what are your thoughts on this?

lamocuk

lamocuk

lamocuk

Associate
Joined
25 May 2007
Posts
64
Hi all,

First things first.....I am an major amature.

NOw that i got that out of the way, i was wondering if some of you wouldnt mind sharing your vast knowledge (very evident as i have been reading a number of posts) with me and give me some feedback on the system i propose to build. Below is a list of parts that i am thinking of ordering:


Product Name Qty Price Line Total
Akasa Mirage 62 Aluminium Case - No PSU £83.99
(£98.69) £83.99
(£98.69)
Corsair HX 520W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-520HXUK) £61.99
(£72.84) £61.99
(£72.84)
LG GSA-H42NBAL 18x18 DVD±RW ReWriter (Black) - OEM £16.99
(£19.96) £16.99
(£19.96)
Western Digital Caviar SE16 320GB 3200AAKS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM £48.99
(£57.56) £97.98
(£115.12)
BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC2 640MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail £234.99
(£276.11) £234.99
(£276.11)
Corsair 4GB DDR2 XMS2 Dominator DHX PC2-6400C5 TwinX (2x2GB) £159.99
(£187.99) £159.99
(£187.99)
Noctua NF-S12 1200RPM 120mm Silent Case Fan - 3 Pin £11.99
(£14.09) £23.98
(£28.18)
Akasa Ultra Quiet 650W Power+ iQ Active PFC ATX2.01 PSU - Black Nickel £79.99
(£93.99) £79.99
(£93.99)
Intel Xeon 3200 Series X3210 "LGA775 Kentsfield" 2.13GHz (1066FSB) - Retail £244.99
(£287.86) £244.99
(£287.86)
Abit AB9 Pro WiFi (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £84.99
(£99.86) £84.99
(£99.86)


this puts me at my £1000 (ish) budget.

The computer is going to be a gaming rig, i do not really plan on overclocking as i have no idea on how to do that and probably do not have the time.

I want something fast and quiet. my current is very noisy and slow. it was my first build so i am sure i have done plenty wrong with it.

I do not know if the items i have chosen are the best type available (within *** price range) or if they match well. i have read one of the top posts here about how to to build and what to buy and i beleive i have followed that as well as i can, but there are things that i am unsure of ie the processor fitting the mobo well etc etc.

the other alternative i have is to buy a ready made system, but i am not sure about that and i notice most are overclocked and as i do not know about overclocking i am worried about what might happen should there be a problem......

anyhows.... less babling.
your thoughts please gentlemen (and ladies if there are any)

thanks

LAM
 
great choice of kit. but dont bother with the kentsfiled. get a cheap dual core conroe because the quads will be dropping in price in just over a months time. and by dropping i mean almost halving.


edit: wait, why have you got two psu's?
 
wow, thanks for the very prompt replies.

I thought i had deleted one of hte two psu's. i was keeping the corair one.

I hadnt thought about which OS to use. I have recently bought a new XP version for this comp. Am i able to use it on both computers?

If not then i guess i will buy Vista.

what sort of a saving would i make by buying a cheap proc to start with? thats the thing that i am most nervous about. i get overheating problems on this comp and i think its because i wasnt so hot (excuse the pun) on installing the heatsink in this machine. So i would be buying the retail version each time.

Does everything listed above work together? is there anything that you would swap around?

thanks

LAM
 
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Right, heres my initial spec. Slightly modified version of yours.

Open to criticism to finalise :)

Setup for RAID :)
1005spec.jpg


If you need the Wifi on the mobo then I would suggest one of these http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=NW-007-BE

I have one of those exact wifi and its always been very good to me.
 
stinka said:
i was just listing a spec it was nearly identical to that ^^ bar the mem i listed as Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-5300C3 which gets better clocks but is slightly dearer
Click to expand...

lamocuk said:
i do not really plan on overclocking as i have no idea on how to do that and probably do not have the time.
Click to expand...

My initial spec was the 4gb G. Skill PC6400 but it put over budget + its out of stock.

If your willing to wait and go slightly over budget lamocuk then this is a truly smashing 4gb kit.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-019-GS

or indeed as stinka says, the Ballistix PC5300 overclocks very well indeed if your willing to learn if you want a 2gb kit. The G. Skill 4gb PC6400 kit also overclocks very well if your looking for a 4gb kit :)
 
Do i need newer CPU heatsink and fans if i do not plan to overclock?


I think Overclocking is something that i would love to learn at some point, its just that i have problems with overheating on my current pc and thats not even overclocked, so im not sure how adept i will be at dealing with it.

LAM
 
In response to jaffa's spec.

Change the ds3p for an Asus P5K Deluxe it is stacked with onboard features (wifi, decent heatpipe cooling, awesome voltage regulation and so easy to use)

If you want 2gb ram then the ballistix pc5300 is the way to go if you want 4gb then buy 2 sets as it will still overclock like mad with 4 sticks.

Its great at stock and overclocks very well, they also have awesome RMA turnaround speed, something geil do not.

There is only one 4gb kit that overclocks well, mushkin 8500 and its impossible to get hold of the other stuff is crap.

May be slightly over but its sure as hell worth it. :)
 
lamocuk said:
Do i need newer CPU heatsink and fans if i do not plan to overclock?


I think Overclocking is something that i would love to learn at some point, its just that i have problems with overheating on my current pc and thats not even overclocked, so im not sure how adept i will be at dealing with it.

LAM
Click to expand...


You have said that you want a quiet PC - at stock speeds the Noctua cooler will be a LOT quieter than the Intel one which comes with the processor.

With that in mind, I would suggest that maybe you should change the HDDs to the equivalent Samsung model which have the reputation of being quieter.
 
Okay - this is where i am at now

Product Name Qty Price Line Total
Lian-Li PC-7 PLUS Aluminium Midi-Tower Case - Black £49.99
(£58.74) £49.99
(£58.74)
Corsair HX 520W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-520HXUK) £61.99
(£72.84) £61.99
(£72.84)
LG GSA-H42NBAL 18x18 DVD±RW ReWriter (Black) - OEM £16.99
(£19.96) £16.99
(£19.96)
BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC2 640MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail £234.99
(£276.11) £234.99
(£276.11)
Noctua NF-S12 1200RPM 120mm Silent Case Fan - 3 Pin £11.99
(£14.09) £23.98
(£28.18)
Akasa Ultra Quiet 650W Power+ iQ Active PFC ATX2.01 PSU - Black Nickel £79.99
(£93.99) £79.99
(£93.99)
Intel Xeon 3200 Series X3210 "LGA775 Kentsfield" 2.13GHz (1066FSB) - Retail £244.99
(£287.86) £244.99
(£287.86)
Samsung SpinPoint T HD401LJ 400GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM £52.99
(£62.26) £105.98
(£124.52)
Asus P5K Intel P35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £84.99
(£99.86) £84.99
(£99.86)
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound (3.5g) £5.99
(£7.04) £5.99
(£7.04)
Noctua NH-U12F (Socket LGA775/754/939/940/AM2) Heatsink £32.99
(£38.76) £32.99
(£38.76)
G.Skill 2GB DDR2 PK PC2-6400 (2x1GB) CAS4 Dual Channel Kit (F2-6400 £63.99
(£75.19) £127.98
(£150.38)


taken some recomendations into account and edit buy list.

What do you think now?

Can someone please also explain to me the difference in the Mobo chipsets: P35, 975X and 965P. I cant work out what they do different, the only thing i have notices is the FSBmhz, but then there are no differences between the 975 and the 965.

i have added some artic silver for the new heatsink.

I am still unsure as to what to do about the CPU. i want something good now (dont we all !!!!), but the thought of having to take this apart again in 2 months to put a new proc in is a little daunting .... though i guess thats something i am going to have to get used to.

anyhows..... your comments please........

thanks

LAM
 
Last edited:
another question .....


whats the difference between the oem and full versions of vista?

does the oem require that you already have a registered version of a windows OS? and is therefore just an upgrade?

If this is the case, can i run the same XP OS that i bought a little while back on two machines?

If not, is there anyway to unregister one machine and move it to another.

apologies .... thats 4 questions not 1 !

thanks.

LAM
 
Last edited:
i hope there are no rules against bouncing a post. If there are i apoligise. Its just that i would like to get this rig ordered today. It took me 5 days to get registered on here to post, which feels like an eternity.....

thanks

LAM
 
lamocuk said:
i hope there are no rules against bouncing a post. If there are i apoligise. Its just that i would like to get this rig ordered today. It took me 5 days to get registered on here to post, which feels like an eternity.....

thanks

LAM
Click to expand...

It won't get dispatched until tuesday anyway. Which means wednesday delivery latest. Bank holidays for you :)

With regards to your updated spec. I stand by my first spec.

You don't need the OC2 GTX, its a waste of money for the extra clock when you can do it yourself. Manually.

That DVD drive is IDE, which has less bandwidth than the SATA one i specified.

The Xeon quad core is currently a waste of money as the massive price cuts will be happening on July 22nd. Stick with the E6600 till then.

650W is overkill when a Corsair 520W will be more than enough.

I stand by my first spec over your spec for a recommendation.
 
Last edited:
OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) is tied to the motherboard, and you get no support from microsoft. Retail means you can change anything you want. OEM is a lot cheaper.

You cannot run a single copy of windows on more than one PC. Unless you have a multi-user license. Which you wont have. You must buy another. Its against the EULA (apparently), but i have used XP on a second, different machine (and i DID delete the first install, i put vista on it), as long as its only on one pc. (Only applies to XP though, apparently it wont work doing that on vista).
 
have made some more amends and still working on it. forgot about bank holiday. .......

I am sorry to say that i still do not understand the difference to OEM and full. What does it mean when you say its tied to the mobo?

Does it still meant that i need another version prior to install or will it work from new?

thanks

LAM
 
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