So which RAM would you recommend? How can I interpret the numbers included on the technical specifications?
So which RAM would you recommend? How can I interpret the numbers included on the technical specifications?
Look at latency ratings. Anything with 6-6-6-15 and under has low latencies and look for 1066mhz PC2-8500 RAM. AMD Phenoms work better with lower latency RAM.Also try not to pay more than £45 to £50 for DDR2 RAM.
Any of these RAM kits will do the job:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148859
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/166818
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148036
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/164796
I would go for the Corsair RAM has it has reasonably low latencies and the voltage is not too high.
If you want to get the RAM from Scan get this one:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/4GB-(...S-5-5-5-15-EPP
This RAM is slightly cheaper but for £2 less than the lower latency stuff is not worth it:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/4GB-(...S-5-6-6-18-EPP
On Ebuyer the same RAM kit is much cheaper.
Thank you all for your advice. Here is the computer I am now considering to build taking into consideration your helpful input. What do you all think now?
Motherboard
*Gigabyte MA770-UD3, AMD 770, Sok AM3/AM2, PCI-E 2.0(x16), DDR2 1066/1333(OC), SATA 3Gb/s, RAID, ATX
Processor
*HDZ720WFGIBOX - AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition, Sok AM3, 2.8GHz, 7.5MB Total Cache, 95W, Retail
Case
*Antec 300 Three Hundred Black Case - No PSU
PSU
*Corsair 450W HX Series Modular PSU - 7 Year Warranty
GPU
*MSI HD 4650 512MB GDDR2 VGA DVI PCI-E Graphics Card
Hard Drive
*1TB Samsung HD103UJ Spinpoint F1, SATA 3Gb/s, 7200rpm, 32MB Cache, 8.9 ms, NCQ
Memory
*Corsair 4Gb (2x2GB) DDR2 1066MHz/PC2-8500 XMS2 Memory CL5 (5-6-6-18) 2.1V
DVD Drive
*Sony AD-7241S-0B 24x DVD±R, 12xDVD±DL, DVD+RW x8/-RWx6 ,12xRAM SATA, Black, Lightscribe, OEM
Wireless
*Edimax EW-7128G 54Mbps Wireless PCI Card
Any comments would be much appreciated.
Last edited by postdaemon; 19-08-2009 at 03:47 PM.
I would replace the EDIMAX WiFi card with a Netgear WG311GE, Netgear are just so much more reliable.
I hope this helps.
But my Netgear card is pain to get working with Linux!
Last edited by CAT-THE-FIFTH; 18-08-2009 at 10:22 PM.
Thanks, I think I'll order the parts tomorrow. Oh and by the way, what is the difference between the two parts listed on this search page:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Search.aspx?q=Gigabyte+MA770-UD3
postdaemon (19-08-2009)
Not sure I like the look of the 4650; its quite a way down the URL="http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2362-6.html"]list[/URL]. I have a x1950pro and its had its day. If you need to save money £40 will get you an okay second hand card (thinking 8800gt for 45-50 or 3870 for £40).
They are more of pain to choose and are more effected by availablilty.
Yeah, I am just getting the 4650 as a temporary card, and I'll update in the future. Should I get second hand computer components? Does anyone have any bad/good experience with buying used off ebay or something like that?
So far I have had very few issues with buying compputer components off Ebay but TBH buying new means you have a warranty which is useful when components have issues.
Also if you opt for Scansure it is also another layer of protection:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Scansure/Index.aspx
Then I think I might search for some part on ebay...what are the parts least likely to fail?
I would look at the Ebay shops of companies like Novatech as they will have a warranty of some sort. I would not buy PSUs and hard disks off Ebay at all. Motherboards I would buy off a shop like Novatech's Ebay shop otherwise it is not worth the potential hassle with a faulty motherboard. DVD rewriters are usually cheaper to buy from a retailer. RAM I would buy from a retailer in case of issues like incompatibility unless of cause you know it will be fine but you are taking a chance though.
The only parts I would consider buying off Ebay usually are the CPU,graphics card and case. With the CPU and graphics card make sure that the seller has a returns policy too.
postdaemon (19-08-2009)
Thanks CAT-THE-FIFTH.
Just another question, do you think buying the following graphics card instead of the one I listed above is a good idea?
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/1GB-S...-DL-DVI-I-HDTV
TBH if you're going more towards £50 I'd say get a GDDR3 4670 because 1GB of RAM won't really make much of a difference with that card.
postdaemon (19-08-2009)
Thanks, if that's the case I'll just stay with the one I stated.
The other things is, do the screws I need to screw in the parts come with the case/components, or must I purchase them from a hardware store? Are there any other tools I should get ready to build the computer?
Last edited by postdaemon; 19-08-2009 at 04:14 PM.
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