Please help (spec)

[b4z]

CPU, Mobo, Ram for a budget of 400-500 quid.

i would like a quad core cpu if possible (unless there is a good reason to take just a dual core).

the mobo and ram i have absolutely no clue about. i would like 4gb of ram if possible (again unless there is a good reason to take just 2gb)

i will be doing gaming and video editing as the most intensive applications.

i would really appreciate any advice people could give me.

thanks a lot.

 

[semi-pro waster]

If you only want those three parts then this might do. You could save a fair bit of cash by going for the older technology of the Q6600 and overclocking but this system would still allow overclocking. You may also want to buy an aftermarket cooler to maximise the potential.

Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £74.99
(£88.11) £74.99
(£88.11)
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 LGA775 'Yorkfield' 2.66GHz 12MB-cache (1333FSB) Processor - Retail £177.99
(£209.14) £177.99
(£209.14)
G.Skill 4GB DDR2 PK PC2-8500C5 (2x2GB) CAS5 Dual Channel Kit (F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK) £69.99
(£82.24) £69.99
(£82.24)
Sub Total : £322.97
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £8.25
VAT is being charged at 17.5% VAT : £57.96
Total : £389.18

 

[Teaf]

^

Would agree with what semi-pro waster has picked out, it's pretty much what I picked out except the motherboard and I opted for an X38 for dual 16x lanes in case you ever wanted to go Crossfire (P45 = dual 8x, X38 = dual 16x) however that would add about £40 to your total.

 

[Ben M]

Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - OEM £99.99
(£117.49) £99.99
(£117.49)
DFI Lan Party DK X38-T2R Intel X38 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £94.99
(£111.61) £94.99
(£111.61)
G.Skill 4GB DDR2 PQ PC2-6400C5 (2x2GB) CAS5 Dual Channel Kit (F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ) £51.99
(£61.09) £51.99
(£61.09)
Powercolor ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) x2 - Retail £99.99
(£117.49) £199.98
(£234.98)




Total : £535.68



whoops i forgot a cooler.

 

[shaffaaf27]

semi pro's spec looks good, if you are going the single GPU route, but IMO the £90 difference for the CPU to the Q6600 is not worth it. wait a month and the price drops will happen. then consider it with a nuctua NH-U12P

 

[b4z]

i will only ever buy and own one GPU, so the CrossFire and SLi routes should not be considered.

if i take a Q6600 over a newer Q9450 how much would this shave off the overall cost and where should that be put?

Also what is the benefit of the older P45/P35 over the newer X38/X48 motherboards? surely i should take the newest/best one available?

[i will consider an aftermarket cooler later on, the budget is just for these 3 pieces of hardware]

thanks!

 

[semi-pro waster]

if i take a Q6600 over a newer technology Quad Core how much would this shave off the overall cost?

It would be about £90 cheaper for the CPU and a further £20 cheaper or so to get PC6400 instead of PC8000 then add on about £30 for a decent cooler so it balances out at around £80 cheaper.

//edit I probably wouldn't spend the extra anywhere unless you are planning to buy a new graphics card or extra hard drives, it will make little difference to the overall performance of the PC.

 

[b4z]

the difference in cpus will make little difference? is that what you are saying?

 

[semi-pro waster]

For what you want to do I'd reckon that the difference between a Q6600 and a Q9450 probably isn't worth the £80-90 difference. The Q9450 is based on a 45nm process so should run cooler and is quicker clock for clock but whether it is worth the extra is up to you, there is room in the budget for it which is why I put it in initially but you could overclock the Q6600 and there won't be much difference.

As for the motherboards question the P45 chipset is the newest, since you say you don't want a dual graphics card system I'd just go with it instead of an X38/X48 since their main benefit is for Crossfire.