Possible build spec

smithy1988

smithy1988

smithy1988

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Joined
3 Jul 2007
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354
Location
Newcastle UK
Hey im thinking about building a small form pc to upgrade from my current desktop
Heres the spec i have in mind- please comment advise etc
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/134/speclo2.jpg

I think that the psu may be more than i need- i was thinking a 400w may be enough- i would like it to be modular- anyone reccomend a different psu?

Also the thermaltake lan box- is this good or is there better for the money? I looked at the lian li v300, i also looked at a barebones shuttle but turns out to be cheaper to build it from scratch.

Wasnt sure whether to get 64 edition of vista or 32 bit after reading mixed reviews. What should i go for?
Thanks
 
personally i would ditch vista and the 8500 stick with xp for now and buy a second hand x1900xt the 8500 is bad in games to start with without sticking something like vista on top to kill it even further.
 
Ok well im currently using xp, but was going to backup the files i needed and then format and reinstall the hard drive on this new build. What happens with xp can i reinstall the cd with the license key i used for the old pc? k however im sure its better than a 6200 that iv used for a couple of years for bf2 and cod2 lol
 
XP can be reinstalled on as many upgrades as you please aslong as someone else isnt using your old install :)
And i take my hat off to you how did you play bf2 and cod2 on a 6200 lol!
you cant stretch to the 8800 series cards so go for the 8600 or a second hand x1900xtx if you can afford it you will be suitibly impressed trust me its a long jump from what you had.
vista less than desirable for gaming unless you have 4gb+ so stick with xp untill atleast the first service pack.
you will be happy with your upgrade and well worth the money.
on the case i would go for a lian li youll be able to get matx for the same money that or go for a sugo sg01/03 look into them and see if the price is ok.
 
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K so backup format and then reinstall xp with the license key from old desktop? and that will work fine? Lol to be fair the graphics arent great on the 6200 but i can play the game fine- maybes its because im young and got good reaction times lol.
What about the case and psu? is the thermaltake a good case? Is ther another psu i should consider maybe less wattage as i think 520w is excessive or am i wrong?
I suppose if im saving 60 quid on vista i could perhaps go for a 8600, dont think iv got enough for a 8800 but as i say dont think thats a big deal considering what im used to playing on lol.
So to recap
backup old hard drive format and reinstall on new system and use old license key for xp-this wil work?
Case is this one good or should i be looking at another?
PSU- is 520w too much for my spec- any other modular psus worth getting for my spec other than the 520 corsair?
Cheers
 
hmm not sure if a back up would install on a new system i seriously doubt it do you not have the origanel discs? or is this a OEM as if it is im unsure about that and it may be a problem.
 
Sorry thats my fault for not being clear. yes i have the orginal xp Os disc. What i mean is i will backup documents etc that i need, format the hard drive and then reinstall the Os and the documents etc that i have back up. That will work??
Can u please answer my other questions aswel regarding case and psu.
Thanks
 
yes backing up your stuff then reformatting the drive in the new build will work and you will be able to put your backed up data on to the drive again
and for the power supply id say the 520 watt psu is about right it will give you a little headroom to upgrade grfx and other bits in the future so worth the investment.
As for the case ive had no experience with these personally i would opt for a lian li or a silverstone if your budget can stretch that far.
 
Ok thanks. Iv looked inside my desktop and my dvdrw and hard drive are both Ide- They are plugged into the primary and secondary ide ports. I understand that two devices can be plugged into one ide port. With the matx boards most of them only have 1 ide slot. So can my optical drive and hard drive be attached by one rounded ide cable and then put into the ide port? I believe that 2 devices can be attached to one ide port. Just wanted to check as im not sure why on my desktop they didnt do this and just connect the two devices using one port rather than using 2 ide ports.
Thanks
 
Revised spec

Shot at 2007-07-23

As you can see i have changed the gpu and the processor. Also ditched vista for the time being and will just xp for now.
Any comments? IS this board good? any reviews on it or anyone heard anything about it?

Also can someone please answer the question above from my previous post regarding the ide ports. Would be great to clarify things.
Thanks
 
Im to lazy to read the whole thread :p why have u gone the AMD route on a complete new build ?
Aslo u can get a brand new 7900GTX 512mb for £117 or id be tempted to get a 2nd hand x1900xt/xtx ... anything but a 8600 :D
 
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Lol- erm basically because iv had no experience with intels, had amd's for a long time. They are cheaper than the intel equivilants aswell, ok intels are maybe a fraction ahead at the moment but from reading reviews and benchmarks i dont feel they are that far ahead to warrant the extra price. Is that a fair enough comment? Graphics card wise im not to bothered at the moment- i cant really stretch any further than what i have put in. As you will see from my previous spec it was orginally a lot worse. Also considering i currently have a 6200 lol its a big jump.

Can anyone help me out with the ide ports question. Also is this asus board good?
Thanks for any feedback
 
The whole Intel vs AMD argument comes down to if you want to overclock really. That's where the Core 2 Duos really put some light between themselves and the Athlons. If you're not overclocking then there's really not a lot in it.

As for your build, well it certainly pays to shop around when doing something like this. OcUK seem to have removed most of their AM2 mATX motherboards from the site, as well as deciding to ditch the Silverstone line of cases. This is a pity, as (IMO) the Sugo range is the best microATX case line on the market.

I'd recommend ditching the Lanbox and it's a bit of an unknown quantity, and shopping around for a Sugo SG01 Evolution or an SG03. They're both good cases, the SG03 has far better cooling but it won't matter that much when running something like an 8600.

Talking of which, i'd really recommend swapping the 8600GT out for an X1950 Pro. The 8600GT is a nice card, but for price/performance, the X1950 Pro is unbeatable especially with the price drop it got earlier this week.

The PSU and RAM are very good choices, can't fault those, however i'd recommend a change of motherboard. There's an AM2 board by Abit, the nF-M2 nView, which is around the price of the board you specced, but is far better. I'm sure OcUK *used* to stock them, however it appears they don't anymore. The board I suggested is an amazing overclocker in case you ever wanted to dabble in that, and is packed with all the features of a normal sized ATX board. Well worth the money. :)

Hope that helps mate.
 
It certainly does thank you. I will continue to look around read reviews etc. Yea i was not sure on the case as hadnt heard much about it or from people who had it. It may be a month or 2 before i build my own so i will look again at the components and try and weigh up the best combinations then as ther may have been slight price drops etc. Thanks for the advice.
One last question remains unanswered about the ide ports tho if u read above.
 
Yes, i'm pretty sure that there's just one IDE port on mATX boards, which will take a pair of devices.
 
Ok thank you everyone for your help with all my questions lol.
As i say i may not be building for another month or 2 so will keep reading and asking any questions that may pop up. I also noticed that ocuk removed another 1 of the matx motherboards from the shop. Perhaps this is to make way for some new ones in the future, further enhancing my options and possibilities for when the build does come round.
Thanks again to everyone who has helped me so far
 
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