Spec Check / Help?

[PaulM]

Hi,

I'm wanting to build a new PC, first time building myself, so I'm a little unsure of what components to go for - Ideally I'd only like to spend £850-900 max but I could stretch a little further if I need to.

It'll be for gaming and 3D animation/programming. One major point for me though it is needs to be as quiet as possible I'm pretty fussy about noise. Also I'd like components that wouldn't limit me from overclocking the processor of choice to 3.2-3.4GHz.

I've spec'd two potential setups myself, but like I say I'm pretty clueless so neither of these might be suitable:

#1 -

#2 -

If anyone could let me know which of those in the long run would be better (I plan on keeping it for 2-3 years, possibly upgrading the graphics and/or processor in that time though). Or, if neither you'd be kind enough to spec a complete new one that would be great (quiet, £900) .

Thanks in advance!

 

[semi-pro waster]

Welcome to the forums, I'd probably go for something roughly in-between the two. I've gone with 2x2gb Ram as it gives more expansion potential in the future and costs little more than 4x1gb.

Corsair HX 520W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-520HXUK) £59.99
(£70.49) £59.99
(£70.49)
OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-6400C4 800MHz Reaper HPC Enhanced Bandwidth Edition Dual Channel DDR2 (OCZ2RPR800C44GK) £59.99
(£70.49) £59.99
(£70.49)
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - OEM £137.99
(£162.14) £137.99
(£162.14)
Asus P5K-E WiFi Intel P35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £88.99
(£104.56) £88.99
(£104.56)
BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC 512MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail £162.99
(£191.51) £162.99
(£191.51)
Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (WD5000AAKS) £51.49
(£60.5) £102.98
(£121.00)
Sony NEC Optiarc AD-7200S 20x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
(£16.44) £13.99
(£16.44)
Tuniq Tower 120-LFB CPU Cooler (Socket 478/754/939/940/AM2/LGA775) £22.99
(£27.01) £22.99
(£27.01)
Antec P182 Super Midi Tower Case - No PSU (Gun Metal Black) £73.99
(£86.94) £73.99
(£86.94)
Sub Total : £723.90
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £12.95
VAT is being charged at 17.5% VAT : £128.95
Total : £865.80

 

[PaulM]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, tonight/tomorrow morning I'm ordering so unless anyone else has any suggestions I'll go for that spec.

Two questions if anyone else reads this...

Will the 'BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC 512MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express)' be quiet by default (even under heavy load, ie gaming) or would it be best to get a 3rd party cooler?

And, Will the Tuniq Tower 120 be able to quietly cool a Q6600 @ 3.2-3.4GHz or are there better alternatives?

Thanks again!

 

[semi-pro waster]

I know it isn't someone different but I believe the new 8800GTSes are pretty quiet as they have a larger cooler fitted as standard, you should also be able to alter the fan speed in Rivatuner.

The Tuniq is supposed to be fairly quiet but if it isn't to your tastes then you can replace the fan quite easily.