Need help in attempt to build a gaming PC £700 - £1000

[blackshadow7]

I joined this site today so hi everyone.

I know a bit about PC's but not so clever when it comes to the hardware. Im looking to build a PC for the following:

Gaming online
Basic office applications e.g Word, Excel etc
3D modelling in CAD
Rendering
Playing Music
Wireless connection

So far I have been looking in to motherboards and processors on various sites, but with all the specs and makes around I'm getting a little confused as to what items to choose. I have also come across a thread on this which StaffsMike suggested buying the following which should cost between £800 - £1000:


CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (dont bother with extreme and all that mess)
HSF: Scythe Ninja/infinity or Thermalright ultima 90 Heat sink for Q6600
Motherboard: Abit IP-35 pro motherboard ( for overclocking)
RAM: 4GB of DDR2 PC6400 (enough to overclock the Q6600 to 3.6GHz)
4GB GeIL Black Dragon DDR2 PC2-6400 (5-5-5-15) Dual Channel kit (2x2GB)
i like geil but OCZ, corsair, crucial, gskill are all good brands.

Power Supply: Corsair 520W HX Whisper
Graphics: 8800GTX or New 8800GTS (fairly similar performance)
Case: Antec P182 (fantastic for cool and near silent performance)
Or Antec 900 for better cooling and quiet operation.

Hard Drive: Western Digital 500GB AAKS (as many as you think you need)
Optical: Samsung SATA dvd writer.


Do you agree with the above or would you tweak some of the items on the list or go for a totaly different set of hardware? My budget is £700 - £1000. Also I read on thread Intel are bringing out quad core soon, are these out now and wort looking at for my requirements?

I would appreciate any feedback or comments as Im at a loss at the minute.

[staffsMike]

You've been lingering obviously

Thats the PC I would have suggested.

In fact.. did you copy and paste that from me? lol

With your budget the Intel Q9450 quad core would be a nice upgrade if you are overclocking.

[blackshadow7]

Hi Mike

Yes I've been lingering saw your post on the thread with the guy who had 2k to spend on a gaming pc and your spot on I copied and pasted your comment as it was one of the most informative I've come across.

Wasn't sure know if I needed to tweak any of your list and didn't want to jump in on the other guys thread. But if you think that will run nicely for what I'm looking for than I'll have look around at prices. Think you mentioned scan as a good place to try on the other thread?

If the price is less than I think I might look at getting Intel Q9450 Quad Core. Also thanks for the reply back.

[staffsMike]

Should be around £225. It will run cooler and overclock better.. well it should.

Scan is very good yes. You can get free delivery after 25 posts here on hexus

[Webby]

Graphics card wise I would go for the 8800 GTS 512MB over the GTX not a huge difference in performance but still a ~15% price differential.

If you want even more graphics power you have a couple of options and they are, first the HD 3870 X2 from scan will cost you £270 currently the fastest thing around but you have to be aware that it is efectively 2 HD 3870s in crossfire on a single card. The second option would be to crossfire 2 3870s or SLI 2 8800 GT but you would obviously need a different motherboard for SLI.

On the whole single card solutions offer more predicitable performance so I would probably go with the 8800 GTS but if you want the fastest of the fast then the the HD3870 X2 is the way to go

[hermeticist]

If you do go the Q9450 route, you may want to get some ram that you know will hit 450mhz, If you`re intending to clock it to 3.6ghz (due to the lower multiplier).

[blackshadow7]

Hi again all

Just been looking at the Intel 2 Core Quad and there's 2 versions Retail and OEM from what I have read
I would be best getting the OEM as im going to be over clocking. Is this correct?

[staffsMike]

OEM doesn't come with an Intel Cooler and is only 1 year warranty as opposed to 3.

If you are buying an after market cooler then the OEM is fine.

[McPhee]

I usually find the easiest way to decide on a spec is to start with the basics. Leave choosing a CPU and Graphics card until last, it makes things a lot easier if you know exactly how much you have to spend on them.

As a quick example this lot will set you back about £400:

Abit IP-35 Dark Raider
4GB Corsair PC2-6400
500GB Maxtor (if you need that much storage space)
Samsung SATA DVD-RW
Corsair HX-520
Antec P182
Scythe Ninja

Once you have a base down it gives you more of an idea as to which processors and graphics cards you can afford. With the example i gave above you'd be looking at low-end quad core processors and either the 8800GTX or 3870X2 graphics card.

By the way, do you need an OS, Monitor, Speakers, Keyboard or Mouse? I'd choose those before the CPU and GPU too, decent peripherals make more of a difference than a couple of hundred Mhz!

[directhex]

don't forget the price of windows

and the price of "accessories" like keyboard, mouse, speakers, monitor

[999tigger]

Everyone is building the same computer.

[staffsMike]

Everyone is building the same computer.

Everything is happening just as I planned..

MUHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA

But in all honestly there are subtle differences as time goes on but in all honesty there are a only a few logical and sensible components to buy for certain budgets.

I can't let people spend £2000 on a PC where 90% of the performance can be obtained from £800.

[blackshadow7]

The budget was excluding monitor, mouse, keyboad etc. Although I think im gonna go with somthing similar to Iiyama Pro Lite E431S 17'' spec:

Screen size: 17'', Technology: TFT active matrix, Brightness: 250 cd/m², Contrast ratio: 450:1, Dot pitch: 0.26mm, Maximum refresh rate: 75Hz

Dont want to spend too much on a screen now will invest in a better one at a later date.

Also was looking at the 8800GTS graphics cards but couldnt find one 512mb DDR2 but DDR3 dual DVI overclocked. Is there such a thing as 8800GTS graphics card 512mb DDR2. Sorry is this sounds like a bit of infant question, It's just Im assuming if its DDR3 that will change the spec advised earlier to 4gb of DDR3 Corsair or am I wrong?

[staffsMike]

The graphics memory and system memory are totally different.

Graphics memory should really be stated GDDR2/3. You can mix and match RAM and graphics like that to your hearts content. Some are GDDR4 now

[EarlGrey]

All sounds very shiny to me

If you can wait for the new quad do so. That is all Enjoy

[TooNice]

Talk about convergence of builds eh?

I do think that X-Fi Xtreme Gamer has it's place in an entertainment build.