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[Meithan]

Nice posting format, Meithan. One of the better ones I've seen.

Thanks . It does take a bit of effort but in the end it's worth it.

K M A N: I'll tweak your build with your suggestions later at work (hehe).

Beefcake's idea is actually quite good. I run on 1GB RAM and it's quite acceptable (BF2 on max settings, FEAR on high settings, etc). A better video card would certainly be a better choice in the long run (adding 1GB later on is easy, specially since DDR2 is still new).

 

[Oreo]

Ahh yes that a good point. By the way The Hard drive is been bought for me meithan. So no need to add this into build.
I have a compromise maybe i should in stead of getting 2Gb PC 5300, get 1GB PC6400. This leaves room to get the 7950 GT.

I will be buying my PC Towards the end of february early march as this is when my dad gets his bonus leaves plenty of time to make some money.

Thanks

 

[Oreo]

Heres what i am planning on getting remembering im not bying my HD.

AKASA Zen Black case=£30
Liteon 16X DVD RW=£23
Core 2 Duo E6400=£144
Sapphire X1950XT=£176
1GB Exilir PC5300 RAM=£58
Asrock Compatible Mobo (i think)=£46
ASKASA 500Watt Silent PSU=£54

This comes to=£531

Heres the link for the Mobo as im not sure on how compatible it is>

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=443860


I chose the X1950XT Because the X1950 Pro was only lacking about 4-10FPS off the 7950GT and the X1900Xt was above it by about 5 fps, and the 1950/1900XT are very similar for the same price as a 7950GT.

If i Got the X1950Pro and a E6300 i might be able to get 2GB Ram.

I shall see.


[EDIT] Made a few changes Im gona get 2GB Pc5300, Skip from the X1950XT to a PRO to save 40 quid and get a Seasonic 430watt PSU to save a tenner.[EDIT]



Thanks

 

[Meithan]

The motherboard you suggested should do. The disadvantage is that it doesn't support DDR2-800, so you won't be able to upgrade to faster RAM later. Since you're not overclocking, this isn't a big deal; 667Mhz RAM provides enough bandwidth.

I still suggest prioritizing the video card over the 2GB of memory. You'll notice a much larger improvement spending the money on the video card. Moreover, you can easily get another GB of RAM anytime later, while upgrading a video card implies selling the old one.

Also, an E6400 is not worth the extra £20 in my opinion. Let's stick to an E6300.

Processor: Core 2 Duo E6300 - £123.29
Motherboard: Asrock CONROE945G-DVI i945G - £46.87
Memory: Elixir 1GB DDR2-667 C5 - £58.15
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon X1950XT 256MB - £176.12
Optical Drive: LG 18x Dual Layer DVD+/-RW/RAM Black - £20.67
PSU: 530W HiperPower Type-R Modular Black - £49.35
Case: Akasa Zen Black Silent Cool ATX - £29.95

Total: £504.40, VAT included.
Remarks: no hard drive, monitor, mouse, keyboard or speakers.

That X1950XT is a beast, as it seems to beat a 7950GT. It'll last you a couple years before becoming outdated. We had to sacrifice 1GB RAM, RAM speed and motherboard quality, but I think it'll be worth it. If you wanna save a bit more, downgrade it to a X1950Pro or something similar.

As for the PSU, I still prefer the HiperPower Type-R over the ones you proposed. It is rated at 530W, and has dual +12V rails rated at 20A and 17A (37A total). The Seasonic 430W is nice too, but its +12V rails are rated at 14A and 15A (29A total). The HiperPower simply delivers more power at only £3 more, and it is modular too, which is nice to have. More info on this PSU at the manufacturer's website.

The DVD burner is your choice, really. Most burners cost around £20, so just choose whatever brand you prefer, it doesn't really make a difference.

 

[Oreo]

Yes i do prefer it but it doesnot include this list of cables provided which worries me. I still would prefer the E6400.

By the way the mobo supports 4GB of ram and for £174 i could get 3 more of them Exilir 1GB Sticks.

The real reason for the purchase of this pc is To play CRYSIS at atleast low settings.

I think i might just do it hopefully.

 

[Meithan]

List of cables? Do you mean for the PSU? If so, scroll down at the manufacturer's product page and you'll see the full list of cables. Most cables coming out of the PSU have Molex connectors, but you're provided a set of extender cables to convert them to SATA, FDD, PCIe, and more molex. Trust me, you won't run short of cables with this PSU.

About the E6400, go for it if you want to. It's really your choice, and there's no argument against it other than saving a bit of money. You get what you pay for.

Concerning the RAM, getting 4GB is pointless at this moment, since no game will make use of it. However, you'll probably need 2GB for Crysis, so either include it in the initial order or start saving to get it shortly after.

With 2GB RAM (and a X1950XT), I'm sure you'll run Crysis on high settings easily, so don't worry.

 

[Oreo]

Ahhh High settings now that is very appealing. I was thinking of the E6400 as the game is very physics orinetated with moving branches. Trees that can be shot down, fully destructable buildings. Very demanding on the CPU its no let down on the graphical or ram department eitehr as you will know.

Ok 4GB is kinda of overshot. But more the merrrier. It will only future proof my pc.Still i probably wont get it but its just a thought.

Would the E6300 be enough to handle Crysis ? if so i will probably get that and buy 2GB of ram.

 

[Meithan]

In my opinion getting 4GB is pointless ("the more the merrier" doesn't really apply in this case). Your programs won't benefit of that much RAM (unless you do CAD or video edition). Heck, I even think DDR3 (or some other technology) will come out before games start requiring over 2GB of RAM.

As for the CPU, well, it's hard to say if the E6300 will be enough for Crysis, since the official requirements aren't out yet. However, I do know my E6300 doesn't work at full capacity when playing FEAR or Battlefield2; the CPU still has room to spare.

I also don't think the E6400 will provide much improvement over the E6300. It's an E6300 with a little faster clock, that's all. So unless you overclock, the difference will be small.

 

[Oreo]

Ahh thats good to know.

I would love 2GB of PC 6400 RAm but its a budget thing again.

Darn i hate 'Earning for a living' sometimes should be swapped around 'Live for an earning' . That would be sweet.


Thanks.

 

[Meithan]

So a E6300 and 2GB 667Mhz RAM it is. It should add up to around £550. If you wanna shave the price down a bit, we can downgrade the video card to a X1950Pro (£28 - £53 depending on manufacturer). That card would still own Crysis I believe.