is this a good spec for £1500? i need some to check in depth

Deep · 27 Jan 2007 at 23:32

i'm currently in the process of purchasing a new machine and i have a MAX budget of £1600, but i want to spend £1500 unless there is something which will have a great affect on performance

here is what i have so far:

im going to be watching films, playing games. however games wise i dont play religiously but i like to sit back and play games at decent frame rates and what not.

and i would also like it quiet, i was thinking watercooling but im not comfortable in my skill to install it so i think ill leave that.

The GFX i chose because it is supposedly quiet and a fairly good card, i dont want the best as i see it as a waste for the amount i play games.

Also i need firewire ports, for my iPod however the sound card doesnt come with one so i thought i could either buy a seperate firewire card like i haev done, or buy an Creative Audigy 2 card which already has a firewire port on there. 2 probs i see are can i get one (i think it shouldnt be to hard) and 2 would i notice a big diff in sound quality?

is this a good spec, what would you change?

thanks for reading and any positive and useful responses

Deep

Deep · 28 Jan 2007 at 00:13

Hen_Dawg said:
Check the asus board doesn't have firewire already, many new ones do.

Also if you watch films and have the space, why not go for a 5.1 system?

i already have an amazing 5.1 in my living room but this is just to watch films in my bedroom. and i listen to more music anyway

Syk3 said:
Change the PSU to a Corsair 520W.

Also perhaps (upto you..) change the monitor for a 22" Belinea, Asus.

will the PSU make a lot of difference? and the monitor ive chosen ive heard good things about so i might stick with it

Deep · 28 Jan 2007 at 00:29

£8 more expensive, but is it worth £8 more?

Deep · 28 Jan 2007 at 00:40

easyrider said:
yeah mate

ive changed it in response to your comment, cheers.

lol now just need to make sure the rest is good

Deep · 28 Jan 2007 at 15:56

sorry for no reply, i should have said im not overclocking as i dont feel im ready for it

oh andar the stock coolers loud?

Deep · 28 Jan 2007 at 23:21

VTR said:
There's really nothing to overclocking these chips (unless pushing them to the limits!)

For an E6300 to reach 2.8Ghz on a DS3 board, you'll probably only need to change one setting in the bios (the FSB) and that's it!

if thats all there is to it, let me change my spec a bit! as i dont want an amazingly powerful gfx i dont play THAT many games, and the one i chose should be able to handle the ones i play with ease. Solitare

Deep · 29 Jan 2007 at 21:04

Right here is the new spec... i have taken out the sound card as i dont think there will be much of a difference and i can always take the audigy 2 out of the other computer in my house.

NEC AD5170 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Silver) - OEM £19.96

Logitech Media Keyboard Elite - Retail £17.61

Microsoft Laser Mouse 6000 - Retail £24.66

Asus PW201 20.1" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver £346.61

Seasonic S12 Energy+ 550W Silent ATX2.0 Power Supply £84.59

Intel Core 2 DUO E6300 "LGA775 Allendale" 1.86GHz (1066FSB) - Retail £122.19

Gigabyte GA_965P_DS3 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £82.24

Crucial 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-5300C5 Dual Channel Kit (CT2KIT12864AA667) £164.49

Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 160GB ST3160811AS SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM £41.11

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB ST3500630AS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM £112.79

Antec P180 Advanced Super Midi Tower Case - No PSU (Silver) £93.99

Tuniq Tower 120 CPU Cooler £34.06

AcoustiFan DustProof Quiet 120mm Fan - 3 pin £37.48

Acoustic Energy Aego M 2.1 Speakers (White) - Retail £82.24

HIS ATI Radeon X1950 Pro ICEQ 3 TURBO SILENT Heatpipe 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (H195PRQT512DD-R) £151.56

Total: £1480.16

Deep · 2 Feb 2007 at 15:57

Right i think this is my final spec... ive been reading some other threads but they are more into games than i and they dont have monitors in their specs so im going to have to differ a bit i think.

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB ST3500630AS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM £110.44

AcoustiFan DustProof Quiet 120mm Fan - 3 pin £37.48

Akasa Rounded Ultra ATA133/100/66 IDE Cable (0.9m) - Black £6.46

Logitech Media Keyboard Elite - Retail £17.61

Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 - Retail £23.49

Corsair 2GB DDR2 XMS2-5400C4 TwinX (2x1GB) £152.74

Asus PW201 20.1" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver £346.61

HIS ATI Radeon X1950 Pro ICEQ 3 TURBO SILENT Heatpipe 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (H195PRQT512DD-R) £158.61

OcUK Value 3-Port Firewire Controller £9.64

Logitech Z-2300 THX® Certified 2.1 200 Watts Speakers - Retail £91.47

Seasonic S12 500W Silent ATX2.0 Power Supply £76.36

Intel Core 2 DUO E6300 "LGA775 Allendale" 1.86GHz (1066FSB) - OEM £119.84

Gigabyte GA_965P_DS3 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £82.24

Antec P180 Advanced Super Midi Tower Case - No PSU (Black) £93.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 200GB ST3200820A ATA-100 8MB Cache - OEM £48.16

Should i make any chnages or just keep it as it is? im over clocking to hopefully 3Ghz.

I have one thing though, im split between this monitor and Viewsonic VX2245wm 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor with iPod Dock and 2.1 Speakers- Black. its only round £10 more expensive but is it much better? the ipod functionality makes me want it

Deep · 2 Feb 2007 at 16:41

Right ive changed the MB and memory, any other changes i should make or will the spec i have come up with be perfectly ok.

and does the MB come with cables?

Deep · 2 Feb 2007 at 16:49

iBot said:
all pc speakers are naff, but the money towards a decent amp and speakers

i have thought about doing this, but i think budget wise might push it up a fair amount. im thinking in the region of £150, if i go Richer Sounds

Deep · 2 Feb 2007 at 17:15

i really like the look of the case, the lian li one mentioned just does not appeal to me! there is 1 cool lian li thought:

Lian-Li PC-101 Aluminum Mid Tower - Silver

All aluminium mid tower with patented cooling kit, including ducting and low noise 120mm fans.
Lian-Li 2 in stock £114.99
(£135.11)

however the price made baby jesus weep

and the akasa doesnt look nice either, but it may be the rubbish picture, if someone can send a picture of theirs and just link it or send to me direct i'd appreciate it.

With the case that i choose will it actually be really tight? it looks like quite a large case, i mean as soon as i build it im not going to be changing it much or at all.

the main thing with the case is that it has to reduce noise a lot, i was looking at the wavemaster but it only has 80mm fans instead of 120mm so that could make a large difference. what are your views on the cooling aspect

Deep · 2 Feb 2007 at 17:27

p4radox said:
I'd second the recommendation of the Akasa Eclipse. Gorgeous case, and a joy to work in.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17671494

is the Asaka mirage a better choice? as i like the front panel opening and hiding all my drives.

damn after reading the thread i am leaning towards it i must say.

Cooling wise it looks good, what about sound wise, witht the components im getting will the sound be loud and annoying or will it be a whisper

Deep · 2 Feb 2007 at 18:05

p4radox said:
There are a few differences with the Mirage - nothing major. The Mirage doesn't have the front PCI 'backplate' slot (useful for those fan controllers you sometimes get with fans/CPU heatsinks).

Cooling-wise it's pretty much the best on the market.

Noise-wise, if you put quiet components in it'll be quiet. Because of the design you can run the fans on a very low speed, so it's extremely easy to make quiet.
Easily the best case on the market.

damn you and your salesmanship, SOLD! i shall take the case get rid of speakers and go to richer sounds and purchase some bookshelf speakers.

now 1 LAST question, will the mother board come with connecting leads?