Build Advice Building a 2nd PC from 2nd parts on a budget... Advice please

Hiya,

Im currently putting together a 2nd PC, from 2nd hand parts on the marketplace & ebay etc. The main use for this PC will be a play machine that i can learn to overclock on safely.

I would like some advice on what parts to look out for (this is NOT a wanted thread, im after suggestions of which products to look out for, if you wish to make me aware of something you are selling, drop me a PM rather than post)

Parts i have so far (and what i payed for them)

- Asus P5N-T Deluxe (free)
- Intel e6600 2.4 ghz C2D (£30)
- 2x CM2x2048-6400 C5DHX (4gb total) (£40)

Parts required.

Case - Something that has room to work in, and provides decent cooling (Antec 900? perhaps?) Budget (£40 - £45 inc delivery)

GPU - Doesnt need to be anything amazing, low DX11 card would be fine. Looking around £65 - £90 mark. Would like it to be able to play most games at respectable settings.

Cooler - I dont know what i should be looking for here, so really open to suggestions

PSU - Again, not 100% sure what i need. Something that is quality and will allow me to overclock.

Could you guys give me your suggestions for the 4 things listed above? (Case, GPU, Cooler, PSU)

thank you

 

An Artic Freezer would be a good start as a cheap s775 CPU cooler. Antec 300 would be good for your budget too.

 

Case: if buying new I would suggest an Antec 300 for around £45. It comes with two fans already and with a couple more in the front will provide all the airflow you need for overclocking.

PSU: you need a quality PSU for overclocking, I would suggest that if you can't get a deal on a second hand Corsair HX in the marketplace, go for something like this: 520W Seasonic S12II-520 Bronze 12cm Silent S2FC Fan, 80+ (85%) Eff. A0TX12V V2.3 PSU for £64.50. This will no doubt cause all sorts of response from the forum .

GPU: whilst not DX11, have a look at these in the marketplace...
Sapphire ATI 4890 1GB Vapor-X: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=195600
Sapphire ATI 4870 512MB: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=196644
Zotac GTX275 Amp! Edition 896MB: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=196647

Cooler: go for an Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro, a bargain for around £16. It won't be quiet with a high overclock but it is great bang for buck on a 775.

Is your C2D E6300 a newer 2.8GHz or an older 1.86GHz?

Edit: ninja'd by Ph4zed!

 

Grow some balls and OC your main rig!

 

I actually kinda agree with this, though I might not word it quite like LeMaltor has done...xD

What are the specs of your current setup? Personally, I'd just take small steps and overclock your current setup. Provided that you are careful, there isn't really that much that can go wrong. The chances of frying your processor are very small (you need to be pumping ridiculous amounts of voltage for that to happen). Besides, if you are a Core 2 processor when your main setup is running i7, you are still going to be overclocking a processor that you haven't had "practice" on, merely because there are differences when it comes to overclocking Intel's i-series chips.

When it comes to overclocking graphics cards, again, there is little that can go wrong, merely because you aren't increasing voltages (unless you are using MSI Afterburner on a compatible card, in which case you aren't increasing voltages enough for it to be dangerous).

However, considering that you have already bought some of the parts (which would make a good second system anyway), Ph4ZeD's suggestion of an Antec 300 and Arctic Freezer is really the right way to go. Finger's suggestion of a used graphics card from the Marketplace is also a good idea, DX11 is not really worth going for right now, especially in a second system.

Good luck

 

He's kinda right you know.

 

Antec 300 if new, Xigmatek Utgard if you manage to find one second hand.
AC 7 Pro is a good budget cooler indeed. Out of the above links I'd go for the 4890. I am still very impressed by mine and the only downside (noisy cooler at load) is almost gone in the Vapor X cards. generally I would get a high end DX10 card over a mid-range DX 11 card when prices are similar. The raw processing power of a 4890 will trump the 5770 for less money. Though, admittedly with the 4890 being second hand and the 5770 being new. Though even a second hand 5770 offers lower value imho compared to high end 48xx cards.

Though the PSU choice is a bit bizarre. Go for a Corsair CX400 or one of their new 430 models. Or even better the 380W Antec PSU. The PSU listed above is way overkill both in terms of wattage and price.

BTW it would be great if you could tell us an exact budget.

 

I will expand more, second comps are great, you can bot on them easy, run 2 accounts on games, the extra screen is nice like if you want to play sup com and use it for that, there are many uses for a second comp. But I wouldn't buy one to oc to practice on, you OC slowly and test, the chance of you bumping your gfx card core frequency from say 800 to 810mhz and it never working again are about 0.01% There's really nothing to be scared about until you start filling your comp with liquid nitrogen

Make sure your main comp has good components -> Not an i7 rig with quad SLI powered by an unbranded 300W PSU.

Read guides for ocing whatever hardware you have, and programs you need to inrease settings and monitor temps

Then start slowly, test for stability and performance gains and watch temps.

Then brag about your massive overclock

 

I thought the same and was going to suggest either the Antec 380w Green (a Seasonic unit) or the Seasonic S12II 380w but then I saw the GTX275 in the marketplace and thought, hmmm, GTX275 + overclocking - you never know, you may need a little more (I can't remember the GTX275 power draw) - I'm happy to be corrected on this.

But you are right, a 380w should be more than enough if it is a good quality PSU. Finding a CX400 now is getting hard though. The new ones (Builder Series) are as yet unproven and I haven't been able to find any reviews yet. They are also only listed as "up to" 80% efficient and are not 80+ rated - I wouldn't touch one until the reviews are out.

 

Ok well thats an Antec 300 and Artic Cooling Freezer Pro 7 added to my wish list

To answer some of your questions.....

- Overall build must not exceed £300. But would prefer to aim for £250-£260. (dont need a monitor)

- The CPU i will be using is actually a e6600 2.4Ghz (will this be ok for oc?)

I appreciate that i could quite easily tune my main system up, but that wouldnt involve buying new toys and putting them together would it? - Seriously, i also want a 2nd system anyway, and would like the parts i choose to be happy oc'ing.

- GPU wise, im going to keep my eyes peeled on market place for something. Although i did find this DX11 card for £95 new... http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-186-XF&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=708

(its not the end of the world if its now DX11, just a nice to have.

- PSU, im going to watch out for a decent quality one around 500w. I dont want to spend more than £40-45 on it, so i may be waiting a while!

 

With an E6600 and a P5N-T Deluxe, you may be lucky and get 3.6GHz but I am not sure. I could only get my E6600 and P5N-E SLI to 3.4GHz stable but was restricted by heat. Your m/b is better but you will need a good CPU cooler - my Artic Freezer 7 Pro wasn't enough to keep it cool at 3.4GHz but that was in a case with poor airflow.

GPU wise I think you are better spending £100 (or less if you can strike a deal) on the 4890 Vapor-X for sale in the marketplace. A much much better card than the 5750 you linked to. I have a 4870 Vapor-X and it is a fantastic card.

PSU wise, don't get hung up on wattage, it is the quality that matters. A 380W Antec EarthWatts EA380D Green (£36.39) or a 380w Seasonic S12II-380 (£45.80) are enough to overclock an E6600 with a 4890 Vapor-X GPU because you can get all the power needed in a stable manner. Just because a cheaper PSU says "500w", doesn't mean you can actually get anything like that out of it and be stable.

Antec Earthwatts EA380D Green = £36.39
Sapphire 4890 1GB Vapor-X = £100
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro v2.1 = £16.91
Antec 300 = £46.98
Total = £200.28

Edit: With the headroom left in your budget, you could afford to stretch to one of our favourite PSU's and never have to worry ever again - the bonus is that it is modular:

520W Corsair HX Series, Whisper quiet Modular PSU, SLI/CrossFire, EPS 12V, 5 year Warranty - £73.56

Corsair HX520w Modular = £73.56
Sapphire 4890 1GB Vapor-X = £100
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro v2.1 = £16.91
Antec 300 = £46.98
Total = £237.45

 

Cheers fingers - much appeciated. I wouldnt be looking to go above 3.4 GHz on the oc, so do you think the Artic Freezer Pro 7 + Antec 300 will be able to handle that?

Also, of the 3 cards that you linked, in what order would you rank them?

thank you

 

See my later edit in my previous post which includes costs.

The Freezer 7 Pro and the Antec 300 are good for 3.4GHz on the E6600 but you may need an additional front fan (you only get one rear and one roof fan with the case). I would add another £10 for a Silent Eagle 1000rpm.

 

It goes 4890>275>4870, but the margins between them are fairly slim. Any of those will be a much better choice for gaming than a 5750. If I was looking for a graphics card right now I think I would get the one in the marketplace. Unless you really NEED Eyefinity (not the case in your budget) and DX11 (high details DX10 looks better than medium details DX11. if you want high details on DX11 at high res it means you usually have to spend around 300 pounds or more for graphics to max every possible game) then high end last gen cards are the way to go. Definitely on your budget.

Finger's list of components is pretty much spot on --->
Antec Earthwatts EA380D Green = £36.39
Sapphire 4890 1GB Vapor-X = £100
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro v2.1 = £16.91
Antec 300 = £46.98
Total = £200.28

You are well within your budget so you can upgrade the PSU to a higher rated model, get a better cooler or buy the Xigmatek Utgard instead of the Antec. Depends on how much of that 260-280 budget you want to spend. The above list is perfectly adequate though.

 

Thank you for the info - Is the additional Silent Eagle fan easy enough to fit? (i.e as long as i dont have to mod the case! lol)

Im assuming it has to be a certain size to fit the Antec 300?

Also thank you urobulos - Im leaning towards the 275 as it sits a bit more in the comfort zone of my budget....Although ive never owned an ATI card and i would like to! (got a GTX 460 in my main rig)

of to the market place i go i guess!

 

Go for a 120mm fan and simpley screw in four screws and you are ready to go.

 

Any standard 120mm fan will fit in the front of the Antec 300, the Silent Eagle and the Gentle Typhoon are favourites here. Both come with rubber mount pins that simply pop in.

If it was me buying a 275, I would increase the PSU to a 430w just to give some headroom. If you are going to go for the Corsair 520w that I linked to above, then ignore me.

 

Ok cool - il throw in the 120mm Silent Eagle too (im presuming il find one on scan)

Only thing im not decided on is the PSU now. I would like to get 400w + (of quality power) without spending more than say.... £50. Might be tricky i know. Is it worth watching around the market place for something to crop up?

 

Sharkoon Silent Eagle: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/120m...-se-fan-quiet-case-fan-inc-4x-speed-cable-set
Scythe Gentle Typhoon (1150rpm): http://www.scan.co.uk/products/120mm-scythe-gentle-typhoon-1150-rpm-cooling-fan
Scythe Gentle Typhoon (1450rpm): http://www.scan.co.uk/products/120m...0-rpm-cooling-fan-see-ln31513-for-replacement

The Sharkoon is the quietest of them all but the Gentle Typhoon's push more air, especially the 1450rpm version. I put two 1450rpm Gentle Typhoons in the front of my overclocked Antec 300 but I personally didn't like the whine they produced as the case is on the desk beside my head. I put two Silent Eagles in instead and can't hear them. One would probably have been enough but I had two anyway.

It is worth watching the marketplace for good deals on stuff.

 

Awesome thank you.

All that is left to do now, is to sort a PSU and GPU. Possibly from the market place

Thank you all for the help - some rep coming your way