the i7 2600. I am just not sure of what the real facts are on the low volt sticks.

[RE-EM]

I just found out that the motherboard MSI P67A-GD55 REV B3 supports
2133(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066MHz RAM
But what does the (O.C.) mean? Overclocking? Overclocking the motherboard or what? I don't really get it. I just looked up the same motherboard on another website, and it says that it supports only 1333/1066Mhz and this time no (O.C.). Is the motherboard bad? Other motherboards support wider range of RAM speed. I want a motherboard that will support the latest features, and will be able to support a lot, 1333/1066Mhz seems too slow.

Recommend a better motherboard please! I'm thinking either Gigabyte or Asus, but I need some guidance. I want a good motherboard that has the most of the features, that will work with my system, stable, durable, reliable and cheap. I want to be future proof.

And how much better is EVGA GeForce GTX 570 Classified 1280MB than EVGA GeForce GTX 570 1280MB PhysX CUDA ? Is it worth getting EVGA GeForce GTX 570 Classified 1280MB ?

[RE-EM]

I also wanted to ask if I should buy now or wait for Christmas sales?

And how powerful supply will I need if I'll run 2 gtx570 in SLI ? take into account an overclocked i7 as well.

[RickyTick]

I just found out that the motherboard MSI P67A-GD55 REV B3 supports
2133(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066MHz RAM
But what does the (O.C.) mean? Overclocking? Overclocking the motherboard or what? I don't really get it. I just looked up the same motherboard on another website, and it says that it supports only 1333/1066Mhz and this time no (O.C.). Is the motherboard bad? Other motherboards support wider range of RAM speed. I want a motherboard that will support the latest features, and will be able to support a lot, 1333/1066Mhz seems too slow.

It means that in order for the ram to operate at those frequencies it will require an overclock of the processor. 1333 is not slow.



Recommend a better motherboard please! I'm thinking either Gigabyte or Asus, but I need some guidance. I want a good motherboard that has the most of the features, that will work with my system, stable, durable, reliable and cheap. I want to be future proof.

You could step up to the Z68 motherboard if you're looking for more bells and whistles. Something like this.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131730



And how much better is EVGA GeForce GTX 570 Classified 1280MB than EVGA GeForce GTX 570 1280MB PhysX CUDA ? Is it worth getting EVGA GeForce GTX 570 Classified 1280MB ?

The "Classified" version is usually one that is factory overclocked. You could go with either model and it would be fine. Try to get one with an item number that ends in AR and not KR.

[RE-EM]

Unfortunately none of EVGA video cards end in AR, all end in KR. Is it important?

I chose a few motheroards : ASUS P8Z68-V PRO
Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4
ASRock Z68 Extreme4 GEN 3


A little cheaper motherbaords: ASUS P8Z68-V
Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3P B3
Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H B3

which one is the best? Will I miss a lot if I chose any of the cheaper motherboards?

Is it worth waiting until Christmas? Am I going to save money? What would you do , buy now or wait till Christmas?

[ARchamps]

The AR suffix means lifetime warranty.

The motherboards you chose will be fine your needs. The higher end ones usually have more SATA ports, USB 3.0 etc. I think you'll be fine with the lower ones. The ASUS P8Z68-V looks good!

[RickyTick]

Try this one.
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=57362&vpn=012-P3-1572-AR&manufacture=eVGA

[RE-EM]

I just decided I'll be getting another gtx570 in the near future, therefore I'll need a more powerful PSU. I did some research and some say 850W will be enough for running 570 in SLI, but others say 850W won't cut it , 1 000 W is needed to run 2 cards in SLI. Here's the forum http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=195400

Note that will be OC'ing the cpu. Whom to believe? Should I get 1000W or 850W PSU?

BTW I found an EVGA video card with ''ER'' instead of ''KR''. What's 'ER'?

[ARchamps]

I'm sure 850W will be perfectly fine! The first link is from the EVGA forums with PSU requirements for their cards. The second link is a calculator. I looked at your specs, made some estimates (ie. 4.5 Ghz OC, 4 USB devices etc) and it came out with ~650W.

http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?m=1083195
http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine

I'm not too sure what the ER is though. I'll double check.
Edit-- looks like it means European product with 10 year warranty.

http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?m=989959&high=er+product+code

[RE-EM]

What if I use fractal design 3000 case which has 3 fans, and gigabyte Z68XP-UD4 motherboard which has 1 x CPU fan header, 2 x system fan headers, 1 x power fan header.Am I going to be able to use all the fans of the case?

[ARchamps]

Yes you will be able to use all the fans! Alternatively, you can connect the fans to the power supply using the molex connection (4 pin molex from PSU to 3 pin connector on fan). It's better to connect to the mobo so you can control the fans. When connecting to the PSU, the fans will run on full blast (unless you get a fan controller).

[RickyTick]

When connecting to the PSU, the fans will run on full blast (unless you get a fan controller).
On some cases, there will be a separate fan control for each fan. This is very common on Antec cases. The Fractal 3000 has a fan controller for the 3 fans that are included.

[RE-EM]

I updated my component list, check out if it will run fine.

The new RAM sticks seem to be made for overclocking and i7 processors. Could anyone confirm that they will work fine with my processor?

[ARchamps]

The RAM should be fine. I didn't get a chance to look at the QVL of your MB, but I checked Corsair's memory checker and your MB is listed as compatible with the RAM. There is a good chance that your memory wont be on your MB's QVL as it isn't updated, whereas the list on Corsair's site is. I used this exact RAM set on my Dad's AMD APU build and I've seen this RAM used in many Intel builds. Heck, it even says it is designed for Intel boards lol.

http://www.corsair.com/learn_n_explore

Everything else looks great! I see you decided to keep the 1000W. You should be set for any future upgrades! Good luck!