Spec me MB, CPU, RAM

JamesTuc

JamesTuc

JamesTuc

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Joined
10 Jun 2010
Posts
342
Location
Coventry
Hey, so I'm looking for a new MB, CPU and RAM.

I have about £400 to play with, though can go slightly more if it will make a big difference.

I've been looking at the X6 Phenom what do you think of this and can you recommend a decent MB and RAM?

I have the Noctua cooler (ND-H14) so would be looking to overclock, what sort of ranges are possible.

I currently have all other bits for the system, graphics is a 5770, considering a second along with the new CPU, MB and RAM.

Thanks.
 
What are you using the machine for? If gaming is the most CPU intensive thing you're doing, you'll actually be better off going for an X4 chip:

AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition 3.20GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £129.24
(£109.99) £129.24
(£109.99)
Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H AMD 890GX (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard £104.99
(£89.35) £104.99
(£89.35)
OCZ Reaper Low-Latency 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 12800C6 (1600MHz) Dual-Channel (OCZ3RPR1600C6LV4GK) £82.99
(£70.63) £82.99
(£70.63)
Sub Total : £269.97
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £9.50
VAT is being charged at 17.50% VAT : £48.91
Total : £328.38

No real need to spend any more than that for a gaming machine tbh. :)
 
Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz (Lynnfield) (Socket LGA1156) - Retail Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz (Lynnfield) (Socket LGA1156) - Retail £154.99
(£131.91) £154.99
(£131.91)
Asus P7P55D-E Intel P55 (Socket 1156) DDR3 Motherboard Asus P7P55D-E Intel P55 (Socket 1156) DDR3 Motherboard £112.99
(£96.16) £112.99
(£96.16)
OCZ Reaper Low-Latency 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 12800C6 (1600MHz) Dual-Channel (OCZ3RPR1600C6LV4GK) OCZ Reaper Low-Latency 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 12800C6 (1600MHz) Dual-Channel (OCZ3RPR1600C6LV4GK) £82.99
(£70.63) £82.99
(£70.63)

if you want to go intel :) keep in mind that the processor is good at overclocking and will reach 4.00ghz easily with a decent heatsink also the motherboard supports 6gb SATA if you wanted an SSD for the OS
 
I'd stretch the spec above to either 965 or 1055T.

Spend the rest on 2nd GPU to CF / monitor/case/hdd upgrade.

955 is a great CPU but the difference between 1055 is so small that it would be silly to not take it.
 
PhoenixUK said:
I'd stretch the spec above to either 965 or 1055T.

Spend the rest on 2nd GPU to CF / monitor/case/hdd upgrade.

955 is a great CPU but the difference between 1055 is so small that it would be silly to not take it.
Click to expand...

This is what I'm thinking at the moment. Only other bit that could do with the upgrade is crossfiring 5770's. Plus tbh, if it's still well within budget then it makes sense.
 
Redmint said:
The 1055 is actually a bit slower than the 955 (or 965) in most games...
Click to expand...

JamesTuc said:
Is that due to the lower clock speed? Would it be worth going to the 965 over the 955?
Click to expand...


It is slower because of lower base clock speed ( 2.8 vs 3.2 ) but the 1055 will OC to same speeds as 955 since its on new silicone and hence a bit better. I thought they would drop prices of 955 and 965 when the thuban comes out but it doesn't look like, now it's actually silly to pick either 955 or 965 over 1055 unless you're super tight on budget tbh.

---------

Also, what case / monitor have u got ? do you have soundcard or using onboard? Proper case would be a nice upgrade too if you haven't got one yet.
 
I've got an M59 and have a 24" Samsung screen. Forgot to say before, this is basically just for gaming.

Oh and using onboard sound
 
Get yourself a proper soundcard then, you'll be amazed how much better a sound can be ! Even when just using headphones : ).

Case is ugly and small but it's not that bad so you can keep it unless you can afford something bigger in the more exspensive area in the future.

Or just keep the cash for future upgrade tbh but I'd definitely recommend a soundcard, will last you years and it's really a good thing to have. You don't realise it really but as soon as you get a proper soundcard you'll never look back to onboard sound. Even 6yr old soundblaster for a tenner sounds amazing in comparison to anything that's onboard nowadays.
 
Ok, may transfer the soundblaster from my old pc then and see what it's like, never really noticed the difference on the old pc tbh, though do have pretty good speakers now.

I love the case, though I guess it's a marmite thing. It has really good airflow and I wouldn't want anything much bigger. It accommodates my ND-H14 and my 920 @ 4Ghz has never gone above 71C so for me it's pretty much perfect. Though if you do have suggestions for something of a similar size I'd be glad to hear them.
 
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