Final Gaming Build Check (<£900)

[caffelatte]

This is a link to my original post: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/forum2.php?config=tomshardwareuk.inc&cat=13&post=285139&page=1&p=1&sondage=0&owntopic=1&trash=0&trash_post=0&print=0&numreponse=0&quote_only=0&new=0&nojs=0

With this build I'm going for a gaming computer that will last a few years until I need to either drop another 5850 in there or sell it and do a complete overhaul, I'm also hoping to over clock the CPU to 3.4-3.6.

I have a few questions.

1. Will all of this work together? With enough power and leads for everything including 3 case fans (+ a cross fired 5850 in future)

2. I can get Windows Ultimate 32 bit for free from a friend, but I understand I need 64 bit for the RAM to be utilized as well as security and just in general as 64 bit will be the future standard. Is there at a cheaper way to get Win7 64 bit Home edition? There was a student offer, but that's has expired now.

3. Has anyone heard anything about the case fan screws? I remember reading somewhere they were good, but I only found one source to recommend them. They're cheap enough so it's not a big deal, but if anyone knows they're useless then I won't bother.

4. Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal £5.70 or Arctic Silver Ceramique 2.5g tube £3.10?

5. Any suggestions or improvements? Or anything else I should be asking, planning or otherwise? This will be my first time building a system.

6. Probably a stupid question, how do i select a best answer?

CPU AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition 3.2 GHz Socket AM3 8MB £123 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/190673

Mob Asus M4A79XTD EVO 790X £85
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/172846

RAM G-Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 Ripjaw Memory Kit CL7(7-8-7-24) 1.65V £110
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/180490

GPU Asus 5850 £243
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/200576

HDD Seagate ST31000528AS 1TB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 32MB Cache - OEM £60 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/158798

PSU XFX 650W XXX Edition Single Rail Modular PSU  £80
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/191826

HSF Scythe Mugen 2 rev B £36
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/158603

Case Antec 300 £43
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143854

Disk Drive Anything £15
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/145450

OS Win7 £75
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/173791

Case Fans 120mm Black Case Fan - 4 pin connector x3 £5
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/63281

Fan Screws Black Rubber Fan Mounts Screws - Closed Chassis Fans 3 sets £4
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Black-Rubber-Fan-Mounts-Screws-Closed-Chassis-Fans-/190397704174?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Computing_ComputerComponents_Fans_Heatsinks_SR&hash=item2c549667ee#ht_792wt_906

Total £878

 

[Emperus]

You are right about the 64 bit being norm nowadays.. However, if you are getting a 32 bit for free then better grab on it.. As for suggestion's since You've plans for crossfire and all i'd recommend you to get a better airflow case such as the Antec 902 or the NZXT Tempest EVO.. Rest all build looks fine.. You may get a WD 1TB black edition over your current seagate selection though..

 

[Silvune]

2. I would have thought Microsoft would still have some kind of student deal for Windows 7, if it was me I'd ask someone at my uni about it.
4. I would go for Arctic Silver 5, it has come out on top in 2 out of 3 comparisons that I've read:
http://www.hwreviewlabs.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64%3Amega-44-thermal-paste-round-up&catid=32%3Around-ups&Itemid=47&limitstart=3
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=138&Itemid=1
http://www.pugetsystems.com/articles.php?id=22
5. I would probably go for more expensive fans, I have one of these and I can vouch for it's quality: Xilence Red Wing £5.
When I first built my rig my cable management was very poor, mostly because of the overuse of peripheral connectors to hook up my 5 fans, so definitely plan it out and try and use as few modular peripherals leads plugged into the PSU as possible.
6. I've never opened a thread where I could select best answer, but I think it has to be the correct type of discussion to start with.

 

[caffelatte]

CPU AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition 3.2 GHz Socket AM3 8MB £123 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/190673

Mobo Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H DDR3 SATA Raid Socket AM3 Motherboard £104 http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/Gigabyte-GA-890GPA-UD3H-DDR3-SATA-Raid-Socket-AM3-Motherboard_26995.html

New Mobo compared to the last build - This one should have 2x USB 3.0 - I'm dropping them an email to check.

RAM G-Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 Ripjaw Memory Kit CL7(7-8-7-24) 1.65V £110 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/180490

GPU Asus 5850 for over-volting potential (£20 extra but I think it's worth it) £240 http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/Asus-1024MB-GDDR5-ATI-Radeon-HD5850-DIRECTCU-Dual-DVI-HDMI-DisplayPort,-PCI-E-Retail_26902.html

HDD Seagate ST31000528AS 1TB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 32MB Cache - OEM £55 http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/Seagate-Barracuda-7200.12-1TB-SATAII-NCQ-3Gbs-32MB-Cache-OEM_9091.html

PSU XFX 650W XXX Edition Single Rail Modular PSU  £80
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/191826

HSF Scythe Mugen 2 rev B £36 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/158603

Case Antec 300 £43 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143854

Disk Drive Anything £15 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/145450

OS Win7 £75 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/173791

Case Fans 120mm Black Case Fan - 4 pin connector x3 £5 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/63281

^ These cheap case fans actually have good reviews, they're easy to down-volt apparently if they're too loud and still have good air-flow and if it turns out they're useless they're pretty cheap to replace and can ebay them.

Fan Screws Black Rubber Fan Mounts Screws - Closed Chassis Fans 3 sets £4

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Black-Rubber-Fan-Mounts-Screws-Closed-Chassis-Fans-/190397704174?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Computing_ComputerComponents_Fans_Heatsinks_SR&hash=item2c549667ee#ht_792wt_906

Paste AS5 £5



---

Another RAM option:

G.SKill RipJaw 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666 1333MHz CL8 Dual Channel Memory Kit £90 (£20 cheaper than previous)

http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/G.SKill-RipJaw-4GB-2x2GB-DDR3-PC3-10666-1333MHz-CL8-Dual-Channel-Memory-Kit_24616.html

Is it possible to over-volt this and achieve better timings?
Would it be a noticeable difference between this and the more expensive RAM?

I'm trying to pinch pennies as the cost seems to be creeping higher and higher and I'm looking to get speakers, new KB and mouse sometime soon as well, though I have adequate ones at the moment.


£894 total


I'm not at Uni but I have friends that are, I'm having one check for me about Win7.

 

[Silvune]

Mobo Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H DDR3 SATA Raid Socket AM3 Motherboard £104 http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/Gigabyte-GA-890GPA-UD3H-DDR3-SATA-Raid-Socket-AM3-Motherboard_26995.html

New Mobo compared to the last build - This one should have 2x USB 3.0 - I'm dropping them an email to check.

RAM G-Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 Ripjaw Memory Kit CL7(7-8-7-24) 1.65V £110 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/180490

Case Fans 120mm Black Case Fan - 4 pin connector x3 £5 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/63281

^ These cheap case fans actually have good reviews, they're easy to down-volt apparently if they're too loud and still have good air-flow and if it turns out they're useless they're pretty cheap to replace and can ebay them.

Another RAM option:

G.SKill RipJaw 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666 1333MHz CL8 Dual Channel Memory Kit £90 (£20 cheaper than previous)

http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/G.SKill-RipJaw-4GB-2x2GB-DDR3-PC3-10666-1333MHz-CL8-Dual-Channel-Memory-Kit_24616.html

Is it possible to over-volt this and achieve better timings?
Would it be a noticeable difference between this and the more expensive RAM?

Yea it definitely has USB3. Fair enough about the fans. Yea those other ones certainly aren't worth £110, and you might not even have to overvolt to get the timings down. I got my set of Corsair 1333mhz 1.5V 9-9-9-24 set down to 8-8-8-24. Perfectly stable.

 

[caffelatte]

The actual GPU I'm going to get is the Asus 1024MB GDDR5 ATI Radeon HD5850 DIRECTCU which requires 6 and 8 pin connectors, rather than 6 and 6, is the PSU still sufficient for this? And will it be sufficient if I crossfire another of the same card at a future point?

Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H DDR3 SATA Raid Socket AM3 Motherboard

If i crossfire with this motherboard apparently the cards will operate on 8x/8x crossfire, is this going to bottleneck the cards? I've heard mixed reports on this.

Also, if i'm cross firing and want to use USB 3.0 I've heard it uses the bandwidth too and will worsen the performance of the GPUs, is this the case with my chosen motherboard? Is it only if there's a USB device in use?

I'm debating whether or not i should just buy a cheaper MOBO and save a bit of cash as I don't think I'll have an immediate need for USB 3.0 or cross firing, and by the time I do have a need for USB 3.0 I'll need more than 2 sockets anyway.

Hoping to finally buy today so any and all responses are welcome.

 

[Silvune]

The actual GPU I'm going to get is the Asus 1024MB GDDR5 ATI Radeon HD5850 DIRECTCU which requires 6 and 8 pin connectors, rather than 6 and 6, is the PSU still sufficient for this? And will it be sufficient if I crossfire another of the same card at a future point?

Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H DDR3 SATA Raid Socket AM3 Motherboard

If i crossfire with this motherboard apparently the cards will operate on 8x/8x crossfire, is this going to bottleneck the cards? I've heard mixed reports on this.

Also, if i'm cross firing and want to use USB 3.0 I've heard it uses the bandwidth too and will worsen the performance of the GPUs, is this the case with my chosen motherboard? Is it only if there's a USB device in use?

I'm debating whether or not i should just buy a cheaper MOBO and save a bit of cash as I don't think I'll have an immediate need for USB 3.0 or cross firing, and by the time I do have a need for USB 3.0 I'll need more than 2 sockets anyway.

Hoping to finally buy today so any and all responses are welcome.

The PSU has 2 x 6+2 PCI-E connectors (as well as two more 6pins). So it would be fine for two. I will probably read a review of that card later tonight to understand more about it. My hunch is that the extra 2 pins only need to be utilized when overclocking the card.

Dual x8 has been shown to have a 4% performance hit compared to dual x16 with a 5870. So I don't think it would have any impact on slower cards like the 5850.

USB3 on most AMD boards is provided by an onboard NEC chip, such as abhishekk89 mentioned in his first post. So no it won't affect crossfire.

 

[caffelatte]

This is the review that I read it in:
http://www.brighthub.com/computing/hardware/reviews/70383.aspx

 

[caffelatte]

Crucial 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz/PC3-10600 Ballistix Memory Kit CL7 (7-7-7-24) 1.65V

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/179278

Lower timings, higher volts, 10600


Or

G.SKill RipJaw 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666 1333MHz CL8 Dual Channel Memory Kit

Higher timings, lower volts, 10666

http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/G.SKill-RipJaw-4GB-2x2GB-DDR3-PC3-10666-1333MHz-CL8-Dual-Channel-Memory-Kit_24616.html

Which is better? Or is the difference negligible?

 

[Silvune]

Incase you didn't know 10600 and 10666 are two different ways of saying the same thing. The Crucial set would be faster out of the box, altho you would have more overclocking potential with the G.Skill. Apart from that the difference isn't really worth worrying about.