Gaming Spec Check

robertgilbert86

robertgilbert86

robertgilbert86

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Joined
1 Feb 2006
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Newcastle upon Tyne
Hi all, I know you're getting a lot of spec threads right now so I've been through the various sections of hardware and chosen the following for a gaming rig. If you see anything wrong let me know. Budget is maxed out right now.

I've gone for a Dual core because of the speed and I plan to clock it to 3.7 or 3.8 Ghz.

Two questions;
-ATI (????) or GTX 260?
-Vista 32 or 64

Thanks for your time guys!

-rob

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EDIT: I found the case is out of stock so I'll choose another myself.
 
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asus + nforce = death

unless your 100% sure your going to sli go with an intel chip
or wait to the i7s come down then you can have an sli intel chip :P

save some money get a e8400/500 the 600 isnt worth the £50 extra

use the money saved to get a BFG maxcore 1 year warrenty really isent worth it!

I would also suggest getting a corsair or pcp&c 750 worth the extra money imo.

Also if your planning on overclocking you will need a much better Heatsink such as the termaltakes,noctura or tuniq.
 
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The case is up to you. It's a shame you can't get the antec 300 from here, it's a great case for the price, you could maybe source it elsewhere.

The 4870 1gb version is on par perfromance wise with the 'core 216' gtx260, but is slightly cheaper. It just depends whether you prefer nvidia or ATI, everyone has a favourite :p

That tuniq tower should provide better cooling than the artic freezer, and it's on offer this week.

Like it's been said above, go for the 8400 instead, I've got mine clocked to 3.8ghz just now, and it's got more left in it. I also have the tuniq tower, so both work well together, temps are very low, even under load.

The P45 board spec'd will offer crossfire, so you could always add another 4870. But if your really set on nvidia and SLi then you'll need to go for the nforce chipset motherboards, if your not bothered about SLi, then go for an intel chipset, like the one I've spec'd.

The corsair PSU I've shown get's a great review on here, plus it's modular, so less mess in your case.
 
Thanks for the advice guys, looks like you saved me some cash!

I'll probably go with the ATI, the 8400 and tuniq and maybe get the case elsewhere, although I'd much prefer one big delivery!

I'd say I'm unlikely to go SLI/crossfire and just get whatever the new card is at the time. Are the mobos fairly future-proof regarding GPUs?
 
1. advice stay away from nforce boards ;) besides the 780 is basically a 680 in disguise. go for a P45 if you are not planning on SLI (would need new PSU if you did). Boards come with onboard sound which are good enough for gaming, I wouldn't bother with an additional card

2. If you overclock may want to get better cooler -> Noctua, Tuniq or TRUE

3. Vista 64bit, forget Vista 32 bit or (get XP if you want 32 bit OS)

4. consider e8400 if you are overclocking, E0 steppings are available nowadays

5. ATI 4870 or Nvidia 260 maxcore are both good and fairly similar - in fact may want to consider 280 or 4870x2 if you gaming on 24" if you like all the eye candy

6. boards are GPU future proof until it changes ;) anyway none of the recent boards has the edge in that department

happy gaming
 
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Cheers lunarwolf and others, this is what I've ordered:
I went with the Xonar as I want a nice high quality 5.1/7.1 sound system some day.
I'll see how gaming goes at 24" and if it's disappointing I'll get another 4870. My thinking is that coming from a 3700+ and 7800GT anything new is going to be good!

finalsystemvo9.jpg
 
You shouldn't need Thermal Compound as coolers usually come with some stuff pre-applied. Unless you're wanted to add more?!
 
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