Seeking Advice

Eqaulizer · 9 Aug 2010 at 19:40

Hey,

After recently joining this forum I've been reading quite a lot on this forum and having only owned stock systems for 12 years I'm considering self building my own system as my current one has reached its end. I am able to budget approximately £1500-£2000.

I've looked at both AMD and Intel processors and can't decide which one I prefer. Same goes for graphics cards as i've been reading quite extensively on the forums and can see a lot of fans of each respective brand and can see both points of view.

I mainly wish to use the PC for games such as Starcraft 2 and Dawn of War 2. I am also starting a degree on Computer Science so a futureproof PC would be ideal to keep up with the constant change of technology.

I would really appreciate any advice or suggestions you can give me.

Thanks

Mem

Eqaulizer · 10 Aug 2010 at 22:56

Thanks for the reply coldfused

I really like that build but a couple of questions:

isnt a 850w PSU not sufficient for that kind of a build i would have thought?

How come GTX 480's over the ATI eqivilant? (not saying i prefer just trying to do some more research before I have a final build.)

Eqaulizer · 10 Aug 2010 at 23:09

lol that is a fair point Iniar

Well i suppose what i meant by futureproof is that it would reliably last for at least 2-3 years and be able to run the latest games/applications without much problem as during that time I will be living off student loans.

But I can understand what you mean, PC's really do get outdated very fast and i never realised how fast to tell the truth.

Eqaulizer · 11 Aug 2010 at 10:55

Iniar: Yeah i can see what you mean. Are you basically saying it comes down to the preference of the individual and there is no wrong answer in a sense?

mp260767: Thanks for the reply

. I'l be using a 22" monitor but may possibly upgrade to a different screen/multi screen and use eyefinity/surround. Resolution I havent actually got a fix on one, il probably be experimenting with the higher end resolutions as I'm aiming to get high end graphics card(s).

I'l be using windows 7 OS. I've thought about the x6 AMD processors as the price seems to be very good but would you recommend it in comparison to the similar priced intel processors?

Thanks

Mem

Eqaulizer · 11 Aug 2010 at 17:09

Thanks all for the replies

As i am very new to the build i do apologise if i ask seemingly obvious questions... (just want to be sure).

How would you work out what wattage of psu you would need? i understand that if i were to have multiple GPU's it would need to be more wattage. (If it helps i think ive narrowed down the graphics card options to either GTX 480's or HD 5870)

Is there any confirmation when the new cpu's will be announced and the sockets with them or even a reliable rumour?

What kind of cooling for the cpu would you recommend? (I've been looking at the corsair H range but unsure).

Thanks again

Mem

Eqaulizer · 11 Aug 2010 at 22:43

Thanks for the response Menech

I did look at the 5970 but as i was aware i thought that required more power then the GTX480? but i can see a point for getting that one over the others as it is an incredibly powerful gpu.

Also another point ive been thinking about... not many AMD mobos are SLI compatible? (the one i had my eye on is the Asus Crosshair and i believe that isnt). so that does limit the options if i decide to go AMD unless there is a very good mobo with SLI compatibility. But again still a coinflip in my mind between ATI or Nvidia.

Eqaulizer · 13 Aug 2010 at 23:46

Hey again,

I think i've come up with a draft build but have a couple of questions about it.

Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5970 2048MB GDDR5 Graphics Card

AMD Phenom II X6 Six Core 1090T Black Edition 3.20GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail

Corsair Dominator 8GB (4x2GB) DDR3 12800C8 (1600MHz) Dual-Channel Kit (CMP8GX3M4A1600C8)

Asus Crosshair IV Formula AMD 890FX (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard

Coolermaster HAF X Gaming Tower Case - Black (RC-942)

OCZ Vertex 2E 60GB 2.5" SATA-II Solid State Hard Drive

Antec CP 1000W Modular Power Supply Antec CP 1000W Modular Power Supply

Noctua NH-D14 Dual Radiator CPU Cooler (Socket LGA1366/LGA1156/LGA775/AM2/AM2)

Samsung SH-B083L/RSBP 8x BluRay ROM / 16x DVD±RW Drive - Black (Retail)

Samsung EcoGreen F2 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD103SI)

Total: £1,597.39

Im just wondering if the Noctua cooler will be able to fit into the case? (i think it can but am unsure and just want to be sure.)

If that PSU will be sufficient power if in the future i wanted to add another 5970 in xf mode. (and also whether that PSU is good)

I do also plan to overclock the cpu to 4ghz so i do realistically want a top end CPU cooler to decrease the temp as much as possible.

And any other ways to improve or criticisms about any of the parts i picked would be appreciated.

Thanks again

Mem

Eqaulizer · 14 Aug 2010 at 14:09

Thanks for the responses again guys

Quixote: tbh i quite dislike those kind of PC cases with the exception of the corsair. It was a tossup between the Corsair 800D, coolmaster HAF X and the new NZXT Phantom cause the few things that I defo don't mind paying a lot for is the PSU and case as they will last the longest. I also wanted it to be a huge case so it has maximum upgradability but personally i think ive been swung by the HAF X but i do keep debating it from time to time (mainly between HAF X and corsair).

Graphics card wise, i dont mind paying that extra hundred £ for a top end graphics card. (Im also not planning to buy the componants for this build until the end of september as my course starts so i imagine some prices should drop by then). Im also going to be buying things that go on daily/weekly sale hopefullly saving as much money as i can.

The motherboard I can see your point but from what i saw, it didnt seem too expensive to say the intel eqivilant in the Rampage which is almost double the price but I must have been comparing it unfairly in some respect? (as i said previously I'm quite new to this as just trying to learn as much as i can).

honosuseri: As i have quite a good 5.1 surround sound system and 7.1 surround sound headphones I would really like to have a good souncard and i believe the crosshair does come with a good one.

In regards to the graphics cards i dont know how much money I'l have in the future to be able to upgrade as il be a student on a very tight budget so I dont mind paying the extra few hundred for higher end graphics card(s).

I did look at the corsair h50/h70 but according to reviews and results the Noctua did a better job with cpu temps and also noise levels. And i am aware of the 64bit windows but thankyou for telling me again as like i said quite new to this and dont mind being told what appears to be simple things as i probably dont know the majority of it.

Another reason why i wanted to go AMD after some research as upgradability seems to be best choice but also more importantly, AMD seems to be the cheaper alternative and especially on a student budget, Il be able to upgrade if the time comes.

Any other criticisms/advice are more then welcome, I would like to be as informed as possible before hand and I have been trying to read as many threads on this forum as I can but its hard to take in so much information at once lol.

Thanks again

Mem