Can I start building now?

Soldato
Joined
4 Nov 2007
Posts
4,514
Still running a 3000+ Athlon XP/AGP x800XT here, so not really clued up any more.

Was trying to hold off till Feb/March for the Penryn Yorkfield Quad Cores, but can't really wait any longer so sticking with the Penryn Wolfdale (Which should be out within 3-4 weeks?)

I want to be able to upgrade to a Core2Quad and a nvidia 9800 (The PCI-E 2.0? Or is that already an existing technology?) when they become available.

If it's possible, could someone please show me what;

Motherboard (Must be capable of everything above ^)
RAM (How much do I need to be super-comfortable?)
HDD (250 Should do, unless 320/500gb is around +£20)
Case (Is the one with the huge fan on top still the best?)
CPU Cooler (for the new Penryns, a really good one)
PSU

In the words of the 'Taz' narrator "Have we missed anyone* out?"

Budget is quite flexible, been saving for ageeees!

*Any parts
 
PCI-e 2.0 is both backward and forward compatible, so new cards work on older 'boards and older cards work with newer 'boards. It is relatively new so you're probably going to have to get an Intel X38-based motherboard.

4 GiB RAM is more than enough for now so that'll do nicely for the next couple of years. You'll need a 64-bit operating system for this though.

I recommend the Seagate 7200.10 250 GiB disk. It's nice and fast and will remain good for a while.

Case is largely a matter of personal taste. Have a look at the Antec P182 and see if you like it. It's a very nice case.

You won't go wrong with a Corsair HX620 PSU.
 
Thanks, trying to get my hands on Vista through college via that MS Academic Alliance, but looks like it's only for universities.

What motherboard you recommend based on this 'X38'? Guessing either Gigabyte or ASUS, but which model?

Also who's the best RAM Manufacturer? I come from the time when unbranded was king and no-one gave a flying monkey.
 
No one cares about the flying money now either. However, RAM prices have dropped in a huge way across the board. Any decent PC2-6400C4 should do nicely and it's all dirt cheap.

As for mobos I haven't much hands-on experience with X38 mobos, but I'v heard very good things about the Abit IX38 QuadGT. You might also look into the Gigabyte GA-X38-DS4 though it's not on sale yet. If your budget is more of a concern there are a bunch of really great P35 motherboards available for significantly less. They'd work just fine with new PCI-e 2.0 graphics cards.
 
Asus P5N-D nForce 750i SLi (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
(£99.86)
Scythe Mini Ninja CPU Cooler (Socket 478/754/939/940/AM2/LGA775)
(£28.19)
Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (WD5000AAKS)
(£65.79)
GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GX22GB6400UDC)
(£56.38)
Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case
(£72.84)
Corsair HX 520W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-520HXUK)
(£68.14)

Total : £391.19 Including Delivery and Vat

You never gave a budget. But that is everything you need well you will need to choose the exact CPU and GPU but thats it :).
 
Was aiming at £800-1000 for the complete setup, so around £700-800 with the 'temporary' GFX, already have Monitor, Speakers, Mouse, Keyboard.

Will need a new DVDRW drive as well.

Have any details been released so I can select a processor?

Any more comments on which motherboard to get?

Which 8800? Will a GT be re-sellable in 3-4 months time? If so, which manufacturer?

Thanks for everything so far :D
 
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