New build, help please...

father-ted · 24 Sep 2009 at 19:23

Right so I am going to take the plunge, I keep waiting and putting it off, so here goes....

So far I have been looking at this:-

*OVERCLOCKED* Intel Core i7 920 D0 Stepping (SLBEJ) 2.66Ghz @ 4.00GHz Max / Gigabyte EX58-UD5 Intel X58 Motherboard / Corsair XMS3 6GB PC3-12800C9 DDR3 / Corsair H50 Bundle £567.99
(£493.90) £567.99
(£493.90)

Crucial M225 128GB 2.5" SATA-II Solid State Hard Drive (CT128M225) £214.99
(£186.95) £214.99
(£186.95)

Antec 1200 Twelve Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case - Black (No PSU) £139.99
(£121.73) £139.99
(£121.73)

Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (WD1001FALS) £68.99
(£59.99) £68.99
(£59.99)

Sony Optiarc DRU-870S 24x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - Retail £23.99
(£20.86) £23.99
(£20.86) Sub Total : £883.43 Shipping cost based on delivery to Credit/debit card billing address, YO32 3QT with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £12.50 VAT is being charged at 15.00% VAT : £134.39 Total : £1,030.32
Now, I was also looking at the Asus Rampage bundle....would that be a better option?

Or would I get a better setup hand picking the components so that I can get better ram and a different mobo?

More questions about additional components once these are decided

father-ted · 24 Sep 2009 at 20:03

Been looking at that case for a while. Picked it due to the size, cooling options, and reviews.

Is it a bad choice?

father-ted · 24 Sep 2009 at 21:30

Any thoughts on the other hardware?

father-ted · 25 Sep 2009 at 17:59

Thanks for that, I'll give it some thought.

What about the Gigabyte bundle? Is the Asus Rampage bundle better, or should I hand pick something else?

I will be using the system mainly for gaming.

father-ted · 25 Sep 2009 at 19:07

Been looking at this combo insted of the Gigabyte:

Asus Rampage II Extreme Intel X58 (Socket 1366) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard £247.99
(£215.64) £247.99
(£215.64)

Intel Core i7 920 D0 Stepping (SLBEJ) 2.66Ghz (Nehalem) (Socket LGA1366) - Retail + Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Game £208.99
(£181.73) £208.99
(£181.73)

Patriot Viper II 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-16000 (2000MHz) Low Latency Tri-Channel (PV236G2000LLKB) £171.99
(£149.56) £171.99
(£149.56)

Corsair H50 High-Performance CPU Watercooler (Socket LGA775/1366) £54.99
(£47.82) £54.99
(£47.82) Sub Total : £594.75

Would that be worth the extra £100+vat? Will there be a noticable difference?

father-ted · 25 Sep 2009 at 21:48

Ok, what board and ram should I be looking at please?

This new system is going to last me a while, so I want it to be as good as I can.

My skt939 and AGP card system is now very old

father-ted · 26 Sep 2009 at 07:36

Many thanks for the advice.

A couple of people have recommended this mobo to me, saying it is better than the UD5 for overclocking. Is it true? I don't mind a few quid extra if it performs better?

Gigabyte GA-EX58-Extreme Intel X58 (Socket 1366) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard

Click to enlarge - 2 images
£229.99 inc VAT
£199.99 ex VAT

father-ted · 26 Sep 2009 at 20:09

Anyone?

father-ted · 27 Sep 2009 at 09:54

A review states that this board has a prefitted south bridge water block. Does that mean I would need water cooling if I went with this board?

It also stated that the heatsink covers the soundcard slot, is this correct?

father-ted · 27 Sep 2009 at 10:03

Whats the difference between the 2 of them though, apart from the price?

father-ted · 27 Sep 2009 at 11:35

I was getting round to choosing a souncard. If I go with the Rampage, is the soundcard that comes with it decent quality?

I have a Logitech Z5500 speaker system already that it will be used for.

I plumbed for the i7 920 retail as it has a longer warranty over the OEM version, is that correct?

father-ted · 27 Sep 2009 at 14:49

Thanks for the info.

Is the sound on the Rampage 'onboard' then, or an additional soundcard that comes with it?

I didn't want to go with 'onboard' sound and was looking at a souncard to go with whatever hardware I settle on. If it is an additional soundcard then I may go with it?

I have been putting off building a new system for ages now, theres always something new just round the corner and I keep waiting and waiting

My skt939 A64 4000+, DFI Nf3 mobo, 2gb OCZ PC4000 EB's, and Nvidia 7950GT AGP are all getting pretty tired now, so I have to upgrade. Not spent anything on computing for quite a while, as you can tell!

father-ted · 27 Sep 2009 at 20:55

Is the sound on the Rampage 'onboard' then, or an additional soundcard that comes with it please?

father-ted · 28 Sep 2009 at 19:28

So theres not much difference performance wise between the Rampage and the UD5. I'm swaying more toward the UD5 now then seeing that the soundcard isn't up to much so I will have to buy one anyway.

Is there anything better than the UD5 that I should look at?

father-ted · 28 Sep 2009 at 20:08

What ram should I go for?

I was looking at some 2000mhz but somebody has said to go 1600mhz? Will I not be able to utilize the 2000mhz stuff with 6gb and overclocking?

father-ted · 28 Sep 2009 at 20:30

I've not updated my system for ages, hence still with a AGP card etc.

This upgrade is to last me a good while, so I like to get the best I can afford at the time. Only a GFX card and soundcard to go now I think.

I take it this system I am putting together will last a while and allow for future upgrades?

father-ted · 28 Sep 2009 at 21:14

Yes I understand that.

When I built this system I was a bit of an enthusiast and it cost me a small fortune, but work and other things took more of my time hence the system aged a lot. Now I need to upgrade, so want a high end rig.

Taking onboard the info kindly provided I have scaled it down slightly to:

Crucial M225 128GB 2.5" SATA-II Solid State Hard Drive (CT128M225) £214.99
(£186.95) £214.99
(£186.95)

Intel Core i7 920 D0 Stepping (SLBEJ) 2.66Ghz (Nehalem) (Socket LGA1366) - Retail + Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Game £208.99
(£181.73) £208.99
(£181.73)

Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 Intel X58 (Socket 1366) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard £191.99
(£166.95) £191.99
(£166.95)

Antec 1200 Twelve Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case - Black (No PSU) £139.99
(£121.73) £139.99
(£121.73)

Patriot Viper 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800 (1600MHz) Low Latency Tri-Channel (PVT36G1600LLK) + 3D Mark Vantage Benchmarking Software £86.99
(£75.64) £86.99
(£75.64)

Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD103SJ) £59.98
(£52.16) £59.98
(£52.16)

Corsair H50 High-Performance CPU Watercooler (Socket LGA775/1366) £54.99
(£47.82) £54.99
(£47.82) Sub Total : £832.98 Shipping cost based on delivery to Credit/debit card billing address, YO32 3QT with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £12.50 VAT is being charged at 15.00% VAT : £126.82 Total : £972.30

How is it looking so far?

Now need a GFX card and soundcard, any advice greatly appreciated

father-ted · 28 Sep 2009 at 21:46

How would I go with air cooling as opposed to the Corsair?
What would the difference be temps wise?

As the Corsair has a 2 year warranty, I was thinking of chnging it again before it ran out. Wouldn't I be covered that way?

father-ted · 29 Sep 2009 at 18:12

Thanks for the info.

Can anybody advise me where I would stand with the warranty on the H20?
I was planning to change it before the warranty runs out,so that I would always be covered. Does the warranty cover any damage caused to the system if due to leaks etc by the H20? Or is the warranty limited?

father-ted · 1 Oct 2009 at 18:19

Anybody know about the warranty with the H20?
Would it cover my system if it leaks whilst still within the warranty period?

Thanks