[HELP] Advice on new build please

[phurbs]

I am looking at swapping my massive tower case for a smaller, quieter and (slightly) better machine. I just need a little advice to make sure I am not making any stupid mistakes and also just ensure I am getting the best for money/needs.

My current set up is: Intel E5200, 4GB DDR2, Radeon 512MB HD4850 with a bunch of old HDD all in the one case. I have just got myself a nice shiny NAS drive so I no longer need to keep all the drives in my main PC, hence the smaller PC.

I mostly just use the PC for browsing internet and listening to music etc. Some gaming but nothing heavier that Portal/Civilisation/Football Manager.

So, to summarise, I am hoping to end up with a SMALL, QUIET and RESPONSIVE PC.

Here is what I have picked out so far. I will be transferring my PSU and HDD (I think they are compatible?) so what do you guys think?

[Attila the Bun]

Actually I reckon that will be a good build for my bro.

Don't forget to get free postage as you've got more than 20 posts

[Blackmage]

Get a cheaper case £40 (Antec 300) and maybe use the money saved to upgrade the CPU to a AMD setup with a phenom II 955?

Also is that SSD worth getting? a 60GB SSD will allow the OS/APPS and Game or TWO.

[dfour]

Also whats the point to the ddr2000?? Just get regular 1600 stuff
Corsair vengence £39:74

Also the hyper 212+ is a better cooler for £17:26

Also the Rasurbo SC-07 Black MicroATX Midi Tower Case @ £31

With the money saved you could upgrade the SSD to a OCZ 60GB Agility 3 SSD - Solid State Drive @ £99:12 which will blow the corsair nova into the weeds.

[Homeking]

Like Blackmage says the Phenom II 955 in an AMD setup is worth thinking about as an alternative.

It's even a bit cheaper than the i3 550 at Scan now:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/amd-p...hz-125w-retail

Use the money saved on a cheaper case and RAM to get a slightly better AM3 or AM3+ motherboard with SATA3 and USB3.

[phurbs]

Cheers for the input guys. Firstly, I wont be getting it posted, as I live about 5mins from scan!

The case is staying. I saw it in the store and it looks mint. I'll look at swapping the HS around though!

As for the SSD. The only reason I am going that way is that I sometimes get a 2 or 3 second lag while the HDD spin up and it winds me up a lot. I am hopeful it will be worth the extra cash since it will be low noise and better performance. I will look at getting a bigger capacity though.

As for the CPU. Is there a lot of difference with performance if I upgrade to the Phenom II? My budget isn't set in stone so if it is going be like £50 more but with a nice performance jump then I can cope. What mobo would you recommend for the Phenom?

[edit] What kind of overclocking potential does a Phenom chip have? Could I push the 3.2 up to say 3.5 or even 4?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I would consider a Phenom II X4 955BE or a Core i3 2100. Remember that AMD Bulldozer and Llano are being released next month too and that it is also worth getting an AM3+ motherboard(they are starting to enter retail now).

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

BTW,what PSU does the OP have??

[phurbs]

PSU wise, I have a 430W Seasonic which should be fine.

What benefits does the AM3+ boards have over straight AM3? Also, would there release make AM3 boards come down a bit price wise?

[Blackmage]

PSU wise, I have a 430W Seasonic which should be fine.

What benefits does the AM3+ boards have over straight AM3? Also, would there release make AM3 boards come down a bit price wise?

AM3+ should be able to use bulldozer CPUs

[phurbs]

If that is the only real benefit, I think I will stick with Phenom/AM3 to be honest.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

If that is the only real benefit, I think I will stick with Phenom/AM3 to be honest.

AMD Bulldozer is being released next month and review samples have been received by many websites it seems. Llano is also being released next month AFAIK.

TBH,I would wait until next month as it should mean some more competition and more competitive prices too.

[phurbs]

Right.

I have made some revisions. I have decided to drop to a dual core AMD CPU as I just dont think I need 4 cores. I have read that it is fairly easy to OC the CPU to 3.5GHz or even up to 4GHz.

Looking at my current RAM usage (3.5GB used of 4GB installed) I have decided to bump that up to 8GB.

I have also taken on board the feedback regarding upcoming Bulldozer/AM3+ but I dont really want to spend a premium to get the 'newest' stuff so I think I will wait a bit and hope that the Phenom/AM3 stuff drops in price after the release of Bulldozer/AM3+.

I will also keep my eye on SSD prices closer to the time to see if I can get a bigger capacity for a similar price.

Here is the new list. Any more thoughts?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The AM3+ motherboards based on the existing chipsets don't seem to be priced that much higher than the existing ones.

An example are the following ones:

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Compo...roductId=40761

http://www.lambda-tek.com/components...prodID=B673098

AM3+ motherboards have a modified socket and slightly different BIOS so they can work with Bulldozer.

Also,a tower cooler won't fit an SG03.



An Athlon II X3 455 will probably be a better all round choice than a Phenom II X2 555BE IMHO.

However,I think you should also consider a Core i3 2100. It has decent performance in games and a 65W TDP. The stock cooler is low profile and is not too noisy IMHO.

[Homeking]

You've nothing to lose by getting an AM3+ board. The 8 series are about the same price and even a bit cheaper than their AM3 counterparts so far.

For example this ASRock 890GM is cheaper than the one on your list and is better specced:

http://www.ginger6.com/asrock-sktam3...s-p-45541.html

AM3+ will allow the choice of upgrading in the distant future and I think it's only the new 9 series boards that will carry the price premium.

It will be a good idea to wait a bit and see what happens with prices once Bulldozer is released.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The following build is with a Core i3 2100.



I would check to see if there is enough clearance under the PSU for the RAM although the stock cooler should be fine.

With Bulldozer and Llano being released next month you could end up with some better deals on a new CPU and motherboard.