New build spec

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12 Jul 2007
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6
Hi everyone, this is my first post be gentle :)

My old desktop pc has suffered a major hdd failure (amd xp2100 cpu, I did say old!), so am using it as an excuse to the missus for a new build.

I like to keep my pc's for on average 3 to 4 years so I usually go for the highest spec components I can afford at the time.

Rig will be used mainly for gaming and video coding, and some internet stuff.

Here is the stuff I'm looking to buy:

Case - Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case

PSU - Enermax Infiniti 720W EIN720AWT ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU

Mobo - Asus P5K Deluxe WiFi Intel P35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
OR
Gigabyte GA_P35_DQ6 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard

CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 "LGA775 Conroe" 3.00GHz (1333FSB) - Retail

CPU Cooler - Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket 775)

Graphics - EVGA GeForce 8800 GTS SuperClocked 640MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (640-P2-E825-AR)

Memory - OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) PC2-8500 1066MHz SLI-Ready Edition Dual Channel DDR2 (OCZ2N1066SR2GK)

HDD 1 - Western Digital Raptor 74GB WD740ADFD 10,000RPM SATA 16MB Cache - OEM

HDD 2, 3 - Samsung SpinPoint T HD321KJ 320GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM

Souncard - Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer 7.1 Soundcard - Retail

DVD Rom - Asus E616A3T Serial ATA 16x DVD-ROM (Black & Beige Bezel Included) - Retail

DVD Writer - Samsung SH-182MRSMN 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer Lightscribe ReWriter (Beige,Black,Silver) - Retail

Misc - Akasa AK-ICR-01 Internal Card Reader

OS - Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition inc. SP2 - OEM - 1Pk (E85-04026)

Monitor - LG L194WT 19" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver

Keboard - Logitech Media Keyboard Elite - Retail (967559-0120)

Will I need any more cooling fans for ram, gfx card or hdd's?

Looking to partition all hd's in half, and put windoze on the WD raptor, mp3,s videos, and games on the samsungs

Opinions on the spec please, should be good for a few years I reckon......
 
Firstly, welcome to the forum! :D

Now to your spec, which in general looks pretty good. However, may I make a few suggestions?

Case - The Antec 900 is a very good case, which offers superb cooling. It might be worthwhile taking a look at the Antec P182 as well, though it is a little more expensive it is quieter and bigger.

PSU - The best PSU's around at the moment are generally seen are the Corsair's. For your spec, the 520W version will be plenty, it can be found here.

Mobo - Two brilliant choices there, though I could give no reason why you should pick one over the other. Personally I would go with the Gigabyte, though that's just me!

CPU - Excellent choice, nothing more to say here.

CPU Cooler - The Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro is a very good budget cooler, however to cool an expensive CPU in a high end build such as this, I'd recommend something a bit beefier. The current best is the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme, which can be found here. Of course, a cooler such as this is only suitable if you plan on overclocking, if not, then the ACF7 or even the stock Intel cooler may be a better choice.

Graphics - The 8800GTS 640MB is probably the best card to go for in this price range, though I would avoid the pre-overclocked cards. You can save money by buying the standard card and overclocking it yourself. Have a look at this.

Memory - If your going to be keeping your system for 3 to 4 years as you say, then I would go with 4GB RAM. A good 4GB set can be found here. In a couple of years time, 4GB RAM will no doubt be the standard, so you'll be prepared for that.

HDD's - I'm sure a lot of people will tell you this, but the Raptor drives are very expensive for what they are, and these days, modern 7200RPM drives can nearly match them. I presume you were planning on using the Raptor as a Windows drive, and the Samsung's for mass storage? Personally I would go for two 500GB Western Digital AAKS drives. They offer Raptor performance, but for less money and lots more storage. They can be found here. Of course, if you value less noise over speed, then stick with the Samsung drives.

Soundcard - Very good choice, no problems here.

DVD Drives - Any reason you need two? The Samsung drive you chose isn't SATA, you'll want to change it to this. Of course, if you need the other Asus drive, then that will be fine.

Misc - Card reader, fair enough.

OS - As for this you'll want to go with Vista, especially if you planning on keeping this for 3 - 4 years. I'd go with Vista Home Premium 64Bit edition, can be found here.

Monitor - I'd push for a 20" widescreen, especially seeing as this build is fairly high spec. The Dell Ultrasharp 2007WFP is very good, and can be found here.

Keyboard - Looks fine to me, don't need a mouse?

As for the extra cooling, all you'll need is some AS5, can be found here.

Just to give you an idea of how much this will all cost, I've laid it out below:

EVGA GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail
(£258.49) £219.99

OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) PC2-6400C5 Dual Channel Vista Gold Series DDR2
(£199.74) £169.99

Akasa AK-ICR-01 Internal Card Reader
(£11.74) £9.99

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit Edition DVD - OEM - 1Pk
(£66.96) £56.99

Dell Ultrasharp 2007FP 20.1" Performance LCD Monitor - Midnight Grey
(£264.36) £224.99

Logitech Media Keyboard Elite - Retail (967559-0120)
(£16.44) £13.99

Corsair HX 520W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU
(£64.61) £54.99

Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case
(£64.61) £54.99

Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer 7.1 Soundcard - Retail
(£58.74) £49.99

Samsung SH-183LBEBN 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer Serial ATA Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM
(£18.21) £15.50

Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB 5000AAKS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM
(£62.26) £105.98

Gigabyte GA_P35_DQ6 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
(£140.99) £119.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 "LGA775 Conroe" 3.00GHz (1333FSB) - Retail
(£199.74) £169.99

Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme (Socket AM2/LGA775) Heatsink
(£37.59) £31.99

Noctua NF-S12 800RPM 120mm Silent Case Fan - 3 Pin
(£14.09) £11.99

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound (3.5g)
(£7.04) £5.99

Sub Total : £1,317.34
Shipping : £24.95
VAT : £234.90
Total : £1,577.19


The only things not included in the above spec are a mouse and set of speakers, though I presume you've got that covered. Good luck mate. ;) :D
 
Last edited:
Alex UK has offered some very sound advice there, I'd perhaps suggest waiting until after the proposed price cuts from Intel before making your decision though as you might be able to pick up a higher end CPU. :)
 
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