Hi there,
I've never done a complete build before, but I really need a new system, haven't upgraded for five years or more! One thing I'd really like to do is to get into overclocking, at first just on air but installing a water-cooled system later on. To start I'd like to get the Q6600 up to 3.3 maybe 3.6 (wouldn't everyone). Here's what I was thinking of, prices exclude VAT because there's a good chance I'll be able to claim it back for this build, so the price I've listed will hopefully will be the ultimate cost.
Processor: Q6600 - £119.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-172-IN&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=793
This still seems to be the best processor if you want to overclock, any votes for the 6700?
And the AMD's in a similar price bracket don't have anywhere near the overclocking potential, do they?
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Tracer RED 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C4 800MHz - £64.99 (usually £69.99)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-116-CR&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=813
I don't know what makes a good overclocking RAM, these look like the right stuff, but I'm not too happy about some of the things I've heard about these. Because of the 3D apps I'll be running I'll need RAM that is uber stable. The OCZ ReaperX are too big, is it worth considering PC2-8500+ RAM, perhaps it will benefit a replacement processor a year or two on? Is 2.2v a must for overclocking?
Graphics: Gigabyte 8800GT OC - £114.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-035-GI
I don't need a heavy duty card for the viewport OpenGL usage, I chose this card because it seems like a good price for a pre-clocked card, and has the Zalman cooling.
HDD: Samsung SpinPoint F1 750GB - £63.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-054-SA&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=940
I'm not sure what HDD setup I'll be settling for in the long term, so I'll just get the one for now, this one a decent buy?
Fan: Tuniq Tower 120-LFB CPU Cooler - £34.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-002-SB&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=821
As far as a CPU cooler goes I'll get whichever is best, I've heard good things about this and I'm assuming that just because the others are more expensive it doesn't mean they're performance warrants the cost? And is this just the same as the other Tuniq Tower but just with LEDs? If that's the case I think I'd rather get something different. Also when I'm rendering, the CPU will be working hard for prolonged periods, so I guess I may have to settle for overclocking @ 3.0 - 3.3 until I get water cooling installed.
Case: Lian Li PC-A10A Aluminium Full-Tower - Silver - £119.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-080-LL&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=187
I want an aluminium case that I can upgrade to water cooling later on. I was considering the PC-A70A but it's not the most attractive case to my taste, even though I swore aesthetics wouldn't play a part. A good case for this price band, or is it overkill? For video editing I may be using four HDDs in my final setup, five if I have RAID so I'll need space for those. I'd also like to make sure that I can use this case for my next upgrade.
PSU: Thermaltake ToughPower 750W £74.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-064-TT&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1101
3D apps can temperamental without a good supply of power, even if the toughest games are happy. Is this a good make?
Motherboard: No idea, anything up to £150
I'm really lost when it comes to mobos, I know I don't want an nForce board despite choosing the 8800 GT. I do need a good quality one though, because I've heard that the 3D apps I use can be a pain in the rump otherwise. I'm guessing an X48, but I've no idea really, I could push to the Asus Rampage if it was that much better, that's if folk think an X48 is a worthwhile investment. I will be upgrading to 8GB of RAM, so overclocking with this is also a consideration for the mobo.
Components condensed:
Q6600
Crucial Ballistix 4GB
Gigabyte 8800GT OC
Samsung SpinPoint F1 750GB
Tuniq Tower 120-LFB
Lian Li PC-A10A
Thermaltake ToughPower 750W
With mobos I'm lost
Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I'm quite looking forward to putting a system together and overclocking it... preferably without blowing up my new purchases! I've got some other bits to buy, like a keyboard and a decent mouse, any extra fans and thermal paste etc.. But I wanted to get the main parts clear in my head first.
Apologies for the long starter, thanks to those who make it this far.
P.S. Thanks to Soviet for the welcome (didn't reckon it was worth resurrecting the other thread to say it there).
I've never done a complete build before, but I really need a new system, haven't upgraded for five years or more! One thing I'd really like to do is to get into overclocking, at first just on air but installing a water-cooled system later on. To start I'd like to get the Q6600 up to 3.3 maybe 3.6 (wouldn't everyone). Here's what I was thinking of, prices exclude VAT because there's a good chance I'll be able to claim it back for this build, so the price I've listed will hopefully will be the ultimate cost.
Processor: Q6600 - £119.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-172-IN&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=793
This still seems to be the best processor if you want to overclock, any votes for the 6700?
And the AMD's in a similar price bracket don't have anywhere near the overclocking potential, do they?
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Tracer RED 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C4 800MHz - £64.99 (usually £69.99)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-116-CR&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=813
I don't know what makes a good overclocking RAM, these look like the right stuff, but I'm not too happy about some of the things I've heard about these. Because of the 3D apps I'll be running I'll need RAM that is uber stable. The OCZ ReaperX are too big, is it worth considering PC2-8500+ RAM, perhaps it will benefit a replacement processor a year or two on? Is 2.2v a must for overclocking?
Graphics: Gigabyte 8800GT OC - £114.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-035-GI
I don't need a heavy duty card for the viewport OpenGL usage, I chose this card because it seems like a good price for a pre-clocked card, and has the Zalman cooling.
HDD: Samsung SpinPoint F1 750GB - £63.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-054-SA&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=940
I'm not sure what HDD setup I'll be settling for in the long term, so I'll just get the one for now, this one a decent buy?
Fan: Tuniq Tower 120-LFB CPU Cooler - £34.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-002-SB&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=821
As far as a CPU cooler goes I'll get whichever is best, I've heard good things about this and I'm assuming that just because the others are more expensive it doesn't mean they're performance warrants the cost? And is this just the same as the other Tuniq Tower but just with LEDs? If that's the case I think I'd rather get something different. Also when I'm rendering, the CPU will be working hard for prolonged periods, so I guess I may have to settle for overclocking @ 3.0 - 3.3 until I get water cooling installed.
Case: Lian Li PC-A10A Aluminium Full-Tower - Silver - £119.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-080-LL&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=187
I want an aluminium case that I can upgrade to water cooling later on. I was considering the PC-A70A but it's not the most attractive case to my taste, even though I swore aesthetics wouldn't play a part. A good case for this price band, or is it overkill? For video editing I may be using four HDDs in my final setup, five if I have RAID so I'll need space for those. I'd also like to make sure that I can use this case for my next upgrade.
PSU: Thermaltake ToughPower 750W £74.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-064-TT&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1101
3D apps can temperamental without a good supply of power, even if the toughest games are happy. Is this a good make?
Motherboard: No idea, anything up to £150
I'm really lost when it comes to mobos, I know I don't want an nForce board despite choosing the 8800 GT. I do need a good quality one though, because I've heard that the 3D apps I use can be a pain in the rump otherwise. I'm guessing an X48, but I've no idea really, I could push to the Asus Rampage if it was that much better, that's if folk think an X48 is a worthwhile investment. I will be upgrading to 8GB of RAM, so overclocking with this is also a consideration for the mobo.
Components condensed:
Q6600
Crucial Ballistix 4GB
Gigabyte 8800GT OC
Samsung SpinPoint F1 750GB
Tuniq Tower 120-LFB
Lian Li PC-A10A
Thermaltake ToughPower 750W
With mobos I'm lost
Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I'm quite looking forward to putting a system together and overclocking it... preferably without blowing up my new purchases! I've got some other bits to buy, like a keyboard and a decent mouse, any extra fans and thermal paste etc.. But I wanted to get the main parts clear in my head first.
Apologies for the long starter, thanks to those who make it this far.
P.S. Thanks to Soviet for the welcome (didn't reckon it was worth resurrecting the other thread to say it there).