Best setup for the money?

LeoPheonix

LeoPheonix

LeoPheonix

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26 Aug 2007
Posts
136
Okay,

Finally I am having to bite the bullet and upgrade from my older P4 3Ghz rig to something that can handle vista and the latest games.

Below is what I have specced to put together but I am not 100% sure that I have guesstimated the best combination for the money.

I already have a single 74MB Raptor for my main system drive and replacing my current 4 x 120G Raid 0 with the 2 x 500G drives. I am putting all of this into a |Coolermaster Stacker with 2 PSU's. I am running the Logitech z-10 speakers so I don't need a soundcard.

Does this seem like the best conbo to you all - Comments/Opinions more than welcome:

  • Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient 95W Edition" 2.40GHz
  • Tuniq Tower 120 CPU Cooler (Socket 478/754/939/940/AM2/LGA775)
  • Asus Blitz Formula Special Edition Intel P35
  • Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-8500C5 1066MHz Dual Channel Kit
  • BFG GeForce 8800 GTX OC2 768MB GDDR3
  • Samsung SpinPoint T HD501LJ 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM
  • Dell Ultrasharp 2407WFP-HC 24"
  • Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit Edition DVD - OEM - 1Pk (66R-00838)

Thanks for your time.
 
Looks a nice balanced setup although I would consider changing a few things.

First off, the ram is overkill, you don't need that fast RAM ... I mean for only a few pounds more you can get 4GB of RAM which will be more beneficial than having 2GB of faster RAM although it might limit your overclocking potential slightly.

Maybe consider consider getting OCuK's 4GB RAM kit:
OcUK 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-5300C5 667MHz DDR2 Dual Channel Vista Approved Kit
£99.99
£117.49 inc VAT

OCuK also offer the same speed 2GB RAM kit for a lot less:
OcUK 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-8500C5 1066MHz Dual Channel Kit
£64.99
£76.36 inc VAT


Also you can save a few pounds on the gfx card, you dont need to waste your money on pre-overclocked cards, its easy enough to do yourself, for instance you can get the OCuK 8800 GTX for a lot less:
OcUK GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - OEM
£249.99
£293.74 inc VAT


I'd also look at the Western Digital AAKS Range, very quick and silent.
Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB 5000AAKS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM
£63.99
£75.19 inc VAT

Also if you haven't already, it might be worth looking at the Windows Vista comparison's to see what you get in Ultimate and what you don't get in, lets say Home Premium as unless you actually need the added features of Ultimate then you could save yourself a few pounds and get Windows Vista Home Premium.
 
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Great advice, thankyou so much!

I had planned to get 4GB of the ballistix (4 x 1GB) - I mistyped it above. I do plan to overclock the Q6600 to beyond 3Ghz - is this still overkill? I was originally going to get 4GB of Geil Blackdragon but thought the Ballistix would be better.

As for the Graphics card, good point. I am a little worried about running full res games on the 24" panel, but then i am also worried about spending a lot on a card when the next gen nVidias come out in Novemebr (not that i would buy on until spring when the prices settle down.

Great tip on the hard drive. I have swapped that. I was tempted away from Western Digital by the great reviews on your site of the samsung spinpoint. I am also considering a second Raptor to raid my system drive for increased speed. Will that make much difference?

I am also a little concerned by my cooling system as I am soo out of touch about what the best coolers are at the moment.

Just to clarfy, I am not trying to spend less money here, i hust want to make sure that I am getting the best setup for the money that I am spending. If i could spend a little more for a better mix then I certainly would. I don't really like comprimise, but of course i have to or else i would spend an absolute fortune!

Again, thanks for a great reply.
 
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Well at the end of the day there's a little subjectivity involved here I guess

I have never owned a Samsung before, but I have had some WD's which have always been good. Maybe I shall stick with WD in this case.

To be honest this part of the spec is the least of my worries, I hope to Get a Netgear ReadyNAS 2TB at some point in the future as I really want to make sure all my data is protected.

Its more the Mobo/Ram and Cooling that I am unsure of.
 
im just playing with ya, you wont go wrong with either drives and the WD are highly recommened around these parts.


as for Mbrd /Ram /CPU

im going to be going for;


quad cpu
Abit IP35 Pro (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-5300C3 667MHz Dual Channel Kit (BL2KIT12864AA663)

the RAM is known to be excellent at overclocking and the motherboard just down to taste.

oh. and the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme Heatsink (Socket AM2/LGA775) cooler
 
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hmmm the Thermalright Ultra-120 Heatsink seems to have a few negative reviews while the Tuniq Tower 120 CPU Cooler seems to have all 5 star reviews.

However the Thermalright seems to be a popular choice in the forum. Similar prices. Am I missing something?
 
LeoPheonix said:
Is it worth going for Vista 64bit as there are so few drivers out there for it? I need to have my Netgear draft N wireless driver working!!
Click to expand...

Theirs lots more drivers for it since when it first came out ... and i would say so as your need it if you ever upgrade to 4GB of RAM, cant you just check to see if theirs a Vista 64bit Netgear draft N wireless driver and then decide?
 
Isn't it the same as XP OEM, whenever you change something inside, just give them a call and activate buy phone.
 
Okay - It looks like the netgear drivers do now support 64 bit Vista (although the information seems rather hard to find!)

Also it does seem that a phone call to Microsoft can allow you to change the motherboard on OEM software. This is not much use to me this time as I have bought the 32bit software, but this makes me feel better about buying the 64bit OEM version.
 
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