Help me build a PC!

[mcintyrej]

Hello computer people.

I'm looking to build a new system on quite a tight budget. I'd say about £300 was as much as I'd go.

I need:

CPU
Motherboard
Memory
Graphics Card
Hard drive (250gb or bigger)
PSU
Sound Card
Here's one i've kitted out myself:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/pimg/CP-142-IN_60.jpg (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-142-IN&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=793) Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 "LGA775 Allendale" 1.80GHz (800FSB) (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-142-IN&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=793)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/pimg/MB-118-AB_60.jpg (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-118-AB&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=205) Abit IL9 Pro (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-118-AB&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=205)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/pimg/MY-059-CS_60.jpg (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-059-CS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=144) Corsair 1GB DDR2 XMS2-5400C4 TwinX (2x512MB) (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-059-CS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=144)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/pimg/GX-153-SP_60.jpg (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-153-SP&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=938) Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO 256MB DDR2 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-153-SP&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=938)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/pimg/HD-023-HI_60.jpg (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-023-HI&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=768) Hitachi Deskstar T7K500 NCQ 250GB SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-023-HI&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=768)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/pimg/CA-016-OK_60.jpg (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-016-OK&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=) OcUK Huntkey 450W PSU (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-016-OK&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/pimg/SC-040-CL_60.jpg (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SC-040-CL&groupid=701&catid=11&subcat=) Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 Sound Card - OEM (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SC-040-CL&groupid=701&catid=11&subcat=)Subtotal £255.93
£300.72 inc VAT


Would this be sufficient to run LFS good? But also I need to be running things like Sony Vegas and Photoshop, aswell as Itunes in the background so I don't get bored.

My Current Rig:

Asrock P4VM890 (Socket 478) AGP DDR Motherboard
Pentium 4 3.0 Ghz
Don't know, 1024MB (2x512mb) DDR
Nvidia Geforce FX 5700
Western Digital Raptor 10,000RPM 36GB
350W PSU

Gets about 20 FPS at the back of a grid, quite often down to about 5-10 on CTRA Bump&Jump. Single player, about 70FPS.

Help?

[CSU1]

ya! but. little electronic people on forums will not build it. Just get the stuff and build it:shrug:

[Shotglass]

not a good chouce in terms of the processor ... you should by one according to this list
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/intel/showdoc.aspx?i=3038&p=2

[dawesdust_12]

Also, that Radeon is crap, the 8600 kills it in DX9 apps, and DX10 also.

[Jakg]

not a good chouce in terms of the processor ... you should by one according to this list
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/intel/showdoc.aspx?i=3038&p=2I've seen E4300's hit 3 GHz on the stock cooler before, still not a good choice?

nice build, the PSU is... iffy, and i'd get a 7600GT instead of that card tbh

[mcintyrej]

not a good chouce in terms of the processor ... you should by one according to this list
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/intel/showdoc.aspx?i=3038&p=2

So that article states that there's no point in getting a 1066FSB C2D, but the motherboard i've got on there only supports up to 1066FSB.

Also, that Radeon is crap, the 8600 kills it in DX9 apps, and DX10 also.

An 8600 is about £18 more than the radeon, so I guess its worth it if its better.

ya! but. little electronic people on forums will not build it. Just get the stuff and build it:shrug:

I didn't mean literally build it. Just help me choose parts! :tilt:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So with a 1.86 Conroe 1066FSB C2D, aswell as an 8600GT it takes my price upto £350.07 inc VAT. £50 more than I initially planned to spend, but I guess £300 may have been a bit too ambitious.

EDIT:
Your post just appeared while I was doing this one Jak.

The PSU was a bit of a low end one from the list.

OcUK Huntkey 500W PSU any better? I've read a few reviews for it and it seems good to power an 8800GTS system, so an 8600 GT or a 7600GT (like you suggested) would be fine.

[Jakg]

I dont know anything about Huntkey, and the fact they put "OcUK" at the start makes me thing they're generic, but if the reviews are to be believed it should be fine.

There should be a price drop as they've stopped making the E4300, and it's been replaced by the E4400 (or is the E4420?)

[Shotglass]

I've seen E4300's hit 3 GHz on the stock cooler before, still not a good choice?

ive had one of those too
BUT
1) he doesnt strike me as the type whod oc his pc
2) theres now a 44 for the same price with an added 200mhz

did you even look at what the alternative to the 43 was ?
the 44 costs the same ... has a higher clock ... and if you are the type who cares about overclocking its likely exactly the same core as the 43 with a multi of 10 meaning it will be even easier to oc

So that article states that there's no point in getting a 1066FSB C2D, but the motherboard i've got on there only supports up to 1066FSB.

1) youve got a e4300 in your current build which only needs 800mhz fsb
2) choose another one then there are very cheap boards with "unofficial" 1333 support

[mcintyrej]

I've seen E4300's hit 3 GHz on the stock cooler before, still not a good choice?

nice build, the PSU is... iffy, and i'd get a 7600GT instead of that card tbh

I dont know anything about Huntkey, and the fact they put "OcUK" at the start makes me thing they're generic, but if the reviews are to be believed it should be fine.

There should be a price drop as they've stopped making the E4300, and it's been replaced by the E4400 (or is the E4420?)

If there's a price drop on its way then i'll sit tight for a while. I still havn't gathered all the money yet, just gonna get it all sorted so I can click the magic button when i'm ready.

[Shotglass]

If there's a price drop on its way then i'll sit tight for a while. I still havn't gathered all the money yet, just gonna get it all sorted so I can click the magic button when i'm ready.

that was the entire point of the list ... iirc the price drop is effective as of july 22.

[mcintyrej]

that was the entire point of the list ... iirc the price drop is effective as of july 22.

Then they should have dropped already? Its the 24th today.

I think i'll sit tight regardless of CPU prices, I was going to get about the same spec system a couple of months ago but it was £450.

[Shotglass]

my advice is dont if you actually want something new ... until 1 1/2 years ago my personal pc (recursion ftw) was a p2 233 because of that trail of thought

[Dennisjr13]

If you can, drop that ABIT motherboard and the sound card and get this one instead http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-221-AS&tool=3. It will cost you an extra £7.06 inc VAT.

Onboard sound is fine for budget builds and this Asus board will allow you to overclock, unlike the Abit board.

[anttt69]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So with a 1.86 Conroe 1066FSB C2D, aswell as an 8600GT it takes my price upto £350.07 inc VAT. £50 more than I initially planned to spend, but I guess £300 may have been a bit too ambitious.



Your graphics card is complete overkill unless you play a lot of other games. Anything from a 7600GT upwards would be more than enough to play LFS very well.

[DeKo]

nononnononono dont get a radeon 2600, they are absolutely appalling. all 2xxx GPU's are sort of optomized for shader based AA, so they struggle to perform well with normal AA on most games. The 2600 is a nono, an X1950 PRO would be a much better choice. dirt cheap and fast as well. Or if that is too expensive, go with the 7600GT.

the 8600's performance is appalling in most dx9 games and it isnt much better with dx10, and there are next to no dx10 games out yet. Go with dx9, and upgrade in 2 years or so to DX10 if you need to.

[Jakg]

Your graphics card is complete overkill unless you play a lot of other games. Anything from a 7600GT upwards would be more than enough to play LFS very well.....my 7950GT can't manage 8xAA with a full grid... Plus at some point LFS WILL get more demanding, and i'm sure he probably plays more than just LFS

[ZORER]

http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?t=23875

Please read my post about a problem on S3 chipset.

[Jakg]

i've never seen that problem on any other S3 (not that i hear of many), or a DS3 (same board, solid capacitors) or any other Intel 965p chipsets, it seems to be an isolated incident

[mcintyrej]

Okay, i've added up another rig. This one seems a bit better to me, take a look:

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/6303/untitled2copyge8.jpg

[DEVIL 007]

Nice built.I would recommend exactly something like that.
LFS will fly with that as the C2D processor is very powerfull.

I would only swap that Hitachi drive with this:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-046-WD&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=768

This disk has higher cache and it sometimes help a lot.

7600GT is not enought for some other games thought if you want to pl;ay at max details but more then fine for LFS.

[dawesdust_12]

8600 would be alright, because honestly, anything ATi has to offer is shit, gets killed by the 8600, and that performs rather decently for most modern games, DX9 is does rather well, DX10 is still shitty though.

[mcintyrej]

Okay, I need some more help. My budget is around £240 now, so I don't think i'll be able to afford a 1333FSB machine. Any suggestions?

[Jakg]

Get an E2160 - 1.8 GHz stock, £58, will do 3 GHz quite easily.

[mcintyrej]

Get an E2160 - 1.8 GHz stock, £58, will do 3 GHz quite easily.

Really? I thought they were a bit low end with only the 1MB L2 Cache. I've priced pretty much the same system as before, but with an E4300 at £260.

[Shotglass]

afaik conroes are generally rather cache dependant (due to relatively slow ram lines) so the more cache you can get the better

depends a lot on the size of the code youre running of course

[speedykev]

Have you tread this sit. http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/bundles.html

[Jakg]

afaik conroes are generally rather cache dependant (due to relatively slow ram lines) so the more cache you can get the betterThats what i thought, but after reading this article (http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17751381) i'm really not so sure - if i overclock the crap outta an E2160 i'd get 3.2 GHz, maybe a little more, or 3.6, maybe even 3.8 GHz outta an E6600, but the E6600 is double the price (although i saw an E6600 which did 3.8 GHz on air for sale for £80 and i hesitated and it got sold :()

I've now come to the conclusion that your best bet from the S775 line is either an E2160 or a Q6600 G0, or if your not into overclocking, the E6300 (nice and cheap on eBay) and the E6750

[mcintyrej]

An E2140 overclocked to anything above 2.4Ghz would easily do me, but I'm still a little cautious about overclocking. Even though I've overclocked my Pentium 4 by a massive 100hz.

What would I be able to get an E2140 up to, on stock cooling? I could always get a better cooler, like this one:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-017-AR

[Jakg]

On The Freezer? 3 GHz plus with a decent mobo.

2.4 GHz on stock cooling should be fine, i've seen 3.2 GHz on stock coolers.

[mcintyrej]

On The Freezer? 3 GHz plus with a decent mobo.

2.4 GHz on stock cooling should be fine, i've seen 3.2 GHz on stock coolers.

Whats a Decent mobo?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-118-AB

That decent?

[Shotglass]

Thats what i thought, but after reading this article (http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17751381) i'm really not so sure

which shows pretty much exactly what im on about
its reasonable to assume that the size of the 3dmark code grew over time to the point where it wont fit into a 4mb cache anymore (considering there will be a bunch of os stuff in there too)

its certainly not a conincidence that the most noteable change on the penryn is a bigger cache

[Jakg]

This (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-235-AS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=913) is what i'd call "decent", but in actual fact this is probably one of the best overclocking boards on the market (and it better be for £100!).

If we take a step away from the bleeding edge and look towards the 965P Chipset-ed boards we find some nice buys, ie the Gigabyte S3 (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-063-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=565), which is just the Gigabyte DS3 (Great overclocking budget board) without the solid capacitors (which saves you £7), unfortunately with the new P35 chipset out, the 965's aren't selling as well so the prices are going up...

This image might be of use, even if it is a little outdated (no P35 boards), replace "Enthusiast" with 1337z0r overclockz0r and you get the idea.
http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/3214/finallg1.png

That eVGA 650i board might be one of your best bets

</hardware geek mode>

[mcintyrej]

This (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-235-AS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=913) is what i'd call "decent", but in actual fact this is probably one of the best overclocking boards on the market (and it better be for £100!).

If we take a step away from the bleeding edge and look towards the 965P Chipset-ed boards we find some nice buys, ie the Gigabyte S3 (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-063-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=565), which is just the Gigabyte DS3 (Great overclocking budget board) without the solid capacitors (which saves you £7), unfortunately with the new P35 chipset out, the 965's aren't selling as well so the prices are going up...

This image might be of use, even if it is a little outdated (no P35 boards), replace "Enthusiast" with 1337z0r overclockz0r and you get the idea.

That eVGA 650i board might be one of your best bets

</hardware geek mode>


So a list like this would do well?