New PC Build Planned

CSB

CSB

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Hi all, been quite a while since I was here last, been kept busy and started a new job 6 months ago.

Well recently my old pc crashed and now it won't even let me re install Windows XP. You get to the main screen where it asks you do you want to repair or reinstall Windows. But just reboots and goes round in a loop even after choosing the reinstall (originaly first tried the Repair option).

I am currently typing this on my fiancess mothers laptop, Must be a hardware failure somewhere on the non working pc maybe ?. the pc first went funny when certain keys on my keyboard wouldn't work like QWER and UIOP, very strange as each set of 4 keys run in a straight line as you may realise. and so wasn't able to get far on websites (I did try lots of things to try and get it working)

So we bought a new keyboard which worked fine, so the setup changed from a wireless keyboard and mouse to a wireless mouse and usb wired keyboard. After a few weeks I would turn the pc on and the mouse wouldn't work, well was fully on with the red light underneath but the mouse pointer on screen failed to move, a restart of the pc would fix this.

Another week of this and then for no reason the pc went to a black screen with a message saying a certain file of windows was missing or corupt, hence trying to repair and re install windows. We've given up on it now as I don't know whats wrong with it. is a fairly old system now compared to what you can get these days.

So I'm going to build a new PC, Want the Intel i7-950 and ASUS Sabertooth Mobo, but wanted to know what you all thought of that set up. reading this back it makes me wonder if this should be here or in support lol.

Before you ask, Yes it will be intended for high end gaming and photos/video etc so will want lots of decent memory and a high end Graphics card to go with it.

P.s, nice to see all the regulars still posting here. hope your all well and ready for christmas ?

Thanks in advance for any help/advice

Rob
 
Good choices, whats your budget and what are you after? A whole new rig?
 
If you want a high end gaming rig that will last a long time i'd wait for the new AMD Radeon 6900 series to come out and see how it does against the Nvidia GTX580.

At the moment the GTX480 and GTX580 are the best cards on the market but are pretty expensive, the GTX580 costing around £430 and the 480 at around £300. The Radeon 5870 is also something to take into consideration as you can pick one up for around £220 and isnt too far behind the GTX480.

You'll want a good power supply and the best on the market at the moment from reviews seem to be the cooler master silent pro series, you'll want around 700w to give yourself some breathing room.

6 Gig of memory should be sufficient but you could always go to 12 gig if you wanted but i doubt you'd notice a massive difference.

You'll want a solid state hard drive for your operating system and some programs for a super quick PC, then get a 1tb or 2tb storage HD as there so cheap to pick up nowadays.

The actual case is down to your personal preference, they all do the same job round abouts, just find one you like the look of and look up some reviews on it. I've only got a cheapy case (around £30) and i think it looks good, its stylish and not brash at all and it keeps my processor and other gubbins very cool with an intake fan and exhaust fan.

A good CPU cooler is a must for optimal performance, one of the best is the Noctua NH-U12P which is around £50.
 
Hi both,


Budget is around £1000, already have a monitor at the moment but I'd like to upgrade it aswell in the near future after I've built the new PC first.

I saw in the latest Custom PC magazine that ASUS had released another Mobo with the X58 Chipset ?, called Rampage 3 Extreme, has some extras and is apparently faster then the Sabertooth X58 Mobo (did they intend to miss spell "Sabretooth" lol).

But is alot more expensive, so do you think it would be worth getting the rampage or stick with the Sabertooth ?

Oh and getting back to the crashed system, it will let me get to the screen where you acept the user agreement for Windows XP and then when you press F8 to agree it gives you the Blue Screen death page.

bluescreenn.jpg

Anyway, doesn't really matter now and I'm glad most of the data on the Hard disks were already backed up.

Might have to go for the 3.06GHZ i7 CPU, as I believe the 3.2 is so much more expensie and well I'm deffinately not spend over £700 for the extreme edition. well I would if I won the lottery lol.

Thanks for all your advce and help. Is greatly appreciate guys and Gals.

Rob
 
Well, it's usually always worth buying the most expensive motherboard you can afford but you have to review the whole situation, particularly the budget.

I honestly doubt you'd tell any difference in performance between the two boards with all the latest games.

Good choice going for the 3.06Ghz the price difference for an extra 1.94Ghz, to my mind, is not worth it.

Mind you, if you're loaded, go for it ;)

As I've just mentioned in another thread, you can take out your old hard disk and mount it in a caddy, then you should be able to read it and retrieve data by plugging it into another PC.

You can also download a Linux Distro (Mint, Ubuntu, Damn Small Linux will do the job) burn the ISO to disk then boot from the Linux OS. This will be a 'Live' OS and only reside in the computer's memory and you should be able to read the contents of your hard disk.

If so, then back up to a USB stick.

Good luck and my sincere apologies for your somewhat dubious taste in wallpaper :)
 
Getting a more expensive motherboard isnt the most economical way to get bang for buck. The difference in performance from a super expensive mobo (£250+) and a more reasonable priced mobo (£150) in real time gaming would be un-noticeable. Your much better off putting that extra money into the graphics card department or a better processor as thats where the gaming performance comes to life.
 
Thanks to you both for the replies, Yes I apologise myself for the wallpaper in the photos lol, is part of an alcove (if thats the right word) from the spare room which hasn't changed much from the 70's it seems lol

Well some news to give, the PC that crashed is up and running and I'm using it right now, had to take out the 2 hard disks and replace it with another single spare we had. Loaded Windows fine on it after loading SIL drivers from a floppy.

Got most things up and running on it and that will do, still plan on building the new machine and retiring this one.

Using a caddy aswell to retrive stuff of the other 2 Hard Disks which were taken out the other night.

Think I'll stick with the Sabertooth mobo and I7 950. might order them tonight but want to get the best price aswell.

Thanks so much for all your help. meant to get a bit warmer by friday, lets hope because I've had enough of this now. we want extreme PC cooling these days but not when it freezes your optical drive shut (joking) lol.

Keep warm all

Rob
 
Wanted to know what you all think of this set of hardware. Honest answers are welcome I don't mind lol ... Ok! not that harsh.

Bear in mind I realise thwy might be cheaper elsewhere, is just links to show you.

Case

Memory

Or any recomendations ?, I have already ordered the i7 950 CPU, Should arrive tomorrow, still need to order the Asus Sabretooth mobo but want to find it cheapest from a decent site.

Thanks again for advice.

Rob
 
Case and memory are both fine :thumb:

Antec gamer's case series are excellent, I have one.

Shop around, I'm sure you'll get better prices.

Recommended memory: Crucial, Corsair, OCZ.
 
Thanks again for the help, well so far I have the Intel i7 950, Asus x58 Sabertooth mobo, I believe it can take DDR3 up to 2000mhz speed and want 3 sticks of 2GB I guess as there might not be much of an advantage in buying more.

What memory would you all recommend to get, I know you said Crucial, Corsair, OCZ floppybootstomp. But did you have anything specific to recommend ?

Also I really like this case but is it more style over performance would you say ?. I have been trying to look at reviews online but not had much chance due to my work hours. I work in a call centre :-( lol.

Does anyone else have the Sabertooth mobo, if so, what is your set up on it ?

I could type alot more but I better get to bed, just one thing though, I really appreciate your help on here.

Roger .... Over and out.

Rob
 
CSBA said:
I really like this case but is it more style over performance would you say
Click to expand...

A fine case, imo.

Do you really need one that big though? You could save a few pennies going for the model below it, the 900 Link

I've had the 900 with a Corsair modular PSU for three years now, I like the looks and it has good cooling qualities.

If you're keen on an overclocked machine by all means go for the already-overclocked bundle but be aware that one member here, Reefsmoka, bought an overclocked machine from OCUK recently that wouldn't run stable until it was put back to stock speed.

So personally speaking I wouldn't take an overclock as guaranteed.

However, it's fair to say that instance was probably the exception.

It's also worth checking out OCUK in our dealer ratings forum section. I've purchased components from OCUK for over ten years with only one small problem and they've dealt quickly and efficiently with two rma's but it's worth reading what others have to say about them. I no longer use them.
 
On the flip side, i got an OC'ed bundle from them over a year ago now, and its been rock solid. I've even pushed it to 4.2Ghz from the original 4Ghz. :)

Like Flops i have never had an issue with OCUK either...
 
Couldn't look at your link Flops as I think the site is down, will check again later.


In regards to the Corsair Dominator GT Memory, is it really that good ?. on this site they say it runs at 2000mhz, but a bit lower down the page where it says technical, it mentions 1600 as it's speed. ???

Plus whats with the fan set, does it get that hot ?

My Sabertooth mobo and i7 950 arrived from Overclockers today, why do intel insist on packing the processor with a HSF which obviously isn't going to keep gamers happy. just adds extra cost to the retail pack.

After spending money on the Memory, case, operating system, hsf, HDD, Optical, I won't want to get a high end graphics card as I refuse to pay in the region of 400 quid. I don't care how many scantily clad computer generated women they put on the box. I believe the graphics card/GPU companys way over price their cards.

Of course I want a decent one after paying out for the i7 and sabertooth but I don't want to go all out, just want to be sensible and save money without sacrificing the most important areas.

Now I'm just jibba jabbing lol ... Is everyone ready for christmas ?, what you all got planned, going away ? ... spending time with relatives ???

Ho Ho Ho ... jingle bells and all that.

Rob
 
Retail HSF is fine if your not planning to OC, but consider something more if you are.

This RAM would be fine with that setup.

Tbh, I'm really surprised you didn't go for something like this..

Graphics card wise, whats your budget? For that system, i'd go 470/6870 @ ~£200, depending on your preference.

If you cant stretch to that the 5870 is a bargain at the mo.....

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18213218


:)
 
Hi V_R, That Krypton Black Ops set looks good for sure, would have saved a bit of money buying it as a bundle I guess, oh well something to remember as an option in another few years lol.

Looking to spend about 250 on the graphics card max at mo, as for the PSU. I still like the Antec range but they now have quite a few out and makes it a difficult decision which to go for.

The memory in your link, the speed is 1600 isn't it ?. if so, that would make the most out of the mobo would it as the mobo can accept 2000mhz speed as far as I'm aware or am I missing something somewhere. I used to be an average pc builder but after staying away for 5 years from the pc world, I feel like I'm in a room of professors and I'm the student wearing the dunce hat in the corner lol.

All your help is fantastic and I can't express enough how valuable it is to me right now.

Will try to post again tomorrow.

Rob

Add on since posting this yestaday, I am still interested in the Antec Twelve Hundred Case, I have found it cheapest so far for 128.90 delivered. only 1 thing on my mind, do you think I'd have problems with the PSU cables reaching certain parts ?, especially if I re route the cable through the holes behind the motherboard as that will shorten the cable lengh reach as we all know.
 
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CSB, You still looking for a GFX Card? PM me, i may have something for you. ;)
 
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