New Rig

[PeteSmith]

Hello fellow hexites,

I feel the time is near to build myself a new PC, so wanted to run the following spec past you guys, feedback please.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail – 150.39
Mobo: Asus P5N-E SLi nForce 650 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard – 82.24
Mem: OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) PC2-6400C5 Dual Channel Vista Gold Series DDR2 (OCZ2G8004GK) – 193.86
GPU: BFG GeForce 8800 GTX OC 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) – Retail – 370.11
HSF: Zalman CNPS9700-LED Aero Flower (Socket AM2/939/754/775) CPU Cooler – 45.81
HDD: Western Digital Raptor X 150GB WD1500AHFD 10,000RPM SATA 16MB Cache - OEM x2 – 300.00
CD/DVD: Samsung SH-183LBEBN 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer Serial ATA Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM – 21.14
Chassis: CoolerMaster Stacker 830 - Black Trim (No PSU) – 176.24
PSU: Enermax Infiniti 720W EIN720AWT ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU – 135.11
Additional Cooling: Zalman ZM-F3 120mm Silent Case Fan - 3 Pin x4 – 28.16
Sound: Onboard for now.
Monitor: Open to Suggestions, Gaming Grade and 20" + please

Total = 1,501.49 (Inc VAT)

Please pay particular attention to the HDD's, PSU and Mobo, as these are the 3 i'm most undecided about, anyone have any better alternatives.

I might hold fire a bit before buying, as its mostly aimed at playing new future games releases such as Crysis and UT2007.

Was also toying with the idea of getting a E6700, but as i understand the OC' potential/cost ratio works out better with the E6600?

Any thoughts?

[danroyle]

the nforce 650 boards still dont overclock that brilliantly firstly

the hard drives are not that much quicker than a couple of good sata2 drives i would save some cash and get a couple of sata2 250gb for a third of the price

the psu looks ok


but wouldn't you be better off holding out and seeing how ati x2900xtx pans out as
a: it may be better
b: it will lower the price on nvidia cards also
c: dx10 games are still a way off and the 8800 is only the first dx10 card

also on the memory i would buy this
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...d=8&subcat=813

2 lots of that would set you back £140 and its got better timings than the ocz stuff
just means you would have 4 sticks of ram instead of 2

[Harkin]

I might be wrong but some1 correct if so, but with the E6600 or E6700 its just as much of a gamble if it will be a good overclocker. I wud say go for the E6600 which wud save urself a few squid, plus they sell em on Scan for £139.81, cheapest anywhere I think

[dave87]

I would still suggest a p965/975 board over the 650i chipset.

I'd stick with the 2x2gb, as it'll give you potential to upgrade in the future (I guess you keep your rigs a while, but buy the best you can when you do upgrade?)

Monitor - Depending on how much you want to spend I would suggest a 20" Dell, or perhaps a 24" if budget allows.

Hope this helps

[Sprite]

Shop at ebuyer and use google checkout. Place multiple orders to use the deal more than once and save a fair bit.

Also go for a P5B / DS3 motherboard and an AC7 Pro instead of that Zalman.

[Harkin]

What about the new P35's? Wudn't that be a bit more future proof if u wanted the rig to last awhile.

[Clunk]

What about the new P35's? Wudn't that be a bit more future proof if u wanted the rig to last awhile.

We dont know what they are like yet, the retail ones might be flakier than a Gregg's pasty. Although not likely really

[Harkin]

We dont know what they are like yet, the retail ones might be flakier than a Gregg's pasty. Although not likely really

Very true, didnt know when PeteSmith wanted to get his Rig. Personally I wud wait for the prices to drop and some new Bios to be released b4 considering a P35, cos u know thers gonna be problems. But if u want bleeding edge and willing to take a risk...

[amjedm]

You need to look at other fans, AFAIK the Zalmans aren't that good.

Yate Loon and Sharkoon make fans which can be undervolted to give quiet or cranked up to give decent airflow.

The other fans I have owned are on the quiet side so can't recommend if you prefer airflow over quietness.

[PeteSmith]

Very true, didnt know when PeteSmith wanted to get his Rig.

Next couple of months, no real hurry, just want to be able to play UT2007 and Crysis with the settings turned up so high my eyes bleed

You need to look at other fans, AFAIK the Zalmans aren't that good.

Yate Loon and Sharkoon make fans which can be undervolted to give quiet or cranked up to give decent airflow.

The other fans I have owned are on the quiet side so can't recommend if you prefer airflow over quietness.

I'm looking for a happy medium tbh, I don't want a jet engine but i do want to be able to OC a fair amount in the future, nothing silly though

Shop at ebuyer and use google checkout. Place multiple orders to use the deal more than once and save a fair bit.

Also go for a P5B / DS3 motherboard and an AC7 Pro instead of that Zalman.

Artic Cooler 7 looks a bit daft, but it sure has some good reviews, that said, so does the Zalman. I'm wondering if i'm going to have issues fitting it in my case, and if its going to get in the way of fitting additional memory? (I think 4gb should be enough for a while, mind you i said that about 2gb)

I might be wrong but some1 correct if so, but with the E6600 or E6700 its just as much of a gamble if it will be a good overclocker. I wud say go for the E6600 which wud save urself a few squid, plus they sell em on Scan for £139.81, cheapest anywhere I think

Thanks for the price check, i will keep that in mind. I don't want to buy individual parts from many different suppliers if i can help it, the small price difference soon disappears to multiple postage charges.

Thanks for all the advice, if anyone has any other alternative ideas for mobo and harddrive config please let me know.