New PC build. £700~ order from Scan

[AbraUK]

Another thread is here: http://forums.hexus.net/scan-care-he...rder-scan.html
As I didn't know as to what section it belongs to...

Hello

I'm about to place an order for a new complete PC gaming build.
I came up with the following parts so far:
http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/2...22010build.jpg

I already have a copy of Windows 7 and I'm planning to get the Microsoft Sidewinder X4 Keyboard from somewhere else for £33.05...
This is my first build ever, so it would be nice if you could tell me if there is anything I should know about. Compatibility issues, etc? Would all these components work together?

For the graphics card, instead of the XFX 6850 Dual Fan one, I would prefer a new MSI Cyclone 6850 Power Edition... But it is not in stock yet. Anywhere.
I'm also planning to add another GFX in crossfire later on and upgrade to a 23"+ monitor (Currently I have 19", 1440 x 900) so wouldn't it be a problem to mix card vendor's brands? For example two HD6850 from which one is XFX Dual Fan and the other one would be MSI Cyclone when it comes out... Would the two cards have to operate at the same speeds? Also, do I get a crossfire bridge connector supplied with the card(s)?
And do I really need that fan splitter cable? As far as I know I can connect the fans that come with HAF 912 plus via 4-pin PSU Molex connector as well, right? It's a bit confusing.

My budget is around £700~

Even though it is my first build ever I don't feel the necessity to purchase "scansure" insurance for additional 20 pounds, so the total price, including that Microsoft sidewinder x4 keyboard, would be 734.97 pounds.

As soon as I receive my order I will make an update and post pictures / feedback of how the system is running.

Like I said, I have never order separate parts and then put it together. That is why I ask you for tips to make sure everything is correct as it should be.
I'm most worried about connecting fans and formatting the HDD / Installing Windows 7... heh

I hope my post is not that confusing...

Happy New Year!

[Singh400]

Embedded the image for you...

[Skulltrail]

For the graphics card, instead of the XFX 6850 Dual Fan one, I would prefer a new MSI Cyclone 6850 Power Edition... But it is not in stock yet. Anywhere.
I'm also planning to add another GFX in crossfire later on and upgrade to a 23"+ monitor (Currently I have 19", 1440 x 900) so wouldn't it be a problem to mix card vendor's brands? For example two HD6850 from which one is XFX Dual Fan and the other one would be MSI Cyclone when it comes out... Would the two cards have to operate at the same speeds? Also, do I get a crossfire bridge connector supplied with the card(s)?

Even though it is my first build ever I don't feel the necessity to purchase "scansure" insurance for additional 20 pounds, so the total price, including that Microsoft sidewinder x4 keyboard, would be 734.97 pounds.

Mixing brands shouldn't be an issue, although clock speeds on the cards should match ideally. It would be unusual for a CrossFire bridge not to be included with the graphics cards so no worries there.

I would concur with your choice not to get the insurance - as long as you don't push ridiculously hard on anything it should be fine!

[Domestic_Ginger]

I would wait until next week for sandybridge.

The ty-140s are meant to be very good fans according to areivew on xbit. won't fit your colour scheme. otherwise very nice; 20 posts nets you free postage btw.

[AbraUK]

@Singh400:
Thanks

@Domestic_Ginger:
Oki. Good to know about free delivery!
And yeah, that Thermalright fan would cause colour bottleneck heheh

[Chunkers]

Are you planning on using the Retail CPU cooler? not sure what the AMD ones are like but if the Intel ones are anything to go by it might be worth investing in a modest upgrade, especially if you are planning on overclocking.

Personally I like the Arctic Coolers.

Don't worry about installing the OS, you should be able to boot straight from the DVD and with modern hardware I doubt you will have any problems at all.

Chunks

[dfour]

Why not use thsi ram ?? Your motherboard and chip will support 1600mhz speed ram.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-%...-9-24-xmp-165v

With the money saved buy a decendt aftermarket cooler for teh cpu. The stock one is good but there are much better out there like the freezer 7 pro or akasa venom etc.
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/arcti...p-to-130-watts!

[AbraUK]

Hmm... oki
Thank you for the suggestions.

I decided to make some changes.
First of all, I want to switch the Phenom II 955 Quad to a Hex core processor like the 1055t OEM version for £145 which is not a lot more. Then OC it to 3.4~ GHz hopefully.
I'll also buy an aftermarket cooler for it for 30~ The AC Freezer 13 seems okay
And save 20~ on the 1600Mhz corsair ram you linked

I might also change the XFX 6850 Dual Fan for a Sapphire 6850... it is cheaper somewhere else And comes with a HDMI cable as well as crossfire bridge connector in the box!

Now... I heard that with a X6 Phenom, a BIOS update is necessary for the motherboard in order to post. Is this correct? And how am I going to do that without powering the system for the first time? Download the files and update BIOS from a USB memory stick somehow?

[AbraUK]

At the end I decided to go with this setup:



+ A Sapphire HD 6850 for £139~
The total cost, not including peripherals, was around 700~ pounds

I am planning on adding another graphics card for crossfire in the future as well as overclocking both of them to 900Mhz~
And I will also OC my processor to 3.8+ Ghz too.
I consider buying an SSD, Fan controller, and a bigger monitor as future upgrades.

Also, I don't know why I picked all this red LED lighting modding equipment kits Especially that this case does not have a see-through panel and the chassis will be stuck under my desk, heh. But we'll see how it comes out I'll try to work hard on cable management

I will post pictures of my build when it's complete!


One more question.
What is the difference between AMD's "Cool n' Quiet" (CnQ) and "Turbo Core" feature in Bios?
If I want to OC my 1055t to let's say 3.8Ghz is it best to turn both of them "enabled" or not?
If these are useful power saving features then I might as well use them! But I'm confused as to how they work on a overclocked processor... Or maybe one On and the other one Off is the best option?

[Domestic_Ginger]

Turbocore will OC your CPU to 3.3ghz when using a max of three cores. iirc (please check or verify) this only works at stock and turns itself when you OC. If you are OCing your gear then I would definately turn this off incase it whacks on another 500mhz ontop of your OC.

Even with CnQ you will get a decent OC. I would keep this on if possible unless it breaks your OC. Power saving features are good imo. I keep mine on.

Amd have released an OC guide google search string "AMD guide unleash the dragon". Note the roles of both HTlink and CPUNB. These are probably what limit most OCs.

GL and happy new ear!

[AbraUK]

Looks like I won't need turbo core at all.
It's only available for X6~ Phenom II prcoessors at the moment, right?

I got informed by Scan that my order is going to be delayed...
When asking for the reason, they told me that the 1055t OEM processor is end-of-life (already?!).
Well... As soon as I get a refund and the remaining parts, I'll order a different CPU (Going back to 955 )

Would 1600Mhz DDR3 Ram work with Phenom II 955 C3? on these speeds? I know that the mobo supports 2000Mhz... but the IMC on the CPU is rated 1333mhz

[AbraUK]

So I finally got all the parts and finished the build few days ago.
Setting it up was easier than I thought.
Updated the bios, windows, and formatted/partitioned the drive within seconds.

The things I was annoyed about:
- The Sharkoon FireGlinder laser mouse that I order from Scan came all black whereas it was meant to have a nice "fire" design on it (Apparently both version have the same model number).
- The screws supplied with that 200mm BitFenix red led fan didn't fit at all! It's ironic that installation of one fan took me almost 20 minutes as I had to find alternative screws with washers and such to make it secure...
- These red Sharkoon CCFL tubes are not red at all... They emit very light pink colour...
- Rubber things instead of screws on Akasa Venom Cooler might be a good idea to reduce vibrations, but one of them broke during installation... Good that there were 4 spare ones included.

These things are not some big issues but I just wanted to share my experience.

I already ordered a fan controller (Lamptron FC-4 (I know it's blue and won't fit my colour scheme)) as well as another 4GB of the same ram from corsair to have a total of 8GB.

Next steps:
- Buy MSI 6850 Cyclone when it's out and configure crossfire.
- Replace my monitor with a 24"+, 1920 x 1080 with 2ms response time.
- An SSD

Pictures:
Click on them to make it bigger. I realise that the quality is so-so. They show a empty HAF case before the build and then its "bling bling" lights when fully powered up (Note how I installed an EXTERNAL led lighting "system"? xD I think it looks awesome. Almost like Christmas... As well as my old computer in comparison. Then there is a picture of my desk, hehe.. I also received free anti-virus software? e-Scan? Is it reliable? (picture 4)



Cable managment is okay I guess. Actually it was difficult to hide all these cables. I thought its going to be a bit easier and less time consuming considering all the opportunities that his case offers, hehe.

Question time:
What are the best tools to test if the system is stable and eventually start overclocking?
So far I ran MemTest, Sapphire Trixx and all the ASUS Utilities bundled with the motherboard to change some settings. As well as CPU/GPU-Z's to check clocks.
I heard MSI Kombustor is a good software to stress the system and monitor temps?

@Edit: I noticed that the 1055 OEM is available to buy again
Am I missing out a lot for chosing 955 BE instead of that hex core?

[Anteries]

That's a sweet setup you have there, nice job.