Need some help

[Hati]

Hey there, trying to come up with a build for my basic gaming needs and perhaps some graphical enterprises. I would like to try my hand OCing but that really isn't that high a priority at the moment. This is my first time (read completely lost here for the most part) trying anything like this so input would be much appreciated and please be gentle ^_^. Living in England so anything I get needs to be avalible on sites that deliver there. So far I've managed to come up

CPU
http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/...t=superSpecial

I've been advised to go for a i7 but I'm not really sure and on the fence about it. On one hand I'm aware that there's a pretty big jump between an i5760 and a i7950 but there's also something of a £70 difference and I'm not sure if anything I'm going to do will really make use of the i7 capabilities and so it would just be a waste. I'm also not really sure whether the new Sandy Bridges one will be an alternetive to this.

Mobo
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigab...sb-30-raid-atx

I'm planning on doing SLI at some stage and this seems to be most affordable mobo that's letting me do that.

GPU
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Compo...roductId=40861

Was told that the 460 is a decent mid-range option and that ATI's alternetives don't really match up to it. I plan on getting a second one of these and doing SLI in the, hopefully, near future.

PSU
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/750w-...-12v-120mm-fan

750 is most probably unneeded for the moment but I've been told that if I plan on going with SLI then I'll need that to be on the safe side and I don't really want to replace the PSU when get a second 460.

Case
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/coole...u-%28gaming%29

Seems like a good choice but could be wrong.

Memory
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-%...-9-24-xmp-165v

4GB seems to be the going rate at the moment and I don't think I really need much more. Corsair seems to be a decent brand.

HDD
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/ss1tb...-89-ms-ncq-oem

BD/DVD RW
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/samsu...yer-retail-box

My budget is about £700 for the tower, I also need to get a moniter etc etc. I would quite honestly love to finalise and order soon due to the VAT increase on the 4th of Jan. Thanks .

 

[stargazr]

If I was going to do an all-new build I'd wait at least for Sandy Bridge reviews to come out. You might be able to get more for your money, along with the latest technology.

 

[Hati]

The thing is the VAT goes up in a couple of days and if I do wait to order the whole thing then I'll end up having to pay more over all on the other parts, more than likely pushing me over my budget. Would it be possible to order everything except the mobo and the CPU and have the parts fit which ever mobo + CPU I end up buying?

 

[stargazr]

Yes, sure but you might also want to hold off on memory until you know exactly what CPU/motherboard you will be using. And I guess you realize the HDD is SATA 3, so again depends on MB- not all have SATA 3 yet.

 

[Davidh373]

And I guess you realize the HDD is SATA 3, so again depends on MB- not all have SATA 3 yet.

I think you're confused, it's SATA 3GB/S, that is SATA 2, we are up to 6GB/S on SATA 3 now. The Samsung Spinpoint F3 is a SATA 2 @ 3GB/S.

OP, about your build

CPU
http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/...t=superSpecial

Good choice if you aren't waiting a few days for Sandy Bridge. The i7's HT won't be utilized by games.

Your Mobo link is borked, but I see from the link that it is Gigabyte, and hopefully a P55? The UD3 is REALLY nice!

GPU
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Compo...roductId=40861

The 6850 pretty much matches it in price and performance.

750 is most probably unneeded for the moment but I've been told that if I plan on going with SLI then I'll need that to be on the safe side and I don't really want to replace the PSU when get a second 460.

If you aren't going SLI now you won't go SLI later, it's best to build a computer you're committing to for at least a year, and in a year that 460 SLI'd will be as slow as the $150 card at the time. Graphics cards are the most frequently changed equipment in computers.

Case
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/coole...u-%28gaming%29

Seems like a good choice but could be wrong.

Most of your links are broken, so I have no idea what case that is...

BD/DVD RW
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/samsu...yer-retail-box

Samsung makes a good BD drive .

EDIT: That Corsair RAM is a bad choice. It is 1.65V, and you should be shooting for 1.5V. If you can get your hands on some 1.5V GSkill 1333Mhz you will be happy!

 

[stargazr]

I think you're confused, it's SATA 3GB/S, that is SATA 2, we are up to 6GB/S on SATA 3 now. The Samsung Spinpoint F3 is a SATA 2 @ 3GB/S.

Of course, I missed that. Thanks

 

[Hati]

Ack sorry, the links seemed to be working when I checked after posting.

Will I actually be using a Sandy Bridges to its full capacity if I wait for its release and get one? That's the main thing that's troubling me. Also, the i5 isn't really going to become obselete in a couple of years and force me to upgrade or anything is it? Sorry if that sounds strange and just hilarious but like I said, not all too sure about any of this.

The mobo is a Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD4 Intel P55 Express 1156. If I'm not going for a SLI built in the future then I could most probably change it to something like Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3R Intel P55 Express 1156.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the 6850 you're suggesting is just an alternetive to 460 I'm planning to use now isn't it i.e. personal preferance and what not? Since the SLI most probably will not happen do you suggest I go for a slightly better single card to start off with? If yes any reccomendations?

If I'm not really planning for SLI then I won't be needing such a powerful PSU will I? How much will I really need?

The case is a Coolermaster Storm Scout Black Mid Tower Computer Case, I've heard good things about Coolermaster and the case looked nice and seems to be quite a popular choice.

The only G.Skill 1.5V 1333Mhz stick I can find seems to be this
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/226283 (G-Skill 4GB DDR3 1333MHz Ripjaws Memory Module CL9(9-9-9-24) 1.5V if the link isn't working). Should I pick up this one instead of my current ones? It's a single stick of 4GB instead of 2x2GB, will that make a difference? Will that actually work?

The BD is the only one I'm actually confident about .

Thanks.

 

[mfenn]

I see that David has straightened you out for the most part.

I always advise buying all of the components at the same time. You don't want to be stuck outside of the return window for a DOA part.

I think that you're starting to see the folly of planning to "upgrade to SLI". Once you take a look at the hidden costs (UD4P vs. UD3, 750W PSU vs. 550W), you'll see that you're better off just buying a single higher-end card and upgrading it. Your CPU will last you 3-4 years, but you're going to have to upgrade the GPU every 18-30 months if you want to keep up with the latest games. Something like a 6950 would be a good choice.

As for the RAM, G.Skill is a good brand, but you want to get a dual-channel kit. A single DIMM will work, but you halve your available memory bandwidth. That's not as big of a performance hit as you might think, but 2x2GB should be about the same price as a single 4GB DIMM.

 

[Hati]

I didn't really mean too far apart, SB should be getting released within the next couple of days. I believe the NDA is being lifted on the 5th and a good chunk of the retailers plan on actually selling it once that happens instead of waiting until the 'official release date'? So if anything I would just order the GPU, PSU, Case, HDD, BD/DVD, Moniter, Mouse and Keyboard today or tomorrow before the VAT increase and then leave the CPU+Mobo until I get a good look at the SB ones and make my decision from there. I'm not too sure about the RAM, I've heard that the SB being released in January use dual channel 1333Mhz 1.5V RAM or something like that? So could I buy one of those and have it work with any other CPU I picked up?

So if I was to go a for a single card 550W would do? I planned to go for 650W, would that just be overkill? Also, I'm not really that big a fan of ATI cards what would the nvidia equivilent of the 6950 be?

Thanks .

 

[mfenn]

The G.Skill RAM should work fine as long as it is 1.5V DDR3 1333. Of course, nobody can tell you that it will work absolutely, positively, 100% for sure until they try it.

As for the GPU:

As you can see from the chart, a quality 550W with plenty of amps on the 12V rails is plenty for pretty much any single GPU, perhaps excluding the GTX 480 and GTX 580. There really is no Nvidia equivalent to the 6950. The GTX 570 is a good bit faster and more expensive, whereas the GTX 470 is a good bit slower and cheaper.

 

[Davidh373]

Will I actually be using a Sandy Bridges to its full capacity if I wait for its release and get one? That's the main thing that's troubling me. Also, the i5 isn't really going to become obselete in a couple of years and force me to upgrade or anything is it? Sorry if that sounds strange and just hilarious but like I said, not all too sure about any of this.

No game uses current i5/ i7 to it's fullest, you are paying to take full advantage in the FUTURE.. FUTURE.. Future.. future... but it will be a better value than current options (allegedly).

If I'm not really planning for SLI then I won't be needing such a powerful PSU will I? How much will I really need?

Anywhere between 450W-550W my friend. Brands I would recommend are Antec, and Seasonic.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the 6850 you're suggesting is just an alternetive to 460 I'm planning to use now isn't it i.e. personal preferance and what not? Since the SLI most probably will not happen do you suggest I go for a slightly better single card to start off with? If yes any reccomendations?

Yes.

The case is a Coolermaster Storm Scout Black Mid Tower Computer Case, I've heard good things about Coolermaster and the case looked nice and seems to be quite a popular choice.

That's fine.

The only G.Skill 1.5V 1333Mhz stick I can find seems to be this
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/226283 (G-Skill 4GB DDR3 1333MHz Ripjaws Memory Module CL9(9-9-9-24) 1.5V if the link isn't working). Should I pick up this one instead of my current ones? It's a single stick of 4GB instead of 2x2GB, will that make a difference? Will that actually work?

It will work fine. A lot of people do that actually.