Hexus Monthly PC Build Guide September 2011

the momentus XT is a pretty big waste of money TBQH. I have 3 of them and whilst they are ok (as i got them on special offer) they dont offer a lot over a standard hard drive and pretty much nothing close to SSD performance.
A lot of people have had problems with their aggressive power management features aswell which has resulted in the updated firmware all but removing it making them quite inefficient.
Have a look at the seagate forums... inact i think i will to see they they have released another update :)

I finished putting up the other sections now.

THOU SHALL NOT REST!

Headsets please :p Although I guess headsets are a bit more subjective, especially with regards to comfort because peoples heads are different. That said I'll vouch for the Plantronics Gamecom 367/377. Cheap (~£20), very comfortable IMHO (but tight, not good for big headed people) and decent sound quality - although I'm no audiophile!

Headset are going to be tricky!!

I should also add a section on fans and mouse surfaces too but the testing methods for these are quite variable.

I might add a section for thermal compounds.

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Originally Posted by CAT-THE-FIFTH

Headset are going to be tricky!!

I should also add a section on fans and mouse surfaces too but the testing methods for these are quite variable.

I might add a section for thermal compounds.

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I was being facetious with my headset suggestion. The thread title says it's a build guide, not a general buyers guide; if you add too much stuff you wont be able to keep it all up to date... unless you want a challenge :juggle:

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Originally Posted by Bagnaj97

I was being facetious with my headset suggestion. The thread title says it's a build guide, not a general buyers guide; if you add too much stuff you wont be able to keep it all up to date... unless you want a challenge :juggle:

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TBH,I was not sure I CBA to add the other sections!!:p

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Originally Posted by ExHail

Also could you please add a column in the Monitor grid for VESA mounting, my next monitor has to have it because I plan on getting one of these> MDM05 Multi Screen Desk Mount Bracket

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I added a column to the monitor list. I would do some additional checking in case you need some additional kit for the VESA mount as I only had a very quick look at the manufacturer's websites.

I am adding some more information regarding panel type and colour depth to the monitor section.

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Originally Posted by CAT-THE-FIFTH

I am adding some more information regarding panel type and colour depth to the monitor section.

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The monitor/peripherals section is confusing me - it's gone from being a recommendation for a particular price bracket/purpose to a sort of mass spec listing. I can get the latter from any number of comparison sites, the value of this guide is in selecting one or two for a particular purpose and explaining why.

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Originally Posted by kalniel

The monitor/peripherals section is confusing me - it's gone from being a recommendation for a particular price bracket/purpose to a sort of mass spec listing. I can get the latter from any number of comparison sites, the value of this guide is in selecting one or two for a particular purpose and explaining why.

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I have still not finished the section fully yet(still need to add a bit more description and details in hindsite). The monitors are put into wide price brackets listing relevant features. Out of at least 160 monitors I looked at those are the best rated;I did not just list them for the lolz. I looked through every monitor upto £300 on Scan and Ebuyer and I still have missed one or two models. I have looked carefully at multiple reviews from multiple websites and forum threads to get to the list. Loads of the cheaper monitors have no reviews at all or are have quite old reviews meaning it is hard to say if the rating is still valid in comparison to newer competition. Your comparison sites will not show these at all.

Monitors are not so easy to limit to one suggestion. Each one has specific features,appearance and shape which might appeal to different people. This is why there is a list. On top of this there are multiple alternatives at very similar price-points as monitors can go out of stock for weeks at time.
Basically,the take home message for each list is that for the price range the monitors should be fine for the listed builds.

Mice and keyboards again are even worse in this regard. Recommending one or two mice or keyboards is not going to help. Appearance,shape,size,weight and functionality is different between the models listed. The shape and button placement on a mouse alone can lead to massively varying opinion between different users of the same mouse.

For instance I tend to use Logitech keyboards and mice myself and could easily have just recommended them(especially due to their CS) but TBH that would be rathered biased IMHO.

However,again I have checked loads of reviews and forums on the mice and keyboards listed. They are all technically very good in reviews but since I have no direct experience of each peripheral I cannot determine which models will be the best compromise for everyone. Perhaps I should have stated it, but the intention was for people to check the models I listed and determine which shape and feature mix was the best for them.

Anyway,taking the suggestion from kalniel aboard I will add more blurb to the peripherals section.

An alternative to the ML03B could be GD05. Lacking front USB3 ports (has USB2) but comes with 3 x 120mm fans and supports full height cards. Costs £57-63 or so. Good value case and looks the business.

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Originally Posted by dbh

An alternative to the ML03B could be GD05. Lacking front USB3 ports (has USB2) but comes with 3 x 120mm fans and supports full height cards. Costs £57-63 or so. Good value case and looks the business.

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I will add it!! Good spot!!:)

Cat here's one for you Xigmatek Midgard White Knight Case can be got for £30 on ebuyer atm
http://www.ebuyer.com/274410-xigmate...-cpc-t55dw-u01
It's basically the original coolermaster 690 with a load of minor tweeks, e.g. holes for cable routing, better hard drive trays, cpu back plate cutout.

For £30 I'd rate it over the casecom or the current cheap cooler master elite series.

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Originally Posted by Pob255

Cat here's one for you Xigmatek Midgard White Knight Case can be got for £30 on ebuyer atm
http://www.ebuyer.com/274410-xigmate...-cpc-t55dw-u01
It's basically the original coolermaster 690 with a load of minor tweeks, e.g. holes for cable routing, better hard drive trays, cpu back plate cutout.

For £30 I'd rate it over the casecom or the current cheap cooler master elite series.

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I did look at that case but was not sure if the white colour would gel with people. OTH,I just checked the black one out and it seems the white one is much cheaper. I will add it to the build.

I need some suggestions for fans. The Enermax ones in the HTPC build seem decent but are not cheap. I am looking for 120MM and 140MM fans which use ball bearings as these will be of use in the other builds.

The same goes with a reasonably priced fan controller.

Do you have any suggestions Pob or indeed anyone else??

http://i559.photobucket.com/albums/s...-needs-you.jpg