New build - first timer.

Dannowoo

Dannowoo

Dannowoo

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Joined
4 Aug 2009
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21
Location
Laahhndahn.
Hi there - long time lurker, first time poster.

I'm off work next week and figured i'd take the opportunity to try building my first rig. My budget is somewhat variable but I would say that £650 is my maximum in order to get it running this side of Xmas.

I'd be really grateful for some feedback on my choices, particularly to ensure that I haven't made any glaring errors, like the wrong RAM/Mobo combo or something.

Here's what I have so far:

BFG GeForce GTX 275 OC 896MB GDDR3 PCI-Express Graphics Card
£163.99

AMD Phenom II X3 Tri Core 720 Black Edition 2.8GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £97.99

Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P AMD 770 (Socket AM3) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard
£76.99

Corsair Dominator XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600C9D Twin3X (TW3X4G1600C9D)
£72.99


OCZ ModXStream Pro 700w Silent SLI Ready Modular Power Supply
£62.99

Thermaltake V9 Case VJ40001N2Z - Black (No PSU)
£57.99

Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (WD5000AAKS)
£39.99

Sub Total : £498.20
+Shipping/VAT : Total : £587.31

I'll be keeping my current monitor for the time being. I'll be running XP until Windows7 is released and I have DVD/CD drives that are adequate. Usage will mainly be mainly gaming - i'm a big RTS, RPG and MMO fan so I tend to prize framerate over anything, but from what i've read, I should be able to crank the settings up a fair bit.

Some specific questions;

I'd like to have a go at overclocking this at some point in the future and I get the impression that i'll need additional cooling at that point. Are there any specifications that I should look for in a case to ensure that I will have enough room?

I checked a few different sites to see how much power I would need and received wildly different recommendations (varying between 450w - 800w). The higher recommendations were, predictably, from websites endorsed by PSU manufacturers but i'd like to play it safe;

Will 700w run everything comfortably? Will it be future-proof, especially once I take the plunge into overclocking?

Should I hold out until payday so that I can afford Windows Vista, or will XP be ok until Windows7?

And the main one: Would you buy different parts and if so, why?

Thanks in advance :)
 
I'd get a 4890 instead of a 275, performance per pound is better and if you get a decent card you will be able to hit 1000/1200 and smoke a 275 easily.
 
Howabout this:

591x3.png


The GPU should be just as fast, but it will be cooler, quieter and you can add a second one in the future (the PSU should be able to handle it).

Also, the motherboard is newer tech and has more features (such as DDR3 and Crossfire).
 
Hmm, I think the original spec looks fine tbh. I'd certainly not go voiding the warranty on my graphics card with after market cooling (at least straight off :))

Has the Windows 7 RC phase finished now? Thats a good alternative to XP. Even if it has you should be able to find Windows 7 Build 7100 in the usual places.
 
sldsmkd said:
Hmm, I think the original spec looks fine tbh. I'd certainly not go voiding the warranty on my graphics card with after market cooling (at least straight off :))
Click to expand...

I suppose that is an option - certainly the cheaper and easier one. But this card (as well as the GTX 275) are blooming hot and loud. It should certainly be in option in the back of the OP's mind that he can upgrade the cooler for little money even if he does just start with stock cooling.
 
I'd let it burn in for a while, make sure the card is fine before replacing cooling on it. Electronics tend to go poof in their first few weeks of life or not at all.
 
Awesome, thank you. Especially for the HDD faux-pas, I must admit that I didn't pay a lot of attention to the numbers on the storage front.

I'll definitely take a look at the ATi cards. Is changing the cooler an easy task? I'm fairly confident when it comes to building things (motor engineering background), but not so much when it comes to modifying components. I think i'll buy & build to see how loud/hot things run before I make my mind up on this point.

I have a tube of thermal compound that was opened a few weeks back. It hasn't been stored abnormally - will it be okay for use in this or should I play safe and grab a fresh packet?

Could you elaborate a little on 'the usual places'? I could add my MSN details if needed.

Sorry 'bout all the questions, but thanks again for taking time out to answer them. Shall I post my build up once it's done? :)
 
Definitely go for a CPU cooler, the standard AMD one is rubbish.
I too have a phenom II 720, running a sunbeam cooler and it's awesome, although it's quite expensive and HUGE. Pretty sure you could get it to clock 3.2-3.4 with minimum effort using any other cooler than the standard one
Had a Arctic cooling freezer on my previous system, they are only about £20 and that was a good cooler
 
I don't think the usual places, he is referring to here. If you want to get windows 7 RC (Build 7100) then act fast, microsoft stop giving out the software today (though i'm sure it will be available via torrents or the like).

The cooler change does seem like a daunting task, but it is pretty simple when you get down to it. Here is the guide for installing that Akasa cooler (under the "support" tab). The main aim is to cool all the VRMs and RAM modules as well (or better) than the stock one - using the akasa heatsinks and then correctly attaching the GPU chip cooler. Hope that makes some sense.

As for thermal compound, i suppose it depends how abnormally it was stored. But I guess for the sake of five quid, a brand new one isn't a massive imposition. If you do plan on replacing the graphics cooler, then getting this stuff would be a good idea, as you will want to clean all the surfaces before putting on the shiny new cooler.

Edit: Sorry, forgot to add the link to the akasa VGA cooler guide - it should be there now.
 
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Dannowoo said:
Excellent. I'll grab that tonight when I get home. Work is dragging now, i'm getting excited. :D
Click to expand...

Go and register your serial key NOW. If the worst comes to the worst, I'll burn a DVD of it and mail it to you. I didn't realise it was still open today, hence usual places was intimating torrents :) But yeah get it straight from MS - it's a free OS until March next year basically. Get the 64bit Edition.
 
sldsmkd said:
Go and register your serial key NOW. If the worst comes to the worst, I'll burn a DVD of it and mail it to you. I didn't realise it was still open today, hence usual places was intimating torrents :) But yeah get it straight from MS - it's a free OS until March next year basically. Get the 64bit Edition.
Click to expand...


Done & done. Hopefully I can get out of work in time to download it myself, but thanks v. much for the offer. I could save you a stamp (and trade you a blank DVDR) and meet up with you if you're in/near central London :D

I think I love this forum. I've never come across so much freely-available help on the internet.
 
Dannowoo said:
Done & done. Hopefully I can get out of work in time to download it myself, but thanks v. much for the offer. I could save you a stamp (and trade you a blank DVDR) and meet up with you if you're in/near central London :D

I think I love this forum. I've never come across so much freely-available help on the internet.
Click to expand...

I work by Liverpool St, but a stamp is only 30p :) I'm sure you'll be fine - but who knows how many people will be trying to download today or when the site while shut.
 
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If I remember correctly , downloads were officially meant to end at 11am ET (NAEST i think) , I doubt that'll be the case though :P

I think beta keys are going to be available for a while aswell but i had to find one myself just incase ! :)


Edit: Downloads are closed but beta keys are still available :)
 
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Tr Insanity said:
Edit: Downloads are closed but beta keys are still available :)
Click to expand...

It seems to be downloading for me. Only at 1%, but it's progress ^^

Edit: It could be because I obtained the beta key before the downloads officially closed. Though on closer inspection, the key I got the first time and the key provided when I launched the download don't match. Who knows.
 
Dannowoo said:
It seems to be downloading for me. Only at 1%, but it's progress ^^

Edit: It could be because I obtained the beta key before the downloads officially closed. Though on closer inspection, the key I got the first time and the key provided when I launched the download don't match. Who knows.
Click to expand...


Well , only current downloads can be continued then :) If you go to the page there's no longer a link to the download application. I need some stupid DVDs aswell :(
 
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