Upgrade Or Start From Scratch (Development Machine)

[chrispepper1989]

Hi Guys,

I recently started a thread on what graphics card to get and it has snowballed to well if im going to get that, i'm going to need this, maybe i should get that...etc.

As it stands I'm already considering a new CPU, a new GPU, more RAM, and a new SSD, so its starting to look like i might aswell start from scratch. But im a big fan of upgrading over buying a whole new system and really i want to keep the budget at £500.

but the current component list im looking at, come in at about £340, if i throw in another SSD thats £420 so then i think i might aswell pick up a MoBo for £80/£90 but then im thinking what about my current DDR2 RAM would I have to throw it out and get DDR3?? what about my current 560 watt PSU? will i need more juice?

I'm a software developer and i really want to cut down on my compiling times so i think is should go for some SSDs but as i am planning on doing some UT3 Development through the UDK as part of a hobbyist team I really could do with a graphics boost and generally more speed to handle it. So what do you guys think? I'm actually terrible when it comes to all things hardware so forgive any out right stupidity.

This is my current system (i can provide more details if need be)

CPU: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 3800+
MotherBoard: ASUS M2N-E
RAM: Corsair Heat sinked DDR2 (3 X 1Gb)
PSU: Hyper QC something that delivers 560 wattage.
GPU: GeForce 7900 GT/GTO
Harddrive: SAMSUNG HD103SJ SCSI (1TB 7200RPM)

And so far im considering:
CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 645, Quad Core Processor (which apparently my motherboard will support
RAM: 2GB DDR2 PC2-6400 (800) Single Channel Desktop Memory (2 X 2GB, replacing 1 of my 1GB, to take me up to 6Gb)
GPU EVGA GTX460 SSC Super SuperClock NVIDIA Graphics Card - 1GB
Harddrive: OCZ 60GB Vertex 2E SSD - Solid State Drive (x2 on RAID)

which comes in at £421.21 plus shipping if i get it all from scan (they where just the first site i thought of)

But i was thinking it maybe i should get a new motherboard:

MSI 870A-G46 AMD Unlocked CPU AM3 Motherboard

and get just one of these
OCZ 60GB Solid 3 SSD - Solid State Drive

which would come in at £430.20, or if I wanted to go just over my budget i could get 2 SSDs and it would be £520.92

what do you guys think, are there some areas i should be willing to spend a little more on, some i could spend less on? I actually think with all my SDKs and programs plus windows itself 60gig would be pretty damn tight. In fact i just did a check and my current windows +programs + SDks comes in at 63gig....yikes. i might have to get 2 and use one for windows and SDKs and the other for programs instead of RAID...cause i was thinking RAID 1...although if im completely honest i dont know alot about RAID either...im in trouble really lol. Any thoughts on that?

And ultimately:

Upgrade OR Start From Scratch?

 

[jackspeed]

I am pretty new but I would go with the new mobo and get this ram
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb-(2x4gb)-corsair-ddr3-xms3-pc3-10600-(1333)-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-9-9-9-24-150v 51-16 = 35 (preorder)

upgrade to this cpu 100-77=23
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/amd-phenom-ii-x4-965-black-edition-s-am3-34ghz-8mb-cache-125w-retail


and I would reuse your HD as a data drive. and get one ssd drive. but hey I am new at this see what other people say.

 

[jeroly]

I don't think you're likely to upgrade your cpu again on that new motherboard, so I don't think it's good value to get a new motherboard if the old one will support your cpu upgrade. It may be a different story if you're considering a future SLI (2 nVidia graphic card) setup and your current motherboard doesn't support it; in that case the new motherboard would provide some futureproofing. From what I can see on the Asus web site, though, your board does support SLI.

The only real downsides I can see to your current motherboard are its support for only DDR2 RAM (not a real showstopper) and that if you used SLI you'd have only an x4 slot for the second gpu card which could have a noticeable impact on the improvement you see from the second card.

AMD (and intel of course) are coming up with powerful new processors soon which will use new sockets and new motherboards, so in a couple of years you'd need to get another motherboard for your next upgrade cycle.

Regarding RAID...
The RAID1 will give you what amounts to a cloned drive at all times; both drives have the identical info and you are protected in the case of a drive failure. The downside is the loss of available storage - only the 60GB would be available. RAID0 would make all 120GB available, and it would give you faster read/write times as the data from both disks would be accessed simultaneously, but the downside is that if either drive fails you lose everything. Additionally you would experience slowdown over time as the SSD maintenance functionalities of Windows 7 known as TRIM are not available for RAID arrays. You'd do better to get one 120GB drive and you'd get a bit of a bonus - the larger SSDs tend to have slightly faster read/write speeds.

+1 to the idea of reusing your current HD as well- it seems like your mb supports having 3 drives

 

[chrispepper1989]

I don't think you're likely to upgrade your cpu again on that new motherboard, so I don't think it's good value to get a new motherboard if the old one will support your cpu upgrade. It may be a different story if you're considering a future SLI (2 nVidia graphic card) setup and your current motherboard doesn't support it; in that case the new motherboard would provide some futureproofing. From what I can see on the Asus web site, though, your board does support SLI.

Could I actually get a new graphics card of a completely different spec to my current one and SLI them? putting my current one on the x4?? or do the cards have to be identical? I always thought they had to be. That would make me happy, you may have noticed I like component recycling ...and also know very little about technical stuff like RAID and SLI!...i do hope my PSU has enough juice for that!

The only real downsides I can see to your current motherboard are its support for only DDR2 RAM (not a real showstopper) and that if you used SLI you'd have only an x4 slot for the second gpu card which could have a noticeable impact on the improvement you see from the second card.

The other thing im wondering is i'm losing out on read/write speeds when it comes to SATA 2? because i don't have any SATA 3 ports. Although the SATA 2 SSDs arn't that much slower then the SATA 3s I have been looking at, in fact it seems i get more bang for my buck in general, so i'm a little confused what SATA 3 brings to the table?

AMD (and intel of course) are coming up with powerful new processors soon which will use new sockets and new motherboards, so in a couple of years you'd need to get another motherboard for your next upgrade cycle.

The eternal problem of the computer upgrade . The only thing i dont like is buying say 2 more DDR2 sticks and other things and having to scrap those with the next update, instead of potentially taking them across...although i suppose in any upgrade you get tempted to get a new processor and graphics card which are always the main money pits....hmmm

Regarding RAID...
The RAID1 will give you what amounts to a cloned drive at all times; both drives have the identical info and you are protected in the case of a drive failure. The downside is the loss of available storage - only the 60GB would be available. RAID0 would make all 120GB available, and it would give you faster read/write times as the data from both disks would be accessed simultaneously, but the downside is that if either drive fails you lose everything. Additionally you would experience slowdown over time as the SSD maintenance functionalities of Windows 7 known as TRIM are not available for RAID arrays. You'd do better to get one 120GB drive and you'd get a bit of a bonus - the larger SSDs tend to have slightly faster read/write speeds.

Yes this definitely reflects my research and conclusions so far! The general consensus is I would see some speed boost but i would have to think about possibly wiping my drive every few months, possibly weeks, which im simply not cool with! i have come across both 60GB and 128GB drives with about 500mb read/write which im sure would make me a happy bunny ! So I agree, just the one 128GB SSD

+1 to the idea of reusing your current HD as well- it seems like your mb supports having 3 drives

Why thank you, it seems sensible to use one for my bigger files media etc and stick to using the ssd for my sdks, programs and software projects...although I'm sure some things will drift onto there when i go "ooo this opens quicker over here".

I'd like to thank you both for your contributions! they have both given me a lot to think about, that 8gb ram pack has still left me drooling, shame my current mobo wont support it!

 

[chrispepper1989]

hmm just had a quick poke around with the SLI on different cards idea:

OverClock.net

Can I mix and match graphics cards?
In order to provide optimal symmetric scaling, SLI technology requires the NVIDIA GPUs to match. For example, a GeForce 7800 GTX must be paired with another GeForce 7800 GTX. Likewise, a GeForce 6600 GT must be paired with another GeForce 6600 GT. However, using the latest Release 80 or later graphics drivers, NVIDIA GPUs sold by different manufacturers can be used together in an SLI configuration. For example, a GeForce 7800 GT from vendor ABC can be matched with a GeForce 7800 GT from vendor XYZ.

Can I mix and match graphics cards if one of them is overclocked by the manufacturer?
Yes. A GeForce 7800 GTX that is overclocked (for example BFG GeForce 7800 GTX OC) can be mixed with a standard clocked GeForce 7800 GTX.

Can I mix and match graphics cards with different sizes of memory?
While it is not recommended, NVIDIA does offer this flexibility using Coolbits. When purchasing a second graphics card, you should try to match the memory size so that you are ensured full value and performance from your purchase. For example, if your first card is a GeForce 6600 GT with 128MB of memory, you should purchase a second GeForce 6600 GT with 128MB of memory. However, using Coolbits (value set to 18), you can force both of the cards to use the lower of the two memory sizes and operate together in SLI mode. When dissimilar memory sizes are enabled to work together using Coolbits, the effective memory size for each card becomes the smaller of the two memory sizes. Instructions to enable this feature can be found here. http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_coolbits.html

Sounds like If i get an awesome second graphics card, its going to be dragged down to the same speed as my current, If im reading that right. Although that does put an interesting idea in my head, maybe i should just keep an eye out for a cheap Nvidia 7900+ and just use SLI...instead of a brand new card?

 

[ps3hacker12]

i would just put you current card in your second PCI-E slot and use it as a PPU, your current 3gb ram is fine, adding another 3gb will not give a real world performance increase.

i would reccommend this for a lower price:
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CPUs+%2F+Processors/AMD+Phenom+II/AMD+Phenom+II+X4+840+3.20GHz+Quad+Core+95w+%28Socket+AM3%29+Processor+-+Retail+?productId=43775

but i would HIGHLY reccommend going for ATLEAST this:
http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/AMD+Phenom+II+X4+Quad+Core+955+Black+Edition+125W+C3+%28Socket+AM3%29+Processor+-+Retail+?productId=39930

this ATI 6850 with a free copy of shogun 2 costs less for better performance:
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/ATI/ATI+6800+Series+/Asus+ATI+Radeon+HD+6850+DirectCU+1024MB+GDDR5+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+with+FREE+Shogun+2+Game+?productId=42291

nech GTX460 vs ati 6850:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/313?vs=291

this drive on its own would give similar/better performance for less and without the reliability issues Raid0 brings:
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Solid+State+Drives/OCZ+Solid+3+120GB+2.5%22+SATA-III+Solid+State+Hard+Drive+?productId=44531

this adds up to £363.50 inc. postage and VAT

and you could add another 1GB of ram to give you 4gb (this would give the same real world performance as 6gb ram, since your not doing any large scale engineering models or anything):
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Memory/DDR2/800MHz/1GB+Kingston+%281x1GB%29+DDR2+PC2-6400C5+800MHz+Single+Channel+Memory+Module+%5BKVR800D2N5%2F1G%5D+?productId=23292

which brings the total cost to £374.22 (inc. the ram).

 

[jackspeed]

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/AMD+AM3%2B+%28900+Chipset%29/Gigabyte+990XA-UD3+AMD+990X+%28Socket+AM3%2B%29+DDR3+PCI-Express+ATX+Motherboard+?productId=44726

this is an am3+ mobo that you could get for 89

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Memory/DDR3/Dual+Channel+1600MHz/8GB+Corsair+Vengeance+Red+%282x4GB%29+DDR3+PC3-12800C9+1600MHz+Dual+Channel+Kit+-+CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9R+?productId=45492

ram for 61

or to save a little

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Memory/DDR3/Dual+Channel+1333MHz/8GB+Corsair+XMS3+%282x4GB%29+DDR3+PC3-10666C9+1333MHz+Dual+Channel+Kit+-+CMX8GX3M2A1333C9+?productId=45516

ram for 53

+1 for ps3hacker12 ssd hd 150

+1 for the phenom II 955 BE 84

+1 for the radeon grphx card 120

total 504 including vat

the mobo has sata 3 usb 3 and has some crossfire or sli for later but if you did this you would need an OS.

Ps what is VAT is that shipping?

 

[jeroly]

Could I actually get a new graphics card of a completely different spec to my current one and SLI them? putting my current one on the x4?? or do the cards have to be identical? I always thought they had to be. That would make me happy, you may have noticed I like component recycling ...and also know very little about technical stuff like RAID and SLI!...i do hope my PSU has enough juice for that!

no, the two graphics cards have to be more or less the same. What I meant was that you could get a second gtx460 later down the road. Even if it is no longer sold in a few years you can probably get one on ebay.

The other thing im wondering is i'm losing out on read/write speeds when it comes to SATA 2? because i don't have any SATA 3 ports. Although the SATA 2 SSDs arn't that much slower then the SATA 3s I have been looking at, in fact it seems i get more bang for my buck in general, so i'm a little confused what SATA 3 brings to the table?

with the hard drives you're currently talking about you don't need SATA3. SATA2 supports up to 300MBps

The eternal problem of the computer upgrade . The only thing i dont like is buying say 2 more DDR2 sticks and other things and having to scrap those with the next update, instead of potentially taking them across...although i suppose in any upgrade you get tempted to get a new processor and graphics card which are always the main money pits....hmmm

Well as stated elsewhere you can probably do without adding additional memory and not see much improvement in performance; only becomes an issue if you start running a bunch of VMs.

 

[chrispepper1989]

Wow Guys thanks for the awesome responses!

@ps3hacker12, i was looking at this: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/120gb-ocz-solid-3-ssd-25-sata-6gb-s-sandforce-2281-read-500mb-s-write-550mb-s-20k-iops

However the one you sent me a link to and the one above are both SATA 3, so I would need a new MoBo, @jeroly, these are both 500mb read/write speeds so would you agree that i would need a new MoBo??

I'm surprised so many people say i don't really need the RAM, that surprises me, i would have thought i would see the benifit, I thought maybe the 3GB ram was why UT3 kept crashing on me during development...

@jerloy and @ps3hacker12

i would just put you current card in your second PCI-E slot and use it as a PPU

Ok so how do I do that? I take it this is completely different to SLI??

What do you guys think about me getting jackspeeds recommended MoBo? I know that you jeroly were saying that the new Mobo would be a bad move particularly as my current Mobo would support the CPU you guys suggested (I think...i know it supports the one I posted, and they are very similar, i would have to do some digging though)

Could I get a SATA 3 drive and use it in SATA 2?? ive heard I need some jumpers and jump some other hurdles, i assume i would be cutting the 500mb down to 300mb at least thanks to jerolys comment but i could later transfer this drive to a new PC...

@jackspeed VAT stands for Value Added Tax, its just another way the Government can take my hard earned money off me! I think scan came to £10 p&p (shipping) for the whole lot of components i was looking at last time..i wish VAT was that much

 

[ps3hacker12]

Wow Guys thanks for the awesome responses!

@ps3hacker12, i was looking at this: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/120gb-ocz-solid-3-ssd-25-sata-6gb-s-sandforce-2281-read-500mb-s-write-550mb-s-20k-iops

However the one you sent me a link to and the one above are both SATA 3, so I would need a new MoBo, @jeroly, these are both 500mb read/write speeds so would you agree that i would need a new MoBo??

I'm surprised so many people say i don't really need the RAM, that surprises me, i would have thought i would see the benifit, I thought maybe the 3GB ram was why UT3 kept crashing on me during development...

@jerloy and @ps3hacker12

i would just put you current card in your second PCI-E slot and use it as a PPU

Ok so how do I do that? I take it this is completely different to SLI??

What do you guys think about me getting jackspeeds recommended MoBo? I know that you jeroly were saying that the new Mobo would be a bad move particularly as my current Mobo would support the CPU you guys suggested (I think...i know it supports the one I posted, and they are very similar, i would have to do some digging though)

Could I get a SATA 3 drive and use it in SATA 2?? ive heard I need some jumpers and jump some other hurdles, i assume i would be cutting the 500mb down to 300mb at least thanks to jerolys comment but i could later transfer this drive to a new PC...

@jackspeed VAT stands for Value Added Tax, its just another way the Government can take my hard earned money off me! I think scan came to £10 p&p (shipping) for the whole lot of components i was looking at last time..i wish VAT was that much

SATA3 is fully backward compatible so a sata3 drive will work in a sataII port (but will run at 3GB/s which is still more than enough for that SSD).

jackspeed's mobo is good, but i would reccommend staying with your current mobo, since your current mobo will support the phenom 955 (its really worth the extra cash to get the phenom 955 over the phenom 840/athlon 645.)

its getting a bit confusing, it would be nice if you could put a post on this thread of your updates parts list so we have a better idea of what you are buying and where to go from there.

as for RAM, 3gb is more than enough, (although 4gb is probably what most of us would reccommend just in case, so buying another 1gb of ram to add to your current 3gb would give you a nice boost).

also VAT is as said above its Value Added Tax, currently its 20% down here in the UK, going up from 15% late last year and 17.5% before that. (yes thats a lot, eg that SSD costs £135.12 without tax, + another 20% gives £162.14 :/)

 

[jackspeed]

I was saying that in his budget of 500 (assuming that is B4 shipping) he could upgrade his mobo and get the phenom. he could use the excess funds and go with your option to upgrade the video card or the processor more. But here is a question I have for the op what version of windows do you have? 32 bit or 64bit? and is it oem or can you use it on a new mobo?

 

[ps3hacker12]

I was saying that in his budget of 500 (assuming that is B4 shipping) he could upgrade his mobo and get the phenom. he could use the excess funds and go with your option to upgrade the video card or the processor more. But here is a question I have for the op what version of windows do you have? 32 bit or 64bit? and is it oem or can you use it on a new mobo?

but why upgrade now if his current mobo is fine, and hed have to go through the hassle of reinstallign his OS if he got a new mobo. AM3+ mobo prices should go down as bulldozer is released, he should buy them then (and they will become more common the 900series chipset that is).

 

[jackspeed]

but why upgrade now if his current mobo is fine, and hed have to go through the hassle of reinstallign his OS if he got a new mobo. AM3+ mobo prices should go down as bulldozer is released, he should buy them then (and they will become more common the 900series chipset that is).

I like to use all of my budget and get the most out of it so I look at how to spend 500. and a second gpu is out of the budget. Some features of the processor has been scaled back on the am2 mobo if I remember correctly? he would also have to reinstall the os if he got a ssd for boot. so its not really a change and the mobo supports the sata 3 transfer of the ssd. my 2 cents I am just saying he could put the mobo in his budget. and get the most of what he is buying but saving 150 euro is good 2

 

[ps3hacker12]

I like to use all of my budget and get the most out of it so I look at how to spend 500. and a second gpu is out of the budget. Some features of the processor has been scaled back on the am2 mobo if I remember correctly? he would also have to reinstall the os if he got a ssd for boot. so its not really a change and the mobo supports the sata 3 transfer of the ssd. my 2 cents I am just saying he could put the mobo in his budget. and get the most of what he is buying but saving 150 euro is good 2

thats true, i like to go below my budget if possible, the limitations on an AM2+ board if using an AM3 CPU is HT is downgraded, but in real world performance the only case where that would negatively affect the user if they were using something like a 6990 or a GTX590. he would have to reinstall OS if he got an SSD, unless he currently uses less than 120GB on his current drive, he could just replicate the data on the current drive onto the SSD using software.

 

[jackspeed]

OP do what you think is best. also not sure if this matters but his board is not am2+ its am2. it is after all up to you.

 

[chrispepper1989]

The Motherboard apparently supports the CPU, according to this website:

http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-ASUS/M2N-E.html

CPUs:
HDX955FBK4DGM
HDZ955FBGMBOX
HDZ955FBK4DGM

955 3.2 GHz, Rev. C3, 125W, Socket AM3, Quad-Core, HDX955FBK4DGM
Bios Required:
5001

Notes:
Any Due to Bios ROM size limitation remove LAN PXE ROM and change Crashfree3 to Crashfree

So apparently if i update the BIOS it should work!

I think I want to keep below my budget on this upgrade, usually I would go for the whole amount but i want to save as much as i can for the next build, which I'm thinking of doing either next year or the year after depending on how well this upgrade does me.

unless he currently uses less than 120GB on his current drive, he could just replicate the data on the current drive onto the SSD using software.

I am hoping to do this, I think i put my OS on a 100GB partition so hopefully I should be able to do it through clonezilla!

its getting a bit confusing, it would be nice if you could put a post on this thread of your updates parts list so we have a better idea of what you are buying and where to go from there.

Yup I totally agree so i shall do that in a fresh post below

 

[chrispepper1989]

O.K

So right now I'm thinking of going with ps3hacker12's £374.22 list, however i just added all to basket and its coming in at £395.65!


So:


The AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition

The ATI 6850 with a free copy of shogun 2!

The OCZ Solid 3 120GB 2.5" SATA-III Solid State Hard Drive (bundled with the case thing)

And the 1GB Kingston (1x1GB) DDR2

but it is quite tempting to get the massive ram boost and the new mobo...i might just buy the above, try it all, and if i really feel i need it, get the new ram and mobo....although can i successfully remove a cpu from a mobo without damaging it? ive never tried before!

I think i will also investigate the PPU idea, so far ive not had much luck, is it litterally just a case of sticking the 7900 card in the spare PCI slot and "tada" or will i need to configure it somehow?

p.s. it looks like the link I gave for the ssd i was looking at was the same drive as yours ps3hacker12, it must just be scan have got the specs wrong, its the same manufacturing code! but scan have printed it as 550mb write speed!

 

[ps3hacker12]

O.K

So right now I'm thinking of going with ps3hacker12's £374.22 list, however i just added all to basket and its coming in at £395.65!


So:


The AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition

The ATI 6850 with a free copy of shogun 2!

The OCZ Solid 3 120GB 2.5" SATA-III Solid State Hard Drive (bundled with the case thing)

And the 1GB Kingston (1x1GB) DDR2

but it is quite tempting to get the massive ram boost and the new mobo...i might just buy the above, try it all, and if i really feel i need it, get the new ram and mobo....although can i successfully remove a cpu from a mobo without damaging it? ive never tried before!

I think i will also investigate the PPU idea, so far ive not had much luck, is it litterally just a case of sticking the 7900 card in the spare PCI slot and "tada" or will i need to configure it somehow?

p.s. it looks like the link I gave for the ssd i was looking at was the same drive as yours ps3hacker12, it must just be scan have got the specs wrong, its the same manufacturing code! but scan have printed it as 550mb write speed!

yeah, its not that hard to put it as a dedicated PPU, you can make a thread in the graphics card section of the forums, removing a CPU will not damage it, you can take it out and in as much as you can (as long as your sensible ) and not damage it. you will need to use that spare PCI-E slot for the 7900GT.

you should shop around on sites such as amazon, novatech, scan, ebuyer, dabs etc. a bit, could save you a bit.

you could sell off that old CPU on eBay for a bit of cash (probably £25 or so), dont forget to upgrade your BIOS first:

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_AM2/M2NE/#download

and if you havent done so already, then an upgrade to windows 7 64Bit would help with newer games, while older games will also work:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/259863

Windows 7 should also reduce issues with a CPU upgrade also.

 

[chrispepper1989]

yeah, its not that hard to put it as a dedicated PPU, you can make a thread in the graphics card section of the forums, removing a CPU will not damage it, you can take it out and in as much as you can (as long as your sensible ) and not damage it. you will need to use that spare PCI-E slot for the 7900GT.

you should shop around on sites such as amazon, novatech, scan, ebuyer, dabs etc. a bit, could save you a bit.

you could sell off that old CPU on eBay for a bit of cash (probably £25 or so), dont forget to upgrade your BIOS first:

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_AM2/M2NE/#download

and if you havent done so already, then an upgrade to windows 7 64Bit would help with newer games, while older games will also work:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/259863

Windows 7 should also reduce issues with a CPU upgrade also.

Yer sorry i forgot to mention I had Windows 7 64 bit, Its a pretty awesome OS in my opinion, it seems to just....work, which is nice

Thanks again for your awesome help people, any last comments before i do my final shop around? I get the feeling ill end up with aria, i usually default to scan but aria looks cheaper on the big things, plus its offering that deal on the graphics card, and as a general rule i stick to one supplier to save on postage

 

[ps3hacker12]

Yer sorry i forgot to mention I had Windows 7 64 bit, Its a pretty awesome OS in my opinion, it seems to just....work, which is nice

Thanks again for your awesome help people, any last comments before i do my final shop around? I get the feeling ill end up with aria, i usually default to scan but aria looks cheaper on the big things, plus its offering that deal on the graphics card, and as a general rule i stick to one supplier to save on postage

ebuyer, dabs, and novatech do free postage on orders over £49.

so theres this phenom 955, (select the free 3-4day postage in basket for free PandP) for £82:
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/components/processors/amdphenomx4/HDZ955FBGMBOX.html#top

this OCZ solid 3 (the same drive) for £154 off dabs (free PandP by default!):
http://www.dabs.com/products/ocz-technology-120gb-solid-3-sata-6gb-s-2-5--solid-state-drive-7L6M.html?q=ocz%203

then this ati 6850 with free PandP its £117 (instead of £128.33 off aria inc. postage!):
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/244473

and two RAM modules of these for £26 (compared to £26.33 off aria):
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/234966

which is 355.96 without RAM! compared to before when it was £395! and with ram its £381.96!

i dont know your PC case, but you could buy an aftermarket cooler for better CPU cooling (and to allow you to overclock).

 

[chrispepper1989]

ebuyer, dabs, and novatech do free postage on orders over £49.

so theres this phenom 955, (select the free 3-4day postage in basket for free PandP) for £82:
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/components/processors/amdphenomx4/HDZ955FBGMBOX.html#top

this OCZ solid 3 (the same drive) for £154 off dabs (free PandP by default!):
http://www.dabs.com/products/ocz-technology-120gb-solid-3-sata-6gb-s-2-5--solid-state-drive-7L6M.html?q=ocz%203

then this ati 6850 with free PandP its £117 (instead of £128.33 off aria inc. postage!):
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/244473

and two RAM modules of these for £26 (compared to £26.33 off aria):
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/234966

which is 355.96 without RAM! compared to before when it was £395! and with ram its £381.96!

i dont know your PC case, but you could buy an aftermarket cooler for better CPU cooling (and to allow you to overclock).

Wow ps3Hacker you have really gone above and beyond for me there! I really appreciate it! I am totally in awe of you hardware seeking abilities! I think though I will get this 2GB RAM (as i only have one slot left anyway!):

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/192527

What do you think to this fan?

http://www.dabs.com/products/xigmatek-aegir-sd128264-double-layer-h-d-t-cooling-system-7KHX.html?q=SD128264

its listed as number 2 on http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm

I think im going to go right ahead and buy those the graphics card and the RAM, and get the fan with either dabs or novatech!

I really cant believe how much bang im getting for my buck now! you guys have been awesome

im getting excited now at the idea of computer parts arriving !

 

[ps3hacker12]

Wow ps3Hacker you have really gone above and beyond for me there! I really appreciate it! I am totally in awe of you hardware seeking abilities! I think though I will get this 2GB RAM (as i only have one slot left anyway!):

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/192527

What do you think to this fan?

http://www.dabs.com/products/xigmatek-aegir-sd128264-double-layer-h-d-t-cooling-system-7KHX.html?q=SD128264

its listed as number 2 on http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm

I think im going to go right ahead and buy those the graphics card and the RAM, and get the fan with either dabs or novatech!

I really cant believe how much bang im getting for my buck now, this is awesome im really excited!

are you sure that cooler will fit in your case? its dimensions are 130(W) x 66.4(D) x 159(H) mm check you have enough space, and its not obstructing your RAM, the side of your case etc.

120 x 79.7 x 158.5 mm (L x W x H) this is also a great cooler: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/245376 (but the one you listed is better!)

or this if you dont have enough space (Dimensions (WxDxH)10.5 cm x 11.6 cm x 6.4 cm ): http://www.dabs.com/products/scythe-shuriken-quiet-low-profile-cpu-cooler-555L.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product+search&utm_content=Q200

 

[chrispepper1989]

Hi Guys,

Sorry i haven't kept you updated, there was a semi-spontaneous stag do that I went to last weekend and i spend most of last week just doing nothing of importance whatsoever!

I will definitely investigate my case ps3Hacker before i buy a new fan, the ones you suggested look fantastic, once again thank you for going above and beyond!

I think i will order the parts tonight and finally get my bits and pieces together does anyone know if I will need anything extra to put the new CPU in, i'm pretty sure i need some form of thermal gel, it keeps coming up in conversations when i mention that im getting a new CPU

-Thanks to everyone for their fantastic input, I think the award for best reply will have to go to ps3Hacker but i value all of your inputs!!!

 

[chrispepper1989]

Best answer selected by chrispepper1989.

 

[chrispepper1989]

p.s. is there anyway i can add to jackspeed and jeroly's rating??