First time build, seeking advice before i buy

Jon Arne

Jon Arne

Jon Arne

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Joined
26 Mar 2009
Posts
15
Hi all,

This will be my first attempt at a new build and i'm far from an expert on components etc so looking for some advice. I've been reading around and have come up with a bit of a shopping list.

Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail
Asus P5Q Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 X 2GB) DDR2 8500C5 1066MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX8500D2K2/4G)
OcUK GeForce 9600 GT 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail
Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (WD10EADS)
Samsung SH-S223F/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM
Antec Sonata III Piano Black Quiet Case - Black (EarthWatts 500W PSU)

£602.21

Feel free to tear it to shreds, i'm particularly keen for input on graphics card choice as i literally have no idea what to go for so have chosen something with solid reviews. Also will the power supply i've gone for be sufficient?

Will i need extra cooling and if so what would you suggest?

I'm aiming for around the 600 to 700 mark as i still have to get peripherals, an os etc on top so no more than 700 realistically and my wallet would appreciate anywhere i can cut costs!!

Any helpful hints for a first time builder will also be muchly appreciated :)
 
get the gaming 300 and psu bundle instead much better:D the gfx card is not the best in the world tbh you might want to invest a wee bit more :D but 700£ will get you a great spec:D do you plan to overclock?

do you any intensive computing ie 3D modelling etc etc or is it just general use and gaming?
 
Not bad... But, i wouldnt go for the Q6600, its pretty old right now to buy it and the latest batches are not as good overclockers as the earlier ones apparently (dnt know from first hand).

Either upgrade that to a Q9550, or change to a Phenom set-up, either a X4 940 or a X3 720. You would need to change motherboard as well obviously.

Graphics card related, the 4870 1GB on offer is great value, else, get the cheapest 4850 or 4830 or 4670 (GDDR3). Basically i would go ATi with graphics and get the one that fits your budget.
 
Trunks9486 said:
Not bad... But, i wouldnt go for the Q6600, its pretty old right now to buy it and the latest batches are not as good overclockers as the earlier ones apparently (dnt know from first hand).

Either upgrade that to a Q9550, or change to a Phenom set-up, either a X4 940 or a X3 720. You would need to change motherboard as well obviously.

Graphics card related, the 4870 1GB on offer is great value, else, get the cheapest 4850 or 4830 or 4670 (GDDR3). Basically i would go ATi with graphics and get the one that fits your budget.
Click to expand...

Yeah the 720 is a good bet for a budget gaming.Still has plenty of grunt and OC potential.What size monitor you gona be using the 4870 1gb is great but will be overkill if its used on anything under 22 inch.Could save a few quid and get a 4850 :)
 
vq7hbt.jpg
 
It's just gonna be for general use and gaming so no intensive computing in the forseeable future, although never say never :)

I've swapped out the case, processor and graphics and i've got this, how we looking??

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 LGA775 'Yorkfield' 2.83GHz 12MB-cache (1333FSB) Processor - OEM
XFX ATI Radeon HD 4850 "XXX Edition" 512MB GDDR5 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail
OcUK Value Bundle Antec 300 Three Hundred Ultimate Case / Corsair VX 450W ATX PSU.
Asus P5Q Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (WD10EADS)
Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 X 2GB) DDR2 8500C5 1066MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX8500D2K2/4G)
Samsung SH-S223F/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM

£695.05

This literally is the limit of my available funds for this so anything from here on in is gonna have to be like for like price wise!!
 
the gfx card you specced is quite poor tbh, and would struggle to play many modern games on anything other than low settings, for same sort of price you're looking at an ATI 4830 which would be noticably better, or if you can afford it then stretch to a 4850, about £30 more but is a very solid card. NVidia make good cards but tend to be more expensive than their ATI counterparts, you'd want at least a new 250, if not a 260 which is gonna be about twice the cost of the one you specced
Edit: your new spec looks much better, eitehr go with that or the one siumatfung has done, both good specs now
 
could you tell us you current spec please? and the bundle you have chosen has a diffrent PSU to my spec one just wandering if anyone has used a corsair VX series???
 
for gaming Id go with his spec but different card, personally, Id get the 4870 1 gig, just as good and the board supports crossfire so you want to stick with ATI as it allows you to add a 2nd card later if needed, if you get the NVidia theres no upgrade root, you'd have to do a new system build. Look at this card here
 
No current spec!! First time build, i'm using an old vaio laptop at the mo which is dieing a death, but i now have the funds and the space to get myself something a bit more serious :)
 
Jon Arne said:
It's just gonna be for general use and gaming so no intensive computing in the forseeable future, although never say never :)

I've swapped out the case, processor and graphics and i've got this, how we looking??

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 LGA775 'Yorkfield' 2.83GHz 12MB-cache (1333FSB) Processor - OEM
XFX ATI Radeon HD 4850 "XXX Edition" 512MB GDDR5 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail
OcUK Value Bundle Antec 300 Three Hundred Ultimate Case / Corsair VX 450W ATX PSU.
Asus P5Q Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (WD10EADS)
Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 X 2GB) DDR2 8500C5 1066MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX8500D2K2/4G)
Samsung SH-S223F/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM

£695.05

This literally is the limit of my available funds for this so anything from here on in is gonna have to be like for like price wise!!
Click to expand...

If this is right on your budget id drop the cpu to a 720 saving £125 change the mobo to an amd equivalant leaving some money toward you monitor.
I dont think many games take advantage of quad cores at the moment.Mainly for intensive photo work decoding general multitasking etc.
If you do go quad here is the AMD offering.On offer this week http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-236-AM&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=1328 £55 cheaper than Q9950

Good luck with whatever you choose
 
well actually we can fit it all in for 700£ mon included the fact that we are dealing with such an upgrade there is no reason to go crazy:D give me a few mins:D im guessing you will need an operating system yes???
 
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Jon Arne said:
@95thrifles "2nd card later if needed" - i like your thinking!
@ siumatfung Ah, yeah your case and psu bundle is cheaper, will chuck that in.
Will i definitely need a CPU cooler??
Click to expand...

If you want to OC, yes, if not you can just use the stock one that comes with any retail CPU, if you get an OEM CPU this does need a cooler as they dont come with one, pretty sure all the dual cores are retail so its down to whether you plan to clock or not
 
Wasn't planning on clocking to be honest. Maybe once i've got a bit more experience under my belt!
Since it sounds like my money would be better spent on a dual core for what i'm going to use it for i'll be ok with the stock cooler then? If in the future i choose to oc i assume i'll still be able to add a cooler?
 
i can justify this spec by saying yes add a 2nd card later although i now have reservations about that power supply:( you could possibly buy a better bundle deal for the case and PSU, oh and i forgot the DVD drive:D

14v4eq9.jpg
 
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