Build Advice New Build Advice: Mid Range Spec/Budget

Hey chaps, my current Core 2 Duo 2.66 GHz system has begun to show its age, I was recently forced to replace a fried 8800 GTS 512MB with a shiny new Zotac 560 GTX TI AMP OC. Although I noticed some marked improvements, games like Shogun 2 and the Witcher 2 are still suffering, presumably because the the older CPU cant keep up. I've finally saved up the coppers to start a new build, obviously I will be carrying the new card over, and I'm getting really hyped for it.

I'm using the mid-range PC as a guide in this months mag, as I already own a GPU/HDD/Optical drives/PSU (600watt) so maybe my budget can strech a bit further.

So my first question, would it be a risky move to stick to the same PSU, its two years old now, I'm tempted to replace it, could it damage my system if it blows, would hate to put all that money at risk.

I also wondered whether going for the 120GB Vertex 3 was overkill for a gaming rig or would a cheaper SSD preform similarly if used purely for gaming?

 

64GB crucial M4 as the SSD will be fine. Go for a new PSU- it depends, which do you have now?

 

I'm not sure to be honest, I chucked the box away recently and do remember thinking it wasn't a brand I'd ever heard of before, I will have to wait till I get home and open my case to find out precisely, £90 for a new Antec True Power 650W is a bit off putting though, that could be a new SSD!

Would you notice much difference between the crucial M4 and the OCZ Vertex 3s? I was wondering if I should hold out for the new OCZ 60GB model which is coming in a matter of days.

 

unless your going for multi gpu setup (650watt would probably be ample for 2 5850's anyway) it forget a new pso tbh. i'm running a 5 year old tagan 480, with a phenom x6, ssd, 1tb hdd, 5770, etc etc i haven't had one problem in five years!!!!

 

lol my spelling is terrrrrrrrrible

 

I highly doubt I'd be running a dual GPU system, that's good new though I guess, cheers guys.

 

age-wise it's fine...quality-wise is another story...if it's a reputable unit then don't worry about it. post back here the make and model if you want help on deciding that. check the psu thread in this forum and maybe check jonny guru for a review. ifhe gave the thumbs up it's going to be fine..

 

Check your PSU a known brand one just to be safe.

2500k £150
P67 mobo £100
cooler £20>
1.5V RAM £40

The only option at the moment.

 

Agree with the 64 GB crusial games don't really benifit too much from ssd's other than loading screens prograns that load alot and opening and closing stuff alot it's good for(editing).

and pretty much what the guy above said although if your overclocking mind get a better cooler something like like a noctua d-14 or thermaltake silver arrow. if on a bit more of a budgt a frio works well but is a little louder.

ram get 4GB kit you won't need more than that for gaming although can pick up a 8GB mushkin silverline for £50 from aria

 

If your planning on putting your games onto the SSD don't forget that games are quite big. I have a c300 128 and I've had to move ALL of my steam games onto my HD.

I am now aware that there is a program to allow you to move between the two, but still I wouldn't want to have an SSD smaller than 128.

 

Well as I was using the mid price range spec in the latest mag as a guide I was looking at the be quiet dark rock advanced, are these coolers you mentioned better coolers?

 

What do you mean by this exactly? Booting between the two or copying files from one drive to another?

 

Inbuilt in steam you cannot choose where your steamgames are saved so you have to move them all which is a bitch.

However there is a program that allows you to split where you place yours games, meaning you can choose which ones sit on your fast SSD

 

Oh so its some kind of third party software, will have to look into that, might be useful at the moment actually because I have a 250gb hdd which has filled up with steam games among other things.

 

This is the program: link.

 

Get the Dark Rock. Performs, is quiet, is extremely well built, and to my eyes at least, is very nice looking. The only very slight downside is that it is a litle fiddly to fit if you're not the most dexterous.

 

Dark Rock Advanced it is then!

OK so to my surprise I've opened up my PC and the PSU I'm using is a OCZ GameXstream 600W PSU. So it's an aftermarket PSU from a repuatble manufacture [of sorts] would you guys replace it?

 

the gamextreme is a solid unit. ripple out of spec, but no big deal

 

Great, that's saved me £90+, which I could spend on an SSD, or would you guys be tempted to spend that on a better CPU? I could always upgrade with an SSD at a later date.

Is the i7 2600k going to improve performance? Realistically I don't use my PC to do anything other than watch movies or play games.

 

If you're just gaming and watching movies there won't be any difference between a 2500K and a 2600K.