Any advice/comments on proposed new build

[robjackson]

Hey guys,

As you may guess im new to all this but after doing some considerable research (hours of reading) have decided the best thing to do is build a new system myself - pre built systems dont seem to have what i want or are too expensive.

I dont upgrade a lot (my current system is 6 years old with GPU/RAM upgrade) but when i do i like to go high-end, the theory being that although it is overkill for the first few years i can make it last a good few years with minimum upgrades (which as u can probably imagine keeps the wife happy!!!).

The rig is gonna be used mainly for games, but nothing extreme. I'm really not too fussed if i cant run thing at max settings. I also do a bit of video/music encoding and some CAD work.

So basically the key here is longevity. Obviously a few gambles have to be taken in that respect (unless anyone has a reliable crystal ball) but here is the list of components i have put together. All the stuff will be bought off http://www.scan.co.uk (they do credit) and im looking at a budget of around £1100 ($2200 possibly) give or take £100.

CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad-Core Q6600 G0 SLACR, 95W, S775, 2.40 GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 8MB Cache
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=643237

Seems to be the choice of the forward looking buyer. Definately gonna try my had at overclocking it to about 3GHz (no experience in this but read a lot about it recently). Is overclocking significently detrimental to the CPU?

MB - Gigabyte GA P35C-DS3R
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=605377

I like the DDR3 option and support for newer CPU and seems a good price.

RAM - 2GB (2x1GB) CorsairTwinX XMS2, DDR2 PC2-6400 (800), 240 Pins, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 4-4-4-12, EPP
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=402849

Again a good price - plus at my proposed overlock it will be running at or below stock speed???

CPU cooler - Zalman CNPS9500-LED Aero Flower Cooler
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=256319

From what ive read sound like a good cooler - plus i like the way it looks!!!!

GPU - 512MB Sapphire HD2900XT
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=595228

Seems a choice between this and the 8800GTSs (really cant afford the GTX). From what ive read it appears that these 2 are about the same performance/price. Im leaning towards the 2900XT mainly because of its future potential (if what ive read is correct). im sure either will be good for me for now.

PSU - 620W Corsair HX
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=446787

or

750w Silverstone SST-OP750
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=565198

Not sure which way to go here - both seems to be great products, both modular. Guess im a little concrened that the Corsair might not cut it in a few years time.

Hard Drive - 500 Gb Samsung HD501LJ Spinpoint T, SATA300, 7200 rpm, 16MB Cache, 8.9 ms, NCQ
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=494552

Seems as good a choice as any. Should be more than enough space for me.

Optical Drive - Optiarc 18xDVD±R, 8xDVD±DL, DVD + RWx8/-RWx6, DVD-RAM x12, SATA, Beige, OEM, Labelflash
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=652546

Was the onlt SATA one i coulf find with Lableflash!

CASE - Antec 900
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=501972

What can i say? Seems to be the popular choice, good airflow, plenty of space.

Think thats about it (have i missed anything?). Basically i wanna know if this lots will work together, and if i can improve anything for about the same money (has to be from scan though).

Thanks in advance for any help/comment.

Rob.

 

[robjackson]

Sorry, forget to say I intend on using Vista 32 bit home premium.

Cheers.

 

[Maziar]

well P35C DS3R is a good board which supports DDR2 and DDR3, however DDR3 is limited to 4GB , also it wont OC as good as ASUS P5K or ASUS P5K-E , my suggestion is to go with:

ASUS P5K-E , ABIT IP35 PRO , GIGABYTE P35 DS3R

 

[robjackson]

The gigabyte one is about £50 cheaper though!

 

[robjackson]

Anyone?? All help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Maziar]

everything is perfect, for PSU both are good , u wont be disappointed with either

 

[royalcrown]

OPTIARC has a lot of trouble in vista, I know because I am constantly hearing about and fixing a friends laptop, and it is always the DVD drive. LiteON or something better known seems to have less issues. Other than that, it looks good to me.

 

[robjackson]

Thanks guys, guess since its my 1st builtd i just want a little bit of reassurance!!!

Cheers.

 

[mat-i]

im going with pretty much the same build as you bar a few small things like case etc. Really good value build and it will be a beast!

btw what is Label Flash??

Also im from UK aswell is scan the best to buy from in your opinion??

 

[robjackson]

I think Lableflash id the same as Lightscribe (or at least similar), could be wrong though!!! lol

As far as Scan goes it seems to be about the cheapests but i suppose it depends how you plan on paying for it. There are a few other site i have come across (Overclockers, YO-YO tech) so if your paying all in one go you can probably shop around and save a few quid here and there. All the site do 'Deals of the week' type things. Also scan only seem to do Corsair RAM so i guess shopping around gives you a wider range of products. I going with Scan cause they do credit (10% deposit, pay over 24 months) which suits me a bit better than forking out all at once

 

[royalcrown]

Just look up optiarc and vista in the same box and you'll see lots of problems though, DON'T DO it MAN !!

 

[robjackson]

Cheers for the heads up on that one.

Asus DRW-1814BLT, DVD±R x18, DVD+RW x8/-RW x6, DVD-RAM x14, Lightscribe, SATA, Black, OEM
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=567862

Does that one look any better?

 

[royalcrown]

No prob, enjoy that system

 

[robjackson]

Cheers dude.

Now all i have to do is break the news to the miisus!!!!! lol