What components do i need to build a PC? - Page 2 - Saxperience

bagnaj97 · 9th December 2009, 17:02

80gb should be more enough for OS, apps and a couple of games. I've got games, music, videos etc on a regular hard drive as they don't need disc speed as much. OS, office, browser, development tools etc on my ssd.

haz_pro · 9th December 2009, 23:47

I have decided i would also like to be able to play games on it in full settings, for this would i be better off going with the first set up you suggested, or one of the overclocked PC's i posted.

Are there benefits with over clocked pcs?

bagnaj97 · 10th December 2009, 09:39

Overclocking is making components run faster than their rated speed and is very easily done by changing settings in the bios. Whilst you get more speed whatever components you overclock will generate more heat and use more power, thus decreasing their lifespan. Having said that they should still easily outlast their useful lifespan; they'll be obsolete before they fail. To be honest, though you will get higher benchmark scores on an overclocked system you probably wont notice any real-world difference.

Those pre-overclocked pcs aren't bad, I'd forget the "Titan H2OC Goliath." It's a lower spec than the other one because you're paying extra for water cooling.

The "Ultima Vanquish" model has a good, but not as good motherboard as the one I specced. The power supply isn't as powerful, although still easily good enough, it's not modular though which means all its cables are permanently attached even if you're not using them. This means you can't tidy them as easily internally and they will hinder airflow. Once you've upgraded the graphics card to a radeon 58 series or 2x 57 series though you're already over the £1000 mark.

Whatever you go for in the end I'd stick with the new radeon 5 series cards because they have directx11 support and are therefore slightly more futureproof. Either 1x 58xx or 2x 57xx cards. You also need to make sure you get a 1GB card and not 512MB. Games are already starting to need more than 512mb. Having said that, if you're planning on running a linux distribution on this pc you'd be better off getting an nvidia card because their drivers are far better than ATI's drivers.

Personally I'd build my own based on the second system I specced. It will play any game out, and if newer games come out that it struggles with you can add a 2nd 5750 card at a later date (and they'll have fallen in price). If you're not confident building your own and overclocking it then by all means get that Ultima Vanquish model, it's not at all bad for a pre-built system.

JamesR^m · 10th December 2009, 09:47

1000?

My laptop cost about 400 and can play any game out right now easily

I also use the likes of Cubase, Reason, FL studio, sonar etc for music.

What are you getting thats much better for the extra 600?

http://www.internetct.co.uk/xbladebl...psu-p-501.html

Is the above case big enough for everything needed?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001TH8OD...SIN=B001TH8ODI

That monitor any good?

bagnaj97 · 10th December 2009, 09:59

My pc would cost under £500 to build now and can also play any game out easily on my 19" 1280x1024 monitor. For the extra money this pc should be able to play any game out now at full settings and full HD or greater resolution as well as being able to play new games for the next few years. I'd love to have £1000 to spend on a new pc though

JamesR^m · 10th December 2009, 10:04

What are the USB ports connected to? As i would like quite a few of them. Would i have to cut holes in the case that i posted in the link before for them?

Will this fit in that case and is it any good?

http://www.cclonline.com/product-inf...813&tid=frooct

bagnaj97 · 10th December 2009, 10:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saxo_vtr

1000?

http://www.internetct.co.uk/xbladebl...psu-p-501.html

Is the above case big enough for everything needed?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001TH8OD...SIN=B001TH8ODI

That monitor any good?

That monitor looks fine to me. I wouldn't bother with that case. I wouldn't go anywhere near the included psu with a very long barge pole and personally I think the case is a bit blingtastic.
You should never buy a cheap power supply, they are prone to failure and when they go they can send power spikes to other components, damaging them (I thought this was just an exaggerated internet rumour until I lost my hdd to psu failure). Cheap power supplies also do a worse job of converting ac current to dc, resulting in more stress on components and shorter lifespans. Cheap power supplies really are a false economy.

Most midi-tower cases will be fine, the things to take note of are that high end cpu heatsinks can be very tall and some modern graphics cards are very long. The new Radeon 59xx cards are 13" long and you have to stick pci-e power plugs in the end.

JamesR^m · 10th December 2009, 10:22

Can you reccomend me a good case, with some see-through parts and LEDs and things?

Need about 4 USB ports on the front and maybe 2 on the back.

Also could you reccomend me a good motherboard for about 100?

bagnaj97 · 10th December 2009, 10:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saxo_vtr

What are the USB ports connected to? As i would like quite a few of them. Would i have to cut holes in the case that i posted in the link before for them?

Will this fit in that case and is it any good?

http://www.cclonline.com/product-inf...813&tid=frooct

The usb ports connect to headers on the motherboard, whereabouts will be shown in the motherboard manual.

This case will fit everything and includes 2 front usb ports. Casecom cases are basic but do the job. Most (all?) their cases are the same but with a different front panel. Space for a 12cm fan in front to cool hdds and 92mm fan at the rear to exhaust hot air from the cpu. Some casecom cases have a window if you're after one.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/108273#

You could add one of these to get more usb ports.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/136405

That cpu you listed will fit in any case, it's the heatsink that's big. Also if you're basing a build on the ones I've listed previously be aware that they were socket 1366 and that cpu is socket 1156. I've not used cclonline before because they're pricey. That cpu is £151.05 on there, £143.72 on ebuyer, £143.97 on aria.co.uk and £148.52 on scan.co.uk.

bagnaj97 · 10th December 2009, 10:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saxo_vtr

Can you reccomend me a good case, with some see-through parts and LEDs and things?

Need about 4 USB ports on the front and maybe 2 on the back.

Also could you reccomend me a good motherboard for about 100?

Rear usb ports are built into the motherboard and you can't get them these days with less than 4 on the back. Simplest way to do this is what's your budget and what're you planning to use the pc for? If your laptop can play all games out then why do you need a new desktop pc?

For ~£100 you wont be able to get a motherboard that has 2x pci-e x16 slots for dual graphics cards. This is fine if you don't mind running the 2nd at pcie x4/x8 or you're only planning on having a single card. Again, it boils down to your budget and what you plan to use the pc for.

JamesR^m · 10th December 2009, 11:02

I just want to build a PC as i prefare them to laptops

Are they hard to build?

If i had £1000 to spend, what do you think i should get? I want a good graphics and sound card and a all round fast PC, with a huge ammount of memory. Also want it to look good / cool

I aim to build it over a period of say a year or so. Buying parts as i can afford them

Thanks for all your help btw, your a PC genius

Also that midi case said that it can only take a Micro ATX something

bagnaj97 · 10th December 2009, 11:38

Building a pc isn't hard, the part that confuses most people is getting compatible parts. For example getting the right sort of memory, the same socket cpu and motherboard etc. Once you've got all the right parts it's just electronic lego. The major parts will only plug into the correct places, it's the front LEDs and power/reset switched that can be fiddly.

I'll look now and see what I think you should get. I'll try and keep the cost down initially, but leave it with plenty of potential for upgrading over a year.

Having said that if your laptop is fast enough why not just get a monitor, keyboard and mouse and use your laptop like a desktop? You then have the advantage of being able to unplug and go it you want.

JamesR^m · 10th December 2009, 11:39

I just want to build a PC as it interests me aswell

Also what should i buy first? The case?

http://www.ewlink.co.uk/advance-8702...ack-5065-p.asp < This good? I really like it

haz_pro · 10th December 2009, 11:43

I was just researching crossfire with 2 5770, there seems to be mixed opinions.

Is it true some games will only take advantage of one card, meaning i may be better off getting a single 5850, or a better card to begin with.

bagnaj97 · 10th December 2009, 12:21

It is true that some games don't benefit from the 2nd card, but as I expect you'll have seen a single 5770 is still pretty powerful. It's also cheaper initially and you may find that it's fast enough for your needs, but there's always the option to add a 2nd card at a later date.

As for cases http://www.ebuyer.com/product/144802 is the one you want

Has a window, all the fans you can eat (and they're included, not just space for fans), plenty of space and fittings and holes for water cooling if you decide to go that route one day. It looks good without being cheap and blingtastic imho. Also has front usb ports (although they're fairly standard on cases these days).

Quote:

I aim to build it over a period of say a year or so. Buying parts as i can afford them

There's no point doing this, wait until you can afford everything. Otherwise you'll have unusable pc parts laying around that will have come down in price by the time you can use them, meaning you can then get the same pc for less when you can afford it, or a better pc for the same money.

JamesR^m · 10th December 2009, 12:28

Found a place that will make a PC for me, here is the spec for £677. Is it any good for what i want?

Processor (CPU)
AMD PHENOM II X3 720 SOCKET AM3 (2.80GHz/6MB CACHE) - BLACK EDITION

Memory (RAM)
4GB CORSAIR XMS3 DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY

Motherboard
ASUS® M4A785TD-V EVO: DUAL DDR3, S-ATA II, 2 x PCIe x16, 1 x PCIe x1, 3 x PCI

Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)

USB Options
8 x USB 2.0 PORTS (6 REAR + 2 FRONT) AS STANDARD

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
500GB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm)

2nd Hard Disk
1TB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 16MB CACHE (7,200rpm)

RAID (HDD 1 & 2)
NONE

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
22x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM

2nd DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NONE

Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTS250 PCI EXPRESS

2nd Graphics Card
NONE

Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT

Modem
NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND

Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)

Case
STYLISH BLACK ALUMINIUM TRIGON CASE + 2 FRONT/SIDE USB

Power Supply & Case Cooling
450W Quiet Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£25)

Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER

Firewire & Video Editing
2 x IEEE 1394a FIREWIRE PORTS (1 onboard, 1 at back panel)

You can change things if you think they would be better here: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/index....spec=gaming600

Click on configuration.

jus_tin · 10th December 2009, 12:46

try these guys... http://www.avforums.com/forums/computer-components/

bagnaj97 · 10th December 2009, 13:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saxo_vtr

Found a place that will make a PC for me, here is the spec for £677. Is it any good for what i want?

Stick these quickfind codes into ebuyer.
177044
169532
180490
176938
171763
170014
173791
143125
175476
Total: £658.84

Has an extra cpu core (Phenom II X4 rather than X3), better graphics card (Radeon 5770 1GB), good quality case+power supply (both coolermaster) no idea what the pcspecialist.co.uk stuff is like, 500gb more storage + disk should be faster due to 32mb cache. + you get the ability to say you built it yourself

JamesR^m · 10th December 2009, 13:36

I am swaying more towards the pcspecialist place tbh

http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/index....spec=gaming600

^ Could you pick the best parts out of there for me? As i havn't really got a clue

But i would like it to have the The Antec 900 Case

MunkyBoy · 10th December 2009, 13:49

If you arent confident, have a look at Dinopc.com

They were quite good that I recommended for someone - They wanted the warranty that went with it. They were pretty much as cheap as me building it for them!