New PC Component Review

[nevets2001uk]

My current PC has been having a few issues recently. The main one has been a failing PSU. This has made me think about building a new system as my current one is still reasonable but not as efficient as I would like.

My two main uses are Photographic Editting (which current maxes out my CPU suite quickly) and playing Flight Simulator X which works OK on low settings but even then can still struggle.

I'd like to try and do this for a little cost as possible, perhaps around £500-600 at most.

I have been checking out some components and wondered if you could give me advice on whether they offer best compatibilty and bang for buck?

1 x Intel Q6600 Core 2 Quad "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz
1 x ASUS P5W DH Deluxe SKT 775 dual-core Core2Duo 8 Channel audio ATX
2 x GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GX22GB6400UDC) for a Total of 4GB
1 x OcUK GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - OEM
1 or 2 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (ST3500320AS)
1 x Antec Solo Quiet Mini Tower Case (Or something better but similary priced?)

I have just purchased a Antec TruePower Trio 650W PSU - With 3x 12v Rails and 120mm Fan to keep my current system alive while I plan for a new build. To save money I may use my old cheap-o case and 300GB SATA drive and leave purchasing those components until later. The Graphics Card may also have to wait until funds become available.

If anyone has suggestions for better / cheaper components then please let me know. Also if there are new products soon to be released that would be worth waiting for, please let me know. I've not previously done much overclocking and it's not a major priority. That said if the components support it I may try.

Finally I did see bundle deal BU-092-OK and wondered whether that would be worthwhile?

Cheers,
Steve

 

[Fire Wizard]

Hello nevets2001uk, you have done a fairly good specification their, all of the components are compatible with each other. Now, if I may, I will point out a couple of things to you. The first one is regards to the motherboard that you have chosen. The ASUS P5W DH Deluxe SKT 775 dual-core Core2Duo 8 Channel audio ATX belongs to the 975 chipset family which is getting on a bit now and you would be far better of purchasing one of the newer chipset motherboards, either the P35 or the X38 chipset motherboards.

I would personally recommend one of the P35 boards, specifically the Abit IP35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2, very good overall motherboard for the price.

As regards to your case, take a look at the Lian-Li PC-7 PLUS II Aluminium Midi-Tower Case. Slightly more expensive than the Antec case but certainly worth the extra.

If you are going to enter the world of overclocking , then may I suggest buying an separate cooler since the Intel stock cooler won’t cut it if you are looking to overclock. The Tuniq Tower 120-LFB CPU Cooler always gets good remarks in reviews and is currently on this week only offer and would defiantly be worth considering.

The very last thing I will address is the memory. The memory you have chosen is absolutely fine. However, you have specifically chosen 4GB of RAM which will only be fully addressed if you are using a 64-bit Operating System.

 

[Brian Stuart]

Regarding the graphics card I would either buy a 8800GTS 512MB or wait until the 9 series comes out.
Intel CPU's do not gain much benefit from ultra low latency RAM although for the price its not bad

 

[nevets2001uk]

Thanks very much guys.

The first one is regards to the motherboard that you have chosen. The ASUS P5W DH Deluxe SKT 775 dual-core Core2Duo 8 Channel audio ATX belongs to the 975 chipset family which is getting on a bit now and you would be far better of purchasing one of the newer chipset motherboards, either the P35 or the X38 chipset motherboards.

Thanks for the MB advice Fire Wizard. I've checked your recommendation and it's looks good. Cheaper too! The other board I had looked at was http://overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-241-AS&tool=3 I liked this because it had WiFi which might be handy. Any advantaged between one and the other?

I'll check out that case too.

I was planning to install XP Pro 64-Bit so RAM should be OK. I'm still a bit wary of Vista.

Regarding the graphics card I would either buy a 8800GTS 512MB or wait until the 9 series comes out.
Intel CPU's do not gain much benefit from ultra low latency RAM although for the price its not bad

I was looking at the 8800GTS initially, spotted the 8800GTX and got greedy!! If there's no real advantage I'll go for the 8800 GTS as per my original plan.

 

[Brian Stuart]

Thanks very much guys.
I was looking at the 8800GTS initially, spotted the 8800GTX and got greedy!! If there's no real advantage I'll go for the 8800 GTS as per my original plan.

The 512Mb GTS is the R92 core and is better value than the R90 GTX. TBH either card will suit as they are both great performers. If you save any money on the GFX card I would buy an Antec P182. Quiet, cool and easy to tidy.

 

[nevets2001uk]

Thanks again Brian. I'll look into the P182 also.

Cheers,
Steve