Building a New PC

[Jimmeh]

Well, I've come into a bit of money recently, and I'm toying with the idea of blowing some of it on a new PC. At least a new box that is, I'll be keeping my current monitor, speakers, mouse/keyboard etc.

In the mean time I've put together some bits and pieces as a start. I'm not keen on going too far over (budget-wise) what I've spent below, but if there's anything shite here that I shouldn't buy please let me know.



Motherboard : MSI PT890 Neo-V Socket 775 - ?39.54

https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Com...)/+MSI+PT890+Neo-V+Socket+775?productId=25643

CPU : Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Retail - ?104.99

https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Com...Intel+Core+2+Duo+E6400+Retail?productId=23825

Heatsink/Fan : Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 PRO - ?15.22

https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Com...+Arctic+Cooling+Freezer+7+PRO?productId=20729

Case Fans : 2x 80mm Fans - ?10.70

Case : Enlight Micro Atx 2404 Case - ?39.95

https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Com...X/Enlight+Micro+Atx+2404+Case?productId=23964

PSU : Thermaltake W0116RB 750W Modular PSU - ?82.19

https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Com...take+W0116RB+750W+Modular+PSU?productId=27048

Graphics Card : Asus GeForce 8800GTS 320MB PCI-E - ?187.77

https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Com...s+GeForce+8800GTS+320MB+PCI-E?productId=26540

RAM : OCZ 2048MB PC7200 Platinum Dual Channel Kit - ?93.94

https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Com...200+Platinum+Dual+Channel+Kit?productId=26677

Hard Disk : 80GB Maxtor DMax20 SATAII 8MB - ?28.79

https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Com...0GB+Maxtor+DMax20+SATAII+8MB+?productId=25938


Total : ? 603.07 (Thats GBP. Silly forums.)

I know I definitely want an 8800GTS and one of those shiny Dual Core Intels, but do you reckon I might've left things a bit short elsewhere? The mobo for example?

Any comments or suggestions would be great.

 

[The Brick]

Yes I can't find anywhere that that mainboard even supports core 2 duo, so it probably doesn't.

Do you plan on overclocking?

The rest looks ok, though you might save a bit on the ram. If you're not going for a massive overclock, these will do just fine.

 

[Jimmeh]

Good shout about the RAM. I think you're right about the mainboard though. Is the mobo something you can really afford to go cheap on though? Is buying one of the cheaper boards with Core 2 Duo support going to have any big impact on performance? As for overclocking, I don't really plan on doing any, haven't really got any idea in that department. I'd imagine if I did any overclocking on this machine it'd melt.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Barney Fife]

I agree with Brick on the MB and I in addition I cant stand the case either. Like its me who's buying it.

 

[Jimmeh]

Yeah I've decided on another case now. This one - https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Com...Thermaltake+Soprano+-+Silver+?productId=27593

The page of the mainboard I listed does actually say 'Core 2 Duo Ready' underneath the title, but it doesn't mention it anywhere on the description. I think I'll choose another just to be safe. Any reccomendations?

 

[Qonfused]

Good shout about the RAM. I think you're right about the mainboard though. Is the mobo something you can really afford to go cheap on though? Is buying one of the cheaper boards with Core 2 Duo support going to have any big impact on performance? As for overclocking, I don't really plan on doing any, haven't really got any idea in that department. I'd imagine if I did any overclocking on this machine it'd melt.

Thanks for the help.

When you're buying a motherboard, you're not necessarily buying speed. You're buying reliability. If you buy a cheapo, no-name motherboard, it'll likely shit out on you. And I'm speaking from experience.

 

[Barney Fife]

Yeah That's more like it on the case, and like Qonfused said; You need stable and reliable MB to go with your C2D setup. Its like installing a ferrari engine in a Ford Escort. Get it?

 

[Jimmeh]

Ah right. Makes sense I guess.

Your thoughts on this one? - http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...tion=shoppingCartAdd&productId=27254&context=

 

[The Brick]

Yes I myself can't imagine going cheap on the mainboard either anymore, unless the rest is cheap ass too. For the core 2 duo, most 965p chipset mainboards will be good. If you want to upgrade to SLI in the future, you're limited to the 680i chipset boards.

If you plan on saving a bit extra and waiting till july 22nd, you will be able to get yourself a quad core (core 2 quad q6600 2.4ghz) for about 150 pounds (not really sure, but won't be far off). But the most reliable boards for the core 2 quad are the p35 chipset mainboards. Even though the 965p mainboards will support quaddies, most of those mainboards have problems with stability.

good 965p mainboards:
Gigabyte ga-965p-ds3
Asus p5b
DFI 965s dark

good 680i mainboards:
evga 680i
asus p5n32-sli

good p35 mainboards:
gigabyte ga-p35-ds3r
asus p5k

 

[Asus]

Just make sure if you get an ATX board you also get an ATX case, not micro ATX like the first case you linked to.

 

[The Brick]

Good catch, missed that one.

 

[Jimmeh]

Yeah I noticed that too eventually.

Yes I myself can't imagine going cheap on the mainboard either anymore, unless the rest is cheap ass too. For the core 2 duo, most 965p chipset mainboards will be good. If you want to upgrade to SLI in the future, you're limited to the 680i chipset boards.

If you plan on saving a bit extra and waiting till july 22nd, you will be able to get yourself a quad core (core 2 quad q6600 2.4ghz) for about 150 pounds (not really sure, but won't be far off). But the most reliable boards for the core 2 quad are the p35 chipset mainboards. Even though the 965p mainboards will support quaddies, most of those mainboards have problems with stability.

good 965p mainboards:
Gigabyte ga-965p-ds3
Asus p5b
DFI 965s dark

good 680i mainboards:
evga 680i
asus p5n32-sli

good p35 mainboards:
gigabyte ga-p35-ds3r
asus p5k

Nice one, very helpful info! :imu:

I'm tempted to wait it out and get a Q6600 now. That's a really good deal. Grrr. I'm really not sure. On the one hand I want a new computer right now, this old crock has basically had it. But a Q6600...

 

[The Brick]

Then I'll make the decision. Wait for the q6600 and research some of your hardware of choice some more. You'll probably end up making other (better) decisions once you know what you're buying.

here is a good place.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/index.php?

I can tell you that the PSU and the graphics cards are choices to keep (mabye different brand though, doesn't really matter). The cpu cooler is a nice one too. It's cheap, cool and quiet. But if you plan on overclocking that cpu over 3.6ghz, you might want to look at other, more expensive models. But I don't think that'll be the case.

 

[Jimmeh]

Right fair play, looks like I'll wait another month. Glad I made this thread now.

Thanks for the help though , much appreciated. :thumbs: