Gaming rig £650

[LittleWing]

Hey there, building my first rig in some time so just looking for some feedback if possible.

I'm aiming to build it around:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 S775 2.66ghz 4mb Cache 1333FSB £114.79

XFX GeForce 8600GTS DDR3/512mb/256 bit Graphics Card x2 £289.99



Basically I'm aware of the selection of popular motherboards around, and that in terms of a PSU I'll probably need 500-600 watts but that's where my knowledge ends...The computers going to primarily be a gaming rig with some light web design/graphic design.

It sucks growing up and not knowing whats hot anymore lol. I'm on a budget of around 650 pounds and my main queries are:

Which Mobo would you suggest?
Is 2gb of value Kingston Ram sufficient?
Ideal PSU?
Is it worth going for a single GFX Card from the 8800 series?

Any help would be very much appreciated,
Jeff.

 

[jonny_uk]

The quad core Q6600 is what everyone seems to aim for, its not much more than the E6750(£20-30 tops) be much faster and more future proof.
Ram, 2GB is fine yes, im not sure on what make is the best to go for so wait for someone else to tell you, although i cant see there being any problems with the Kingston ram.
Psu something like this would be fine Corsair HX Series 520W Modular PSU - ATX12V v2.2 APFC - Ebuyer with psu's its better to buy a good make with less power rather than a cheapo crap make with more power if your with me.
GPU, 2 8600's? no, get a single 8800GTS or a GTX if funds allow, if not and your running over a 22" screen get a 8800GTS 640MB, if your screen is 20" or under, a 320MB should be enough.

Hope thats helped abit

P.s Ebuyer, scan and Overclockers Uk are the most popular uk sites

 

[LittleWing]

EVGA 8800 GTS SuperClocked 640MB GDDR3 PCI-E Graphics Card

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping (2.4GHz 1066MHz) Socket 775 L2 8MB Cache (2x4MB (4MB per core pair) Retail Boxed Processor

Corsair HX Series 520W Modular PSU - ATX12V v2.2 APFC

Gigabyte GA-P35-S3 iP35 Socket 775 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard

Maxtor STM3320620AS 320GB 7200RPM SATAII 16MB Cache - OEM

Kingston 1GB DDR2 667MHz / PC2-5300 MEMORY CL5 1.8V NON ECC UNBUFFERED x2

Coolermaster Black Centurion 534 - No PSU


Thats where I'm upto...£699

What ya'll think

 

[Andyf]

Agree with the advice above, particularly the PSU. 1x 8800GTS is preferable to 2x8600, and allows you to buy a better, cheaper motherboard. spending extra on RAM really comes down to overclocking, and its not a huge extra spend to get some decent RAM. Try Crucial Ballistix PC2-6400.

As for motherboard, I would suggest, in order of increasing cost but reverse order of preference:
-Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
-Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
-Asus P5k Deluxe (couldn't find link) so try this

As for the GPU, I would suggest the 320 if you aren't running at above resolutions of 1600. However, I would suggest waiting a bit, as the 8800GT is coming out in a few days, and it seems to be performing better than the GTS, for less cash, smaller size, less power drain.

Good case choice

If you are planning on oveclocking, you might need an aftermarket HSF (heat sink & fan)

 

[jonny_uk]

Looks great but hard drive id go for this Seagate ST3320620A 320GB Hard Drive 7200RPM 16MB Cache - OEM - Ebuyer
Better than Maxtor Note thats its OEM so you will only get the Hard drive and the cables, no fancy box but that doesnt matter, means you get the goods cheaper, just thought id tell you that so you know.

 

[jonny_uk]

Agree with the advice above, particularly the PSU. 1x 8800GTS is preferable to 2x8600, and allows you to buy a better, cheaper motherboard. spending extra on RAM really comes down to overclocking, and its not a huge extra spend to get some decent RAM. Try Crucial Ballistix PC2-6400.

As for motherboard, I would suggest, in order of increasing cost but reverse order of preference:
-Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
-Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
-Asus P5k Deluxe (couldn't find link) so try this

As for the GPU, I would suggest the 320 if you aren't running at above resolutions of 1600. However, I would suggest waiting a bit, as the 8800GT is coming out in a few days, and it seems to be performing better than the GTS, for less cash, smaller size, less power drain.

Good case choice

If you are planning on oveclocking, you might need an aftermarket HSF (heat sink & fan)

Awesome, my advice and choice of parts together with Andys selection is a superb build

 

[LittleWing]

Awesome, my advice and choice of parts together with Andys selection is a superb build

Corsair HX Series 520W Modular PSU - ATX12V v2.2 APFC

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping (2.4GHz 1066MHz) Socket 775 L2 8MB Cache (2x4MB (4MB per core pair) Retail Boxed Processor

Maxtor STM3320620AS 320GB 7200RPM SATAII 16MB Cache - OEM

Coolermaster Black Centurion 534 - No PSU

Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R Socket 775 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard

Crucial 1GB DDR2 PC2-6400/800MHz CL4-4-4-12 Ballistix 2.2V SLI Ready x2

£470!

How does that look for a start? Can throw all tha together and await the status on the GFX Card scene. I've heard good things about the GT, not a long wait either

 

[Toryn]

Just to add a little, to whats already pretty solid advice, the difference between a 320 and 640 gts will be negligible unless your running at resolutions greater than ~1600x1200 ie 24" or higher screens.

No need to get an OC'd version, just OC yourself .

But mainly, wait for the 8800GT, in every benchmark I've seen its trounced the GTS and been closing on the GTX (+- 10-15fps depending on the res).

Also, get a Seagate HDD, beats a maxtor.


Aside from that, looking good.

 

[LittleWing]

Just to add a little, to whats already pretty solid advice, the difference between a 320 and 640 gts will be negligible unless your running at resolutions greater than ~1600x1200 ie 24" or higher screens.

No need to get an OC'd version, just OC yourself .

But mainly, wait for the 8800GT, in every benchmark I've seen its trounced the GTS and been closing on the GTX (+- 10-15fps depending on the res).

Also, get a Seagate HDD, beats a maxtor.


Aside from that, looking good.

Good call man.

And in regards to res, I'm not a monitor junky and tend to keep them small. I've never been a graphics fluff lover but just for a year I want to see some fluff, and be up to date in the years to come My old rig has been in such a state that my gaming days stopped growing after CS:S, I can't even run anything newer hah.

 

[jonny_uk]

Corsair HX Series 520W Modular PSU - ATX12V v2.2 APFC

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping (2.4GHz 1066MHz) Socket 775 L2 8MB Cache (2x4MB (4MB per core pair) Retail Boxed Processor

Maxtor STM3320620AS 320GB 7200RPM SATAII 16MB Cache - OEM

Coolermaster Black Centurion 534 - No PSU

Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R Socket 775 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard

Crucial 1GB DDR2 PC2-6400/800MHz CL4-4-4-12 Ballistix 2.2V SLI Ready x2

£470!

How does that look for a start? Can throw all tha together and await the status on the GFX Card scene. I've heard good things about the GT, not a long wait either

Dont forget to update the hard drive, you dont want a Maxtor