Building a PC, advice please!

[Zipa]

Sounds like you don't need to be told much about computers, but I can give you some advice:

Make sure you got for something like a coolmaster or other decent brand of case.

For the love of god make sure your Mobo can actually handle 6GB of RAM, basically make sure it's 64bit.

Also, make sure you have a 64bit operating system, I'd also suggest buying the OS although this could add a good £100 to the cost.

An other important thing, have one set of fans as air intake and one set of fans as the out take, this causes a "breeze" in the case and keeps everything cooler.

Yeah, I had a friend who was trying to build a PC and didn't understand the 32/64-bit stuff...First thing I checked. The MB is 64-bit and can hold up to 16Gb of RAM.

Not sure on a case yet, I'm just looking for the expensive bits first. As I said, I'm not really that bothered by the flashy lights and stuff, a nice, sleek design will do. ( I don't intend on pummelling it either )

When it comes to lights and stuff neither do I. But the reason why I brought up the case was because you can get some really decent ones that have a MASSIVE intake fan on the front just below the power button, the means that you can use that as intake and all the ones you put in as outtake.

Also, I just remembered, Heat conducting glue stuff (I can't remember the name right now) that you put on between the Processor and the heat sink for it, it sticks the heat sink to the top of the processor but my word does it increase the rate of heat transfer from the processor to the heat sink. Increases both life and speed of it.

I'll have a looksie for cases, if I can find an awesome shiny one for cheap-ish I'll pick it up.

Think the stuff is just called Thermal Paste/Thermal Glue? I wont be the one putting that on. ( Don't trust myself! )

It is called thermal paste and is totally impossible to fuck up applying it, google a guide or two on it but its simple. If you can butter bread you can put thermal paste on a processor.

You have noooooo idea, I'm the type of person who trips over a flat surface! :')
Still a few weeks till I'll have all the bits, so I'll dig through a few guides before hand.

believe me I am exactly the same, if there is something to trip on or knock over you can be sure I will be the idiot that does it. I still managed to build my first computer including applying the thermal paste without breaking anything though lol.

I would recommend you have a old credit card to hand though, it makes spreading the paste evenly so much easier. If you don't have one to hand then one of those small rulers will suffice.

 

[Dectomax]

Sounds like you don't need to be told much about computers, but I can give you some advice:

Make sure you got for something like a coolmaster or other decent brand of case.

For the love of god make sure your Mobo can actually handle 6GB of RAM, basically make sure it's 64bit.

Also, make sure you have a 64bit operating system, I'd also suggest buying the OS although this could add a good £100 to the cost.

An other important thing, have one set of fans as air intake and one set of fans as the out take, this causes a "breeze" in the case and keeps everything cooler.

Yeah, I had a friend who was trying to build a PC and didn't understand the 32/64-bit stuff...First thing I checked. The MB is 64-bit and can hold up to 16Gb of RAM.

Not sure on a case yet, I'm just looking for the expensive bits first. As I said, I'm not really that bothered by the flashy lights and stuff, a nice, sleek design will do. ( I don't intend on pummelling it either )

When it comes to lights and stuff neither do I. But the reason why I brought up the case was because you can get some really decent ones that have a MASSIVE intake fan on the front just below the power button, the means that you can use that as intake and all the ones you put in as outtake.

Also, I just remembered, Heat conducting glue stuff (I can't remember the name right now) that you put on between the Processor and the heat sink for it, it sticks the heat sink to the top of the processor but my word does it increase the rate of heat transfer from the processor to the heat sink. Increases both life and speed of it.

I'll have a looksie for cases, if I can find an awesome shiny one for cheap-ish I'll pick it up.

Think the stuff is just called Thermal Paste/Thermal Glue? I wont be the one putting that on. ( Don't trust myself! )

It is called thermal paste and is totally impossible to fuck up applying it, google a guide or two on it but its simple. If you can butter bread you can put thermal paste on a processor.

You have noooooo idea, I'm the type of person who trips over a flat surface! :')
Still a few weeks till I'll have all the bits, so I'll dig through a few guides before hand.

believe me I am exactly the same, if there is something to trip on or knock over you can be sure I will be the idiot that does it. I still managed to build my first computer including applying the thermal paste without breaking anything though lol.

I would recommend you have a old credit card to hand though, it makes spreading the paste evenly so much easier. If you don't have one to hand then one of those small rulers will suffice.

Fair enough, I'll make sure I get one before I put it on then! Cheers for the advice!

 

[Tubezz]

Unless you find 2x rams with 3gb each you should not use 6 gb ram.

Since AMD is using dual channel and therefor if you are using 3x rams you will actually loose performance.

So I would suggest that you either find 2x 2gb ram or 2x 4gb ram.

 

[Dectomax]

Unless you find 2x rams with 3gb each you should not use 6 gb ram.

Since AMD is using dual channel and therefor if you are using 3x rams you will actually loose performance.

So I would suggest that you either find 2x 2gb ram or 2x 4gb ram.

Ooooh, didn't know that! Thanks, I might hop it up to 2x4GB then. Sticking with OCZ RAM though, I love their make haha.

EDIT: Just found these: http://www.ebuyer.com/274404-corsair-16gb-4x4gb-ddr3-1333mhz-xms-memory-kit-cl9-9-9-9-24-1-5v-cmx16gx3m4a1333c9

Edit: On second thought, they might actually be worse than standard Corsair 8GB...Due to PErf loss...

 

[AmrasCalmacil]

A 460 should do you pretty good for a while, your PSU leaves a lot of room for upgrading since I'm currently running a gtx 570 on a 750w PSU, so you should do pretty well with that set-up..

 

[Waaghpowa]

The 500 series Nvidia GTX cards have dropped in price, it might be worth your time to look into getting one of those instead of the 460.

 

[Dectomax]

The 500 series Nvidia GTX cards have dropped in price, it might be worth your time to look into getting one of those instead of the 460.

Way ahead of you, found a GTX560 for not much more than the 460, might pick that up instead.

 

[SageRuffin]

Though unnecessary, I recommend a liquid cooling system. It'll keep your processor cool and quiet, even while OCed.

 

[Cowabungaa]

A Phenom 2? As in a Phenom dual core? Scratch that, that'll make you want to upgrade way too soon. Go for the Phenom X4 965 or 955. Really good performance to price ratio, but do buy an aftermarket cooler as the stock one is horribly noisy. I recommend the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 because that's incredibly easy to install on an AMD-based system. No need to screw around with cooling paste, AC has all of that covered for you.

The PSU is also definite overkill. For a regular gaming PC I suggest getting a 550W PSU, you only need the real heavy stuff, like 750+, when you start doing funky shit like getting an SLI/CrossFire setup and power-intensive stuff like that.

Edit:
Nevermind, read that wrong, seems you want to go for a Phenom hexacore. Well, power to you I guess. A hexacore won't do you much good, but I doubt it can hurt either.

 

[Dectomax]

A Phenom 2? As in a Phenom dual core? Scratch that, that'll make you want to upgrade way too soon. Go for the Phenom X4 965 or 955. Really good performance to price ratio, but do buy an aftermarket cooler as the stock one is horribly noisy. I recommend the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 because that's incredibly easy to install on an AMD-based system. No need to screw around with cooling paste, AC has all of that covered for you.

The PSU is also definite overkill. For a regular gaming PC I suggest getting a 550W PSU, you only need the real heavy stuff, like 750+, when you start doing funky shit like getting an SLI/CrossFire setup and power-intensive stuff like that.

Phenom ii x6 Black Series is a six core CPU. I mad the mistake of looking for a Phenom 2 at first aswell... :')

 

[Cowabungaa]

Phenom ii x6 Black Series is a six core CPU. I mad the mistake of looking for a Phenom 2 at first aswell... :')

Yeah I fixed that in my original post.

But my point about the PSU still stands. You really should tone that down. It's getter to get a 550W of a really good brand than a cheap 800W one. Also, which motherboard and harddrive are you getting?

 

[Hoplon]

Ok, so as the title says I'm building a PC, so without dragging this on too much, here is what I've been looking at so far.

GTX460 ( Possibly a GTX560 )
AMD Phenom ii x6 Black Series
8GB Ripjaws DDR3 RAM
AM3 Motherboard
1TB 7200RPM Hard Drive
800wt PSU

All together, that'll cost me around £340. ( Nabbing bits in deals on ebay is awesome! )

So, what do you guys think? Anything I can upgrade or change without adding too much more to the cost?

For £340, that's pretty damned good. most of the advice here is missing the budget slant, the GFX card is more than enough for gaming unless you are wanting retard frame rates at very high resolution.

A case that would work shouldn't be more £30.

 

[Grospoliner]

Ok, so as the title says I'm building a PC, so without dragging this on too much, here is what I've been looking at so far.

GTX460 ( Possibly a GTX560 )
AMD Phenom ii x6 Black Series
8GB Ripjaws DDR3 RAM
AM3 Motherboard
1TB 7200RPM Hard Drive
800wt PSU

All together, that'll cost me around £340. ( Nabbing bits in deals on ebay is awesome! )

So, what do you guys think? Anything I can upgrade or change without adding too much more to the cost?

Unless you are running Win 7 64-bit, don't bother buying 8gig of ram. I don't know what MB you are getting but that stuff minus the MB would run about 324 GBP for me to pick up, so all in all it's a pretty good price. Check Newegg and Tiger Direct on each component or a comparable alternative. I think both those sites ship to the UK but don't quote me on that.

 

[Dectomax]

Phenom ii x6 Black Series is a six core CPU. I mad the mistake of looking for a Phenom 2 at first aswell... :')

Yeah I fixed that in my original post.

But my point about the PSU still stands. You really should tone that down. It's getter to get a 550W of a really good brand than a cheap 800W one. Also, which motherboard and harddrive are you getting?

The CPU was recommended to me by a friend who said it was pretty good and managed to support his PC well.

I'm leaving the PSU as it is, just means I won't have to upgrade down the line for a while and also means I'm open to adding other stuff in the mean time.

I'm still looking for a Motherboard, that's the one area where I lack real knowledge. ( I know about RAM and CPU compatibility but that's about as far as it goes. )

I've seen a nice Samsung 1TB 7,200RPM HDD for £60.

 

[Dectomax]

Ok, so as the title says I'm building a PC, so without dragging this on too much, here is what I've been looking at so far.

GTX460 ( Possibly a GTX560 )
AMD Phenom ii x6 Black Series
8GB Ripjaws DDR3 RAM
AM3 Motherboard
1TB 7200RPM Hard Drive
800wt PSU

All together, that'll cost me around £340. ( Nabbing bits in deals on ebay is awesome! )

So, what do you guys think? Anything I can upgrade or change without adding too much more to the cost?

Unless you are running Win 7 64-bit, don't bother buying 8gig of ram. I don't know what MB you are getting but that stuff minus the MB would run about 324 GBP for me to pick up, so all in all it's a pretty good price. Check Newegg and Tiger Direct on each component or a comparable alternative. I think both those sites ship to the UK but don't quote me on that.

Alas, I am planning on running Windows 7 64-bit...( I just like the look of it ) Also, I need 4GB min to run some of the software I need. ( Unreal Development kit, Autodesk Maya and Mudbox )

I checked both of those sites, it's where I'm getting a few bits from.

 

[illas]

An other important thing, have one set of fans as air intake and one set of fans as the out take, this causes a "breeze" in the case and keeps everything cooler.

This.

So many people build high-spec custom PCs and forget to keep it aerated. For minimal extra cost you can double your fans and significantly prolong your PC's life.

 

[Dectomax]

An other important thing, have one set of fans as air intake and one set of fans as the out take, this causes a "breeze" in the case and keeps everything cooler.

This.

So many people build high-spec custom PCs and forget to keep it aerated. Seriously, for minimal extra cost you can double your fans and significantly prolong your PC's life.

Was thinking of adding water cooling to it at a later point, possibly. Though I plan on keeping the side open. ( I'm a clean freak, so there's not much dust in my house...)

 

[Cowabungaa]

The CPU was recommended to me by a friend who said it was pretty good and managed to support his PC well.

I'm leaving the PSU as it is, just means I won't have to upgrade down the line for a while and also means I'm open to adding other stuff in the mean time.

I'm still looking for a Motherboard, that's the one area where I lack real knowledge. ( I know about RAM and CPU compatibility but that's about as far as it goes. )

I've seen a nice Samsung 1TB 7,200RPM HDD for £60.

It's a good CPU, that's for sure, but if you're building that PC for gaming than a hexacore just won't do you any good.

Also, a too big PSU isn't just a waste when you buy it, it's a waste in terms of electricity and efficiency as well. Really, get one that fits your PC nicely, and if you're planning on getting a dual-graphics card setup, 650 or 700 will do nicely. Just look at this post. [http://www.xoxideforums.com/997252-post8.html] While the parts he lists are outdated, his point still stands. There isn't that much to add that adds a lot to your power usage anyway.

As for a motherboard, except for compatibility with other parts, it's important to look for what kind of features you want. You can buy an up-to-date, fast and relatively barebones mobo (no fancy gadgets and all that) for a relatively low price. Or you can go all-out and super expensive mobo.

But it's like that with every part; what, ultimately, do you want to do with your computer? Are you planning on heavy overclocking? Just gaming? Etc.

 

[Dectomax]

The CPU was recommended to me by a friend who said it was pretty good and managed to support his PC well.

I'm leaving the PSU as it is, just means I won't have to upgrade down the line for a while and also means I'm open to adding other stuff in the mean time.

I'm still looking for a Motherboard, that's the one area where I lack real knowledge. ( I know about RAM and CPU compatibility but that's about as far as it goes. )

I've seen a nice Samsung 1TB 7,200RPM HDD for £60.

It's a good CPU, that's for sure, but if you're building that PC for gaming than a hexacore just won't do you any good.

Also, a too big PSU isn't just a waste when you buy it, it's a waste in terms of electricity and efficiency as well. Really, get one that fits your PC nicely, and if you're planning on getting a dual-graphics card setup, 650 or 700 will do nicely. Just look at this post. [http://www.xoxideforums.com/997252-post8.html] While the parts he lists are outdated, his point still stands.

As for a motherboard, except for compatibility with other parts, it's important to look for what kind of features you want. You can buy an up-to-date, fast and relatively barebones mobo (no fancy gadgets and all that) for a relatively low price. Or you can go all-out and super expensive mobo.

But it's like that with every part; what, ultimately, do you want to do with your computer?

A few friends have got the Phenom ii x6 and they've all said good things about it. PSU is, to be fair just so I have room to upgrade if needs be.

The main use of the PC is focused towards gaming, though I need to run Programs such as the Unreal Development kit and Autodesk Maya/Mudbox too.