What do you think of my Conroe spec?

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Hi guys,

Seems to be the popular topic at the moment, so why don't you all have a look at this spec, give me you're honest opinions and recommendations.

01] Intel Core 2 DUO E6700 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.67GHz = £411.19
02] Intel DP965LT 965 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard** = £88.07
03] Corsair 2GB DDR2 XMS2-6400C5 TwinX** = £146.82
04] BFG GeForce 7950 GX2 1024MB GDDR3 = £452.32
05] Western Digital Caviar SE16 320GB 3200KS SATA-II 16MB Cache x2 = £150.28
06] Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music = £56.99
07] Antec P180 Case = £89.24
08] Vantec SF12025L Stealth 120mm fan x3 = £28.02
09] Seasonic S12 600W Silent ATX2.0 Power Supply** = £90.42
10] OcUK Value Floppy Drive = £6.99
11] Akasa AK-PAX-2 Paxmate Plus Acoustic Absorbtion Mat = £17.04
12] Altec Lansing MX5021 2.1 Speaker System = £99.82
13] Samsung SM-940BF 19" LCD Monitor = £252.57
14] Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound = £6.99
==================
£1,913.19

** - I was not sure on the Motherboard/RAM & Power Supply (Wattage wise)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Any suggestions on:

A Dual Layer DVD-RW (Serial ATA worth it?)

CPU Heatsync?
I was thinking of the Thermaltake Sonic Tower or the thermalright ULTRA-120 or the Thermaltake Big Typhoon heatsyncs - which would be better?

Thanks Guys ;)
 
Soldato
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DVD RW - Get the samsung s-ata one, only £28! bargain

Screen - Get a 20inch widescreen, you'll not regret the extra res

PSU - excellent choice

Case - Not what I would have picked but is fine for the job

Dont get the paxmate

Heatsink - Scythe Ninja

Also wouldnt bother with a floppy drive unless you need it for a specific reason

Edit: Would also get the Aego M speakers instead of the altecs
 
Last edited:
Soldato
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CD-076-SA Samsung SH-W163 16x16 DVD±RW Serial ATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) (CD-076-SA)
£23.95 £23.95
MB-061-GI Gigabyte GA_965P_DS3 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (MB-061-GI)
£94.95 £94.95
MY-092-CS Corsair 2GB DDR2 XMS2-6400C5 TwinX (2x1GB) (MY-092-CS)
£124.95 £124.95
HD-070-WD Western Digital Caviar SE16 320GB 3200KS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-070-WD)
£63.95 £127.90
CP-129-IN Intel Core 2 DUO E6700 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.67GHz (1066FSB) - Retail (CP-129-IN)
£349.95 £349.95
GX-009-EA EVGA GeForce 7950 GX2 1024MB GDDR3 HDTV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-009-EA)
£336.95 £336.95
SP-001-AE Acoustic Energy Aego M 2.1 Speakers (White) - Retail (SP-001-AE)
£69.95 £69.95
CA-005-AK Akasa Eclipse 62 Aluminium Case (CA-005-AK)
£69.95 £69.95
FG-024-AK Akasa AK-183-L2B Amber Ultra Quiet 120mm Fan - 3 pin (FG-024-AK)
£9.95 £19.90
MO-015-PH Philips 200W6CS 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Silver (MO-015-PH)
£278.95 £278.95
HS-005-SY Scythe Miné Quiet Heatpipe CPU Cooler (Socket 478, 754, 939, 940, LGA755) (HS-005-SY)
£22.95 £22.95
CA-002-SS Seasonic S12 600W Silent ATX2.0 Power Supply (CA-002-SS)
£76.95 £76.95
SC-043-CL Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music - OEM (SC-043-CL)
£48.50 £48.50
Subtotal £1,645.80
VAT £288.02
Total £1,933.82


This would be what my money would go on :)
 
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Thanks for that spec, though I do have several questions:

Is there much difference between the BFG GeForce and the EVGA GeForce?
Why the Acoustic Energy Aego M 2.1 Speakers over the Antec Lansing?

You mentioned two heatsyncs the Scythe Miné Quiet Heatpipe CPU Cooler and the Scythe Ninja, typo or are they huge in differenc? Not sure about fitting the fan in the middle of the heatsync for the Miné though, and the clips for the fan on the Ninja don't look that strong.

Other then that, its the case choice, I thought that the Antec P180 was especailly good for its heat management & sound dampening (not so much for cable management) due to the PSU being below the mobo/CPU and in its own compartment.

I'll go have a proper look at the Akasa Eclipse 62, but if it is tried and tested, there is little I can argue with :D
 
Soldato
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Seigal12 said:
Thanks for that spec, though I do have several questions:

Is there much difference between the BFG GeForce and the EVGA GeForce?
The BFG has a lifetime warranty, the EVGA has a 10 year warranty. The EVGA also offers a step up program that lets you upgrade the card for the diference in price between your card and the new one within 6 months of purchase and they handle all your returns themselves rather than letting the shop do it.

Seigal12 said:
Why the Acoustic Energy Aego M 2.1 Speakers over the Antec Lansing?

AFAIK they are considered the beat 2.1 PC speakers available before you start using monitors and non PC speakers etc.

Seigal12 said:
You mentioned two heatsyncs the Scythe Miné Quiet Heatpipe CPU Cooler and the Scythe Ninja, typo or are they huge in differenc? Not sure about fitting the fan in the middle of the heatsync for the Miné though, and the clips for the fan on the Ninja don't look that strong.

They both perform similarly, I chose the Mine because it is slightly smaller and weighs less so it should be easier to fit, the fan in the middle works very well. The absolute best air cooler is the Tuniq Tower 120 which uses the same design with a slightly larger fan/heatsink.

Seigal12 said:
Other then that, its the case choice, I thought that the Antec P180 was especailly good for its heat management & sound dampening (not so much for cable management) due to the PSU being below the mobo/CPU and in its own compartment.

I'll go have a proper look at the Akasa Eclipse 62, but if it is tried and tested, there is little I can argue with :D

The Akasa has a very simple design but it works very well, the only fault with it is the uglyness :p
 
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Thanks very much Raikiri, you have been a great help!

I have made a few modifications to the spec, its now more of a hybrid between your spec and my original - hope it works :p

Any recommendations on Control Units for fans? I have seen a few posts which recommend them...

Also, there is one more thing about the monitor... alittle while ago I brought myself a Samsung 23" LCD HDTV - though I don't know if it is worth making that my monitor/TV rather then a TV and having a seperate monitor (its just easier when using both)... what do you think? Save my money for now and get a monitor at a later date - or just go all out? lol.
 
Soldato
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There are lots of posts on the web about the 7950GX2 not being recognised by Abit and Gigabyte mobos with the new 965 chipset. You might be better off waiting until a new bios comes out, or else getting a 1900xt-x instead.
 
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Yeah, I have thought that through and will probably go for the E6600 instead, £150~ for an 11% difference!

As for the motherboard, I was not thinking of ordering this spec till August, think that should be enough time for things to sort themselves out with the 7950GX2?
 
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