New PC Spec (AMD 955)

DiscoPete

DiscoPete

DiscoPete

Associate
Joined
25 Mar 2009
Posts
12
Hi,

I'm looking to spend approx £650 on an AMD 955 powered PC and I'd be grateful for any advice you could give me on what would be a suitable spec.

I only need the spec for the base unit - I already have a 22" monitor, keyboard, OS etc.

I've posted my first attempt at the spec below - it's slightly above my ideal price point but it's a start.


Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to provide.

955spec1.png
 
Looks good, might want to change the HDD to a WD or Samsung. For the RAM, don't go over the top. Speed barely means anything, 1333 will do. something like this. The case isn't the best. It will work, but i would feel happier with something better. Like a CM Scout. And why the Gelid cooler? Sure, it's not bad, but it's not really good either. It's average in terms of noise and temperature, get a better one. And Epoxy? Is that new? Because i've never heard of it, and Google shows this as one of the first results. Try it out and tell us how it is. And for Optical Drives, get that same one but the Lightscribe version. Just an added extra for a few quid.
 
I'd get some different RAM, maybe cheaper OCZ stuff. I'd also just use stock cpu cooler if you aren't overclocking.
If you are looking to overclock for the stuff you have selected you can get the 3.8GHz overclocked bundle for £1 dearer which has a better cpu cooler with it (titan fenrir).
spec1.jpg
 
Thanks for the reply Superewza, much appreciated.

Not quite sure how the Arctic Thermal Epoxy made it into my list...it should've been bog standard Arctic thermal paste. Well spotted! Not sure what I would've made of it if a tube of Epoxy had turned up in the post!

I wasn't sure about the cooler - ideally I'm looking for something cool and quiet but I'd rather not spend a premium on it. But then again, if I have to then so be it. I've been out of the PC market for about 5 years so I'm not sure what the in thing is when it comes to AMD CPU coolers - is the Titan Fenrir much bottle?

The memory looks good - I'll add that to my list.


Is the 'CM Scout' this case:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-175-CM&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=29

Looks interesting and it fits within my remit (I don't have enough desk space to accomodate something along the lines of a HAF). A smaller case would be fine as long as it isn't too fiddly to build in and the temps don't get too high within it.
 
Cheers Stryda09, I've added in your suggestions and come up the following. The only question now is the case - do I go for the more expensive Scout or do I stick with the cheaper 335?

Would there be any problems fitting a Fenrir into the Scout?

Cheers.

955spec3.png
 
the fenrir is a pretty damn good cooler, its not the quietest thou at full speed, but at low, it is and still cools pretty well according to all the reviews I have read.

The first thing i saw in your spec was the thermal epoxy and just shook my head. lol
 
Yeah, that's the case. The Fenrir is okay. It all depends on what you're planning to do. An Arctic Cooler Pro or something like that would be fine for most things. Have a look on here:

http://www.frostytech.com/

Product Name Qty Price Line Total
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition 3.2GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £145.98
(£126.94) £145.98
(£126.94)
Powercolor ATI Radeon HD 4890 Plus 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £144.99
(£126.08) £144.99
(£126.08)
Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P (Socket AM3) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard £105.00
(£91.30) £105.00
(£91.30)
Coolermaster Storm 'Scout' Gaming Case - (No PSU) £76.99
(£66.95) £76.99
(£66.95)
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (WD1001FALS) £70.99
(£61.73) £70.99
(£61.73)
OCZ Reaper 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C6 1333MHz Dual Channel (OCZ3RPR13334GKK) £54.99
(£47.82) £54.99
(£47.82)
OCZ ModXStream Pro 500w Silent SLI Ready Modular Power Supply £52.99
(£46.08) £52.99
(£46.08)
Sony Optiarc AD-7241S 24x DVD±RW SATA Lightscribe Optical Drive (Black) - OEM £18.99
(£16.51) £18.99
(£16.51)
Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro PWM CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2) £17.24
(£14.99) £17.24
(£14.99)
Sub Total : £598.40
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £11.75
VAT is being charged at 15% VAT : £91.52
Total : £701.67
 
I am not sure about clearances in that case sorry. I wouldn't get it as it looks small and not very nice :). Maybe look on an auction site for a cheap bigger case for about that price?
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys, much appreciated.

I'm not planning on overclocking the hardware myself - so I either buy it at stock or I get it overclocked (and at a premium). If I don't buy the OC overclocked bundle then I'll probably just stick with the stock cooler.

As for the case...I might play safe and go for an Antec 300. Cheap and cheerful.


I think I'll kick back with a chilled glass of epoxy (vintage 2009) and ponder on my options for a while.


Then again, this guy seems to have the right idea when it comes to bang per buck:

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18037823
 
Stryda09 said:
Antec 300 sounds ok. He has got it nailed for his budget there. But you don't need a monitor according to your first post.
Click to expand...

That's true, and to be honest I'd probably prefer the extra power of a £650-700 base unit rather than a £500 one.

I'll be placing my order tomorrow so I'll have a sleep on it tonight, and if I have any other queries I'll post them up in the morning.

Thanks again for taking your time out to help me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom