Little advice needed :)

prolific8 · 24 Apr 2009 at 09:39

Hi guys, nice to make your acquaintance.

Just wondered if this little lot will fit together?

Asus P5Q-E Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard

Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 LGA775 'Wolfdale' 2.80GHz (1066FSB) - Retail

XFX ATI Radeon HD 4850 "XXX Edition" 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail

OCZ StealthXStream 500w Silent ATX2 Power Supply

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (ST3500418AS)

OCZ Gold Edition 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 PC2-8500C5 Dual Channel (OCZ2G10664GK)

Coolermaster Elite 335 Case - Black (No PSU)

LG GH22NS40 22x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM
Total : £523.93

And if so, would it be better to get http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-046-OE ("Titan Vulcan" AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition 2.80GHz OC 3.30GHz DDR3 System) given that it's on special? I could probably stretch to the extra £100 but if I can get similar performance from a £550 machine either the way I've specced or if you could recommend any changes, then I won't bother

Appreciate any help!

95thrifles · 24 Apr 2009 at 11:19

Hi and welcome to the forum, the Vulcan build will be better in terms of future upgradability as socket 775 is dead now, it also has a better gfx card, so either get that, or if you can stretch a little further Ive done this spec for you which has better HDD, case and PSU. Again a couple of these items are on This Week Only offers. If you decide not to stretch to it and stick with your build it is still a good system, however Id substitute in the better case, PSU and HDD Ive included, also you'll want a decent aftermarket cooler if you're thinking of OCing, the sunbeam I included is excellent and will fit that socket also

prolific8 · 24 Apr 2009 at 12:29

Thanks for your help, it's much appreciated.

£100 for a better card and easier upgrade path in the future seems worth it. Are the Vulcans good builds? I saw mention of some "problems" on another thread but couldn't find anything specific, can anyone shed any light?

95thrifles · 24 Apr 2009 at 12:34

Dont think its a problem with the vulcan in particular, as with all goods theres a small chance you may get a faulty component, no matter what path you go down that cant be helped though

prolific8 · 24 Apr 2009 at 13:50

Final question before I hit the buy button

What kind of performance does the Vulcan give? Can I expect a year or two of gaming on it (with current games) before I need to upgrade? I've been out of the PC buying game for so long I no longer know what I'm looking for component-wise, in fact the last time I bought a PC the Radeon 9800XT was the best of the lot!

95thrifles · 24 Apr 2009 at 13:56

Yeah, it should last you a good 2 or 3 years Id say

linktoinsanity · 24 Apr 2009 at 14:36

I'd say socket 775 is far from dead. If you want to go with a socket 775 it will still last a good 2 or 3 years or more. My only criticism of your original spec is that you may want a slightly higher powered PSU.

prolific8 · 24 Apr 2009 at 15:04

How much better would you say the Vulcan is compared to my spec? Also, could I get a similar level of performance to the Vulcan for a smaller price if I self-built?