New Build Help

[ctid]

Hey

I'm looking to build a new system, but havent looked at hardware for a couple of years now. Does this spec seem ok? My current system is:

X-Cube uATX case with 420w PSU
AMD Opteron 146
MSI uATX Motherboard
1gb DDR400
GeForce 7600GT
Asus Wireless G PCI Adaptor

This is what I've priced up at Scan:

AMD Athlon X2 4400+ Windsor - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/AMD-A...12KB-Cache-OEM

Gigabyte GA-M52L - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Gigab...-SATA-RAID-ATX

512mb Palit GTS250 - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/512MB...I-I-D-Sub-HDMI

4gb Corsair TwinX DDR2-800 - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/4GB-(...S-5-5-5-18-DHX

500w Coolermaster Silent Modular PSU -
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/500W-...et-Modular-PSU

Edimax Wireless N PCI Adapter -
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Edima...ss-PCI-adapter

CiT 1002 Case - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/CiT-1...ng-Case-No-Psu

Arctic Freezer Pro 64 v2 - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Arcti...LL-AMD-Opteron

2x Panaflo 80mm Case Fans - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/80mm-...Brushless-2Pin

It's going to cost £373 altogether. I'm reusing my optical drives and hard drives. Is there anything better I can get for the money?

Also, how much do you think I could get for my old rig?

Cheers

[nightkhaos]

I take it your old optical and hard drives are SATA?

[ctid]

Optical are IDE, HDDs are SATA. I need to keep my Optical drives though.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

You can get more for your money!!

From Ebuyer:

GTX260 ~ £120

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/160748

ASUS M3N-H ~ £55

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/145753

If you do not mind getting a mATX motherboard the ASUS M3A78-EM is better

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150278

OCZ modular 500w PSU ~ £60

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/152009

Review

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/psu...w-psu-review/1

From Scan:

2.8ghz X2 7850 ~ £57

http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=1003113

Alternativly you can get the slightly slower 2.7ghz X2 7750+ for around £49.

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/AMD-A...B-Cache-Retail

Reviews

http://www.guru3d.com/article/amd-at...850-be-review/

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpu...n-cpu-review/1

It is based on the faster Phenom architechure unlike the X2 4400. It also comes with a cooler too. The X2 7850 will be faster than an X2 6000+ for example.

The E5200 is a better overclocker and is more energy efficient than the X2 7750+ and X2 7850+ but the E5200 is slower when the processors are compared at stock speeds.

This should mean that your build will cost around £20 more but will be much faster.

There is also the XFX GTS250 512mb for around £91 on Scan Today Only:

http://www.scan.co.uk/TodayOnly/Index.aspx

Remember that Ebuyer free postage for orders over £49.99 and Scan has free postage for Hexus members too.

[ctid]

Thanks for that. I've been reading about the Intel E5200 chips, and their overclocking potential. Would one these be faster than the X2 7850BE?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Thanks for that. I've been reading about the Intel E5200 chips, and their overclocking potential. Would one these be faster than the X2 7850BE?

The X2 7750+ and X2 7850+ are faster than the E5200 at stock speeds. The E5200 is a better overclocker though.

You could get one of the following motherboards:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Gigab...-SATA-RAID-ATX

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Gigab...7-SATA-300-ATX

The P43 is a better chipset as the P31 does not like to have more than two sticks of RAM.

Of course you will need to buy an aftermarket heatsink too unless you are doing a mild overclock.

Edit!!

Some of the processors are on Scan Today Only this weekend.