Seeking Advice

Eqaulizer

Eqaulizer

Eqaulizer

Associate
Joined
7 Aug 2010
Posts
91
Location
Cambridge
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
 
Intel currently has the upper hand at the moment against AMD, especially the cheapest Socket 1366 chip (i7-930) which run slightly faster than AMD 'mighty' 1090T. Socket 1156 another class of Intel chip won't be future proof as you mentioned, as it will be changed next year whilst 1366 will be.

A spec I would consider for the budget you have suggested would be:

Intel Core i7 930 2.80GHz (Bloomfield) (Socket LGA1366) - Retail £223.24
Asus P6X58D-E Intel X58 (Socket 1366) DDR3 Motherboard £159.99
G.Skill Ripjaw 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Triple Channel Kit £135.11
2 x Gainward GeForce GTX 480 1536MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £366.59
OCZ Vertex 2E 60GB 2.5" SATA-II Solid State Hard Drive (OCZSSD2-2VTXE60G) £129.99
Antec CP 850W Modular Power Supply £96.98
Antec 902 Nine Hundred Two Ultimate Gaming Case £88.99
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD103SJ) 44.99

Total: £1,628.63
 
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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.)
 
Just like cars, PC's cost money and depreciate madly.

Future proof doesnt exist, future resistant is a possibility though :)

Steel yourself for that fact heh
 
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.
 
Dont get me wrong, love the PC thing (and the car thing); its just about managing expectations. What you spend £1500 on this year, will not be worth that in 3 years time.

Having dropped £12k in one year on a Porsche 911 in maintenance and depreciation I now have a more pragmatic view to asset valuation :)
 
as an alternative, put together amd processor /ati gfx card, included a blue ray drive and 8gb of memory, what operating system are you running and what size monitor/resolution are you working with ?

HIS ATI Radeon HD 5870 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £289.99 (£246.80)

AMD Phenom II X6 Six Core 1055T 2.80GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £149.21
(£126.99)

OCZ Vertex 2E 60GB 2.5" SATA-II Solid State Hard Drive (OCZSSD2-2VTXE60G) £129.99 (£110.63)

Corsair TX 850W ATX SLI Compliant Power Supply (CMPSU-850TXUK) £116.99 (£99.57)

Coolermaster HAF 932 Case - Black Coolermaster HAF 932 Case - Black £116.99 (£99.57)

Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H AMD 890GX (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard £104.99 (£89.35)

Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) £164.48 (£139.98)

Samsung SH-B083L/RSBP 8x BluRay ROM / 16x DVD±RW Drive - Black (Retail) £53.99 (£45.95)

Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD103SJ) £44.99 (£38.29)

Akasa AK-CCX-4002HP Venom CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775/LGA1156/LGA1366/AM2/AM3) £37.99 (£32.33)

Samsung SH-S223C/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99 (£11.91)

Sub Total : £1,041.37
Shipping : £13.75
VAT : £184.65
Total : £1,239.77
 
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
 
For your price range, I'd go for either the X6 AMD or an Intel i7. Get yourself a good monitor since it's pointless spending hundreds on graphics cards if you're unlikely to see all the quality. You can get good 24" full HD screens for around the £150 mark, they're also the most future proof thing you're likely to buy as you can re-use them on later builds. The same goes for good mice and keyboards.

I've tried both the i7 920 and the X6 1055t and personally I prefer the X6. The platform is also more future proof since AMD may stick with the AM3 socket, whereas Intel will definitely not stick with 1366.

Another thing to get is an SSD.

For £1500 you should be looking at getting:

i7 or X6
24" HD screen
Good graphics card
SSD
 
Your basket
Product Name Qty Price Line Total
HIS ATI Radeon HD 5870 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card HIS ATI Radeon HD 5870 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £289.99
(£246.80) £289.99
(£246.80)
Asus Crosshair IV Formula AMD 890FX (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard Asus Crosshair IV Formula AMD 890FX (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard £169.99
(£144.67) £169.99
(£144.67)
Coolermaster HAF X Gaming Tower Case - Black (RC-942) Coolermaster HAF X Gaming Tower Case - Black (RC-942) £159.99
(£136.16) £159.99
(£136.16)
Samsung B2430H 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Glossy Black Samsung B2430H 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Glossy Black £158.61
(£134.99) £158.61
(£134.99)
AMD Phenom II X6 Six Core 1055T 2.80GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail AMD Phenom II X6 Six Core 1055T 2.80GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £149.99
(£127.65) £149.99
(£127.65)
G.Skill RipJaw 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C7 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit G.Skill RipJaw 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C7 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit £88.11
(£74.99) £88.11
(£74.99)
Noctua NH-D14 Dual Radiator CPU Cooler (Socket LGA1366/LGA1156/LGA775/AM2/AM2) Noctua NH-D14 Dual Radiator CPU Cooler (Socket LGA1366/LGA1156/LGA775/AM2/AM2) £66.99
(£57.01) £66.99
(£57.01)
OCZ ModXStream Pro 700w Silent SLI Certified Modular Power Supply OCZ ModXStream Pro 700w Silent SLI Certified Modular Power Supply £66.96
(£56.99) £66.96
(£56.99)
Patriot PS-100 64GB 2.5" SATA-II Solid State Hard Drive Patriot PS-100 64GB 2.5" SATA-II Solid State Hard Drive £64.61
(£54.99) £64.61
(£54.99)
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD103SJ) Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD103SJ) £48.49
(£41.27) £48.49
(£41.27)
Samsung SH-B083L/BSBP 8x BluRay ROM / 16x DVD±RW Drive - Black (OEM) Samsung SH-B083L/BSBP 8x BluRay ROM / 16x DVD±RW Drive - Black (OEM) £45.99
(£39.14) £45.99
(£39.14)
Sub Total : £1,114.66
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £22.20
VAT is being charged at 17.50% VAT : £198.95
Total : £1,335.81


You could have more ram, better graphics and could go to the 1090T but that's up to you whether you want to go to the top end of your budget
 
If it was me I would be looking at using Duel 5870 instead of 480's. Sure the 480's maybe abit faster in SLI but they use vastly more power and run so much hotter. I would be looking to water cool my system if I went Duel 480's, I honestly believe this generation if you look past the slight performance difference ATI has the far better card.
 
Eqaulizer said:
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
Click to expand...

i think things are pretty close, for similar price your looking at an i5 quad core over the i7, but i don't think you'll go wrong with either.

it has the extra cores but for the 2-3 year period you mentioned previously i think a quad core would be enough.

socket wise you might be better with the amd, in the hope that there next processors are backwards compatible with the am3 mobo, whereas the next gen intel are a different socket.
 
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
 
If you really wanted to be completely nuts you could go with http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-221-SP

That's basically 2 5850's in 1PCB as far as I understand, it also leaves you with the potential to add a second at a later date. Either way if you decided to go for the GTX480's remember they run very hot, Around 95c on full tilt.

The 5870 runs at around 70c full tilt from what I understand and are also far more efficient on power consumption.The GTX480's are faster but you would be looking into getting a very heavy duty power supply for them monsters. Not only that but the 5870's should have better overclocking potential and a lower life due to far less stress.

But for Raw horsepower the GTX480 is hard to beat.

And as for when the new CPU's are coming out, with what your planning to do I wouldn't take that into much consideration. If you where planning on building smart you wouldn't be building a monster system like that. Money wise it would be smarter to build a decent high end rig and save the rest for later. But if you want the performance here and now don't worry about it.

Ermm I hear the bulldozer core should be popping it's head up soon, and unless AMD have some real issue's there availability should be on AM3 socket.
 
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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.
 
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
 
Generally looks good for a very high end build.

Why such an insanely expensive motherboard ? You know it won't make it faster at all compared to say :

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-408-AS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1782

and no-one needs the made up extra features on those ultra boards.

Also, while the graphics card is incredibly powerful and in line with competitors at the high end, you don't remotely need it to crush pretty much any game going.

I wouldn't buy anything more expensive than :

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-028-PV&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=

or

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-148-XF&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=

High end is always bad value, better sling a few hundred £ in the bank and spend it in 18 months, you'll get a much longer time at high settings that way.

Finally, it's personal taste but that case is fugly. Get something classy like

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-055-SV&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=1092

or

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-025-CS&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=1489

or

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-003-FD&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=1556

Just my opinions, anyway.
 
Quixote has a point on the mobo. Top end boards are expensive, i do like the crosshair mobos though. I like the addition of a decent soundcard (x-fi) and although many people will tell you that tri-fire isnt worthwhile atleast it does x-fire at 2X16 speeds. The extra features for overclocking ontop do help justify the expense.

I could be wrong but i dont think the mobo suggested by quixote does synch'd xfire (X16 & X4 i believe but feel free to check). It's rare to find SLI AMD mobo's, many people favour the nvidia 460 (price to performance) but an ati card may be more useful in the long run. Two 5770s equal (some cases pip) the 5870 for less cash.

It's all personal preference at the end of the day. I'm sure you are aware that Intel is changing sockets. There is a chance that the new AMD (bulldozer AM3r2) CPUs will take to AM3 mobos. It is a fair bet considering many AM2+ mobos can take AM3 cpus.

Maybe you could consider the corsair h50/70 watercoolers. Overclocked bundles have this as an optional upgrade. I'm sure you are aware of this also but you will need 64bit windows to use more than 4GB RAM

Good luck with the build
 
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
 
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