New build help needed- total noob - prices & specs

[MIKAY]

Hi Guys. Just some background, I’m a total newbie and this is my first Ever build. I’m not stupid but it can be overwhelming first time round and would really appreciate some input on what I’ve bought, wanting to buy and the PRICES I’ve paid. Thanks

So far I have bought: - (All prices include VAT and Delivery)

-

CASE -- Coolermaster COSMOS R1000 -- £70

CPU --- Intel Q9450 2.6ghz QuadCore -- £152

MOBO --- XFX MB-N790-IUL9 nForce 790i Ultra -- £154

RAM --- Elixir DDR3-1333 PC3-10600 4Gb (2x2Gb) -- £50

HDD --- Samsung F1 Spinpoint – 1 Terrabite -- £70

BLUERAY --- Pioneer BDC-S02BK Blue-Ray DVD/CD -- £60

-

TOTAL £556

This is what I’m wanting to buy with to go with above: - (esimate prices)

-

GPU --- 2 x XFX nVidia GeForce GTX 280 -- Under £500

PSU --- Thermaltake ToughPower 1000w -- £80

FAN CPU --- Dont know yet please advise -- Under £20

-

TOTAL EST £600

Complete Total - Under £1200

I know i should have probably done a more simple build first time round but am wanting to complete before Christmas. Now ive just learnt about the i7 boards and don’t know whether to sell my xfx 790i or just to carry on. Any tips and recommendations welcome.

 

[Talonaer]

depends how much more cash your wanting to burn into it, i7 and all the bits mobo, new cooler maybe etc etc, to get it up and runnig is probly onna cost you another £400 or more, even with what you can get back on existing parts.Its a tough call. Id say get a nice OC on that 9450, got mine at 3ghz on air, 2x280's etc etc and youve got a ****ing awesome rig right there that will be frankly frames behind the i7 for a fair while

 

[Rastalovich]

There's not a heck of an amount of arguement against the goods u've listed, outside of some1's personal choice.

I was going to question the necessity of an eventual 1000w psu, but for £80 and all the right connections.. why not. Dunno how good Thermaltake are, u'd have to specify a model.

I would however suggest more than 1 hard drive. 1Tb is great, but perhaps a small one for the OS. Not a concern tho.

 

[Thanh55]

Just wonder how big your monitor? 2x280GTX overkill I think. Go for 4870, 4870X2 save you some money for a better PSU brand.

 

[MIKAY]

Thanks for your replies. Think ill just call the i7 a miss. I could make a profit if i were to sell the 790i and q9450 as i think i got them fairly cheap? well ive been told anyway.

its a thermaltake 1000w atx - W0132.

.overclock.co.uk/product/Thermaltake-1000W-W0132-Toughpower-Modular-PSU_4003.html

Yep wanting to oc the cpu but thats another story yet, need to actually build the thing and dont have a clue where to start. there loads of guides out there but there for like basic/budget pc's and was wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction to more gamer orientated building guide. when i say im a noob i mean it, i dont even no how to connect the multiple wires and fans in the case to the mobo or to the psu not sure where they go.

 

[MIKAY]

Just wonder how big your monitor? 2x280GTX overkill I think. Go for 4870, 4870X2 save you some money for a better PSU brand.

ive got a 42" full hdtv which is going to be connected and going to buy a new moniter in the nect couple of weeks 26"++. I just wanted some assurances that i havent paid too much for the parts and help building it!!

i thought thermaltake was a respected brand?

overclock.co.uk/product/Thermaltake-1000W-W0132-Toughpower-Modular-PSU_4003.html

 

[MeltedDuron]

ive got a 42" full hdtv which is going to be connected and going to buy a new moniter in the nect couple of weeks 26"++. I just wanted some assurances that i havent paid too much for the parts and help building it!!

i thought thermaltake was a respected brand?

overclock.co.uk/product/Thermaltake-1000W-W0132-Toughpower-Modular-PSU_4003.html

Full HD isn't particularly high resolution for PC gaming, but you'll probably have a good time with a pair of GTX 280's and a 42" TV anyway (as long as it has a decent response time)

I can think of worse hardware to put in my PC than an ATi Certified Thermaltake PSU, but for years now a lot of us have associated TT with terrible quality products. You should be alright with it, but with as with everything, theres always gonna be a better alternative...

Alex

 

[MIKAY]

Full HD isn't particularly high resolution for PC gaming, but you'll probably have a good time with a pair of GTX 280's and a 42" TV anyway (as long as it has a decent response time)

I can think of worse hardware to put in my PC than an ATi Certified Thermaltake PSU, but for years now a lot of us have associated TT with terrible quality products. You should be alright with it, but with as with everything, theres always gonna be a better alternative...

Alex

thanks for that, ive havent bought yet but was on the list of wanted and est price, so can you advise something better for around £100, thanks

is this one any good

Be Quiet - Dark Power Pro 1200W ATX2.2 Modular SLi PSU

overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-025-BQ&utm_source=froogle

 

[MeltedDuron]

Well as you arent going to be running a huge watercooling system or phase change a 1000w PSU is complete overkill.

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/750W...-6X-PCI-E-ATX-12V-22-and-EPS12V-80-Efficiency This silverstone would be a great PSU for your setup. In my opinion, Tagan, Seasonic, and OCZ/PC Power and Cooling make some of the best PSU's out there, but I've heard a lot of great things about Silverstone from some of my friends who use them.

If you're looking for a CPU heatsink, £20 isnt gonna get you much highend cooling, a thermalright Ultima 90 and a decent fan will add up to under £30 (http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Ther...wer-heat-sink-for-Intel-AMD-CPU-(Without-Fan)), but you're best off putting aside a little more cash for a TRUE (http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Ther...-Black-Nickel-Plated-Heat-Sink-S775-AM2-(all))

Good luck with the build and welcome to the forums

Alex

 

[MIKAY]

thanks for that Duran. I looking at a 1000w ocz psu this one-

cgi.ebay.co.uk/OCZ-ELITE-XSTREAM-1000W-POWER-SUPPLY_W0QQitemZ160300359533QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_PowerSupplies_EH?hash=item160300359533&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1301%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

but is says not to run with 2 x gtx 280 that have been ocd.

and the cpu cooling needs to fit on xfx 790i mobo which has a massive thing on it lol (cant remember what its called but is the mobo cooling mobo thing)

 

[MeltedDuron]

Honestly mate, theres a lot of marketing BS going on with PSU's these days, I'm pretty sure that OCZ meant overclocking as in liquid nitrogen cooled 3dmark benchmarking, not pushing the cards a little on air cooling for gaming. The OCZ should be a great unit for your PC unless you start pushing things past their limits.

As this is your first build and a pretty high end one at that, you might want to think about enlisting the services of a professional such as our very own Tom Logan (www.tinytomlogan.co.uk) to help out. If you check out his site you'll see that he has a whole range of services available ranging from custom cutting and paintwork to fully custom system builds. Just something to bear in mind if you wanna make this one extra special.

Good luck to you mate, hopefully it'll all turn out great for you!

Alex

 

[MIKAY]

thanks ill have a look in to that. Will probably get pro help, not worth rsiking.

Ok been talking to a freind today who has suggested that it is not wise of me to be investing so much in to system based around the 790i and should sell up.

For the 790i (paid £150) hes said i could get close to £200 if i sold it and again £200 for the cpu which is brand new ( i paid £150) and again a profit on the ramm. So thats £450ish for them and i could buy a asus p6t deluxe mother board and i7 920 cpu bundle for £460 inc delivery from the U.S. All the other parts i have i.e case etc can be kept.

Is this wise and will the parts from the US work in the UK??

 

[tinytomlogan]

Dont bother with i7 mate, its not worth it not yet anyways.

On the pro note take a ganders at the website, Im sure we can dream you something up for the case thats worthy of the hardware

Bin that quad tho and get an E8600, the mobo will stop before that cpu does

 

[rrjwilson]

Just wonder how big your monitor? 2x280GTX overkill I think. Go for 4870, 4870X2 save you some money for a better PSU brand.

Umm I play CSS on 64slot server and according to 3DMark06 scores one of the fastest on her and I get 60fps lowest on there at 1680x1050. That sounds like safe bet for high quality 1080p playing to me. Most will say ATi vs nVidia is a preference but it really isn't when it comes to potential, it is only that games are not using the full potential of CUDA processing yet.

I was going to question the necessity of an eventual 1000w psu, but for £80 and all the right connections.. why not. Dunno how good Thermaltake are, u'd have to specify a model.

I would however suggest more than 1 hard drive. 1Tb is great, but perhaps a small one for the OS. Not a concern tho.

I think it is more quality of power supply rather than power that is needed in a SLi system such as this Rasta so would think this is about right for stability (this is however under the impression of an OC later).

Agree with Rasta get a 160Gb cheap drive for OS and Programs then store documents on 1Tb

ive got a 42" full hdtv which is going to be connected and going to buy a new moniter in the next couple of weeks 26"++. I just wanted some assurances that i havent paid too much for the parts and help building it!!

i thought thermaltake was a respected brand?

overclock.co.uk/product/Thermaltake-1000W-W0132-Toughpower-Modular-PSU_4003.html

Saying full HD is like saying my car is power by full engine.

HD can be 480i, 720i, 720p, 1080i or 1080p with standard average folk TV as 240p (if using same rating system). At 42" i would expect at least 720 but whether its i or p I couldn't guess. If it is an i specification then your rig will be over spec, If it is p specification then it will be good spec. It should also deal with 1080p (highest possible HD format - for TV at least) like a Ferrari does QM in sub15s. However, with that rig you could do with a HUGE resolution screen like the 30" dells or normal fold 1920x1200 pretty happy (in everything bar Crysis ). Aria.co.uk have 26" LCDs with 1920x1200 native for £280

Thermaltake are respected and I have the 1200W toughpower and have never had even a slight problem with it (aside from holding the heavy ******* in place while screwing the back).

 

[rrjwilson]

For the 790i (paid £150) hes said i could get close to £200 if i sold it and again £200 for the cpu which is brand new ( i paid £150) and again a profit on the ramm. So thats £450ish for them and i could buy a asus p6t deluxe mother board and i7 920 cpu bundle for £460 inc delivery from the U.S. All the other parts i have i.e case etc can be kept.

Is this wise and will the parts from the US work in the UK??

I myself have thought of this as I want more power. I have a Q6600 not stock and its fast but not fast enough. Look at the i7 bencmarks for the proof of potential. Even fastest QX series is about 10% slower than the i7 worst processor. So quick bit of logic is a Q setup worth when i7 is same price? NO! plain and simple. i7 is WAY faster and same price and dual channel DDR3 kits are faster than triple channel kits according to current benches so no need to swap RAM. Once BIOS updates come in that will change but it means you have time to save for that too.

Shipping from US is not sensible for computer bits as most are either heavy and large so get inspected I've been had this way more than I'd like to admit. Car parts is fine because under shipping law there are strict limitations on it but electronics its very grey.

 

[MIKAY]

@ ritchie. Yeh what your saying does make sense. Ive decided to sell the 790i whilst its still worth top $ as in a couple of months times it very likely the prices will plumet and going to to sell the ddr3 aswell.

For the time being im just gonna build a rig around 50-70£ sli mobo with 2 x 8800gtx (can be bought for under £80 each used on ebay) gets some decent ddr2 ramm. this way ill gain some expieriance in building pc's with not as much risk attached and hopefully in a couple of months time when the i7 etc end up on ebay (used) will sell current rig at same price its cost me to build. oh yea and will use q9450 in this rig to along with all the other stuff.

 

[Pat123]

I wouldnt reccomend buying used PC bits off fleabay. 8800's are old now.

Just get one 280GTX, an X58 and i7. 2x280GTX's seems way overkill for the resolution you'll be using?

 

[tinytomlogan]

i7 benchmarks are good, but gaming performance for the cost is minimal.

You better off with a Rampage extreme and an E8600 with a couple 4870s in crossfire.

Its more than ANY game needs at the moment even with a HUGE screen

 

[rrjwilson]

i7 benchmarks (here) show that it is not only a good gain but a pretty massive one given the prices being almost the same for a good 775/DDR3 setup. Crysis jumps up by 32% at 1920x1200 (only 5% for an Extreme processor) and that is using a 4870X2.

If a 4870X2 gives 32fps (average so it will be worse too) in Crysis at 1920x1200 which is only slightly higher than 1080p resolution why is it more than is needed. 30fps is the bare minimum for smooth gameplay with 60fps being the ideal. I realise that to have a system worthy of such FPS and resolution it costs but that isn't the only game like that. Being gentle with the specs to someone trying to learn is gonna make them disappointed when it isn't enough.

I would suggest SLi or Crossfire as a minimum if you intend to play at such resolutions smoothly. If you are using less taxing games than the most recent ones (COD4, COD5, Crysis, BioShock etc) then a 4870X2 will do fine for smooth play but you will need more if you intend to play the more taxing games.

I do agree that i7 is not necessary for you as a first build but for the performance you need almost any less than a spanking setup will REALLY disappoint. Go the 775 DDR2 cheap SLi route (or Pat123's idea -which would be my choice) this time (with a big case ready for upgrade). Then when you have the money get NEW i7 stuff never get fleabay electronics unless you can afford to have broken crap everywhere.

Unless you play normal resolutions your first setup (if as you have described ) will not be pimped enough. Sad thing is you get what you pay for - but we can help get the cheapest.

Most of all

HAVE FUN BUILDING!!! Its great fun but you can start to worry about whether its on right and silly little things. Take your time and enjoy it.