First time build - Advice welcomed!

Morlock said:
Payed for/branded software does not necessarily mean better, in fact, a lot of the time it is actually worse than good freeware. Companies like Avast and Avira provide free home user licenses to promote their corporate products.

They are very high quality, and both are highly regarded AV software providing much the same fuctionality as both Kaspersky and Norton without the expense. Similarly with Comodo firewall, a free home user license is granted, in the hope that it will attract corporate investment.

Most IT savvy users will not touch Kaspersky or Norton with a barge pole, knowing that they offer nothing that freeware can't and are generally bloated.

I am sure someone amongst all of the IT gurus here will back me up...
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really? learn something new everyday. im very fussy about the anti virus software on my system. i hate any kind of slow down during start up. avg seems to do the job at the moment for me
 
RedStarRiot said:
i like to max out my games, i was lucky enough to have a large enough budget at the time and blew it all on my rig!, i love my 5870 and plan on using 3 monitor eyefinity, im way to into dawn of war 2!. read a lot of good things though about the 5770 and its decent value. you thought of going nvidia? 460 would do the job nicely and not much more really
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I agree. I originally was looking at a 5770 then stulid recommended me looking into nvidia at either the 460 or 470. The 460 can be overclocked to near 5850 performance. Btw MSI 460 is highly rated as a cool runner too!
 
Ok I will be changing the PSU to the Corsair model:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-008-CS&tool=3

Getting good reviews and you guys seem to have faith in it so that is more then enough for me to change my mind (fickle aren't I).

Will also look at the GPX card; had a bad experience with an Nvidia card so am not in a rush to go back to them without a damn good reason; whether it be outstanding testimony or a DAMN good deal! Won't be able to afford this will next month's pay packet anyway so have some more time to check it out!

Will stick with the I7 950; I don't mind shelling out for a good processor which can take a bashing while I test/learn, I know that probably not use it to it's full potential but I like to have the option if I do feel braver in the future.
As for AV software will try MSE but will probably upload Avira &/or Avast! as they seem popular.

One small question - do OverClockers deliver on Saturdays (through DPD)?
 
Just a quick update as I am going to start the build on Wednesday:

Components I have already:
I7 950 3.06GHz (Bloomfield) (Socket LGA1366)
(+ Arctic silver thermal comp & clean up kit for heat sink)
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache
Patriot Viper 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 12800C8 1600MHz Low Latency Triple Channel
Corsair TX 650W ATX

Planned parts (Purchase on tues before 12AM):
Asus P6X58D-E Intel X58 (Socket 1366) DDR3 Motherboard
Coolermaster CM-690 II Advanced Dominator Case - Black
Sony Optiarc AD-7260S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black)
(Will scavenge extra DVD drive from existing PC)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium - Retail (Full Version)
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5770 Vapor-X 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card

I know that ATI are bringing the 6xxx series out currently and I have been keeping tabs on it, but to be honest I've been finding the news kind of confusing; I haven't really seen information to give a firm release date and understand that there will be a staggered product release; so the 6870 (which I would look at depending on price) might not be till some point in Nov.
In which point I might just try the 5770 - maybe buy another in the near future if needed and then wait till the 28nm chips in the distant future.

Also I will only buy ATI at the minute as I've had big issues with the GeForce 6200SE and it will take a huge change by Nvidia to make me go back - not a fanboi, just from personal experience..

Back to the build - If you guys think that I am going to have any big issues with this then please give me a shout as a first build I want to minimise any potential issues as I'm sure this this will be a big enough stress as it is!

Cheers
 
BTW the types of games that I will be looking to run is WoW, DoW II Civ IV/V and Ruse (bit of a Strathead) but will possibly look at STALKER & Mass effect 2 if the system can handle it at a decent FPS.
 
Graphic wise, I'd ditch the 5770 and try to find a decent GTX460 768MB (MSI Cyclone or Asus DirectCU) at below £135, or stretch for a GTX460 1GB, or wait for 6850 to see what it has to offer and at what price. No point getting a 5770 at the price they are at now considering we are only days away from the 2nd gen dx11 cards.

And for the Coolermaster CM-690 II Advanced, you could get some nice extra fans to put on the optional fan mount/slots. I myself bought the case last week and really liking the look and internal lay-out of it (haven't finished my new build yet).I got myself two Xigmatek Blue Line 120mm and two Xigmatek Blue Line 140mm Fan White LED, removed the original 140mm fan at top exhaust and moved it to bottom middle as intake, and installed the two Xigmatek 140mm to the top. I have bought the side window for the case for £13.25 as well, google RA-692-KWN1 if you are interested.
 
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Marine-RX179 said:
Graphic wise, I'd ditch the 5770 and try to find a decent GTX460 768MB (MSI Cyclone or Asus DirectCU) at below £135, or stretch for a GTX460 1GB, or wait for 6850 to see what it has to offer and at what price. No point getting a 5770 at the price they are at now considering we are only days away from the 2nd gen dx11 cards.

And for the Coolermaster CM-690 II Advanced, you could get some nice extra fans to put on the optional fan mount/slots. I myself bought the case last week and really liking the look and internal lay-out of it (haven't finished my new build yet).I got myself two Xigmatek Blue Line 120mm and two Xigmatek Blue Line 140mm Fan White LED, removed the original 140mm fan at top exhaust and moved it to bottom middle as intake, and installed the two Xigmatek 140mm to the top. I have bought the side window for the case for £13.25 as well, google RA-692-KWN1 if you are interested.
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I thought we'd have seen the 6xxx in the stores (or websites) for sale by now so have pretty much given up on buying one for now and think will wait for the 28nm size cards before I upgrade a GPU again. Why the 460? I hear a lot of people talking about them but like I said I have had a bad experience with my current Nvidia card so need to be talked around to buying another.
 
Gudge said:
Why the 460? I hear a lot of people talking about them but like I said I have had a bad experience with my current Nvidia card so need to be talked around to buying another.
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Because the GTX460 is the best price to performance at the entry and low-mid level (at the moment). A new Vapor-X 5770 would cost you similiar amount of money as a MSI/Asus GTX460 768MB, but it is slower by quite a bit:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/172?vs=156
The GTX460 768MB is also generally considered as overall faster than even the 5830 1GB, even at 1920, 4xAA:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/171?vs=156
Also the GTX 460 is very overclockable...almost any GTX460 would be pretty much guaranteed to overclocked from stock speed 675MHz to at least 800MHz (most people manage somewhere between 800-850MHz, some lucky ones even managed 900MHz...but how high can the GTX 460 go is usually depended on the brand/make and if luckily enough to land a good chip).

However, if you really don't want to go Nvidia, I would suggest you wait for 6850 and see it's performance and price...should be out by the end of this week, IF no more delays :mad:
 
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If you want to save some money get an AMD cpu and mobo, there pretty much equally as good for any average consumer use will defiantly pwn any gaming you want to do and would save you plenty of money for a nice GPU and PSU.
 
Gantoris said:
If you want to save some money get an AMD cpu and mobo, there pretty much equally as good for any average consumer use will defiantly pwn any gaming you want to do and would save you plenty of money for a nice GPU and PSU.
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Read his post in #24...he ALREADY GOT the i7 950 CPU and Tripler Channel 6GB RAMs.
 
Marine-RX179 said:
However, if you really don't want to go Nvidia, I would suggest you wait for 6850 and see it's performance and price...should be out by the end of this week, IF no more delays :mad:
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I do agree. you only have to wait a few more days. I think I reads somewhere the 22nd of this month. But I know how it feels when you have parts sitting next to you staring at you waiting to be used.
 
OK I am all set now apart from the last final detail that I am agonising over - which GPU???

I'm stuck between:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-093-MS&tool=3

&
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-222-SP&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1515

I know that the 460 has great potential to be overclocked massively but I do not have that experience and do not want to damage the GPU straight away. The ATI does run at a higher core clock of 860mhz - a decent overclock for the 460 by all accounts and a higher memory clock & processing cores, which I presume is better (possibly another noob/un-knowledgeable comment).

help please!
 
If you take gaming seriously spend a lil more on the gpu to keep yourself future proof for longer, get the 460 1gb version or a radeon 5850. You've spent top doller on your CPU dont skimp on the graphics :P
 
Thanks Gantoris - the 5850 completely blows my budget out of the water, have about £160 to spend on a GPU - might push it a little more but will means a few more nights in then down the pub!
Is the 460 1gb any better then the 768 ? From what I've read there is not much different, even when overclocking.
 
You can get the 1gb version for about £170 which should be dooable for ya, there not massively better but there's certainly an improvement enough to justify the extra £30 imo.

Since youve gone the intel route (evil i tells yee!) then going nvidea probably the better idea just in case you one day want to get multiple GPUs as SLI is likely to be your only option.
 
Ok have ordered the final bits to the build now.

Went with the MSI GeForce GTX 460 Cyclone 1024MB GPU so in your head be it Gantoris ;) should get all the parts through tomorrow which gives me 2.5 days (have time off work!) to get the thing up and running.

Am beginning to brick it now - hopefully it'll go smoothly!
 
You wont be dissapointed m8y :) im truly jealous i have to wait till January before i can start my build because they laugh at my feeble credit rating :( Enjoy! and as Mayfair said just take your time and it will be fine, its not really rocket science.
 
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