Advice please!

Dr. Gonzo · 23 May 2006 at 12:40

Hi All

Its annual bonus time!!

I'm on the final stage of ordering all the parts for my new build.

The only thing I'm definately sure on getting at the moment are the hard drives:

2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB ST3250620AS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-079-SE)

I'm looking to achieve a high performance system thats quiet as possible at the same time. The machine will be used for occasional gaming and its main use for music production.

OcUK could you recommend me some decent memory (around the £150 mark) and a graphics card (in the same price bracket, or maybe just a bit more if its really good)!

I had in mind some G.Skill 2GB DDR HS PC3200 memory and a Leadtek WinFast PX7600 GT TDH Extreme 256MB GFX card.

The current (unfinished setup):

AMD 3700+ CPU
ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 Motherboard
Arctic Cooling 64PRO Heatsink & Fan
Antec P180
Antec Phantom 500w

Thanks

Gareth

kmistry · 23 May 2006 at 12:49

Personally i think you should go for the 7600 GT XXX edition as it comes with the highest clock rate

Also go for the x2 3800+ if you are going to be using it for music production, though if its not 'hardcore' then the 3700 is a good choice and a steal at the low price

Dr. Gonzo · 23 May 2006 at 13:06

Thanks kmistry do you know anywhere with good reviews on this card?

mp260767 · 23 May 2006 at 13:12

gfx card wise have a look at the Sapphire ATI Radeon X1800 XT 256MB GDDR3 AVIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) at £180 ish.

kmistry · 23 May 2006 at 14:03

mp260767 said:
gfx card wise have a look at the Sapphire ATI Radeon X1800 XT 256MB GDDR3 AVIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) at £180 ish.

Yes this is a great card and if it is still £180 then you should definitely get that. I haven't got any links for specific reviews but try googling

. So yes, try getting the x1800xt if you ca stretch your budget

xirokx · 23 May 2006 at 14:08

I'm looking to achieve a high performance system thats quiet as possible at the same time. The machine will be used for occasional gaming and its main use for music production.

whats your budget?

Do you overclock? Are you interested in going dual core?

pastymuncher · 23 May 2006 at 14:18

If it's only for occasional gaming then maybe the 7600GT would be a better buy, especially as one retailer has it for £117.44 instock.

Dr. Gonzo · 23 May 2006 at 15:29

I'll be looking to overclock once the system is stable. Nothing massive (or crazy) though as I need a stable base (as previously mentioned) for music production and a sample archive.

Thanks so far

any memory suggestions?

kmistry · 23 May 2006 at 16:33

i'd say go for the geil value dual channel, 2x1gb or 2x512 depending on your budget, you can change the timings etc yourself

Dr. Gonzo · 24 May 2006 at 14:08

I've decided to go for the G.Skill 2GB DDR 4000 memory and a 512mb X1800XT.

However after further reading the newer revisions of the Barracuda drives are supposed to be rubbish with long seek times and a persistent noisy whine.

Anyone have any tips for HD(s) with good access times and are quiet?

Thanks.