£830 Barebones for gaming & overclocking

eyemessiah

eyemessiah

eyemessiah

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10 May 2004
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Any suggestions?

I am looking to play new games with all the pretty turned on and I also do quite a bit of video & audio work but not 3d stuff or anything like that.

Can I do better than the 9800? I know the 4850 is very popular, but if I am able to spend just under £200 should I be looking at a 4870?

Is the RAM OK?

Is that PSU ok?

Is that chipset on the mobo OK or should I be going to for x48. I like DFI, but is there a better board for that kind of money?

Is the E8500 cpu worth the extra £?

thanks for all your help!
 
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you can't not get a 4870. :eek: :D

as for the mobo, you only really need an x38/x48 chipset if you're planning on running crossfire. for a single card setup you can save a fair bit by getting a p35/p45 board. they overclock quads just as well.
 
Thanks for the advice! I will take another look at it.

Any thoughts on the CPU? I know the Q6600 is very popular, but I have heard that the E8500 can be clocked to 4000+. I don't generally upgrade between rebuilds so would it be worth it future proofing wise to spend the extra ££s on the processor?

thanks again,
 
eyemessiah said:
Thanks for the advice! I will take another look at it.

Any thoughts on the CPU? I know the Q6600 is very popular, but I have heard that the E8500 can be clocked to 4000+. I don't generally upgrade between rebuilds so would it be worth it future proofing wise to spend the extra ££s on the processor?

thanks again,
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I say stick with the Q6600. I'll be upgrading to one soon from my E6600.
 
Change the GTX for the ATi 4870,
Maxtor to the Samsung F1
Whack in a bigger cooler like the tuniq tower
and maybe think about the antec 1200 due to better features on that case, like keeping the dust bunnies away, also it on sale atm which is handy.

~Slash
 
Ok, a bit more expensive, but including vista which I missed out last time. I didn't swap out the case, but did take on all the other suggestions. Also this is dual core.

I do video work and I'm sure I'd be glad of the extra 2 cores on the Q6600 for stuff like that, but to be honest I'm happy to wait for video rendering in a way I'm not happy to wait for the computer to draw the next frame in whatever high-quality graphics game I'm playing so I'm considering getting the higher clocked duo over the quad. Are quad core games just round the corner? I don't generally upgrade between rebuilds - but I only rebuild every 3 years or so I'm hoping this will last that long without an upgrade. If you think that the higher clocked dual core is a mistake I'll take another look. The q6600 is certainly priced nicely.

Thoughts?

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That looks good to me. There are a few things that are simply personal preference:

I'd spend less on the PSU and more on the case. A Corsair HX 520W unit would be more than enough, and a Lian Li Pc-A70 would be a much nicer looking, better quality and probably quieter case.

I'd drop down to an E8200 (or E8400) and save a bit more, it'll probably clock just as far as the more expensive E8500.

Also, why not a 64-bit OS?
 
64bit and 32bit are about the same in performance, 32bit can oly use a total of 4gig or ram and the world is going to 64bit (eventually...)

Second note for the ram money you could get the 8gig ocz kit!!!!, most well branded pc6400 kits overclock that kits spec anyway so save some pennys there on liek http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...l Channel Vista Gold Series DDR2 (OCZ2G8004GK) or the corsair ram thats a few punds more...
 
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mp260767 said:
as per p4radox i'd drop the 8500 for the 8400, and maybe have a look at the gskill 4gb pc8000 memory.
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G.Skill 4GB DDR2 PQ PC2-8000C5 (2x2GB) CAS5 Dual Channel Kit (F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ)?

Seems like a good deal, and as I say I am bit overbudget so I'm feeling a bit happier with the savings here and on the CPU.
 
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p4radox said:
A Corsair HX 520W unit would be more than enough, and a Lian Li Pc-A70 would be a much nicer looking, better quality and probably quieter case.
Click to expand...

I just noticed the corsair is modular too which is nice. You think 520w will be enough? I haven't had a corsair before and general stick to PSUs by companies I trust as I have had power problems in the past.
 
p4radox said:
a Lian Li Pc-A70 would be a much nicer looking, better quality and probably quieter case.
Click to expand...

Looks lovely but a bit more than I'd be comfortable spending on the case.

Would you take one of these over the Antec? Temps & noise are main concerns, but looks & build factor in a close second for me. I have always wanted a Lian Li if I am honest.

Lian Li PC-A06A Aluminium Mini Tower - Silver: £74
Lian Li PC-A05A Aluminium Midi-Tower - Silver: £70
Lian Li PC-A07A Aluminium Midi-Tower - Silver: £68
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?&groupid=701&catid=7&subid=187&sortby=priceAsc

If I can pick a case then I think I am sorted.

thanks again for the feedback!

EDIT:

Also the antect claims that "you can own any noob ever spawned" and that it will "show everyone that you are the ultimate master of all time".

Can a Lian Li beat that????
 
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i'd go with the a05, only 120mm fans and no mesh on the front panel, the one on the front of my pc-7b just attracts dust.
 
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