View Full Version : New entry level gaming pc build
Budget for the below is ~£350.
I've been out of the self build crowd for 3 years now but I'm looking to do a few for Windows 7 release.
I'm looking to do a deal with my younger brother (with conditions) to build him an entry/medium level gaming PC that has enough room for expansion when he gets his own cash.
I am looking to overclock the system so the best value CPU will be the focus of the whole build.
We need the following:
CPU - AMD/Intel no preference but value for money when overclocking.
Mobo - As above, no preference but good to overclock with some room for future expansion (CPU wise).
RAM - To match the mobo to overclock. 4 GB Dual or 6 GB Tri Channel.
PSU - To handle the above with room to handle an upgraded GFX. Preferably modular though not essential.
We have the following:
GFX - Looking to re-use a spare Leadtek Nvidia 7800 GTX for the moment and allowing my brother to save for his own GFX upgrade.
O/S - Will either use existing XP Pro retail licence or W7 RC until the October full release.
Keyboard/Mouse – Re-use existing
Monitor – Re-use existing screen
Case – Re-use existing steel tower
Sorry for the copy and paste (posted on other forum for the masses).
Streeteh
25-07-2009, 14:11
I'm totally uninformed when it comes to graphics cards so i won't do a full spec. What i will say though is that the new Athlon X2s are getting rave reviews and are touted by many as the 'bang for your buck' dual core CPU atm. I used a 250 (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-248-AM&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=803) in a friend's build and it's a bit of a beast, especially for less than £60. They don't overclock as well as core2duos but it generally outperforms its equivalent, even when both are overclocked to their maximum.
Also runs incredibly cool which is a plus.
For those 4 things only...
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 - £166
4GB (2x2GB) Corsair XMS2 PC2-8500 - £37
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3L - £82
550W Corsair VX PSU - £63
All prices from Scan, total £348
That's where my money would go (well, pretty much did, I bought that set up a month or 2 back bar getting a TX650 PSU instead of a VX550)
Have mine running at 3.4GHz at the moment because I only got PC2-6400 RAM, PC2-8500 gives leeway up to around 4.5GHz though the CPU will top out around 4GHz in most cases, assuming your cooling is good enough.
dirtydog
25-07-2009, 15:06
^ that is a good spec although he might want to consider AMD, if future CPU upgrades on his chosen platform are important because 775 is a dead end in that regard. I realise the Q9550 should be fast enough for anything for some years yet though.
There is that, however I don't think i've ever felt the need to upgrade a CPU within the lifetime of a socket, even having bought into S939 when it was a matter of months old. If you buy sensibly, assuming you're not on a budget that severely restricts your CPU choice (which this isn't) there is no reason the CPU shouldn't last at least 2 years. By that time I suspect even AM3 will be getting replaced anyway.
There seems to be a habit on OcUK and such like which I find insanely confusing of making continual small upgrades. E6600 > E8400 > Q9550 etc. etc. and to me it just seems utterly pointless and a colossal waste of money.
Cheers for the input all.
The other forum have (as kind of expected) all gone with Phenom based setups. I understand that the AM3 boards are relatively new so should allow for some growth space.
To be honest I'm only thinking about future upgrades from my own perspective.
If my brother doesn't break the new system or it's still capable of playing new games in 18 months time (with settings lowered accordingly) then it may never be upgraded.
My brother's current obsolete system:
AMD 2000+ xp
768 MB Ram
20 GB HDD
4200Ti GFX
AMD generally replace sockets on roughly a 2 year cycle, so I would expect AM4 or equivalent to appear in early to mid 2011.
If you think it's likely you will want to be making a CPU upgrade within 2 years, go AM3. Personally I wouldn't as I can't see processing power taking a big enough leap in that time frame that I would consider it a good value upgrade.
If your brother is still using an XP2000+ i'm inclined to think he's of the same mindset - he clearly never moved forward with socket A even though he could have moved to a 3200+ at the time, what's to say he'll start making yearly minor upgrades now?
dirtydog
25-07-2009, 16:43
There is that, however I don't think i've ever felt the need to upgrade a CPU within the lifetime of a socket, even having bought into S939 when it was a matter of months old. If you buy sensibly, assuming you're not on a budget that severely restricts your CPU choice (which this isn't) there is no reason the CPU shouldn't last at least 2 years. By that time I suspect even AM3 will be getting replaced anyway.
There seems to be a habit on OcUK and such like which I find insanely confusing of making continual small upgrades. E6600 > E8400 > Q9550 etc. etc. and to me it just seems utterly pointless and a colossal waste of money.
I like the price of the Q9550 considering it was well over £200 not long ago, but I suspect it would be a rather pointless upgrade from my Q6600, much like you describe there.
AMD generally replace sockets on roughly a 2 year cycle, so I would expect AM4 or equivalent to appear in early to mid 2011.
Always the case be it Intel or AMD.
If you think it's likely you will want to be making a CPU upgrade within 2 years, go AM3. Personally I wouldn't as I can't see processing power taking a big enough leap in that time frame that I would consider it a good value upgrade.
Speaking for myself, I upgraded once just over a year ago from an AMD S939 3700+ to an Opteron 170 (aka X2 4400+) for dual core. Have been tempted many times to build a new rig since then but have been holding out for W7.
If your brother is still using an XP2000+ i'm inclined to think he's of the same mindset - he clearly never moved forward with socket A even though he could have moved to a 3200+ at the time, what's to say he'll start making yearly minor upgrades now?
My brother has never considered upgrading before as when he was younger he only ever had a PC as a 'hand me down' system when my other brothers upgraded. The XP2000+ is the highest the system can take (we are talking around 2002 when the original system was built around an XP1800+ CPU).
Up until now my brother has only need a PC for homework/general surfing and the odd older game. The main focus of his gaming was on his PS2 and 360 which he's no without (sold or died).
Just browsing SCAN and they have a combo system up on the Today Only:
1TB Samsung HD103UJ Spinpoint F1, SATA 3Gb/s, 7200rpm, 32MB Cache, 8.9 ms, NCQ
22" Acer V223WBbd, Black, Widescreen LCD Monitor, 5ms, DVI/VGA, 1680x1050, 10000:1, HDCP, Green!
4GB (2x2GB) Corsair TwinX DDR2 XMS2, PC2-8500 (1066), 240 Pin, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 5-6-6-18, EPP
500W Storm LPJ19-25 ,120mm Silent Fan, 24pin +4 pin +12V PSU ATX 2.2
Asus P5KPL-AM iG31, S775, PCI-E (x16), DDR2 1066(OC)/667/800, SATA 3Gb/s, uATX, VGA
Intel Pentium Dual-Core, E5300, S775, Wolfdale, 2.6 GHz, 2MB Cache, 13x Core Ratio, 65W, Retail
Samsung SH-S223Q/BEWE 22x DVD±R, 8x DVD±DL, DVD+RW x8/-RW x6, x12 RAM SATA L/scribe Beige+Black Bez
Scan Black Floppy Disk +Int Combo All in 1 Card Reader Fits 3.5" Bay USB2
Silverstone Precision PS02B Black Mid Tower Case w/o PSU
£356.49 inc (plus get free delivery with SCAN from an I series code).
I know that there isn't much left in the S775 for Intel but is the 5300 as good a clocker as the 5200 appears to be?
Don't bother - that PSU is a heap of ****, the G31 chipset won't get the best out of the E5300 and the Acer screen is average at best.
If you have perfectly servicable case and screen etc. you're far far far better off with a Q9550 / P45 board / Corsair PSU for your money. If you feel inclined to go AM3 then you'll still also get better value than that bundle.
dirtydog
25-07-2009, 20:28
Yeah why buy a complete system when you already have half of what you need. I think it is foolish to buy a dual core over a quad as well, false economy.
All of the bundle is better than the current system.
The existing screen is an old 17 CRT but it was my plan to leave it to my brother to buy something better.
I could sell you an Athlon XP 2600+ system that's better than the current system - doesn't mean it would be the best way to spend the money ;)
dirtydog
25-07-2009, 21:07
The PSU is the most important part of the machine arguably, and that one is **** so that should be enough to put you off even if nothing else is.
(oh I didn't know the 's' word gets starred out here :p)
I could sell you an Athlon XP 2600+ system that's better than the current system - doesn't mean it would be the best way to spend the money ;)
£5 :D ;)
There is other things that I am taking into account when I am looking at parts and one of them is "does the little ship deserve it?".
Long story short but I'm trying a different approach to get him to look after his PC and not causing everybody else at home grief by being a typical shippy teenager. The new build will be given to him with set conditions that if he doesn't keep to will result in the PC being taken away or something similar.
Ok, all ready to buy but need to confirm a cooler.
Quick list from SCAN:
Akasa Nero AK-967 Intel LGA 1366 (S775/1366/939/940/AM2/AM2+) , Heat Pipe cooler, 120mm PWM fan (http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Akasa-Nero-AK-967-Intel-LGA-1366-(S775-1366-939-940-AM2-AM2plus)-Heat-Pipe-cooler-120mm-PWM-fan)
AC-FRZ-7P - Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro - P4 up to 4.4GHz - S775 Dual/Quad Core Ready - The Favourite One! (http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Arctic-Cooling-Freezer-7-Pro-P4-up-to-44GHz-S775-Dual-Quad-Core-Ready-The-Favourite-One!)
Titan Fenrir TTC-NK85TZ 120mm PWM 17dBA+ "HDT" CPU Cooler (775/1366/K8/AM2/AM3) (http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Titan-Fenrir-TTC-NK85TZ-120mm-PWM-17dBAplus-HDT-CPU-Cooler-(775-1366-K8-AM2-AM3))
NINJA-2 - Scythe Ninja II Heatpipe Cooler, with 120mm fan Socket 478, LGA775, 754, 939 and 940 and AM2 (http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Scythe-Ninja-II-Heatpipe-Cooler-with-120mm-fan-Socket-478-LGA775-754-939-and-940-and-AM2)
Or something else??
Retail cooler ok for a small overclock (I've read that some people have clocked a small amount but still have >50's temp)?
Streeteh
26-07-2009, 14:31
The titan fenrir is great for the money, can get a bit loud when the fan is maxed out however.
dirtydog
26-07-2009, 17:17
Retail cooler ok for a small overclock (I've read that some people have clocked a small amount but still have >50's temp)?
The stock cooler is perfectly adequate unless you are going for a major overclock.
My Q6600 when modestly overclocked 25% to 3GHz runs at about 45c idle and 60-65 full load with the stock cooler and that is well within comfortable limits for the chip. And being 65nm and a quad it is one of the hottest Core2 chips I think.
Are you planning to buy the Scan pre-built system? Because won't changing the cooler void your warranty? Also bear in mind 775 coolers are an absolute bitch to fit and remove. When I changed chips I had to take the board out, there was no other way of fitting the cooler.
The stock cooler is perfectly adequate unless you are going for a major overclock.
My Q6600 when modestly overclocked 25% to 3GHz runs at about 45c idle and 60-65 full load with the stock cooler and that is well within comfortable limits for the chip. And being 65nm and a quad it is one of the hottest Core2 chips I think.
Are you planning to buy the Scan pre-built system? Because won't changing the cooler void your warranty? Also bear in mind 775 coolers are an absolute bitch to fit and remove. When I changed chips I had to take the board out, there was no other way of fitting the cooler.
Buying Q9550 parts.
If the stock HSF is likely to deal with a low clock then I won't bother with after market. Not looking to go wild with it (maybe 3.4Ghz as per Divine's clock).
dirtydog
26-07-2009, 18:00
Buying Q9550 parts.
Good decision :thumbsup:
If the stock HSF is likely to deal with a low clock then I won't bother with after market. Not looking to go wild with it (maybe 3.4Ghz as per Divine's clock).
After looking into this out of curiosity it seems the 45nm quads have a smaller cooler than the older quads like I've got, so in that case it might well be advisable to get a 3rd party cooler now. Especially as it will be easier to fit it out of the case.
I'm using the Fenrir on mine, virtually silent under load at 3.4GHz, temps not broken 60 yet. It is HUGE though, so worth checking it will fit in the case.
The Akasa 965 is a very good value cooler also and will cope with 3.4GHz I would have thought, might be a touch noisier.
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