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Thread: Need some hardware guidance

  1. #1
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    Need some hardware guidance

    My aim is a games machine - running Vista 64 bit - Q6600@3ghz - 4gb of ram - Nvidia 8800 GT????
    I current run a P4 2.6Ghz, 7600GT - my old 6600 Died on me so i had to spend some cash last year.
    I want this machine to cope for atleast 2years.

    Quiet as possible

    i)So first first question i want a rock solid mobo that will let me do a Q6600@3Ghz , 1:1 memory divider.
    ii) Also i need a HSF quiet as possible to cool this solution.
    iii) A Quiet case - and a what 520watt psu ?
    iv) 4*1gb or 2*2gb - im guessing pc6400 would be best ?
    v) I also need a LCD screen to replace my 20" CRT, so id say 22" Wide screen would be be best or 24" ?
    vi) a Nvidia card to run games as the resolution needed for the LCD above, is a GTS 320MB enough or do i need a 640MB or a GTX instead ?
    vii) Does sound proofing help at all with systems and should i replace the case fans with ultra quiet fans
    viii) I have a Sata HD seagtae barracudda 7200.10 250gb unopened would using a raptor really make that much difference.

    Many thanks
    Last edited by callius; 16-10-2007 at 10:28 PM. Reason: added thanks

  2. #2
    Senior Member GSte's Avatar
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    Re: Need some hardware guidance

    Depends on your budget really.

    A Corsair HX520W PSU would fit the bill, and I have no problems on any games with a 640MB 8800GTS and a 24" Samsung 245B..... I think the 320MB cards can start to struggle at higher resolutions, and a 24" can give you 1920 x 1200. I think a Q6600 has a 9x multiplier, so to reach 3.0GHz you'd only need PC5400 ram (9x333=2997MHz). There is a lot of cheap stuff around at the minute, here's a link to a thread in the bargains section:

    http://forums.hexus.net/showthread.php?t=121180

    I have a raptor and I thought there was a noticeable difference, games load up a few seconds quicker, but it depends if you are that bothered really. If you want an ultra quiet system then yes you'd be best replacing the case fans with some low RPM ones, sharkoon golf-balls or something similar, and perhaps some of those dampening suspension kits from Scan. Not too sure on the current motherboards, I think the P35 is the chipset to go for price/performance wise, and I believe some of the ABit IP35s are solid, but not too sure, Buff will know.

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    Re: Need some hardware guidance

    budget is what ever i need to spend without being silly, ive been through spending lots in pc's before, but im married and have a kid now so im little more sensible with my money.

    520 corsair is what i was looking at, dualcore might be faster in games this moment but im looking for a 2yr pc so i thought quadcore would be the way to go.
    P35 board sounds best, i dont need an over clocking king just to 3ghz.
    Considerd if i got 6400 i could run tighter timings @ PC5400 speeds is all.

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    Re: Need some hardware guidance

    for the mobo, i dont need firewire, Gb-lan isnt important, but 1 nic is fine.
    Onboard sound is fine, i dont need raid just 2 sata connections and 1/2 IDE for DVD drives.
    Just overclocking to 3ghz from a q6600 so not huge overclock i think most good boards would cope with this.
    No need for PS2 connections or LPT/serial.

  5. #5
    finding nemo staffsMike's Avatar
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    Re: Need some hardware guidance

    Almost all boards will cope with that especially if they have native 1333mhz support as it will only be the chip getting overclocked not the motherboard. (q6600 @ 3.0Ghz runs 1333mhz FSB)

    I would go for the Abit IP-35, it's very nice, solid and reliable.
    The features you need are also available on the IP-35E the most basic one for £60.

    If you want quiet, i'd go with the scythe ninja for the HSF, it's inaudiable in the antec P182 (the case i'd recommend).

    Graphics card depends on the monitor you get.

    22" the GTS is fine in either flavour
    24" the GTX is what you want

    The grpahics card will essentially be the only noise you hear in the system so you might want to look into an aftermarket HSF for that to (Zalman and Thermalright are the best at the moment).

    PC6400 is good though PC5300 would do the job.

    I'd go with Geil from overclockers. Either the ultra or the black dragon.
    They also have OCZ stuff for £45 in the this week only section. It's all good stuff.
    Last edited by staffsMike; 17-10-2007 at 12:12 AM.

  6. #6
    Senior Member GSte's Avatar
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    Re: Need some hardware guidance

    Quote Originally Posted by callius View Post
    Considerd if i got 6400 i could run tighter timings @ PC5400 speeds is all.
    Aye you might be able to, but performance difference would be negligable. If you want tighter timings you could just buy a kit that comes with them, such as:

    http://www.microdirect.co.uk/(18459)...mory-DDR2.aspx

    but personally I wouldn't bother, although that is good overclocking memory should you need it. If you want the GeIL that staffsmike suggested then MicroDirect have it on offer this week:

    http://www.microdirect.co.uk/(14777)...l-Channel.aspx

    ....but I don't know if you'd have any success tightening the timings, I never tried it with my kit. I wouldn't go near overclockers personally after 2 very bad experiences with them.

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