SittingDuckie
Posts: 43 +0
Hi all,
I have been attempting to build a high-spec PC with a budget of £2.5k but with sensibility instead of madness. This is much like the other post titled "Buying a new crazy sick PC, opinion required?" for which the url I am not permitted to post with my low post-count.
but my research has led me to a slightly different set up. I am hoping someone could take a look at the conclusions I've reached and see if I'm making a reasonable choice. At the moment I am looking only at the basic setup of the machine: PSU, GPU, CPU, MOBO and RAM. I've split the problem into the history and the new set up, so you can ignore the history section if you like, its probably not important.
history (only if your interested)
I've been thinking of buying a new PC for awhile. My current PC was built in september 2004 on a budget. Due to my finals not ending until the end of May, I've been trying to avoid buying a new PC until they are done, to prevent my attention from being distracted.
However, a few days ago the fan on my Sapphire Radeon 9800 pro stopped spinning. Replacing this with an accelero S2 heatsink inadvertently required removal of the default heat sink, which does not like to come off on this model. The result of my attempts means that the display still works, but it cannot generate any graphics. There are a few bugs now on the desktop. I tried new drivers but the problems occuring since the new heat sink install did not change at all. Graphics are disturbed even during boot-up and counter strike source crashes before it can open.
As its not worth replacing the graphics card just for 6 weeks or so, this has pushed me to seek the building of my new pc ahead of schedule. I am hoping to salvage these parts from the old PC (to be replaced once the main rig is set up):
1x 80GB hard disk
1x 160GB seagate hard disk
floppy drive
DVD-ROM drive
19" acer widescreen TFT
mouse
keyboard
logitech surround sound speakers
logitech headset
Proposed rig
CPU: intel core 2 duo E8500 - £175
gpu: nvidia geforce 9800 gx2 - £410
mobo: Asus P5E3 - £140
RAM: DDR3 4GB(2x2GB) 1333mhz 240pin DIMM from Corsair, £180
psu: any silent 500w - £50
case: Not a clue what case to get, approx £50
Total: £1105 = approx $2177 US dollars
The prices are estimates based on some preliminary research into approximate lowest prices available. I'd both appreciate any recommendations on what case/psu to purchase and any criticisms of this set up. Also, please note cooling is not included here. I've done some research into water cooling but have concluded it really depends on the rig. With the inability to water cool typical gx2 units and an expectation (from myself) for the upcoming watercooled units from evga asestek to add 50% plus onto the price, I'm not optimistic.
How does this compare to the rig proposed in the similar post mentioned? prices converted into my estimates in UK pound sterling.
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 - £145
gpu: nvidia geforce 9800 gx2 - £410
mobo: ASUS Striker II Formula 780I SLI - £150
RAM: DDR2-1066mhz 2GB - £40
psu: OCZ 700W GameXStream SLI Ready PSU £70
case: NZXT LEXA Blackline ATX Case Black £50
Total: £865 = approx $1704US dollars
So the new rig proposed here spends a little more on RAM and cpu, but gains DDR3 4GB ram over the DDR2 2GB RAM, but remains with only 2 processors (but rumour has it the duo is optimal as few applications take advantage of quads at the moment).
Would love to know your thoughts, thanks in advance,
Duckie,
Bath, UK
I have been attempting to build a high-spec PC with a budget of £2.5k but with sensibility instead of madness. This is much like the other post titled "Buying a new crazy sick PC, opinion required?" for which the url I am not permitted to post with my low post-count.
but my research has led me to a slightly different set up. I am hoping someone could take a look at the conclusions I've reached and see if I'm making a reasonable choice. At the moment I am looking only at the basic setup of the machine: PSU, GPU, CPU, MOBO and RAM. I've split the problem into the history and the new set up, so you can ignore the history section if you like, its probably not important.
history (only if your interested)
I've been thinking of buying a new PC for awhile. My current PC was built in september 2004 on a budget. Due to my finals not ending until the end of May, I've been trying to avoid buying a new PC until they are done, to prevent my attention from being distracted.
However, a few days ago the fan on my Sapphire Radeon 9800 pro stopped spinning. Replacing this with an accelero S2 heatsink inadvertently required removal of the default heat sink, which does not like to come off on this model. The result of my attempts means that the display still works, but it cannot generate any graphics. There are a few bugs now on the desktop. I tried new drivers but the problems occuring since the new heat sink install did not change at all. Graphics are disturbed even during boot-up and counter strike source crashes before it can open.
As its not worth replacing the graphics card just for 6 weeks or so, this has pushed me to seek the building of my new pc ahead of schedule. I am hoping to salvage these parts from the old PC (to be replaced once the main rig is set up):
1x 80GB hard disk
1x 160GB seagate hard disk
floppy drive
DVD-ROM drive
19" acer widescreen TFT
mouse
keyboard
logitech surround sound speakers
logitech headset
Proposed rig
CPU: intel core 2 duo E8500 - £175
gpu: nvidia geforce 9800 gx2 - £410
mobo: Asus P5E3 - £140
RAM: DDR3 4GB(2x2GB) 1333mhz 240pin DIMM from Corsair, £180
psu: any silent 500w - £50
case: Not a clue what case to get, approx £50
Total: £1105 = approx $2177 US dollars
The prices are estimates based on some preliminary research into approximate lowest prices available. I'd both appreciate any recommendations on what case/psu to purchase and any criticisms of this set up. Also, please note cooling is not included here. I've done some research into water cooling but have concluded it really depends on the rig. With the inability to water cool typical gx2 units and an expectation (from myself) for the upcoming watercooled units from evga asestek to add 50% plus onto the price, I'm not optimistic.
How does this compare to the rig proposed in the similar post mentioned? prices converted into my estimates in UK pound sterling.
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 - £145
gpu: nvidia geforce 9800 gx2 - £410
mobo: ASUS Striker II Formula 780I SLI - £150
RAM: DDR2-1066mhz 2GB - £40
psu: OCZ 700W GameXStream SLI Ready PSU £70
case: NZXT LEXA Blackline ATX Case Black £50
Total: £865 = approx $1704US dollars
So the new rig proposed here spends a little more on RAM and cpu, but gains DDR3 4GB ram over the DDR2 2GB RAM, but remains with only 2 processors (but rumour has it the duo is optimal as few applications take advantage of quads at the moment).
Would love to know your thoughts, thanks in advance,
Duckie,
Bath, UK
. If you have MSN i could help u get the right parts for it my msn is: 
