Ok so I think I have decided on the final build for my pc. Here is my current system, http://pastebin.com/m1eaf2d07 , and I will be upgrading it with: Intel Core I7 860: £190 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250547872860 Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2: £85 http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=393028&sku=153940 G.Skill Ripjaw 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHZ Dual Channel Ram: £83.33 http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-041-GS Corsair VX 550W Power Supply: £64.72 http://www.itdisti.com/productmain.asp?ID=259 XFX ATI HD Radeon HD5750: £88.52 http://www.dabs.com/products/xfx-ati-radeon-hd-5750-700mhz-512mb-pci-e-2-0-hdmi-6B3P.html Noctua NH-U12P SE2 Dual Fan CPU Cooler: £67.76 http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/amdcooling/nh-u12p-se2 I will probably also upgrade my hard drive to a Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATAII 300MB/s Hard Drive once I get enough funds. If you have any suggestions for better suited parts then please try and make sure they are the same price or less.
Which case are you going to use for the build? My only concern is that the heatsinks on the memory sticks might force you to mount your CPU cooling fans so they blow up, instead of left or right. A case with the PSU on the bottom and with exhaust fans on top would be best for this configuration. Other than that, your components looks top-notch and well-matched. Dick
Hiya you might be right there, the nh-u12p is very big apparently, I am currently using a EZCool H550 (not a great case). I don't particularly want to shell out for a new case as well, I'm sort or low on funds, but I suppose if I have to I will. I could stick with my SATA I hard drive for a while until I can afford the new SATA II drive. I was considering this one, http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Cases/Cases/Xigmatek/MIDGARD.html# , I like it a lot, but it is a midi case so I'm not sure everything will fit in there. What do you think?
I think that case would work well. I have a i7-860 build with the same CPU cooler in a similar Coolermaster 690 case and it works well. Another popular mid-tower case is the Coolermaster Storm Scout. All of these cases allow for bottom-mounted PSU and top exhaust fans. Be prepared to add a few extra case fans regardless of which case you choose. Should you ever decide to add a second graphics card for SLI, then you should probably go with a full-size tower case for optimal cooling. Dick
Keep in mind you wont see much benifiet from using a 2 fan cooler unless the airs being blown vertically in the case rather then horizontally out an exhaust fan.
Yes indeedie! That's why I've got my vertically mounted dual-fan Noctua blowing straight up into a top-mounted exhaust fan. Dick
Id be interested to know if you tested it horizontally? If so how the results differed, oh and what case your using. BTW thought the Xigmatek case mentioned above doesnt have a top exhaust fan so thats why I pointed it out.
Hiya I've heard some people say that the power cables often don't reach the motherboard in bottom mounted psu cases, do you think mine will reach?
I was unable to test the fan/cooler combo horizontally because my tall memory sticks would only allow me to mount it vertically (pulling air from below and blowing it straight up). I would have preferred to aim the cooler into a rear-mounted exhaust fan, but I needed to install a top-mounted fan above it instead. This was in a Coolermaster 690 case It doesn't come with a top exhaust fan pre-installed, but it has the mounting perforations for one. That's definitely the first place I would install an extra case fan. Dick
I have never had this problem with my last five builds which were all in bottom-PSU mid-tower cases. I can see where perhaps in a full-tower case this might be a problem, but I don't have any recent experience with full-tower builds. Dick
Right thanks for all your help, now i just have to decide on an os. I'm thinking 64 bit Windows 7, but I've heard reports that 64 bit windows is incompatible with a lot of software. What do you think, do the benefits outweigh the issues? I will also be installing 64 bit ubuntu 9.04.
I would go with Windows 7 Pro x64. Incompatible programs will automatically run in x32 mode to ensure compatibility. I don't run every kind of program, but so far Win 7 Pro has handled everything I've thrown at it. Dick
You're welcome. If you have any problems with your new build, you know where to find us. Happy New Year. Dick
