Shortlist for workstation PC upgrade - your thoughts?

[Schmutz]

I am upgrading my computer which I use for Video editing, Music production, gaming and extreme multi-tasking. After thorough research here is my shortlist:

CPU

Intel Core i7 2600k 3.4GHz Socket 1155 8MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor £235.65

RAM

Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4x4GB) DDDR3 1600Mhz Memory Module CL9 1.5V £151.96

MOTHERBOARD

Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3P-B3 Socket 1155 onboard 7.1 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard £148.85

SSD DRIVE

Crucial 128GB 2.5" M4 SSD SATA-III 6Gb/s - Read 415MB/s Write 175MB/s £169.98

= £706.44

I am upgrading from:

• Q6600 @ 3.0Ghz
• 4GB DDR2 RAM @800mhz
• Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R
• Coolermaster Silent pro Gold 1000W PSU*
• Asus Xonar DX soundcard*
• Dell U2711 + Samsung SyncMaster 245B*
• Gigabyte GTX 560ti*
• Keyboard/Mouse/Speakers/Hard drives*
• Coolermaster CM690 II Advanced Case*
  
  *I will continue to use with the new build

Do you have any suggestions for improvement? I hope to order this week. I am happy to buy from any reliable website including ebay sellers my preferred websites are ebuyer and amazon.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions they will be much appreciated

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

It's not necessary to start two threads.
4.5 ghz should be fine.
You might need a new mounting brace for your fan.

 

[Schmutz]

It was more organised than writing a lengthy reply in my other thread. I am very sorry if this was bad practice I do not mean to spam the forums with the same questions.

I am tempted to get the Corsair Cooling Air Series A70 @£53.71 because the product reviews on ebuyer are largely positive. It is pricey for a cooler though are there alternatives you would recommend?

 

[Schmutz]

After more research I am inclined to make some adjustments to my selection:

Asrock Z68 EXTREME4 - ~£130

Noctua NH-D14 - £65.02

Kingston 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz HyperX Blu (X2 = 16GB) £125.98

I am settled on the processor and SSD drive. The CPU cooler is recommended everywhere I've looked and offers great performance under quiet operation. The ASROCK motherboard receives largely postitive reviews and a comparison review on tomshardware convinced me it is a quality motherboard for the price. Finally, the Kingston HyperX Blu Memory offers the greatest price/performance imo. The Ripjaws X-series does not appear to offer much extra performance to warrant playing an extra £52... this said RAM performance will be of high priority to me since I'm always multi-tasking.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[Mizzou]

I have a Noctua push-pull running on my Intel rig which does a very good job, quality is excellent. At one time I had 8GB of Kingston Hyper-X in the AMD rig; works OK at stock speeds but did not overclock well at all, at least for me. Reviews I've seen on Asrock are consistent with what you found on Tom's Hardware ... good bang for the buck.

 

[Schmutz]

I have a Noctua push-pull running on my Intel rig which does a very good job, quality is excellent. At one time I had 8GB of Kingston Hyper-X in the AMD rig; works OK at stock speeds but did not overclock well at all, at least for me. Reviews I've seen on Asrock are consistent with what you found on Tom's Hardware ... good bang for the buck.

thanks Mizzou. From my research there doesn't seem to be much beyond the Kingston HyperX/1333mhz with regards to performance. Other memory kits are far more expensive but they offer little improvement in real world scenarios. Is this true? Should I consider higher quality memory? If there are worthy performance gains to be had I am willing to pay extra. I am looking for the BEST price/performance high-end memory.

My CPU Cooler of choice is now the Thermalright Silver Arrow. http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-078-TR&tool=3 at £51 it seems like a better deal than the Noctua cooler.

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

Anything is a better deal than the Noctua...
Take a look at the Coolermaster hyper 212 and Scythe Yasya.
And keep in mind that having the best air coolers is only marginally better than decent one.

 

[Schmutz]

Thanks I've just done some research on these coolers. I am after extremely high stability/minimum temperatures and noise. I don't want to overlook getting a quality cooler. This was an interesting case study where the user upgraded from the Hyper 212 to the silver arrow:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1573057

The silver arrow appears to be the "sweet spot" between the overpriced noctua/inferior hyper 212

 

[Leeky]

If your hitting the £50 mark with coolers I would personally only consider a water cooler, like the Corsair H50, which is available from OCUK for £45.98 Inc VAT.

When coupled with another 120mm fan to run push/pull configuration it will offer very good cooling. I've also noticed they are offering a H60 cooler for about £10 more if thats worth considering as well.