Overall Advice, Opinions & Ideas Needed!

[DaleTheWhale]

Hi,

I recently built a gaming rig spec for a reasonable budget following the AMD route, I'm really just looking to know, what I can do to adjust what I have for the better and what additions I can get for the future to make this a little better in the long run. This build is decent for what I need and the games I want to run, however I want to know how I can make my machine better and what I should add to it over time.

My build as it stands:

• Motherboard - Asrock Extreme3 970 AM3+
• Processor - AMD Phenom II 965 Black Edition 3.4Ghz
• RAM - 8GB Corsair Dominator 1600Mhz
• GPU - AMD HIS Iceq 6950 2GB
• PSU - 650W OCZ
• Case - Cooler Master Strom Trooper
• Heatsink - Zalman Ultra Quiet Low Profile
• HDD - 2 x 160GB Western Digital SATA II (Raid 0)
• OS HDD - 200GB Seagate Sata II

The parts are okay, but they don't hit the high standards of what I really want to get out of my machine.

I want to really upgrade the following to something more acceptable:

Hard Drives - Maybe a SSD OS and the Raid config for everything else?
Watercool - CPU watercool, maybe an overclock?
GPU - Might possibly be able to snatch a GTX 580 for <£200 would a 580 still be worth getting?
Motherboard - It's great for what it does, but I've had a few issues, is there anything better/or keep as it is?


The system runs great I just want to know if I should make some sensible changes for the future, entirely the system never cost me much either, so i'm not complaining.

Any suggestions?

 

[timaloy]

you would see some big improvements with an ssd you should think about getting one of them they are getting cheaper all the time

 

[DaleTheWhale]

What SSD, what would you recommend?
I've been thinking of getting a simple 64GB for the OS & simple programs?
But then I noticed the 256GB for £100, which seems a steal!

But isn't it best to have the OS & other installs separate, I don't wanna waste all that space just for the OS?

 

[DaleTheWhale]

Would this be a steady course of action:

#1 - Upgrade my PSU to a 850W (Corsair or Antec?)
#2 - Flash my 6950 BIOS to a 6970
#3 - Get a 64GB SSD Raid Pack for the OS & a 256GB SSD for Extras or Dual 256GB Raid 0 for everything, without clogging it up too much to keep speeds nice?
#4 - H100 & a nice overclock to my CPU for around 4 Ghz? Alternative, get an open loop system, for future upgrade, as the case I'll probably never change anytime soon?

 

[rids57]

I added a 180GB Intel 330 SSD to my system a couple of months ago and it has made a huge difference. The system was already quick but now feels much more responsive and it boots up in 10 seconds flat. I have my OS and all programs on the SSD and have relocated my documents, photos, media etc to my hard drives. Games and Photoshop start up with practically no delay, very noticeable with Photoshop because that is always a slow starter. While the 256GB SSD is only Sata 2 (3GB/s) you won't notice it being any slower in real usage than the Sata 3's.

Only this week I upgraded my old Antec 550 TP to the silver rated XFX 850W XXX which is on sale at the ridiculous price of £94.99. You don't need an 850W PSU but with the XFX (Seasonic inside) for that price you can't go wrong - it's cheaper than most decent 750W psus.

As for cooling, I would just go for a good air cooler as there is a lot less to go wrong and I don't trust liquids near my motherboard

 

[DaleTheWhale]

Thanks for the advice, I'm a little skeptical myself with water cooling as I can see myself messing it up somewhere along the line, it's just something I've always wanted to 'try out and see what it's like'. I think an SSD is a must have, my system's drawback I think is the HDD's being as their quite old and slow compared to what's available today.

I've heard good things about the Intel 330 SSD's, so might have a look into one of those!

 

[rids57]

I think the best SSDs around at the moment are probably the Samsung 830's but I went with the Intel because it was 180GB and on sale (still is) at £113.99. That extra disk space meant I had plenty of room for Windows 7, page file, programs and games (my steam folder) on one drive. I don't have all my games installed, six at the moment I think, but my modded Skyrim is one of them (15GB) and I still have 108GB free.

I doubt you would see any real world difference in speed between the 180GB Intel, 128GB Samsung (both 6GB/s) and the 256GB Crucial V4 (£99.99) which is a 3GB/s. Personally I would go with either the Intel or the Crucial solely because of the exrtra disk space. Other good 256GB SSDs are up around the £150 mark.

 

[dacads]

A switchover to Intel is what I would do, 3570k+z77 mobo

Along with a SSD

 

[beejjacobs]

Would this be a steady course of action:

#1 - Upgrade my PSU to a 850W (Corsair or Antec?)
#2 - Flash my 6950 BIOS to a 6970
#3 - Get a 64GB SSD Raid Pack for the OS & a 256GB SSD for Extras or Dual 256GB Raid 0 for everything, without clogging it up too much to keep speeds nice?
#4 - H100 & a nice overclock to my CPU for around 4 Ghz? Alternative, get an open loop system, for future upgrade, as the case I'll probably never change anytime soon?

1. Are you planning on going CF? If not, then 650W is plenty.
2. I've no idea bout flashing cards but I'd not buy a 580 for £200 especially if you're happy with performance.
3. Do you have loads of program files? If your programs and windows will fit on the 256gb Crucial drive I'd get that, its a great price. I'd only go with RAID if you want the best and to benchmark, for general use it will make little difference, if any, especially if its just storage.
4. I'd recommend getting a decent cooler and trying for an overclock, especially if you want to get the most out of your system. Personally I'd get an air cooler over a closed loop water system
   (I have a Noctua NH-D14 - other options just as good are Phanteks PH-TC14PE and Alpenföhn K2 Mount Doom)
   
   Reviews:
   http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/noctua_nh_d14_cpu_cooler_review,1.html
   http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/phanteks_ph_tc14pe_cpu_cooler_review,1.html
   http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/alpenfoehn_k2_cpu_cooler_review,4.html
   
   If you want a closed water cooling system the H100 seems popular, and generally look better in a case if you don't like a huge heatsink!

 

[DaleTheWhale]

Thank you for the replies, I had a look at those SSD's you suggested rids and the samsung does look quite nice in terms of specs and performance. An SSD is definitely a move I want to be making as it's the main downfall for the system I believe.

A move over to intel would be logical with the performance a intel machine can pull over a AMD however it's more down to the cost issues at the moment, I was able to build what I have with the budget I have and seemed to have completed a solid gaming build, I'm just looking to add a bit more umph to get me through until I can upgrade in the future to something more powerful and expensive. A friend of mine has that CPU and it's very impressive for what it can do.

Beej, thanks for the info & reviews they were very helpful indeed to the matter, to answer your questions though.

#1: Crossfire may be an idea as I was originally going to flash 2 6950 HIS 2GB cards and then crossfire them as 2 6970's which would have been nice. This will be determined with games coming out shortly, if my system can handle them very well then, an upgrade may not be needed. An 850W was so I can future proof for a while and because my PSU atm isn't great, I wanted at least some cable braiding/modular to hide those wires ever so slightly.

#2: I guess leaving a 580 out seems logical, the 6950 seems to be holding me well for games as of now, hopefully it will run Splinter Cell, Hitman, Assassins Creed 3 nicely.

#3: I have mostly games and occasional programs, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, however I will be adding some programming programs soon enough for my new job, but I doubt they'd need much room. A 256GB would handle all my files/programs and games, but I was always under the impression the more stuff, the more it slows the speed of it quite a bit? I have a lot of pictures/images from Photoshop, so maybe a storage HDD would be sensible here?

#4: I was originally going to get the new cooler master? Vapor Heatsink which seemed to handle overclocking nicely, but I'm a little skeptical over temperatures, as mine must be at max temp of 62 degress, where as other cpus can run hotter. So I need my CPU as cool as, running prime with my current heatsink at 100% all fans, raises the temps to around 70 degrees plus, which is worrying.

I'm thinking in respects to cooling an water cooling kit, again for future uses, as If I get around to a more bigger and better build, it can be transferred over and used to water cool more components and such.

PS: Sorry for the long replies.

 

[rids57]

I've concentrated on getting good airflow through my case and as a result my humble Gelid Tranquillo currently keeps my i5 2600k @4.2GHz at <26C idle and <50C under 100% stress using OCCT (tougher than prime). My CPU will clock higher quite easily but I prefer to leave a little headroom because I do a lot of 3D rendering which stresses the processor to the max for very long periods. I have been thinking about changing to a Noctua D14, which is arguably the best air cooler and that would probably take my stress temps down a few more degrees but I have to ask myself if it is worth it.

I play a heavily modded Skyrim, with all hi-def textures and enb shaders, which are a framerate killer and the lowest my HD 6950 OC ever goes is 30fps. Without the enb shaders it is always between 50~60fps (locked at 60fps) so I'm not seeing any real need to upgrade any time soon - maybe when the 8000 series AMDs appear.

If you do decide to upgrade your GPU then my choice would be an HD 7950 as they are currently offering great performance for a very reasonable cost and they are highly overclockable too.

The main rule I make for the SSD is that all user files go on a regular hard drive. This keeps the SSD uncluttered and fast while all the messy user files are stored away safely on a separate drive should anything untoward happen. Doing it this way means that all programs open extremely fast and are highly responsive while the loading of user files is quick anyway because they are not usually all that large.

The move to watercooling is a very personal choice and can't be made on cost / performance alone. It almost becomes a hobby on it's own I think and the only reason to do it is just because you want to. I certainly have no need of watercooling because my system is both cool and quiet under full load and I just don't fancy the hassle.

 

[DaleTheWhale]

With the last two comments I received about sticking to air flow rather than water, I feel a heat sink might be a good idea, however I've never been a huge fan of them being so big, but I suppose performance is everything over looks, I'll have to make a decision regarding the money and how I feel at the time. I've always been intrigued to run a water cooled system.

A GPU upgrade might not be to the similar time frame when the next gen of cards come out, but an SSD will be one of my next buys as I need one compared to these HDD's.

 

[Snodge]

Go intel not AMD

 

[rids57]

OP has already stated that is currently not an option

 

[DaleTheWhale]

A shift over to Intel would be the next step I suppose, however I'm looking more to get the most out of the system I have at the moment, which the SSD should do nicely for the system for that boost I'm looking for.

 

[beejjacobs]

Do you have a budget for this upgrade?

If you'd prefer a closed water system, get one

What model is your PSU? OCZ make some decent ones. If you want more power then thats fair enough, some great ones here:
XFX 850W XXX Edition Modular
Seasonic X-Series 760w

I would definitely recommend an SSD and storage HDD. That way you have plenty of space but the OS and programs are still fast.

If you're happy with performance I'd wait for the next generation of cards or two before getting a new one maybe?
Then you get (hopefully) a good increase for the price, or a good bargain on an older card. In the mean time you can OC your CPU and 6950 for extra performance

 

[DaleTheWhale]

As it stands until November/December I have a budget, however am looking for some advice beforehand to open some options over the next month or so as what to do next.

I think I'm going to go with the following, get myself an SSD for OS & programs/games and then maybe a new HDD on Sata 3 for my files, get an upgrade for my PSU want something more solid than what I have, then finalise a decision on a air cooler or water cooling depending on the cost and performance, then work on overclocking. Should have my system prepared and speedy for everything I need it for.

Thanks for the advice on what hardware to get, as it stands i'll probably get:

YOUR BASKET
1 x EK-KIT H3O 240 HFX High Performance Watercooling Kit £189.98
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 256GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT256M4SSD2) £169.99
1 x XFX 850W XXX Edition Modular '80 Plus Silver' Power Supply £94.99
Total : £466.97 (includes shipping : £10.00).



Or alternatives similar to what have you here.

 

[stulid]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-147-SA&groupid=701&catid=2104&subcat=2394

A faster SSD and has £20 cashback.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18432652

Samsung Back To School Campaign: Claim £50 cashback off Samsung at www.samsung.com/uk/student if you ordered between 15th August too 30th September

 

[Surveyor]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-147-SA&groupid=701&catid=2104&subcat=2394

A faster SSD and has £20 cashback.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18432652

Get this one instead: Samsung 256GB SSD 830 Notebook/Apple Series SATA 6Gb/s KIT with Norton Ghost

£30 cheaper and all you're missing out on is a SATA data & power cables and a 3.5" to 2.5" bracket.

If you're going with the Cooler Master Strom Trooper it already has fittings for 2.5" drives, you'll get SATA data cables with your motherboard and the power connector will be on your PSU.

The drive is exactly the same.

 

[DaleTheWhale]

Thanks for the little point out there, I have everything I need to power and use the SSD so, for £30 cheaper, I'm not complaining!