Final Spec Thread!

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Rightio,

Budget has changed slightly now and I got a 5870 cheaper. So, I need the rest!

Budget - £730 for everything bar the graphics card.

Need Monitor but not a keyboard, mouse, or Windows.

Was thinking of this spec and throwing in a SSD to make it snappier.


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Anyone do any better, its for game playing mainly. Also, I realise a lot of that's out of stock, just hoping it comes back into stock before I order on the 6th.
 
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Possibly, does the board support it and I assume I'd need a better PSU? The 5870 will cover me for quite a while but I did look into future proofing a bit, hence the AMD build.

you need a 890GX or FX chipset for crossfire

www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-251-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1782

and a 750w psu with four pcie connectors, two for each card.

www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-116-AN&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1088

or the 650w version should do to, but not in stock.
 
You need to be careful when buying mobos and really look close at the spec. The asus mobo you wanted does have two pci express lanes but one is X16 the second is X4
 
Ok, so added in that MB and the PSU brings it to £40 under budget. That will give me the option to crossfire in the future right? Anything else I could upgrade that would seriously improve the build? Not in the habit of just wasting money for the sake of it. I wouldn't mind a case upgrade.

So, current build.



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that's now crossfire capable, and apart form spending £6 more on the C8 ripjaw ram for the lower timings, that's a brilliant spec.
 
The issue wasnt that you couldnt use xfire on the asus mobo, just that the lanes weren't sync'd (X8,X8 or X16,X16). This means that the second card isn't really pulling its weight. Listen to stulid he knows his shizz he won't see you wrong.

Good luck with the build
 
Lovely build for AMD but I'm an Intel person myself :)

I quite fancied the I5 route, but then crossfire becomes more of an issue and I'm fearful about the upcoming socket changes and how upgradable that will leave me.

I think I'm going to stick with the Silverstone case and use the extra money for a larger HDD. 50mb internet soon!

Was also thinking of changing the fans in the case seeing as its going to be in the front room. How noisy is the CPU coolers I've choosen? (EDIT - 17.2 - 39.0 dB) Not sure how loud that is in real world terms, quieter than the Graphics card I believe.

Would these be ok to put in the case? http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FG-036-AK&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=4

Thanks for the help :)
 
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cases are a personal choice, you have to look at it everyday, that fractal is a good one
I'll add that it also has to be practical to the OP's need especially if he plans in future to add another GFX.

Like a PSU, a good case should see you though several upgrades/etc. The CM one stulid's recommended should be suitable.
 
Ahhhhhhhh!

Good points, I want this case to last a bit. 1tb extra or a nicer case.

Anyone got any experience of the Silverstone, is it a budget case? Would spending the extra 40 on a new case be worth it for features and cooling.

In a case I want room, airflow, build quality. Just not sure of the difference between £40 and £80
 
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Coolermaster = + Air Cooling - Not a pretty sight (imo)
Fractal = + Quiet - Poor cooling without extra fans

The coolermaster is probably your best bet if you plan on going Xfire as two gpus = lots of heat. Although bear in mind the Fractal R3 is supposed to be arriving in the UK soon. With better cooling/cable management etc. So if you're patient it might be worth holding back for a bit. (Although I take no reponsibility if the case takes years to arrive in the UK :p)

And yes, a good case is a worthwhile investment. It'll outlast the majority of other components. Along with the PSU.
 
Thanks for the advice, I think I'll look into a better case design then. I'm so excited, all the money comes in on the 6th and its being ordered then! My last tower was a Athlon XP 1800 with a ATI 9600. Went to Laptops after that because I got them for free!

A case it is!
 
Hi m8... IMO with your budget I would hold off on SSD for a little while and add it at a later date (prices coming down all the time)...

IMO go for a setup more like this, £23 over your budget but miles better:

bskt1-1.jpg
 
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