new build advice

[metford]

I'm upgrading my rig of two years and would appreciate some advice. Currently using an AMD 64 3000, I haven't been following hardware in recent months and am out of the loop, so to speak.

Below is a list of hardware that myself and a friend have discussed.

I have a budget of around 600-700 GBP but obviously cheaper is better. I was quite amazed at how cheap hardware has become (seems I've been living under a rock).

this so far is what i've come up with within my price range.

Motherboard Asus P5Q Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard

CPU Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 LGA775 'Wolfdale' 3.16GHz (1333FSB) - Retail

Memory OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-8500C5 1066MHz Dual Channel Platinum Series DDR2

Graphics Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail

Cooler Scythe Infinity/Mugen CPU Cooler (Socket 478/754/939/940/AM2/LGA775)

Hard DiskWestern Digital Caviar Blue 320GB SATA-II 16MB Cache

PSU Enermax Pro 82+ 385W EPR385AWT ATXv2.3 Silent PSU

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Would this set up work, or are there any improvements that could be made.

I am concerned that the PSU isn't enough but my tech-buddy insists that it is fine.

I also am unsure what sort of case I would need to accomodate this hardware.

I will be using this mainly for gaming and work - I don't really want an overkill bleeding edge system, but seeing as how "cheap" all the hardware is it seems silly not to spend to go for quite high-end hardware.

Thank you for any feedback, hope I have been clear enough.

 

[TaylorTech]

You NEED NEED NEED a new power supply.

385W won't do squat, especially with a 4850 and such.

You need in the range of 550W-650W.

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2194271&enterthread=y

Look for Mid-End PSU's. All are great.

 

[DSF]

It actually wouldn't surprise me if your 385W PSU was just fine, although it would help to see the specific breakdown on the rails. However, it would probably be a good idea to opt for something with a little more headroom, something in the 450-500W range. You really do not need a 600W PSU as the poster above suggests.

Modoheo's thread is a great resource, and I'm glad he put it together. That said, I take exception to the way he broke down the PSUs. High-end and low-end are not a question of wattage, they're a question of build quality. There are high-end 500W PSUs, like the Corsair 520HX, and low-end 1000W PSUs from no-name makers. Don't make the mistake of thinking a 500W PSU is in any way undesirable or "low-end."

Now, on to your build.

I don't recommend the E8500. It's only 166MHz faster than the E8400, which represents a much better value.

Are you planning to overclock? If so, the E7200 would save you a fair bit of money without losing any real performance. If not, I would step the RAM down to DDR2-800 and save some cash. What site(s) are you looking at? It would help us compare prices to see if you're getting a good deal.

 

[modoheo]

I hear you DSF re: the PSU section, but not sure of another easily understood way to organize it. I think it still works, since all the units in the guide are "high-end" based on the quality level, and really the price and watts are the differentiators.

 

[TaylorTech]

Originally posted by: DSF
It actually wouldn't surprise me if your 385W PSU was just fine, although it would help to see the specific breakdown on the rails. However, it would probably be a good idea to opt for something with a little more headroom, something in the 450-500W range. You really do not need a 600W PSU as the poster above suggests.

Modoheo's thread is a great resource, and I'm glad he put it together. That said, I take exception to the way he broke down the PSUs. High-end and low-end are not a question of wattage, they're a question of build quality. There are high-end 500W PSUs, like the Corsair 520HX, and low-end 1000W PSUs from no-name makers. Don't make the mistake of thinking a 500W PSU is in any way undesirable or "low-end."

Now, on to your build.

I don't recommend the E8500. It's only 166MHz faster than the E8400, which represents a much better value.

Are you planning to overclock? If so, the E7200 would save you a fair bit of money without losing any real performance. If not, I would step the RAM down to DDR2-800 and save some cash. What site(s) are you looking at? It would help us compare prices to see if you're getting a good deal.

He could get away with a 450W, but as cheap as the 500-700W range is, I figured he could use one, just in case.

 

[nerp]

The EA380 could power that no problem, dude.

I've got one handling my system #1 rig in my sig no problems. It has a pair of raptors and a 500GB Samsung Spinpoint and the vidcard is oc'd up pretty good too. Granted, the x1950 pro isn't a 4850 but I have no hesistations about putting a 4850 in at some point.

 

[TaylorTech]

Like I was saying, I'm sure it could be powered just fine. But a PSU is something you don't wanna skimp on. It's one of those "just-in-case" basises, a little extra power never hurt anyone.

 

[metford]

advice noted on the E8500 and E8400 clock difference.

I am at the moment purchasing the hardware from http://www.overclockers.co.uk/

Overclocking isn't something I've considered, so if a 7200 is considerably cheaper I may have to look in to that.

the RAM is, I believe, a brand unique to that site, and 4 gigs for the price seemed good, but I am happy to downgrade the amount and speed for a better quality.

thanks for the other responses, especially confirming my PSU suspicions.

 

[DSF]

It's not that it's a bad price, just that something like this Corsair DDR2-800 is even less expensive, and the extra speed won't help you any if you aren't overclocking. Even if you do overclock the E7200, with DDR2-0800 RAM won't be your limiting factor until you hit 3.8GHz, which is about the limit of the chip anyway.

If you do go with the OCZ that's on sale, be aware that it might require tweaking the voltage in the BIOS to run correctly.

 

[metford]

thanks, the 7200 also looks promising, wasn't aware it OCd as well as it does.

I'm now looking more closely at the graphics card. the 4870 HD appears to blow competition away. It would cost around £50 more to get one instead of a 4850 but is it worth it for my requirements? I assume GDDR5 means that it will be future proof for quite some time.