build analysis please

Squidward_not_squidward

Squidward_not_squidward

Squidward_not_squidward

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16 Oct 2008
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30
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hi,

after several false starts financially I am ready to go with money in the bank.

Im currently running a pentium 2.8 system and its seriously on its last legs.

so here:

basketo.jpg


my plan:
future proof as much as possible: buy a crossfie compatible board but only one GPU with room for expansion later on.
HTPC case so I can operate in the front room instead of my dungeon.
big chunk of ram because of game developers being what they are.
tv card to replace play tv on my ps3.
SSHDD for OS, HDD for storage.

use: gaming and htpc

can you see any glaring problems? Places im spending money needlessly? mismatched components?

thanks,

Squiddy
 
motherboard doesn't do symmetrical crossfire/sli.

6gb memory kit is only for socket 1366 systems.

ocz gold ram is rubbish anyway.

its all wrong.

So ignore your plans of crossfire, put a i5 760CPU in the build.

And buy two 4gb memory kits for 8gb total.

And because you can only have one 5870 with that build, you can downgrade the psu to a 600w model.
 
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TBH, the spec is utter rubbish, start from the scratch. If you really want an HTPC, you need to go low power (ergo less heat output).
 
edit: cheers for the spec above.

ok cool.

i spent many months researching my old p4 system and as a result everything is nicely rounded right down to the bandwidth.

This admittedly was thrown together with no real knowledge of the current market and as such i am not surprised to hear it is rubbish - was just looking for a starting point i guess.

if i binned the htpc case and ran the system out of a full size atx case using the full size atx version of the mb would that be any better?

I put 4gb of ram in my p4 and at the time i got sneered at for running "far too much". Hindsight has proved me correct on that so Id really like to find a tri-channel setup that would allow the 12gb ram setup.

also OCZ is crap? Things really have changed :p

Ill have a mooch see what i can come up with in terms of a larger case build, thanks for the time anyway.
 
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The real problem is, you want the best of both worlds. A gaming machine and a HTPC. The thing is, they are 2 different beasts.

Your best of building a gaming machine in a full case. Throwing some water in for quietness as its your front room. Then just running either PS3MS as its awesome and foolproof, and the fact you have a PS3.

That or get a long arse HDMI cable from the rainforest and just have TV out off your card.

Cos the above CPU cooler, and that case are going to struggle gaming.

Edit, I was typing as you made your last post.
 
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first of all, as mentioned, u've speced triple channel ram, for a dual channel system.

also, the ram is pretty expensive for what it is.

if u really want to spend that much money, then go for an 1366 instead, the i7 930 is a better cpu and is cheaper. However the motherboards cost abit more.

u only really need 6gb of ram, u'll never make use of 12gb for gaming. I dont know of any games that can actually use that much ram.

as 1366 is tripple channel, u can get 3x2gb ram instead, which is considerable less

also the 1366 socket does both SLI and crossfire as standard.

think u'll need to redo the spec from scratch.

do u plan to do SLI/crossfire at all ?
because u wont be able to with that case, it only has 4 expansion slots, and as GPUs are 2 slots each, theres gonna be no room for the soundcard and tv card as well.

what is your overall budget, and does it have to be a HTPC case, as that will limit what u can use
 
first thanks for replies - when i was more heavily involved in pc hardware these kind of threads ground my gears quite a lot so thx for the patience heh.

I do admittedly want the best of both worlds - I guess thats more where i see the modern PC market working best.

im interested in making a system that could ultimately take 2(3?) GPUs. I would like to start with one then over the next 2 - 3 years add the remaining GPUs into the system as next gen. games demand.

i have spent many months moving almost all my media onto portable HDD and this is my motivation for the HTPC part - im there in terms of data now i just need a PC to do the other part!

ill check back into this thread tomoro off for an indians!
 
If you get a decent gaming system you can have two overclocking profiles, one for gaming, and an underclocked profile with the fans turned down really low for when you are watching films and stuff...
 
if you truely want the best of both, u need to pay for a decent cases.

the antec fusions are nice cases sure, but they are limited.
silverstone have some nice large HTPC cases that should be able to accodate dual GPU's

something like the silverstone CW02
http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents.php?pno=cw02&area=
but will cost around £300

for cheaper, about £100, theres the LC17
http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents.php?pno=lc17&area=

as for the spec, i would go for the 1366 socket
fairly cheap, decent motherboard
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-235-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1692

full sized atx so has enough expansion slots for you, and can handle SLI/Crossfire when needed. Will fit into both the cases above as they are full atx cases.

for the core parts, something like
Code: 
Intel Core i7 930 2.80GHz (Bloomfield) (Socket LGA1366) - Retail		£211.49
(£179.99) 	£211.49
(£179.99)
	Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R Intel X58 (Socket 1366) DDR3 Motherboard		£152.99
(£130.20) 	£152.99
(£130.20)
	Corsair XMS3 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 12800C9 (1600MHz) Tri-Channel (CMX6GX3M3A1600C9)		£129.24
(£109.99) 	£129.24
(£109.99)
	Corsair HX 750W ATX Modular SLI Compliant Power Supply (CMPSU-750HXUK)		£118.99
(£101.27) 	£118.99
(£101.27)
 	 	Sub Total : 	£521.45
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout)	Shipping : 	£9.50
VAT is being charged at 17.50%	VAT : 	£92.92
 	Total : 	£623.87

750W should be enough for Crossfired 5870's
or if you prefer the GTX480, u might want to increase to the 850

might as well get 6gb to start with, u wont need more. In the future, if u find u'll need more ram, then u can simply add another 6. But 6 is plenty for games
 
i suggest the fractal define R3 for your case.... take a look and you'll see why.

*Don't link to competitor sites!*


will start shipping late august, was only released a couple of days ago. And the R2 was a huge hit. They come in some sexy colours as well!

If you have the mega bucks you could go for the corsair obsidian 800

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-020-CSutm_source=froogle

i would suggest the fractal though. As that would sit pretty downstairs next to your tv and be the best looking object in the room.

And for cooling go for the corsair h70 if your getting a full tower...

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-003-CS&utm_source=froogle


I dont think all your kit will fit in a htpc. That low profile cpu fan/heatsink may not fit over that ripjaw RAM.

maybe get some crucial ballistix


Crucial Ballistix 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz about 140quid

or

Crucial Ballistix 4 GB (2x2GB) Memory - DIMM 240-pin - 1600 MHz about 100 quid
depending on the build your going for....
 
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morning :)

quick check in before i head out into sunny england!

basket.jpg


this is where im at now, thanks for all your advice.

At this point my only remaining issue is which cooling solution to use. Id rather stick with air or passive but im not sure passive will cut it once i load a game up. Im thinking something with variable fan speed control.

I also like the idea of having 2 speed profiles so ill be doing that.

*edit: wrong HDD in picture, details.
 
the spec looks good, did u decide what case you plan to put it all in ?

i doubt u'll be able to get a passive cooler. You could prolly get some pretty quiet ones thou.

if you go for one of the big HTPC cases, then a H50 might be your best bet, it uses less room than most coolers, and tends to be quite quiet, especialyl if you replace the fan.

the H70 is better, but its also bigger, so might not have the room to fit it in
 
Cycrow said:
the spec looks good, did u decide what case you plan to put it all in ?

i doubt u'll be able to get a passive cooler. You could prolly get some pretty quiet ones thou.

if you go for one of the big HTPC cases, then a H50 might be your best bet, it uses less room than most coolers, and tends to be quite quiet, especialyl if you replace the fan.

the H70 is better, but its also bigger, so might not have the room to fit it in
Click to expand...

the h70 has swivel tube inputs onto cpu cooler, it has a very low profile in comparison to the h50. also you dont have to have the push pull working. but its recommened because of the very tight radiator fins!! (even if its a bigger surface area).

sorry about the previous link for r3. maybe you should get some on the overclockers webby then i wouldnt link external. ;) they are very high quality case's.
 
yes the fan and radiator are bigger but the cpu heatsink is of a lower profile. nearly half the depth..

just check out the corsair website for pics and youtube for man reviews. linus mainly
 
thank you all for your time and advice, the order will be going in before the end of the week.

I hadnt made a final choice with regards the case but I like the silverstone models thrown in here.

I will spec up the two cooling solutions offered up in terms of fit but im really happy with what i have.

Ill throw a pic of the finished product in here sometime in the next 2 - 3 weeks when its built.

cheers!
 
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