New system sound ok to you guys ?

[rob hackin]

Hi all ive been reading up on reviews etc for what feels like a full day (been out of the loop for a while)

Anyhow im in need of getting some new bits to update my Q9400

things are want on my mobo are

Raid
Crossfire
along with all the normal stuff ofc

I will be overclocking (most prob just on air)

and i am thinking about going with...
MSI Z77A-GD65 Intel Z77 Socket 1155
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi-z...dvi-d-hdmi-atx

Intel CPU Core i7 3770K Quad Core
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel...ache-35x-ratio

Memory im not to sure on....as i said i will be overclocking and most likely to be going with something like .....

Corsair Memory Vengeance Black 12GB DDR3 1600MHz CAS 9 XMP Triple Channel Desktop
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/12gb-...-9-24-xmp-150v

Not 100% sure on this memory tho ...

And as soon as i can afford it i will get another 1gb HD5870 for the 3 screens thing with crossfire

Does this setup look ok ? is there anything you would change ?

Thank you very much for any help you can offer in advance.

[FatBoyNL]

Looks ok to me. Except for the triple channel memory; that's only for X58/LGA1366 Core i7 CPUs.
Ivy Bridge just needs normal dual channel memory.

[lehtv]

The motherboard looks a bit expensive. What features does it offer that you need and are not offered by cheaper boards like Asrock Z77 Pro4 and Gigabyte Z77X-D3H, to name a few?

Is this primarily a gaming PC? If so, buy an i5-3570K. There is practically no benefit to hyperthreading unless you process something heavily multithreaded, e.g. certain video editing/encoding tools, 3d modelling etc.

Buy RAM with the following specs:
1600mhz CAS9 1.5V. Again if the most intensive thing you do is gaming, 2x4GB is enough.

Finally, you should not use a triple monitor setup running on 5870 1GB Crossfire. With crossfire, you're still limited to 1GB VRAM because memory use is mirrored in crossfire. Even at 1920x1080 you will often see over 1GB VRAM use. I'd recommend selling the 5870 and buying something like GTX 680 or 7850 crossfire at least.

What is your power supply?

[sykozis]

You won't be overclocking very far on the stock cooler and that memory will hinder most aftermarket coolers due to it's height. Would be best to find a low-profile 1.5v or lower dual channel memory kit.

[deltatux]

I think the OP would also be limited by his PSU as well... 550W isn't much to chew on when it comes to overclocking.

Remember when you start adding more voltage, if you have a power hungry GPU, it will make your system unstable as the PSU would have a hard time keeping up with the power draw.

deltatux

[sykozis]

Originally Posted by deltatux

I think the OP would also be limited by his PSU as well... 550W isn't much to chew on when it comes to overclocking.

Remember when you start adding more voltage, if you have a power hungry GPU, it will make your system unstable as the PSU would have a hard time keeping up with the power draw.

deltatux

True....but some of us have backed off on recommending PSU upgrades due to get attacked by other users who are naive enough to believe a 550watt PSU is sufficient.... He'll definitely need more than 550watts if he wants to use 2x5870's in Crossfire.... Hell, my 620watt is nearing it's useful limit if you believe the readings displayed by GPU-Z....which appears to be giving inaccurate readings these days. I tried contacting Wizzard over on TPU, but he seems unwilling to believe there's a flaw in GPU-Z...

[rob hackin]

Thanks alot for the input guys

Ok first off that sepc is a few years out of date lol (left hand side)

I have a high quality enermax 650 psu atm

Ok so i7 3770k a wate of time for gamers....well thats cool if it saves £££

as for the motherboard i think i will go with this ASRock Z77 Pro 4 as the reviews ive read seem to be very good.

Use the money ive saved from both of these will go towards a new GPU

Which memory would you guys recomend for this setup ?

[Lukc]

go with gskill ripjaws or corsair vengeance low profile memory 1600mhz 2x4gb cl9
i have 8gb and usually it's about 2-3gb in use, in games up to 5gb, max 6gb so no need for more..

[rob hackin]

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb-%...9-9-24-xmp-15v

so maybe this ram ?

[lehtv]

Yes, that looks good.