It has got to the point where my old rig just isn't economical to upgrade any more and has really started to struggle with modern games. To be fair it has served me bloody well for the past 6 years

So i am after opinions, thoughts and comments on the following loose spec. I am well out of the loop when it comes to current hardware! Will be used mainly for gaming and the occasional bit of graphics work.

Intel i7 930 2.8Ghz (looked at the 950 which is higher stock speed but i believe they will both overclock to about the same)

Asus P6TD Deluxe or Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD5 (Can't Decide)

6 Gb Kingston Hyper-X DDR3 2000Mhz

ATI Radeon HD6870

Samsung Spinpoint F3 1Tb

Coolermaster GX 650W PSU

Everything else i either have already or will be recycled. My budget is tight so i do not really want to spend more than i already have! In fact if i could spend less then that would be even better.

here is a site i use alot

My link

i think its pritty much what you want.

If not id suggest going higher than 2.8Ghz

p.s 650w may not be anothe

Edited 26 December, 201015 yr by hitlist

To use more than 3GB of Ram you will need to use a 64Bit OS, so dont forget to add that as well.

I-mac

End of..........Close the thread??

here is a site i use alot

My link

i think its pritty much what you want.

If not id suggest going higher than 2.8Ghz

p.s 650w may not be anothe

Cheers, i have dealt with CCL quite a bit in the past.

To use more than 3GB of Ram you will need to use a 64Bit OS, so dont forget to add that as well.

Yup i knew that one Thanks to the MSDNAA i get a copy FOC

I-mac

End of..........Close the thread??

As much as i love the iMac, i couldn't get a 27" i7 for the same price as the above. Besides i have the MBP that i can connect to my 24" monitor.

Starting to think that maybe the i7 950 might be the better purchase, its only about £15 more.

Also read this morning that the HD6950 and 6970 are identical in terms of hardware, and you can turn your 6950 into a 70 with a firmware flash.

Starting to think that maybe the i7 950 might be the better purchase, its only about £15 more.Also read this morning that the HD6950 and 6970 are identical in terms of hardware, and you can turn your 6950 into a 70 with a firmware flash.

Seems so. Hardware same , firmware ups the Memory clock speed. Bargain.

I cant sing the praises of the AMD Hex cores enough though. Good bit cheaper than their i7 counterparts and faaar more OC'able. Also run super cool. Very impressed with mine.

I am also on the hunt for a new GFX card to replace my 2x 4870's. Not had a chance to speak with anyone who has tried the new 6000 series yet. Let me know if you get one.

Seems so. Hardware same , firmware ups the Memory clock speed. Bargain.

I cant sing the praises of the AMD Hex cores enough though. Good bit cheaper than their i7 counterparts and faaar more OC'able. Also run super cool. Very impressed with mine.

I am also on the hunt for a new GFX card to replace my 2x 4870's. Not had a chance to speak with anyone who has tried the new 6000 series yet. Let me know if you get one.

Well, after playing around with both the stock 3 pipe X6 cooler and a Zalman9900 , I have bought my first water cooler. After being a sole air person.

Hope all goes well and its both a little cooler and quieter than the air coolers.

I've ditched the idea of an all-in-one in favour of this.......

http://h40059.www4.hp.com/uk/homedesktops/product.php?id=XH609EA&experience=direct

Extra £75 saved by going through Quidco

I've ditched the idea of an all-in-one in favour of this.......http://h40059.www4.hp.com/uk/homedesktops/product.php?id=XH609EA&experience=directExtra £75 saved by going through Quidco

X6 FTW.

I've ditched the idea of an all-in-one in favour of this.......

http://h40059.www4.hp.com/uk/homedesktops/product.php?id=XH609EA&experience=direct

Extra £75 saved by going through Quidco

Now received, set up and running, and I have to say I'm impressed

The LG 21.5" widescreen monitor is excellent too

Hmmfff well i think i have decided on a final spec, just need to order the bits once a cheque has cleared.

Only problem now, i dont think my old CoolerMaster WaveMaster case will fit it all in and stay cool, so better add another £100 for an Antec P183 case unless anyone has any recommendations for a decent case?

What spec you went for?

Pretty much as above.

Intel i7 950 CPU

Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD5 Mobo

6 Gb Kingston Hyper-X DDR3 2000Mhz RAM

XFX ATI Radeon HD6850 (Had to downgrade due to budget)

Samsung Spinpoint F3 1Tb HDD

Samsung SATA DVDRW

Coolermaster GX 650W PSU

Antec P183 Case

Going to use stock cooling for now and monitor temps with the view to getting a better cooler in the coming weeks. Plan is to OC to about 4Ghz+

Then i should finally be able to show you all have to play Black Ops properly.

Would any of the 2nd generation Sandybridge offerings be any better than the 950?

I haven't taken a proper look at them yet, but it's something to have a look at before committing to a 950..

Kev

Would any of the 2nd generation Sandybridge offerings be any better than the 950?

I haven't taken a proper look at them yet, but it's something to have a look at before committing to a 950..

Kev

How did those pass me by, i just read the review on Bit-Tech! That i5 2500K is incredible! And cheaper than the i7 950!!

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2011/01/03/intel-sandy-bridge-review/1

Ahhh crap.. looks like its back to the drawing board.

Whoops Sorry :p

Whoops Sorry :p

No Thank you!

I'm really like the look of ditching the old school BIOS too

Kev

Alex, on the case front, I went for one of these and the price has dropped quite a bit since I bought it.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/xigmatek-utgard-pure-black-gaming-mid-tower-case-w-o-psu

It replaced an Antec 9000, it is very quiet, has plenty of USB ports up front and 2 eSata's, is tool less and the case is really well made with no sharp edges. It has a couple of large fans that are all but silent and can de ramped up or down by the controls on the front.

Cleaning it is really easy to with removable top tray to get at a filter for that fan and a clip on front. Best case I have ever used to date.

Then i should finally be able to show you all have to play Black Ops properly.

Guffaw Guffaw

Right, new spec based on what i have read this morning.

Intel Core i5-2500k (will OC to 4.9Ghz)

Asus P8P67 Pro

8Gb (4x2Gb) Kingston HyperX 1600Mhz

XFX HD6850 1Gb

1TB Samsung Spinpoint

Samsung Sata DVDRW

Coirsair A70 heatsink

Antec P183

Coolermaster GX 650 PSU

Comes in at less than the i7 950, has a better spec with more bits and should blow it out of the water.

Do you mind me asking roughly what price this came to?

Cheers

Kev

All in about £800, still shopping around for prices but the bulk is from a mixture of ebuyer and ariapc

You could get it lower if it wasn't for the £120 case and £40 heatsink.

At the moment i have spec'd 4 x 2Gb sticks of ram, but i want to buy 2 x 4Gb sticks instead. However i am struggling to find any 8Gb kits with just two sticks for reasonable money. I am after DDR3 1600Mhz.

Would i be right in thinking that i could buy 2 sticks of 4Gb seperately and run them as dual channel, so long as they are the same stick? Two of these http://www.ebuyer.com/product/247676 comes to about the same price as the 4 sticks of kingston.

That's not a bad price! I keep looking at a new system, built 2 I7-960 and an I5 system before Christmas and was looking at one for myself so glad I've waited a bit longer for sandy bridge.

I think you're along the right lines with the RAM, that's the option i was looking at, but again, it's stupid easy to get 4x2gb sticks, but not so 2x4gb.

Kev