Quick question for PC building enthusiasts. - Help with my potential new PC please

OK, so have been given some money due to a not so happy reason so thought the best thing to do was use some of it to get a rig that i can finally consider to be one of my own choice and one that i can finally be comfortable with being able to call a decent computer rather than just an expensive Dell or whatever.

So i thought as many of you guys are avid builders and know exactly what you are talking about

I thought i would list the potential new rig and ask for peoples opinions on whats hot, whats not, what they might change etc.

It will be a great help, may thanks.

By the way my budget is around 900 GBP's but is slightly negotiable either way. I am also not a computer builder but may be able to get a friend to help me with that and while the rig below is about the 900 pound mark i may be able to shave 50 odd pounds of that price so....

Anyway rig:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400/ 3.00GHz/ 6MB Cache/ 1333FSB/ LGA775

Intel Motherboards: Asus P5E-DELUXE Intel Mainboard - 4x DDR2 / 6x Sata Raid / 1x IDE / Gigabit Lan

Desktop Hard Drives: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 7200RPM 32MB SATA 3Gbs

Optical Drives: Asus DRW-2014L1T SATA Lightscribe DVD Re-Writer (20x - Black)

Desktop Memory: Corsair DDR3 4GB PC-10600/1333 (2x XMS3 2GB) TW3X4G1333C9 Ram

Cases (PSU included): Intech H340B Black Tower Case (550W)

Graphics Cards: XpertVision ATI HD4850 Sonic PCI-E 2.0 1GB 256-bit GDDR3, 685/ 2000MHz, Dual Link DVI, HDMI (via Dongle), HDCP, Fan.

Sound Cards: Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Surround 5.1

Microsoft Windows: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium DVD - Retail

Logitech G-15 Gaming Keyboard USB

Cyber Snipa Stinger 3200 DPI Gaming Mouse

(P.S) I am aware that this could be answered in other forums but i rarely frequent them and this place is teeming with people who know what they are talking about so......Plus, of course, FM09 will be the first game installed (hopefully with a patch from day one from what i hear about the demo - though to those worried i say this - SI always sort it out eventually, patience is a virtue and with the coding and databasing that goes into this game, issues must be expected. That people are complaining about only three to five bugs is really a fantastic result.)

Anyhow, info much appreciated.

I personally would look at the Intel Quad core processors if you have that much cash to play with. Other than that is a very nice set up

Not sure about ASUS MBs , they usually come with all kinds of problems from "overcloacking failed" to temperature issues , to "hate this DIM " , to diarrhoea , to unable make relations with the opposite sex.

My new pc gave me more trouble in 2 weeks than my old pc gave me in 2 1/2 years and yes it was the MB .

I personally really rate Asus motherboards - though I don't bother with all that overclocking malarkay, so can't comment on that. But it looks like a nice rig.

I personally really rate Asus motherboards - though I don't bother with all that overclocking malarkay, so can't comment on that. But it looks like a nice rig.

So with two people hating the asus motherboard, does anyone have one that they would replace it with??

Thanks.

I personally really rate Asus motherboards - though I don't bother with all that overclocking malarkay, so can't comment on that. But it looks like a nice rig.

Sorry, i read that as HATE asus motherboards which i now see it is not. Bit of a plonker!!!

So is the consensus that Asus motherboards are good?? I always thought Asus set a standard but obviously someone had a problem with theirs or would that generally be the exception to the rule??

I have found a gigabyte one that appears to be slightly better and less expensive but i had rediculous problems with a gigabyte motherboard a few years back and would be loathe to part with my money on them tbh.

I also tend not to overclock if that helps.

If you have good hardware, there's no practical need for you to overclock it. It's kind of like pimp my ride.

Remember to get a nice case, the coolermaster series are sweeet.

gigabytes are nice, I'm using one at the moment (not that it means that it is good but I have had no trouble)

I'm not sure about quad core, it doesn't seem to be good value for money at the moment... And the one you have chosen is good for overclocking so if you don't need it you can get a much cheaper one that is only a little bit worse off in terms of power.

get a good case n fans so cooling down easily as the ATI HD4850 is very hothothot! Or change the fan speed yourself when you get it. I think the graphics card is a bit excessive for your system anyway.

Don't get home premium, not worth the price, unless you're getting it for free.

you can probably skip out on the gaming keyboard and mouse, they're kind of pointless to be honest. Better to save your money to buy things you need than squandering it for things you don't. I think the nice kind of mouse and keyboard are the wireless ones that you can do anything on and looks pretty at the same time anyway.

It was smart to choose the big hard drive. I'm having to get a new one for myself over Christmas.

If you have good hardware, there's no practical need for you to overclock it. It's kind of like pimp my ride.

Remember to get a nice case, the coolermaster series are sweeet.

gigabytes are nice, I'm using one at the moment (not that it means that it is good but I have had no trouble)

I'm not sure about quad core, it doesn't seem to be good value for money at the moment... And the one you have chosen is good for overclocking so if you don't need it you can get a much cheaper one that is only a little bit worse off in terms of power.

get a good case n fans so cooling down easily as the ATI HD4850 is very hothothot! Or change the fan speed yourself when you get it. I think the graphics card is a bit excessive for your system anyway.

Don't get home premium, not worth the price, unless you're getting it for free.

you can probably skip out on the gaming keyboard and mouse, they're kind of pointless to be honest. Better to save your money to buy things you need than squandering it for things you don't. I think the nice kind of mouse and keyboard are the wireless ones that you can do anything on and looks pretty at the same time anyway.

It was smart to choose the big hard drive. I'm having to get a new one for myself over Christmas.

Thanks for that

Why do you think my graphics card is a bit too much for the system.??

I would prefer to build my system around the Graphics card, mem, and cpu, so any help, greatly appreciated.

Oh and i have done away with the Windows to concentrate on hardware. I have workarounds for that with my old system

the only thing which hasnt been mentioned so far is the ram you're getting. i know ddr3 is the new thing but in tests i've seen so far is that ddr2 ram running at 1066mhz runs faster because of the quicker ram timings compared to the slower ddr3

oh and your motherboard says it supports 4x DDR2 slots, no mention of it being able to handle ddr3 which is different

the only thing which hasnt been mentioned so far is the ram you're getting. i know ddr3 is the new thing but in tests i've seen so far is that ddr2 ram running at 1066mhz runs faster because of the quicker ram timings compared to the slower ddr3

oh and your motherboard says it supports 4x DDR2 slots, no mention of it being able to handle ddr3 which is different

Hey,

Yeah the gigabyte one i was looking at supports ddr3 which is one of the reasons i mentioned it.

Like i say im open to suggestions.

If DDR2 is working better at the mo then im open to going with that with the asus motherboard if the consensus is that asus generally do their stuff well which i thought they did

I would also like to be able to upgrade in the future so any info again greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the stuff coming in.

If your looking at getting an ATI HD 4850, look at the sapphire dual slot cooler version, i've got one and never runs above about 55-60C under load.

Also i've got that CPU and got it overclocked to 3.4GHz without difficulty.

If your looking at getting an ATI HD 4850, look at the sapphire dual slot cooler version, i've got one and never runs above about 55-60C under load.

Also i've got that CPU and got it overclocked to 3.4GHz without difficulty.

Ok so for the majority, everyone seems to be feeling this is a decent rig, thats the opinion i am getting anyway.

I think the motherboard or Ram has to be changed to be compatible (slight oversight there) and with my experience with Gigabyte of old versus what i know is said of Asus im thinking the Asus motherboard with the DDR2 RAM might be the best option

I may have to purchase a completely different set-up in terms of my cooling needs as it seems like the graphics card is a bit of a beast that expects more than just its own, and an average Jo, cooling system.

If anyone would like to recommend me a better/different card please feel free as although i did do a little homework before selecting im much more of a novice than i know some of you are out there.

but the reasons you ask these questions is so the people that actually know what they are talking about (You guys) can help.

SO CPU looks good, motherboard probably, different RAM (I'll look into that), potentially a different card?? if you guys have a better idea, or a better cooling system, but apart from that seems like s decent rig.

However, please feel free to imagine you have the thousand GBP's to spare if you like and come up with something better or more your type of thing so i can compare and see what others opinions are!!

Thanks again.

A really nice rig. A lot better than mine at least.

What make is the PSU that comes with that case?

I've always been told to get a decent brand when buying a PSU, as if it fails it can break other parts.

everything looks very good. it would be faster than 85% of other people's computers. the cpu is great and can (supposedly) be overclocked to 4ghz without too much trouble. dual core so far is faster for games because of the higher clock speed than quad cores. if you wanted a slightly better graphics card look into the 4870, it might not be too much more expensive. it does run quite hot though apparently. i've had asus boards before and never had problems with them. asus regularly release updated bios on their homepage.

yes and possibly find out more about the psu, which is often overlooked. if you overclock the cpu or get a better graphics card you might want at least a 600w psu. brand names which are good are ocz or corsair

everything looks very good. it would be faster than 85% of other people's computers. the cpu is great and can (supposedly) be overclocked to 4ghz without too much trouble. dual core so far is faster for games because of the higher clock speed than quad cores. if you wanted a slightly better graphics card look into the 4870, it might not be too much more expensive. it does run quite hot though apparently. i've had asus boards before and never had problems with them. asus regularly release updated bios on their homepage.

yes and possibly find out more about the psu, which is often overlooked. if you overclock the cpu or get a better graphics card you might want at least a 600w psu. brand names which are good are ocz or corsair

If im being honest i haven't really looked into what PSU it is, it comes with what i am ordering.

At the moment im ordering the parts and then getting a more savvy friend of mine to hep me build.

If the PSU is important i have the cash to make sure that its good enough.

Im also prepared to go the extra mile to increase the coling power as much as possible.

I know with my last set-up (which was my own concoction) was built by somebody i didnt know, and the fans inside actually started melting after a yaer or so which is why i am trying to make sure i get it spot on this time.

Keep those nuggets coming, you guys are helping heaps.

Thanks.

Oh and im not really interested in the quad core at this moment in time.

As a couple of you have said, seems to be little advantage for the outlay.

I know someone said to look into it, and i certainly was so thanks, but it just seems that that might be for the future rather than now. More pressing things to iron out before making the final decision regs CPU, MB, Ram, cooling, Video Card etc.

many thanks.

I'd save a few quid and forget about the seperate sound card. Onboard sound on most mobo's is more than adequate these days...also means less clutter and better airflow if you have one less card in there.

Where are you buying this stuff from?, cos I just built a similar spec rig for about £550

Wait a month and get the new i7 chip. X58 mobo.

Get Vista OEM not retail and dont bother with an X-Fi(MOST POINTLESS VISTA UPGRADE EVER)

If you cant wait don't get DDR3, and get a quad core not dual core.

Or spend the extra money on a 4870.

Where are you buying this stuff from?, cos I just built a similar spec rig for about £550

Lots of info coming in and i appreciate it all

But just to come to this comment quickly.

I live in OZ as a UK Ex pat and am going on their prices however imports would not set me back five hundred notes so if you would like to impart your knowledge my friend, im definitely listening.

Im struggling to think of where you could have gotten that stuff from though unless they were second hand or OEM (realy not trying to be harsh here) but i priced mine up wit the most reputable company in Melbourne against an alienware set-up to come up with my price.

( did mix and match a little though so....)

Again, advice al the way my friend.

Sorry just assumed you were in the UK.

I bought all my parts from www.ebuyer.com but dont think they deliver to OZ.

I would have a look at buying from on online store as the prices are usually cheaper.

All my parts were new retail parts except my oem HDD and vista, and I had 4GB of DDR2 ram which is quite a bit cheaper than DDR3.

I've had a brief scan through the thread, but havn't found any mention of the bit type of your OS. Their are 2 "flavours" to use SI-speak!! You have 32-bit & 64-bit. Bear in mind that a with a 32-bit OS you will only get around 3.3GB out of your 4GB RAM. Only a 64-bit OS will support all of that RAM.

Sorry, just in case, OS = Operating System (XP/Vista etc)

can any one help me also.

im currentyl running a 3.4 GHZ 32 bit windows xp, i currently have 1 GB RAm..

i need a new monitor any way because mine is small, iv found a 22" for £150 which im happy with.

I will proebly increae my RAM to 3GB as iv been told 4 wont use its full potentiol..

i can do all this with a new grpahics card for under £250-£300

Some one said i should just but a new pc, these duel core things, if it was a duel 2.4 GHZ etx. does it mean the pc has two making a total of 4.8 GHZ or is it 2 making a total of 2.4 ie 2x 1.2..

also in relation to to what would be my current new set up,

3.4 cpu, 3GB RAM, 32bit xp, and a new graphics card.

how does this compare to a duel 2.4, 2GB, 64bit vista etc.

am i losing alot of power?

can any one help me also.

im currentyl running a 3.4 GHZ 32 bit windows xp' date=' i currently have 1 GB RAm..

i need a new monitor any way because mine is small, iv found a 22" for £150 which im happy with.

I will proebly increae my RAM to 3GB as iv been told 4 wont use its full potentiol..

i can do all this with a new grpahics card for under £250-£300

Some one said i should just but a new pc, these duel core things, if it was a duel 2.4 GHZ etx. does it mean the pc has two making a total of 4.8 GHZ or is it 2 making a total of 2.4 ie 2x 1.2..

also in relation to to what would be my current new set up,

3.4 cpu, 3GB RAM, 32bit xp, and a new graphics card.

how does this compare to a duel 2.4, 2GB, 64bit vista etc.

am i losing alot of power?[/quote']

A Dual Core 2.4ghz CPU is 2 2.4ghz processors together. It does not combine to make a 4.8ghz machine. The main benefits, for now, are when running say 2 applications at once, they can run seperately in each core. With a single core machine they would have to share 1 processor.

If your current processor is 3.4ghz, you would in effect be slowing your machine down by switching to a dual core 2.4ghz. This is dependant on how you use the machine.

If you generally only do 1 thing at a time, play FM OR go on the t'internet OR run torrents etc then your current processor MAY be the better choice.

If you generally have multiple things on the go FM AND Internet Explorer AND Torrents running AND Chat utilities etc, then a dual core MAY be best suited for you.

Hope that makes sense?

A Dual Core 2.4ghz CPU is 2 2.4ghz processors together. It does not combine to make a 4.8ghz machine. The main benefits, for now, are when running say 2 applications at once, they can run seperately in each core. With a single core machine they would have to share 1 processor.

If your current processor is 3.4ghz, you would in effect be slowing your machine down by switching to a dual core 2.4ghz. This is dependant on how you use the machine.

If you generally only do 1 thing at a time, play FM OR go on the t'internet OR run torrents etc then your current processor MAY be the better choice.

If you generally have multiple things on the go FM AND Internet Explorer AND Torrents running AND Chat utilities etc, then a dual core MAY be best suited for you.

Hope that makes sense?

when im playing FM, normally im concentrating on just that, i have msn open when playing network with me mate, and obviously this forum, cos i oftern need advise lol..

so if i increase the RAM to 3 GB and just make sure my grpahics card is upto speed, will this be enough to run FM with a thew leagues on the go.?

when im playing FM' date=' normally im concentrating on just that, i have msn open when playing network with me mate, and obviously this forum, cos i oftern need advise lol..

so if i increase the RAM to 3 GB and just make sure my grpahics card is upto speed, will this be enough to run FM with a thew leagues on the go.?[/quote']

It would help but even a cheap Dual Core (Pentium E2180 for example) would provide you with more benefit. FM09 makes more use of multiple cores than FM08 did (based on a little testing with the Demo). Per MHz the newer processors process much more instructions.

For example this barebones (plug in your own HDD): http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?BB-E2182P

At one of the busiest times of year for FM, this sort of thread really ought to be in Off Topic.