Hardware What Hardware Should I Buy? - October 2009

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/buyers-guide/2009/10/08/what-hardware-should-i-buy-october-2009/1

Another month and another set of hardware recommendations fresh from our labs. Has the Radeon HD 5870 scored a solid place and what about the latest motherboards and hard drives? Take a look to find out!

 

Just thought I'd mention that for anyone looking at the gaming workhorse section don't buy an antec big boy for a coolermaster haf 922. It doesn't fit! I bought one based on last months reviews and ended up having to use washers and all sorts to get it on there.

 

thanks for the input - we'll edit accordingly - weird that it doesn't fit though - did the screw holes simply not line up?

 

Yeah it was weird. Can't quite remember which way round it was but say the fan was 15.5 cm from screw hole to screw hole and the case was 16 cm from screw hole to screw hole. Not much but enough for it not to fit. I emailed coolermaster about it and they directed me to a site that sells off spare parts (http://www.coolermaster.nl/shop/product_info.php?products_id=471)

 

I think the enthusiast gamer should read "graphics" - 2x gtx295 + gtx285 physx - £900

Andy

 

The Corsair Dominator you linked to in the "Affordable" section is DDR2-1066 and not DDR3-1600MHz :S. - clicky.

 

Can I be pedantic and note that on the Gaming Workhorse table, the US price total is in £ instead of $... ??

Other than that, another great artical. I really enjoy these, especially given I keep being asked "How much would XYZ cost me to build?" I just dive onto Bit-Tech and quote these articals!

Keep up the good work.

 

Hello folks, just registered so I could correct an error, both this article and review on the MSI 770-C45( http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/motherboards/2009/09/17/msi-770-c45-motherboard-review/3 ) says that there is no no core unlocking, not sure on bios v1.2 but on bios v1.3 there is a working ACC. I have my AMD Phenom II 550BE open to 4 cores on the MSI 770-C45. I took a gamble it would work, it did, hope this helps anyone else thinking of buying this board with the idea of overclocking. Remember just because it can open cores, it still depends on a lot of luck whether your CPU will have 4 stable cores to open. I must have been lucky

 

great guide as always guys...

Thinking about a new case and maybe a SSD (may just stick with my F1)

 

I wonder what % of the triple core CPUs actually have a defective 4th core that you cant unlock?

 

Damnit!! I swear that was 1600 DDR3 the other day!

 

Lovely! Thanks for the update.

 

Why no Silverstone Raven RV02 or Swiftech H20-Apex Ultra watercooling?

 

I was planning on updating my case to the Cooler Master ATCS 840 - but I would like to know if my current PSU (1kW corsair) will fit - it didnt fit in my current case (820 stacker) without removing the top fan, denting airflow. Would also like to know about the Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H50 CPU Cooler compatibility.

If anyone can confirms it fits without modification and it can handle the H50 watercooling kit (as this is what I will be getting) I'd be chuffed. If it doesn't, I'll just get the cooler in the Premium setup.

 

Guys, how are you getting a price of £244.98 for the Crucial CT128M225 128GB SSD???

When I click the UK Price link I find the Crucial site is demanding £278.29 inc Vat. What am I missing?

Also, I know it's hardware orientated but why do you choose not to include the OS price in the baseline comparisons? Every build needs one in some form or other......

 

Thanks. Always interesting to read.

Are there any plans to add a watercooling buyers guide please? Especially as the Swiftek kit you recommended isn't there anymore. It's more rewarding to buy seperate anyway.

There haven't been many new articles on liquid cooling for a long time.

Would be nice to see what you guys recommend.

For example from what I've researched these seem to be top of the range but would like your oppinions:

i7 CPU block: Heatkiller v3 (undisputed champion!)
ATi 4870X2: doesn't seem to make much difference but heard full coverage Heatkiller or EK ones are best (hard to find in stock at the moment)
Rad: XSPC RX360 (with ThermoChill PA120.3 being pretty much equal but is harder to install and needs a damn good wash out before using!)
Rad fans: Yate Loon
Pump: Either DDC or D5 vario with custom top
Liquid: Feser One
Tubing: Tygon R3603 3/8 or 1/2 ID (internal diameter not importent) with fancy compression fittings
Case: Silverstone TJ07B-W with extra SST-CFP51B Aluminum Bay converter, 3x5.25" to 4x3.5" with 120mm intake fan

Will be buying all this next payday =)

 

Why do you use the overpriced Crucial store for the SSD? Overclockers.co.uk has it much cheaper at £222,98.

 

I'm guessing because Crucial themselves are the only ones professing to have stock of the SSD right now - hence the very high price. They're only £219 on dabs.com, but my estimated ship date just slipped from 6 October to 2 November. No launch-day Windows 7 action for me :-(

 

Don't let the "Pre-order" fool you. They [overclockers] do have stock, it just flies out of the shelves, they can't keep up with the demand (too many back orders).


And no, Crucial doesn't have any!
"We are sorry, but the product you selected is temporarily out of stock."

 

Damn, I'm torn over whether to get an HD4850 512MB, 4850 1GB, 4870 1GB or GTS250 1GB ( $160, $175, $235 & $200 respectively from local etailers). Which would be best for gaming at 1600x1200/1680x1050 on an E5300 & 4GB 1066mhz system?