I need a future-proof gaming rig

[got2nesa]

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

Edited November 25, 2008 by got2nesa

[Guest Wolfeymole]

I'm sure Dalo will have something to say about that arrangement Bob.

 

Watch this space mate. :)

[got2nesa]

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

Edited November 25, 2008 by got2nesa

[Dalo Harkin]

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

 

Go Quad - games are now starting to use the technology - Supreme Commander has used Quad cores from the beginning and games like Far Cry 2 now use them.

 

Memory (RAM)

4GB CORSAIR DOMINATOR 1066MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY (2x2GB)

 

Thats fine

 

Motherboard

ASUS® RAMPAGE FORMULA: DUAL DDR2, S-ATA II, 2 x PCI-Ex, 2 x PCI

 

Its Ok - but VERY overpriced

 

Operating System

Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium 64-bit Edition + SP1, CD (£69)

 

Hmm, preference really, there is still a lack of drivers for 64bit

 

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)

 

You only need 80GB for the OS and programs, and then get something like a Samsung F1 drive for GAMES and STORAGE

 

RAID (HDD 1 & 2)

NONE

 

1st CD/DVD Drive

6x BLU-RAY ROM & HD-DVD ROM Drive, 16x DVD ±R/±RW (£69)

 

Complete waste of money - just get a normal DVD-RW

 

2nd CD/DVD Drive

NONE

 

Graphics Card

512MB RADEON HD 4870 PCI Express + DVI

 

This is a VERY good card at the moment

 

2nd Graphics Card

NONE

 

Sound Card

ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

 

Always get a dedicated Sound Card - The Audigy Xtreme Gamer OEM will be fine

 

Modem

NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND

 

Network Facilities

WIRELESS N 300Mbps NETWORK CARD (£15)

 

This is fine - IF the router you have supports it

 

Floppy Disk Drive

NONE

 

Memory Card Reader

NONE

 

Case

CoolerMaster CM Stacker 831 Silver Aluminium Case

 

Hmm - again I always go Antec for PC's I build for people as they have an extremely good cooling set up.

 

Power Supply & Case Cooling

600W Quiet Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£59)

 

You will need more than that for the list above.

 

Processor Cooling

SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£15)

 

Get Thermalright all the time - if you cant stretch to that then go for Arctic cooling

 

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

 

Right - I dont want to sound like I am against all your opinions above, but if you are using the PC for gaming you are expecting the components to be at load most of the time, and you need to make provisions for that.

[got2nesa]

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

Edited November 25, 2008 by got2nesa

[got2nesa]

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...

[got2nesa]

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

[Dalo Harkin]

That Siberian Water Cooler is rubbish, as for the expense - people charge alot for building PC's especially companies.

If you do not have the knowledge of building a PC then you are VERY limited in terms of choosing parts that are the BEST and then putting it all together.

 

Water cooling is only really needed if OC'ing.

620W is not alot they may tell you that its sufficient and it is JUST, if you are going to be looking at making it 'future proof' then the components that you add later like a second GPU, you will be well over on the power requirements.

 

You are so limited if you are not building and unfortunately you pay through the teeth for it - or bite the bullet and build.

[Dalo Harkin]

Right - have a look here Intel® Core™2 Extreme QX6850 Processor

 

I dont use this company as I build, but I have seen some good reviews of them.

[got2nesa]

That Siberian Water Cooler is rubbish, as for the expense - people charge alot for building PC's especially companies.

If you do not have the knowledge of building a PC then you are VERY limited in terms of choosing parts that are the BEST and then putting it all together.

 

Water cooling is only really needed if OC'ing.

620W is not alot they may tell you that its sufficient and it is JUST, if you are going to be looking at making it 'future proof' then the components that you add later like a second GPU, you will be well over on the power requirements.

 

You are so limited if you are not building and unfortunately you pay through the teeth for it - or bite the bullet and build.

 

 

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.

[Dalo Harkin]

I did see this Scan 3XS X58 Core i7 | Desktop PCs | Reviews | Custom PC

And yes it is at Scan.co.uk

I am not sure if this is the one you mentioned earlier, but it seems ok for the money

[got2nesa]

Right - have a look here Intel® Core™2 Extreme QX6850 Processor

 

I dont use this company as I build, but I have seen some good reviews of them.

 

 

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?

[got2nesa]

I did see this Scan 3XS X58 Core i7 | Desktop PCs | Reviews | Custom PC

And yes it is at Scan.co.uk

I am not sure if this is the one you mentioned earlier, but it seems ok for the money

 

~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?

[Dalo Harkin]

~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?

 

Have a look for some reviews - as long as the image does not 'ghost' you are fine.

 

Which processor should I get? Quad or i7?

 

i7 is newer technology and therefore more futureproof - but for RAW power I dont think that you can beat a QUAD

 

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?

 

CROSSFIRE or SLI is overrated and not needed - of you can afford a card like the 4870x2 then get that one as they blow everything else out of the water!

[got2nesa]

CROSSFIRE or SLI is overrated and not needed - of you can afford a card like the 4870x2 then get that one as they blow everything else out of the water!

 

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

[Dalo Harkin]

Shopping Cart

[got2nesa]

Shopping Cart

 

 

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

[got2nesa]

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)

[Guest Wolfeymole]

Keep all posts with regard to this in THIS thread please.

 

Do not make a complete new post on this as a separate thread as this can lead to confusion.

[TheSlee]

I came up with a budget rig that I think would be quite good but any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

Processor:

AMD Phenom X4 9950 Quad Core Processor HD995ZXAGHBOX - Black Edition, 2.60GHz, 4MB Cache, 2000MHz (4000 MT/s) FSB, Agena, Quad-Core, Retail, Socket AM2+, Processor with Fan - $195

 

Motherboard

MSI K9A2 Platinum Motherboard - AMD790FX, Socket AM2+, ATX, Audio, PCI Express 2.0, Gigabit LAN, S/PDIF, USB 2.0, Firewire, eSATA, RAID - $160

 

RAM

Corsair Dual Channel TWINX 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Memory (2 x 2048MB) - $25

 

HDD

Maxtor Basics STM305004N1AAAS-RK 500GB Hard Drive - 7200, 16MB, Serial ATA-300, Retail - $70

 

Graphics Card

XFX GeForce 9800 GT - 512MB GDDR3, PCI Express 2.0, (2) Dual Link DVI, HDTV, VGA Support - $100

 

Monitor

Acer X223Wbd 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor - 2500:1, 1680 x 1050 (WSXGA+), VGA, DVI (HDCP), Black - $170

 

PSU

Ultra X3 ULT40070 1600-Watt Power Supply - ATX, SATA-Ready, PCI-E Ready, Energy Efficient, Modular - $400

 

DVD RW

HP DVD1040i Lightscribe Super-Multi Retail DVD Burner - 20x DVD±R Burn, 16x DVD±R Read, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD±R DL, 12x DVD-RAM, 48x32x CD-R/RW, Internal - $40

 

Keyboard

Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard (2007 Version) - $80

 

Mouse

Logitech - G9 - Laser Gaming Mouse - $60

 

Headphones

Inland USB or Battery Powered Bass Vibration 6000 Headset with Volume Control - $23

 

It's about $1423 which translates to about 940 GBP with todays exchange rate without including postage which will probably be quite steep as the site is American (TigerDirect.com - Computers, Computer Parts, Computer Components & Electronics)

[DirtyPolo]

TheSlee are you trying to help got2nesa? If not try not to hijack this thread, if you are looking for help for your own rig, start a new thread :D

 

But if you ARE trying to help, check the website, I'm pretty sure Tiger Direct don't ship outside the states, I may be wrong but I think that is correct.

[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!

[Dalo Harkin]

Unless you plan on getting some crazy overclock (which you wont with that board) watercooling is unnecessary.

IF you had a QUAD on the other hand then yes the watercooling is needed to get the CPU to 4Ghz per core :D