New PC build. £700~ order from Scan

[AbraUK]

Another thread is here: http://forums.hexus.net/hexus-hardwa...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!

[Cornholio]

[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.

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?

[QuackPot]

Not too sure about Crossfire but if it's like SLI and RAM, I'd go for the exact same make and model for better stability.

For Cool n Quiet, this feature reduces the speed that the CPU runs at the help reduce power consumption, heat and fan noise.

As for Turbo Core, I have no idea what that means.

Also, if you buy items for the "Today Only" section you can save yourself some more money.

[AbraUK]

Damn!
I didn't really look on the "Today Only" section and already placed an order :|
Oh well...

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

[QuackPot]

I'm pretty sure you can buy side windows for Cooler Master cases.

I bought a Cooler Master 690 II last night and I did think about getting blue LED fans but I didn't see the point as I'll never see them. Especially when there's not side window and when it's day time.

But there are forums where people who had modded their cases should be able to help you out if you want to mod your case to make it looks better. Especially for LEDs.

[AbraUK]

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

[Cornholio]

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

I run 16000mhz ram on my 955BE .

[Cretin]

Do you get 1600Mhz Easily? And what is your CPU running at?

[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?

[Cichlidash]

Did you contact Scan about the mouse design I have found Scan to have pretty good customer support in the past and they might be able to help if you really want the fire design

[AbraUK]

No I didn't. It's fine really... As long as it functions properly, I will be happy. looks is just a bonus.
But I was quite surprised to see that the mouse is different from what I ordered

Btw, that mouse is really awesome. Feels very comfortable and is reasonably big. The bundled software also allows you to execute tasks and make macros/scripts.
You can too adjust DPI settings and every button on the mouse