A standard memory stick measures around 30mm or 1 1/4 inches in height & may vary a little.
Hardware & Technical Computer Build to run Elite Dangerous
- Thread starter Pazmeister
- Start date
A standard memory stick measures around 30mm or 1 1/4 inches in height & may vary a little.
I used (2) Crucial Ballistic 8 gig low profile memory sticks DDR3 1600 for my system. The main reason when I bought the Asus Z87-Plus it came with one for free, so I only had to add one more stick, so saved me a lot of money. Here is a link to it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148661
As you see low profile, not that I was looking for that or the low wattage 1.35 volt memory it was just a nice bonus. I used a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO for the heat sink and fan (push pull combo as I bought an extra fan, as the kit came with a 2nd mounting bracket included). I will say the low profile may not have been needed for the Asus board I used but some boards and certain after market coolers make them a lot easier to install. So if the price is right it won't hurt to go low profile. The warranty on the memory is lifetime so there is no risk on that front. I will add the memory is really no taller then the memory slot clips to hold it in place. You can use any after market cooler and as long as it clears an empty memory slot it will clear it with this memory in it. It isn't any taller then the slot. This is the perfect memory if you may have a clearance issue as some have said. You won't with this.
Good luck on your build.
Calebe
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148661
As you see low profile, not that I was looking for that or the low wattage 1.35 volt memory it was just a nice bonus. I used a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO for the heat sink and fan (push pull combo as I bought an extra fan, as the kit came with a 2nd mounting bracket included). I will say the low profile may not have been needed for the Asus board I used but some boards and certain after market coolers make them a lot easier to install. So if the price is right it won't hurt to go low profile. The warranty on the memory is lifetime so there is no risk on that front. I will add the memory is really no taller then the memory slot clips to hold it in place. You can use any after market cooler and as long as it clears an empty memory slot it will clear it with this memory in it. It isn't any taller then the slot. This is the perfect memory if you may have a clearance issue as some have said. You won't with this.
Good luck on your build.
Calebe
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<nods>
How do you do the whole push-pull thing with the Hyper 212 Evo? Can you use any fan?
Thanks for the info about the memory, I've changed it.
There was no answer about it an i7 was ANY better than an i5 CPU. any thoughts on any bottlenecks on this setup?
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2rgA5
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2rgA5
i7 has bigger cache. And Hyper-Threading (which isn't really utilised by games so far).
To me the systems looks quite balanced, maybe GTX760 will be the 1st part to reach 100% utilization.
If you don't plan to do anything CPU-intensive in addition to gaming, you might be better off with i5 4670K & GTX 770.
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I've just built my rig and I used the Hyper Evo 212. It came with a spare set of connecters for another fan which you can slot onto the cooler after screwing on the fan. I haven't done this because I don't need to (yet).The fan size is 120mm but check this on-line.
I'm venting the air onto a case fan and out of the unit. I also have another two fans venting out the top. Everything has been frosty so far, so to speak, with my GPU hitting a maximum 49C while playing!
If you have two fans on the CPU cooler, make sure the airflow configuration is right. You can see this on the fan with a little arrow which indicates flow direction.
As other posters have said, the Evo does not leave a lot of room for the RAM cards in a vertical aspect - the venting fan goes over the closest card. My Mobo is an Asrock Z87 Extreme6 ac but I reckon this overlap will exist in lots of Mobos.
If necessary, you could change the direction of the cooler(so it vents out the top) and you would have room for more elaborate RAM cards. I don't know if this configuration would reduce cooling though.
This was my first build so I'm no expert. I got my advice from helpful Elite posters and the good old Youtube.
Have a good and successful upgrade/rebuild!
Edit: @Zieman and advice. I bought the i5 4670K & GTX 770 after researching. I read that an i7 was overkill if you're just gaming.
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If you aren't going to do any overclocking then, I would go for a different i7 chip as there is one that only uses 65W compared to that one that is 85W.
Since you didn't go for the win 8 pro, I guess that you don't need hyperthreading, i. Whkch case you maybe better off with an i5 unless you are going to do some video editing work etc (something cpu intensive ). If you do stick with the i7, consider getting the pro version of the OS even though it is more expensive.
You may wish to get a wifi card or opt for a motherboard that has it incorporated - I believe that ASUS do one but check others if it is needed otherwise it is a very similar system to the one I am thinking of buying.
Robert Maynard
Volunteer Moderator
<goes digging for Hyper 212 box and a fan....>
I built a new machine a couple of months back, in prep for ED and the fact my old machine was reaching the end of its time for me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDxT8bSR3co - he has his own style.
Kemo as someone looking into upgrading on a really tight budget I had looked into building but dismissed it because I'd never done it before. However I am interested in your experiences as a first time builder. When I've a few hours I'll watch the youtube stream you linked, but did you find anything in the build that challenged what you knew? Did everything go to plan, or did you find any unexpected problems along the way? How did you manage these? I really appreciate the views and thoughts of a first time builder. It bothers me no end that I have to pay someone else to build a machine for me, but the other thing putting me off was that it seemed as if building your own didn't come in much cheaper.
However specing out my ideal machine, I can see that the prices do seem higher (you mention £600 but OEM builders are charging about £8-900 for the type of system I'd like to get) and also on the latest Lave Radio podcast one of the guys on there talked about building his own for £600 again more easily within reach for me, than a whopping £8-900.
Anyway any thoughts, links or comments would be really helpful at this stage of my investigations, thanks mate.
Ab
It does come in a bit cheaper but the point is you do get exactly what you want, and for the same price point of a bought system you get much better component's.
good luck with the build
Don't get why this was removed from the stickies.
Everything I've read indicates that if gaming is your main focus, an i7 would be a waste of £100; I was also preparing to get an i7 before I was told that an i5 is all you need for gaming. If you're multitasking and doing video editing and so on then go for an i7.
It does come in a bit cheaper but the point is you do get exactly what you want, and for the same price point of a bought system you get much better component's.
good luck with the build
This.
Choosing your own components means you get exactly what you need & not someone else's approximation of what you need. And beware of buying any pre-built system if the supplier doesn't give a brand & model name for *every* component, because I've seen supposedly high-performance machines that had only the stock cooler, or were fitted with memory sticks from the bargain bin. There's not much margin in building computers, so there's a motive to cut corners & reduce costs. Alternatively, you can expect to pay a premium for a machine that's properly specced & built, if only because the builder has to earn a living.
When I built my current computer in 2010 I deliberately chose the i5 2500K over the i7 because with a decent overclock it would give me 95% of the i7's performance for about 60% of it's price.
The i7's hyperthreading may have been useful when rendering video, but the i5 (when used in conjunction with my GFX card & SSD) still manages to process & save video at around 10 minutes per gigabyte, which is quite bearable.
Hey Ab,
Watching a number of the 'how to' vids on Youtube helped enormously, I did spend a couple of evenings just watching a number from start to finish and there were some really good top tips given that I would probebly have easily overlooked to my peril, the favorite being leaving a 'spare' motherboard standoff in the case and running the risk of it shorting out the board, so easily done. Simple things like this would end your whole project in tears.
For the most part, building a pc, from a hardware point of view, is pretty straight forward, if you are methodical and organised when carrying out the build.
Some of my top tips would be..
1. Have plenty of room to build your machine, do it on the dining table if necessary, it's really handy being able to work around the patient
(note - if you do build it on your dining table, make sure you cove it with a sheet of cardboard - my wife wasn't too fond of the scratch I put in ours!) - also, put all the screws and odds/sods into a bowl, keeps them all in one place.2. If you are using an existing old case, make sure your new mobo fits in it (ie, the standoffs will line up with the case / mobo fixing holes) - my old board was an Asus and so is my new one, so the studs in my existing case worked fine, most decent cases use removable standoffs, my crappy case has fixed studs, which I didn't spot until I started to strip it down!
3. Make sure your new GPU will fit in the case, my GTX770 is HUGE and it fits, but only just. The bigger the case the better really, plenty of wriggle room.
4. Make sure your PSU is capable of handling the requirements of the board and GPU, for my system I'm using a 700w unit and it's more than capable.
5. Use the web as a resource - for checking things like PSU sizes etc I used (http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/intel-haswell-pc/) - it is also handy to check the price they charge for a similar spec'd machine. I managed to save £300 building one of a similar spec, and got the components I wanted (for example, whilst these builders specify, say, a GTX770 card, what they tend to not state is the make, meaning they will use the cheapest or best MoQ deal they can get at that time)
6. Do a POST (Power On Self Test) before wiring up your entire rig, this POST stage will test you mobo, CPU and ram setup to ensure all is well, before you start adding in all the other bits that may cause a problem (ie hard drives etc)
I'm sure there are a number of other tips and things that will come to mind, I will drop them to you via PM (may get lost in a thread) - happy to post here also if people find it useful.
Building your own machine is pretty easy. The motherboard and case manuals these days show almost step by step how to connect things and there is a wealth of videos and forum posts on the Internet.
Building your own rig typically doesn't save you money. Companies that build and sell PCs get better pricing and also often economize on the actual components.
Building your own rig is more about being able to choose the exact brand/model of graphics card, cpu, cooler, ram, motherboard etc that you want. Also assuming that you have a decent case etc then you can just re-use a number of existing items including potentially your OS that in the end can save you money.
The hardest part of building a PC is deciding what components to use. A good site for background info is TomsHardware (http://www.tomshardware.com). They have monthly guides of the recommended GPU and CPU to buy for what budget which are well worth reading as input into your decisions. Specifically look at:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106.html
They also have some useful tutorials such as: http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-1949185/replacing-motherboard-computer-novice.html
The actual components you select really determine the price and there are some areas where you can save money in the short term, while other areas you may want to invest more in.
From cheapest to more expensive CPUs to consider include:
Athlon X4 750K
AMD FX-6300
Intel Core i3-4130
Intel Core i5-3350P
Intel Core i5-4670K
I would probably go for one of the two i5s listed above. Which you select really comes down to whether you want to overclock and which motherboard socket you want to settle on LGA1155 (IvyBridge i5-3350P) vs LGA 1150 (Haswell i5-4670K). This is really one of the more difficult choices as Haswell is the latest generation CPU and IvyBridge is the prior generation. Therefore if in the future you want to upgrade the CPU again you may want to go to the Haswell route as it is more likely to still be around although Intel is notorious for changing the motherboard sockets on a regular basis!
I would also go for a watercooling solution instead of a fan for the CPU. They are easy to fit, work well, and often take up less space and are quieter.
Getting a good PSU is also critical, once again there are many good guides out there. Which PSU you go for is determined by what GPU(s) and to some degree CPU you use. The more power hungry GPU the more powerful PSU needed.
If you are still unsure then TomsHardware also lists some example builds at different budgets which are a good starting point and can be modified to suit your needs e.g. for $800 and $1600 respectively.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-gaming-pc-core-i5,3708.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-geforce-gtx-770-sli,3709.html
Some suggestions/ideas to think of.
You may be able to save money by purchasing a bare bones upgrade kit if you can find one that has the components you like. Typically these expect you to re-use your PC case, keyboard, mouse, OS etc. Assuming you are in the UK then Dabs.com has a few and the following is a good set of items: http://www.dabs.com/products/asus-4...geance-pro-black--8Y8X.html?catid=15005&src=3. I've not lived in the UK for ~7 years so I'm a little out of date on where to buy from, I used to look at Dabs.co.uk and Scan.co.uk many years ago for my baseline price and then use the search engines to see if anywhere was cheaper.
Finally you really need to consider what resolution you are going to play at. If it is a single monitor 1080p then no need for SLI/Crossfire which can save you a lot of money on what motherboard and GPU you go for. If you are looking to go for higher resolutions or multiple monitor gaming then your GPU costs will increase significantly.. e.g. from $250 to $500+.
I typically see the CPU/Motherboard/GPU as disposable assets, where the CPU/Motherboard lasts 3 years and the GPU likely 2 years (after which you replace or crossfire/sli).. That is just my perspective on this and really comes down to what games and resolution you play. Few games these days are CPU bound hence the GPU/resolution is a far more important consideration for getting a good performing system.
The Case/PSU/SSD/Keyboard/Mouse/OS/Monitor are more likely to be reused.
I wouldn't worry about a separate sound card unless you are looking to invest $100+ on quality headphones. The motherboard onboard sound is good enough, particularly if you are on a budget.
hth
Commander Wombat
Building your own rig typically doesn't save you money. Companies that build and sell PCs get better pricing and also often economize on the actual components.
Building your own rig is more about being able to choose the exact brand/model of graphics card, cpu, cooler, ram, motherboard etc that you want. Also assuming that you have a decent case etc then you can just re-use a number of existing items including potentially your OS that in the end can save you money.
The hardest part of building a PC is deciding what components to use. A good site for background info is TomsHardware (http://www.tomshardware.com). They have monthly guides of the recommended GPU and CPU to buy for what budget which are well worth reading as input into your decisions. Specifically look at:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106.html
They also have some useful tutorials such as: http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-1949185/replacing-motherboard-computer-novice.html
The actual components you select really determine the price and there are some areas where you can save money in the short term, while other areas you may want to invest more in.
From cheapest to more expensive CPUs to consider include:
Athlon X4 750K
AMD FX-6300
Intel Core i3-4130
Intel Core i5-3350P
Intel Core i5-4670K
I would probably go for one of the two i5s listed above. Which you select really comes down to whether you want to overclock and which motherboard socket you want to settle on LGA1155 (IvyBridge i5-3350P) vs LGA 1150 (Haswell i5-4670K). This is really one of the more difficult choices as Haswell is the latest generation CPU and IvyBridge is the prior generation. Therefore if in the future you want to upgrade the CPU again you may want to go to the Haswell route as it is more likely to still be around although Intel is notorious for changing the motherboard sockets on a regular basis!
I would also go for a watercooling solution instead of a fan for the CPU. They are easy to fit, work well, and often take up less space and are quieter.
Getting a good PSU is also critical, once again there are many good guides out there. Which PSU you go for is determined by what GPU(s) and to some degree CPU you use. The more power hungry GPU the more powerful PSU needed.
If you are still unsure then TomsHardware also lists some example builds at different budgets which are a good starting point and can be modified to suit your needs e.g. for $800 and $1600 respectively.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-gaming-pc-core-i5,3708.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-geforce-gtx-770-sli,3709.html
Some suggestions/ideas to think of.
- RAM - go for 4GB if a 32bit OS, or 8GB if 64bit. More than that is not necessary. Also don't bother with the super fast RAM as it makes negligible difference. Unless you are a serious overclocker just go for something that is fairly cheap.
- CPU - If you can afford it go Intel over AMD
- GPU - many good choices, check the guide above. I personally like AMD Radeon however nothing wrong with Nvidia and which is best for a budget changes every month
- Cooling - go watercooled for the CPU. You can get something like the Corsair H60 or Antec 650 for ~$65, maybe less.
- SSD/HDD - Go for either a 64GB or 128GB SSD if you can afford it as they greatly improve boot time and game loading times. Don't need to go for the most expensive, something like an OCZ Agility 3 may be cheap now as they have gone bankrupt.
You may be able to save money by purchasing a bare bones upgrade kit if you can find one that has the components you like. Typically these expect you to re-use your PC case, keyboard, mouse, OS etc. Assuming you are in the UK then Dabs.com has a few and the following is a good set of items: http://www.dabs.com/products/asus-4...geance-pro-black--8Y8X.html?catid=15005&src=3. I've not lived in the UK for ~7 years so I'm a little out of date on where to buy from, I used to look at Dabs.co.uk and Scan.co.uk many years ago for my baseline price and then use the search engines to see if anywhere was cheaper.
Finally you really need to consider what resolution you are going to play at. If it is a single monitor 1080p then no need for SLI/Crossfire which can save you a lot of money on what motherboard and GPU you go for. If you are looking to go for higher resolutions or multiple monitor gaming then your GPU costs will increase significantly.. e.g. from $250 to $500+.
I typically see the CPU/Motherboard/GPU as disposable assets, where the CPU/Motherboard lasts 3 years and the GPU likely 2 years (after which you replace or crossfire/sli).. That is just my perspective on this and really comes down to what games and resolution you play. Few games these days are CPU bound hence the GPU/resolution is a far more important consideration for getting a good performing system.
The Case/PSU/SSD/Keyboard/Mouse/OS/Monitor are more likely to be reused.
I wouldn't worry about a separate sound card unless you are looking to invest $100+ on quality headphones. The motherboard onboard sound is good enough, particularly if you are on a budget.
hth
Commander Wombat
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Another interesting point is that if Oculus Rift (OR) becomes very successful with their HD consumer product in 2014 then it will change the GPU and Monitor market.
We could see a reduction in multi-monitor gaming and big monitor resolutions, which both could mean that the current GPUs could last longer since they are not needing to drive such high resolutions.
Not sure if we will see that happen, however I am holding off upgrading monitors/gpu until we see a bit more about Oculus Rift HD Dev version.
I can also see OR, if successful, biting into the sales of TrackIR quite significantly.
Time will tell
Commander Wombat
We could see a reduction in multi-monitor gaming and big monitor resolutions, which both could mean that the current GPUs could last longer since they are not needing to drive such high resolutions.
Not sure if we will see that happen, however I am holding off upgrading monitors/gpu until we see a bit more about Oculus Rift HD Dev version.
I can also see OR, if successful, biting into the sales of TrackIR quite significantly.
Time will tell
Commander Wombat