A new build, looking for some advice.

doug17

doug17

doug17

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18 Jun 2009
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66
Location
Scotland
Hello everyone :)

This is my first build and I am trying to put together an affordable machine to use primarily for gaming. I have come up with this basket but would love for you guys to take a look and to give me your opinion on it. I would like to keep the cost below around £600, though i don't mind spending a little more if necessary.



I haven't included an OS in the basket as i thought i could use the free Windows 7 download to save some cash until the retail version of Windows 7 is released. What do you guys think about this?

Thanks for reading, look forward to hearing back from you :)
 
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Hi there and welcome to the forums. :)

With regards to your spec it's pretty good, but I wouldn't go with that bundle.
It is essentially a dead socket, so there's no point in going for it.

The Tri-core spec is clocked higher, and is more future proof. It does cost more, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.

captureyrf.jpg
 
Hi doug, welcome to the forums :D

Here is my spec based on my current favourite processor - the AMD Phenom 2 X2 550BE.
Its quite a bit faster than the e5200 and clocks all the way up to 3.8Ghz.

520p2x2.png


I added in a decent motherboard which is also capable of unlocking the 2 silent cores (the CPU is actually a quad core with 2(possibly non functional) cores disabled. Many people have been able to make triple or quad cores out of this little chip).

I changed the case to the antec 300 which is generally easier to use and has better cooling than the CM 335 elite.

I also changed the PSU to a highly regarded OCZ model. Finally, I switched the DVD drive to the sony because the LG does not seem to burn disks that well.

As for windows 7 RC - its a brilliant OS and should keep you more than happy until you get the retail version.
 
How's this?

I'd play around with the extra money and either get an aftermarket cooler for the CPU if you plan to overclock or get a better case, possibly the Antec 300.


rw5r0w.png
 
Sparx said:
How's this?
Click to expand...

That quad core does look pretty interesting for £120, but in reality its not a very good chip. First, its only clocked at 2.33GHz and the Cache is minuscule. But more than that, because of the high stock FSB and low multiplier it will be very difficult to overclock as it needs very high FSB speeds (which that motherboard can't provide). You would be much better sticking to Dual or Triple core for that budget, and if you really want a quad - get a q6700, a much superior chip.

Also, that modular OCZ PSU has issues, best switch it to a stealthxtreme model or go for a corsair.
 
Thanks for all the speedy replies guys :D

I have looked over your suggestions and have a few questions i hope you wont mind answering. I have seen that you have all stuck with the graphics card i selected, im guessing that is a good one that is compatible etc etc?

Cmndr_andi, you suggested a 500W power supply, will that be enough to run the system and would i have to upgrade to a more powerful supply if i decided to upgrade in the future?

On the subject of upgrades, how future proof are the mobos you guys have suggested?

I also noticed that one of the HDs is described as a Western Digital Caviar black 640gb, and one is a Western Digital Caviar blue 640gb. is there any major difference between them?

One last thing about the fitting the thing together, how tricky is fitting together the ram/mobo/processor, and what about things such as thermal paste etc? I have heard its pretty easy, but im still not convinced :p

Also, how hard is overclocking for a beginner?

Thanks for reading, sorry for all the questions!
 
Simalar to cmndr's spec but went with an AMD3 board and DDR3 also changed to an AMD CPU cooler.



XFX ATI Radeon HD 4890 1GB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £139.99
(£121.73) £139.99
(£121.73)
Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P (Socket AM3) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard £107.99
(£93.90) £107.99
(£93.90)
AMD Phenom II X3 Tri Core 720 Black Edition 2.8GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £105.00
(£91.30) £105.00
(£91.30)
OCZ StealthXStream 600w Silent SLI Ready ATX2 Power Supply £55.99
(£48.69) £55.99
(£48.69)
OCZ Platinum AMD Edition 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C7 1600MHz Dual Channel (OCZ3P1600LVAM4GK) £54.99
(£47.82) £54.99
(£47.82)
Samsung SpinPoint F1 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD502IJ) £44.99
(£39.12) £44.99
(£39.12)
Antec 300 Three Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case - Black (No PSU) £44.99
(£39.12) £44.99
(£39.12)
Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro PWM CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2) £17.24
(£14.99) £17.24
(£14.99)
LG GH22NP20 22x DVD±RW IDE Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM £16.99
(£14.77) £16.99
(£14.77)

Sub Total : £511.44
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £13.75
VAT is being charged at 15% VAT : £78.78
Total : £603.97
 
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Aye, that XFX graphics card is a beast. Its the cheapest 4890 (second fastest gpu around) and comes with XFX's sweet warranty (partnered with OCUK). The only problem you will have is making sure its in stock.

500W will suit the system I specced grand, but if you want to upgrade (ie add a newer more power hungry GPU - you may need to upgrade. If you want to get a futureproof PSU, this is the ticket).

The motherboard I specced was good enough to run the chip and overclock/unlock it well. If you want a better more upgradeable board (ie multi GPU) one of these would be nice, you will also need DDR3 RAM with it.

The Western Digital Caviar 640GB drives are extremely similar. I believe the only difference is that black has double the cache and a dual core(vs single core) processor in it. However, these improvements produce negligible real world difference.

As for building the thing - there is only so much we can explain with words. Your best bet is to head over to youtube - loads of informative PC build videos there.

Overclocking? Its takes a bit of time to get into and gain a full appreciation, but it isn't hard. As long as you read some of the (many) guides and are patient it is a very interesting and rewarding thing to do (hence why a lot of us are here).

Hope that helps.
 
Thanks again for the replies. Based on your reccommendations Cmndr_andi i have put together this basket:



I have added the mobo and ram you suggested as it comes to only around £50 more so i think overall it's worth it as it creates opportunities to upgrade in the future. I also added a slightly higher 600W OCZ power supply but not the more expensive one you suggested in order to keep the price down. Is it a good model? Will 600W be enough to handle possible future upgrades? Should i just shell out the extra cash and get something 100% futureproof?

Im off for some sleep now, but i'll be sure to check back first thing tomorrow morning :)

Thanks for helping out and answering my rather nooby questions! :)
 
^ Looks good, I would definitely go with the Corsair PSU over the OCZ though.

EDIT: The PC Power & Cooling PSU that andi mentioned is a beast, it's a fantastic PSU, and would be great for future Crossfire, SLI setups.
 
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Looks good.

With the PSU, if you want to have 2 4890s in crossfire in the future - you probably should aim for at least 650W. In that case, this is the one you want. The PC Power and Cooling 750 is still an amazing deal, and if you can stretch to one it will be well worth it.
 
Thanks for the replies guys.

Is the motherboard in the basket able to run 2 cards in crossfire? It would be cool to be able to just put another graphics card in in the future when i can afford it or think i need it without having to upgrade anything else.

Thanks! :D

EDIT: Also, how much ram does the motherboard support? (e.g will it be easy to add more ram in the future?) Thanks again!
 
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what you have looks great, could add a couple case fans to put in the front of the case to have better airflow:D the scythe slipstream 1200rpm fans seem about right:D
 
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