Howdy all The time has come for me to think about a new PC build. I have started researching and thought I would post a couple of ideas and see what people think. Mobo and CPU: Asus P6T version 2 and Intel core I7 920 (will overclock) PSU: Probably go for new Seasionic 850w Case: not sure about this, built a rig 2 years ago in a Antec P180 (was very easy and is still going strong) so might go for Antec P183 (want something subtle, so it doesn't attract attention) unless anyone else has any other suggestions. GPU: sadly can only look at nvidia cards as I use various nvidia based graphic programs. It would have to play games so suspect a 260 or higher. Is the 295 worth it? Ram: things have moved on alot since my last build so this is my big question area. What to get and how much i.e 3x 1GB, 3x 2GB. More would be better as I use quite memory heavy apps when editing. Okay short list of questions. Case, GPU and memory. Looking to replace 19" monitor as well. 24" sounds good any ideas on make and model. Any advice greatly appreiciated Mark
cpu: I have the Intel core i7 920 and am very happy with it. Not sure that I have ever used all four cores but still excellent performance on one core. Psu: should suit your build well allowing you to install extra gpu' should you want to. Case: I have the Antec twelve hundred case and I am very happy with it. It looks good but for you it ould probably draw attention. Best advice I can give for this is look for a case you like then search for any reviews there might be on it. Gpu: If you are looking for a 24inch monitor your going to need a very good graphics card to play games at the native resolutions of 1920 x 1200. So go for as much as you can afford. Ram: Your new system will use ddr3 memory so make sure when you buy any you buy it in three's as to get tripple channel performance. If you tend to overclock go for the highest frequency memory you can afford this will allow you to overclock well. Dont forget to also buy a good cpu cooler. Monitor: I have a 24" Dell 2408wfp monitor and I am very happy with it but it does come in at near £500. You can get cheaper ones but suffer performance and looks but get much better value.
For v.nice, smart cases look at the lian-li and silverstone ranges, they have some very nice ones. With ram, just make sure you use 3 sticks so that it runs in triple channel mode. 3Gb/6Gb... depends on what you need. There isnt much point in getting any speed above 1600MHz, as the only thing that will notice the difference is you wallet. I can't remember if the seasonic PSU is good.. i generally recommend corsair, be quiet or enermax. (corsair being cheaper, the other two better PSUs)
I would never recommend the 295, or any other double stacked cards, performance isn't consistent. The GTX285, however, is just fine. At your res, even the GTX260 (216) is fine for most games. 6GB of memory, 3x2GB will be more worth you while. I don't go for fancy, expensive RAM, I don't see much of a bonus in real-world performance, so basic kits from Corsair, Crucial, etc. will be perfect. +1 for Silverstone or Lian Li, great quality, understated cases. If you like flashy cases, go for Antec or Cooler Master.
drop the ASUS p6T v2 - get the gigabyte X58 UD3R its alot cheaper at £154 and will allow for an overclock 4Ghz+ if ya CPU and cooler are up to scratch. The 260(216) is bargintastic @ £148 from scan and will play anything @ 1920x1200 MAX settings. The GTX285 is overpriced if you want something more beefy than the 260 get the 275 which is only <10% slower than the 285 but is a lot cheaper. 6GB of 1333 should be ok unless your planning on using very high QPI settings then id suggest 6GB of 1600. i have the antec 1200 and its a wonderful case to work with. however if quiet is your thing then this is certainly not. On lowest fan settings you can still here fans just. But on high its like a wind tunnel. 850W is probly overkill unless your planning on using more than 1 GPU and tons of HDDs etc. 650-750W is more than enough for a single GPU machine and will be good for upgrades as well.
I'm another P6TD/920-nik, got to say the Asus 'board is consistently brilliant and the reviews on here suggest it's more stable that the Gigabyte one (which, I think, blew a MOSFET during testing or something). Get 6GB of RAM; my Vista set-up is using 1.5GB just sitting here looking all Aero, so I think 3GB will be cutting it fine. Probably best not to buy more, although you can just buy another 3x2 if you need it. Plus the price of RAM is crashing; Bindi recommended some 1600Mhz OCZ stuff for £130 yesterday, looked like a good deal, considering I paid £160 for Corsair's equivalent only two or three months ago. For the 'card, it depends on how your programs work. If they can make use of multiple 'cards efficiently (and they should be able to) I'd get 2x216-core-GTX260s; they'll jointly set you back £100 less than the 295 and they're as powerful in any real-world situation. If your programs can't, buy a 285... The card is what affects the PSU; if it's going to be more than one, get at least 800W (you can call it 'erring on the side of caution') and +1 for Corsair, great stuff. And docodine's right, Lian Li make great cases... As for the monitor everyone either loves or hates the Dell 2408WFP (great screen with the right revision number, otherwise like being repeatedly poked in the eye with a fork, apparently) - I think with all that nVIDIA graphics horsepower you should get one of the new 22" 120Hz + 3D Vision. Because then you could give it to me...
Plan so far okay the plan so far stands at Case: Will look at Lian LI and Silverstone Mobo: Asus P6T Deluxe V2 (used Asus in 2 previous builds, if it aint broke why switch) CPU: Intel i20 GPU: Probably go for single card setup, 275 or 285 PSU: For one card 850W is a bit overkill, will look at 750W or 650W HDD: One possibly two Samsung F1 either 1Tb and a smaller one or two smaller ones CPU cooler: either TRUE or Noctua Ram: 3x 2GB sticks sounds good, will look at base stuff 1333 or possibly 1600 Monitor: I have read the reports on some of the Dell revisions, may leave monitor till last and see if anything else appears on the market. will start buying stuff towards the end of this month so may post a few last minute questions Cheers for the help
