New Build - Comments Please

TroyEade

Member
Jul 24, 2005
94
0
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Hi,

I'm looking to build a new system, and this is what I hav come up with:

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB S300
Sapphire Technology Ultimate Radeon X1950Pro 256MB GDDR3 Dual DVI TVO
DabsValue 53-in-1 Internal USB2.0 Reader
Sony CD-RW/DVD Combo 52x32x52x16x Internal OEM Black
Tagan 500W PSU - Dual Engine
Logitech G5 Laser Mouse
DabsValue Standard Keyboard PS2 Black
LiteOn 18X DVD+/-RW/RAM IDE lightScribe Black Bare Drive
DabsValue Midi Tower 400W - Black
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Socket 775 2.13GHz
Asustek S775 Intel 975X ATX Audio Lan
Corsair Memory CM2X1024 - 6400 1GB XMS2-6400 240Pin DIMM CAS5

I'll be getting all of the above from www.dabs.com in the UK.

Would appreciate any suggestions/modifications on the above please,

Cheers,

Troy

PS This will be used for games as well as general applications, e.g. web browsing, office applicatios, etc...
 

Bobthelost

Diamond Member
Dec 1, 2005
4,360
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Tagan PSU = Meh
Don't bother with the second DVD drive and don't bother with lightscribe if you're not going to use it.
Ditch that RAM, get yourself 2GB of budget 6400 RAM instead If overclocking otherwise just get 2GB of 533.
Right now you're spening £75 on the PSU and £31 on the case. Look at a P150, better PSU, better case, comes out £6 cheaper.

That motherboard is expensive, why do you think you need it over a cheaper board?
 

Blain

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
23,643
3
81
If you're going to have the optical drives on different channels via a PCI add-in card, I'd still go with two.
If you're just going to Master & Slave them on the same channel, don't bother.
Personally I like to be able to make fast copies of disks. But even with a single optical, you can still make copies by writing an image to your HD.
 

UMfanatic

Senior member
Jan 16, 2004
443
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0
Ditch the the sony combo and get just a dvd drive, and as for the DVDRW go with a plextor they make the best in my opinion, if you plan on OCing the E6400 you will want a decent aftermarket cooler either a Artic 7 Pro or a Thermaltake Tuniq Tower, go with a low end my decent motherboard and save yourself a few pounds
 

Boyo

Golden Member
Feb 23, 2006
1,406
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I would go with a Lite-ON combo drive with Lightscribe. That should save you some money. Also, I would go with a better PSU like and Enermax or Seasonic. Otherwise, enjoy your new system.
 

TroyEade

Member
Jul 24, 2005
94
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0
Thanks everyone for your suggestions, apprciated, it all helps :)

Bobthelost,

I just want a plain black midi tower case, what RAM would you suggest from www.dabs.com please?

Blain,

Though I have removed the 2nd Optical Drive, I might still change my mind and go for a Plextor for convenience.

Emilyek
The 965 is only £2 cheaper guess I might as well as stick to my first choice? Thanks for the suggestion on the PSU, I've changed it. Personally I'd prefer a black midi tower, though I'm open to further suggestions.


Corsair Memory 520 Watt, ATX, EPS12V, PS/2, Modular Power Supply
Sapphire Technology Ultimate Radeon X1950Pro 256MB GDDR3 Dual DVI TVO
DabsValue 53-in-1 Internal USB2.0 Reader
Tagan 500W PSU - Dual Engine
Logitech G5 Laser Mouse
DabsValue Standard Keyboard PS2 Black
LiteOn 18X DVD+/-RW/RAM IDE lightScribe Black Bare Drive
DabsValue Midi Tower 400W - Black
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Socket 775 2.13GHz
Asustek S775 Intel 975X ATX Audio Lan
Corsair Memory CM2X1024 - 6400 1GB XMS2-6400 240Pin DIMM CAS5
 

UMfanatic

Senior member
Jan 16, 2004
443
0
0
Crucial 2x1GB 240-Pin DIMM PC2-6400 Unbuffered Non-ECC CL4

In stock now
quicklinx: 444VWS
mfr#: BL2KIT12864AA80

this is good, well for what they had in stock, otherwise I would go with cosair when it gets in stock
i would go with a Geforce if you can splurge
 

Bobthelost

Diamond Member
Dec 1, 2005
4,360
0
0
Originally posted by: UMfanatic
Crucial 2x1GB 240-Pin DIMM PC2-6400 Unbuffered Non-ECC CL4

In stock now
quicklinx: 444VWS
mfr#: BL2KIT12864AA80

this is good, well for what they had in stock, otherwise I would go with cosair when it gets in stock
i would go with a Geforce if you can splurge

Bloody hel, £260 on the RAM alone? I know Dabs is out of stock for all the reasonable priced options but if we're not overclocking (WE NEED TO KNOW ON THAT FRONT BY THE WAY ;)) It's a minimal gain to say the least. Even if there is overclocking at hand it is worth mentioning that there's some secent DDR2 800 Corsair turning up in a few days for £70 less. Worth waiting for imo.

Your build list is confusing Troy, i count three powersupplies, which is a bit on the excessive side. Somehow i suspect you forgot to delete the Tagan from the list. The corsair is a good PSU, but overkill for your needs. I'd be thinking about a 430W unit, enough juice to run any card up to a 8800GTS and cheaper.

One really siginiicant thing to note, you're crippling yourself by just sticking to dabs. They're good, but their range isn't all encompassing and they seem to be out of stock on all the bits i'd be recomending. (Ie Antec Neo HE 430W, Seasonic S12 430W PSU).
 

Roguestar

Diamond Member
Aug 29, 2006
6,045
0
0
Or you could get some Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 for cheaper than that, and they're guaranteed to have Micron D9. Order from crucial's UK website and for like £3.50 P&P they ship next day special delivery. I got mine in less than 20 hours, all the way out here to Norn Iron.
 

TroyEade

Member
Jul 24, 2005
94
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0
Originally posted by: Bobthelost
Originally posted by: UMfanatic
Crucial 2x1GB 240-Pin DIMM PC2-6400 Unbuffered Non-ECC CL4

In stock now
quicklinx: 444VWS
mfr#: BL2KIT12864AA80

this is good, well for what they had in stock, otherwise I would go with cosair when it gets in stock
i would go with a Geforce if you can splurge

Bloody hel, £260 on the RAM alone? I know Dabs is out of stock for all the reasonable priced options but if we're not overclocking (WE NEED TO KNOW ON THAT FRONT BY THE WAY ;)) It's a minimal gain to say the least. Even if there is overclocking at hand it is worth mentioning that there's some secent DDR2 800 Corsair turning up in a few days for £70 less. Worth waiting for imo.

Your build list is confusing Troy, i count three powersupplies, which is a bit on the excessive side. Somehow i suspect you forgot to delete the Tagan from the list. The corsair is a good PSU, but overkill for your needs. I'd be thinking about a 430W unit, enough juice to run any card up to a 8800GTS and cheaper.

One really siginiicant thing to note, you're crippling yourself by just sticking to dabs. They're good, but their range isn't all encompassing and they seem to be out of stock on all the bits i'd be recomending. (Ie Antec Neo HE 430W, Seasonic S12 430W PSU).

Yes, I hadn't removed the Tagan unit. The list should read the same minus it. Also, after reading many postive reviews, I've ditched the case and looking at a "Antec Nine Hundred/Ultimate Gamer Case no PSU", any comments regarding this case?

Who would you suggest for sourcing the components, apart from Dabs, please?

Good point, I'm not planning on OC'ing but its an option I'd like to have, and I may OC in the future. Due to Christmas, I'll probably have to order this after it, and hopefully the Corsair will be in stock then.

Thanks to everyone for your help,

Troy
 

TroyEade

Member
Jul 24, 2005
94
0
0
OK, after some thought this is the system I intend to build:

Corsair Memory 520 Watt, ATX, EPS12V, PS/2, Modular Power Supply
Sapphire Technology Ultimate Radeon X1950Pro 256MB GDDR3 Dual DVI TVO
DabsValue 53-in-1 Internal USB2.0 Reader
Antec Nine hundred case
Logitech G5 Laser Mouse
DabsValue Standard Keyboard PS2 Black
LiteOn 18X DVD+/-RW/RAM IDE lightScribe Black Bare Drive
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Socket 775 2.13GHz
Asustek S775 Intel 975X ATX Audio Lan
Corsair Memory CM2X1024 - 6400 1GB XMS2-6400 240Pin DIMM CAS5 x 2

After thinking about this it seems that this system has some OC abilities, therefore what CPU cooler can you recommend please? I'm not interested in water cooling.

Thanks,

Troy
 

TroyEade

Member
Jul 24, 2005
94
0
0
Hi,

Just found out that the video card that I was going to buy is out of stock and will not be in stock until end of January. Therefore can someone recommend a replacement on please? I see the Nvidia ones get good ratings, but what one and what manufacturer please? I will be purchaising it from www.dabs.com,

Help please?

Thanks,

Troy
 

UMfanatic

Senior member
Jan 16, 2004
443
0
0
how much were you going to spend on the video card so I know what price range to keep in mind
 

TroyEade

Member
Jul 24, 2005
94
0
0
Originally posted by: UMfanatic
how much were you going to spend on the video card so I know what price range to keep in mind

I guess around about £150. Basically I need something which is good and will keep me ticking over until the DX10 cards become affordable (£400 for a GPU is out of my league).

Cheers,

Troy
 

TroyEade

Member
Jul 24, 2005
94
0
0
Thanks for everyone's advice. I ordered the kit last week and now awaiting delivery.

This is what I went for:

LiteOn 18X DVD+/-RW/RAM IDE lightScribe Black Bare Drive
Logitech G5 Laser Mouse
DabsValue 53-in-1 Internal USB2.0 Reader
Sapphire Technology Ultimate Radeon X1950Pro 256MB GDDR3 Dual DVI TVO
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB S300
Antec Nine Hundred/Ultimate Gamer Case no PSU
Sony 1.44MB Internal 3.5" Black
Plextor PX - 130A / T3BPB DVDROM 16x IDE Black - Drive Only
Saitek Eclipse II laser-cut lettering
Corsair Memory 620 Watt, ATX, EPS12V, PS/2,
APC Performance SurgeArrest surge suppressor-AC 230 V - 8 Output Connectors
ASUS P5W DH Deluxe SKT 775 dual-core Core2Duo Conroe ready Crossfire 8channel audio ATX
Arctic Cooling (AC-FRZ-7P) Freezer 7 Pro Socket 775 CPU Cooler
Core 2 Duo E6400 2.13ghz - Skt775 Fsb1066 2mb Cache Boxed

All for just above £1000, although my original budget was £800, lol.

I took Bobthelost's, and others, advice and ordered not just from Dabs but also ebuyer. Now all I've to do is to wait for delivery before the fun begins.

Also, need to search out links for OC'ing this lot

Thanks all,

Troy