New i5 Gaming Rig

reaper200

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Hi Guys

Its that time again. I've decided to upgrade my rig. This time i want to buy all the parts and build it myself but I'm still at the early stages of planning. I need help in deciding which parts to get and wether they'll be compatible.

Parts I've decided on:

ATI Sapphire 5870
Intel i5 750
4/6GB DDR3 RAM
Antec Nine Hundred Two Gamers Case (but it is a little expensive so I'm not sure)

The 2 things that i really need help with are the motherboard and the power supply. I've only got about £150 to spend on those. Could i get some recommendations? Will it be possible to get the 2 for that price or will i have to dish out more?

EXTRA INFO:
For the RAM I most likely will be getting 1600MHz but if i see the 1333MHz really cheap then i might just get that. Eitherway i would prefer if the motherboard supported 1600 so i could upgrade later on if need be. But i was recently told by a techie in my local PC store that the i5 processor needs a specific type of DDR3 RAM. He said it needs to be the right type of voltage (i think it was 1.65) otherwise it could fry the components. Any idea if this is true?

Also i will have at least 3 SATA devices that need connecting but would like 4 SATA slots on the motherboard. I won't be using a floppy drive or anything old school like that. ;)

I'm using all 5 of the power connectors on my current power supply but will probably need atleast 6 on my new one.

Now i do want 2 Pci-E slots on the motherboard so I can add another graphics card in the future but the power supply doesn't have to support 2 cards because If i ever do crossfire i will change the power supply then. Basically what I'm trying to say is that the power supply doesn't need to be powerful enough to support 2 HD5870's.

Thanks in advance
 
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No, I'm not the overclocking type. So no overclocking.

As for the memory, I don't understand. Do you mean i need RAM that does 1.65v or that it can be any RAM that does up to 1.65v?

Thanks
 
No, I'm not the overclocking type. So no overclocking.

As for the memory, I don't understand. Do you mean i need RAM that does 1.65v or that it can be any RAM that does up to 1.65v?

Thanks

Up to 1.65 volts

its normally sold in 1.35/1.5/1.65

A 500/600W PSU would be recommended
 
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Yeah, from what I've read 600w is the safest choice. Can you recommend me one for about £60?
 
Yep. Its a little outside my budget but i think its worth paying the extra £10 in the long run. Any suggestions on a motherboard? My budget for that is about £90.
 
Thanks for the quick replies. Just wondering is this one any good? I just read up on it and from what i understand the only difference between this LE version and the others is that the LE doesn't have as much inbuilt overclocking tools which doesn't bother me as i don't overclock.

Is it better than the Asus P7P55 LX?

EDIT: After having had a look at them they seem pretty similar.
 
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Thanks for the quick replies. Just wondering is this one any good? I just read up on it and from what i understand the only difference between this LE version and the others is that the LE doesn't have as much inbuilt overclocking tools which doesn't bother me as i don't overclock.

Is it better than the Asus P7P55 LX?

There isn't a noticeable difference between the 2
One problem with sub 120 boards is that for crossfire one slot is X4 and one is X16.
 
Well, i ordered all the parts at 8PM yesterday and my components arrived today! Thanks for your help mate.

In the end i went for:

Intel Core i5 750
Antec Nine Hundred Two Black ATX Case
Corsair 650W TX Series PSU
Asus P7P55D LE P55 Motherboard
OCZ 4GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM

The only thing I'm having second thoughts about is the motherboard. Like you said Skillfull even though it has 2 PCI-E slots the second one only does x4. Part of the reason this has popped up is because I'm thinking of going with a 5850 instead of a 5870 which makes it more likely that I'll get another 5850 in a year or so to crossfire. Hmmm.
 
Just unpacked all the stuff to see if everythings in order and noticed something. The Antec 902's power supply bracket is at the bottom of the rig which means when i slide the Corsair 650w TX PSU in, the PSU's fan is covered by the bottom of the case. The only way i can see to avoid this (unless I'm missing something) is to install the PSU upside down so that the fan faces in to the case. Is this safe to do or am i missing something real obvious.

EDIT: Just found this picture of someones rig where they've got it upside down so it must be ok.

DSC06111.jpg
 
Good luck with it. that's normal with the Antec 900.

I ordered my stuff on Tuesday night with free delivery from Ebuyer and Dabs and it has yet to be dispatched :(:(

I5 750
P55A-UD3
4gb OCZ 1333Mhz 1.65v
 
Just an update that i built the rig using the components listed in my last post and its been working great for over a week. I ended up going with a Sapphire 5870 for my graphics card. Its such a beast! Will post pictures if i get the chance. Thanks for your help SkillfullOrange. :thumbsup:
 

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