New entry level gaming pc build

[Zico]

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

[Zico]

Sorry for the copy and paste (posted on other forum for the masses).

[Streeteh]

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 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.

[divine]

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]

^ 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.

[divine]

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.

[Zico]

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

[divine]

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]

Originally Posted by divine

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.

[Zico]

Originally Posted by divine

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).