is this ok for my needs?

g5604 · Post by **g5604** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 8:20 am

Hi,

I am putting together a new system. I'm a web developer and play no games, but would like to view HD video. I'm looking for a upgrade to the system in my sig. Oh and of course it has be quiet

.

here`s what i have so far:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping (2.4GHz 1066MHz)
Scythe Mini Ninja cooler
Crucial 4GB (2X2GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 Ballistix Memory CL4 2.0V
Asus HD 4350 512MB DDR2
Antec 300 case
Be Quiet Straight Power 650W PSU
And the hard drives and fans from current build.

price Â£360.30

Does this sound about right? I just need a mobo so can anyone suggest one that will work well with the listed hardware.

thanks,
Gareth

incorrect · Post by **incorrect** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 8:44 am

any particular reason for the q6600? and replacing the psu?

and if all you want is hd video acceleration, you could go with an intel/g45 or amd/785g combination, skipping the graphics card altogether.

i'd definitely reconsider the q6600 though, there are better options for quad-cores.

g5604 · Post by **g5604** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 8:51 am

replacing the psu, because the old one is broken. Think i need the graphics card because I have two dvi monitors.

what would you suggest for the processor.. I was tempted by the the i5/i7, but its a lot more money when you add DDR3 + compatible mobo.

incorrect · Post by **incorrect** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 9:15 am

yeah i don't know of any motherboard that support dual digital displays. most will support dvi+vga or hdmi+vga, but not dvi+hdmi.

you *definitely* don't need a psu that powerful either. i'd save the psu money and go for a q8400 or q9400 cpu. also do you not want to salvage the heatsink? it will cool the new cpu quite adequately.

i don't really have any suggestions for the motherboard, you aren't building a demanding system so all that really matters is a passive northbridge cooler, speedfan control and 45nm quad-core compatibility. most recent g31 boards should give you that.

g5604 · Post by **g5604** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 10:04 am

the Q9400 is Â£10 cheaper
the Q8400 is Â£30 cheaper

so do you reckon the q6600 is not worth the extra?

I'm going to salvage the heatsink for another build. The psu was on offer so i went for it

probably overkill, but might be good for future systems.

incorrect · Post by **incorrect** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 10:24 am

see http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/pr ... q9400.html for q6600 vs the newer quads.

FartingBob · Post by **FartingBob** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 11:45 am

g5604 wrote:the Q9400 is Â£10 cheaper
the Q8400 is Â£30 cheaper

so do you reckon the q6600 is not worth the extra?

The Q8/9xxx CPU's are cheaper, faster and use less power. So i cant really think of a reason why youd go for the Q6600 unless you find it dirt cheap.

Cistron · Post by **Cistron** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 11:06 pm

Are you working a lot with CPU-intensive scripts/languages? Otherwise there isn't a need for a quad-core at all and you could shave a decent chunk off the price.

Where are you buying?

g5604 · Post by **g5604** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 11:11 pm

I do print work as well, so have a lot of large documents open in Adobe software at a time. I'm buying for ebuyer (UK)

Would a non-quad be better for this type of work?

Cistron · Post by **Cistron** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 11:13 pm

Are you applying lots of effects in Adobe? If no, then a dual-core should do fine and bumping up the RAM to 8 (or even 16) GB may help more in combination with a 64bit OS.

g5604 · Post by **g5604** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 11:18 pm

no not many filters at all.. do you think the E8500 would be a good choice?

p.s many thanks for everyone's help

Cistron · Post by **Cistron** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 1:36 am

Any of the Dual-cores should be fine, even the low end models have plenty of performance. If you want to go extra-cheap, you could head for AMD, as the mainboards have more features in the same price category. You might even find one, which sports two parallel digital video outputs.

You won't need the Antec 300 for cooling either. Unless you like the looks, I'd buy a Solo instead.

g5604 · Post by **g5604** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 1:42 am

yep i do like the looks

current build based on feedback here:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3GHz (1333MHz) Socket 775 6MB
Scythe Mini Ninja Sock Cooler
Asus HD 4350 512MB D
Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 1066MHz/PC2-8500 Dominator Memory Kit CL5(5-5-5-15)
ASUS P5Q SE iP45 Socket 775 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard

Only thing I am not sure about is the RAM - thinking of going to 8gb (going to run win 7 64bit).

Cistron · Post by **Cistron** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 7:11 am

g5604 wrote:yep i do like the looks

current build based on feedback here:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3GHz (1333MHz) Socket 775 6MB
Scythe Mini Ninja Sock Cooler
Asus HD 4350 512MB D
Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 1066MHz/PC2-8500 Dominator Memory Kit CL5(5-5-5-15)
ASUS P5Q SE iP45 Socket 775 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard

Looks good. Since your case has plenty of space, you could also go for the Ninja 2. Mount the accompanying fan as case exhaust and you can drop all the Antec Tricools.

Only thing I am not sure about is the RAM - thinking of going to 8gb (going to run win 7 64bit).

Good idea. Unless you plan to overclock heavily (I wouldn't know what for), you can drop to 'normal' RAM. Even 667MHz is still sufficient for your processor, but there's virtually no price difference to the 800MHz variants. In practice, there is no advantage of the tight timings. I couldn't notice any difference whatsoever when I relaxed the settings on my RAM. Thus, my advice is to go for the cheaptest branded 800MHz RAM without overly big heatsinks you can find. The motto is 'mass over class'.

g5604 · Post by **g5604** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 7:24 am

ok, getting close now:

Scythe Ninja II
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3GHz (1333MHz) Socket 775 6MB L2
Corsair 8GB DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6
Asus HD 4350 512MB DDR2
ASUS P5Q SE iP45 Socket 775 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard

price Â£333.98

what i can't quite shake off is i could build a i5 machine for Â£70 more.

Scythe Ninja II Cooler (not sure if this fits?)
Asus HD 4350 512MB DDR2
Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz Socket LGA1156 8MB L3 Cache Retail
ASUS P7P55D iP55 Socket LGA 1156 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard
Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz/PC3-10666 XMS3 DHX Memory Kit

Â£405.55

incorrect · Post by **incorrect** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 7:55 am

the gigabyte p55m-ud2 should be a cheaper p55 board and still very functional. is there are reason for a full-atx board?

g5604 · Post by **g5604** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 8:02 am

I can get the Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3 (can't find the ud2) for Â£10 less than the asus.

no reason for the full atx, other than i don`t have a clue otherwise!

g5604 · Post by **g5604** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 8:05 am

i5 build now comes in at Â£392.84 so there is only Â£58.86, between the two builds now.