Useful read as I will be putting a rig together soon.
With all the suggestions for other builds I did have an idea for one final rig to add to the series - "BiTs from the Marketplace". Have a browse over the last months postings and pick your best value build fromt he prices of items sold there. It would show the alternative for those who fancy a bit of recycling.
Originally Posted by rollo want to see proof quad core effects more than 1-2 games.(3-5 fps isnt really worth the cost in most cases) ( i have quad myself but id never recomend it just for games) from what ive noticed in task manager on the games i regulary run. Ranging from MW2 WOW STO Cs Source Crysis Dawn of war 2 list is rather endless even some football manager. My 3rd and 4th cpus ( not threads) are usauly doing nothing 1-2% usage at most. Even if i reduce the cpu to 1 by manuel i rarely notice any capping of the cpu ( all cores are at 3.9ghz i920) performance dif doing it is small. mhz still beats cores for the bulk of those looking to buy today. I put most of my cores and threads to use doing encodes and music creating along with game design.
Chances of cpu been your main fps issue are low with any cpu listed on these pages
Graphics card always will and always has been the main component to the speed of your games.
eddtox you could reduce the cpu to 500watt would power what you listed with no issues. if you wanted a larger budget for motherboard that is. If you want crossfire the giga is pointless the GA-P55M-UD4 or Asus P7P55D Deluxe you want one of the following if you intend to crossfire the 5770. ( and the 650 needs to stay) the giga ud3r is only a 4* pcie slot in the second one ( think this is even mensioned in the artical)
Worlf of Warcraft and Counterstrike: Source should not be on a list of games on a "ZOMG my quad is not used" list. They're ancient games.
CPU power can be factor in some games. Crysis IS one of them. Especially Warhead. Although it and gta 4 are the only games i can think of that makes use of very #very# heavy streaming. Farcry 2 isn't such a title though. Ive taken my Q6700 down from 3.4ghz all the way to 1.6ghz, and it was only under 2 ghz that the fps was really affected.
This article is very illustrative for the general topic:
I've just built a system for my daughter using the affordable all rounder as a base. I already had a Asus PK5 board spare, Core 2 Duo, 2GB 800 DDR2 and an 8400GS Nvidia card.
So I had delivered from Aria today, Antec Three Hundred case, Corsair 400CX, Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro, Sony 24XDVDRW and a Samsung F3 500GB Spinpoint. All cost £151.51
Must say its a very quiet setup and looks bloody good as well. It will also be perfect for the usual email, internet, facebook, Sims3 and Football Manager attached to the 1080p LCD and a wireless keyboard.
Originally Posted by otherwayup I've ordered my bits for a tweeked "Enthusiastic Overclocker", but have a couple of questions.
- Have I screwed up on the PSU (Corsair 450VX i.l.o. OCZ ModXStream Pro 500)
I got impatiant as neither Scan nor Dabs had the OCZ
- No one has the Gelid Tranquillo
Do I hang on for Tranquillo with Scan, or is there a just as good alternative at Scan?
Other changes made are i3-530 i.l.o. i5-750 and CM690 II i.l.o. Fractal R2 case
Thanks from an impatiant Newbie
With the i3-530 you really need a H55 motherboard. We explained in the text that the chipset is better suited to overclocking if you pair them. P55 will work, but it won't overclock nearly as well.
Alternatives to the Gelid include the Akasa NeroS. We've literally just tested this in the last 2 days and the performance is very similar.
The VX450W is fine, although you will be limited by what graphics card you can use because it only has 1 PCI-E connector. The HD 5770 spec'd in the Enthusiast Overclocker will work with this and the whole PC should use less than 300W under load. Obviously you won't have that much future upgradability options.
Originally Posted by crazyceo I've just built a system for my daughter using the affordable all rounder as a base. I already had a Asus PK5 board spare, Core 2 Duo, 2GB 800 DDR2 and an 8400GS Nvidia card.
So I had delivered from Aria today, Antec Three Hundred case, Corsair 400CX, Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro, Sony 24XDVDRW and a Samsung F3 500GB Spinpoint. All cost £151.51
Must say its a very quiet setup and looks bloody good as well. It will also be perfect for the usual email, internet, facebook, Sims3 and Football Manager attached to the 1080p LCD and a wireless keyboard.
Originally Posted by Bindibadgi With the i3-530 you really need a H55 motherboard. We explained in the text that the chipset is better suited to overclocking if you pair them. P55 will work, but it won't overclock nearly as well... snip
I went for the P55 as "I" don't plan to overclock and my boy won't be fiddling about for a year or two, by then we can upgrade to the i5 or i7 and unless I've got it wrong, I thought the P55 was better for overclocking the i5/i7.
Re: the cooler. Scan want £37 for the Akasa NeroS and only £32 for the Titan Fenrir ("Gaming Workhorse" what to buy), so I assume I'd be better off with the Titan?
I know someone else has already beaten me to it, and that there is only time to correlate so many pieces of info, but how about including the HTPC/Jukebox. It was in last months mag, so it should be no hardship to publish via the forums....
I'd also like to see a link on configuring each system optimally - ie, the settings used in the bios for the enthusiast overclocker rig. The folding details set up on the folding rig etc.
Originally Posted by otherwayup I went for the P55 as "I" don't plan to overclock and my boy won't be fiddling about for a year or two, by then we can upgrade to the i5 or i7 and unless I've got it wrong, I thought the P55 was better for overclocking the i5/i7.
Re: the cooler. Scan want £37 for the Akasa NeroS and only £32 for the Titan Fenrir ("Gaming Workhorse" what to buy), so I assume I'd be better off with the Titan?
Thanks for replying.
Im sure we've found the NeroS for a price close to the Gelid. I'll have to ask Harry - 37 quid seems far too much :(
LGA1156 upgradability should be there in 12-18 months, however BIOS support for new CPUs.. couldn't say for sure. Mobo companies generally enjoy the excuse for an upgrade. To buy what's out now though, possibly second hand? Good idea :)
sorry if i have missed a bit here but what motherboard are/have you got? I ask because the fenrir is a bloody big piece of kit (have just received mine) that also is very heavy. If you have bought a mATX board (ie small motherboard) you may have trouble fitting it with memory modules that have large heatsinks.
2. I'm very interested in the Silverstone FT-02 case, as mentioned in possible alternatives to the CoolerMaster ATCS 840. However, I'm having difficulty finding confirmation of many of the suggested hardware selections fitting into this unique case. I'm mainly concerned about the power supply (considering the 1050W Enermax) and the Titan Fenrir cooler. The power supply is a concern chiefly because I've read it's very large, and I'm also not sure if the video card cables are long enough to be routed behind the MB.
Any experiences with the Fortress FT02 would be welcomed - thank you!
Originally Posted by mycopia Hey Otherwayup,
sorry if i have missed a bit here but what motherboard are/have you got? ...
This is my first build and even though I've only tweeked two bits I would not be surprised if I've mucked up somewhere;
Coolermaster CM 690 ll Case
Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2 (rev 1.1) - I assume the M = Micro as it is a mATX
Intel Core i3 530 2.93G s1156
Gelid Tranquillo
ASUS EEAH5770 CuCore
Corsair XMS3 DDR3 PC3-12800 (1600), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 9-9-9-24, XMP, 1.65V
Corsair 450W 450HXUK PSU
Samsung F3 500GB
SCANSURE (most important bit)
The Gelid must have come in as they shipped my bits today :D
I've checked the SN of the motherboard and it was made in Feb 2010, so I assume it's will have at least the BIOS released in Nov 2009, which makes it work with i3-530.
Out of interest, had the board been made prior to the BIOS update and I only had the i3 to play with, would I have been in trouble?
I am also new to system building and have ordered something similiar to the premium player
I have come across a compatibility issue with the alignment of the Fractal design R2 case and x650 seasonic PSU (although you guys recomended X750)
. the issue is : "the problem was that the fan of the psu did not line up with the cases intake and making the 120mm fan of the psu blocked by 25%" as quoted from another forum.
As such I was wondering if these recommended Hardware systems are actually put together to consider such clashes?
If so could you then affirm or deny the aforementioned problem?
Its possible that the problem in design clash may not affect the functionality and thermal performance but has it been assessed?
Originally Posted by AbuGee I have come across a compatibility issue with the alignment of the Fractal design R2 case and x650 seasonic PSU (although you guys recomended X750)
. the issue is : "the problem was that the fan of the psu did not line up with the cases intake and making the 120mm fan of the psu blocked by 25%" as quoted from another forum.
Hi AbuGee
It doesn't matter what-so-ever. The fan on the X-Series doesn't even spin unless you run it at 100 per cent load, so there's no airflow to even consider ;) Even if there was, a 25 per cent covering is not a concern as air is a fluid and will be drawn around corners to some degree. :)
I'm building my 1st PC based on the Affordable All-Rounder template. I have upgraded the CPU to a Phenom II x2 555 and I'm thinking of getting an HD 5770 video card. Will I need to get a more powerful PSU than the Corsair CX400W? Looking on Newegg.com, some of the 5770 cards say the require a 450w PSU. If the psu isn't powerful enough, what could happen? Thanks in advance to anyone with advice.
Originally Posted by crazyceo Any sign of the April guide yet as you are late gentlemen! I'll forgive you this time with you being fed chocolates last weekend.
Comments 51 to 71 of 71
ReplyWith all the suggestions for other builds I did have an idea for one final rig to add to the series - "BiTs from the Marketplace". Have a browse over the last months postings and pick your best value build fromt he prices of items sold there. It would show the alternative for those who fancy a bit of recycling.
Apart from GTA 4, all UT3 titles, Left 4 Dead 1 and 2, Dragon Age :Origins. Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh
Worlf of Warcraft and Counterstrike: Source should not be on a list of games on a "ZOMG my quad is not used" list. They're ancient games.
CPU power can be factor in some games. Crysis IS one of them. Especially Warhead. Although it and gta 4 are the only games i can think of that makes use of very #very# heavy streaming. Farcry 2 isn't such a title though. Ive taken my Q6700 down from 3.4ghz all the way to 1.6ghz, and it was only under 2 ghz that the fps was really affected.
This article is very illustrative for the general topic:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/05/19/real_world_gameplay_cpu_scaling/
So I had delivered from Aria today, Antec Three Hundred case, Corsair 400CX, Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro, Sony 24XDVDRW and a Samsung F3 500GB Spinpoint. All cost £151.51
Must say its a very quiet setup and looks bloody good as well. It will also be perfect for the usual email, internet, facebook, Sims3 and Football Manager attached to the 1080p LCD and a wireless keyboard.
I'm so impressed I think I'll build another one.
- Have I screwed up on the PSU (Corsair 450VX i.l.o. OCZ ModXStream Pro 500)
I got impatiant as neither Scan nor Dabs had the OCZ
- No one has the Gelid Tranquillo
Do I hang on for Tranquillo with Scan, or is there a just as good alternative at Scan?
Other changes made are i3-530 i.l.o. i5-750 and CM690 II i.l.o. Fractal R2 case
Thanks from an impatiant Newbie
With the i3-530 you really need a H55 motherboard. We explained in the text that the chipset is better suited to overclocking if you pair them. P55 will work, but it won't overclock nearly as well.
Alternatives to the Gelid include the Akasa NeroS. We've literally just tested this in the last 2 days and the performance is very similar.
The VX450W is fine, although you will be limited by what graphics card you can use because it only has 1 PCI-E connector. The HD 5770 spec'd in the Enthusiast Overclocker will work with this and the whole PC should use less than 300W under load. Obviously you won't have that much future upgradability options.
:)
^_^ Great to hear!
Re: the cooler. Scan want £37 for the Akasa NeroS and only £32 for the Titan Fenrir ("Gaming Workhorse" what to buy), so I assume I'd be better off with the Titan?
Thanks for replying.
I'd also like to see a link on configuring each system optimally - ie, the settings used in the bios for the enthusiast overclocker rig. The folding details set up on the folding rig etc.
Otherwise, keep up the good work!
Im sure we've found the NeroS for a price close to the Gelid. I'll have to ask Harry - 37 quid seems far too much :(
LGA1156 upgradability should be there in 12-18 months, however BIOS support for new CPUs.. couldn't say for sure. Mobo companies generally enjoy the excuse for an upgrade. To buy what's out now though, possibly second hand? Good idea :)
sorry if i have missed a bit here but what motherboard are/have you got? I ask because the fenrir is a bloody big piece of kit (have just received mine) that also is very heavy. If you have bought a mATX board (ie small motherboard) you may have trouble fitting it with memory modules that have large heatsinks.
I am also in the process of building a new setup which includes :-
i5 - 750 cpu
gigabyte p55 UD5 (from Scan retailers on special offer otherwise p 55A UD3R) ATX size board
Titan Fenrir cooler
Antec 300 case
http://www.microdirect.co.uk/home/product/44843/G-Skill-4GB-ECO-PC3-12800-1600-MHz-1-35V-Cas7?source=googleps memory (note normal size and also 1.35 volts)
All of the components will fit easily in case and will (hopefully :-) ) work well.
Any chance you can post up your specs for you build so it can be checked out?
Cheers
1. How does the ASUS P6X58D Premium MB rate against the P6T Deluxe, as suggested? My main reasons behind the change is USB 3.0 and SATA III compatibility. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614)
2. I'm very interested in the Silverstone FT-02 case, as mentioned in possible alternatives to the CoolerMaster ATCS 840. However, I'm having difficulty finding confirmation of many of the suggested hardware selections fitting into this unique case. I'm mainly concerned about the power supply (considering the 1050W Enermax) and the Titan Fenrir cooler. The power supply is a concern chiefly because I've read it's very large, and I'm also not sure if the video card cables are long enough to be routed behind the MB.
Any experiences with the Fortress FT02 would be welcomed - thank you!
We don't have any experience with the FT02 sorry, so we can't help there.
Im not sure on the P6X58 Premium either - I'll have to ask James - but the P6 range from Asus are generally very good boards.
Coolermaster CM 690 ll Case
Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2 (rev 1.1) - I assume the M = Micro as it is a mATX
Intel Core i3 530 2.93G s1156
Gelid Tranquillo
ASUS EEAH5770 CuCore
Corsair XMS3 DDR3 PC3-12800 (1600), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 9-9-9-24, XMP, 1.65V
Corsair 450W 450HXUK PSU
Samsung F3 500GB
SCANSURE (most important bit)
The Gelid must have come in as they shipped my bits today :D
I've checked the SN of the motherboard and it was made in Feb 2010, so I assume it's will have at least the BIOS released in Nov 2009, which makes it work with i3-530.
Out of interest, had the board been made prior to the BIOS update and I only had the i3 to play with, would I have been in trouble?
I am also new to system building and have ordered something similiar to the premium player
I have come across a compatibility issue with the alignment of the Fractal design R2 case and x650 seasonic PSU (although you guys recomended X750)
. the issue is : "the problem was that the fan of the psu did not line up with the cases intake and making the 120mm fan of the psu blocked by 25%" as quoted from another forum.
As such I was wondering if these recommended Hardware systems are actually put together to consider such clashes?
If so could you then affirm or deny the aforementioned problem?
Its possible that the problem in design clash may not affect the functionality and thermal performance but has it been assessed?
Regards
Hi AbuGee
It doesn't matter what-so-ever. The fan on the X-Series doesn't even spin unless you run it at 100 per cent load, so there's no airflow to even consider ;) Even if there was, a 25 per cent covering is not a concern as air is a fluid and will be drawn around corners to some degree. :)
Is there a recommended mini Tower that I could use for the "Enthusiast Overclocker" bits?
It's the depth that is causing a problem, something about 425'ish mm?
I've been checking out the media players but they tend to be missing services I want - such as Spotify or a Last.fm plugin.
Wrote it today, check back this week :)
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