Build Advice Big Upgrade

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by thom804, 22 Jun 2011.

  1. thom804

    thom804 Minimodder

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    Righty,

    For starters, I am a fairly experienced system builder with about 12 full systems under my belt.
    I'm coming into some money next month and i'm looking for a big upgrade on my current system (E6750 cpu, Sapphire 4850 1GB card, 2 GB corsair xms DDR2, 2x 1tb Samsung F1's, Gigabye UD3 775 mobo, 19" monitor @ 1440x900, Antec 900 mk1 case, edimax wireless card, x-fi audio card)

    Now I saw the micro-atx systems test a month or so back in cpc and really liked the yoyotech system @£999. However, I really like my space and upgrade-ability options. With a decent-ish 24" monitor this would push the price up nearer £1300.

    What i'm really asking is, apart from scan.co.uk (which i've already looked at), are there any really good system builders out there, that will put together a high powered, ATI-graphics powered system for around £1300 excluding monitor?

    If necessary, I will buy the components and set it all up myself, but I kinda like the idea of someone else doing the work for me for once :hehe:

    Oh, and before I get any 'look yourself ya lazy bastad!' comments, trust me, I have. There's just so many damn options nowadays.

    All idea's appreciated.

    PS:

    Comp will be used for gaming AND media as I have a nice cool area to store it away from my TV so sound isn't an issue.
    As media will be a requirement, i'm looking for at least 2T(!)B of space.
     
    Last edited: 23 Jun 2011
  2. thetrashcanman

    thetrashcanman Angel headed hipsters

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    I think everyone on here would agree you would be better of building the system yourself, something like this for instance

    [​IMG]

    also why where you leaning towards amd for graphics card? and when you say 2gb of space I assume you meant 2tb?

    oh and I made a few compromises so you can get a decent monitor, also just realised I forgot an optical drive, so add a tenner, or it would be equal to that price once you've got your free postage
     
    Last edited: 24 Jun 2011
  3. krishan

    krishan Minimodder

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    2TB ? :)

    A few years back I used cyberpowersystems.co.uk
    But since then I have built my own so I wouldn't have any other recommendations.
     
  4. thom804

    thom804 Minimodder

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    derp..

    Thanks :p

    As for my leanings, most people have an inclination. Call it fanboi-ism, whatever you want. But i've only ever owned one Nvidia card and it killed itself within 6 months. AMD/ATI for me from now and forever, regardless of their ups and downs.

    Also thanks for the list thetrashcanman. Just a couple of questions though. As i'm not that 'up' on real high powered, hands on pc experience, would I really notice much difference between 4gb and 8gb of RAM nowadays?
    Also, i'm not overly fussed by the K-series of sandybridge just yet so I could potentially knock a few quid from the 2500, or buy a 2600 I suppose?

    EDIT:
    I managed to find a saved build from scan with assembly and overclock by them. And yes, I know i've included a K-series processor but that was an accident :p
    Also the 1TB is only because scan don't allow for 2 drives or 1x2tb for some reason >.<

    [​IMG]

    So ye, this comes in at over £1300 but it's quite the beast I think.
     
    Last edited: 23 Jun 2011
  5. LennyRhys

    LennyRhys Oink!

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    You save a lot of money by building yourself because you determine exactly what goes into the system and how expensive each component is, and you can save a lot of money in many different ways (buying used, trading etc). If you don't mind too much about the cost, there are many options for custom built/high spec PCs.

    There are a lot of experienced system builders on this forum alone and they don't charge a penny for advice - it's great to share info, experiences, and opinions for other people's benefit too, so I'm definitely in the DIY camp. :thumb:
     
  6. thetrashcanman

    thetrashcanman Angel headed hipsters

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    fair do's my friend, with the 'fanboi-ism' but you can get a very good nvidia graphics card, which is as fast as the ati/amd equivilant for about £30 less, also PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get a K series chip, all it means is an unlocked multiplier and tbh its not worth saving the couple of pounds between a K and non K for the difference that can be achieved between the two when the K one is overclocked, also remember non K chips cannot be overclocked, hence its worth spending the extra few ££ on one even if you don't overclock it to start with, it will mean you'll get more life from your pc in the future hopefully :), and as for ram you won't notice much difference between 4gb and 8gb unless your doing lots of cad work or something, but if you going for a £1000 build, you might as well throw in 8gb of ram, especially as its so cheap at the moment
     
  7. Sponge12349

    Sponge12349 (づ。◕‿‿◕。)づ ︵ ┻━┻

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  8. thom804

    thom804 Minimodder

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    Thanks for the replies guys, keep the builds coming so I can maybe chop and change a few things.
    However, they're all looking pretty good at the moment.

    The only real reason I asked for a pre-built system, is that I get really really bored with cabling hehe.
    Are there any companies out there with which you can just pick components off the parts list and they will put it together for you?
    Scan/Yoyotech/Novatech etc etc all have rather restricted system builders.

    And cheers for the case advice Sponge. M-atx is only one option for me so far. I'd rather have a Good looking M-atx case rather than a generic ATX one. However, i've looked at the FT-02B and, except for the silly price it looks like an awesome case. Other possibilities are an NZXT phantom, Antec 182(?), Bitfenix Colossus (I know the cooling is supposed to not be great, but it looks superb), Raven RV02, Corsair Obsidian 700 (800 if I feel rich on the day :p).

    Any advice on these cases would be great. If there are any worth noting that i've not mentioned, feel free to input.
     
    Last edited: 23 Jun 2011
  9. Sponge12349

    Sponge12349 (づ。◕‿‿◕。)づ ︵ ┻━┻

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    Yes the case is the real personal thing about a rig, I would set aside the cash for the chassis that suits you the best first, instead of trying to squeeze in a lower end case and regretting it at a later date. :thumb:

    A few things I would like to point out about the build I suggested that is better than a prebuilt system.

    1) SSD - Modern PCs without one diplease me greatly. They give so much of a speed boost its unreal. Its like your PC is 4 years ahead of the PC it would be without it. By the way I would try to squeeze in a 120gb SSD depending on how many apps you have.

    2)Better CPU Cooler = Better overclocks and stability

    3)Your own choice of case!

    4)Customisable everything!
     
  10. thom804

    thom804 Minimodder

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    I'll go with your statements Sponge:

    1) Ye, i'll be taking an SSD, but probably only for the Windows install and maybe everything else excluding steam and my media. I think a 60gb(?) Corsair M4 should cover that.

    2) I was tempted to go for watercooling, but i've never made up a full loop before so one option was to go for a Corsair H50. Either that or a Thermaltake Frio as my air cooled option.

    3) The case is a big thing for me. I'll be storing it out of the way for media purposes. However, at some point I may want to just have it as a dedicated gaming rig and so have it closer to me for disc swaps and such and connecting my ipod etc etc. Therefore it needs to either look just damn cool (Obsidian 700/800) or sexy as hell (Phantom, Colossus)

    So I guess the general consensus is for me to build it myself. Thanks for the many choices. I'll look into a parts option. I'm pretty sure yoyotech have an option within the system builder that makes it cheaper if you make up the system on the website and they just ship you the components unassembled.
     
  11. Sponge12349

    Sponge12349 (づ。◕‿‿◕。)づ ︵ ┻━┻

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    to your replys,

    2)The Antec Kuhler is cheaper and cools better than a H50/H60. The other option would be a BeQuiet Advanced, but I've heard the mounting system isn't the best and its also quite large.(the Frio is best for AM3 or 1366 CPUs)

    3) If you dont want a mATX case then I would swap the mobo for a MSI P67A-GD53 and go for a NZXT Phantom as its cooling is really good. Because you said noise isnt really an issue the Define R3 is kind of pointless.

    Use scan.co.uk to buy the components, you now qualify for free delivery since you have over 20posts and it is almost always the cheapest site to buy from. Not to mention their amazing customer service.
     
  12. thom804

    thom804 Minimodder

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    Free delivery? 20 posts?
    Guess I didn't get the Memo :p
     
  13. Sponge12349

    Sponge12349 (づ。◕‿‿◕。)づ ︵ ┻━┻

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  14. Blogins

    Blogins Panda have Guns

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    I've recently tried both the Kuhler 620 and the Be Quiet! Dark Rock Advanced with an i5 2500K and whilst the former impressed me the Be Quiet! wins hands down. The mounting system isn't that bad and I found it best to do it whilst the motherboard is already inside the case (assuming it has a backplate cut out for CPU cooler installation!). I mounted the backplate and then held it in place thanks to some rubber washers (included with the Be Quiet!). Then I simply held a screwdriver in one hand and carefully aligned the heatsink with the retention screws then worked them in one at a time. Used OCZ Freeze TIM and I get temperatures ranging from 57 - 62 under extreme stress with the i5 2500K overclocked to 4.5GHz but for the most part they stay under 60 degrees. Also it's dead quiet! :thumb:
     
  15. Sponge12349

    Sponge12349 (づ。◕‿‿◕。)づ ︵ ┻━┻

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    hey thom804, get a Be Quiet! Dark Rock Advanced and mount it with the motherboard already in the case.
     
  16. Blogins

    Blogins Panda have Guns

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    Quite! :D

    Just tried flexing the CPU in The Witcher 2 and it didn't even break over 50 Degrees.
     
  17. thom804

    thom804 Minimodder

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    Cheers for the cooler advice peeps. The Dark Rock had jumped to mind at some point but then seemed to drift away again :p. Thanks for bringing it back up with me.

    Sponge, thanks again for the v.helpful stuff. That'll save me a fair bit when I order :)
     
  18. jamsand

    jamsand Minimodder

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    I agree with the majority doing your own build is more fun and almost always more cost effective. However if you want to get it built for you Aria also do systembuilds aswell as overclockers.co.uk
     
  19. thom804

    thom804 Minimodder

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    So i'm finalising my build now.
    I've decided to go with public consensus and home-build again.


    If anyone see's any major discrepancies in this build, feel free to point them out.
    I'm still majorly undecided about the graphics card, so if you want, throw some pro's and con's at me regarding different models. And yes, i'm incluing Nvidia now :p

    FYI, I went with the Sabertooth because of it's beastly out of the box performance. I don't plan on any hardcore overclocking, maybe just upto 4-4.2ghz but nothing massive so o/c performance isn't a huge selling point for me.
     
    Last edited: 27 Jun 2011
  20. Sponge12349

    Sponge12349 (づ。◕‿‿◕。)づ ︵ ┻━┻

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    *SSD* OCZ Agility 3's have proven to be faster than Crucial M4's, and even vertex 3's in some tests!
    *Monitor* This monitor is MUCH better than that.
     

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