Please advise - new £1.5k rig. How can I improve/ change?

[smoo-v]

Greetings to all

I have been looking at building a new pc for ages now, but huge cost has slowed my decision making! I want excellent performance that will last for a good 2-3 years. I'm looking at a complete overall of my old pc to freshen things up, but see bottom for further detail of old pc if interested!

NEW POTENTIAL PC - PLEASE ADVISE:
* Asustek Radeon HD 4870x2 2GB DDR5 CC750MHz PCIE 2xDVI
* Antec Black Twelve Hundred Tower Case ATX no PSU (Not a big fan of LEDs at night, but need extreme cooling for gfx card, any alternative suggested?)
* Thermaltake K7/K8/-4/775 BIG TYP RET (Tons to choose, any better out there?)
* OCZ Technology EliteXStream 1000W PSU (Expensive, but lots of cables, extended warranty, powerr etc)
* Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz 12M Cache S775 1333MHZ (12m cache main deciding factor, but is this worth paying extra for?)
* Corsair Memory 4GB (2X2GB KIT) DDR2 1066MHZ 240PIN DIMM UNBUFFER (Going for one that includes fans, but also seen this at cheaper price without fans and could buy fans seperate: Corsair Memory 8gb (2x4GB KIT) DDR2 1066MHz CL5 (http://www.shop.bt.com/productview.aspx ... nKey=11150)
* Asustek S775 INTEL X48 ATX AUDIO LAN RAMPAGE FORMULA (pricey, any cheaper alternatives that are just as good?, or is DDR3 worth paying even more?)
* Western Digital 150GB VelociRaptor 10,000RPM SATA 16MB (windows hdd - seems best choice for money, agree?)
* 2 * Seagate 1.5TB Barracuda 7200RPM SATA-300 32MB (all the storage I'll need for a few years! currently using close to 1.5 TB)

OLD SYSTEM
* Asus A8N-SLi Premium nForce4 SLi (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-111-AS)
* AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 90nm (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA3700BNBOX) (CP-121-AM)
* Connect3D ATI Radeon X1900 XT 512MB GDDR3 AVIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (3056) (GX-047-CO)
-> Eventually RMA'ed after much hastle to a Powercolor HD 3850 GDDR3 512mb. I intend to sell this as new, as not opened.
* Corsair 2GB DDR XMS3200C2PT TwinX (2x1GB) CAS2 (MY-079-CS)
* Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro
* Yeong Yang YY-0221 Cube Server Case -Black, Purchased additional THERMALTAKE A1280 12CM CASE FAN- front of case.
* 3 x Cooler Master AF9-25IM-74 Case Fan (92x92x25mm) - 2 back for hdds side of case, 1 side next to cpu.
* Antec TruePower 2.0 550W PSU (CA-028-AN)
* 2 x HITACHI Deskstar E7K500 HDS725050KLA360 (0A31619) 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
* 2 x Maxtor MaXLine Plus II SATA 250GB Hard Drive, 8MB Cache, 7200RPM, Model: 7Y250MO.
* Creative S750 7.1 Speakers
* Mitsubishi Diamond Plus 230Sb 22inch CRT
* BENQ DVD±RW DUAL LAYER 16x6x16x8x DW1640
* Logitech MX510 Mouse
* Zippy My Office Multimedia Keyboard
* Saitek P2600 Control Pad

From the above, I am likely to keep the speakers, the soundcard, the monitor, the DVD drive, the mouse, the keyboard and the control pad. However, I am not averse to a complete overhaul! So any improvements over these will be appreciated.

So what do you think where should I make changes? I havn't set a particular budget, just interested in getting a high end pc to perform great on games when I play them and for some lastability, though I understand anything past 2.5- 3 years is hopeful!

I am also intending to buy a monitor to replace my 22" CRT. CRTs are great for variable resolution and no dead pixels, but I figure it might be time to move onwards, particular with HD in mind! I will probably be buying a 42" HD Panasonic in January Sales, but this is too big for typical use, so will only really be a bonus for some driving games or movies. What do you recommend?

[format]

For the monitor, depending on budget, I'd go for the Dell 24" Ultrasharp model.
I'd also recommend a Corsair 1000w (if you're set on one that high) PSU - the UK support is great.

[Will404]

This is what I would get. Includes Windows, and Optical. Leaves about £200 to put towards your screen.



DDR3 is a waist of money atm

This CPU is better value

The GPU is better value

The HDD you want is a waist of money. 5*640GB AAKS s would give you a nice RAID 5 setup, with 2360GB of space (+ abit of redundancy from RAID5)

Realy anoyed as wrote loads on it, then clicked on google, instead of the other tab:O

For mon, this looks gr8. http://scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=554950

[arthurleung]

I would recommend AGAINST using RAID5 on a highend system which will probably subjected to overclocking. Any tiny bit of cpu calculation error would mean his 2360GB of data corrupted.

And he already planning to get a Raptor, no need for fast storage drives. 2 or perhaps 3 WD Greenpower drives will give the same space at a much lower cost.

Don't go for the Q9450, it is a b***h to overclock.

Is there any need for a fan controller? All my fans are controlled by BIOS and keep my system cool and quiet.

For the monitor, perhaps spend a bit more on the 27" Dell. I just got one which is the newest version and doesn't have most of the bugs present in the old version. And 3" does make a huge difference.

Would also suggest swapping the DVDRW with a Blu-Ray (Read + DVDRW) drive

[smoo-v]

I would recommend AGAINST using RAID5 on a highend system which will probably subjected to overclocking. Any tiny bit of cpu calculation error would mean his 2360GB of data corrupted.

And he already planning to get a Raptor, no need for fast storage drives. 2 or perhaps 3 WD Greenpower drives will give the same space at a much lower cost.

Don't go for the Q9450, it is a b***h to overclock.

Is there any need for a fan controller? All my fans are controlled by BIOS and keep my system cool and quiet.

For the monitor, perhaps spend a bit more on the 27" Dell. I just got one which is the newest version and doesn't have most of the bugs present in the old version. And 3" does make a huge difference.

Would also suggest swapping the DVDRW with a Blu-Ray (Read + DVDRW) drive

Thanks for that, any idea what the Q9550 is like to overclock and to how much should I expect?

I'm planning to avoid RAID, seems low benefit to speed with higher risks. The raptor seems a reasonable price at £120 to provide solid windows performance, though everyone seems to shy away from the raptors!

As for screen, does 27" not feel too big for games playing? i.e. too much screen to see from close up, especially for FPS, etc.

I would like to get Blu-Ray, but big extra cost at the mo and not in a rush to buy blueray discs just yet.

[smoo-v]

For the monitor, depending on budget, I'd go for the Dell 24" Ultrasharp model.
I'd also recommend a Corsair 1000w (if you're set on one that high) PSU - the UK support is great.

I spoke to someone in Novatech who recommended 1000w for my system to give plenty power. How much power would you recommend?

[smoo-v]

This is what I would get. Includes Windows, and Optical. Leaves about £200 to put towards your screen.



DDR3 is a waist of money atm

This CPU is better value

The GPU is better value

The HDD you want is a waist of money. 5*640GB AAKS s would give you a nice RAID 5 setup, with 2360GB of space (+ abit of redundancy from RAID5)

Realy anoyed as wrote loads on it, then clicked on google, instead of the other tab:O

For mon, this looks gr8. http://scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=554950

Would anyone else recommend this GPU over the 4870 X2. The feeling I got was the 4870 x2 blows everything else out of the water!

[format]

It depends on what size of screen you get - the GTX260/80 or the 4870(preferably a 1GB variant) are fine for up to 1900x1200, after that you'll want either a 280 or the 4870X2.
You won't see a difference between the normal 4870/260/80 and a 4870X2 at anything below 1900x1200.

[arthurleung]

Thanks for that, any idea what the Q9550 is like to overclock and to how much should I expect?

I'm planning to avoid RAID, seems low benefit to speed with higher risks. The raptor seems a reasonable price at £120 to provide solid windows performance, though everyone seems to shy away from the raptors!

As for screen, does 27" not feel too big for games playing? i.e. too much screen to see from close up, especially for FPS, etc.

I would like to get Blu-Ray, but big extra cost at the mo and not in a rush to buy blueray discs just yet.

A blu-ray reader is like 50 quids more than a DVDRW, which isn't much consider your budget.

People avoid Raptors because it doesn't go either end. The raw transfer rate was only on par with the latest 7200rpm drives, while random transfer rate is way slower then SSD. And it doesn't store a lot of stuff either.

27" just mean you could sit further back and have less eye strain.
I bought mine last week and it was the same price as the 24".

Q9550 I would expect overclock easily to 3.5G+ perhaps even more. I do hear a lot of people with Q9650 going up to 4Ghz range.

As everyone (here) said, there is not much point going for an extreme graphics card since you won't have a monitor good enough to utilize it (unless you go for 30 inch). 4870X2 is just overkill and 4850X2 is a good compromise I guess. It also heavily dependent on what games you play. Even my previous system (Pentium D & 7900GT) could play Supreme Commander at 3200x1200 perfectly fine.

If you do go for a 4850X2 then your system's power usage will be about 400W~500W, which a 550W or 620W power supply will be suffice. For you reference my system only draws 270W when gaming. 1000W PSU is for people with 8 cores+ and dual/triple 4870X2, which is way beyond the realm of gaming.

[fastxfurious]

i would say not getting a 27" screen dude...especially if you're playing fps.

because you need to be involved there, and 27" is just too big really,and instead of being involved more you'll have to scan more instead of just taking in what's needed.

i'm using 22" and that's big enough...so 24" should be ok.

[mat-ster]

Hi Smoo,

I will be doing a similar rebuild soon,

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/200...october-2008/6

http://www.sharkyextreme.com/guides/...le.php/3771096

What do you plan to use it for?

*Antec Black Twelve Hundred Tower Case - Dust collector, fine if you don't mind cleaning all the mesh..how about the Lian-Li or Akasa.
*Asustek S775 INTEL X48 ATX AUDIO LAN RAMPAGE FORMULA - Is DDR3 really worth it?
*Do not bother with RAID
*A good PSU but alot of cables to tuck away! http://www.pcper.com/article.php?typ...&aid=589&pid=2
Get the modular Corsair one instead..

[format]

I use a 24" for FPS and it's fine but I dunno If i'd want much bigger.

[NightshadowUK]

For general use and gaming I'd say 27" would just be painful, but then it'd come into its own when watching films so it's down to personal preference.

As for a GPU, I'd not bother with an X2 card. A HD4870 would do you proud.

And just to second what's been said above, don't bother with DDR3, the Q9550 is the sweet spot, aaand Raptors / RAID aren't really worth it for a standard desktop.

[Tidus]

For general use and gaming I'd say 27" would just be painful, but then it'd come into its own when watching films so it's down to personal preference.

As for a GPU, I'd not bother with an X2 card. A HD4870 would do you proud.

And just to second what's been said above, don't bother with DDR3, the Q9550 is the sweet spot, aaand Raptors / RAID aren't really worth it for a standard desktop.

I agree with NightshadowUK, a x2 isn't really worth the bother, I'd go with a 4850 / 4870 and then buy a high end card in a year or so if you notice your frames dropping.

With the monitor though I'd go for a 24" / 26" for the screen room, but get a good Panasonic TV and game on that (I don't mean sitting right infront of it), When I play fps games at my cousins house he has a 24" monitor and the picture is really good but sitting back 2-4M away from his 42" Panasonic TV with a small table for the keyboard and mouse is alot better on games, the contrast is amazing and it doesn't strain my eyes sitting at a comfortable distance from the TV, rather than sitting infront of the monitor.