Can Someone Better This System ?

Cesar67 · 25 Jan 2009 at 19:55

Looking for a new system in the region of £400, A GFX card will be bought next again month, I just want to get best bang for my bucks this month and, Have a system up and running.

Currently i have a 3Ghz Celeron on an old MSI 478 board.

The only hardware i want to take from that is the PSU (Hopefully) and the two optical drives.

My GFX card is a powercolor X1950 AGP. Keeping it for the old system.

I have a Maxtor external SATA drive in a caddy that i plan on using internally.

This system will be used mainly for browsing the web and, Gaming.

I'm not a hardcore gamer though, I do want the best performance possible for my money. I will probably try overclocking, Never done it before (Except my GPU through ATITool) So any headroom in that department would be great.

One issue i have is the PSU, I dont know if it is compatible with the newer mobo's. It's a TRUST 520W Pro PSU Low Noise Big Fan , Will that be OK ?

So for a barebones quick setup, I have came up with this:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 LGA775 'Wolfdale' 3.16GHz (1333FSB) - Retail (£160.99)

Would it be better going for the older Q6600 65Nm chip ?

Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (£111.54)

Good board right ?

NZXT Alpha Classic Series Silent Midi-Tower Case (No PSU) (£49.44)

Will be sufficient to keep costs down ?

OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-6400C5 Dual Channel Vista Gold Series DDR2 (OCZ2G8004GK) (£33.34)

Better with PC2-8500 ?

Akasa AK-965 CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775) (£12.64)

Just to get started, I might upgrade at a later date.

Sub Total : £319.95
Shipping : £9.99
VAT : £49.49

Total : £379.43

I could go £420 ~ £430 at a push.

Edward01 · 25 Jan 2009 at 20:28

^^ They're all very good choices apart from one small snag. I'm fairly sure the P5Q pro doesn't have an AGP slot on it which means you can't use your present GPU in this system. Soooo if you buy all that this month you'll have to find a PCI GPU to put init temporarily until you can buy a new GPU. Just thought i'd let you know. apart from that very good.

Cesar67 · 25 Jan 2009 at 20:36

Edward01 said:
^^ They're all very good choices apart from one small snag. I'm fairly sure the P5Q pro doesn't have an AGP slot on it which means you can't use your present GPU in this system. Soooo if you buy all that this month you'll have to find a PCI GPU to put init temporarily until you can buy a new GPU. Just thought i'd let you know. apart from that very good.

Sorry, I never explained it very well....

The X1950 will be kept to run in the old rig maybe for my son.

I will get a new GPU next month for this setup, I just want a system that will be useable till then, i.e. Browsing the web.

I'm not sure wether i should go Quad or stick with the C2Duo ?

Not sure if i need a new PSU for this one and wether that RAM is sufficient or should i go PC-2 8500 ?

rikesh · 25 Jan 2009 at 20:55

dnt get ocz n asus board, problems occur

leeh14 · 25 Jan 2009 at 21:07

even though problems do occur with OCZ and Asus you can get it all working right, however with the problems i've been having with the P5Q broads lately, don't go with them lol! however i now that Asus is generally good broads!

sharingan_sasuk · 25 Jan 2009 at 21:10

Cesar67 said:
Sorry, I never explained it very well....

The X1950 will be kept to run in the old rig maybe for my son.

I will get a new GPU next month for this setup, I just want a system that will be useable till then, i.e. Browsing the web.

I apologise if I'm mistaken, but how will this setup be usable until then, if it has no graphics card? The above poster was correct as there is no AGP slot on the P5Q Pro.

95thrifles · 25 Jan 2009 at 21:15

Dont bother with Quad, stick with that dual, you get much better bang for buck performance, if I were you I'd get a better make of PSU, 520W is OK but never heard of trust, it'd be worth investing in a decent brand such as Corsair, especially before you install new gfx card. you could save a bit of money on your baord and just get the gigabyte P43 board for £80 - though you cant crossfire, if youre going to OC you could also afford to drop the CPU down a touch (e.g. E7400) if you want to recoup some money to put towards PSU and/or gfx card, I'd look at a 4850 if I were you, and I'm pretty sure you'll need the gfx card to get up & running - dont recall the mobo having a video out. But generally its a pretty sound looking start for a set up

Cesar67 · 25 Jan 2009 at 21:16

leeh14 said:
even though problems do occur with OCZ and Asus you can get it all working right, however with the problems i've been having with the P5Q broads lately, don't go with them lol! however i now that Asus is generally good broads!

The problem is, I dont have spare PC-2 RAM to get it running if i do hit problems.

ny recommendations on another MOBO around the same price and features.

sharingan_sasuk said:
I apologise if I'm mistaken, but how will this setup be usable until then, if it has no graphics card? The above poster was correct as there is no AGP slot on the P5Q Pro.

Usable in just web browsing until i buy a new PCI-E GPU, Using onboard graphics until then.

I should have left out the old GPU in my original post, I worded it all wrong.

I just want a mid range system up and running then i will add a GPU next month to get gaming with.

EDIT: Sorry, My first oversight, I assumed the MOBO had onboard graphics.... Hmmm

Thanks for pointing that out.

95thrifles · 25 Jan 2009 at 21:19

Those two suggestions would save you £85, £30 on mobo and £55 on CPU, you said you could push for another £50 too, this is £135, enough to get a decent gfx card now, eg this one

Cesar67 · 25 Jan 2009 at 21:25

95thrifles said:
Dont bother with Quad, stick with that dual, you get much better bang for buck performance, if I were you I'd get a better make of PSU, 520W is OK but never heard of trust, it'd be worth investing in a decent brand such as Corsair, especially before you install new gfx card. you could save a bit of money on your baord and just get the gigabyte P43 board for £80 - though you cant crossfire, if youre going to OC you could also afford to drop the CPU down a touch (e.g. E7400) if you want to recoup some money to put towards PSU and/or gfx card, I'd look at a 4850 if I were you, and I'm pretty sure you'll need the gfx card to get up & running - dont recall the mobo having a video out. But generally its a pretty sound looking start for a set up

Think i might just stick with the C2Duo then.

Although, What difference between the E7400 less FSB and L2 cache ? and the E8500.

Was hoping for a Crossfire board, No biggie if it's not.

The Gigabyte board seems to come with outdated BIOS, Will it run my RAM from the off to get the BIOS updated ?

The GPU was going to be a 4850 of some variant, Need to wait till next month before i can get this running then :mad:

sharingan_sasuk · 25 Jan 2009 at 21:29

Cesar67 said:
Usable in just web browsing until i buy a new PCI-E GPU, Using onboard graphics until then.

I should have left out the old GPU in my original post, I worded it all wrong.

I just want a mid range system up and running then i will add a GPU next month to get gaming with.

EDIT: Sorry, My first oversight, I assumed the MOBO had onboard graphics.... Hmmm

Thanks for pointing that out.

No problem. I didn't realise you wanted to run on onboard graphics for the time being. I think there are the nVidia chipset motherboards which will do for the time being.

But the Asus P5Q Pro motherboard, which I have one of myself, is a fantastic motherboard and should last for some time. Plus if you decide to get a E5200/E5300 or E7300 and overclock them (fantastic overclockable CPUs), paying more for such a motherboard really pays off.

My system is pretty mid-range. I spent £600 in total, and it includes the fantastic Radeon 4850.

Speaking of which, what type of games do you plan to play, and at what resolution?

Cesar67 · 25 Jan 2009 at 21:30

95thrifles said:
Those two suggestions would save you £85, £30 on mobo and £55 on CPU, you said you could push for another £50 too, this is £135, enough to get a decent gfx card now, eg this one

That's a fine idea assuming the CPU and MOBO are quality ?

A'm i better not going for quality in those two departments as the whole system is dependant on these two ?

Unfortunately the MOBO and GPU are currently out of stock, Was planning on ordering a week tomorrow.

95thrifles · 25 Jan 2009 at 21:31

Any board you nuy SHOULD (not a guarantee) come with pretty much latest BIOS - though even if slightly old it should be fine with all PC6400 RAM anyway, if you want to keep crossfire in mind then stick with the P45 chipset, I was just giving you alternatives to save money so you could get the gfx card now if you wanted to. The E8500 is quicker, again I was just trying to help you get a complete system that you could use now within your budget, if you dont mind waiting a month then Id recomend dont buy anything now, prices could come down in a month, buy it all together at same time

95thrifles · 25 Jan 2009 at 21:34

They could come back into stock tomorrow, if you want give em a ring and ask when theyre due back in. These are both quality components, gigabytes are just as good as Asus (note I have Asus so am not a gigabyte fanboi or anything). as I said in last post though if youre thinking of crossfiring at a later date you prob are best sticking with a P45 chipset, as you cant do it with P43

Cesar67 · 25 Jan 2009 at 21:35

sharingan_sasuk said:
No problem. I didn't realise you wanted to run on onboard graphics for the time being. I think there are the nVidia chipset motherboards which will do for the time being.

But the Asus P5Q Pro motherboard, which I have one of myself, is a fantastic motherboard and should last for some time. Plus if you decide to get a E5200/E5300 or E7300 and overclock them (fantastic overclockable CPUs), paying more for such a motherboard really pays off.

My system is pretty mid-range. I spent £600 in total, and it includes the fantastic Radeon 4850.

Speaking of which, what type of games do you plan to play, and at what resolution?

Gaming wise, I am still playing Battlefield 2 mainly LOL

I installed COD 4 and WAW, My present system wont run smoothly enough to play them, It just frustrates me

I just have a generic 17" monitor at present, Hoping to upgrade to Asus VH226H 22" Widescreen True HD LCD Monitor Sometime soon.

TBH i dont have a clue what resolutions are all about, Obviously the best settings i can get for my money.

I generally play FPS's.

Cesar67 · 25 Jan 2009 at 21:48

95thrifles said:
Any board you nuy SHOULD (not a guarantee) come with pretty much latest BIOS - though even if slightly old it should be fine with all PC6400 RAM anyway, if you want to keep crossfire in mind then stick with the P45 chipset, I was just giving you alternatives to save money so you could get the gfx card now if you wanted to. The E8500 is quicker, again I was just trying to help you get a complete system that you could use now within your budget, if you dont mind waiting a month then Id recomend dont buy anything now, prices could come down in a month, buy it all together at same time

Appreciated man, I would prefer to get it all and running ASAP lol.

However, I would be prepared to wait and get quality components instead of slightly inferior parts just to get it all a month sooner.

Crossfire was probably a "Just incase" measure, I think one card would do me, Even then i could upgrade to a 4850X2 card if need be.

Caught in a catch 22 now

95thrifles said:
They could come back into stock tomorrow, if you want give em a ring and ask when theyre due back in. These are both quality components, gigabytes are just as good as Asus (note I have Asus so am not a gigabyte fanboi or anything). as I said in last post though if youre thinking of crossfiring at a later date you prob are best sticking with a P45 chipset, as you cant do it with P43

I was planning on ringing them just to check delivery would be on time anyway, I might do that and check out when they will have another batch in.

Like i say, I could probably do without Crossfire, It was just a luxury i was hoping to include.

Cesar67 · 25 Jan 2009 at 23:04

So an updated system including a GPU, Hopefully i can get this running in my current case, If not, I'm waiting a month to get it running.

Intel Core 2 Duo E840LGA775 'Wolfdale' 3.00GHz (1333FSB) - Retail (£149.49)

Asus ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail (£132.24)

Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (£111.54)

OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-6400C5 Dual Channel Vista Gold Series DDR2 (OCZ2G8004GK) (£33.34)

Tuniq Tower 120-LFB CPU Cooler (Socket 478/754/939/940/AM2/LGA775) (£31.04)

Sub Total : £397.95
Shipping : £8.49
VAT : £60.97

Total : £467.41

Slightly over budget although, This now includes a fairly decent GPU ?

At time of order i will check for any deals on RAM, I would prefer 4GB RAM although i would prefer PC2 - 8500 modules too but, Sadly i cant buy a single 2GB module just to get me running and adding another few in at a later date.

Wiggins · 26 Jan 2009 at 10:49

If you can stretch that wallet just a few more quid, a decent PSU into the equation would be ideal. Having good components needs a solid PSU and unfortunately, your Trust will not cut it. The VX550 is a solid performer.

The Akasa 965 is a good bang for buck cooler. I have one sat on an overclocked E8400 @ 3.6Ghz and its quiet and keeps it below 38c idle and under 60c full load.

The Gigabyte board is again another bang for buck motherboard with good overclocking features, solid capacitors and room for Crossfire in case you buy another 4850.

The Corsair memory is renowned for working flawlessly with Gigabyte boards and there is quite a bit of headroom for overclocking.

Even with the E8400 at 400FSB (3.6Ghz), the memory will still be able to run at its stock speed of 800Mhz. Up the FSB to 450 and drop the multiplyer to 8 and you still get a 3.6Ghz overclock on the E8400 and 900Mhz on the memory which i'm sure it will easily reach.

Just my two penneth anyway.

95thrifles · 26 Jan 2009 at 14:30

Wiggins, the gigabyte is P43 which doesnt support crossfire (it only has one PCI-E slot), he'd need a P45 for that, still solid looking set up though

Cesar67 · 26 Jan 2009 at 19:41

Wiggins said:
If you can stretch that wallet just a few more quid, a decent PSU into the equation would be ideal. Having good components needs a solid PSU and unfortunately, your Trust will not cut it. The VX550 is a solid performer.

The Akasa 965 is a good bang for buck cooler. I have one sat on an overclocked E8400 @ 3.6Ghz and its quiet and keeps it below 38c idle and under 60c full load.

The Gigabyte board is again another bang for buck motherboard with good overclocking features, solid capacitors and room for Crossfire in case you buy another 4850.

The Corsair memory is renowned for working flawlessly with Gigabyte boards and there is quite a bit of headroom for overclocking.

Even with the E8400 at 400FSB (3.6Ghz), the memory will still be able to run at its stock speed of 800Mhz. Up the FSB to 450 and drop the multiplyer to 8 and you still get a 3.6Ghz overclock on the E8400 and 900Mhz on the memory which i'm sure it will easily reach.

Just my two penneth anyway.

PSU noted, I was hoping to get away with the TRUST 570W for a while.

95thrifles said:
Wiggins, the gigabyte is P43 which doesnt support crossfire (it only has one PCI-E slot), he'd need a P45 for that, still solid looking set up though

The crossfire option is preferrable.

So, Here's yet another revision.

I got my sister to pay for the Corsair deal tonight as i dont get paid till friday so, The RAM is sorted.

Pushing the boat out financially but.... **** it!!