Gaming rig
 

My brother is looking for a new system, mostly to play games (as for his schoolwork his old XP1800+ should suffice ;-)).

Based on the tweakers buyers guide, I came up with this:
+ a 250GB HD (I have spare)
(he already bought monitor, mouse, keyboard recently)


Some questions:
- can he get more bang for his bucks?
- What about the power supply? I currently have the same case for my rig, and I'm pretty happy with it.
- How about the motherboard? Good choice? The system probably won't be overclocked any time soon.
- what about CPU cooling? It would be nice to have it quiet.
- same for graphic card cooling: what cooler to use if we would go for passive cooling?

Thanks

More bang for the buck will be hard mate... I own an E7400 and it truly rocks, pretty happy with it (so far) as it runs 4ghz with 8 x 500... but that's not ya thing ( for now :p )

I would buy a simple case like an Antec 300 and and a more decent PSU (eg OCZ Modstream 600 pro) they don't cost that much, but the rig will be better ventilated and the PSU will be powerfull enough to power better hardware in the future...

Don't go passive on these gfx cards that's looking for trouble mate... the stock CPU cooler is more than powerfull enough for stock and very light OC's...

For the rest it will be a nice rig that will power most 19 - 22 monitors

yup, that config is pretty much dead on; better bang/buck almost impossible.
CPU Cooler: anything Tower with 120mm fan :)
VGA cooler: passive not possible with HD 4870, unless you go exotic. best bet and most affordable http://arctic-cooling.com/catalog/pr...ath=2_&mID=105 with turbo module

About the PSU: isn't 600W overkill?
I mean: this computer will probably not (ever) be upgraded (maybe slight OC after a while).
A 600W PSU on the other hand, will probably work less efficient than the (80+) 380W PSU, no? (PSUs work more efficiently when their max capacity is reached).

Ofcourse, if he decides to add a second (second hand) HD4870,t hen he would indeed need a more powerfull PSU.. Mmmmh....



MOD: I can't seem to find the 600W OCZ, what about the 500W model? Sufficient to support this system + a second HD4870 in the future?

ATI HD 4870 is power guzzler , would at least take 500W, Corsair 500W is pretty quiet, Coolermaster too, should look around €50-60 mark for good quality

I don't look at wattage I prefer good amperage above wattage
Here are some OCZ models

OCZ PSU's

- The vidcard: is the Saphire 512MB ok (http://www.sapphiretech.com/us/produ...w.php?gpid=245)? How about the noise of the cooler: anybody any experince?
I know most boards are reference-built, but still some differences may apply. What about the 1Gb version?

- The PSU: the list:
CoolerMaster Silent Pro M500 = 86EUR
CoolerMaster Real Power M520 520W Modular = 60EUR
OCZ ModXStream 500W = 63EUR
Corsair CMPSU-550VX/BULK 550W = 73EUR

So I guess I'll go for the CM RealPower or OCZ modXstream. Both are modular (+)500W PSUs, any reasons to choose one above the other?
Apparently the CM can deliver 19A on the 3 12V rails, while the OCZ can 'only' deliver 18A on 2 12V rails.
So I guess the CM 520W wins the race? Cheaper, 'better' specs, silent, quality..
http://www.coolermaster.com/products...detail&id=2685
http://www.ocztechnology.com/product...o_power_supply


What about the OS? Should I go for Vista? 32bit vs 64bit?

(Yes, I really want his system to be perfect ;-))

If he intends to game on a 22" or higher monitor the 1gb vidcard will have some more headroom for texture handling etc... if his monitor is maxed out at sub 1600 res go with the 512... ( you will always find new games that put any Gfx crd on their knees so a good setup of the games detail and IQ might be required anyway)

Both PSU's should do fine (I prefer to have some more headroom, eg my 600W Modstream ran my I7 rig at 3.8Ghz beautifully with an GTX 285 till the mobo went down) Think the Coolermaster also gives 5 years of warranty instead of 3 for the OCZ...

As you are intending to use 4Gb of ram go 64bit OS

and your friend can be lucky he has ya !

looks like a nice aftermarket cooler, should offer good performance/noise balance

Brother ;-)



Because of the 4GB RAM I was indeed thinking of a 64bit OS. However, what about compatibility? Drivers? Stability? I suppose Vista will 'emulate' 32bit for 32bit applications/games?
Is it ok to get Vista, or is it advised to stay with XP for a little longer?


He recently bought a 19" TFT (that's here to stay), so I guess the 512MB will suffice.