All rounder needed

sw1ft

sw1ft

sw1ft

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Joined
13 Aug 2008
Posts
221
Hi guys, thinking its about upgrade time and so I've put together a spec, what do people think?

System will be used as a proper all rounder, I'm a .net developer so I'll be compiling applications and running multiple instances of built apps simultaneously. I will also be using (at times) up to 3 remote desktops at once for work. As well as that I'm a diehard CS:S fan and want to get skyrim (or other rpg game) on pc after playing on Xbox. I'm interested in overclocking and future proofing myself so please keep that in mind.

Finally my girlfriend is due to start uni this September, studying psychology, with the aim to go for an MA and then a doctorate so no doubt she will be using it for essay writing and large amounts of research. The main aim is to convince her that the current system won't cut it for everything we need although it will probably make very little difference to her!

So the current system is:

Q6600 G0 @ 3.0 but going to go for 3.2 in the short term
Arctic Cooling freezer pro 7
Asus P5Q deluxe
GeForce 8800GT alpha dog edition
4x1GB OCZ PC2-8500 sli ready
Corsair TX550 (I think)
500GB seagate barracuda HDD
Antec 900
2 mismatched analogue monitors

The proposed system is (on iPad so can't paste basket):
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 Windforce 3X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card - £339.95 (£283.29)
Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail - £179.99 (£149.99)
Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard - £112.99 (£94.16)
2 x OcUK E2250SWDA 22" Widescreen LED Monitor - Black - £199.90(£166.58)
Samsung 128GB SSD 830 Desktop Series SATA 6Gb/s KIT with Norton Ghost - (MZ-7PC128D/EU) - £84.98 (£70.82)
Fractal Design Arc Midi Tower Case - Black - £79.99 (£66.66)
OCZ ZT 650W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply - £69.98 (£58.32)
Thermalright True Spirit 140 CPU Cooler (Socket LGA1366/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA775/AM2/AM3) - £39.95 (£33.29)
GeIL Dragon 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (GD38GB1600C11DC) - £33.59 (£27.99)
Sub Total : £951.10
Shipping : £25.45
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £195.31
Total : £1,171.86

Is anything here hugely over/under spec? Can I save money elsewhere? And will this system support the lot with scope to upgrade in the future (SLI, watercool etc) while being as future proof as possible?

Thanks for any help, any suggestions in regards to convincing the girlfriend that 1k plus is necessary for a pc she is essentially using for web browsing and word processing would also be great :D
 
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Forgot to say budget is flexible but if I can avoid spending over £1200 that would help a lot.

Alternatively if things are hugely over spec and I can just do a bit of upgrading here and there rather than a full new system let me know, maybe reusing my 8800GT until the 670 comes down in price?
 
Hmm ok, on the futureproofing idea I guess it's better to do that now rather than later. I've only used corsair PSU's before now but there seems to be much more choice, is there a huge difference between OCZ, CoolerMaster etc?

If worse comes to worst and the girlfriend says no, is there much I can do to upgrade my current spec? Or save money by dropping monitors and GPU and buying them at a later date?
 
Cheers TwsT, any reason for sandy over ivy? And I was under the impression the GB windforce GFX card was better than the DirectCU? PSU needs to be modular really, non modular makes me want to Hirt myself in the face every time I look inside!

Is the crucial m4 preferred over the Samsung 830? I have read mixed reviews!

I might swap out the dragon ram for Samsung green purely for space, it might be an issue with that board and cooler in my build. Also not sure about the case now so might have another look. Realistically is this spec enough for what I want? Is it too much?

I want to avoid spending out over a grand for something that's either not going to last, or something that I'm never going to utilise to even half it's potential!

Sorry for all the questions, I'm a worrier as you can probably tell!
 
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I just think modular will make life a lot easier in the future and won't leave me regretting not spending the extra ~£20!

Does sandy overclock as well as ivy? If heat is the only thing I'd rather go ivy and deal with cooling as a separate issue.

I think in terms of SSD I may just do as tamzzy says and get whichever is cheaper at the time.

It's not so much about being tight it's more I want to spend once and get it right, I want a system that will last at least 5 years really!

I would say you're right to buy in bits but I don't want to get half way through and then something new will come out and be a total game changer!

I guess another question would be if I was to go for a new system, how much could I sell my current system for?
 
Brilliant information thanks tamzzy!

I think I'm pretty muh decided on the CPU and mobo combination, the GFX card, SSD and PSU I will most likely let the deals at the time decide. I'm trying to prioritise things into what I can buy now and what I can see as a future upgrade, but that's really difficult!

I could just get case, PSU and SSD and then get mobo, CPU, GFX and monitors at a later date, but that won't yield anywhere near the upgrade I want now. And if I get the lot but leave the GFX and monitors I'll feel like I'm not getting the most out of the system due to a 4 year old GFX card and ancient analog monitors!

What are the normal steps or upgrades? All at once or in parts? It seems a problem that's easier avoided by selling up and replacing completely, any ideas on how much I can sell my system for? I know it wont be much but every little helps and all that!

Cheers for all the advice guys!
 
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Ahh ok, bit of googling required then! No problem sorry for asking!

What about the upgrade steps, is it more prudent for me to just do the lot at one?

Are there any things I should consider changing from a development perspective or will this system support everything I have to throw at it?

I guess the better question would be, what couldn't I use this system for? HD movies?
 
Cheers tamzzy you've been a huge help, read a lot of posts recently and you seem to be helping a lot of people out so hopefully some good karma heading your way!

Is there any way to do this sort of upgrade step by step or is it really best to go all in one lump? The temptation to just go for it is really strong but as always the girlfriend will be able to think of hundreds of better ways to spend a grand haha
 
Well my system currently runs fine it's just old and I have the itch!

I think leaving out the monitors and gpu will drop the price considerably and I can buy them at a later date, will the new build be terrible with an 8800gt and analog monitors?
 
Ok, will the 670 be ok on a system as old as mine? I'd have to get new monitors as well but that's inevitable really.

I guess the reason I'd be sceptical to do that is because the amount of GPUs that come out every year, it seems you can be out of date in 6 months whereas CPU and mobo choice seem to last longer, or am I wrong?
 
Ahh ok that makes sense, I think I need to get rid of the 'must have the best' mentality and concede that in order to do that I'd be spending 1k every 12 months!

I think slowly building the spec I have now into the spec I want will land me with an awesome system capable of pretty much anything, the bigger picture doesn't matter really!

In regards to RAM, am I better off with 8GB or would I see a lot of benefit in 16GB? Going with 2x4GB sticks would give me the option to upgrade at a later date I guess?
 
I guess in terms of future proofing just because there are better cards out there doesn't drop the performance of the 670 or anything.

Looks like a plan for me to get the GPUs and monitors then build the rest of the system up over a while, would it be worth using the 670 and the 8800gt together? Or just buying the 670 and selling the 8800gt on? There are no performance gains in having each monitor on its own graphics card when they don't match I assume?
 
Also, what are the thoughts on haswell? From reading it doesn't seem to be so much of a performance enhancement, more an energy saving chip?

I guess in turn that could make it better for OC? I'm so out of touch with stuff like this it's unreal, is Haswell likely to mean a new socket? Or could I buy the mobo if I happen across the funds knowing it will be compatible with newer chips?
 
Broadwell!? I think some googling is in order!

I'll stick to more generic parts until I have the money for the mobo and CPU and see what is available/released at the time. Things like a new GPU, case, PSU, SSD etc will all be able to swap over, I'd kick myself for buying a mobo that wasn't compatible with the chip I wanted in 6 months time.

I have to say I'm amazed at how welcoming and helpful people on this forum are, I'm a member and a moderator of multiple automotive forums, some owned by uk companies, and the calibre of help is chalk and cheese in comparison to here!
 
Thanks Mei yeah I think that route is best, it keeps the system quick and usable all the time I'm upgrading as well rather than having parts laying around that I can't fit yet etc.
 
ok so my AC FP7 fan has just died so I'm going to order a couple of parts now for this, just the SSD and CPU cooler but need a hand on both really.

currently the deals are saying to go with:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Samsung 128GB SSD 830 Desktop Series SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive - (MZ-7PC128B/WW) £79.99
1 x Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £24.79
Total : £114.68 (includes shipping : £8.25).



is this going to last for the next build as well? or should I be looking at a better cooler (thermalright TS120 is out of stock, but I could get the 140 instead?)

also is this SSD good or should I look at M4/Vertex 4?

Cheers guys
 
the tipping point for me was 4pin fan over the 3pin, what are your thoughts?

which would i be better of getting if i was going to use it on the 3570k? out of the coolermaster, gelid and true spirit 140?

so many questions!
 
Well my fan doesn't work so I'm running passive at the moment, I can remove my OC ad hopefully it will run ok for now but I can't wait too long, by then the ssd won't be on offer either which is a shame, so it might not work out any cheaper than getting the ssd and TS140 now?
 
and finally, will fit in an Antec 900/Fractal Arc Midi? I can measure the Antec now, just need to know the full height (around 180mm if I remember correctly) but the Arc Midi I'm not sure about, as I know these things are pretty tall.
 
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