First attempt at building from scratch.

[TRDCorolla1]

It should since the Q6600 has more core than the E6600 or other dual cores. You'll love it if you do that much on your PC. In fact, I will NOT get a Exxxx series unless if money is tight. The Q6600 is still about $50-$100 more, but well worth it. Retail on Newegg and ClubIT are anywhere from $250-$279.99 for the Q6600. Plus, get the GO stepping version because it runs at lower wattage which means that the CPU will run a bit cooler, then OC the **** out of it.

 

[Andyf]

Yep, I fully agree, the only problem being your budget- given the original spec was for an E4400! But, yes the more things you do at once, the more cores you'll want.

You can get a faster E**** for the same price as a Q****, meaning if you are running a single game (current games don't make use of multicore really), simple core speed is more important, but quad cores are the future. I'd go with Q6600 if you can afford it! (yes, G0 SLACR stepping if you can. scan.co.uk, ebuyer and overclockers all specifically sell G0 models as well).

 

[TRDCorolla1]

Oh crap, was that the original plan? To get a E4400? Wow, didn't realize that. Well, technically, the E4400 runs super well. I like to get anything in the E6xxx or higher.

 

[Toryn]

The original plan was keeping it under £600, but I think I'll wait a bit longer, eat a bit less, and buy the Q6600

 

[TRDCorolla1]

Just think though, when that Q6600 drops even further, there will something faster and better out which totally sucks. By far, the Q6600 is the cheapest quad core I have ever seen so it's already a super best buy for most people. Im' still old school with my current setup. It runs fine, but I wish my access time to the hard drive can increase.

 

[Toryn]

Hmm, reading reviews and whatnot, and I am leaning more towards a Q6600 as I do multitask a lot at once.

Right now the lineup is:

CPU - Q6600
Graphics Card - HIS ATI X1950 Pro
HDD - Seagate Barracuda 250GB
Case - Antec 900
PSU - Corsair 520W
Mobo - Gigabyte GA P35 DS3R
CPU - Intel Q6600 (stepping I think)
RAM - Crucial Ballistic 2GB

and then planning to get later so I can OC a little more:

Artic Freezer Pro 7 CPU cooler
AS5

Which brings me up to £660 which is a little over budget but not too bad.


One last (for the moment) question, which would be holding me back if I really wanted to OC it properly, the mobo, GPU, CPU or cooling? Or which combinations?

And can I just say your all awesome and very helpful, even when convincing me to spend more money

 

[Andyf]

And can I just say your all awesome and very helpful, even when convincing me to spend more money

Yeah sorry about that, I found too that it turned from 'this is what I can afford, what can I get?' to 'This is what I'm getting, how long will I have to live off pasta?'.

As for OCing, thats a really good system with no particular weak points (although I can't really speak for the GPU, I know nothing about ATI). The stock intel cooler should do before you start OCing, the freezer pro 7 will let you go a reasonable amount. For more, you might need to look at something more expensive like a Tuniq Tower 120, but the freezer pro 7 is no slouch from what I've heard. Component wise, the MoBo, CPU and RAM are just what you need. I know this is all sounding like 'keep spending more!', but you'll get by just fine with what you have on the first list for now, leaving plenty of room for upgrade.

Do you have a case, btw? (sorry! more cost!)

 

[Toryn]

Yeah I've got the Antec 900 lined up.

As for the card, ATI is all I've ever had so I went with that when picking one. But of course I am open to other suggestions

ps Im fine with living on pasta for a few to get something that'll last. Somewhere a long the line its also changed from "getting by" to "I want something that does what I want before I know it "

*edit* about that tuniq, it looks HUGE, how on earth does it fit!?

 

[TRDCorolla1]

Ha, on pasta? I'm living off of ramen noodles, hehe. Cheap stuff. 10 cents each and I can eat like 2-3 packs.

Anyways, your build looks great. I see no bottlenecks whatsoever. Great RAM, great GPU, great CPU, very potent motherboard, you're good to go.

 

[Toryn]

That makes me very happy to hear

Now to get paid and actually buy the parts...

*hands out e-cookies* thanks all for your help, I'm sure I'll be back ((hmm the devil's home is filtered? odd) I'm still gonna lurk) with some installation questions ina couple of weeks heh.

oh and *hands out a tall glass of e-milk*