Spec for a new PC (self built)

[Richard]

Let's be honest, laptops don't really cut it when it comes to PC gaming, and other demanding tasks. So I'm planning to built a new system myself (I'm not really too bothered if off the shelf PCs work out better for money, I largely want the experience of building one myself).

Few notes:
- I'm not strongly AMD or Intel, so if you genuinely think that an Intel CPU would be better value for money, please do suggest it.
- None of these parts are set in stone, any can change as long as they are compatible (I don't even know if my current set up is compatible :P)
- The prices listed in the links below are necessarily the price I'll be paying for them, I just found eBuyer an excellent way to search for parts, and see good images of them. If you think any other UK sites are suitable, please suggest.

Max price range: £700 (no monitor required)

Now, the specification itself:

- AMD Phenom II X4 965BE - http://www.ebuyer.com/product/186428
- ASUS M4A79T Deluxe 790FX Mobo - http://www.ebuyer.com/product/159769 (mainly for the ability to be upgraded in future)
- 4/6GB DDR3 RAM (speed, not too bothered about it) - no link as they're all much the same
- Sapphire HD 5770 1GB GFX - http://www.ebuyer.com/product/189741
- 1 TB SATA HDD - once again, make/model isn't a big issue
- Possibly BD-ROM drive? - thoughts on this idea?
- Casecom 6788 - http://www.ebuyer.com/product/172779 - do people think this will have sufficient space for all my parts
- Win7 64-bit (price not an issue, my computing teacher can get it for me ~£30)
- 850W PSU - http://www.ebuyer.com/product/124736 - could really use some decent tips on PSUs though

Have I missed anything?

Basically, comments on the setup, ideas to improve it etc.

Thanks for the help

[tls]

Go with 6gb ram

[Richard]

Go with 6gb ram

I was thinking of going to that extent, with that much, would it be a good idea to have some memory cooling?

[Dan Cardin]

small SSD plus whatever HDD size you want.

[Shuttleu]

if you have the money, then it all sounds good, maybe as you have the slots you might as well have 4X4GB PC3-17000 along with a BD-RW and swap the HDD with a SSD

also you need a nice powerful PSU ;)

~shut

[Richard]

You know, I did actually have a PSU tab up and completely forgot to copy it across :p
Personally don't see the practicality in 16GB of RAM :L
I was looking at some SSD HDDs, but saw they were pretty costly. Could you explain what they are?

Edit: added in

[noidea]

Go with 6gb ram

Disagreed.
Intel uses triple channel memory these days while AMD uses dual channel memory, so for best results (for AMD) use 2, 4, or 8 GB of ram.

tbh, if you're planning on updating the cpu down the line, I dont know if thats going to turn out well. AMD's next chip, bulldozer, is using a different socket than the ones currently available. I don't know if they're going to be making any new chips for the currently existing sockets after bulldozer is released.

You should really provide the max you're willing to spend.

[Richard]

Disagreed.
Intel uses triple channel memory these days while AMD uses dual channel memory, so for best results (for AMD) use 2, 4, or 8 GB of ram.

tbh, if you're planning on updating the cpu down the line, I dont know if thats going to turn out well. AMD's next chip, bulldozer, is using a different socket than the ones currently available. I don't know if they're going to be making any new chips for the currently existing sockets after bulldozer is released.

Probably just go with 8GB, future safe.

[noidea]

You should really provide the max you're willing to spend.

imo, you're not going to need > 6GB if you're not encoding video, etc.

[Richard]

You should really provide the max you're willing to spend.

imo, you're not going to need > 6GB if you're not encoding video, etc.

£700 +/- £50

It's going to be quite a diverse machine, but largely gaming.

[noidea]

£700 +/- £50

It's going to be quite a diverse machine, but largely gaming.

If it's going to be meant mainly for gaming you may want to go intel.
Capricorn will tell you that as well^

[Shuttleu]

You know, I did actually have a PSU tab up and completely forgot to copy it across :p
Personally don't see the practicality in 16GB of RAM :L
I was looking at some SSD HDDs, but saw they were pretty costly. Could you explain what they are?

Edit: added in

a SSD is a HDD which uses Flash Memory instead of the old fashioned Hard Disk Magnetic Platter, this means that the HDD is much, much quieter and faster

it is also smaller and is less likely to break due to there being no moving parts

~shut

[Richard]

If it's going to be meant mainly for gaming you may want to go intel.
Capricorn will tell you that as well^

The thing I noticed with Intel boards is that they generally offered less for an equivalent valued AMD board. If I have the money I'd go for the 1366 socket, but alas

EDIT: Shut: I might look into this, but it seems to be pretty hefty price. It's essentially an oversized USB stick :p For the files I'll actually be using (OS etc.) probably only need one in the 80GB area. And when I play games which will access files on the main HDD, the fans will be working overtime to ensure it all stays cool...

On another note, is this a reasonable setup to OC on? AMD have a piece of software which can help fine tune CPUs for good performace (hence the black edition processor)

[noidea]

On another note, is this a reasonable setup to OC on? AMD have a piece of software which can help fine tune CPUs for good performace (hence the black edition processor)

Yea the 965 can get up to 4+GHz depending on cooling and voltage.
I wouldnt OC via the tools. OC'ing though the BIOS is best.
If you're bent on AMD, go with the 1055T (hexacore) and good cooling (noctua d-14 heatsink) and it should be able to reach 3.6-4.3+GHz.

[Richard]

Yea the 965 can get up to 4+GHz depending on cooling and voltage.
I wouldnt OC via the tools. OC'ing though the BIOS is best.
If you're bent on AMD, go with the 1055T (hexacore) and good cooling (noctua d-14 heatsink) and it should be able to reach 3.6-4.3+GHz.

I actually had my mind set on the X6 for quite a while, the only factor that dissuaded me was the OCing on the 965BE. But will that motherboard unlock all 6 cores?

I'm not necessarily set on AMD, I'm quite open to Intel if there's a reasonably priced equivalent (ie +/- £50 on the current MB&CPU)

[Dan Cardin]

i would put games on the ssd. anything that you'll need to be fast, put on the ssd. Nowadays, writing limits aren't even a problem unless you're copying lots and lots of stuff over and over again.

[Dervish]

Maybe its a bit late but... http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af150/The_FalconO6/CurrentLogicalPCBuyingGuide/Guide.png

[Capricorn]

Drop the PSU down to a 500-550W of the same brand, should save you what maybe 30£. With the extra money upgrade to 6850.

I don't know how the prices work out in UK, so I cannot comment on if you can go with a i5. Though I totally would if I were you. Some people suggested getting a SSD, if I had a choice between i5 and a SSD though I would hit up the SSD. The phenom is still pretty good but a SSD is replacing one of the biggest bottlenecks in your computer.

[Richard]

Dervish, that's a pretty useful reference actually, my spec seems to pretty much fit the "Good" rating (almost identically). I might end up using that if I decide to go for a slightly more powerful PC too. Useful guide, thanks.

Capricorn, after much forethought, I think I'll probably end up buying somewhere in the 500-600W region. Still ensure about SSD though, wouldn't really know what files to put on their, and they are pretty costly. But I might end up going for one, just so I don't bottleneck on higher end games. It's also always possible to upgrade to a bigger SSD when I've got the money, putting the OS on there and such. Thanks.

[Capricorn]

Capricorn, after much forethought, I think I'll probably end up buying somewhere in the 500-600W region. Still ensure about SSD though, wouldn't really know what files to put on their, and they are pretty costly. But I might end up going for one, just so I don't bottleneck on higher end games. It's also always possible to upgrade to a bigger SSD when I've got the money, putting the OS on there and such. Thanks.

Well you won't notice the SSD as far as FPS go, but levels will load faster and programs will load faster. It basically makes Windows feel a lot more snappier.

You don't need more than 500W, so why buy more?

[Richard]

Well you won't notice the SSD as far as FPS go, but levels will load faster and programs will load faster. It basically makes Windows feel a lot more snappier.

You don't need more than 500W, so why buy more?

If I was to buy another GPU in the future (more than likely), and keep the current one in there, allowing multiple monitors without compromising speed due to the eyefinity feature, then I'd need more power. Only argument for it really.

[Capricorn]

If I was to buy another GPU in the future (more than likely), and keep the current one in there, allowing multiple monitors without compromising speed due to the eyefinity feature, then I'd need more power. Only argument for it really.

Just a FYI, eyefinity does compromise speed.

Even for multi GPU setups you don't require a lot of energy. 500W is good enough for most, with multiple GPU's maybe 550-600W is needed depending on which card it is.

http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph3987/33246.png

[Richard]

Just a FYI, eyefinity does compromise speed.

Even for multi GPU setups you don't require a lot of energy. 500W is good enough for most, with multiple GPU's maybe 550-600W is needed depending on which card it is.

http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph3987/33246.png

Yeah, that's what I was meaning, getting an extra one so performance doesn't decrease.

I'm surprised at the power requirements there, I genuinely expected most of those GPUs to have far higher power usage.

Right now I'm considering saving some £ by using integrated graphics (ATi 4200), and upgrading to the 5770 when I get some more money after christmas. But are there issues when using GPU cards on a mobo with integrated graphics?

[Capricorn]

Yeah, that's what I was meaning, getting an extra one so performance doesn't decrease.

I'm surprised at the power requirements there, I genuinely expected most of those GPUs to have far higher power usage.

Right now I'm considering saving some £ by using integrated graphics (ATi 4200), and upgrading to the 5770 when I get some more money after christmas. But are there issues when using GPU cards on a mobo with integrated graphics?

Nope, if you have any troubles the worst you will have to do is disable integrated graphics in your BIOS or something.

[Overtime]

Damn so would u say if i get a 5770, i could run it on a 450 psu on a 2.6 ghz 4 core processor?

Possibly with 4x Fans running in the case?

If so damn, i need to add this to the addition of my Coolermaster 932-HAF case.

[Capricorn]

Damn so would u say if i get a 5770, i could run it on a 450 psu on a 2.6 ghz 4 core processor?

Possibly with 4x Fans running in the case?

If so damn, i need to add this to the addition of my Coolermaster 932-HAF case.

Depends if your PSU is a good brand or not.

[Overtime]

Lol my guess..
Ebay.

Thinking about the new Antec 650 though for x-mas. as its only $60 :D

Im going to make a new thread later, as im having a hard time deciding something :O

[Richard]

Little update here. I went onto dabs.com earlier and noticed a rather incredible deal (http://www.dabs.com/products/asus-amd-gamer-bundle--includes-m4a87td-evo-motherboard--amd-phenom-ii-x6-1090t-black-edition---4gb-ddr3--77X5.html?refs=48750000). This bundle includes a 1090T (3.2GHz, 6 core, and some nutter managed to OC to 6.8GHz - only with liquid nitrogen...), 4GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM, and a nice 870X mobo.

Alone the cost of these items is in excess of £350, but this bundle is only £300 (admittedly I could have bought cheaper RAM, but the heatsink on these is a nice added bonus).

The mobo would probably only be a temporary component, as I'd rather get an 890FX one to release to full potential of that processor. But I personally think this deal is a bit too good to miss. Thoughts?

Over time, I expect a lot of the components will be replaced, but this was the plan all along. This way I'll upgrade the processor far further along the line, up until the awaited bulldozer chip arrives, and comes down to a reasonable price.

[Overtime]

Thats a damn good deal

all u need is a psu now :D

[Capricorn]

Idk if thats a good deal or not, because the 1090T is on sale on newegg for 55$ less. I don't know what the CPU costs originally in the UK though.

I personally wouldn't buy it but its a decent chip.

[Richard]

Woah, that is considerably cheaper (just looked). In the UK they're all around £200-220 (in excess of 300$). Do components bought from the US works with most UK components? I'm assuming they're all the same really. If I bought in bulk, it would work out so much cheaper, even accounting in the delivery.

Why is the UK always the most expensive for everything, regardless of what you buy?

[kingarabian]

When buying a psu never look at just the overall wattage it gives you. Make sure the wattage on the 12v rail is sufficient enough.

[Capricorn]

Woah, that is considerably cheaper (just looked). In the UK they're all around £200-220 (in excess of 300$). Do components bought from the US works with most UK components? I'm assuming they're all the same really. If I bought in bulk, it would work out so much cheaper, even accounting in the delivery.

Why is the UK always the most expensive for everything, regardless of what you buy?

You will end up paying duty, american taxes, and UK taxes. Annnnnnnd, newegg doesn't ship outside of the states, canada and china for their respective sites.

[Richard]

When buying a psu never look at just the overall wattage it gives you. Make sure the wattage on the 12v rail is sufficient enough.

My main concern is efficiency, if something is only 60% efficient, then the other 40% is highly likely to be heat, thus requiring more power to keep it cooler, and it all ends up coster much more, and lowering the life of the components.


You will end up paying duty, american taxes, and UK taxes. Annnnnnnd, newegg doesn't ship outside of the states, canada and china for their respective sites.

Shame, newegg looks like a really good website. I think I'm going to go with this website, then later upgrade to a 890FX mobo.

One issue, I have this worrying feeling that I'll need a PS/2 slot keyboard to enable USB sockets. Help?

[kingarabian]

I bought all my hardware from Amazon.com. Free shipping and nearly the same prices as newegg. I mean I really like newegg, but all the savings you get when you buy an item, gets thrashed because of the expensive shipping to Hawaii.