New computer! Advice please

Carl

Carl

Carl

Soldato
Joined
1 Nov 2003
Posts
3,517
Here's my current spec:

Windows XP Pro
Shuttle SB75G2
P4 3.0 GHz HT
9800pro
2x512mb Ram - Dual channel
---------------------------------------------------
Viewsonic 17" TFT
Logitech Z5500 5.1
Logitech multimedia keyboard
Logitech carbon G7 mouse

Here goes....

I would like to keep it to £1000, but will spend more if it’s worthwhile. I use my computer for gaming mainly as well as the net, music, msn, films etc. I haven’t played any new games for ages and I would love to try test drive unlimited, Supcom and I want this computer to play UT3 at the best settings, I love UT99 and that’s why I haven’t upgraded for so long, it’s the only game I play. I would like the computer to be as stable as possible, although I don’t mind overclocking, for instance ive heard good things about the e2160 and would be willing to overclock for the amazing cost/performance factor.

CPU
Is a Q6600 going to be a advantage over a E6600 for me? What are the advantages of quadcore, is it going to be used?

Ram
Id like 4GB, 2x2GB. What’s the best to go for, and is it true the timings don’t mean much on the C2D? Just the bus speeds?

Graphics
8800GTX is a must I guess? :cool: Which ones clock the best?

Motherboard
I see that most recommend the P35 boards, is it just about the features, any particular one good value?

Harddrives
150Gig raptor for games and o/s and 500Gig sata for storage?

Monitor
I really like the Samsung SM-226BW 22" Widescreen, is this good for gaming and clarity? Any other recommendations?

Power Supply
What PSU is good for powering up all these goodies?

Sound
I’ve got a Hercules digifire 7.1 card and the Logitech z5500 5.1, very happy with it but would I benefit from a newer 5.1 sound card, esp in games?

Optical
Pioneer DVR-112DBK - Is this the latest DVD pioneer optical drive?

Operating System
Tryed using Vista but we didnt get on, i cant be asked multiple times whether i want to open a file or not, im really happy with XP pro, so i was thinking of getting a legit version of XP home with sp2, as i have xp pro with sp1.

Think that’s all! Sorry it’s a big mess, im so out of date at the moment and don’t know where to start! Thanks for the help in advance, can’t wait to get a final spec and start building!

Thanks again, Carl :)
 
Last edited:
OCZ StealthXStream 600w Silent SLI Ready ATX2 Power Supply £49.99
(£58.74) £49.99
(£58.74)

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail £119.99
(£140.99) £119.99
(£140.99)

Asus P5KC Combo Intel P35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 & DDR3 Motherboard Asus P5KC Combo Intel P35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 & DDR3 Motherboard £84.99
(£99.86) £84.99
(£99.86)


Samsung SM-226BW 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Glossy Black Samsung SM-226BW 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Glossy Black £204.99
(£240.86) £204.99
(£240.86)

OcUK 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-5300C5 667MHz DDR2 Dual Channel Vista Approved Kit OcUK 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-5300C5 667MHz DDR2 Dual Channel Vista Approved Kit £59.99
(£70.49) £59.99
(£70.49)

Western Digital Raptor 74GB WD740ADFD 10,000RPM SATA 16MB Cache - OEM Western Digital Raptor 74GB WD740ADFD 10,000RPM SATA 16MB Cache - OEM £81.99
(£96.34) £81.99
(£96.34)

Pioneer DVR-112DBK 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter - (Black) OEM Pioneer DVR-112DBK 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter - (Black) OEM £16.99
(£19.96) £16.99
(£19.96)

Western Digital Caviar RE2 500GB 5000YS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM Western Digital Caviar RE2 500GB 5000YS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM £75.99
(£89.29) £75.99
(£89.29)

OcUK GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - OEM OcUK GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - OEM £274.99
(£323.11) £274.99
(£323.11)

Sub Total : £969.91
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £12.95
VAT is being charged at 17.5% VAT : £172.00
Total : £1,154.86

Here's something ive come up with, what changes could be made?

Edit - whats the difference?

Samsung SM-226CW 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor
Samsung SM-226BW 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor
 
Last edited:
Most immediate change I'd make would be to drop the Raptor, it will put you closer to your budget and shouldn't make that much of a difference to the system overall.

I'd change the DVDRW to a SATA model, NEC and Samsung do suitable models.

I'm not 100% about the monitors, not being an area I follow much but I'd guess that the panel is different between the two. Have a look in the monitor sub-forum to see what people say - Baddass is the first name that springs to mind for an opinion. :)
 
Hi Carl, we will help you the best we can.

I'm sure we will tell you to get different things but either way you will end up with an awesome rig for £1K.

As UT3 developers havent released any minimum specs i or anyone can't promise max settings.

Firstly i think the case is a personal choice but I'm sure we can advise on a couple.

Anyway this is what i would choose if i had 1K in my pocket :)

spec.jpg


Two things,

1. I would have gone for the Corsair 520W modular as its rock solid but its out of stock.

2. I have chosen 4gb of memory not knowing if you are going to move to Vista or not at a later date.
 
You have gone for IDE drive's ? SATA all the way :cool:

You could go for a cheaper set of 4GB OCZ ram, and then put that money towards a GTX. I would also go for the corsair but OCZ make good PSU's so you will be fine.
 
Last edited:
Product Name Qty Price Line Total
OCZ StealthXStream 600w Silent SLI Ready ATX2 Power Supply £49.99
(£58.74) £49.99
(£58.74)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB ST3250620AS SATA-II 16MB Cache -
^^ 2 of these

£39.99
(£46.99) £79.98
(£93.98)
Leadtek GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail £299.99
(£352.49) £299.99
(£352.49)
Abit IP35 Pro (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £104.99
(£123.36) £104.99
(£123.36)
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-5300C3 667MHz Dual Channel Kit (BL2KIT12864AA663) £54.99
(£64.61) £54.99
(£64.61)
Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.13GHz (1066FSB) - Retail £104.99
(£123.36) £104.99
(£123.36)
Belinea 2230S1W Pro 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver £159.99
(£187.99) £159.99
(£187.99)
NEC AD7170S Serial ATA 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM £16.99
(£19.96) £16.99
(£19.96) Sub Total : £871.91 Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £12.95 VAT is being charged at 17.5% VAT : £154.85 Total : £1,039.71
 
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semi-pro waster said:
Most immediate change I'd make would be to drop the Raptor, it will put you closer to your budget and shouldn't make that much of a difference to the system overall.

I'd change the DVDRW to a SATA model, NEC and Samsung do suitable models.

I'm not 100% about the monitors, not being an area I follow much but I'd guess that the panel is different between the two. Have a look in the monitor sub-forum to see what people say - Baddass is the first name that springs to mind for an opinion. :)
Click to expand...

Brilliant

Yes ill get a SATA DVDRW, that sounds brilliant.

I thought raptors help increase boot times and server/game loading times, this is why they appealed to me. Thanks for your advice.

BAMBI said:
Faster ram the 667mhz stuff could hold back your overclock. 2GB is enough RAM right now
Click to expand...

Id like to get 4GB as its cheap enough and will hopefully futureproof myself, but the current 2x2GB blocks arnt very good are they. I could get 2GB like you said and get another 2GB if needed right

1337z0r said:
I would spend the extra £30 and get the quad core .
Click to expand...

Sounds like a good idea! Check

Thanks Gary im deffinatly getting the Corsair 520W modular, looks solid. Not really interested in Vista, i could get 2GB then get another 2GB if needed couldn't i? I have 2 Hiatchi 160GB SATA II drives, dont really need the raptor or the 500GB, once again its just future proofing.

A 20" monitor would give a crisper picture wouldnt it? Really stuck about this one, Always used native res screens so never seen one stretched, anyone happy with thier 22 sammy for gaming?

Just so everyone knows i can go over £1000 if its worthwhile. :)

Thanks for the input everyone
 
Hey Carl, hows this:

Samsung SM-206BW 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Glossy Black
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "LGA775 Kentsfield" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail
Tuniq Tower 120 CPU Cooler (Socket 478/754/939/940/AM2/LGA775)
Abit IP35 Pro (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-5300C3 667MHz Dual Channel Kit
OcUK GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express)
Samsung SH-183LBEBN 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer Serial ATA Lightscribe
Corsair HX 620W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU
Lian-Li PC-7 PLUS Aluminium Midi-Tower Case - Silver

Total : £1,079.66

Slightly over budget but certainly worth it.

I went for the 20inch screen since it has exactly the same res (native) as a 22inch screen but will offer a slightly crisper image.

You should be able to clock the Quad up to 3GHZ with the Abit motherboard and the famous Crucial Memory. :p

To cool your chip down i have added the Tuniq Tower 120 CPU Cooler, great cooler for the price.
 
Last edited:
stickroad said:
Hey Carl, hows this:

Samsung SM-206BW 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Glossy Black
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "LGA775 Kentsfield" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail
Tuniq Tower 120 CPU Cooler (Socket 478/754/939/940/AM2/LGA775)
Abit IP35 Pro (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-5300C3 667MHz Dual Channel Kit
OcUK GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express)
Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB 5000AAKS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM
Samsung SH-183LBEBN 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer Serial ATA Lightscribe
Corsair HX 620W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU
Lian-Li PC-7 PLUS Aluminium Midi-Tower Case - Silver

Total : £1,146.62

Slightly over budget but certainly worth it.

I went for the 20inch screen since it has exactly the same res (native) as a 22inch screen but will offer a slightly crisper image.

You should be able to clock the Quad up to 3GHZ with the Abit motherboard and the famous Crucial Memory. :p

To cool your chip down i have added the Tuniq Tower 120 CPU Cooler, great cooler for the price.
Click to expand...

Thats almost perfect! Whats so good about the Crucual memory then? The colour? :D

Good thing is i dont NEED the harddrive thus saving a little money, i have 2x160GB SATA II which is okay for the moment.

One more thing would the corsair 520w be enough power?

Also i like that case too, got to be black though :cool: and jesus that coolers huge, overclocking here i come :D

Thanks Carl
 
Carl said:
Thats almost perfect! Whats so good about the Crucual memory then? The colour? :D
Click to expand...

Hehe :p :cool: . The Crucial Memory is fantastic, it will clock to 800MHZ on its rated Cas 3 timings and 1000MHZ with Cas 4 timings, so great stuff.

Carl said:
Good thing is i dont NEED the harddrive thus saving a little money, i have 2x160GB SATA II which is okay for the moment.
Click to expand...

Thats good, will save a bit of money then.

Carl said:
One more thing would the corsair 520w be enough power?
Click to expand...

Yep the Corsair 520 will be plenty, the reason i didnt spec it is becuase it wasent in stock and no ETA. :(

It comes to:

Total : £1,079.66 without the Hard Drive.
 
Brilliant!

Just been looking on the cooling and overclocking section and it seems the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme is very similar to the TT120 but offers better performance, would this fit in the case and is it a wise upgrade from the TT120? EDIT: Think im going to stick with the Tuniq Tower, seen the that thermalright has mounting issues, no fan or controller either, where as the Tuniq Tower has a fan and controller. Problem solved.

Memory looks good! Is that motherboard good for clocking too yeah? Also is that monitor good for gaming, has there been any reported problems with it? And will the new case accommodate the cooler and graphics card?

Getting somewhere, cant wait to start overclocking!

Heres something ive brought together

Samsung SM-206BW 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Glossy Black
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme (Socket AM2/LGA775) Heatsink
Abit IP35 Pro (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-5300C3 667MHz Dual Channel Kit
OcUK GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express)
Samsung SH-183LBEBN 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer Serial ATA Lightscribe
Corsair HX 520W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-520HXUK)
Lian-Li PC-60 PLUS Aluminium Midi-Tower Case - Black
 
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A question if I may.... you have a sff shuttle at the moment, do you really want to get a massive tower pc? Not another sff ? Just curious, having just upgraded from an sb75 myself :)
 
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