Hey guys, been along time since I last posted.. and Im unfortunately way out of the loop - gave up computers (gaming mostly!) bout half way through college - doubt I would have passed my finals had I not! Not sure exactly for how long, but my current graphics card is an x800xl like plays Spore alright still So been tryin to do as much research as I can manage, tryin to catch up and have somewhat settled the following: Intel e8400 (stock cooler) Asus P5Q, P45 Corsair Twin2x 6400 (4Gb) ddr2 Club3d hd4870 1gb Corsair tx650w 2x WD caviar 500gbs (storage, have a 36gb raptor Ill be re-using as boot) and I figured I'd splash out for a new screen: 22" LG L227WT Be running Vista Home Premium 64bit (for the ram really) Thought long and hard about the dual vs quad, as I dont always game, and have been known to do some encoding, but the higher initial clock speed for the e8400 vs the q6600 has me sold I think (not terribly confident with the o/c'g). And would generally leave the encoding as batch stuff that I'd leave overnight etc The other thing is the ddr2 vs ddr3... still not entirely sure bout the choice above, so would be happy for any advice on this. Dont intend to go SLI/crossfire, and as said before, not too confident overclocking Thanks for any pointers ye can give me
Looks perfect, eveything is a quality componant. Do OC the 8400 as its pretty much a 5min job to OC it to a decent 3.5+Ghz speeds.
As atanum said, the E8400 can reach 3.6GHz without sweat so I say it's a good choice. Good rig though, You made a decent choice, the RAM is fine, I don't think DDR3 serves much of a purpose yet.
Even on a stock cooler? Will the life of the cpu suffer? Tend to leave long gaps between my upgrades And yea, the cheaper stuff often ends up being more expensive in the long run, as I've learned from past experiences Thanks Denis, I'm from dublin, ireland, and will be sourcing all this online from komplett.ie - getting a case, and a new dvd burner, comes to about 1100e
If you have some extra cash get a better cooler, but even with the stock uit you can OC quite abit. Get the freezer7 if your stuck for cash. As fro DDR3, its s moot point as the cost is still far too much. My mate wanted a new rig and had his heart set on a Core i7 but the rams costs just as much as the cpu. So we went with a similar rig to yours, hes well happy and it can play crysis warhead on Gamer with lots of enthusiast settings on.
OCing does lower the lifespan of a cpu, however, by the time you'd notice this, it'd be the same as your 486 dying... RwD
Yea might go for a new cooler, 120mm or the like (for the quietness more then anything). I'll take a look Ah, so we're talking a reduction of 15 years to 10 years, sort of thing? Can live with that alright
I'd invest in aftermarket cooler if you OC or not. Zalman CNPS8700-NT: small and quiet, be ok with light OC Xigmatek HDT-S1283 : BIG and quiet, cheaper and more OC headroom Bit-tech staff guy said below on similiar post so its prob real good. "I would not get the Freezer 7 Pro - it's an old heatsink and there are better ones these days. For the price, I'd get stretch to a Thermaltake MaxOrb: http://www.thepotterhouse.net/livest...oducts_id=3933 "
Yea, I can stretch for one alright I think taking a look at the june 08 round-up ( link ), and seeing whats available from the supplier I linked above. Just as I prefer to bulk buy from the same dealer, saves me postage costs, and the waiting on separate packages they're very good, and stock most of what I've seen recommended
+1 for an aftermarket cooler. Also, swap the PSU to a HX620, as the TX650 you've chose there isn't modular.
think theres enough room in the centurion 534 plus for the extra cables from the non-modular psu its another 35e for the modular functionality (85e vs 119) and I lose a few watts - I'll have a think about it though!
+1 for modular psu and 620W should be plenty for your rig Had a read on the Thermaltake MaxOrb Cooler....and its a top product I'd get over the ones I mentioned earlier.
Coolies, thats 2 v 1 for the modular psu going to go for the Akasa AK-965 I think (not the BL as in the review here, but figure thats just BL for blue), cheaper and quieter option - not as good as the twice the price thermaltake options, but dont think Ill be oc'ing quite as much as the regular poster here
I would go for something like this myself: Q6600 (read up a little bit, seriously, and you can get some nice clocks) or Q9550 if you want to spend a bit more cash (SSE4) P5Q (Pro) 4850 (models that come with aftermarket coolers are the best choice) Corsair VX550 2x WD6400AAKS Obviously add a 4GB memory kit.
If gaming at 1680*1050 I'd save some cash and go with HIS 4850 Iceq, if higher res def 4870 or geforce 260(not 216 core, thats currently overprice IMO)
In reference to the PSU, I'd personally get the HX520, it's modular and more than enough for what you have there. Also, I have a Centurion RC-534 (being modded) and they're a decent size, it will be fine coping with a non modular PSU.
Dont think I'll be able to resist the urge to up the res if Im getting a 22" monitor, so reckon the 4870 is ok. Very happy with the pricing of it too, so no worries there. Would like a bit of room for expansion (hd's most likely, im a bit of a hoarder. In fact Ive already got 2 more to put in, so that'll be 4 initially), so I'd like a bit of breathing room with the wattage, so again happy with the 600+ psu. Modular or not though, Im still undecided... always thought it was a great idea, and wished my previous one was at times, so figure why not. But again, big enough case, and bit unnecessary... ho hum Oh, dunno if its clear from original post, but Ill be going for a base P5Q (link). See people saying deluxe, and pro etc. The only difference being the extra PCI-e slots?
i like the base p5q, heatsinks look cool, pro has diff cooling for northbridge and stuff. At the end of the day when its built your not going to see psu wires so doesn't matter. I'm a neat freak so vote modular. I like the pro but if you don't require crossfire why get it, think the deluxe is overpriced to.
