Final Spec

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 15:23

Hi I need to arrive at my final spec as I shall be ordering it in a few hours from here.
I need to spend about 1200GBP max (exc VAT as can claim back VAT)
Here is what I have so far:

Wanting/needing this to be perfect, as will be without a machine temporarily. So do I need any cables, or anything else? toolkit etc?

Also I love the case, so please dont disparage!
How does everything else look? Anyone know if the PSU will fit without the extender into the X500..
All help is very appreciated!

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 15:45

Thanks, been specced by the community, so mostly not my choice (first machine)
I'm in the process of building a 22" cintiq. Will be using it on a 32" 1080p TV for the time being.

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 15:56

95thrifles said:
Its a nice case but theres a couple of points you need to be aware

- A modular power supply is a must-have for the X500, since there really isn't any extra space to stuff unused cables unless you're willing to part with the lower hard drive cage. It would also be very difficult to fit any power supply longer than 6.5 inches into the X500 without sacrificing the same cage. Prospective X500 buyers will have to choose their PSUs wisely

Not sure on how big the BeQuiets are

-The only serious problem with X500's slender figure appeared when I was putting in our test system's GeForce 8800 GTS graphics card. There was enough clearance for the auxiliary power connector that plugs into the back of the nine-inch-long card, but cabling was dangerously close to the bottom intake fan, which is thankfully equipped with a grill. If you're running a graphics card longer than 10 inches, especially one with power leads connected to the right edge of the card as in the picture above, you may be forced to remove the lower 120 mm intake fan

You should be ok, afaik the 4890 is 9.5" long but it may be tight

Gonna have to hope that the GPU fits! Will do a search on google to see if there's a build with one... Just googled the Be Quiet! and can't find the dimensions... For the 650W PSU it fits... Do I even want 750W?

Flare said:
*edit* beaten

I would be inclined to go with this PSU just because i trust Corsair power supplies http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-018-CS&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1084

Thanks for the advice but according to that review 95thrifles posted, that PSU wont fit!

Stuarts said:
Looks nice

On the motherboard and cpu front I am going for something similar, but have decided to go with the overclocked package.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-003-OB

£559.98

Slightly dearer then your spec (but not dramatically so), and yours also has the World in Conflict game. BUT, personally I haven't got any experience with overclocking, so figure that getting a pro to do it might be worth the small amount extra?

How difficult is this overclocking malarkey?

I don't think having it overclocked is very good, as you still need to get the temps right. With all the helpful people here I'm counting on it being a breeze!

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 16:04

95thrifles said:
- A modular power supply is a must-have for the X500, since there really isn't any extra space to stuff unused cables unless you're willing to part with the lower hard drive cage. It would also be very difficult to fit any power supply longer than 6.5 inches into the X500 without sacrificing the same cage. Prospective X500 buyers will have to choose their PSUs wisely

Flare said:
Where does he say that PSU won't fit? =/ aha

Needs to be less than 6.5 inches (16.51 cm) looked at the corsair which said 18 cm...

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 16:17

Flare said:
Coolermaster Real Power 850w Modular Power Supply

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-147-CM&tool=3

Wow just about 5"... Do i need 850W? And is this a good PSU? Reviews seem to say so

95thrifles said:
Full review, if you want a read

Thanks, have read a fair few! I know it has issues but it looks so great. I intend on having all 4 hard drives, only one 5.25" and guess Fan controller or monitor thing.. But that will come later.. Doubt ill need it tbh...

Thanks for the link, hadn't read that one fully!

checked out the 4890 which like the 4870 is said to be 9.5", you think this'll be okay? Saw a build with a 4850, seemed like enough room to go an extra inch... Think 4850 is 9.2".... Not sure how reliable my information is though...

Where can I get a 3.5" -> 2.5" (hdd -> SDD) cage? OcUK? Edit: Found OcUK Value 2.5" to 3.5"

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 16:38

DireEmblem said:
You could almost get 2 SSD Drives in raid there for faster performance, but the storage would be a lot smaller....

Yeah ultimately I think I will, Funds don't allow for 2 SSD's at the moment...
When I do have the cash I'm sure there will be a larger range of SSD's to choose from at a better price. So shall probably get 2 fresh ones in a year or so. For now am happy with one

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 16:40

Flare said:
Cant say you need it at that spec but i gives you room for expansion and if it comes at no extra cost than why not??
I've never used one but i have only heard good stuff about them, its a pretty slick lookin PSU as well

Heh fair enough! it is indeed cheaper than the be quiet! one, so ill give it a go as its so small

thanks for the advice. Will update my spec in a moment
Edit: Just seen its lil bit more expensive, my mistake, but shall still go with it!

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 16:46

So am I done guys? Apart from most of you changing the case, is it as good as I can get it for the price? any foreseeable issues with the components?
Am wanting to double, and triple check it before order!

Oh yeah, any cables, extensions, etc needed? does my GFX come with DVI -> HDMI adapter? Do have a spare DVI -> HDMI cable so wont be necessary straight away!
I also lack a keyboard and speakers at the moment

But will aim at getting a working machine and use an old keyboard for now!

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 17:06

lynchy6789 said:
my xfx 4870 came with all the connections that included DVI->HDMI. I would be 99% confident that it will. If you give it a quick google you will be sure to find out

Here is some information on Be Quiet PSU dimensions

Aye, google is my friend

Comes with one, shall suffice for now, thanks.

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 17:11

JonJ678 said:
Corsair ssd and coolermaster psu are quite weird choices.
You can get a 860W pc power and cooling for that price which is far superior. 15cm deep, so about as small as any on the market. Not modular, but far higher quality.
Corsair ssd has nasty transfer times, its generally inferior in every way to the vertex. I hope youve researched that one.

Debian doesnt like that dvd drive. Otherwise all good.

heh okay...
95Thrifles said I need modular (well the review did) as my poor case choice

If you could point me to a superior one than the one I have then please do, it has fantastic reviews though.

The SSD is a strange thing, kept reading about transfer rates but for the price it became interesting. Then I read some very interesting reviews. There are some really high reviews for it due to its 32mb cache and price... So far everyone seems to think its great...

whats wrong with the drive? Only use mac / windows so if Debian is the only issue then its fine by me...

Thanks for the response

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 17:12

lynchy6789 said:
Have a look at this mate From Be quiet website 650W page 34
dimensions are (180mmx150mmx85mm) that too big?

unfortunately yes.. Length wise it can be 165mm at max I believe...

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 17:29

wbc1 said:
Tbh, corsair, be quiet, coolermaster and zalman are all very good PSU manufactures. ALL of them will be fine with the set up.

Choices....... It's a hard one as I know nothing! Just keep changing it as people have different opinions!

Anyone have a view on the SSD? Will it still be faster than a Raptor?

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 17:50

lynchy6789 said:
My initial choice would be Be Quiet then Corsair but as they are to big i would go for the Zalman for the sole reason that it is suppose to be very quiet and good very good reviews.

However, as long as you got a decent branded PSU it will be fine.

For the SSD i would look it the G.Skill Falcon SSD (OcUK don't sell it) and the OCZ vertex series

Ouch, killer speeds....
Agreed, may have to get a G Skill 64gb instead and use the wd black a bit more than initially expected.

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 18:01

Can you partition a raid 0 SSD array? (or should you) - thinking of dual OS possiblities..

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 18:27

JonJ678 said:
Hey. I'm going to repeat that this: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-007-PP is the psu you want.
Corsair, be quiet, zalman etc are very good. Seasonic and pc power and cooling are the best. I'm using one of the 860W models now. Justification for this psu over the alternatives.

On the face of it, 7 year warranty and 200,000 mtbf are exceptional. That you can adjust the 12, 5, 3.3V rails yourself if you don't feel they're close enough to spec, using a multimeter and a screwdriver, is unbelievable. Next, it comes with a complete testing report done by hand prior to packaging, so the chances of it being dead on arrival are zero. Build quality is needless to say exceptional, I took one apart a few days ago and it's beautiful inside. For cooling they've chosen a (very) undervolted 3 blade 5000rpm delta. Delta make fantastic fans, known for being astonishingly loud. Nonetheless the psu is very quiet, and I'm becoming obsessive about how much noise my computer makes.

The vertex is a lot faster than the corsairs, as the price reflects. The g skill falcon 64gb and the vertex 60gb are almost identical, but the aftersales support of ocz wins it for me.

As for partitions, the most common way of doing the raid is at a level equivalent to the bios. The operating system is none the wiser, three 30gb drives in raid 0 will look exactly like a 90gb drive to the operating system. So yeah, partition it however you please. You'll need raid drivers to install windows onto it, but thats true whether partitioned or not.

p.s. there are a couple of people with the corsair ssds who seem to like them, but I'd not even look at one over a vertex. I'd rather a 30gb vertex to a 256gb corsair. The 30gb ocz is what other companies would call 32gb, they both format to 29.6gb or so.

Thanks for the in-depth post!
A quick google search shows me its a good size, so I'm willing to be convinced, but to me (first time builder) I wouldn't know where to start in changing voltages, or even why... Modular has less wires (i think) which is good for my case as its apparently tricky to get back on without bending with cluttered wires... Though I'm sure its still possible non modular...
I want a plug and play PSU, no extra crap thats not necessary... Am I going to need to tinker with the voltages of this PSU? I have no ideas what 200,000mtfb means!

In regards to the SSD the falcon is 50GBP cheaper than the Vertex, so shall go with one of these, and possibly upgrade to two in future in Raid 0

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 18:44

JonJ678 said:
You don't at all want to change the voltages, they'll come beautifully set up. It's just amazing that the option is there at all. So no, you won't be playing with them.

200,000 mtbf is 200 thousand hours mean time before failure. That is a very very long time, essentially means its fit and forget. Average time between failures of 23 years. It's also rated for 860W continuous at 50 degrees rather than at 25, it's basically perfection in psu form.

It's not modular. I like this, modular psu's introduce more points of failure for resistive heating. I don't think that's worth it when cables aren't so hard to deal with anyway. I'll go find a picture of that case to make sure, will report back shortly.

At 50 quid less I'd choose the gskill one too

Thanks

Bit weary as I can only go by what I'm told

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 18:47

lynchy6789 said:
nice choice on the SDD. Just go for a plain and simple modular PSU that is made by a good brand no need for all the stuff on a PSU. Good luck with the build post some Pics

Thanks for your help, Think I may have to stretch for a 128gb to accommodate all my 3D apps.
I will certainly put up a build log as I will undoubtedly need help

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 18:57

JonJ678 said:
X500 looks very nice. Doesn't hold very many hard drives, 4 internal and 1 in a floppy drive bay.

It certainly looks like you wont struggle for cable space with the psu. There is a lot of space behind the psu, certainly looks like ample space. Failing that, there's a hard drive cage in the perfect place to hold the extra cables, leaving you with space for 2 hard drives + floppy drive, or three hard drives.

I don't see why a modular psu is required at all, loads of space (relative to the average matx case). That lian li is beautiful, if I wasn't so taken with my current case I'd want one.

Wasn't aware that the floppy could be converted to a HDD... amazing! I was looking for 5 HDD case... eventually gave up for 4... What kit would be required to turn floppy to HDD?

I can't give up the hard drive cage next to the PSU, will be needing at the very least 4 HDD's. So whats my best option with that in mind? Technically the pp&c is shorter than the zalman, but has more cables..

Edit: I have two OS', with CS4 and three 3D programs... Need more than 60gb

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 19:00

JonJ678 out of interest whats your case that you thinks prettier than the x500

tcody · 7 Jun 2009 at 19:02

EdGey said:
do you plan to go crossfire in the future?

+ why not spend less on the case and get a 4870X2 instead. The price is good at the moment.

240 on the case seems overkill when you then settle for a 4890

Heh case talk again...
I've owned macs most my life, think that about explains it, but if not... "We" mac people prefer aesthetics to function.... sad but true... I also don't need that much graphics power for 3D programs..

Not sure on the difference between SLi and Crossfire, but would probably consider it in the future... quite distant though...