Possible hardware upgrade - please advise

[Silent Shark]

I'm looking at replacing my current cpu-cobo-ram with something a lot more modern, this is what I'm looking at:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad-Core Q6600 G0 SLACR
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/produ...oductID=673740

Mobo: XFX MB-N680-ISH NF680i SLI
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=560973
or Gigabyte GA N650SLI-DS4 NF650i SLI
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=605381

RAM: 2GB (2x1GB) CorsairTwinX XMS2, DDR2 PC2-6400 (800)
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/produ...oductID=673688

PSU (possibly required): 580W HiperPower HPU-4M580
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=386404

I'd like to hear comments about anyone with experience of this hardware, and I welcome suggestions of alternatives, particluarly if it saves me money! I'm not looking to overclock.

Thanks very much.

[staffsMike]

This is better RAM imo
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=MY-058-GL

I'm a fan of the 680i motherboards but unless you want SLi then you'll probably be better when a Single GPU board like the abit IP-35pro

[TMD]

This is better RAM imo
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=MY-058-GL

I'm a fan of the 680i motherboards but unless you want SLi then you'll probably be better when a Single GPU board like the abit IP-35pro

Im with you on the RAM...got 4gb of it myself and it clocks well.

and its at a great price from OCUK at the moment

[Clunk]

Zero support from Geil or overclockers, so go with the corsair from scan

[staffsMike]

ocuk are fine with support, they are legally obligated afterall .. perhaps it's easier with scan but i've never had a problem with ocuk.

[aidanjt]

ocuk are fine with support, they are legally obligated afterall .. perhaps it's easier with scan but i've never had a problem with ocuk.

OCuk may be fine with support when you can waltz into their store and give them an ear full in person. But when you have to deal with them with their silly ticket system, they give you nothing but hassle. Their CS record has done nothing but take a nose dive over the years. Not that it was great to begin with. My friend had a consignment go missing en route to Sweden, and it took him over a year to get his money back from them.

[staffsMike]

I'm not saying they don't have thier problems but scan and the like aren't without their issues. plus anyone can just waltz into their store if they feel the need to it.
Most of the time i'm no where near the place and buy online just like everyone else, my confidence isn't knocked either way.

[aidanjt]

plus anyone can just waltz into their store if they feel the need to it.

That's not very practical for someone living over 100 miles away from them.

[Silent Shark]

Thanks for the RAM suggestion, but I'll probably stick to the Corsair from Scan. I've been recommended Geil RAM before, but I'm quite brand loyal, always bought either Corsair or Crucial RAM, and never ever had a problem with them. I also prefer to do my business with Scan, as I live near enough to give them an earful if there are any problems . Unless I can make significant savings, I'll be sticking with them.

I'm mostly after opinions on the CPU. Is the G0 SLACR any advantage if I'm not overclocking? I'd like to get a 680i mobo, because it is the only chipset I've seen that does everything I want. I also don't want to rule out SLi, as I may look into it at some point. If there are alternative chipsets that do pretty much the same then I'll be happy to consider them.

Thanks for the help so far!

EDIT: I remember reading something about 680i chipsets and Vista not agreeing with each other. Does anyone know about this?

[Clunk]

ocuk are fine with support

[staffsMike]

LOL!

if you aren't overclocking then the corsair stuff is good. Nice and reliable.

I havn't tried my evga 680i with vista yet but my mate has a problem with his abit 680i and vista 64bit where he can't use usb pens. Everything else is smooth and works perfectly though.

The xfx you mention is the same as mine just a nvidia reference board where the abit is abits own design so you probably won't face the same problems with it.

The G0's main advantages is, it saves you a bit on your power bill as it uses less power and because of this it runs a lot cooler.

Even with a Scythe Ninja the b3 stepping quad core I used in a build ran at mid to high 30's idle and mid 50's under load. These are by no means bad temps but it would be nice if it ran a little cooler. Imo it's worth the extra fiver to get a G0

[excalibur2]

This is better RAM imo
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=MY-058-GL

That ram with a cheap Gigabyte DS3p rev 3.3 (maybe discontinued) is a good combo....works in my system with no probs for the last four months........M/B + CPU + 2g Ram i.e. C2D running at 3gig for total of £204 @ May prices.....yeah I know I had to buy a few more computer bits.

[Silent Shark]

Right then, it looks like my choices are good . I've looked for 680i and Vista problems, and it seems it was all about nVidia being slow to release drivers for it. Seems to be solved now, so no worries.

I've been looking at the pdf manual for the mobo, and it takes an 8-pin power connector for the CPU. While it does say it can use a 4-pin connector, it advises against it, so I'll need to replace my rock solid and probably my favourite piece of hardware I own... my 480W Hiper Type-R PSU .

I'm looking at this 580W Hiper Type-M: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=386404
Any comments/suggestions?

EDIT: I'm starting to wonder if a 680i is neccessary, as a PCI-E for a physics card probably won't be needed, and although lots of USB ports, with the extra PCI slot on the 650i, I can use my USB expansion card that I already own, and get more USB ports than I would have with the 680i.

I'm looking at this motherboard: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=605381

It's about half the price, it's Gigabyte which is a brand I know and trust (I've have 4 mobos from them, as well as my current case and a graphics card I got for a build for someone else). It seems to be more tolerant of 4-pin CPU Power plugs, and the only problem I can forsee is the reduction to 4 SATA ports means that if I replace my 2 DVD-RW drives with SATA ones, I'll be a port short, as I also have 3 SATA HDDs. Can anyone see any other disadvantages I may not have thought of?