Help with Building a PC

[PeterStoba]

Hiper used to be good but are not considered that great anymore.

I have to agree with the rest of this post as usual Cat.

As for Hiper, definately stay away, even if it is a good PSU, they've gone bust so no more warranty.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

hey, i also need help building a pc so i thought i would post here instead of making a new thread.

Anyway i have a budget of £600 (anything less would be great!), and i want to mainly use it for gaming and overclocking.

Also i was wondering would it be worth getting a card with PhysX on it or would i benefit more from just get a card without it.

One last thing i have a 22" moniter which is at a resolution of 1680x1050.

The build spec I posted will play games well at 1680x1050 and even 1920x1200. PhysX only has limited use IMHO for some games.

If you want to improve the spec for overclocking I would get the following motherboard,RAM and cooler instead:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/GIGAB...770T-UD3P-MOBO

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/166996

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/152658

The advantage of DDR3 with the Phenom is a slight performance increase but more importantly the RAM runs cooler and helps reduce overall power draw. The Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P is meant to be the best AMD motherboard under £75.

Also you could substitute this processor too for the X3 720:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/164047

A Phenom II X4 955BE,HD4890 and 4gb ddr3 will be good enough for gaming even at 1920x1200!! Also the whole shebang will be under budget too!

Regarding DX11 it will be had to say how good the initial games and hardware will be.

[watercooled]

Really? I thought they'd just released a new line of PSUs.

That was a reply to Peter, sorry.

[JBURNICLE]

Thanks CAT, how good are scan on getting items back in stock because the motherboard has been out of stock since the 8th of july?

also will i need more watts in a PSU if im going to overclock or just a good cooler?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Thanks CAT, how good are scan on getting items back in stock because the motherboard has been out of stock since the 8th of july?

also will i need a bigger watt PSU if im going to overclock?

Hard to say with Scan TBH!!

Tekheads have it in stock:

http://www.tekheads.co.uk/s/product?product=610600

With overclocking an X3 720 the HX450 should be fine .With overclocking an X4 955BE I am not so sure and the same would apply to an unlocked X3 as their power consumption will be noticeably higher when overclocked compared to an X3.It depends on how much you want to overclock the X4 though. I suppose they should be fine in theory too. There is also a 600w OCZ on Ebuyer for around £60 which will be a bit OTT but it definitely would be enough!!

[JBURNICLE]

thanks, do ebuyer and tekheads have warranty like scan where i can send something back if its faulty when building?

[PeterStoba]

thanks, do ebuyer and tekheads have warranty like scan where i can send something back if its faulty when building?

Yes, all etailres have to do this by law.

[postdaemon]

No,I would not get bits from the US unless they are something which cannot be bought in the UK. You will also have to pay customs duties too and returns costs will be high as you will need to post the items back to the US if anything is DOA or faulty. A false economy IMHO.

But if I know someone in the US who is coming to the UK...would it be worth the risk?

If I am going to be doing a bit of gaming (though lots of video watching) and I want to do all this in full screen resolution (2048x1152) what graphics card would I need to get? Will only 4870 and 4890 suffice?
Much appreciated
postdaemon

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

thanks, do ebuyer and tekheads have warranty like scan where i can send something back if its faulty when building?

You mean Scansure which protects against installation damage?? I don't think you can with the other companies as Scan is unique in this respect. If stuff is DOA or is faulty of course you can send it back with Ebuyer or Tekheads.

IMHO,the Gigabyte 770 AM3 motherboard,4gb of ddr3 and an X3 720 is an excellent value setup for just over £200 together with an HD4890 for around £130. The other alternative is to get an X3 720 and use it in a gigabyte 770 AM2 motherboard with 4gb of DDR2:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Gigab...D3-Motherboard

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/4GB-(...S-5-6-6-18-EPP

You could also run an X4 955BE in it. However I would not look to overclock it using this motherboard too much as it needs better VRM cooling(the AM3 version also has better power regulation too).

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

But if I know someone in the US who is coming to the UK...would it be worth the risk?

If I am going to be doing a bit of gaming (though lots of video watching) and I want to do all this in full screen resolution (2048x1152) what graphics card would I need to get? Will only 4870 and 4890 suffice?
Much appreciated
postdaemon

The HD4890 would be best at your resolution if you are playing newer FPS games like Crysis. Whether you get bits from the US or not it is your call!! I would look at the warranties for each of the bits first though.Also things like PSUs will be designed to run on 110v IIRC. Some may have a 110v/220v selector so I would also check this too.

[postdaemon]

The HD4890's system requirements recommends 500 watts, but will the corsair mentioned earlier still work with it (even though it's only 450 watts)?

Also my monitor only has a VGA connection, does this in any way change what graphics card I should get?

Finally how do these two PSU's compare:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/127861
and http://go.hexus.net/?id=372X587&url=...oduct%2F152606
Will they both support the 4890 graphics card?

Thank you very much,
postdaemon

[shadowmaster]

The HD4890's system requirements recommends 500 watts, but will the corsair mentioned earlier still work with it (even though it's only 450 watts)?

Also my monitor only has a VGA connection, does this in any way change what graphics card I should get?

Finally how do these two PSU's compare:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/127861
and http://go.hexus.net/?id=372X587&url=...oduct%2F152606
Will they both support the 4890 graphics card?

Thank you very much,
postdaemon

1) 450 watts will be enough for a 4890.

2) For your monitor, all you need is a dvi to vga adaptor which almost always comes with any graphics card you buy. If not I can send you one or you can get one on ebay for a quid or so.

3) I have the OCZ and its very good, runs my spec (see below) very easily. Also since its 600watt it will allow you more leeway if you ever need more power. The corsair is also a fine psu, its modular and has a longer warranty. Either one will be fine for a 4980

[Domestic_Ginger]

I am always very dubious of PSUs and numbers until I can work them out for myself. I think graphics card manufacturers set these psu watt ratings to make up for all the rubbish PSUs out there.

The corsair 450 looks like a very very nice PSU. Corsair think so giving a 7 yr warranty! A few calculations (I assume everything these days runs off the 12v rail):-

33amps (on a single rail) at 12V provides 396 watts (12x33).

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/vid...-hd4890_6.html

120W for the 4890 and 125W for the 955. 245/450 = 55% usage. Plus all the other nicnacs should fine with the other 12.5 amps at 12V.

I would use:

Antec power calculator

And get a final wattage. You want it at about 50% of the total PSU rating to maximise efficiency (long term cost savings; can check on corsairs website for best %useage vs. efficiency) plus the 20%it states at the bottom of the webpage if you want to follow that. You can say you are doing your bit for the environment!

Remember though: efficiency is stated at 25C unless otherwise stated; my physics does not extend far enough to work it out! But I do know this drops as the beast heats up.

[postdaemon]

How can I see if a PSU will support my graphics card? Will anything with 2 x PCI-e do, or do I need more?

[watercooled]

I am always very dubious of PSUs and numbers until I can work them out for myself. I think graphics card manufacturers set these psu watt ratings to make up for all the rubbish PSUs out there.

The corsair 450 looks like a very very nice PSU. Corsair think so giving a 7 yr warranty! A few calculations (I assume everything these days runs off the 12v rail):-

33amps (on a single rail) at 12V provides 396 watts (12x33).

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/vid...-hd4890_6.html

120W for the 4890 and 125W for the 955. 245/450 = 55% usage. Plus all the other nicnacs should fine with the other 12.5 amps at 12V.

I would use:

Antec power calculator

And get a final wattage. You want it at about 50% of the total PSU rating to maximise efficiency (long term cost savings; can check on corsairs website for best %useage vs. efficiency) plus the 20%it states at the bottom of the webpage if you want to follow that. You can say you are doing your bit for the environment!

Remember though: efficiency is stated at 25C unless otherwise stated; my physics does not extend far enough to work it out! But I do know this drops as the beast heats up.

Good advice there! BTW efficiency may be stated at 25C for cheaper models but reputable companies like Corsair often rate it at a higher temperature. Some power supplies actually perform more efficiently when they warm up. Although neither has a review for the HX450, JonnyGuru and HardwareSecrets do good PSU reviews and test efficiency when cold and warm.

Edit: Sorry forgot to reply to daemon: the PSUs suggested will support your graphics card. The only way to know really is if it outputs enough current on the +12v rail. Just because it has 2 PCI-E connectors doesn't mean it will support a high-end GPU but generally it should.

[postdaemon]

Can anyone recommend a lower end graphics card that I can use, as the HD4890/HD4870 seem quite pricey as I will rarely play games?
Thank you