Could this spec be bettered

Whappers

Whappers

Whappers

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Joined
4 Nov 2003
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Belfast, Northern Ireland
Afternoon all,

I've been out of the PC scene for a couple of years after my ATI 9800pro decided to throw the towel in when i turned down the artic cooler to "quiet" mode :rolleyes::p. Anyway, ever since that day I've been using my high powered laptop as a desktop and for all my PC needs. However, I have recently seen a gameplay video of Farcry 2 and I am astounded really. So I decided to browse this side of the forums where I haven't been for far too long :D. Anyway, a lot has changed since I was last into the PC scene. For example, ATI and AMD were kings of their respective markets but now it seems Nvidia and Intel are the way to go - I'm not trying to start a war - honest!;). So, I decided to spec myself out a fantasy build in the hope of one day ordering it and playing Farcry 2 in all it's glory. So last night I came up with the spec below which is closely mirrored off one of the OcUK Full Systems for a bit of guidance on what to go for, and I have also made a few tweaks:

my.php


picture doesn't appear to be working at this stage so here is the direct link

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/7544/94814301tz6.jpg

Please let me know what you think. Have I made any wrong decisions, and would you change anything?

By the way, I am aware it is a stupid amount of money to spend on a new desktop. In fact it is and I would definitely be looking to spend less for comparable performance.

Thanks.

Whappers.
 
Hi there, I would change the following:
Processor to the Q6600 energy saver, then over clock this to q6700 speeds and beyond
Change the Ultra to a GTX.
Change the motherboard to the ABIT IP35 PRO, unless your thinking of going SLI.
Drop the Raptor and buy to smaller drives and RAID them, Im using 2 Western Digital AAKS 250gig in RAID 0.

Above are views wether any one else can offer any thing different.

Rob
 
RJC said:
Hi there, I would change the following:
Processor to the Q6600 energy saver, then over clock this to q6700 speeds and beyond
Change the Ultra to a GTX.
Change the motherboard to the ABIT IP35 PRO, unless your thinking of going SLI.
Drop the Raptor and buy to smaller drives and RAID them, Im using 2 Western Digital AAKS 250gig in RAID 0.

Above are views wether any one else can offer any thing different.

Rob
Click to expand...

Whats the advantage of RAID 0?

I might go SLI later on...
 
It will give you higher through put of data than that of a single drive as the data is split between the 2 drives, which can be faster or as fast as a raptor, the cost of storage is reduced so you spend money else were if needed or have much greater storage space.

Here's the link for hard drive benchmarks in the Hard Drive section, might be of use as you can compare speeds of RAID, single and Raptors, you may of already posted in there. :)

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17696862
 
RJC said:
It will give you higher through put of data than that of a single drive as the data is split between the 2 drives, which can be faster or as fast as a raptor, the cost of storage is reduced so you spend money else were if needed or have much greater storage space.

Here's the link for hard drive benchmarks in the Hard Drive section, might be of use as you can compare speeds of RAID, single and Raptors, you may of already posted in there. :)

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17696862
Click to expand...

Ok, you say that the data is split over the two drives, but what happens if one of the drives fail? Does that mean that you lose all the data from both drives? I generally have one HDD for Windows and then another for data.

Thanks.

Whappers.
 
That's the down side of using RAID 0, but this is no different from most people having one drive in their PC and doing regular backups.

I use my RAID for operating system and programmes, all my personal data is saved on a second single hard drive.

If you do want back up then you can use RAID 1 were the data is copied to both discs, if one fails you still carry on as usual then replace the failed disc without any problems. With this array I think the write speeds don't increase but the read does over a single drive.

Rob
 
Whappers said:
I see. So which particular configuration of RAID 0 drives would you reccomend?
Click to expand...

Ive got 2 of these: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-133-WD&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=768

Been running the above for 2 weeks now quiet and seem fast enough for me, or the Seagate.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-138-SE&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=768

If you want 1tb (RAID 0) then 2 of these: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-120-WD&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=940.

Rob
 
RJC said:
Ive got 2 of these: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-133-WD&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=768

Been running the above for 2 weeks now quiet and seem fast enough for me, or the Seagate.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-138-SE&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=768

If you want 1tb (RAID 0) then 2 of these: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-120-WD&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=940.

Rob
Click to expand...

Ok, I think the temptation to have 1TB in RAID 0 has got to me :p. So do I have to buy two of the Western Digital Secure Connect Serial ATA Cables?

I'll post a revised spec shortly.

Whappers.
 
Whappers said:
Ok, I think the temptation to have 1TB in RAID 0 has got to me :p. So do I have to buy two of the Western Digital Secure Connect Serial ATA Cables?

I'll post a revised spec shortly.

Whappers.
Click to expand...

LOL :D,
You don't need to buy the cables some motherboards come with secure SATA connectors, my Abit did but my DFI Infinity come with normal SATA connectors.

Rob
 
RJC said:
LOL :D,
You don't need to buy the cables some motherboards come with secure SATA connectors, my Abit did but my DFI Infinity come with normal SATA connectors.

Rob
Click to expand...

You're right. I just checked a review of the motherboard and it appears it comes with 6 SATA connectors.

Is it worth getting Vista at this stage or would you advise upgrading at a later date?

43824565xu9.jpg


Better?
 
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That's a good question, Im running vista 64bit premium and the 32 bit prior to my upgrade and I can not fault it what so ever, Im starting to prefere Vista over XP.

It might worth checking any software / peripherials for updates to ensure compatability.

I would by it now as it would save the hassle of upgrading later on and take full advantage of the 64bit processor. :)

Rob

Edit: Yep seems a lot better, some other passing members might have some ideas or recommendations.
 
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What is the overclockability of the crucial sticks? I've always tended to side with Corsair as they have never ever failed me. A friend of mine went Crucial Ballistix a few years ago and didn't like the performance.

Another question. Given the above spec, what is the maximum CPU clock roughly I could expect if I were to get two 2x1 Corsair sticks = 4 sticks in total (4gb)?

Thanks guys.

edit: screw it. Those prices on the Crucial are too good to consider anything else really.

Whappers.
 
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