# Help choosing components for new PC build



## Neilos (Apr 6, 2010)

I am a student and like the rest of them I like spending time burning calories through my fingers, by playing online games on my PC that is.

I have a bit of spare cash at the moment and I have managed to talk my girlfriend in to letting me spend some of it on a new PC, since last month we did spend £700 on the new sofa she wanted. However it is probably going to cost me a tropical fish tank for her as well. I'm picking the fish though I'll tell her! Carnivores it is then.

My old PC, limping off the field, is a Pentium 4, 2.7 GHz, 2 GB RAM, GeForce FX 5200 Dinosaur running XP pro. She got a virus recently and is awaiting a reformat (i played with the registry and now nothing works correctly).

Great news however, my girlfriend wants to play The Sims 3, since I got it on our Nokia 5230s she loves it and wants to try out the full version on the PC.

This means a new PC capable of running it, great! To keep cost down I am intending to build it myself, I have been doing a bit of research and thus far I have decided...

*Processor*: Intel Core 2 Duo E8500. I think this is the biggest bang for my buck unless anyone thinks otherwise. I won't need a Quad.
*Motherboard*: ??? I like the Gigabyte ones as they tend to be cheaper but I'm open to all suggestions.
*RAM*: ??? 2GB minimum, ideally 4GB and up, also fastest I can get for my money.
*Graphics Card*: ??? This will want to be reasonable
*Hard Drive*: ??? I will be storing my media on an external drive so this one doesn't need to be huge. I could live with 120GB easilly I think. Should probably be SATA.
*Power Supply*: ??? Pass.
*Networking card*: I have an Eternet PCI card, maybe I can re-use this but a new one isn't expensive.
*DVD Rom and DVD RW*: ??? I have crummy ones on the old PC so I should probably get new ones, preferably cheap but good, as always.
*Case*: ??? I don't want lights, nice neat and black with silver trim.
*Fans/Heatsinks*: ??? Whatever needed.
*Monitor*: I have a 1280 x 1024 VGA, it should get replaced but I can manage with this one for now as long as there is an output for it.

Basically just the processor then.

TheMatt's sticky wanted answers to these;
*
1. Budget: How much money are you willing to spend on the new build?*

Under £500 hopefully.

* 2. Brands: Are there any brands of components you want or don't want?
*
Not particularly. I do feel familliar with Inter CPUs though.

* 3. Multitasking: Will you be multitasking with this computer and if so, how much?
*
Not really, I do do some photoshop stuff and blender stuff, these are often running simultaniously, is that what the question asked?

* 4. Gaming: Will you be gaming and if so, how much and how new are the games?
*
Yes, will be gaming. Games will be as new as the system will allow but I won't be crying if I cannot play some of the newest ones.

* 5. Calculations: Will you be doing any intense calculations or media encoding?
*
I do some video stuff, backing up DVDs etc...

* 6. Overclocking: Do you plan on overclocking and if so, how much?
*
I don't know how so probably not. Is it easy? Can I break it? Should I?

* 7. Storage: How much storage will you need and what will you be storing?
*
N/A stored on external drive, only programs will be saved on the hard drive.

* 8. Legacy Support: Will you need support for older hardware like parallel, serial, or PS/2 devices?
*
No.

* 9. Operating System: Do you want Windows XP or Vista, or Linux compatibility?
*
I have a copy of Windows XP Pro that I'll put on her, unless anyone thinks it is a bad idea.

* 10. Case: Do you want help selecting a case and if so, how big do you want it?
*
Not Huge! No lights! I would like USB etc on the front if possible, also a SD card slot would be nice but I can live without.

* 11. Accessories: Do you want a keyboard, mouse, or other items included?
*
No.

* 12. Recycled Components: Will you be reusing any components you already have?
*
Maybe read above.

* 13. Monitor: If you want a monitor, what size do you want and should it be widescreen?
*
Maybe read above.

* 14. Stores: Do you have any online stores that you prefer to purchase from?
*
No.

* 15. Location: What country do you live in?
*
UK

Urgh, this post is getting long.

I ideally want a good CPU, motherboard and Graphics card. The rest can be upgraded over time. It would be nice to have a set up that allows upgrading etc...

Thanks for help.

Neilos


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

The E8500 is good
A Gigabyte or Asus Mobo is good.
4GB of RAM is more than enough.
The GPU would depend on the primary use of the PC.
The PSU would depend on the GPU you select. A 550W minimum should be used for any PCI-E PC. Corsair is the best bang for buck now.
WD Hdd's are my choice and the Black Series offers a 5 yr. warranty.
If you want two optical drives get two DVDRW's. The prices are about the same and you have a backup writer. LG or Lite-On
CoolerMaster and Antec have some nice cases that are plain, functional and economical.
Stock heatsink/*fans are more than capable unless you seriously OC.
All that being said,do you have a budget in mind?
And, have you looked at our pre-configured builds for some ideas: http://www.techsupportforum.com/f25...evised-2010-and-updated-regularly-448272.html


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## Neilos (Apr 6, 2010)

Yeah I checked the builds in the sticky first but none use the core I am thinking of, and changing the CPU means changing the mobo and changing the... well potentially everything pretty much.

So, the budget, the awkward point of every conversation. Initially I had the idea of going for around £350 but I soon came to my senses and upped it to £500 if it goes over that then I'm going to feel the pinch, the £200 aquarium after researching is actually going to cost closer to £500 too. Argh.

Ok so...

*Processor* - Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 - £150 Does this come with stock fan heatsink?
*Motherboard* - Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L - £70
*Motherboard* - Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 - £100
*Motherboard* - Gigabyte GA-p35-DQ6 - Struggled to find this on sale anywhere???
*RAM* - Need help with this. Need 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 1066 x2. Suggestions?
*GPU* - Wont be using Crossfire, Just one card, at least for now, as high end as I can go really, I don't mind spending money here for a better one, within reason though, is this the right way round. ATI cards for intel CPU? Anyway, suggestions?
*PSU* - Corsair VX 550W PSU - £70 has power there for setting up crossfire yes? If I wanted at a later date that is.
*HDD* - Western Digital WD5001AALS £50 This is one of the black series yes?
*DVDRW* - LG DVDRW - £20
*Case* - Cooler Master Elite 334 Black Case - £30

The prices were got from a quick google, I at least saw someone selling them for this, can they come down?

Also I have thrown a few bits together and I need to know if these bits are all compatable and if they can be downsized at all, if I have bitten off too much.

All this costed is £420 without the RAM and GPU. With those on top I'm over £500 :sigh: but not to worry we can carry on and see where we end up.

What I have here is by no means final, please suggest alternatives for those I have listed. Also I know I haven't costed for other things that will be needed but don't worry about that for now, they shouldn't be much. (Paste, case fans etc...)

Many Thanks

Neilos


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Choose the Mobo that suits your needs.
OCZ-G.Skill-Corsair are good performance RAM.
DDR2800 will be fine.
The PSU is the most important piece of hardware in your PC and is not the place to attempt to save money.
The 550W will definitely not be enough for more than one lower tiered GPU. Hence my point about using two GPU's doubling your cost for the small performance gain.
Thgermal paste and extra case fans won't be necessary for the hardware you selected.
The CPU will come with a pre-applied thermal pad.
The rest of your choices look good.


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## Neilos (Apr 6, 2010)

Those mobos were either discontinued and/or hard to find.

Ok lets start simple: I have chosen;

*CPU* - Intel Core 2 Duo E8500

I have found possible motherboards, can someone please check compatability, suitability, value and if there are any better alternatives. Also I don't really know how to check if they can have Crossfire or SLI, I don't think that these do, but can someone check and maybe suggest a mobo that does in the same kinda range.

*Motherboard* - Asus P5P41D - £55.00
*Motherboard* - Asus P5KPL-SE - £48.82
*Motherboard* - Gigabyte EG41MFT-US2H - £57.99 - Is it a bit media centre-ish? not really what I need but looks ok otherwise.
*Motherboard* - Gigabyte GA-EP41-UD3L - £54.14 - Looks good yes?
*Motherboard* - Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3LR - £85.72 - A bit overkill?

The mobos support DDR2 RAM but I am unsure how to match up the speeds of the RAM and CPU to get the best performance. This leaves me at a loss when picking the RAM. Help? please lol.

After deciding on one of these boards I will then choose the RAM and the GPU. Can someone please suggest a few good choices to get me started?

Thanks

Neilos


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

The GA-EP45-UD3L is a darn good choice for the money; far better the the G41 which is an economy board

the EP45 will overclock very nice later on down the road when you are looking for a little boost again


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/152008

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/164797

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/189741


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

The Corsair 550-vx is a very good option for $70 pounds


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## Neilos (Apr 6, 2010)

Sure I'll make sure that I spec a PSU that can cope with what I will throw at it. I'll choose it towards the end though as I'll know better what I'll be plugging it in to.

The GA-EP45-UD3L seems to be worth the extra £30 then, I'll end up kicking myself later if I don't get a good one now. 

Ok, I have been looking at GPUs and I have found some nice ones for between £50 and £100. What should I look for when getting a graphics card? I see £50 cards with 512MB DDR2 RAM and £100 cards with 2048MB DDR2 RAM, I assume that more means better but I don't know the limits. I don't mind paying £100 for the better graphics card as I probably will only run one card for a long while but it would be nice to have the option to use SLI/crossfire in the future, I don't know how to make sure this is a possibility though. Ok these are what I have found.

*Graphics Card* - Nvidia GeForce 9600GT 512MB DDR2 - £55.65
*Graphics Card* - Nvidia Geforce 9600+ 1GB - £87.49
*Graphics Card* - nVidia GeForce 9600 GT 2048MB DDR2 - £99.90

Don't ask me why they are all 9600s, it just happened that way. Anyway are these good cards? What is better? What is cheaper and still good?

Thanks

Neilos

Edit: I didn't see that graphics card you posted, why did you choose that one? Just interested, as I don't really know how to choose graphics cards.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

9600GT is a rather lame card for a gamer


I realize you are on a tight budget; but no sense buying a tire with a hole in it!

ati5770


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## Neilos (Apr 6, 2010)

My budget is flexible, I would rather spend a bit more to get quality components with the ability to upgrade/overclock later. It seems that in your opinion the ati5770 is the choice for me.

so with the ati5770 and the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3LR is there the option for me to have Crossfire with 2 cards? At a later date that is, I don't want to get a whole new system to gain a bit of extra power when the system gets a little behind the times. I definately like the idea of having a mobo that makes it easire to overclock at that time too, I read that the E8500 can attain 4GHz easy.

So my total stands at £528 at the moment for CPU, Motherboard, PSU, RAM and Graphics card. Argh lol.

I need DVDRW (prob the one spec'd above), A HDD (prob one spec'd above), a case (I'll check them more closely to get the best) and any cables I need extra.

Ok I'll post another post for summary, can someone give it a quick check and tell me if I missed anything? When I post it that is.

Thanks

Neilos


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## Neilos (Apr 6, 2010)

Ok, so we have;

*CPU* - Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 - £150
*Motherboard* - Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3LR - £85.72
*RAM* - OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800MHz - £92.10
*PSU* - OCZ 700W Mod XStream Pro PSU - £78.17
*Graphics Card* - ati5770 - £131.76
*DVDRW* - LG DVDRW - £17.99
*HDD* - Western Digital WD5001AALS - £51.95
*Case* - Elite 330 Mid Tower Chassis - £27.95
*OS* - I have a copy of Windows XP Pro already

I'll need a new monitor as well with this setup. Is there a similar good graphics card with a VGA output so I can recycle the old monitor for now or should I just upgrade the monitor now?

And is the case tremendously rubbish? Just I am trying now to keep the cost down lol.

Is there anything I have forgotten?

The grand total excluding anything I may have forgotten, shipping and the cost of a new monitor is......

*£617.88*

Can somebody rate this setup also please, out of 10 say so I know where I am hitting in todays market.

Also could somebody please comment on the value for money that they think this setup has.

Many thanks guys

Neilos


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

You didn't post the brand of the 5770 GPU but most have DVI & VGA outputs.
As for the "value" of the components, GPU brand is unknown and I would deduct some for the OCZ PSU.


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## Neilos (Apr 6, 2010)

Click on the prices for links to the items. The GPU is "Sapphire HD 5770 1GB GDDR5 Dual DVI HDMI DisplayPort HDCP PCI-E Graphics Card". A graphics card of this calliber with VGA output would have me leaping for joy as I wouldn't need to spend £100 on a new moniter, I like the hdmi outputs though. If I got one with VGA, DVI and HDMI I would, well, be very happy lol.

Basically what I am trying to understand is, is this build worth the £700 it will eventually cost me?

I don't get the money for another week or so so I can change everything before then if this build not the best.

Thanks

Neilos


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## Neilos (Apr 6, 2010)

Why would you say that the power supply isn't the best? Is it because it is a bit over kill or that I can get one that is just as good for cheaper?

One thing that I am still wondering is, does this setup allow for dual graphics cards? I don't want it initially but maybe at a later date. This is also why I have spec'd this power supply so if I can't use crossfire then I'll downspec the PSU.

Neilos


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## hhnq04 (Mar 19, 2008)

OCZ is good brand for RAM, but not as much for the PSU. It is ok, but not up to par with the likes of Corsair.

Dual GPU is not worth it. Big leap in costs and power consumption, small increase in performance. You'll be better off spending more on a single, higher end card.


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## grimx133 (Jan 15, 2008)

You would need the "P" board from Gigabyte for crossfire, didn't see it listed at the UD3LR's linked site. Though they did have an Asus board, the P5Q Pro Turbo - http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/...el-P45-Socket-775-DDR2-Motherboard_24669.html 

I've heard that the 5770 scales well, but that always depends on the specific game. Always best to go with a one card solution.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

the OCZ power supply runs very well on european power (230volt) the OCZ is not however as ideal when running off 115V

I would stick with the UD3L board and the 5770 as you have them linked

when you and "if" you discover you need more video power / upgrade the video card


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## Neilos (Apr 6, 2010)

The OCZ power supply is cheaper than the Corsair equivalent, if at worst the OCZ power supply is only 'good' and it fairs better on our 230 volt supply then I think I'll stick with it.

I don't need crossfire I was just interested, even though it is available though everyone seems against it, so I'll just upgrade the single card when the time comes.

My only concern is that I don't want to have to upgrade the monitor right away; this will put the initial cost up an extra £100. I have a VGA monitor at the moment. But this card has no VGA output. I think that I can buy a DVI to VGA adaptor for about £5 which would alleviate some stress on the wallet.

Should I just get a GPU with a VGA output, if so which one? Should I just upgrade my monitor? Should I use the card suggested and get a VGA to DVI adaptor, is there any problems with this?

Oh and no one commented on the case that I picked. I chose a nice looking cheap one to leep the cost down. I didn't want a fancy one with flashing LEDs and the rest of the bells and whistles. But is this case utter rubbish? Should I just get a better one?

Thanks

Neilos


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

the card comes with a dvi to vga adapter and I suggest you stick with your existing monitor and upgrade later



your case is fine


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## Neilos (Apr 6, 2010)

Ahh ok great.

One last thing. The CPU I have linked doesn't seem to come with a heat sink and fan.

This one does;

From overclock.co.uk

But... IF I may intend to overclock the CPU to gain a little extra boost, I have to learn how first of course, should I abandon the stock fan/heatsink and get a better one?

If I should get a better one, could someone please guide me to a suitable one.

I might not overclock the CPU, as a matter of not having ever done it before, but maybe I might and I'd need a better fan for that then I think. 

One last one also, if I do overclock the CPU, how much will it reduce its lifespan?

Thanks

Neilos


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