Old computer, new tech

[Vicious Horizon]

Ok, I'm gonna benchmark my new PC with ArmA II's reccomended hardware.

The GPU is fine, CPU I'm thinking of upgrading to something Intel Q6600 or higher (thanks to ez), but I'm guessing I'll need some 2GB of RAM. OH! I also need a new power unit, as the current one is knackered.

If you can link me to good places to buy this stuff from I'll be grateful much,

thanks, VH

EDIT: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Q6600-Core-Quad-Processor/dp/B000MM37JW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1244568422&sr=8-2 Q6600, but I'm not sure if it's worth getting a used (like new) one.. can't trust people on the net nowdays can you =S

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Technology-667MHz-DDR2-Non-ECC/dp/B000JJR8I4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1244569132&sr=8-1
2GB RAM for that much? I'm not sure tbh, I'll look around a little more.

OK! What I've decided on so far:

RAM http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-038-KS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=813

CPU http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-155-IN

Cooler http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-017-AR&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395

Mobo http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-280-AS

Thermal Compound http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=AC-000-AC

Case and PSU http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-073-AN&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=160

And my trusty X1600 Pro.

£299.38 to go.

[Trigger]

My only input is that this Help Forum should be renamed To Help VC thread :p

[Vicious Horizon]

Haha, I should be mod of this forum, 80% of my posts are here xD

[Chalex4]

Does your motherboard support Core2 Quad? If it does then the Q6600 is a fantastic choice.

I would try some ram with a slightly higher frequency, perhaps 800MHz. This is what (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-072-OC&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=813) I stuck in Chazlene's PC a while back - and it's only a couple of quid more!

Oh, and I have always had great experiences with Overclockers.co.uk (http://www.overclockers.co.uk) and Ebuyer.com (http://www.ebuyer.com), although the only thing that I would say really separates them is the superior RMA policy at Ebuyer.

[Vicious Horizon]

Brilliant, cheers Chalex. I won't be buying the second-hand one, as reccomendation from my Dad, so I'll be saving up £200 for it.

I'll check the motherboard, but just in case it doesn't, anyone fancy scouting for a cheap one that does support Quad?

Oh, and anyone know a power unit that'll support this stuff? I'm using a Sapphire Radeon X1600 Pro if that makes much difference.

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/164969 is that any better than the 6600, or am I being fooled by the higher number?

[VoX]

It slightly worse, if you are only gaming go for the 6600 or the 6700, I got the 6700 OEM for less than the 6600 and got my own heatsink. But if you don't plan to OC/want to keep costs down, a 6600 will do perfectly.

Also, you'll want more than 2GB RAM, THIS (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-038-KS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=813) is the cheapest 4GB kit on OCUK.



www.scan.co.uk are a good place to buy things too, my delivery arrived perfectly on time and very well packaged.

[Calneon]

Brilliant, cheers Chalex. I won't be buying the second-hand one, as reccomendation from my Dad, so I'll be saving up £200 for it.

I'll check the motherboard, but just in case it doesn't, anyone fancy scouting for a cheap one that does support Quad?

Oh, and anyone know a power unit that'll support this stuff? I'm using a Sapphire Radeon X1600 Pro if that makes much difference.

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/164969 is that any better than the 6600, or am I being fooled by the higher number?
No it looks worse, lower clock speed and half the cache. Also, if you're only using ur PC for gaming a dual core would probably be better.

[Vicious Horizon]

Phant, I'm looking at specifically at Quad Core, seeing as pretty much the only game I'm gonna be playing for a while will be ArmA II, and it runs best on that thing. =)

Cheers VoX, just shows that the harder you look you'll always find more.. I was planning on buying 2 2GB RAM sticks actually, so thanks =)

Oh! Also, I know less about motherboards than I do about anything else, any know a good motherboard that a Q6600 will work with? =D

So VoX, even though the 6600 is a little more expensive, since I'm not planning to overclock you'd reccomend the 6600 over the 6700?

[D_K_Head]

...Needs more glowey things...

when the room can be lit by the power of your keyboard alone, you know it's a powerful machine.

[Vicious Horizon]

Haha, maybe another time XD

Guh, noone stocks Q6600s, overclockers do a good deal on the Q67 though..

[Target]

All you need to do with a mobo is make sure it supports everything ur putting in ur pc, ram, processor etc. Just go on Microdirect and OCUK and find a couple you think are okay and post them on here so people can check them, I don't think people can be arsed themselves trauling through pages of mobos for you :D but i'm sure they'll check your suggestions

[Vicious Horizon]

Haha. fair point, but I know nothing about mobos and I'll end up selecting something which is ancient and doesn't even support dual cores D:

I'll have a look though

EDIT: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-300-AS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-049-DF&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-136-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-114-MS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=

Last one is cheapest, but I dunno if the quality is good.

Not sure if all support DDR2 RAM.

Last one's reviews say it outperforms Asus' £230 things, might be worth a buy, no?

[VoX]

Go for the 6700 OEM and get THIS (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-017-AR&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395) CPU cooler, should keep it fairly cool and is better than the stock cooler by far.

6700 = 266 x 10 = 2.66Ghz and the 6600 is 266 x 9 = 2.4Ghz. I have the 6700 and it's bloody fast, even at stock!

In terms of Motherboard, either the Asus P5Q (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-277-AS) or Asus P5Q Pro (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-280-AS) will support C2Q, and hace PCI-E 2.0 and a lot of SATA ports for your storage needs.

The P5Q is a good base, but if you want to get away from the crappy 24-Pin location or have scope to move to CrossFireX in the future, go with the Pro version. (Google and find out the Qualified Vendors List for RAM on the mobo before you buy though, it can cause some problems down the line.)

[Vicious Horizon]

Great. cheers VoX. Looking at the stuff I have in my tabs, I'm up to £288.50 on this build.. not doing to badly then xD

Still need a power supply, and I don't know what the wattage adds up to atm =S

[Calneon]

Go for the 6700 OEM and get THIS (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-017-AR&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395) CPU cooler, should keep it fairly cool and is better than the stock cooler by far.

6700 = 266 x 10 = 2.66Ghz and the 6600 is 266 x 9 = 2.4Ghz. I have the 6700 and it's bloody fast, even at stock!

In terms of Motherboard, either the Asus P5Q (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-277-AS) or Asus P5Q Pro (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-280-AS) will support C2Q, and hace PCI-E 2.0 and a lot of SATA ports for your storage needs.

The P5Q is a good base, but if you want to get away from the crappy 24-Pin location or have scope to move to CrossFireX in the future, go with the Pro version. (Google and find out the Qualified Vendors List for RAM on the mobo before you buy though, it can cause some problems down the line.)
Yup i'd agree 100% with that cooler and the MB. Make sure you also get some thermal compound (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=AC-000-AC) to put between the cooler and the CPU.

The P5Q-Pro is only £3 more than the normal one so might as well get that, as it gives you more options if you want to upgrade your graphics card.

[Vicious Horizon]

Ok, thanks Phant, £3 is not much money if I'm looking to make it future-proof, amirite? =D

I'm up to needing to raise £184.39, that's the tabs minus the money in my account. =S

[Colonel Mitch]

VH, dont limit yourself to OCUK, looks on Microdirect and Scan too.

Overclockers are usually substantially more expensive for non top end hardware than microdirect and scan, and their service is poor in comparison to those two.

Once im at work i will look for things for you.

(also microdirects delivery is cheaper)

[Vicious Horizon]

Thanks for the tip Mitch, I haven't looked at Microdirect yet.

http://www.microdirect.co.uk/Home/Product/11433/Arctic-Cooling-Freezer-7-Pro-P4-upto-4-4GHz
same as
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-017-AR&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395

?

That's the only thing cheaper from my finds.

[Colonel Mitch]

Thanks for the tip Mitch, I haven't looked at Microdirect yet.

http://www.microdirect.co.uk/Home/Product/11433/Arctic-Cooling-Freezer-7-Pro-P4-upto-4-4GHz
same as
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-017-AR&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395

?

That's the only thing cheaper from my finds.

I havent looked yet but most things processors ram etc are cheaper on MD.

[VoX]

Yeah VH, they're the same.


Be careful though, the Freezer 7 is for LGA775 socket (Intel Core 2 Quad/Duo) and the Freezer 64 is for AMD systems. You will want the Freezer 7.



In terms of PSUs, the Corsair ones are great and have an lot of cables all at good lengths, my TX650W only needed an CPU 8-pin extender cable as my PSU is bottom mounted, for standard ones it will be perfect.


Btw, have you thought about a new case? The Antec 300 (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-101-AN) is a great little budget gaming case, and the Sonata III (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-073-AN&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=160) (What Chaz has) has very elegant looks, good performance and comes with a 500W PSU that has 2 PCI-E 6-pin power cables.

[Vicious Horizon]

Too expensive for a case at this side tbh..

And I don't care if bits have to stick out of the case I have atm as I really cannot afford anything atm.

(Sorry, I'm sort of in a pessimistic and drained mood atm..)

[Chalex4]

I agree with what everyone has said so far, although if you're not interested in overclocking at all, then I wouldn't bother with the different heatsink (freezer 7).

PSU wise, Corsair ones are good, but so are Antec ones in my experience. Definitely go for a main brand one, they aren't something to skimp on. I have the Antec Neopower 650W (modular), and it's been great.

If you are going for a new case then this automatically becomes a new build :p. But yeah, you'd have to decide first whether you want something with a window and lights etc or a more sleek silver type thing.

[Vicious Horizon]

Haha, I'll stick with my case I have atm. Maybe get a new one, but i'm just looking at an overhaul rather than a new build.

On another note: If you hold the power button down to hard-shut down a laptop, and you have to run "Start Up Repair Wizard" twice, and everything goes insanely slow... is that a bad thing?

[ez64]

I would reccomend still getting something that will move more air than the stock cooler as they are shocking,


Your motherboard will warp far more quickly and life could be reduced.

[Vicious Horizon]

Ok, I'll keep with the Freezer 7, It's not too much extra, tbh.

Is it worth buying some of the cheaper things now, then buy others later, or is it better to buy everything in one go?

Edit: F*ck it, I might aswell go for a brand new build, it'll take longer to get the money but hey..

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-073-AN&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=160

Adding that to my wishlist XD

[Colonel Mitch]

Why buy an expensive case when you have very limited money to spend on the computer.........

for 1/10th of the price you could have this http://www.microdirect.co.uk/Home/Product/40971/MD-1003BS-Black-midi-case---500W-PSU---audio--

Its not exactly a looker but it saves you £100 that much money could upgrade four gfx card from whatever your going to get to a 4870 1GB.

[Vicious Horizon]

I thought about the one I chose because it came with a PSU.. but I guess your way is cheaper

[Colonel Mitch]

I thought about the one I chose because it came with a PSU.. but I guess your way is cheaper

The one i picked comes with a identical wattage PSU :P

Youd have to get adaptor cables for your SATA drives probably but otehr than that it'd b fine.

Thats the extreme level of cheap case with psu, u cud get an decent 1 for £35 prob but i jsut mean when money is an issue why spend £120 on a case :P

[ez64]

For a even cheaper case why not mount the PC on the wall? :)

Okay taking out a side of your house every lan is going to get annoying but otherwise it's pure win.

[Vicious Horizon]

Yeah, it's a totally fair point mitch, and ez, that's a brilliant idea XD

I didn't notice a PSU came with that one, so yeah, I'll consider it.

I'm just wondering.. is there anything that I can substitute, maybe a not so good, but quite a bit cheaper version of anything?
And after a friend's advice, I don't think I'll get a new heatsink, it'll be ok without any OC I think =)

[Vicious Horizon]

Thinking about boosting my budget a little, actually..
Here's what I got atm.

Asus P5Q Pro £100~
Intel Core 2 Q6700 £140~
Kingston HyperX 4GB £35~
OCZ StealthXStream 600W £60~


And possibly a Zotac GeForce GTX 260 £156~

So roughy £500.

[VoX]

GTX260 for £150? You're being ripped off.

They go for about £120 now (http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=1013325) (And that's not on OCUK either.)

Go for a Core216 version, they are a lot better in terms of performance, and then shove some clocks through it yourself.

[Vicious Horizon]

Ace, cheers VoX.

And I'm just ripping this off PCG magazine's rig, and it runs Crysis at 44fps o.o, so I guess this isn't a sort of casual rig? XD

[VoX]

What Res and settings does it run though, any machine could run it at 44fps at 800x600 with everything on low.

[Vicious Horizon]

What Res and settings does it run though, any machine could run it at 44fps at 800x600 with everything on low.

The mag says: 1920x1200 (Very High).

[Calneon]

What Res and settings does it run though, any machine could run it at 44fps at 800x600 with everything on low.
Very high 1920x1200

[Vicious Horizon]

Beat you to it, Phant :P

[VoX]

Oh, I'm guessing GTX285 Tri-SLI or GTX295 Quad SLI lol.

[Vicious Horizon]

I'm guessing that's different from what you posted VoX?

[VoX]

Yes lol.