1k Spec opinions

greywolf

greywolf

greywolf

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Just looking for other peoples opinions/ alterations to the following spec for a mates build.

It must include a monitor, headset, sound card that has SVM and an SSD. No need for a storage drive, Windows 7 or a DVD drive as I have these already.

Close to the £1000 mark as possible.

spec1k.jpg
 
I think the GPU is just not good enough for that money. I'd drop the cooler and ssd and get better graphics card.

That's be my basis for a build.

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI ATI Radeon HD 6950 OC Twin FrozR III Power Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with Dirt3 & Deus Ex PC Games £204.98
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £159.98
1 x Iiyama ProLite E2409HDS 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black £134.39
1 x Asus P8Z68-V Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £131.99
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 64GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive £77.99
1 x Antec TruePower New Modular 650W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £65.99
1 x BitFenix Shinobi Gaming Case - Black £47.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £39.98
1 x Corsair Gaming Audio Series HS1A Analogue Gaming Headset £39.98
Total : £926.20 (includes shipping : £19.10).

 
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Can get another SSD later specifically for games. But I wouldn't compromise the graphics card over a SSD.

Don't know enough about sound cards (or indeed headsets), so left some room. Maybe for another case as well, or a 23'' LG IPS screen.

Can also swap to a 570GTX.

Lots of possibility :)
 
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Thanks for your spec olivier renault.

I do agree, and may suggest he puts in another £100 to get the 570. I'd like to keep a SSD in as I do feel they give a noticable difference. The 64GB I use myself but find it annoyingly small. He is the kind who will pay out for a PC and then not change it until buying another full system in several years, so adding an SSD later on is not such a viable option sadly.

I do however like the look of that case and will be switching to that, which also saves around £20.
 
you'll need an exhaust fan. Or if he gets a water cooling kit, then that'll do the job. There is the windiwed version with an exhaust fan, but it's windowed only in the name.

If he wants a SSD now, and wants a big one, then the Crucial M4 will save quite a lot over a vertex 3, and I just dont trust the Agility. Not to put into someone else PC anyway.
 
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another option. think the PSU will be ok up to GTX 570. It delivers 550W on the 12V rails and has had a good review. It's manufactured by Sirtec, and is more akin to PC Power&Cooling than the old dodgy FSP OCZ PSUs.

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI ATI Radeon HD 6950 OC Twin FrozR III Power Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with Dirt3 & Deus Ex PC Games £204.98
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £159.98
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 128GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive £139.99
1 x Iiyama ProLite E2409HDS 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black £134.39
1 x MSI P67A-GD53 Intel P67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard ** B3 REVISION ** £107.99
1 x OCZ ZS Series 650W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £55.99
1 x Lancool First Knight K56 Tower Case - Black £54.98
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £39.98
Total : £931.36 (includes shipping : £27.55).

 
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All set for fans, should probably have added that to the top post.

Thanks for the head up about the issues with the sandforce based SSDs as I wasn't aware of that. The Cruicial M4 128GB seems to cost alittle more though, but worth it for the chance of less issues.
 
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Yeah, that's usually my recommended SSD until OCZ fixes their problems dead. It's not as quick, but he won't know the difference really. Plus OCZ customer support are getting narky with all those RMAs, better deal with Corsair or Crucial, or indeed Intel.

The Shinobi is a decent case. Could probably do with moving the intake fan higher on the second slot to get more airflow on the components. I would still try to get the Asus P8Z68-V board, it's good quality, with good overclock potential, and with no issues afaik.
 
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what will the PC be used for other than the obvious gaming?

also, what on earth does SVN do?
i know very little about sound cards except that onboard has come on a long way and that you dont really need a sound card unless your a real audiophile, work with music a lot, or there is something specific that the onboard sound cant do that you need it to.

this is what ive come up with so far:

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI ATI Radeon HD 6950 OC Twin FrozR III Power Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with Dirt3 & Deus Ex PC Games £204.98
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £159.98
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 128GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive £139.99
1 x Iiyama ProLite E2409HDS 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black £134.39
1 x MSI P67A-GD53 Intel P67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard ** B3 REVISION ** £107.99
1 x Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium 7.1 Sound Card - OEM (30SB088200000) £67.99
1 x OCZ ZS Series 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £47.99
1 x Zalman Z9 Plus Tower Case with Fan Controller - Black £40.79
1 x Corsair Gaming Audio Series HS1A Analogue Gaming Headset £39.98
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £39.98
1 x Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £25.99
Total : £1,043.12 (includes shipping : £27.55).
£1010.06 with free shipping
obviously ive kept the sound card and headset you went for because i dont know much about them
 
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Reaper 392 said:
what will the PC be used for other than the obvious gaming?

also, what on earth does SVN do?
i know very little about sound cards except that onboard has come on a long way and that you dont really need a sound card unless your a real audiophile, work with music a lot, or there is something specific that the onboard sound cant do that you need it to
Click to expand...

Only heavy thing will be gaming, apart from that just the usual internet browsing etc.

SVM I have used mainly in cod 4, basically makes quieter sounds louder so I can hear footsteps etc easier from distance.

Creative say "SVM monitors and controls the dynamic range of sound volume. When enabled, it limits the volume differences between loudest and softest passages of songs in order to avoid large volume fluctuations during playback".
 
greywolf said:
Only heavy thing will be gaming, apart from that just the usual internet browsing etc.

SVM I have used mainly in cod 4, basically makes quieter sounds louder so I can hear footsteps etc easier from distance.

Creative say "SVM monitors and controls the dynamic range of sound volume. When enabled, it limits the volume differences between loudest and softest passages of songs in order to avoid large volume fluctuations during playback".
Click to expand...

ah right, fair enough. sounds like something that'll be pretty useful then.
 
good choice on the HS1A headset - great value and really comfy.

i wouldn't get a creative soundcard though. i don't trust them anymore since their 64bit cockup and horrendous driver issues people get. go with the Asus Zonar D1. saves a little money and has awesome sound, as well as reliable drivers & support (afaik asus don't make any bad products). that is - if he really needs a soundcard? (does he have mid-high end speakers?)
 
Jony27 said:
oh really, any links to prove they are rubbish?
Click to expand...

Some of their PSUs certainly don't inspire confidence. FSP, Great Wall,... They are a step down from Antec, Enermax, Seasonic, Corsairs, who use Seasonic, CWT, or Delta Designs / manufacture (Enermax use their own designs).

I have more faith on their Sirtec models though.

Here we go...

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page1373.htm

BTW I'm taking it back about the ZS and a 570. I think you'll be safer with a Antec, Corsair, Enermax or Seasonic. A 6950 Uses less power, but I would take the ZS-650 PSU as the minimum spec.
 
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yes, "some" of their PSUs might not inspire confidence, but that doesnt mean the rest are "rubbish" which reeceLAV stated...
 
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