Help me spec a new PC... bitches

Wiggy · Post by **Wiggy** » July 30th, 2009, 17:10

Thinking of the following:

New things
Asus P6T Mobo
Intel i7 920 D0 CPU
2 x Corsair 6GB triple channel RAM

New CPU cooler
Another graphics card to SLI with the one I already have

Plus some hard drives, sound card, case etc that I already have.

Reckon it may cost £725 in all.

Thoughts?

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » July 30th, 2009, 17:23

That'll do.

what's your PSU like?

friznit · Post by **friznit** » July 30th, 2009, 17:29

12 Gb RAM is really kicking the arse out of it

Wiggy · Post by **Wiggy** » July 30th, 2009, 17:39

PSU is a Corsair HX620W. Enough or not?

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » July 30th, 2009, 17:42

Wiggy wrote:PSU is a Corsair HX620W. Enough or not?

Possibly. it made me pull a face.

Post by **deject** » July 30th, 2009, 17:43

What GPU do you have? It may be better to just replace it and/or relegate it to PhysX duty.

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » July 30th, 2009, 17:44

deject wrote:What GPU do you have? It may be better to just replace it and/or relegate it to PhysX duty.

Wiggy wrote:Another graphics card to SLI with the one I already have

Post by **deject** » July 30th, 2009, 17:47

oh, it was a link, I fail. Actually, I don't think you even need to buy a second one for SLI, a single one can still pump out enough FPS for any game out there unless you're running at more than 1920x1280 or whatever.

Wiggy · Post by **Wiggy** » July 30th, 2009, 17:59

deject wrote:oh, it was a link, I fail. Actually, I don't think you even need to buy a second one for SLI, a single one can still pump out enough FPS for any game out there unless you're running at more than 1920x1280 or whatever.

Yeah, was thinking that, but just wanted a monster machine

I reckon if I'm upgrading CPU and RAM etc, I'll leave the GPU till later. It'll save me £150 now, and I can always get another one later if needed.

Post by **deject** » July 30th, 2009, 18:13

You will see a rather large boost going to the i7 I would think.

Post by **HereComesPete** » July 30th, 2009, 20:02

I'd leave the SLI for now, it's not necessary given the quality of the 260 as it is.

May well need more beef on that psu if you look to SLi.

Lee · Post by **Lee** » July 30th, 2009, 20:24

Zalman coolers are generally terrible, get one of these instead: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/165572

Post by **HereComesPete** » July 30th, 2009, 20:33

Good call

noctua whilst utilising somewhat shitty colours have powerful and whisper quiet fans and very high build quality.

I wouldn't say zalman are terrible though, just that noctua are better.

Post by **deject** » July 30th, 2009, 20:44

HereComesPete wrote:I wouldn't say zalman are terrible though, just that noctua are better.

Zalman make good packages (i.e.: mounting kits and such), it's just that their coolers aren't quite as effective as Thermalright and such. They do look nicer in my opinion though.

Post by **TezzRexx** » July 31st, 2009, 12:30

What kind of wattage would be ideal? Last time I looked at SLi it was around 900-1000w I believe.

Although, Corsair are made of magic and Super-science™.

Lee · Post by **Lee** » July 31st, 2009, 13:01

It'll probably draw 400-500 watts maximum and I'd usually recommend getting something twice as powerful as you need, PSUs are usually most efficient around 50% and are less likely to die if you're only half loading it.

I'd say 800w minimum for that set-up even though that 620w PSU would probably be fine.

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » July 31st, 2009, 16:55

PSU efficiency is weird, but now days if you get an 80 plus certified one, they'll be pretty efficient at almost all loads they're likely to see (20%, 50% and 100%) and usually a decent PSU will be within a few percent efficiency at all of those loads.

So I'd be more inclined to run a decent lower wattage PSU now, than spending more on a massive one, as you'll only see *very* small efficiency gains, most likely not enough to cover your initial outlay.

I've had the Gonk running on a 650w PSU in the past with no problems (I wasn't comfortable with it, but nothing asploded)

http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine is worth a look to work out your PSU needs, it's pretty accurate, but I'd always buy a slightly higher model than suggested to allow for upgrades.