UPSB v4

Off-topic / JLSpinY's New Build

  1. JLSpinY
    Date: Sun, Dec 5 2010 11:15:26

    I'll be getting a new PC around Christmas, as VAT is going up and stuff. I'll be mainly using it for school work (word processing, powerpoint, excel and the like) and web browsing. I also convert videos (I use Xilisoft, which can utilise multiple cores). I don't game. I want to keep some of the parts until I leave uni (7 years time), and some parts I will replace in the next couple of years. Budget is £1000. Monitor: 24" Iiyama PLB2409HDS-B LCD Wide Full HD 1920x1080 2ms 20000:1DCR VGA DVI HDMI Height Adj 3yr warrty - £172 Case: Coolermaster HAF X, Black, Full Gaming Tower Case inc Side Window/USB3, w/o PSU - £128 PSU: 650W XFX P1-650S-NLB9 Core Edition, 80 PLUS Bronze, 85% Eff', SLI/CrossFire, EPS 12V, 135mm Fan - £67 Optical drive 1: LiteOn IHAS424 24x DVD±RW SATA DL & RAM with LightScribe SATA Optical Drive - OEM Black - £20 Sockets: Belkin E-Series 6 Socket Surge Strip (Lifetime Warranty) Cable 1m - £8 Reusable: £396 Processor: AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition 3.2GHz Socket AM3 6MB Cache Retail Box Processor - £70 CPU Cooler: Corsair CWCH50-1 Cooling Hydro Series H50 High-performance CPU Cooler supports LGA1156 LGA775 LGA1366 AM2 and AM3 processors - £55 RAM: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/159919 – x2 - £50 Motherboard: Asus M4A87TD/USB3, AMD 870, S AM3, PCI-E 2.0 (x16), DDR3 2000(OC), SATA 6Gb/s, SATA RAID, ATX - £70 Hard drive 1: Samsung HD103SJ SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 3.5" Hard Drive - £38 GPU: 1GB XFX HD 5770, PCI-E 2.0 (x16), 4800MHz GDDR5, GPU 850MHz, 800Cores, 2x DL DVI-I/ DP/ HDMI - £107 Components: £340 £12 - Edimax Wireless-N150 USB Adapter £6 -Anti Static Matting 61cm (24inch) Wide x 104cm (41 inch) Length - Ideal for system builds Extras: £18 Total of PC Parts: £754 You can give me links to stuff from American websites, and I'll just find it on a site that ships to the UK.

  2. Mats
    Date: Sun, Dec 5 2010 12:45:46

    My laptop is roughly these specs: 2.2 Ghz / 2G RAM Sound card not great, but decent headphones = Good enough 160Gig harddrive I'm pretty sure that it could handle everything you are doing there. For £499, I could have had a laptop that was MUCH better. Double the RAM and processor with better gfx/sound and 400G disk space. Mine cost £299 and is portable (when you get to uni you might find something portable is MUCH more useful ;)) How are people spending so much money on these things? :S

  3. Prince
    Date: Sun, Dec 5 2010 12:51:03

    buy a macbook i said it.

  4. JLSpinY
    Date: Sun, Dec 5 2010 14:12:48

    Sorry, I don't really like laptops.

  5. Mats
    Date: Sun, Dec 5 2010 14:25:30

    My main point was that laptops are generally more expensive for the same performance. So for a £1000, you should be getting a computer that is far in excess of your current needs.

  6. JLSpinY
    Date: Mon, Dec 6 2010 16:54:25

    @iMatt , can you help me?

  7. iMatt
    Date: Mon, Dec 6 2010 18:36:57

    Case: NZXT Phantom: http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=56051&category_id=1&manufacturer_id=284&tid=phan-001wt Amazing case, out does the 700D in terms of...well pretty much everything and it's far cheaper. Check reviews, people are raving. Motherboard: Asus Evo: http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=47898&category_id=956&manufacturer_id=0&tid=90-mibck0-g0eay0wz# CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 3.4Ghz: http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=38322&category_id=952&manufacturer_id=0&tid=hdz965fbgmbox CPU Cooler: Scythe Shuriken: http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=32963&category_id=98&manufacturer_id=0&tid=scsk-1100 PSU: 550w OCZ Modular: http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=32427&category_id=263&manufacturer_id=0&tid=ocz550fty-uk Since you're not going to be gaming much, you don't need a hefty 12v rail to power MASSIVE gpu's. RAM: Corsair 4GB DDR3 1066mhz: http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=40914&category_id=775&manufacturer_id=0&tid=cmv4gx3m2a1333c9 HDD: 1TB Samsung: http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=36618&category_id=112&manufacturer_id=0&tid=hd103sj DVD-Drive: 14 quid, can't go wrong: http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=37905&category_id=654&manufacturer_id=0 Graphics Card: AMD Radeon 5770: http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=37816&category_id=1034&manufacturer_id=0&tid=hd5770 Should be MORE than sufficient if you would like to game on it at some point, not to mention it'll drive up to 4 displays 504.84 quid. Accessories: Monitors: 2 x 24" 2ms 1080p Samsung displays: http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=57987&category_id=815&manufacturer_id=0&tid=ls24lrzkuv/en# Speakers: 5.1 Creative Inspire system: http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=47546&category_id=293&manufacturer_id=0&tid=51mf4105aa003 Total 864.83 pounds The rest should cover shipping. Good luck on the build. EDIT Not sure if it will work. The VAT tax is something I'm not too familiar with. In the states we just have a sales tax (tack on ex amount of dollars for buying via retail). :S

  8. Mats
    Date: Mon, Dec 6 2010 18:48:52

    What's with this crazy attitude of getting as close to budgets as possible without going over? Is no-one happy spending 1/2 their budget, getting a suitable machine and having hundreds of pounds to spend on other things?

  9. JLSpinY
    Date: Mon, Dec 6 2010 19:34:25

    I have £2000 to spend, but I'm saving £1000+for getting a new violin. (A £100 chinese one ain't good enough once you're past grade 5 :p) @iMatt , would you recomend the HAF X? It's £125, and comes with a free gaming mouse ATM. Is this PSU good: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/650w-xfx-p1-650s-nlb9-core-edition-80-plus-bronze-85-eff-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-135mm-fan ? Could I get a Dual Core Phenom II and hope that it'll unlock to 4 cores, as I don't deperately need a quad core? (And it'll save me £60) I'd like to stick to the Iiyama monitor as it can rotate. If you could find another monitor that can rotate (I don't mind how big, as long as its more than 22") I'll happily change. Anyway, thanks for your help. Edit: Changed OP

  10. iMatt
    Date: Mon, Dec 6 2010 21:21:21

    JLSpinY wrote: I have £2000 to spend, but I'm saving £1000+for getting a new violin. (A £100 chinese one ain't good enough once you're past grade 5 :p) @iMatt , would you recomend the HAF X? It's £125, and comes with a free gaming mouse ATM. Is this PSU good: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/650w-xfx-p1-650s-nlb9-core-edition-80-plus-bronze-85-eff-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-135mm-fan ? Could I get a Dual Core Phenom II and hope that it'll unlock to 4 cores, as I don't deperately need a quad core? (And it'll save me £60) I'd like to stick to the Iiyama monitor as it can rotate. If you could find another monitor that can rotate (I don't mind how big, as long as its more than 22") I'll happily change. Anyway, thanks for your help. Edit: Changed OP
    I hate the HAF case series. Good air flow, however they're not good when it comes to cable management and it's loud as hell. Not to mention it's more expensive. You don't need a 650w PSU. You're running a single GPU on your 12v rail. Hell you could run this entire system fine on a 350w. There's no point in getting a waterblock for a phenom II dual core. That would be retarded. Water cooling = performance. If you know nothing about overclocking and voltages, it's useless. (if you want future proofing don't get a water block. (H50) for a standard machine. ) Regarding the Dual Core Phenom II, you can do that, but sometimes it doesn't work if you don't have the proper stuff to do so (you'd have to upgrade the motherboard more to something with tweaking options in the bios, thus raising the cost)

  11. JLSpinY
    Date: Mon, Dec 6 2010 22:01:38

    I thought cable management in the HAF X was quite good. There are loads of cable grommets around the motherboard area. As it uses mainly large fans at low speeds I expected that the sound would be quite quiet as well. I agree with you in that the H50 is a bit overboard. I'd like to be able to overclock my CPU to 4GHz at a later date, so what would you suggest. Also, does overclocking lessen the processors life? And if so, is it by a substantial amount of time? And I believe that the mobo you suggested has BIOS options that allow for the unlocking of extra cores. Edit: The XFX PSU is only £10 more so I don't really mind. I may get another 5770 at a later date, and as it's an OEM Seasonic it's epic. I think :P Edit 2: I'll have a think about the monitors. I may get cheaper ones or something.

  12. iMatt
    Date: Mon, Dec 6 2010 23:45:49

    JLSpinY wrote: I thought cable management in the HAF X was quite good. There are loads of cable grommets around the motherboard area. As it uses mainly large fans at low speeds I expected that the sound would be quite quiet as well. I agree with you in that the H50 is a bit overboard. I'd like to be able to overclock my CPU to 4GHz at a later date, so what would you suggest. Also, does overclocking lessen the processors life? And if so, is it by a substantial amount of time? And I believe that the mobo you suggested has BIOS options that allow for the unlocking of extra cores. Edit: The XFX PSU is only £10 more so I don't really mind. I may get another 5770 at a later date, and as it's an OEM Seasonic it's epic. I think :P Edit 2: I'll have a think about the monitors. I may get cheaper ones or something.
    I've heard the HAF case. Trust me on this, they're loud lol. When they kick up the speed, it turns into a turbine XD Overclocking does a little big, but marginally. The phenoms can run at 4ghz stable on stock cooling no problem. I'd just use a slightly above average heatsink. I don't recall, but if it does, guess my intuition is better than thought :p Fair enough, idk if you'll need dual 5770's :p . Unless you plan SUPER hardcore gaming you won't get much benefit from it =/ Up to you on the monitors, those are just my picks.

  13. JLSpinY
    Date: Tue, Dec 7 2010 16:46:52

    Would the Skythe Shuriken be good enough?

  14. iMatt
    Date: Tue, Dec 7 2010 17:27:10

    yeah scythe line is known for being one of the best when it comes to fan based cooling

  15. JLSpinY
    Date: Tue, Dec 7 2010 18:17:36

    http://www.scan.co.uk/products/scythe-mugen-%28infinity%29-quiet-cpu-cooler-quiet-socket-478-lga775-socket-754-939-940-am2 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/scythe-mugen-2-quiet-cpu-cooler-for-478-lga775-lga1366-amd-socket-754-939-am2-am2plus-and-940 Which one should I choose? Also, is this RAM good? I know it's more than I'll need. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb-%282x4gb%29-corsair-vengeance-ddr3-pc3-12800-%281600%29-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-8-8-8-24-xmp-150v

  16. iMatt
    Date: Wed, Dec 8 2010 20:00:34

    JLSpinY wrote: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/scythe-mugen-%28infinity%29-quiet-cpu-cooler-quiet-socket-478-lga775-socket-754-939-940-am2 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/scythe-mugen-2-quiet-cpu-cooler-for-478-lga775-lga1366-amd-socket-754-939-am2-am2plus-and-940 Which one should I choose? Also, is this RAM good? I know it's more than I'll need. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb-%282x4gb%29-corsair-vengeance-ddr3-pc3-12800-%281600%29-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-8-8-8-24-xmp-150v
    Unfortunately neither of those are socket AM3 Compatible. This one is however: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142 The ram isn't too bad, CAS 8, but again this isn't a SUPER high end build so it'd be fine.

  17. Colin
    Date: Sat, Dec 11 2010 06:04:11

    I dont mean to steal the thread, but I was wondering if I should get a new CPU cooler. The stock AMD one I used was LOUD as fuck, and ran 45C on idle I got a new one, forgot what the brand was, but it was called Vortex Plus or something. I now run at 30C idle. I was honestly considering getting the Sycth Shuriken (speelings?), but Im not sure if the 120mm fan'll fit in my case. This is how 120mm fans fit in my case. again, sorry if im jacking this thread :(