First SFF Gaming Build

[Az..]

Hi there this is my first post on this forum and i have been having some trouble coming up with a spec that i like i really like the lian li v351 but have been concerened with cooling etc, but i thought what the hell, you only live once.

Ok so heres the deal, i have decided that i dont know what all this new hardware is, i havent build a pc in a while, well not a serious pc anyways, done the odd build for parents etc.

But i dont really know about all the performance parts, especially now the 1156 i7's have been released i really dont know where to go, im quite comfortable with overclocking so perhaps a board that can over clock quite well..

So far my main quibble is deciding on the i5 or the i7.

So heres the challege. I have a budget of £1500 and for this i will need everything except a mouse. I will be mostly using the comptuer for gaming, 3D work, and all the other everyday things, oh as well as programming while im at uni so i ideally want a lot of storage space.

Anyways other than that.. its compltely open.

 

[seanclayton]

The v351 is huge and may accommodate 120mm fans.

 

[monkeynetman]

Since you're budget conscious, it's not too difficult to recommend the i5.

Video cards with that budget would probably be a toss up between a 4890 or GTX 275.

The rest, I'll let the other forum folks suggest.

 

[Az..]

Intel Core i5 750 2.66Ghz (Lynnfield) (Socket LGA1156)
Intel Extreme DP55SB Intel P55 (Socket 1156) DDR3 Motherboard
Samsung SM2494HM 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor
OCZ Flex EX 8GB (4x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 Enhanced Bandwidth Series Dual Channel
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4890 Vapor-X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
2x Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache

Lian Li PC-V351B Aluminium Cube Case - Black (No PSU)
Lian Li EX-23NB Hard Drive Kit
Coolermaster Real Power 620w Modular Power Supply

Noctua NH-U9B CPU Heatpipe
Noctua NM-13 Intel Mounting Kit for LGA775, 1156 and 1366
2x Noctua NF-P12 Vortex-Control 120mm Quiet Case Fan - 3 Pin
2x Noctua NF-B9 Vortex-Control 92mm Quiet Case Fan
2x Noctua NF-R8 80mm Silent Case Fan - 3 Pin

Boogie Bug AimB.Pad XL Gaming Surface
Logitech Illuminated Keyboard
Kingston DataTraveler 100 16GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive


Heres a little spec i sorted out, i havent included an external DVD drive at the moment because i thought i would get you guys to have a look and tell me if you think its good or bad. I have had help from one of my friends choosing the components (other than the motherboard) as he has built lots of high end gaming pcs for himself and friends. And also reads up alot about new hardware.

Hope you guys like the spec.

Oh and it comes to £1450

 

[NichoTL]

A few comments:

In general your selection is a bit over-the-top

- I wouldn't pick an Intel board. There are better and cheaper alternatives, like the Gigabyte P55M-UD2 or the MSI P55M-GD45.
- Monitor is ok but for gaming I'd rather have a 1920*1200 resolution (also nicer when browsing)
- No point in choosing the 2GB version of the sapphire card. 1GB is enough.

I'd pick the Enermax Modu82+ 525 PSU.
Why 6 Noctua fans?
Start with 4GB of mem and maybe add more later...

Which store did you pick for your selection?

 

[jeremyshaw]

The newer ATI cards arrive... today!

Wait till it sinks in, as high end prices will fall, a bit.

 

[tombew]

>> Intel Extreme DP55SB Intel P55 (Socket 1156) DDR3 Motherboard
>> Samsung SM2494HM 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor

What lead you to select this motherboard?
I also prefer a screen 1200 high - unless the machine specializes in movie playing, 1920 x 1200 seems much more useful.

Do you plan to overclock at all?

BTW - IMO, that keyboard is pretty cool

 

[Konias]

VGA:
Don't buy Radeon 48xx and wait for ATI Radeon 5870 or shorter and energy less power hungry 5850.

MOBO:
Asus Geno III or Intel mATX Extrem DP55SB ( I like integrated Bluetoooth)

 

[Frost777]

why do you want to build such an expensive rig? If you get yourself an AMD CPU wich like PHENOM II 550 BE or other that you can unlock to 4 Cores you can pick a Board that has Socket AM3 and still works with DDR2 Ram you wold get a whole lot of Performance for a much more reasonable price.

 

[NichoTL]

why do you want to build such an expensive rig? If you get yourself an AMD CPU wich like PHENOM II 550 BE or other that you can unlock to 4 Cores you can pick a Board that has Socket AM3 and still works with DDR2 Ram you wold get a whole lot of Performance for a much more reasonable price.

That's your choice and that's fine. Let him make his own decisions and deal with his budget. Of course he could always go with a 955BE or 965BE and a 785G motherboard. Besides, unlocking a 550BE is never a sure thing.

 

[NichoTL]

VGA:
Don't buy Radeon 48xx and wait for ATI Radeon 5870 or shorter and energy less power hungry 5850.

MOBO:
Asus Geno III or Intel mATX Extrem DP55SB ( I like integrated Bluetoooth)

I wouldn't hold my breath for the 5850. It looks like availability will be quite low for the 5870. Also the 5850 isn't expected for another few weeks, I think. And lastly, the 5850 is only expected to be slightly less power-hungry.

I think the names are a bit confusing at this point. To me those 2 cards are more like the successors to the 4870 and 4890. Personally I'd like to see something along the lines of a 4890 or 4870 on a 40nm process with only one 6-pin PCIE connector. A perfect low power crossfire beast.

 

[Frost777]

That's your choice and that's fine. Let him make his own decisions and deal with his budget. Of course he could always go with a 955BE or 965BE and a 785G motherboard. Besides, unlocking a 550BE is never a sure thing.

true that its not a sure thing but given that it works (what most have discovered trying it) you could for
example spend the saved money and get a SSD Drive wich would boost speed and performance even
more than a system having a much more expensive i5 or i7 CPU