Last few bits

[tomhigs]

Hi guys got a few questions about a new build I'm doing for myself. It’s going to be a gaming rig rather than anything for a specific piece of software. I’m going to be running it on x2 Dell 21" Monitors (I should remember the spec but I’m at work atm) both running in 1650x1050 (looking to upgrade these at some point in the future but not right now)

I’ve already got my case, psu, ssd and hdd

I’m now looking at the CPU, MOBO, GPU and Ram. I’ve been holding off for a while to wait and see how it pans out with Sandy bridge but the more I read the more it’s looking like the 2011 chips will be what replaces the 1366 version but that’s going to be about a year off as far as I can make out. So at the moment I’m torn between buying bits for a 1366 build machine knowing that it’s going to be replaced in about a year (I won’t be upgrading at that point) or building a rig based on the 1155 boards and CPU.

ATM I'm leaning more towards buying the bits for a 1366 build (i7 950) because of some of the good deals about at the moment + It’s an established chipset that’s been through its teething stage.

I’m not able to wait a year for the 2011 systems to come out so it’s either a 1366 or an 1155 build.

As such if I decided to go down the 1366 road I was thinking of the following:

CPU - i7 950

Cooler - noctua nh-d14

Mobo - Probably an Asus Sabertooth (or something in that price bracket - Willing to spend up to £200)

Ram - Not sure yet, need to see if there is any fitting issues with the cooler (willing to spend up to £150)

GPU - Thinking of getting a GTX 570 (willing to spend up to £300)(long long run I could always put a second 570 in if I wanted some extra juice when prices come down a little)

Can anyone suggest a mobo, ram and GPU to me or if you think I would be best looking at going 1155 let me know why?

Cheers guys, your help would be great.

Tom

 

[alicarve]

sounds all good, just get yourself some mushkin ram and you are all set for a nice rig

 

[alienware]

Hi Tom. Waiting for 1155 is completely up to you mate. As has been discussed a few times now though 1155 is not a replacement for 1366. It is a replacement for 1156 and is only dual channel.

Obviously it's tough to say just how good they're going to be because what is promised is very very rarely as good as it sounded in previews. Apart from of course the 570 and I hate to say it 580. I was extremely skeptical before either released and was more wrong about the 570 but hey, great damn cards.

There are things that you should definitely consider and I think I will add these tips to my sig lol.

1. 1155 is going to be a new chipset. This most always means headaches, waiting for bios updates ETC ETC.

2. Being new the motherboards will be very expensive where as on the contrary 1366 boards are actually becoming very affordable now.

3. The actual equivalent 'like for like' but better product isn't coming out for around a year yet. It will be quad channel.

4. The VAT increase. It's going to sting no matter what way we look at it.

You can also find some great bargains on hardware now, if you buy it now (what with Xmas and every one fighting to make sales).

Your choice of hardware tbh is impeccable, as for which ram to choose? I hear Mushkin is pretty good around these parts

Power supply is usually a Corsair, if you are planning to upgrade GPUs I would go 750+. TX are pretty much the same as HX only non modular, but either are very good

TBH mate when the I7 920 released a lot of people said "I think I will wait !". TBH they could still be waiting AFAIK as the 920 is still an amazingly capable and fast chip.

 

[Thommo]

This looks very similar to my planned build for a little later in the year except I've penciled in the Mushkin Redline RAM and am veering towards a 6970 or similar, hopefully to be joined by another one a few months later for Crossfire.

Good to see someone else is thinking along the same lines!

That's sage advice from Alien re 1155!

Will take that on board for my own build.

Thommo

 

[tomhigs]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I think Im set now, full list as follows:

Case Corsair 600T Graphite Series Mid Tower Case 128.78

PSU Silverstone Tech. SST-ST85F-P Strider Plus 850W Modular 109.24

Optical Drive PIONER DVR-S19LBK 16.94

SSD 60GB SSD Corsair Force Series Solid State Drive 88.11

HHD1 1TB Samsung HD103SJ Spinpoint F 40.88

HDD2 1TB Samsung HD103SJ Spinpoint F 40.88

Cooler Noctua NH-D14 Dual Radiator and Fan Quiet CPU Cooler 60.98

MOBO Asus Sabertooth 149.91

CPU Intel CPU Core i7 950 Quad Core Processor 222.27

RAM Mushkin 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800 6-8-6-24 Radioactive 140.99

GFX EVGA GeForce GTX 570 Superclocked 312.04

Total Damage = £1311.02

I’ve thought about the 1155 for a while but just decided I cba getting to grips with a whole new chipset to go through the teething. + Some of the deals are too good at the moment.

If anyone can let me know of any potential flaws with this rig then that would be great.

Before you all dis my choice of case though, I already have it and f'ing love it