Hardware PC Hardware Buyer's Guide - March 2010

Im sure we've found the NeroS for a price close to the Gelid. I'll have to ask Harry - 37 quid seems far too much

LGA1156 upgradability should be there in 12-18 months, however BIOS support for new CPUs.. couldn't say for sure. Mobo companies generally enjoy the excuse for an upgrade. To buy what's out now though, possibly second hand? Good idea

 

Hey Otherwayup,

sorry if i have missed a bit here but what motherboard are/have you got? I ask because the fenrir is a bloody big piece of kit (have just received mine) that also is very heavy. If you have bought a mATX board (ie small motherboard) you may have trouble fitting it with memory modules that have large heatsinks.

I am also in the process of building a new setup which includes :-
i5 - 750 cpu
gigabyte p55 UD5 (from Scan retailers on special offer otherwise p 55A UD3R) ATX size board
Titan Fenrir cooler
Antec 300 case
http://www.microdirect.co.uk/home/p...PC3-12800-1600-MHz-1-35V-Cas7?source=googleps memory (note normal size and also 1.35 volts)

All of the components will fit easily in case and will (hopefully ) work well.

Any chance you can post up your specs for you build so it can be checked out?

Cheers

 

Great write up - it is very helpful to me, as a first-time builder. Two quick questions regarding the Premium Players build:

1. How does the ASUS P6X58D Premium MB rate against the P6T Deluxe, as suggested? My main reasons behind the change is USB 3.0 and SATA III compatibility. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614)

2. I'm very interested in the Silverstone FT-02 case, as mentioned in possible alternatives to the CoolerMaster ATCS 840. However, I'm having difficulty finding confirmation of many of the suggested hardware selections fitting into this unique case. I'm mainly concerned about the power supply (considering the 1050W Enermax) and the Titan Fenrir cooler. The power supply is a concern chiefly because I've read it's very large, and I'm also not sure if the video card cables are long enough to be routed behind the MB.

Any experiences with the Fortress FT02 would be welcomed - thank you!

 

Welcome Lotdn!

We don't have any experience with the FT02 sorry, so we can't help there.

Im not sure on the P6X58 Premium either - I'll have to ask James - but the P6 range from Asus are generally very good boards.

 

This is my first build and even though I've only tweeked two bits I would not be surprised if I've mucked up somewhere;

Coolermaster CM 690 ll Case
Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2 (rev 1.1) - I assume the M = Micro as it is a mATX
Intel Core i3 530 2.93G s1156
Gelid Tranquillo
ASUS EEAH5770 CuCore
Corsair XMS3 DDR3 PC3-12800 (1600), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 9-9-9-24, XMP, 1.65V
Corsair 450W 450HXUK PSU
Samsung F3 500GB
SCANSURE (most important bit)

The Gelid must have come in as they shipped my bits today

I've checked the SN of the motherboard and it was made in Feb 2010, so I assume it's will have at least the BIOS released in Nov 2009, which makes it work with i3-530.

Out of interest, had the board been made prior to the BIOS update and I only had the i3 to play with, would I have been in trouble?

 

I am new so greetings all.

I am also new to system building and have ordered something similiar to the premium player

I have come across a compatibility issue with the alignment of the Fractal design R2 case and x650 seasonic PSU (although you guys recomended X750)

. the issue is : "the problem was that the fan of the psu did not line up with the cases intake and making the 120mm fan of the psu blocked by 25%" as quoted from another forum.

As such I was wondering if these recommended Hardware systems are actually put together to consider such clashes?
If so could you then affirm or deny the aforementioned problem?
Its possible that the problem in design clash may not affect the functionality and thermal performance but has it been assessed?

Regards

 

Hi AbuGee

It doesn't matter what-so-ever. The fan on the X-Series doesn't even spin unless you run it at 100 per cent load, so there's no airflow to even consider Even if there was, a 25 per cent covering is not a concern as air is a fluid and will be drawn around corners to some degree.

 

Ok, first issue, Coolermaster CM 690 ll Case has turned up and it looks a lot bigger than I had pictured in my mind.

Is there a recommended mini Tower that I could use for the "Enthusiast Overclocker" bits?

It's the depth that is causing a problem, something about 425'ish mm?

 

HTPC category too, please!

I've been checking out the media players but they tend to be missing services I want - such as Spotify or a Last.fm plugin.

 

I'm building my 1st PC based on the Affordable All-Rounder template. I have upgraded the CPU to a Phenom II x2 555 and I'm thinking of getting an HD 5770 video card. Will I need to get a more powerful PSU than the Corsair CX400W? Looking on Newegg.com, some of the 5770 cards say the require a 450w PSU. If the psu isn't powerful enough, what could happen? Thanks in advance to anyone with advice.

 

Any sign of the April guide yet as you are late gentlemen! I'll forgive you this time with you being fed chocolates last weekend.

 

Wrote it today, check back this week