Spec check for new system <£2K

Spon

Spon

Spon

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9 Jan 2003
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Hi guys,

In prep for the intel cpu cuts I’ve started specing a new full system with a budget less than £2000 for gaming use and some overclocking potential. Here’s my first draft…

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music 7.1 Soundcard
Antec P182 Super Midi Tower Case - No PSU (Gun Metal Black)
Corsair HX 620W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-620HXUK)
BenQ FP241W 24" Widescreen HDMI/HDCP LCD HD Monitor - Silver/Black
Saitek Eclipse 2 Illuminated Keyboard - Blue/Red/Purple
Noctua NH-U12F (Socket LGA775/754/939/940/AM2) Heatsink
Samsung SH-S182MBEBN 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer LightScribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM
Western Digital Caviar SE16 750GB 7500AAKS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM
OcUK GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - OEM
OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) PC2-6400C5 Dual Channel Vista Gold Series DDR2 (OCZ2G8004GK)
Gigabyte GA_P35T_DQ6 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit Edition DVD - OEM - 1Pk (66R-00838)
Razer DeathAdder Blue 2000dpi High Precision Gaming Mouse - Retail
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "LGA775 Kentsfield" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail

Sub Total : £1,638.86
Shipping : £24.95
VAT : £291.17
Total : £1,954.98

A number of questions I have are..

1) Is this RAM suitable to handle overclocking?
2) Which 8800GTX overclocks well? Or would the Leadtek 8800 Ultra be a better investment?
3) Is it advised to get a hard drive cooler for the Cavier SE16?
4) Will the Antec 182 case house the large 8800 card?
5) PSU wattage, I don’t plant to SLI but rather sell the 8800 card later on and go for a new G92 next year so will the Corsair 620W will suffice?
6) I want a 24” monitor that I can also plug a PS3 into. The BenQ FP241W looks good but does anyone know if the technology in the FP241WZ’s version is worth the extra £100? Or is there any other recommended 24” monitor?

Any help and advice you can pass on would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a load
Ian
 
Thanks for the reply Flibby. Good news on the Antec case thanks i'll let the case fans cool the HD as you say. I'll stick with the OcUK 8800 GTX and see how much i can overclock it.

Hi crazyDAJT, I was a little worried about that but the OcUK product description did mention DDR2. Can anyone confirm if the Gigabyte GA_P35T_DQ6 can handle DDR2 as well as DDR3?
 
Wow thanks for the replies guys, that would have caught me out.

So which mobo would you recommend, a GA-P35C-DS3R, or one of the ASUS P5K's? (for overclocking)
 
Thanks for that Flibby. nice spot.

Unfortunately from Marses' link a the Noctua NH-U12F will not fit a DQ6 but then im toying with possibly changing to a Thermalright ultra 120 extreme.

A quick google review search shows the Asus boards reviwing well especially for overclocking?
 
Getting there....

Thanks for the great replies, I have done some tweeking and heres my second go...

Antec P182 Super Midi Tower Case - No PSU (Gun Metal Black)
Corsair HX 620W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-620HXUK)
BenQ FP241W 24" Widescreen HDMI/HDCP LCD HD Monitor - Silver/Black
Saitek Eclipse 2 Illuminated Keyboard - Blue/Red/Purple
Gigabyte GA_P35C_DS3R (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 & DDR3 Motherboard
Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB 5000AAKS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM
Scythe S-FLEX 1600RPM Ultra Quiet 120mm Fan - 3/4 Pin
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme (Socket AM2/LGA775) Heatsink
Akasa 8-Pin 30cm PSU Extension Cable
OcUK GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - OEM
OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) PC2-6400C5 Dual Channel Vista Gold Series DDR2 (OCZ2G8004GK)
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit Edition DVD - OEM - 1Pk (66R-00838)
Razer DeathAdder Blue 2000dpi High Precision Gaming Mouse - Retail
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "LGA775 Kentsfield" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail
Samsung SH-S203BEBN 20x20 DVD±RW Dual Layer Serial ATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music 7.1 Soundcard - OEM

Sub Total : £1,578.83
Shipping : £24.95
VAT : £280.66
Total : £1,884.44

I have 3 remaining questions if thats ok...

1) Having looked at reviews of some of the many Asus P5K boards I'm now torn between which mobo to go with an ASUS or a Gigabyte. I want overclocking stability but enough features to have some future proofing? I'm anxious to get the best mobo i can.

2) Is the RAM ok, I hear that 4GB (2x2GB) units dont handle overclocking well? Would the best solution be two sets of 2x1GB units if so which brands are recommended or can i stick with a 4GB (2x2GB) set?

3) Does anyone know about the BFI technology on the more expensive BenQ FP241WZ monitor? I can't seem to find much information on it to decide if its worth the extra £100, maybe because its new? I could only find one indepth review on http://www.behardware.com/articles/646-1/benq-fp241wz-1rst-lcd-with-screening.html :confused:

If you can help me that would be great :)
 
Last edited:
Ok so I think im going for the Gigabyte GA_P35_DQ6 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard with 2 sets of GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC8500C5 1066MHz Black Dragon DDR2 Dual Channel Kits and await the intel cuts...

Sub Total : £1,586.83
Shipping : £24.95
VAT : £282.06
Total : £1,893.84

Just hope it all fits together :eek:
 
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