Gaming Base Unit - £800 max

[cptwhite_uk]

What spec would you put together for maximum games performance?

Moderate overclocking allowed on CPU and GPU - but still running on air.

Case would preferably be Arctic Cooling T2 (£65.00 approx) which includes a 350W Seasonic PSU see here : http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatal...c_Cooling.html

I've built with one of these cases, and its simply outstanding, virtually silent (literally) despite 6 fans running - PSU fan, 4x 80mm case fans, CPU fan. I'm also of the opinion the PSU is meaty enough, despite what people would have you believe... however feel free to recommend another case, i just don't like spending £100+ on a case and PSU that add no performance. All alternative must be quality branded componets, Tagan / Enermax / Antec / Seasonic etc. Noise and stability very important, looks are secondary.

Opteron / 64 / FX Processor
ATI vid card preferred but not necessary (high AA and AF to be used at 1280x1024)
2Gb of RAM required (should be capable of 250FSB for overclocking) Would consider lower FSB/RAm ratios and using value range RAM - but has to be good quality, if it means a better graphics card within budget.
High quality CPU heatsink and fan
Arctic Cooling for the graphics card (I've used them and like them on my 6800GT)
DVD/RW - 1 drive only
2 x 160Gb hard drives (160Gb minimum)
'A' drive (I like to have this still!)
Not bothered about SLI!!!! (at all)

So spec me your best!!! I want maximum FPS based on those requirements. Happy to overclock to a moderate level.

However the best system you could put together without overclocking would also be good for comparison.

[Clunk]

350w psu isnt even close to whats required for powering that kind of setup, and even more so if you intend to overclock AND put a nice meaty graphics card in there as well.

an example is the enermax noisetaker 600w is a great psu to have a look at. some people will say that you can get away with less, but to me, the psu is the most important part of the system. if you dont get a decent one right away, you may be sorry later on when things arent stable.

if you can find a well priced opty, then go for that.
i can recommend the dfi ultra-d and sli-d boards for overclocking. (other will no doubt disagree )
ram...have a look at the g.skill hz series 2 gig kit. great price and some people have hit 300 with them, but the average seems to be around 260-270.
the arctic cooling nv silencer 5 rev 3 is brilliant, but if you decide to go sli in the future, you may not be able to use 2 of these, depending on what motherboard you decide on.
i have an nec4551 dvd burner and it has never failed me, and at less than 25 quid is a bargain, but they are LOUD when in full flight, but worth a look.
cant comment on the ati card because i havent had one in donkeys.

hope this was of some use....dont scrimp on the psu !

[menthel]

http://forums.hexus.net/showthread.p...psu+calculator

Try this thread. It will help you see psu's in a whole new light

[RavenNight]

Right here goes:

Mobo: Asus A8N-SLi Deluxe £106
CPU: AMD 3700+ San Diego (Should easily clock up to FX-57 speed)
Memory: 2 x 1GB Corsair Value Select
GFX: nVidia 7800GT ~£210
DVD/RW: lite-ON Lightscribe £31
HDD: 2 x 160GB Hitachi Deskstars £117

Thats all £740ish, leaves you enough for the case/PSU option you wanted.

[cptwhite_uk]

I've heard good things about DFI...is the ASUS able to overclock to the same level?

[Clunk]

the dfi boards have vast amounts of tweakability, but at the same time, there is more settings to do wrong. they arent the easiest boards to set up either. once they are setup, they are brilliant, but it takes time, and not something just to jump into all half arsed if you know what i mean also there are issues with other hardware, just like any other manufacturer. the trick is to choose your other parts very carefully and you will have less chance of problems.

plenty of dfi help available too over at http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/index.php

you will also find a lot of useful recommendations for other hardware thats known to work well with the dfi boards.

if you want something to just put together and work, then maybe dfi isnt for you, but if you fancy a bit of a challenge that can be very rewarding, then i would say go for it

[RavenNight]

The asus board also overclocks great, the DFI probably has the edge on OC ability but the Asus is much easier to set-up and has slightly more features, tis also really reliable.