Sandybridge Spec?

sbirtwistle · 22 Jan 2011 at 16:59

So I'm looking to do another PC build, spending between £700 and £1000. In addition to the basics, I'll need a monitor, mouse and optical drive (but not a keyboard).

I won't be overclocking to start with, so shouldn't need a CPU cooler. I would quite like an SSD drive if it fits into the budget.

I'll be using the machine for gaming, web development, perhaps watching films and remote desktop for work.

I could use a hand from the experts on here spec-ing it out. Appreciate your time!

N00bbuilder79 · 22 Jan 2011 at 17:18

Any pref on monitor size?

Cleeecooo · 22 Jan 2011 at 17:45

That's £15 for a mouse:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=702&catid=23&subid=1276&sortby=priceAsc

Look at the first five on page

sbirtwistle · 22 Jan 2011 at 17:52

Thanks for the quick replies! I'm flexible on monitor size - it doesn't have to be huge but I'd rather not be buying another one in a couple of years time!

shadow_boxer · 22 Jan 2011 at 17:55

Your basket
Product Name Qty Price Line Total
HIS ATI Radeon HD 6950 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £239.99
(£199.99) £239.99
(£199.99)
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor £194.99
(£162.49) £194.99
(£162.49)
Foxconn P67A-S Intel P67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard - (Sandybridge) £99.98
(£83.32) £99.98
(£83.32)
XFX Pro 650W Core Edition Power Supply £66.37
(£55.31) £66.37
(£55.31)
Coolermaster CM-690 II Lite Dominator Case - Black £53.99
(£44.99) £53.99
(£44.99)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000528AS) £40.99
(£34.16) £40.99
(£34.16)
GeIL 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz VALUE PLUS Dual Channel (GVP34GB1600C9DC) £33.98
(£28.32) £33.98
(£28.32)
Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £26.53
(£22.11) £26.53
(£22.11)
Sony Optiarc AD-5260S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.98
(£12.48) £14.98
(£12.48)
Sub Total : £643.17
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £11.25
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £130.88
Total : £785.30

Excluding monitor and SSD. New generation of SSDs are expected soon so I'd wait for one of those. The Intel third generation drives should offer larger capacity at a lower price point.

Monitor - not sure, but read as many reviews as you can. 24" is a good size.

Better cooler than the above for overclocking. I know you say you won't overclock just yet but better than messing around later and fitting it. Right at the top end of you budget but;

Motherboard will allow for Crossfire.

Better graphics card. Can be flashed to a 6970 very easily.

CPU allows for overclocking, the one above doesn't

Really pushing the budget but could get a 24" monitor then wait for new generation of SSDs to arrive.

Cleeecooo · 22 Jan 2011 at 17:59

Probably better waiting for a month for new SSD's but i specced you a SATA 6GB/S SSD so it should be fast enough

Cookeh · 22 Jan 2011 at 17:59

shadow_boxer said:
Your basket
Product Name Qty Price Line Total
HIS ATI Radeon HD 6950 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £239.99
(£199.99) £239.99
(£199.99)
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor £194.99
(£162.49) £194.99
(£162.49)
Foxconn P67A-S Intel P67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard - (Sandybridge) £99.98
(£83.32) £99.98
(£83.32)
XFX Pro 650W Core Edition Power Supply £66.37
(£55.31) £66.37
(£55.31)
Coolermaster CM-690 II Lite Dominator Case - Black £53.99
(£44.99) £53.99
(£44.99)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000528AS) £40.99
(£34.16) £40.99
(£34.16)
GeIL 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz VALUE PLUS Dual Channel (GVP34GB1600C9DC) £33.98
(£28.32) £33.98
(£28.32)
Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £26.53
(£22.11) £26.53
(£22.11)
Sony Optiarc AD-5260S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.98
(£12.48) £14.98
(£12.48)
Sub Total : £643.17
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £11.25
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £130.88
Total : £785.30

Excluding monitor and SSD. New generation of SSDs are expected soon so I'd wait for one of those. The Intel third generation drives should offer larger capacity at a lower price point.

Monitor - not sure, but read as many reviews as you can. 24" is a good size.

Better cooler than the above for overclocking. I know you say you won't overclock just yet but better than messing around later and fitting it. Right at the top end of you budget but;

Motherboard will allow for Crossfire.

Better graphics card. Can be flashed to a 6970 very easily.

CPU allows for overclocking, the one above doesn't

Really pushing the budget but could get a 24" monitor then wait for new generation of SSDs to arrive.

+1

That's what I was about to spec.

You've beaten me again Shadow

Shouldn't you be revising for your Jan exams?

shadow_boxer · 22 Jan 2011 at 18:02

Cleeecooo said:
Probably better waiting for a month for new SSD's but i specced you a SATA 6GB/S SSD so it should be fast enough

New generation will offer larger capacity which may be important as 64gb tends to get used fairly quickly with OS/applications/one or two games and better write speeds.

Cookeh said:
+1

That's what I was about to spec.

You've beaten me again Shadow Shouldn't you be revising for your Jan exams?

Exam done, had it yesterday. 3 hour exam! worst one ever!

Cleeecooo · 22 Jan 2011 at 18:25

shadow_boxer said:
New generation will offer larger capacity which may be important as 64gb tends to get used fairly quickly with OS/applications/one or two games and better write speeds.

Exam done, had it yesterday. 3 hour exam! worst one ever!

Did well?

shadow_boxer · 22 Jan 2011 at 18:28

Cleeecooo said:
Did well?

Will wait and see if I get called back for an interview or not!

sbirtwistle · 22 Jan 2011 at 18:45

really useful info guys, thanks. I'll wait a month to buy the SSD if they will be so much better. Are there any good links for more details?

What monitors do you own? I'll start looking at the options. Probably getting a bit too optimistic for the budget, but what do you need for a 3D setup?

Cheers for the help!

shadow_boxer · 22 Jan 2011 at 18:59

I've got an Asus VW246H which is a fairly ageing model now but in terms of best bang for buck 24" monitors are the way go. Never gamed in 3D so can't comment but the technology is still quite new so expect to pay a hefty premium when looking for a 3D screen and rethink your budget.

As for monitors to look for, can't really go wrong with Iiyama, BenQ or Samsung. You should be able to get a decent 24" TN panel monitor for in the region £140-170.

Cookeh · 22 Jan 2011 at 19:12

You're moaning about a 3 hour exam?

I had to suffer 4 and a half hours of exams in one day

I hate A levels, and I hate our school for doing both maths exam straight after each other!

shadow_boxer · 22 Jan 2011 at 19:13

Cookeh said:
You're moaning about a 3 hour exam?

I had to suffer 4 and a half hours of exams in one day

I hate A levels, and I hate our school for doing both maths exam straight after each other!

Ah, A levels, that takes me back. Try medical post graduate exams!

Cookeh · 22 Jan 2011 at 19:17

shadow_boxer said:
Ah, A levels, that takes me back. Try medical post graduate exams!

I was going to - then realised the whole affair of medical practice is stupidly boring and repetitive.

So going to study Chemistry instead

sbirtwistle · 29 Jan 2011 at 14:22

Ok guys, buying today (taking advantage of some of the OCUK offers). Any last minute changes? I decided to go for the 24" BenQ G2420HDBL on the monitor side and I'm waiting until next month for the SSD.