PC Review - Can anyone review this specification for me?

A request for a component review on a potential new PC setup

[chrisains]

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a new PC but I'm so out of date with component technology I wanted a second opinion before I commit to buying. I'm considering the use of the following components:

AMD Phenom II X6 1090T
Crucial C33 64GB SSD
Asus M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3
4GB Mushkin DDR3 PC3-12800 Blackline
2TB Samsung Spinpoint F4
XFX ATI Radeon HD 6870

Can anyone provide any guidance on whether or not this would make a good machine? Individually the components all look like good value for money but put together would they make a good PC? I don't need a full breakdown, just a little advice for the experts!

Any advice would be superb!

Thanks in advance.

Chris

[J_RaD]

remember to run that SSD in ACHI mode.

other then that your parts all match up nicely, i say its a go!

[wheel]

You won't know what to do with all the speed. Hard to use up DDR 3 speed, or 6 processors.

You might consider bumping the ram a bit though. If I was running a windows OS I'd go with 8gigs. It shouldn't cost that much more either.

[J_RaD]

yea 4 gigs is now the low end of the stick, i don't give anyone anything without 4GB of dual chan ddr3.

unless you are going to overclocking your ram i really don't see the need to go with mushkins bad to the bone stuff.

[chrisains]

Cheers for the advice guys much appreciated! This setup is about £650 from Aria, slightly more with the extra ram. Does that sound reasonable? I shopped around a bit but couldn't find it any cheaper.

I could easily continue upping the spec but £700 is my limit realistically. I just want to be satisfied that before I buy this that it'll make my old PC look like a mobility scooter compared to a Ferrari!

My old PC btw is a 2.66Ghz P4 with 768Mb ram! lol won't take much to better that I know, but I want something which will last a few years, hence the need for USB3 etc, and hence the review request before i commit to buying it.

FYI I've already got a new Cooler Master Cosmos S Case ready and waiting for new parts :-)

[overclock3d.net...]

[J_RaD]

oh geez you are still running a P4, yea time for an upgrade! welcome to the 64 bit world :-P

um I can't quote on the prices, i'd say you are on the high side for parts alone but it seems tech parts in europe and the UK are higher priced then here in the US.

[BillyS]

Are you planning to game with that computer? That's a relatively expensive video card... compared to the other components.

I'm planning a sandy bridge build, and I'm only buying a 5770. I'm also buying a 120 - 128 gig ssd.

While I'm personally going to start with 8 gig of ram and expand to 16, I think you're okay with 4 as long as you're only using 2 slots and have room for expansion later on (to 8 gig).

Looks good, you will see a big boost in speed from your current rig. My upgrade to a SSD alone made a big difference.

[J_RaD]

yea that video card is pretty smoking haahahh def not needed unless you are going to be gaming... OR if you have some applications that will use your GPU. (very handy)

[chrisains]

Hi all,

Apologies for the delay, I've been somewhat sidelined.

Regarding the graphics card, I realise it's a bit over the top as I'm not a big gamer however I want a rig which is capable of running games if necessary.

I think I'll upgrade to 8gig ram to be on the safe side ;-) several people on other forums have mentioned that 4gig is bare minimum really and to be honest an extra 4 gig wont break the bank!

I'm also looking at a 700w PSU to replace my current 400w, and spitting the HDD's to two 1Tb instead of one 2Tb just to be on the safe side in case one fails.

Any further advice would be appreciated.

Chris

[Frank_Rizzo]

You will notice a distinct speed difference with that rig compared to what you have now. Here are a few more observations:

1. Can you wait 2/3 weeks?

The new AMD Bulldozer cores will be announced / released and this will have the effect of lowering the prices of the existing AMD line.

2. RAM is dirt cheap now. You could upgrade to 8Gb but make sure you have Windows 7 as Vista / XP won't see more than ~3.5Gb.

3. If you split the disks do not bother with RAID as you won't need the speed. Use the SSD for the O/S and the HDs for your data and apps (although you would probably be able to fit the O/S and all your apps on the SSD).

4. GFX does seem over the top if you are not a hardcore gamer. Go for something which runs cooler / has a quiet fan, say 5#*$! series.

5. PSU seems over the top. You could get away with 500W. Look on the AMD site. I think there is a page which you can use to determine best power usage for CPU, Mobo, Ram, GFX. Again go for one which is quiet.

6. The stock cooler would be fine but I would go for a third party cooler. Order the OEM chip. This would be cheaper and not come with the stock cooler. You can then choose something which is quieter.

Water cooling is so much easier now as you can buy complete sealed units for the CPU. Something like the Corsair H50 would do well but make sure it would fit in your case.


---

Sandybridge rig.

I presume you are aware of the sandubridge (cougar town) motherboard recall?

New motherboards without the flaw are now being shipped so if you are going that route make sure the mobo is revision 3 else you will have to swap it out within the next 3 months.

I have been with AMD for the past 10 years but jumped ship back to Intel purely for the overclockability of Sandybridge. It really is an amazing overclocker and excellent value for money. I was tempted to wait for Bulldozer but seeing how well the 2500K clocked I had to get one.

[J_RaD]

2. RAM is dirt cheap now. You could upgrade to 8Gb but make sure you have Windows 7 as Vista / XP won't see more than ~3.5Gb.

thats all about the 64 bit OS, not which version.... XP would see 4GB fine as long as its XP64

[chrisains]

@Frank_Rizzo great feedback! Thanks very much. Yes I can wait a few weeks. I actually just had to pay out a shed load for new car tyres as one burst which took a big lump out of the computer fund! Gotta save again now so 2/3 weeks is not unrealistic.

Thanks again!

Chris :-)

[J_RaD]

post back when you get it up and running :-)