Help speccing budget gamer system

Lighters

Lighters

Lighters

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I am on a budget, basically the best performance / Price

I play COD4 competatively so its extremely important i can get 125 constant atleast and hoping for around 250 tbh

My manager wants me to get a portable unit such as
http://www.thermaltake.com/product/Chassis/miniCase/lanbox/vf1000_index.asp
I told him i'm all for it if i can overclock the components just as well

From my current system i can use
DVD drives
2X 36GB raptors
1x 200gb HDD
X-Fi soundcard
Keyboard / Mouse / Monitor 17inch 1280 x 1024

I was thinking something like;
E2160 (Very good overclockable cpu?)
Overcloking mobo
Overclockable ram
Good graphics card for COD4 HIGH FPS, i dont use eye candy all PERFORMANCE
PSU that can support it all
Cooling

An e-mail he sent
Here is an example spec for you.



· Intel Pentium Dual Core E2160 1.8GHz with Cooler

· Patriot 2GB PC2-6400 C4 Extreme Performance (2x1GB)

· nVidia GeForce 9600GT 512MB PCI-E Graphics Card

· 320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive with 16MB Cache

· Intel Motherboard

· Thermaltake Lanbox Chassis

· OCZ 600W StealthXStream Power Supply



Price: £350.00 Inc VAT
 
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what OS are you using and at what resolution are you playing at?

First I don't think these shuttle PCs are ideal for OC, too small, too much heat etc...

1. I doubt you will get average 125fps at 1900x1200 with a 9600GT. Anyway +60fps is more than enough for competitive play. Anyway I would recommed a 8800GT, it's simply a better card
OcUK GeForce 8800 GT 512MB GDDR3 HDTV/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail @ £105.74

2. For CPU I would recommed a newer 45nm chip a E7200 (also wont need extreme OC compared to E2160). OCUK don't stock the old processor you mentionned, and it has only 1MB cache. also 45nm run cooler so less heat, your case is quite small and you need to mind the temps if you want to OC
Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 LGA775 'Wolfdale' 2.53GHz (1066FSB) - Retail @ £86.94

3. I have no idea on micro ATX mobo and their OC potential. Not sure shuttle PC is best for OC anyway. Will let someone else advise you. (in case you change your mind about the case => ATX mobo: Gygabite P35 board is cheap and will overclock well)

4. Cheapest cooler for OC is Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775) @ £17.61 (NB check size => not sure good aftermarket HSF will fit in your shuttle PC since they tend to be big - seriously I don't recommend OC with crappy HSF)

5. You don't need 600W for shuttle PC it's overkill OCZ StealthXStream 500w Silent ATX2 Power Supply @ 43.36 (again need to check PSU and cables fit in your case)

6. GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-6400C4 800MHz Black Dragon DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GB22GB6400C4DC) @ £35.24 this is C4 low latency RAM it's a steal. If you run Vista 64bit you could even consider 4GB.

Total £288.99 inc VAT without motherboard

On top of that, I see you plan on using 3HDD and a sound card, I cannot see how you can fit all that in a shuttle PC????????????

My biggest recommendation is get a bigger case if you want to do any credible OC (I presume you do, coz if you plan on playing COD 4 @125 FPS with the E2160, all I can say is good luck, especially without proper cooloing and your HHD RAID array). With all that stuff crammed in there (if you manage to fit this in) your bound to run into major temp issues = BSOD

good luck and let me know how your OCing went, i would be interested to know what is possible

Edit: do you play COD4 PAM mod?
 
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thnx for all the information

Guess shuttle is out of question then as i am going to be an overclocking monster as i want best bang for buck

I am using a 17inch screen not even playing at my highest res 1280 x 1024 (1024 x 768 atm)
Cod4 needs to be 125atleast for competative gaming just trust me on this, 250 if im going to spend anything over this on a budget PC

OS: Windows XP - i cant justify using Vista with compatibility/slower fps / vista LOL

Yes with PAM mod, like i said competatively ie, going to lans, i play for reason-gaming

So any changes to the spec and which case is extremely good? can i have a link to the MOBO plz
 
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i'd look at:
CPU E2200 or E7200
GFX card: 8800GT 512mb
mobo: abit IP35
PSU: corsair 520W modular
cpu cooler: arctic freezer 7 pro
RAM: 2x1 gb sticks pc6400
 
Gygabite P35 @ £62 http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-100-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=913

NB this board will not handle cards in SLI but don't need that, just update GFX card when you need

At 1280x1024 with a 8800GT you should get monster FPS, not sure how many, maybe check some reviews they probably benchmarked that game

to give you an idea I have 8800GTX which is better card but not by miles: CoD4 everything on max incl AA etc.... @1900x1200 res and my FPS range from 60 to +100 during gameplay (FPS will fluctuate depending how big map is, how many smokes, how many explosions.... ie corridors = higher FPS ;))

For case, I think it is subjective choice. Personally I like Lian-Li or Silverstone Temjin07, they are on the expensive side, but I may just be a snob. Just a couple of rules for choosing a case
1. make sure it has good airflow (bigger is usually better, but no need to go OTT and get a server chassis)
2. aluminum chassis = lighter but noisier than sturdy steel chassis
3. quality build since this is probably the one component that you will keep the longest in your PC, so I would not be too cheap here it's probably the closest thing you can come to future proofing when it comes to PCs

reputable brands are Antec, Lian Li, Coolermaster, Silverstone

here are a couple of affordable suggestions to get you started (lol the case was the component that took me the longest time to choose)

Cooler Master CM690 @ £53 http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-145-CM&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=29

Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case @ £69 http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-065-AN
 
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Ben M said:
PSU: corsair 520W modular
Click to expand...

very good PSU (Corsair use Seasonic as OEM) Silent PC reviewed it and calls it the quietest PSU they have tested and their tests are pretty thorough.

but just a lot more expensive (£43 vs £70), but you do get modular cables = less cable clutter since you only put the ones you need = better airflow and tidy cable management
 
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how much is this going to cost me ££3 total, i have a thermaltake xaser x(XXXX)
Its just really 2 big and heavy and airflow is crap!
 
as per your £350 incl VAT budget limit my recommendation came close @ £359.48 incl VAT (excluding shipping and case)

recap:
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L Intel P35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard @ £62.26
GPU: OcUK GeForce 8800 GT 512MB GDDR3 HDTV/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail @ £111.61
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 LGA775 'Wolfdale' 2.53GHz (1066FSB) - Retail @ £89.29
HSF: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775) @ £17.61
PSU: OCZ StealthXStream 500w Silent ATX2 Power Supply @ 43.46
RAM: GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-6400C4 800MHz Black Dragon DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GB22GB6400C4DC) @ £35.24

Unfortunately you will notice that since this is Wednesday the E7200 and 8800GT are no longer deal of the week so the price has increased since yesterday :(

PS you could go for PC6400C5 RAM and E2200 to save about £35 of cash for a case
 
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whats your thoughts on my thermaltake xaser 5000 or sumin, is it a bad casE? its extremely heavy and current cooling has way too many fans
 
sorry do not know those cases. I am not a Thermaltake fan, they look to pimped out for my taste. I like the more understated look.

if you have too many fans then you could try to remove some, but making sure air cooling is still adequate. However not much you can do about the weight, except get smaller or lighter case.

Only thing I know on Thermaltake, was when I was looking for a case I looked at a Tai Chi but never convinced by it for couple of reasons:
- too big case (it was heavy too but had wheels so not really a problem for a stationary use)
- due to size it makes a lot of noise due to a lot of resonance
- again look was too in your face for my liking
- too much plastic parts (snaps etc...), these things don't last

that said I don't think your case is bad, just not for me ;) - if you don't like it sell it and get one you do like there are so many options out there. At the end of the day what matters is what you think. You have one - so you know the answer to that one :).

PS just wondering your original post, you said your manager emailed you those specs - was all that for only £350? I can't get my head around that one, sounds like the deal of the century if it is.
 
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good deal, though I still don't like the 9600GT and you have to be careful with Intel branded motherboard since they are not reputed to be OC friendly. For instance the P35 Intel board on sale at OCUK is not OC friendly at all, which means everything at stock speeds.
 
well, that was an example spec, he can probably get me a really highspec at discounted prices but i dont know what to ask him for

I dont want to pay too much for an enthuisast PC, i want a good pc but nothing thats going to cripple me... ie

I paid like 400 for a 4000+ @ 2.6 and i could have gotten a 3200 for around 100 i swear

A 3200 @ 2.6 would be exactly the same, saving 300
 
Extra high FPS for jumping around like a gimp and getting to places you shouldn't? :P

Does the 'manager' pay for it or are you? and that monitor is tiny, i find i play much better on a bigger screen/res
 
i pay for it, hence my tight budget but he can get me discount, i just need 2 list some good components... it was going to be more discount if i used a portable unit because it means i can take my pc to more lans easier!

Small screen because i'v never used any bigger and its satisfactory ATM

60FPS = dire, 125 is minmum i would ever play cod4 COMPETATIVELY, on my current system with a tweaked config for FPS i get between 60-125 which hinders performance a lot
 
WHAT!?

Screens dont refresh more than 70 times a second. If you were playing "COMPETITIVELY" surely you'd want a bigger screen and a better spec system?
 
Bigger screen granted but i'm fine playing at 1280 x 1024 or even 1024 x 768 on a 17

The engine used is based on the q3 engine so more FPS = bigger jumps
Key fps = 125 and / 250

Believe it or not you can notice a difference when playing at those FPS, its quite aparant when aiming as theres a smoothness/lag it, seriously... trust me it also makes the gun a lot more accurate at range
 
Lighters said:
The engine used is based on the q3 engine so more FPS = bigger jumps
Key fps = 125 and / 250
Click to expand...
So you want to cheat?

Your eye can't process anything about 120Hz - anything above 100FPS is a waste of time. I used to play CS:S and played VERY competitively at 60fps. Either you increase your budget or lower your expectations.
 
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