Mid Priced Rig Suggestions

It's time for an upgrade because it's been too long.

List of what I have now:
Intel E6600 Core2 Duo 2.4GHz
Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme with Noctua NF-S12-120 (shame I can't use this on my new rig)
Abit AWD9 MAX
Corsair XMS 4GB 2 x 2GB TWIN2X4096-6400C4DHX PC6400
896MB EVGA GTX260
LG GH22 22x DVD-SM Internal SATA Drive
60GB SSD OCZ Technology Vertex 2E Solid State Drive
2TB, 1TB, 750GB, 500GB Hitachi Deskstars
620W Enermax Liberty ELT620AWT
Antec 1200
Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard
24 Dell 2408WFP LCD Monitor
Window 7 Home Premium

Upgrade:
Intel Core i7 950 = £216.40 Scan today only
Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R Rev 2 = £137.46 Scan today only
Keeping graphics card for a couple of months and will upgrade when I have anouther £200-250 spare

Memory is a little confusing, options are:
CMT6GX3M3A1866C9 - 6GB (3x2GB) Corsair Dominator GT, DDR3 PC3-14900 (1866) = £159.96
CMT6GX3M3A2000C8 - 6GB(3x2GB) Corsair DominatorGT, DDR3 PC3-16000(2000) = £178.79
CMP6GX3M3A1600C7 - 6GB (3x2GB) Corsair Dominator, DDR3 PC3-12800(1600) = £147.02

Also any suggestions on CPU cooler?

Awesome CPU cooler for performance - Thermaltake Frio (2 fan version)

Something pretty silent is the Cogage arrow.

Corsair H50/H70 but thats quite dear.

Noctua NH-U9B SE2 doesn't look too bad at £40.53?

TBH, if the upgrade is for gaming I would just get a Q6600 or Q6700 for under £100. I have a 975X based system myself and I upgraded to a Q6600.
Intel Sandy Bridge and AMD Bulldozer are out next year and these are new architectures and they are also made on a 32NM process too.

Also, 6GB of decent 1600MHZ DDR3 can be had for between £100 to £140:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/plus-...-9-9-9-24-165V

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/6GB-%...connector-165V

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/6GB-%...-8-8-8-24-165V

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PC4Free

Awesome CPU cooler for performance - Thermaltake Frio (2 fan version)

Something pretty silent is the Cogage arrow.

Corsair H50/H70 but thats quite dear.

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The Thermaltake Frio is ok but it's just basically a copy of the TRUE

You can happly reuse the TRUE you just need to get the adaptor kit
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Therm...6-Motherboards

For up grade & motherboards and such, waiting for the new batch to come out maybe worth it.
and in the mean time while waiting, overclock that e6600 get it up to around 3ghz and it's still a surpisingly serviceable cpu.

still want to upgrade?
Well the MSI X58A-GD65 is also on today only £143.34
http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1919&pageID=9460
It's heat sinks look a little bare compaired to some motherboard, this is mainly down to the use of Hi-C capacitors and digital MOFETS

Also the Asus P6X58D-E for £140.99

PS anyone know what the real differences between the Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R Rev 2 and Gigabyte GA-X58-USB3 are (apart from layout?)

What's New?
So far, the UD3R (rev 2) is very similar to the original – to see the differences, you have to look very closely. The new board includes Gigabyte’s new On/Off USB Charge technology that maintains the power supply to your front panel USB ports even when the computer is turned off – as long as you use the correct USB header (it’s the bright red one).

Gigabyte also claims that this header provides three times as much power as that of a standard USB port, meaning that gadgets such as iPhones charge up to 40 per cent quicker. However, we can’t help but wonder if this extra power could present a problem for a gadget that wasn’t expecting it.

The VRMs of the board have also been revised, and the UD3R (rev 2) sports a 12-phase power circuit for the CPU rather than the 8-phase of the previous version. This should be a positive move, as the VRMs are responsible for stabilising the power delivery to the CPU – more phases should mean a more stable power supply, which will help with stability during overclocking.

We’re dubious about the value of this addition, though, as our tests didn’t reveal any problems with the power circuitry of the first UD3R, even with our power-hungry, 6-core Gulftown CPU overclocked to 4.4GHz. As they say, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.

I've been swayed towards Asus P6X58D

Intel i7 950 = £216.40
Asus P6X58D-E = £140.99
3x2GB Corsair Dominator GT, DDR3 PC3-14900 (1866) = £159.96 review

Still need quick help with CPU cooler. Will be ordering today to get discounts on mobo and CPU from Scan.

As I said before keep the TRUE and just get the 1366 mounting kit.

If you want to get a PWM fan for it then I'd sugest an Akasa Apache or Viper
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm...n-OEM-Fan-Only
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm...-mounting-pins

Check memory compatibility. There are quite a few reports of oddities with x58 boards and memory (I'm also putting together an x58 system) - the corsair compatibility tool has been invaluable:

http://www.corsair.com/configurator/default.aspx

Shows what they've tested together as working. Of course, you should be fine with any in spec memory, but might be worth going for something tested.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pob255

As I said before keep the TRUE and just get the 1366 mounting kit.

If you want to get a PWM fan for it then I'd sugest an Akasa Apache or Viper
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm...n-OEM-Fan-Only
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm...-mounting-pins

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Thanks for pointing out you previous post. I missed the link for the converter, cheers.

How do them suggested fan stack up against the Noctua NF-S12-120?