First Build

[adams]

Thought i'd post it up to see if it's decent or not, new at this so might need alittle help. Main uses will be gaming, movies, homework.

AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz Socket AM3+ Octo Core

Gigabyte 970A-UD3P AMD Socket AM3+ Motherboard

Powercolor AMD Radeon R9 280X 3GB Graphics Card

Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel

Corsair CX600M Builder Series 600W Power Supply

Seagate 7200.14 1TB SATA III 3.5" Hard Drive

Samsung SH-224DB (24X) DVD-Writer SATA Black (Internal)

Corsair Carbide Series 200R Mid-Tower Compact Case (Black) with Window
+ an extra 6 fans for the case

Running Windows 7 64bit

Comes to £700. Wanting to switch the Powercolor 280x for the MSI version, since it runs quicker. And was wanting to add SSD for quicker boot up but have already gone over budget.

And haven't seen anyone run an octocore yet, not personally anyway. Are they worth it? Could get a decent quad CPU for 30 quid less. And I chose a board which will accept CPUs with a high TPW. Seems alot are only rated for 95w or under

 

[Brandensbeast]

No aftermarket cooler? unless i'm blind ofcourse,have the same power supply and it's wonderful if you're getting a good deal on it. Build looks pretty solid!

 

[adams]

PSU is 50 quid. And CPU comes with a heatsink and fan. Is it best to replace with my own?

 

[freakdiablo]

Yes, the Cpu should come with a heatsink, but it doesn't allow for much headroom when overclocking, which is what I assume you're planning on doing, going with that motherboard. You'd probably be better off dropping the extra case fans and getting a cheap aftermarket heatsink if you are, as the 200r already has a couple fans included.

Any specific reason you're going with Windows 7 over 8.1?

 

[adams]

There was. Not so sure now. After reading it seems you can make windows 8.1 look like Windows 7, so I think I'll do that. Reason I went with Win7 initially was because it doesn't look like an OP designed for a tablet ... but now I know that you can fix that I'll just get Win8.

As for airflow, the CPU does come with a heatsink and fan, but you recommend getting an aftermarket heatsink and fan instead? I take it these will perform better?

Think I'm going to have trouble with the CPU. Do you have to use thermal paste and what not?

All comments appreciated.

Edit:
And as for overclocking haven't thought much about it. Reason I went with the motherboard I did is because it supports the CPU I picked. Surely with overclocking you want as much cooling as possible. Two fans and a heatsink going to be enough for an 8 core running at over 125TDP?

 

[papadan]

If you are planning on doing any OCing at all you would want to go with an aftermarket cooling unit. These 8 core FXs run real hot.

 

[Theocnoob]

You don't want one of those Gigabyte boards unless they are REV 4. Earlier revs were buggy as hell and it's a crapshoot what REV you'll get when you buy them.

For an 8 core I highly recommend an M5A99FX. If you go with a 6 core FX6300 (the cpu I would recommend for you) you can get an M5A97 REV 2.

 

[Brandensbeast]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...314-Index-_-CPUFansHeatsinks-_-35103065-L024B

for 20 bucks i'd just do it.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

You don't want one of those Gigabyte boards unless they are REV 4. Earlier revs were buggy as hell and it's a crapshoot what REV you'll get when you buy them.

For an 8 core I highly recommend an M5A99FX. If you go with a 6 core FX6300 (the cpu I would recommend for you) you can get an M5A97 REV 2.

You're thinking of the UD3, not the UD3P.

I'd take the UD3P over the M5A99FX for an 8-core.
And for the 6-core, I wouldn't run the M5A97. It only has a 4+1 VRM section.

OP, the build looks good, as suggested a CPU cooler is all you need to add to be able to get a decent OC.

 

[Theocnoob]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...314-Index-_-CPUFansHeatsinks-_-35103065-L024B

for 20 bucks i'd just do it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

This is the one you want. Newer version.

Still, for an FX 6 or 8 core I'd go with more substantial cooling to get decent clocks and keep temps cool. You'll get an OC with a 212 just not the "Best your cpu could do on air" kinda thing.

 

[adams]

Going to downgrade alittle. The pot got smaller, had to spend some of the pc fund
Thanks for all the info. Going to keep the board and go with the fx-6300 as suggested. Much cheaper. Planning to buy a used GPU too, sticking with the 280x.

Changes -

AMD FX-6300 3.5ghz instead of Octo

AMD R9 280x can find them under 150 used

500gb HD instead of the 1000gb

+ Corsair Hydro H60 CPU Cooler

£600

I take it the hexa doesn't run as hot as the octo? Would I get away with a cheaper cpu cooler if that's the case? Wanting to moderately overclock.

Still hoping to get decent performance out of this thing. Will be the greatest pc i've ever owned. One more thing. What are peoples thoughts on used parts?

 

[Theocnoob]

Get at least an H80i or don't bother. Air alternatives include the NHD14. These chips put out a lot of heat. The H60 is overpriced and underdelivers.

What are my thoughts on used parts? Try to get some history on them. Were they handled properly? (not on carpet, ESD wrist strap, etc), have they been overvolted? How many hours roughly of use at what voltage have these parts been used at? Has the bios on the GPU or motherboard in question been updated? If so to what version?

Used parts can be a good cheap alternative. You just have to be careful when buying them. It wouldn't hurt to see the part working in the seller's PC before buying it.

 

[adams]

Will buy at least an H80i then. Thanks for the help. Just bought the 280x, board, psu and case online. Did well on the gpu I reckon, 5 weeks use £138 delivered. Was 220 on the site I ordered the other stuff.

 

[Theocnoob]

138 is a great price for that card. Especially with so little use on it.

 

[adams]

Motherboard, GPU, Case and the PSU have turned up! Good god I'm excited. I've managed to install the back plate and put the motherboard over the correct holes. Just to let people know, the carbide 200r has risers already installed so all you have to do is pop in the 9 screws! Also, the case is very large with room to spare and has cavities to hide wires and such. Very pleased.

Just one question. My next purchase will be the remaining components. I'm alittle concerned about the CPU cooler. With the H80i you have to install brackets for mounting (or bracket), only thing is there already appears to be brackets at either side of my CPU. If I install the motherboard now am I going to have to remove it to install the cooler?

Thanks guys, wouldn't have gotten this far without support!

 

[ATMINSIDE]

That big hole in the motherboard tray is for you to install a cooler backplate.

 

[adams]

That big hole in the motherboard tray is for you to install a cooler backplate.

Yep, just noticed when I looked at the pictures. Such a noob. Ta! Another one for you, If I install the psu, mobo and gpu am I going to have a problemn installing the rest of the components afterwards. And also, this may seem silly but the case came with two bags of small screws - both look equal in length but one of the bags has screws that have larger heads on them. There a reason for this? Can I use either?

 

[ATMINSIDE]

You'd probably want to pop the GPU back out, but that takes 30 seconds.

One bag is probably a different thread size from the other.
Do the bags have any markings?

 

[adams]

You'd probably want to pop the GPU back out, but that takes 30 seconds.

One bag is probably a different thread size from the other.
Do the bags have any markings?

You're correct. The smaller headed screws have the higher thread count. The bags are all the same. Clear, no mark.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

You're correct. The smaller headed screws have the higher thread count. The bags are all the same. Clear, no mark.

The coarse one should be an ODD screw, and the fine one should be for putting a HDD on a tray.