£1000 Gaming Rig

Frame352

Frame352

Frame352

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Yes, just what the world needs; another "spec me a gaming rig" thread. But I know you all secretly love them, so here goes;

I've £1000 to spend, but you don't have to spend it all!

I don't need a monitor, keyboard or mouse. However, I'd like speakers and headphones, and a sound card too!

I don't need a ton of storage or RAID.

I play at 1600*1200 resolution. I'm willing to get a lower specced graphics card for short term use, as I know the "real" next gen cards will be due out later in the year, but only if you guys think it's a worthwhile path to take.

I've never overclocked before, but am willing to give it a go (though not to levels acheived by some of the gurus on here... let's just say I'll be dabbling).

I do need an OS.

I have no interest in SLI or Crossfire.

Components with lower noise would be a bonus.

A modicum of future-friendliness (I already know future proofing is nigh on impossible) would be appreciated. So when it comes to the mobo, can you tell me why you've chosen that particular chipset, and what future benefits it might have?

Thanks a million chaps!
 
Okay, this is what I have come up with... I think the mobo is overkill, and not sure about Vista, but all feedback welcome :)

Abit IX38 QuadGT Intel X38 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £158.61
Corsair HX 620W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-620HXUK) £88.11
OcUK GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail £187.99
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - OEM £162.14
OCZ 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-6400C4 Dual Channel Platinum Revision 2 XTC Series DDR2 (OCZ2P800R22GK) £27.01
Samsung SpinPoint T 320GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD321KJ) £51.69
Samsung SH-S203NBEBN 20x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.96
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme CPU Cooler (Socket AM2/LGA775) £38.76
Scythe S-FLEX 1200RPM Ultra Quiet 120mm Fan - 3/4 pin £12.91
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer 7.1 Sound Card - OEM £52.86
Lian-Li PC-7 PLUS II Aluminium Midi-Tower Case - Black £58.74
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32-Bit Edition DVD - OEM £70.49
Sennheiser HD 555 Stereo Headphones £62.26
Creative Gigaworks T20 2.0 Speaker System £59.91

Sub Total : £894.86
Shipping : £12.95
VAT : £158.87
Total : £1,066.68
 
hows this. you can knock off £30 by going 2GB

capturegi1.png


the chipset supports 45nm wolfdales and yorkfeilds.

the mobo suppports DDR3
 
Thank you so much shaffaaf27, but my bad - I should have mentioned that the speakers would only be used for general use, with the headphones being used for gaming (just don't have a work area suited to a 5.1 set-up). But otherwise, looks good!

Is the 690 a good choice for me? I know it's a good case from reviews, but wondering if I need all the space it offers... Ah hell, who knows what space I'll need in the future :) Thanks again.

Anyone else?
 
Okay, thanks for the replies guys...

Vista64... How's this doing these days? I know there was something up when using X-Fi with Vista 64, but am I correct in thinking recent drivers have sorted this out?

I must admit, the P182 looks good... The Dominator RAM is a bit pricey though?
 
Ye the dominator is expensive is just what I would have chosen myself because I have always been impressed with corsair RAM. You will save yourself a fair bit of cash by picking 4GB of pretty much any of the DDR2 1000mhz+ RAM, they would be more than adequate for your needs.

Some people still do have issues with the X-Fi and vista 64, its rather hit and miss sadly. Auzentech would be the other option for you, the prelude I have is quite frankly outstanding. Though as you are not going to use a 5.1 sound system, why not just use the onboard sound option and spend the few quid you have then saved on the RAM and Soundcard on a better GFX card or CPU? As you said its a 1000 pound gaming rig, the FPS increase and Soundcard processing you have lost could easily be accounted for via the choosing of a faster cpu/gfx card with the money saved.
 
Last edited:
eggnoodle said:
Ye the dominator is expensive is just what I would have chosen myself because I have always been impressed with corsair RAM. You will save yourself a fair bit of cash by picking 4GB of pretty much any of the DDR2 1000mhz+ RAM, they would be more than adequate for your needs.

Some people still do have issues with the X-Fi and vista 64, its rather hit and miss sadly. Auzentech would be the other option for you, the prelude I have is quite frankly outstanding. Though as you are not going to use a 5.1 sound system, why not just use the onboard sound option and spend the few quid you saved on the RAM and Soundcard on a better GFX card or CPU?
Click to expand...

Okay, will take a look at the Prelude, thanks :) Would a dedicated sound card really be a waste of money when using a good set of headphones like the 555s?
 
Green_Giant said:
Okay, will take a look at the Prelude, thanks :) Would a dedicated sound card really be a waste of money when using a good set of headphones like the 555s?
Click to expand...

Depends what you want from your rig tbh. If you are going to splash out on a decent set of headphones and enjoy your music, films etc. then get a decent soundcard to compliment them. If its headphones for gaming, personally I would choose the sennheiser 151s and just use the onboard and stick in better gfx or cpu, but is entirely up to you based on your own experience and taste.
 
eggnoodle said:
Depends what you want from your rig tbh. If you are going to splash out on a decent set of headphones and enjoy your music, films etc. then get a decent soundcard to compliment them. If its headphones for gaming, personally I would choose the sennheiser 151s and just use the onboard and stick in better gfx or cpu, but is entirely up to you based on your own experience and taste.
Click to expand...

Okay, food for thought. Thanks again mate :)
 
I 100% wouldn't go for the ram eggnoodle suggested (sorry!) for £199 it isn't worth it when you can pick up decent 4GB sets for £80. I would suggest putting the money saved towards a better GPU as after all, it is a gaming rig - and you are putting a grand into it.
 
Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (WD5000AAKS) £51.49 (£60.50)
Pioneer DVR-115DBK 20x DVD±RW IDE Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.99 (£17.61)
Antec P182 Super Midi Tower Case - No PSU (Gun Metal Black) £73.99 (£86.94)
BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC 512MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail £162.99 (£191.51)
Asus Maximus Formula Intel X38 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £129.99 (£152.74)
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail £144.99 (£170.36)
G.Skill 4GB DDR2 PQ PC2-6400C5 (2x2GB) CAS5 Dual Channel Kit (F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ) £51.99 (£61.09)
Corsair HX 520W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-520HXUK) £59.99 (£70.49)
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer 7.1 Sound Card - Retail £46.99 (£55.21)
Logitech Z-10 Interactive 2.0 Speaker System £59.99 (£70.49)
Sennheiser PC161 Pro-Gaming Headset £35.99 (£42.29)
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775) £14.99 (£17.61)

Total : £1,014.41

How's that for size?
 
Okay, thanks for all the responses. I genuinely appreciate it :)

Will take shaffaaf27's spec and maybe change the speakers to a 2.0 or 2.1 set.

Thanks again!!
 
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