been out the game for a bit

davethe11

davethe11

davethe11

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my pc has just died (a 939 system) and Im going to build a new one, but I'm a bit out of touch with new hardware so need some help getting up to date.

My new build will be a gaming pc primarily and I dont do much encoding (if any).

I'm debating over the E8400 wolfdale 3ghz or the quad Q6600. Also, I am considering crucial ballistix tracer 2gb ddr2 dual channel kit. As for a mobo, I havn't a clue, but I would rather not spend over £100 for it. Considering an 8800GT and will maybe upgrade to an sli setup in the future (Ive never had an sli setup before). Im keen to pick up a modular psu (never had one of these either) for better cable managment, but with all the options I'm getting a head ache.

Im keen to build it soon, but I dont know if prices are likely to drop significantly soon due to any new major hardware releases (of course I understand that new hardware is always appearing, but are so out of the game I dont know if there is anything really important to be aware of - like the move from agp to pcie, ddr to ddr2 etc).

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

dave
 
The E8*** Wolfdale chips are very limited atm and a quad is probably a bit OTT for just gaming as not many games support quads yet, but this may change in the next 6 months to a year.

Crucial Ballistix are very good, great for oc-ing.

The 8800GT is a fine card and well priced.

The Corsair HX 620W seems be the favourite psu on OcUK forum atm.

As for mobo, I have no clue, but others will probably post some surgestions.
 
have a look at the abit ip35 pro (£117 at the mo on offer).

tracer memory will link in nicely with the wolfdale.

psu as mentioned by k3v1n, but the 520W should be good enough for what you've mentioned so far.
 
thanks for the suggestions, will def go with that psu.


mp260767 said:
have a look at the abit ip35 pro (£117 at the mo on offer).
Click to expand...

thats a nice looking board, but had my eyes set on higher bandwidth ram (1333MHz), and I think my budget has just increased to £150 ;) Have posted a thread in the mobo forum to continue my search for a board, thanks for your hellp.
 
bit confused by the 1333 ram to be honest.

best ocuk have at the mo is something like 1120 (pc9200).

for sli think you're going to need too look at the 7** series motherboards.

if you're running the 8400 then some pc8000/8500 ram will get the most out of it.

would suggest getting an aftermarket cooler like the tuniq tower if you plan on overclocking it too the top.
 
Hi Dave, Please be aware that you don't need 1333 Ram to run a CPU at 1333. Actually the Ram that can do 333Mhz (PC5300?) is ok.
 
Shrapnel said:
Hi Dave, Please be aware that you don't need 1333 Ram to run a CPU at 1333. Actually the Ram that can do 333Mhz (PC5300?) is ok.
Click to expand...

thanks Shrapnel, if you dont mind I have a question. I'm considering the Asus P5K Premium (P35) motherboard which says it suports 1066MHz ram - am I better off getting quality 800MHz ram which will overclock, or is it worth getting 1066MHz ram and running at stock? I know I may not be making much sense, hopefuly you can help me out here :)

cheers
dave
 
Before you go looking at ram etc, decide whether to get either the E8400 or the Q6600.
The is may affect your choice of motherboard.
It seems a few have had problems booting with some boards and the new E8400 chips.
Some have had issues with the ASUS boards, though have no idea what BIOS they ship with now... seems you get one chance at updating the BIOS and after that it won't boot.

Unless you can find someone whos bought the kit and got it to work without flashing the BIOS at first boot, take a bit of care.
 
as mentioned by split cpu choice will determine best mobo/memory to go for.

if you go for the wolfdale get the 1066 memory, least you'll have a good chance the cpu still hit the top end before the memory does.

think people have been trying to get a list together of wolfdale supported mobos straight out the box, only 2 i'm aware of at this time are the gigabyte p31 ds3L and the abit ip35 pro.

but i personally think it depends on how lucky you get with the mobo and whether it ships with a newer or older bios update.
 
thanks split, thats great advice. I have decided to get a cheaper cpu for now as Ive decided to get a better mobo, I can upgrade in the future. This will be a gaming rig so im not sure what cpu is best for me, but I keen on an intel core 2, looking at the E6550 - any thoughts on this?
 
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