New build, need some insight.

[Roelf Joubert]

Greetings,

My name is Roelf and I've only recently started contemplating and finally acquiesced to the idea of buying a new gaming PC. Although as one might expect from a newbie like myself, when it actually comes right down to it - I quite seemingly have no clue what I'm doing.

Nevertheless, I have scoured the internet for each and every piece relevant to a new build and so I have compiled a list. I would just like some professional feedback really, because I really do not even know if all of these parts are compatible with one another. So any help, or just personal thoughts would be much appreciated.

The PC: I'll just list it alphabetically, by category --

Chassis - Zalman Z11 Plus, mid tower. (Not sure if all components will fit into the box?)

CPU - Intel Core i5 3570k, 3.4 Ghz, LGA115, 4 threads. (Not sure if this CPU will bottleneck the GPU, or vice-versa?)

Heatsink - Cooler Master V6 GT (Ok this might seem silly, but I was absolutely amazed by the seer size of these new CPU Coolers, I've never had anything other that stock, so I'm a bit baffled as to whether or not this thing might actually end up interfering with the other components' slots?)

Graphics Card - Gigabyte GV-N670OC-2GD, GTX670, 2GB/2048MB 256bit DDR5, with WindForce 3 (Again completely awestruck by the size of components these days, will this fit properly i.r.t the case?)
>> I was also looking into a, GIGABYTE GV-N580UD-15I, GTX580, 1536MB 384bit GDDR5, but I'm not sure which one to go with?

HDD - Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003, 1TB/1000GB, SATA6G, 7200rpm, 64MB cache

RAM/Memory - Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9, 8GB (4GB x 2), Vengeance with black heatsink, DDR3-1600

Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-Z77M-D3H, all-in-one LGA1155, Intel Z77 chipset (Is this adequate, or should I look for something better?)

Optical Drive - ASUS DRW-24B5ST, 24x SATA, black , with E-Hammer + OTS

PSU - Corsair GS600, 600w (12v:588w), Eps12V, with 140mm Blue led fan. (I have no idea if this will suffice)
______________________________________…


Sorry for listing my questions so awkwardly alongside each component, but nevertheless, there you have it.

Like I mentioned, any and all help would be much appreciated and please feel free to make suggestions.

- R.J

 

[Poltregeist]

Well everything looks fine except the case. I think that Z11 is somewhere around $100? If so, for that price range a Corsair 400R or 500R will serve you well. Stick with a 670, though. The 580 is a bit outdated and is easily outperformed by the new 600 series. If it is cheaper though, it can still handle games very well. For the V6, which is a very nice cooler for the price, that RAM may not fit. Go with Vengeance LP. This is the same as what you have except without the high heat sinks which will most likely hit the cooler. As for the motherboards, I'm not too experienced with Gigabyte boards. For under $150 go for a ASRock Extreme 4. Over $150, try a Asus P8Z77-V Pro or ASRock Extreme 6.

 

[Roelf Joubert]

Hi Poltregeist, thanks for the reply.

I quickly checked the chassis' you mentioned. From the local place I'm planning on buying my parts, these two guys are a bit more expensive than the z11 plus I was aiming for. I really like them, but at the increased price I don't really see what they offer more aside from the increased space for an expansion card. Whereas the Z11 Plus (although a slightly tight fit from what I can tell, not sure) still offers better airflow and it includes 'mandatory dust filters that I require. It seems like an easy purchase, however I might be overlooking something on the other cases?

And just to emphasize one of the before mention questions, am I safe by sticking to the 600W PSU? I have no intention on obtaining water cooling, although I might be drawn to mild over-clocking in the future. Yet I see posts from people saying that you need at least a 750W for the GPU and others where they say you can sling it just as well with a decent 550W, which one holds true here?

 

[Roelf Joubert]

... I misread ...

 

[Poltregeist]

No problem! A build like this will draw anywhere from 450-500W so a 600W is fine. For the Zalman case though, they aren't very good quality. What price range were you going for just the case?

 

[Roelf Joubert]

Too be completely honest, although it might have been naive to start with, going for the Zalman was already above what I initially intended. I originally leaped for the the Z11 because I was under the impression it was good quality for it's price range. -But then again, I don't really know what quality' entails. =P

Not to dwell again, hehe, but you mentioned that the Heatsink is going to overlap the DIMM slots. Will the RAM still fit, but I won't be able to use the remaining 2 ports? Because my friend offered to give me his from his 2x 4gb stick from his old build... But if they won't fit anyway, I guess I can still get the low profiles.

 

[J_E_D_70]

That's a good build just not sure about the case either.

This just got great reviews so might see if it's available and in your price range:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6479/nanoxia-deep-silence-1-case-review-you-asked-for-it-you-got-it

I'd probably grab that if I was building today (and they finally start shipping here).

 

[J_E_D_70]

Overlap meaning it will block the first slot if the sinks are tall.

 

[Roelf Joubert]

Wow! Very nice case indeed. I'm convinced about the Zalman though...

I'll up the price margin a little bit and look for a better option.

Thanks to both of you, you have been a tremendous help!

 

[Roelf Joubert]

Best answer selected by Roelf Joubert.