Build an Intel Sandy Bridge budget system - Overclockers UK

👤by David Mitchelson Comments 📅22-02-11
Build Complete

Building a system from scratch is a very rewarding thing. If you haven't already tried it, then you should give it a go. There are lots of resources out there should you get stuck at any stage and of course you can always visit our community forums for assistance.

The more space you have inside the computer case you are installing the components into the better. There is nothing worse than struggling, knocking things and getting frustrated. Thanks to the mATX board that we installed within the Cooler Master Elite 430 space was not a problem. All of the kit went into the case without any major hiccups and it wasn't long before we were onto the Windows install.

One thing I would mention is that the Cooler Master Elite 430 is a budget case, so there are various aspects that are absent when comparing to a higher priced case. Inside, we have no cable management cut-outs so you have to be imaginative in terms of your approach to organisation within this case. I fed some of the cables between the motherboard and the motherboard tray to keep things tidy and causing less obstruction to airflow. I also used spiral wrap to cover the PSU cables since they are not braided and can appear quite ugly when you have a side window as the Elite 430 does.

With the absence of a rear exhaust fan inside the Elite 430 I had various fans lying about so I dropped a Noctua NF-S12B inside the case in order to create positive airflow.

Hopefully this article has inspired, encouraged and given you an example to go by. Sandy Bridge is a fantastic platform, that bridges the gap between performance and cost. Overclockers UK have some of the best prices around and I have personally been a customer for many years now and would highly recommend them. This article has revealed that there are currently some fantastic deals on a range of components there.

Below are some images of the final build, thanks for reading and be sure to drop by our community forums if you have any questions or comments.

Article on OcUK: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=18523933











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