The (new) Official PC building thread!

Maybe you got bad cards. My 3850 runs just fine. It's basically the same card with lower clocks.

 

Two of them both exhibit the same issues, corrupted 2D text and lag whenever new game sections are loaded. The X1900XT, also running Catalyst 8.1, never exhibited either of these issues.

 

Well I'm not getting them. Ask Ray and Greg. If they are fine too then you just have bad luck.

 

Hello Guys and Gals, I spose this is the correct place to post this question

I am thinking of upgrading my computer due to issues I have been having and am wondering which of the two CPUs the E6550 or E4500 I should get.

Obviously the E6550 should be better as it is about £30 more than the E4500, but would I really notice that much improvement for the money.

Another option would be the Q6600 - which is £50 quid more than the E6550.

PS I am thinking of putting it in the following MOBO:-

MOTHERBOARD

with the following RAM:-

RAM

in the following case:-

CASE

And it will be powered by the Corsair HX520 I recently purchased.

I mainly use my computer for watching films and transcoding/encoding, with the odd game maybe being played but usually not graphic entensive games (I like Point and Click games like Monkey Island etc )

 

Motherboard:

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...35+Express+(775)+Motherboard+?productId=29584

CPU:

Get the E6750:
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...uo+E8400+3.0GHz+(Retail+775)+?productId=30243

Or the Q6600:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=702631

It's really personal choice. If I were you I would rather be future proof and get the quad core. Of course it is quite a bit more.

 

AsRock mobos aren't normally that well excepted and abuzar has recommended a good mobo for NOT many more quid.

If you could post some sort of budget to follow that would make suggestions easier. We all want to provide the best products possible but NOT knowing what we can spend of your money makes it difficult. lol.

Your logic may be a little off on the more expensive is better but it's close. For instance the E6850 is about $280 and the E8400 is about $230 but if I were choosing right now I prolly would get the E8400 even tho I have the E6850 and it's DANG good. Anyway if you can go the QUAD route go that way and if NOT then the E6750 is a good choice.

I like that case, it has good functionality and it's pretty simple. There are others out there but a case is personal preference.

If you can find RAM (PC2-6400...4-4-4-12 timings) for less and it's NAME brand (Corsair, OCZ, Crucial, mushkin, G.Skill) I would consider it. Sometimes a search brings about GREAT deals.

good luck to you.....

....gm

 

Pepp77,
For your planned use, go with the E6550. The extra 2 MB of L2 cache makes a big difference when encoding video. The E6550 also has better GO stepping. Should be good for around 3.0GHz to 3.2GHz or so with PC6400 DDR2-800GHz memory, overclocked. It has a lower CPU multiplier at 7x than the E4500's 11x. Realistically, they both should do about the same, but the extra 2 MB of L2 cache memory would better suit your needs. If you plan to overclock or play games, avoid motherboards with on-board graphics as they don't do too well. Even if you add a PCIe 16x video card, there are still some limitations on the memory related to the OB Graphics and chipset limitations. Asrock motherboards are OK, but not very durable. They seem to last about 2-3 months past the warranty period. I've seen some last longer, but I've also replaced a ton of them that failed in about a year and a half. Memory isn't bad for the price, but it is cas 5. Cas4 would be a better choice.

greensman,

Yes, you would. The extra 2 MB cache makes a big difference, especially when video encoding!

Best Regards,
Russ

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I really hate buying new PCs there's just too many options.

My budget is approximately £250 for Case, MOBO, CPU and Ram.

I think the E6550 would suit me perfectly, and at £50ish quid less than the Q6600 it makes my budget easier.

The case is simple you are correct, but for some reason I really like it and its decently priced.

The reason I am looking at that site is that they will install the MOBO, CPU and ram into the case and warranty the build for 12 months for only £12.50 and Im not really upto building it myself.
I have read a couple of reviews of the mobo I was looking at and have completely decided noway hosay lol

However they do have the following ones:-

ASUS ONE
ASUS TWO

Obviously if someone knows another English site that will build the parts Im happy to have a look.

To add, I am planning on using my two current SATA HDDs and my 8500GT GPU (Yes I know its rubbish, will upgrade to one with HDMI at some point) in the build so those parts are not an issue.

 

@Pepp77

On the mobo tip..I would'en go with nothing else but a gigabyte mobo
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2746 don't get me wrong.i dont do much gaming myself on my computer the few games.i do have the gigbyte dont let me down.uc,i'm into alot of transcoding/encoding myself and mult tasking all at once..I found out the e8400 cpu went on sale days after.i just got the e6750 for $189.I heard e8400 stays alittle cooler..dang i wish.i would have waited alittle longer to get it.but.on my next built.i will it's your choice cpu,now on the mobo.I would get the gigabyte..hands down the case what looks cool to you remember more fans you have the better the cooling..

 

Pepp77,
I would go with Abuzar's suggestion of the GigaByte GA-P35-DS3R. It's my motherboard of choice and it Rocks. Supports all the new and up coming CPUs. Best motherboard I've ever owned! Far better customer service and tech support if needed, than brand x! Much faster service if you should have a problem!

Go back one page and check out my post of the performance, video encoding with DVD ReBuilder/Cinema Craft Encoder, 2 pass. It's outstanding!

Best Regards,
Russ

 

@theonejrs

true indeed brother outstanding..I use convertx2dvd software.I got outstanding increase sense.i stepped up to a new built from the old with the old like 4 hours to convert that was a half a days work on the job..lol now its 23 to 15 mins to covert a full movie depends on the process.

 

id go for this case

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-145-CM&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=29

and this mobo

http://scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=615972

 

Bigwill68,

I use Win-Avi. I've also used DVD Santa, but Win-Avi is far better! I don't download very much from the net as the quality varies so much. I prefer to rip the DVD and run it through DVDRB/CCE, 2 pass if the compression is high. Otherwise I use DVD Shrink, which uses a transcoder instead of a true encoder. The quality I get is excellent.

Best Regards,
Russ

 

Hows about this combination (remember I need it built for me):-

MOBO - This site only has one £150 Gigabyte MOBO, and thats an AMD).

CPU

RAM

in the same case or one of these two maybe:-
CASE ONE
CASE TWO

Not sure if i prefer door or no door.

Total Cost £256 (£261 with other case) Built

 

Those cases are pretty dire for cooling despite the huge fans, how about this?
http://www.xcase.co.uk/p/383116/centurion-532.html

 

shafaaf the CM-690 is a good case and I like it.

Pepp77,
I looked back at your "needs" and what Russ said and the E6550 would fit your needs and indeed save a few quid. lol (lots of ANDS there....)

@ALL,
I'm having problems with the P35C mobos. For some reason I don't see the benefits of using a mobo that can utilize both form factors but NOT at the same time. DDR2 RAM is so inexpensive right now and REALLY good that DDR3 offers no clear advantages to me. My opinion I know.... ;P

....gm

 

I'm pretty sure when I ordered mine it was barely any different in price to the normal P35 board, but if the latter was significantly cheaper, I'd probably buy that instead.

 

/me hugs little sammy....hehehe.
NICE recommendation on the CM-Centurian...

Pepp77 what happended to the Corsair RAM?? Anyone know anything about the GEIL Black Dragon rAM?? lol

....gm

 

well I know that most here are pro gigabyte but I am still an asus fanboy. with asus you get what you pay for. I bought one of their flagship mobos (P5W DH Deluxe WiFi) and it has been the best mobo I have ever owned. yea it cost over $100 than other asus mobos (P5N-E for example) but look at what I got. awesome OC'er and trouble free. I also had an asus P4P800 SE which was very popular and an excellent mobo.

ppl here can go right ahead and be pro gigabyte but if they're badmouthing asus then the asus mobo/s they had prior to their gigabyte wasn't by any means a flagship asus mobo. like with all brands asus has had one or two models that just weren't up to par and had problems from the get go. please don't badmouth asus until you've had the pleasure to own and use one of their flagship mobos. they still build damn good mobos and although their customer service isn't too whoopy, ya very seldom need it with their flagship models.

 

That place is expensive. Go here for the CPU:

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...o+E6550+2.33GHz+(Retail+775)+?productId=27971

Mort: When Gigabyte makes their motherboards only slightly less powerful, etc, why should we have to pay about a hundred more for Asus. I think the reason they bad mouth Asus is because people feel ripped off using them.

Although the ASUS P5B-E was an awesome and cheap board.