PC advice

[flammableBen]

I think you're probably ok Ralphy. CD reading speeds hit a peak nearly a decade ago.

[magicroundabout]

if you want nero premium 7 ralph i've the full copy and a registered serial code.

once you download it let me know and i'll pm you the code.

[magicroundabout]

I'd leave the DDR3 ram until it becomes cheaper and standard. I'm not even sure if there is going to be a real benefit to it in speed terms, but at least you have the option.

I'd say get a new heatsink (this one below - look at the reviews and piss easy to fit) and 2GB of fast memory and job's a good'n. All for under £300.

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/105994

si your a gent.

i'm liking the combination and also the choice to expand/upgrade

i take it with this new heatsink those two fans of mine can be removed completely?

[Simon Pieman]

It's really up to you as they may keep the whole system cooler but could end up being something you don't need. Where are these fans positioned?

You'll need the rear exhaust fan and I would have a fan at the front to suck in cool air. I'd experiment and watch your system temps with each combination. You could always get a fan controller (even a small one for each fan - like the Zalman fan mate), get quieter fans or ditch them all together. My case has silly amounts of fans in it, but my graphics cards are passively cooled so I like to keep it like that.

[magicroundabout]

SIPI

going to choose this combo i think.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v640/magicroundabout/NEWCOMP.jpg

and for just over £300 it's a steel

[Simon Pieman]

Looks good mate. You could probably get some cheaper memory if you wanted but I know the Ballistix are highly rated.

Should be a lovely overclocker, as long as you keep the case as tidy as possible.

[magicroundabout]

i was looking in my case last night and was wondering if i should do away with the Arctic Cooling Fan as my two fans kick in some air so with the standard heatsink i think my fans will keep it cool enough.

if not i'll buy one and swap them over. But i'll give the stock ones a go first.

I chose the Ballistix as you say cos they've such good reviews and can overclock nicely.

once i get paid i'll get my system.
How easy is it to install a new mobo and set up the bios etc?
do you just boot from the cd and then have to format your harddrive again etc?

[Simon Pieman]

Stock fan is shit and really noisy. Just to warn you.

[magicroundabout]

AH OK. IN THAT CASE I'LL GET THE NEW ONE. oops caps on

But with the mobo is there enough connectors to add more than one fan. my currunt ones connect at the top just above the processor.

[Simon Pieman]

The case fans will provide good airflow through the case, cool the board and ultimately all the components in the case. But attaching a better fan directly to the processor heatspreader is the most efficient way to cool the processor. In essence the heatsink draws the heat away. The fan is on there to keep the heatsink cooler as it warms up. Case fans will help keep the heatsink cool but the stock cooler is gash at drawing heat away in the first place.

That said you can overclock a little on stock.

[magicroundabout]

i think i'll swap them over then cos i'll defo overclock the system.
I'll also keep the origional fans too so that the system stays cool all over.

[Simon Pieman]

Might be a good idea with that board because I don't think the cooling on it is amazing. I still need to sort out my system, as I want the fans to run at lower speeds. Might invest in a fan controller at some stage.

[magicroundabout]

i get paid on monday so will invest in the CPU, Motherboard and fan.

then if i'm feeling flush i'll get the memory after.

I've not found any decent reviews about the Foxconn board. is it one of the best out there?

[Peter Venkman]

oooooo just priced up a damn good build for a customer, Charging him £2,300 so a nice £500 profit in my pocket!

Intel Core 2 Quad Extreme QX6800 Socket 775 2.93GHz OEM Processor £576.93

Asus STRIKER EXTREME 680I SLI ATX £163.88

Arctic Cooling AC-FRZ-7P Freezer 7 Pro Processor Cooler £14.99  

2x OCZ 2Gb PC2-6400 DDR2-800 4-4-4-15 DFI Certified Platinum £67.97

XFX 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 DVI PCI-E Graphics Card £376.33

2x Seagate ST3500320NS 500GB Hard Drive SATA *32MB Cache* £195.50  

Pioneer BDC-202 Blu-Ray Reader 12X DVD±RWDL/RAM SATA Black £97.73  

Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Platinum - Fatal1ty Champion Series 7.1 Soundcard £109.27

EV Black 800W Dual PCI-E 14cm Fan PSU - Dual 12V Rails, 20+4pin, 6x SATA, ATX12V 4/8pin £59.99

Optiarc AD-7200S 20X DVD±RW/DL/RAM Internal SATA Drive £16.00

Antec Nine Hundred - Gaming Case with 200mm Top Fan - No PSU £69.99

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium x64Bit OEM 1PK DVD £63.15

comes in at £1811.73 inc VAT and delivery! cant be bad, I wouldn't spend that much even if I could afford to though!

[Simon Pieman]

Magic - CustomPC seem to think so. The model above has good reviews in PCFormat as well.

Edmunds - Fecking hell that's a beast and far too much a waste of money. Good profit though, might have a bit of a battle to fit the graphics card in but should be ok.