Another New Build Thread.

[Katar]

I'm finally going to start a new build within the next month or so. I was going to wait for Core i7 to see what happens then, but i'm getting bored of trying to game on my old socket 754 Athlon 64 3000+ . I'm just going for a case and internals, a new 24 inch monitor may come some time next year.

I've got two specs in mind. One a Dual Core and one a Quad Core main uses will be gaming and internet browsing might try out some overclocking as well. Both specs have the following components in common:

Case: P182
Cooler: Xigmatek HDT-S1283 + Bolt thru, and MX-2 compound
Memory: 4GB Corsair TwinX XMS2 PC2-6400
HDD: 640GB Western Digital WD6400AKKS
PSU: Corsair HX 520W (maybe use the 620W if I decide that I might like Xfire later)
WiFi: Netgear WG311GE
DVD: Samsung SH-223F/BEBE
Floppy: Scan Combo card reader.
OS: Vista Home Premium 64bit OEM.

Now the Dual Core would have:
CPU:E8500
Motherboard:Abit iP35 Pro XE
GPU:HD4850 (HD4870)
Total Cost approx: £740 (£800)

The Quad Core would have:
CPU:Q9550 (Q6600)
Motherboard:Abit Quad-GT ix38
GPU:HD4870
Total Cost approx: £940 (£840)

I'm leaning towards the Quad Core spec as I think it will last a little longer, but the Dual Core will probably last 2.5-3 years until Core i7 becomes more mainstream and I do a new build again. Either will of course be a major boast over my current system. So which do people think would be a better choice?

Feel free to change components for better value stuff, and give me a few hints on who are good ATI card partners (good warranty, build quality, cooling, etc) as I've used nVidia mainly for the past 6-7 years.

Also sorry I had to type all this out as imageshack for some reason wouldn't let me upload pics of my baskets . Thanks for the help.

[staffsMike]

I think I prefer the dual core spec tbh. If you have every intention of doing a nahlem upgrade within a couple of years then the dual core will be more than adequate.

That said I wouldn't burn money on E8500's or even the E8400 as the E7200 is only £70ish now and than can overclock to 3.5GHz + on a decent cooler which is more than enough (2.2 - 2.4GHz is fine) for games to run very happily with a decent graphics card.

Why the Quad GT with the quad core build and not the dual core. I mean my preference would be the PRO XE anyway but that strikes as a little odd.

I wouldn't burn Q9550 money on a quad right now, the Q6600 +IP-35 PRO (XE if you like) will be just as good in the long run I think.

The question over dual and quad right now is, since not much is optimised for quad, can you use 4 cores or is this just for gaming?

Sapphire have always been OK for me, but since you are coming from nvidia how about ASUS or Gainward who both now are a vendor for ATi as well as Nvidia

[Katar]

Well mainly it will be gaming, maybe a bit of video playback. I added the Quad-GT as I was thinking of maybe going crossfire with HD4870s with the Quad build, but I suppose that it would be a better board all round for either build. The CPU i'll finally go for will depend on what is special on Scan at the weekend I get around to ordering . Like I said just about anything will be better then my current chip, but overheating is a potential problem on the 3-4 days of summer we get here in the UK.

[staffsMike]

I've got my E6600 running stock (2.4GHz) over the summer and I can't tell the difference from 3.6GHz most of the time. In fact I havn't turned it on recently because I'm been using my laptop (2.2GHz C2D) which is generally enough for games that my 8400gs can handle lol

If it's video encoding and stuff then quads are useful for doing that while playing games but otherwise dual is fine.

Crossfire even with a card as good and as cheap as the HD4870 isn't all that worth while. It will happily play any game at 1920 x 1200 with most of the eye candy without skipping a beat, just crysis that it won't but thats true of any card.

By the time one HD4870 is running out of steam there will be new and improved cards to buy, of that I am sure.

[Powderhound]

I've got my E6600 running stock (2.4GHz) over the summer and I can't tell the difference from 3.6GHz most of the time. In fact I havn't turned it on recently because I'm been using my laptop (2.2GHz C2D) which is generally enough for games that my 8400gs can handle lol

If it's video encoding and stuff then quads are useful for doing that while playing games but otherwise dual is fine.

Crossfire even with a card as good and as cheap as the HD4870 isn't all that worth while. It will happily play any game at 1920 x 1200 with most of the eye candy without skipping a beat, just crysis that it won't but thats true of any card.

By the time one HD4870 is running out of steam there will be new and improved cards to buy, of that I am sure.

With the exception to that rule being Flight Sim X at very high settings for traffic etc.

[staffsMike]

There will always be exceptions but quite frankly buying a graphics card for one specific game like crysis or Flight Sim when they are prefectly acceptable to play at slightly lower settings.. is crazy.

[Olmy]

I would go with the dual core setup, as I've said before in another thread, very few games take advantage of 4 cores, not to a significant degree anyway. The Source engine STILL doesn't have multi core support, despite Valve's claims.

All the other components look great by the way, its actually exactly what I would buy...

[Katar]

Hmm a 1.2Ghz overclock seems pretty big. The last time I did any overclocking was over 5 years back and I was lucky to manage a 10% boast. The Quad-GT and P35 Pro XE are good (and easy) overclockers?

I haven't bought any new games for about a year as I knew that most of them would be too much for my CPU, and anything else I have been playing has been at pretty low settings or a "classic" game.

[staffsMike]

Both boards are very good clockers, the XE (or the more commonly used PRO) is a very highly regarded overclocker. It has all the little things you want, led error code, CMOS reset switch, a nice bios giving you all the little tweeks you want.

Early bios versions were pretty bad on the X38 according to the reviews I've seen but have apparently matured. Both will hit similar speeds though, 500FSB+ probably, which is more than you will need for air cooling.

[Mithrandir]

I'd go for a dual core if I were you. The parts you listed seems to be good choices.

The E7200 as mentioned by staffsMike should overclock to at least 3.2ghz on a good board and cooler which will be more than adequate for gaming. It should keep you going until the new generation of cpus from Intel make their mark on the market.

The E8400 is also another choice and has a higher cache but I think the E7200 is more than adequate for modern games. I've read some E7200 can overclock easily by changing the FSB from 1066 to 1333 and it performs similar to the E8400 and Q6600. But as you've said any of those will be a superb upgrade on your current cpu. (I'm still on single core and game a lot.)

[Katar]

Okay the intended spec currently is.

Case: P182
Cooler: Xigmatek HDT-S1283 + Bolt thru, and MX-2 compound
Memory: 4GB Corsair TwinX XMS2 PC2-6400
HDD: 640GB Western Digital WD6400AKKS
PSU: Corsair HX 520W
WiFi: Netgear WG311GE
DVD: Samsung SH-223F/BEBE
Floppy: Scan Combo card reader.
OS: Vista Home Premium 64bit OEM.
Motherboard:Abit Quad-GT ix38
GPU:HD4870
CPU: E7200 / E8400
Total Cost approx: £780 / £815

I'm still not sure about the CPU i'll get which ever one is on offer will probably be the deciding factor. There should be new E7300 and E8600 coming out soon that may effect the prices and change things. Motherboard wise I'm torn between the better spec Quad-GT, and the £35 cheaper P35 PRO. That'll also probably depend on if one of them turns up on offer at some point. The HD4870 is overkill for my current monitor, but I can't be bothered with the hassle of buying an HD4850 and selling it on later when I get a new monitor.

[staffsMike]

Looks like what I would build. I'd probably get the Q6600 but I would be using all the cores a lot of the time for various things. When my dekstops are on I like to get the most out of them lol And the mobo of course, it's not to my taste.

[Powderhound]

How about getting the non-modular TX 650W for the same price? I've been fitting this into a P182 this weekend, and the Antec's cable management means that I've actually been able to make it fairly neat.

[Olmy]

I have an Antec 650 Trupower Trio and its not modular. I'll be getting an antec P182 soon and I think cable management will be difficult with this PSU. With so many cables it will be hard to route and hide them behind the motherboard panel, so if I were you I'd go with the modular version - its the choice I would make now if I could do over.

[staffsMike]

Yep hated my OCZ fixed cables in the P182.. it's an awkward mess. The panel behind the mobo tray can accommodate a lot of cables but trying to hide all the spares there is tricky, ugly and depending on the size of the cables perhaps not possible.

I'd always go modular with the P182. Get a different case if you want the TX.

[Powderhound]

Yep hated my OCZ fixed cables in the P182.. it's an awkward mess. The panel behind the mobo tray can accommodate a lot of cables but trying to hide all the spares there is tricky, ugly and depending on the size of the cables perhaps not possible.

I'd always go modular with the P182. Get a different case if you want the TX.

I put my spares in the empty external drive bays, which works quite well.