got2nesa

Watercooled gaming rig under £2000 I'm building a gaming machine and want to know if anyone see's any potential *compatibility issues that I may have missed, or if you'd do anything differently, let me know. *by compatibility I don't only mean, "it won't work", but also "it would work better if you replaced [part A] with [part B] - Thanks. note: I'm going with a very beautiful and expensive case, it is the top case for water-cooling, which I'm also going with. I am going with watercooling because I will be overclocking more than I'd like to rely on air for, and I'm also fond of how quiet water is over air. ::System Specs:: Mobo (£120): Asus P5Q-E, iP45, S 775, PCI-E 2.0 (x16), DDR2 1066/ 1200/800 MHz, SATA II, SATA RAID, ATX CPU (£140): Intel Core 2 Duo, E8400, Wolfdale Core, S775, 3.0 GHz, 1333MHz, 6MB Cache, 9x Multiplier, Retail Gfx card (£230): 896MB EVGA GTX260 PCI-E 2.0 (x16), Mem 1998MHz, GPU 576MHz, 216 Cores, 2x Dual Link DVI-I/ HDTV Sound card (£90): Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional HDD 1 (£35): 250GB Samsung HD252HJ, Spinpoint F1, SATA300, 7200 rpm, 16MB Cache, 8.9 ms, NCQ HDD 2 (£35): 250GB Samsung HD252HJ, Spinpoint F1, SATA300, 7200 rpm, 16MB Cache, 8.9 ms, NCQ Optical Drive (£16): Optiarc (Sony/NEC) AD-7200S-0B 20xDVD±R, 8xDVD±DL, DVD+RW x8/-RW x6, DVD-RAM x12, SATA, Black, OEM PSU (£100): 650W Be Quiet Dark Power PRO BN073 Modular PSU 87% Eff RAM (£55): 4GB (2x2GB) Corsair TwinX XMS2, DDR2 PC2-6400 (800), 240 Pins, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 4-4-4-12, DHX OS (£65): Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic SP1* 64Bit 1Pk OEM (DVD) Sub-Total: £886 (inc. VAT) ::Case (+water cooling):: Case (£245): Silverstone TJ07B-W Black Aluminium Full Tower Case with Window ATX/E-ATX/SSI (w/o PSU) CPU Block (£50): Swiftech Apogee GTZ CPU Block LGA 775 - 3/8" & 1/2" Barbs Incl Radiator (£75): TFC Xchanger Triple Radiator 360 using G1/4" Threads Fans (£35): 3x 120mm Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F Fan 1600 RPM Reservoir (£75): XSPC Laing DDC-Pump 12V Ultra(18w) Acrylic Reservoir with G1/4" Threads Lighting (£3): Sharkoon 4" UV CCFL 2in1 Kit (x2 CCFL Tubes + 1 dual Inverter + adhesive Velcro strips) Tubing (£7): Alphacool Hose PVC 11/8mm Clear 2 Meter Length Fluid (£14): 1L Feser One Fluid - UV Acid Green for water cooling systems (Non Conductive < 10 ìS) Barbs (£10): EK Polished Nickel Plated Brass G1/4" (BSPP) Thread to 1/2" Hose Tail Sub-Total: £514 (inc. VAT) ::Peripherals:: Display (£181): 22" LG L226WTQ , Black , Widescreen, 2 ms, DVI/VGA, 1680x1050, 3000:1 Speakers (£29): Creative Inspire Black T3100 2.1 Speaker System Mouse (£27): Logitech G5 Laser Mouse, 2000dpi, USB 1.1/2.0, 7 Buttons, Black - Gamers Choice Mousepad (£27): SteelSeries SteelPad 5L Multilayered Gaming Mouse Mat (E3162) Keyboard (£54): Razer Lycosa "Unstoppable" Gaming Keyboard [RZ03-00180600-R3W1] Non-slip Rubber Backlit Keys - UK Headset (£88): Sennheiser PC350 Gaming Headset Sub-Total: £406 (inc. VAT) ::Grand Total:: £1806 (inc. VAT) I'm also getting an external HDD along with Acronis for secure back-up. If I were to go with air-cooling and not overclock my rig so much, it would have a grand total of around £1300. But, as I mentioned, I will be overclocking more, and I want a cooler/quieter environment. Also, this case + cooling-system is a long-term investment, I will only be spending ~£0-£300/year in upgrades, in order to stay with the flow of things. Suggestions awaited!

Recommendations for i7 build Here are my current specs, if someone could please give some feedback and recommendations, I would appreciate it. The reason I want to go with the i7 920 is because it's relatively cheap and it will save me from having to upgrade my mobo at a later date... I'm seeking to be able to run today's and tomorrow's games on this same tower without having to replace everything inside... Case: Antec Twelve Hundred Ultimate Gamer 420W Case with Side Window Lights & Illumination: NONE Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Maximum Case Cooling Fans for your selected case, and match the colour of the fans already in the case Power Supply Upgrade: 1000 Watts Power Supplies (CoolerMaster Real Power PRO 1000W Modular PSU SLI Ready) CPU: (Quad-Core)Intel® Core™ i7 920 @ 2.66GHz 8 MB cache LGA1366 ***Overclockable XXX*** Overclocking Service: S& S (Safe and stable overclock 10% to 20%) Cooling Fan: Cyberpower Advanced WaterCooling Kit (Including Radiator, Pumping, Reservoir, CPU Block, Tubing, and Coolant) ***Overclockable XXX*** Motherboard: Asus P6T Deluxe Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX Mainboard SAS Triple-Channel DDR3/1600 SATA RAID w/ eSATA, Dual GbLAN, USB2.0, IEEE1394a, &7.1Audio ***Overclockable XXX*** Memory: (Req.DDR3 MainBoard)(3x2GB) PC12800 DDR3/1600mhz Triple Channel Memory (G.SKILL PI Series w/Heat Spreader ***Overclockable XXX***) VGA Power Supply: NONE Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 4870 PCI-E x16 512MB DDR5 Video Card Video Card 2: NONE Video Card 3: NONE Monitor & LCD: 24& quot; TFT Active Matrix LCD Display (Samsung SM2443BW 24& quot; 5MS Wide LCD Display DVI Monitor) 2nd Monitor: NONE Hard Drive: High Performance with Data Security (RAID-1) with 2 Identical Hard Drives (2TB (1TBx2) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD) Data Hard Drive: NONE Hard Drive Cooler: None Optical Drive: SONY DUAL FORMAT 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (SILVER COLOR) Optical Drive 2: NONE Sound: Creative Labs X-FI Xtreme Gamer 7.1 PCI Sound Card Speakers: Logitech X-240 2.1 Configuration Speakers System Network: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD MODEM: NONE Keyboard: Razer Tarantula™ Gaming Keyboard Mouse: Logitech MX518 Gaming-Grade Optical PS2/USB Mouse Extra Thermal Display : NONE (AS SHOWN) Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: D-LINK DWL G520 Super G 108Mbps PCI Adapter Wireless 802.11B/G Access Point: NONE Flash Media Reader/Writer: None Cable Wiring: Professional Wiring for All WIRINGs Inside The System Chasis with High Performance Thermal Compound on CPU Cables: None Video Camera: NONE Power Surge Protection: Belkin 6-Socket Surge Protector IEEE Card: NONE USB Port: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports USB Portable Drive: NONE Floppy: NONE OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 (64-bit Edition)

The Quad-Core (QX series) or the new i7's? Which will be more future-proof and a better investment? The Quad-Core's I hear are not so much for gaming as they are for multi-task video-editing type stuff... The 3.33 E8600 I was told is the best performance-price gaming processor... If the i7's take over, then the QX processor along with its motherboard and memory will need replacing... So why spend so much extra on QX when you can just get the i7 to begin with? Or... save a couple hundred quid for the E8600, and in a few years upgrade to whatever mobo/processor comes out on top What do you think?

That's cookie reliant, it wont' show me your shopping cart... and since mine is empty.,.. thats all I see is an empty shopping cart :( Can you perhaps just copy and paste the specs? Thanks

This i7 looks really good for the money... Gamer Infinity i7 Galaxy Can you perhaps select the best products that you think are great price-performance ratio, and also make sure that the case and cooling and power supply are all the best that you recommend, and then link me to the final product? It's just that I'm so overwhelmed with all of the brands and everything, I don't want to select something that is incompatible, or that isn't good, or that is too expensive... you know what I mean? I appreciate all of your help thus far, thank you so much

~Yes, I managed to build a complete (monitor, etc...) system using that base for about £2400 I believe... Does monitor matter? The ms of the monitor... most are 5-6... some are 2-3ms.... Does that make a huge difference in gaming? Which processor should I get? Quad or i7? And is it okay to crossfire the 4870x2 (2gb), or is that overkill or what? Should I go with nvidia's 260 (or whatever it is) instead?

Thank you so very much... I would "bite the bullet", as you said in another thread, and build, except that I don't think it is possible to get parts all together in one package with a payment plan... I simply don't have the cash to pay for it at the moment, and I'm growing far too impatient to save for it. Unless you know of a place that has such a plan?

Well what is the best website that has finance options available? (I want a PC now, I'm tired of waiting, but I won't be able to pay for it for a few more months... I like the "don't pay until May 2009" that a few sites offer...) And can you help me select the best parts from that website? Please Dalo, I would really appreciate it, I've been waiting to have a top-notch gaming pc since I was a kid.

I need a future-proof gaming rig I keep customizing pc's from websites and always end up missing something... I don't want to build it myself, I wouldn't know what to get or how, and I don't want to risk it. So, I'm looking at the 3xs systems on scan.co.uk and this is what I've come up with, but I'm unhappy that the price is £1000 more than I was hoping to spend... I'm wondering if this rig is future-proof, and if so, for how long do you reckon? Next... Is the CPU cooler good? Is water cooling essential? The power supply is 620w, is that enough? If it isn't enough, how come that is the highest option I can select? How is this computer Performance-to-Price ratio? Is it way overpriced? I can spend £2500 if it's going to not need any upgrades for the next 3 years. But if I have to replace the motherboard... the processor... and the graphics... (that's going to be £800+ upgrades) then I hardly think it's worth it. I really need some professional advice... If anyone knows a lot about building high-quality PC's for the best price then please point me to a link where I can see one that you've put together, a gaming PC that's future-proof that you would be happy with yourself. I don't know how to mix-and-match parts to get the best performance and efficiency, so if someone can help me I'd really appreciate it. Thanks. COST: £2534 Case: Antec 900 - Nine Hundred Ultimate Gamer Case CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 Yorkfield Core S775 3.00 GHz 1333MHz FSB 12MB L2 Cache Retail CPU Coolers: NorthQ Siberian Tiger Liquid Cooling with 120mm Ceramic NorthQ Fan control. Overclocking: 3XS System Core-Logic Overclocking*10 - 20%* Memory: 4GB (2x2GB) Corsair TwinX DDR2 Dominator - PC2-8500 (1066) - CAS 5 NVIDIA Graphics: *No NVIDIA VGA Card Required* (ATI Required) ATI Graphics - Crossfire Options Available: 2GB Sapphire HD 4870X2 3600MHz GDDR5 750MHz GPU 1600 Cores Power Supply Unit: 620W Corsair HX Series Modular PSU (Dual VGA Card Crossfire) System Drives: 640 GB Western Digital WD6401AALS Caviar Black 7200 rpm 32MB Cache Storage Hard drives: 640 GB Western Digital WD6401AALS Caviar Black 7200 rpm 32MB Cache Floppy Drive Flash Card Readers & Writers: Akasa 3.5" Internal Multi Memory Card reader & USB 2.0 Port DVD Writer: Pioneer DVR-216DBK 20x DVD±R 12x DVD±DL DVD+RW x8 -RW x6 SATA Black Blu Ray Reader Writer: *Blu Ray Not Required* Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Sound Card 7.1Ch Internal External (USB) Wireless Adaptors: ***No Wireless Required*** TV Tuner Card: *No TV Tuner Card Required* Gaming Network Card: KillerNIC K1 Network Card with 333Mhz Processing Unit Cooling Fans: 120mm Akasa Amber Case Fan Ultra Quiet and Long life - No LEDs, 2 selected Acoustic Sound Proofing: **No Sound Proofing Required** Not Needed if Using Antec P182 Operating system: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64Bit Software - Application: Microsoft Office 2007 Home & Student Edition OEM *Licence Only No Media* Software - DVD Blu Ray Decoding: Cyberlink Power DVD V7 Software - Security: *No Software Required* Software - Hottest PC Games: Warhammer Online: Age Of Reckoning TFT Monitor: 22" Samsung LS22MYKEBQ Black Widescreen LCD 1680x1050 1000:1 Speakers: Logitech X-240 2.1 Speaker System Gaming Keyboard : Microsoft Reclusa Ultimate Keyboard Gaming Mouse Option: Logitech G5 Laser Mouse - 2000dpi Gaming Mouse Mat: Razer DESTRUCTOR Mouse Pad Headphones: Speed-Link MEDUSA 5.1 Vibrating ProGamer Headphones Extended Warranty: Standard 3XS System Warranty

I made this system on scan.co.uk Case: Silverstone TJ09S-W (Silver) TEMJIN Aluminum Supertower Case inc Side Window CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield Core S775 2.83 GHz 1333MHz FSB 12MB L2 Cache Retail Overclocking: 3XS System Core-Logic Overclocking*10 - 20%* Memory: 4GB (2x2GB) Corsair Dominator TwinX DDR2 PC2-8500 (1066) CAS 5-5-5-15 EPP DHX NVIDIA Graphics - Multi GPU Options Available: *No NVIDIA VGA Card Required* (ATI Required) ATI Graphics: 512MB Sapphire HD 4870 3600MHz GDDR5 750MHz GPU 800 Cores Additional VGA Water-Cooling Option **Includes Additional Radiator & Necessary Components** : BUILD TEST VGA WATER COOLING X 2 GPU Coolant: 1l Feser One Fluid - UV Green for water cooling systems (Non Conductive < 10 ìS), 2 selected Tubing: Alphacool Hose PVC 11 8mm UV-Active Green , 3 selected Cooling Fans: 120mm Coolermaster Internal Case Fan with GREEN LED, 5 selected System Drives: 640 GB Samsung HD642JJ Spinpoint F1 7200 rpm 16MB Cache Storage Hard Drives: 750 GB Samsung Spinpoint F1 SATA 300 7200 rpm 32MB Cache 8.9 ms NCQ Solid State Drives: *Solid State Drive Not Required* Floppy Drive Flash - Card Readers & Writers: Heisei Black Floppy Disk & Internal Combo All in 1 Card Reader DVD Writer: Pioneer DVR-216DBK 20x DVD±R 12x DVD±DL DVD+RW x8 -RW x6 SATA Black Blu Ray Reader Writer: *Blu Ray Not Required* Sound Card: Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Extreme Audio Sound Card 7.1Ch OEM TV Tuner Card: *No TV Tuner Card Required* Gaming Network Card: KillerNIC K1 Network Card with 333Mhz Processing Unit RJ-45 and USB 2.0 Internal External (USB) Wireless Adaptors: ***On Board Wireless*** Operating system: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64Bit Software - Application: Microsoft Office 2007 Home & Student Edition OEM *Licence Only No Media* Software - DVD Blu Ray Decoding: Cyberlink Power DVD V7 Software - Security: *No Software Required* Software - Hottest PC Games: Warhammer Online: Age Of Reckoning TFT Monitor: 22" Samsung LS22MYKEBQ Black Widescreen LCD 1680x1050 1000:1 Speakers: Logitech X-240 2.1 Speaker System Gaming Keyboard : Microsoft Reclusa Ultimate Keyboard Gaming Mouse Option: Logitech G5 Laser Mouse - 2000dpi Gaming Mouse Mat: Razer DESTRUCTOR Mouse Pad Headphones: Speed-Link MEDUSA 5.1 Vibrating ProGamer Headphones Modem Wireless Router: ZyXel Prestige 2602HWL-D1A - 125Mbps ADSL Modem Router Direct Attached Storage (DAS): *No Back up Required* Network Attached Storage (NAS): *Hard Drive Not Required* Extended Warranty: Standard 3XS System Warranty **** It's £2900... £1200 more than the other one... I can't find out how to customize a system more... it's very limited even on scan.co.uk from what I can find. I'm forced to either use a certain tower combined with a limited range of CPU's, or something else is forced... I can't fully customize it... I don't want to spend more than £2000 on something that is going to become obsolete so fast. And the reason I go for 64bit is to be more future proof, and 32 doesn't support more than 3gig of ram (so I've read)... You can clearly see I need help lol...

Okay what provisions do I need to make? I know very little about building a proper gaming pc... I'd appreciate all of the help I can get. I'm looking at scan.co.uk right now, they seem to offer a lot better products than the site I built this one from, but they seem to be more expensive too. Can you point me in the right direction? I need an entire system: monitor, mousepad, etc... I'm not brave enough to try to build it on my own though. Thanks EDIT: I just noticed that you placed your comments in red on my quote lol, sorry... Okay, I'm going to look at scan because the options on that other site are VERY limited, they don't have any of the items you suggested me lol. Can you perhaps show me a link to a good start from Scan? Or a good build that you recommend? Thanks very much Dalo

What do you mean by "that arrangement"? heh I'm on a website that will build it for me, my options are limited unfortunately. I'm watching! edit: I noticed on another thread that Dalo is an advocate of the Quad-Core's. I was put off that current games don't make use of them and that they're quite overpriced at the moment. I thought I could upgrade in the future. Also, I'm not sure if the mobo options they have would support it very well... I can't wait to get some expert input and advice. I want to make sure I get the best setup I can. Also, if I upgrade from dual to quad (Intel® Core™2 Quad Q9650 (4 X 3.00GHz) 1333MHz FSB/12MB Cache) it brings the price to £1875... Is it worth it? And if I do go for the Q9650, then will my mobo support it? Thanks

Here's a gaming PC I put together at pc specialist... Let me know if you think it's overpriced, or just feel free to add general comments/suggestions. There's at least £400 worth of peripherals such as monitor, mouse, keyboard, printer, headphones, BLU ray... So take that into consideration of the final price. (Note: My chosen monitor is a beast, it's and extra £179+ by itself.) Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™2 Duo E8600 (2 X 3.33GHz) 1333MHz FSB/6MB L2 Cache Memory (RAM) 4GB CORSAIR DOMINATOR 1066MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY (2x2GB) Motherboard ASUS® RAMPAGE FORMULA: DUAL DDR2, S-ATA II, 2 x PCI-Ex, 2 x PCI Operating System Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium 64-bit Edition + SP1, CD (£69) USB Options 8 x USB 2.0 PORTS (6 REAR + 2 FRONT) AS STANDARD Memory - 1st Hard Disk 160GB SERIAL ATA II HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm) 2nd Hard Disk 160GB SERIAL ATA II HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm) RAID (HDD 1 & 2) NONE 1st CD/DVD Drive 6x BLU-RAY ROM & HD-DVD ROM Drive, 16x DVD ±R/±RW (£69) 2nd CD/DVD Drive NONE Graphics Card 512MB RADEON HD 4870 PCI Express + DVI 2nd Graphics Card NONE Sound Card ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD) Modem NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND Network Facilities WIRELESS N 300Mbps NETWORK CARD (£15) Floppy Disk Drive NONE Memory Card Reader NONE Case CoolerMaster CM Stacker 831 Silver Aluminium Case Power Supply & Case Cooling 600W Quiet Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£59) Processor Cooling SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£15) Firewire & Video Editing NONE TV Card NONE Monitor LG W2252TQ 22 inch Wide: HDCP/DVI/2MS/1680 x1050 (£179) 2nd Monitor NONE DVI Cable 1 x 2 Metre DVI Cable (£5) Keyboard & Mouse Logitech® Internet Keyboard + Hotkeys (Black) (£7) Mouse Logitech® G5 2007 Edition Corded Laser Gaming Mouse (£35) Speakers LOGITECH S220 2.1 SILVER/BLACK SPEAKER SYSTEM (£12) Printer HP PHOTOSMART C5280 ALL-IN-ONE SERIES + USB CABLE (£59) Surge Protection 2 x Belkin 4 Socket 2M Surge Protector (8 Sockets) (Special: £14) Webcams NONE Headsets (VOIP) Logitech® Digital Precision PC Gaming Headset (£25) Anti-Virus NONE Office Software Microsoft® Office® 2007 Home & Student (3 Licence) (£69) (Special) External Hard Drive NONE Home Installation NONE Warranty 1 Year Return-to-Base incl 1st Month Free Collect & Return Delivery STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI) Build Time Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 9 working days Quantity 1 New Total Price £1657 ************ Should I upgrade the onboard sound to Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty Professional? Does the sound card make a huge improvement in audio quality? Thanks

I would like to have a PC with all of the best parts, and not spend extra money that PC stores charge... but I would be afraid of making a dire mistake in building myself. So, here's the problem with self-built: If you don't have thousands of pounds to waste, then don't spend so much on top-quality parts only to find out in the end that you put something together wrong and BOOM! - You just blew your computer, wasted a lot of money potentially - Finance options are not available with prebuilt, you need to have cold hard cash, or a good credit card... - Good Wiring may be difficult to achieve, resulting in over-heating, or lower life-spans. - Accidents happen... I think if you don't know what you're doing, but want to learn, that's fine, practice on cheap throw-away parts that you can buy a whole pc for under £100... But if you try to make a beast of a PC for £1000 you might be wasting your money in the end if it fails you due to your inexperience, even with people's help. So I think there's a lot of factors... If I knew how to build properly, I would love to... but for me personally there's a few reasons I won't build my own PC, at least not for now.

Hello everyone, my name's Robert, I'm a gamer, I know a lot about computers but not nearly as much as I'd like to know. I know just the basics lol. I guess compared to the people on here I don't know anything, which is why I've come!