Help with building gaming rig under £700

danieljamie

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Hey i know this probably been asked a billion times but, Well im 18 years old, wanting to build a gaming rig.
I think the only way i can go about this, with my income, is if i finance all the parts from somewhere like Novatech.

Anyway, Im looking for SLI 8800 GTXs i think, but i also want to overclock a Q6600 as well, so im unsure which mobo to get that supports both of these, and up to 4GB of RAM.

I will get a raptor HD until i can afford an SSD. Im going 32 bit for now, vista ultimate, dvd writer.

Ive seen many cases with PSUs that would support SLI and any recent mobo so im not worried about that.

If you have any ideas on where i should start, please just give a quick reply :)

Thanks :D

Dan
 

danieljamie

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Thanks, I think i will go with that board, i found one on dabs for £150

http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?quicklinx=4TZQ

But im not sure whether to build a rig now, or wait because those new Intel nehalem processors come out soon, though that might just be me being a child and wanting everything as soon as I can.

Would you recommend going for Yorkfields or getting a Q6600? As far as i know, a 2.4ghz 6600 will overclock to around 3.4 GHZ which would be plenty for abit of gaming and video editing?

 

stonebattle

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The Q6600 is a fine choice. Still, you will be using a platform that will be obsolete in the near future.
These new platforms will be expensive to start with though.

Instead of financing the amount, you could by one or two items at a time. The issue of course will be with DOAs and the like.
Some sights seem to be supplying more DOAs then is reasonable. Partiqularly for what are suppose to be fully test and sometimes match parts, so be careful with the return policies if you go this way.
 

danieljamie

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Im very impatient though and just want to get a new computer up and running i prefer using it than building it but i would enjoy both.

I have enough money to save up and pay off a "buy now pay in 9 months" option, its just finding one place to supply all the parts. I know dabs do this and a few other places do like novatech and mesh computers.

I think i will go with the Q6600 then as i can't really afford the new platform just yet so i will wait. Any ideas on english websites where i could buy parts from?

Sorry for the life story haha thanks for your help
 

danieljamie

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UPDATE --------- sorry for the double post ,,

I think i am going to have the Q6600 G0 stepping and overclock to around 3.4 ghz,

Also, the EVGA nforce 780i 132-CK-NF78-A1,

a PC2-9600 pair of crucial 1GB sticks ballistix

and a geforce 9800GT 512MB SLI,

and a Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate case with probably a 700W PSU,

Does this sound alright??
 

auscanzukus

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It's a misconception that a cpu must be overclocked. It doesn't have to be. A stock Kentsfield is fine for those tasks.

However, down the road software will get more demanding and the cpu may not be able to keep up. Then overclocking is an option for saving some money.

Also, a cpu can be overclocked to a more expensive one to keep the cost down. This is THE POINT of overclocking.

I'd go with Q6600 which is $200 US. Yorkfields are $100+ more expensive. They're not $100 faster. Just a bit faster.
 

danieljamie

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Thanks, I wont necessarily overclock to begin with then,
And yeah i will go for the Q6600 then..

Does the rest of the system seem okay and compatible?
Unsure how much wattage i should get on a PSU though..
Thanks
 

auscanzukus

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The rest looks good, but I'd get an aftermarket overclock like Freezer 7 Pro or better yet Xigmatek HDT-S1283 or HDT-SD964 + mounting kit. Cuz if you decide to install a new cpu cooler after the pc is set up, it'll be a hassle to remove everything. Do it right now so when you overclock, you won't have to open up the case.

As for a 9800GT SLI PC wattage:

Minimum of a 400 Watt power supply.
(Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 26 Amp Amps.)
Minimum 450 Watt for SLI mode system.
(Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 28 Amp Amps.)

That's official. Actual wattage usage will be lower. You can pick up a Corsair 750W that can power 2 GTX 200's. Good makes & models:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088
 

danieljamie

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Thanks, I will get a 750W corsair PSU from dabs,
And i will also get a £15 freezer 7 pro or the other one to keep it cool,
I would like to overclock as im new to it but i wont go mad with it,
And i think i will have to buy everything seperately instead of by finance,

Thanks for your help
 

V3NOM

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sigh.... evga 750i FTW is all you need! who has 1k to spend on 3 graphics cards i mean seriously... do you need dual gigabit ethernet? i cant imagine why... if not then why not save some cash and get the 750i -_-

also i would recommend 2 8800GT's... if tigerdirect ships to where you live (which im assuming it can unlike newegg:() then theres an XFX 8800GT for $109.99 :)! cheap as and will rape a GTX280 in crysis :p
 

jpdykes

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Couple of things:

- You might be better served by a 4870 system. You need to buy an 8800 Ultra to get on a par with them. (£170 from ebuyer). As far as I can see 8800GTX's are the same price as a 4870 and are considerably outdated technology.

- Corsair 750TX will do that system. Good choice.

- At that point you can go with an Intel P45 chipset which perform better than the nVidia ones. Try and Asus P5Q-Pro. (£85 ebuyer, save £50). P45 will allow for Xfire, but if you want to do that straight away you might want to think about an X48 chipset that has 2x PCI-e x16 lanes.

- You will only need DDR2-1066 even for a big overclock. It will be cheaper than that PC9600. Also go for 4Gb and a 64bit OS. You will see more benefit from more slower RAM and a 64bit that less faster RAM and a 32bit.

Jeremy

Edit: Extra info I've just picked up elsewhere that you will only see a 5% graphics benefit from an X48 motherboard over a P45 in crossfire. Given the extra cost it isn't worth it. Go P45.
 

iluvgillgill

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this is what i done for a friend recently for about £700 check it out
quote.JPG


change the things you need and dont want according to your budget.
 

jpdykes

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Not sure about that spec iluvgillgill.

- Wouldn't go with the 280 - you could save £130 by going with a 4870 and no loose a whole lot. Or you could almost have 2x 4870's for that much.

- Also would go with E8400 or Q6600.

- Maybe an Artic Freezer Pro7 or Xigmatek cooler?

- If you need an OS as well you are going to need to factor in the £100 for that.

- Probably go with 4Gb of RAM also.

We obviously just have different priorities for builds.....
 

3lvis

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Might consider a higher clocked core 2 duo E8500 wolfsdale as most games are not optimized for 4 cores.

While some people think of overclocking as a free upgrade....its not it cost you the price of your CPU's warranty, but once your warranty is up may as well overclock.... and wolfsdale's are some of the best overclockers.

For gaming its best to pick the biggest single video card you can afford. Then fitting everything else into that budget. In order to tell what card to get you need to know what resolution you will be gaming at. Heres what I would recommend at LCD sizes:

30"+ 4870x2 or 280 gtx
28" - 24" 4870 or 9800gx2
22" or smaller 4850 or 9800gtx+

The 8800gt's lack the shader processors that these cards have.
 

iluvgillgill

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that GTX280 is because my friend want to maximise the £700 he got.plus its more powerful then the 4870 anyway since the 4870 can ONLY match the GTX260 and not the 280.

the OCZ V2 is more powerful then the Xigmatek if you not already know.

and there isnt more of a difference about the E8xxx and E7xxx apart from the Cache but when in a high OC those difference will be minimal and more of a GPU bound then CPU cache sizes.

the OS is only £65 not the £100 yo mentioned
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/123067

another 2GB will add £30 thats not much of a problem.

the cheapest HD4870 is £170, and if go with two of them then that will be £340 plus the P45 will definately limits the graphics card with its 8x/8x PCI-E slots.

so the best for for P45 is the GTX280 with that budget.

what resolution will you be gaming at OP?its more important because it will decide which card is best for the resolution considering budget.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/147712
 

danieljamie

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I have a 32 inch samsung LCD but would consider gettin a 22" or 24" for gaming and computer use.

I would consider going for E8400 and overclock it as i would agree games aren't optimized for 4 cores, but the price difference isn't much anyway between dual and quad.

If i could throw in a cheap 22 inch screen that performs well, i would buy that, if not, it looks like i will need a GTX280 for my screen resolution.

I could knock off some of the price and get a smaller hard drive for now, and i will fork out for those later on.

Ideally i would like 4GB RAM, 64 bit, GTX280, quad core Q6600 overclocked and cool, dont mind how big my tower is, But not wanting to spend above 700 and would love to find all of this on a buy now pay next year site as i dont have all of this money right away.

Thanks for all the help!
 

iluvgillgill

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get the Antec 900 is a great case for its feature and price consider you get all the fans fitted as standard apart from the side VGA fan.

Q6600 is great processor for its price and and get a good cooler and OC it go 3.6Ghz.really to be honest dual core at higher speed does give more fps in game but does it matter when you alredy getting a high fps with just few frames more? you get it?
 

danieljamie

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Yeah i think i will get Q6600 then overclock quite high, with antec 900 case,

I think i will get the Asus P5K Pro Motherboard and just use one GTX280 (not sure if it does crossfire?) and will go 64 bit, 4GB of RAM,

a 750W PSU and im not an extreme gamer really i just want to play a few games like the sims 2, need for speed, rollercoaster tycoon things like that,

Can anybody help on where i could buy these from? with buy now pay later preferably,, Thanks
 

iluvgillgill

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Nvidia graphics card cant do crossfire but SLI. the 750W PSU is overkill BUT you might wanna add another graphics card in IF you change to HD4870.

my number one shopping place is www.ebuyer.com generally the cheapest overall in the UK.but some part is cheaper else where BUT you pay for the extra shipping which will work out about the same(unless free delivery) so just buy it all from one place.
 

danieljamie

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Thanks iluvgillgill, stupid me i even knew nvidia dusnt do crossfire so no idea why i wud ask that! haha

yeah i cud go for 2 HD4870s or the X2 instead,

i know that dabs.com and novatech do buy now pay later options and both seem quite cheap
 

lltfdaniel

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gpu 2 x 4850 in crossfire £223.84
mobo Asus p5q pro £84.99 incl vat
cpu q6600 £ £112.00 incl vat amazon
cooler artic freezer pro 7 £15
case antec 900 £67.78
Corsair 2x2gb pc6400 £55.17
750W TX Corsair PSU, single 12V rail, £76.13

£634.92

Then the rest of the stuff totaling up to £700 and that includes postage.