Gaming System <£850

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I mainly play CSS / COD4 competitively but I also want the capacity to play newer games too with decent fps. I am also looking to overclock after seeing my cousin having done it successfully.

I wasn't sure whether to go with the Q6600 or not as it's of a similar price to the E8500 however from what i've read you get better performance within games with the dual-core due to the lack of multi-core optimisation within games.

If anyone has any better alternatives that they could reccomend to me for the components in this spec then please tell me :) Saving money on things that don't seem necessary would also be a bonus too.

Thanks,

beezay
 
Looks Good mate :).

I would personally drop the E8500 to a E8400 save abit off cash. And put that cash towards a 4870 but thats my own opinion :).

But yeah looks grand :).
 
Personally 4GB is needed for vista.
And that PSU is way overkill that system, but would be usefull in the future.

But i came up with this (Loosely based on yours):

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Could change the case to something better but the 300 is a good case.
 
Wouldn't it make sense just to get the 8500 for £5 more? and secondly I did select 4gb of ram if you look next to the RAM I selected the quantity is 2 x 2GB
 
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Wouldn't it make sense just to get the 8500 for £5 more? and secondly I did select 4gb of ram if you look next to the RAM I selected the quantity is 2 x 2GB

You put down 4 x 1gb sticks, better with 2 x 2gb kits. Normally I'd suggest the E8400 over the 8500, but since it's only £5 difference, just go for it. Both will overclock to roughly the same, just try and make sure it's E0 stepping.
 
right thanks, is it worth going the extra mile to get the 4870 1024mb over the 4850 1024mb or the 4870 512mb over the 4850 1024mb?

cheers :)
 
I'll be buying one of the new 22" samsung TFT's, 2ms, think the resolution will be the widescreen equivalent of 1600x1200
 
Do you need the P5Q-E? The Pro version is quite a bit cheaper - compare the specs and decide if you need the extras that the E version offers.

I'd personally go for the Western Digital Carviar BLUE 640GB which is a little cheaper and you'll be getting another 140GB storage. I don't think there will be any noticable difference between the Carviar Blue and Black drives.

Definitely go with 2X2GB sticks instead of 1X4GB. You'll have more room in your case, it'll be cooler and more future proof.
Look at Corsair and OCZ RAM.
 
Ok I'm feeling I am starting to get closer to the final spec, after taken into consideration what you very helpful people have been saying I've come up with this...

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Does anyone reckon anything should be changed on this new spec?
Will the cooling be sufficient for a decent overclock and will all the components fit in the case?

Thanks a lot,

beezay
 
I would go for Antec Nine hundred - well cooled.
If you want OC your system go for better cooling - Noctua or Thermalright and change RAM for 1066 MHz..
PSU - it is good but you can buy better one in the same price - Seasonic S12 650W or PC Power & silent 610W.
mobo - better choice is Asus P5Q-E - better audio and cooling.
 
Ok I'm feeling I am starting to get closer to the final spec, after taken into consideration what you very helpful people have been saying I've come up with this...

Does anyone reckon anything should be changed on this new spec?
Will the cooling be sufficient for a decent overclock and will all the components fit in the case?

Thanks a lot,

beezay

Looking good but to be honest I'm not sure if it's worth you getting the 4870 if your going to be using a 22" monitor. The 4850 will be able to play most/all games on highest settings on a 22" monitor and if you need a boost in the future then you can always add another 4850 in crossfire.

Personally I'd go for something like this;

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I changed the 4870 to the 4850 as explained above. This will save you a lot of money to spend on better cooling, etc.

I changed the CPU cooler to a Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme which is excellent for overclocking. It doesn't come with a fan so you can chose your own 120mm fan to fit onto it. I chose the Scythe 120mm but it's currently out of stock on OcUK. The Scythe or a Yate Loon D12SL-12 fan will be excellent on the Thermalright 120 Extreme and they will be quiet too.

I changed the PSU to a Zalman 750W, these are meant to be very good PSUs and it's also modular so it'll keep your case tider and improve airflow, etc. It's also meant to be quiet.

And lastly I changed the RAM from 6400 to 8500, this'll give you more room to OC the E8500.
 
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If you get the Thermalright it comes with some decent thermal paste, you shouldn't need the AS5. Also the Sharkoon 2000 would be better for pushing air through that HS and it's cheaper. That would save you a tenner and you would have a better fan.
 
Thanks for the advice Cyber, the Sharkoon 2000 also happens to be in stock too!

Does anyone know if it is the E0 stepping on the e8500 or if thats only present on the e8600?
 
If you get the Thermalright it comes with some decent thermal paste, you shouldn't need the AS5. Also the Sharkoon 2000 would be better for pushing air through that HS and it's cheaper. That would save you a tenner and you would have a better fan.

Does the thermal paste only come with the Extreme version of the 120 then?
I just bought a 120A and it didn't come with thermal paste... :(

Agreed with the Sharkoon 2000 fan, though some people have said it is noisy at 12V (not surprising as it is 2000RPM!). It's a shame OcUK stopped stocking the Yate Loon fans, they really can't be beaten in terms of quality/performance/price.
 
Does the thermal paste only come with the Extreme version of the 120 then?
I just bought a 120A and it didn't come with thermal paste... :(

Agreed with the Sharkoon 2000 fan, though some people have said it is noisy at 12V (not surprising as it is 2000RPM!). It's a shame OcUK stopped stocking the Yate Loon fans, they really can't be beaten in terms of quality/performance/price.

Ah. you might be right, I got the True black and it came with paste. I also have a few other Thermalright heatsinks and they came with paste too but there's no mention of it for the extreme. I'd still go for the Sharkoon though.
 
Ah. you might be right, I got the True black and it came with paste. I also have a few other Thermalright heatsinks and they came with paste too but there's no mention of it for the extreme. I'd still go for the Sharkoon though.

I just checked with my good friend Google and the 120 Extreme does come with thermal paste. :)
 
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