New machine - thoughts please

[Rakk]

Hiya,

Well, I've spent all evening trying to decide what I want in my new machine, after grabbing advice from a friend and looking at some stuff in various places (which actually only served to confuse me more since I don't know much about hardware), I think I've decided what sounds like a good idea.

My main use of this machine will be to play EQ2 - Everquest2 (ok, so the game is nearly 5 years old now so doesn't use lots of new and funky stuff - but you never know, EQ3 might do ) with a dual monitor set up (one for the game, one for everything else)

My previous PC from here has lasted about 3 years (E6600 CPU, 8800GTS NVidia card (used to have 2, now only 1), 3GB RAM), so was hoping this would too.

So, anything in this selection that sounds like a stupid idea that I should reconsider? Also is the cooling and/or power supply I've picked overkill?


Case PCS MAELSTROM T900 BLACK GAMING CASE (£59)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-930 (2.80GHz) 4.8GTs/8MB Cache
Motherboard ASUS® P6X58D-E: DDR3, USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, 3-Way SLI
Memory (RAM) 6GB CORSAIR XMS3 TRI-DDR3 1600MHz (3 X 2GB)
Graphics Card 768MB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX460 GDDR5 PCI EXPRESS - DirectX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk 250GB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 4x BLU-RAY ROM DRIVE, 16x DVD ROM (£40)
Memory Card Reader INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)
Power Supply & Case Cooling 600W Quiet 80 PLUS Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£59)
Processor Cooling COOLIT ECO A.L.C (ADVANCED LIQUID COOLER) (£62)
Sound Card ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

And if that's sounds good, another query for you PCS guys, do you do any kind of air filter for intake fans, I ask this cos I live in a small flat, where the kitchen is right next door to my main room where the PC is, with a doorway but no door, so my current PC has an awful lot of sticky dust in it (that's what killed one of my graphics cards), and the air duster doesn't seem to budge it, so I was wondering if I could stop it getting in in the first place.

Thanks,

Rakk.

 

[Gorman]

Hello Rakk,

If ventilation is an issue i would advise against the Maelstrom and go for a Sileo, CoolerMaster Elite 310 or Trident Case.

They don’t have filters but they have defined intake / output vents which can be kept clear with regular maintenance. And that’s the key really, opening it up and cleaning it out once a month or so.

I would ditch the water-cooling unless you have a specific plan to overclock and keep the PSU at a 600w minimum, if budget allows go for the corsair. I may seem to say that a lot but the difference does show in gaming rigs.

If debris getting into the case is a real problem i can always show you the old school method of using tights as a fan filter!

 

[Zeplini]

Hi Rakk,

pretty much what Gorman said and i would add after years of keeping my PC close to the floor i now keep the main unit on a set of draws which are high up, it makes life a little nosier but i never have to clean the PC out anymore and collects hardly any dust, which use to be a big problem for me in this old house as well.

 

[Rakk]

<Some minutes after reading the responses, after I've been running a duster over the vents in my Trident case I current have, and innocently whistling .....>

Ok, so if I ditch the water cooling, and go down to the 'TITAN FENRIR EXTREME DIRECT TOUCH COPPER CPU COOLER (£39)' instead, change to the 'CORSAIR 650W PSU (TX650) 80+ ULTRA QUIET (£79)', and change the case to the 'COOLERMASTER ELITE 310 BLUE CASE + 2 FRONT USB', it comes out slightly cheaper .

So hows it look now?

I'll see if I can find a home for my box not on the floor, cos that's where it currently is, though it might involve some moving stuff around (or chopping off about a foots worth of my sofa - but that's not really very high on my list of good ideas)

 

[Gorman]

So hows it look now?

Like a solid little rig!

PS, it really works!!

Source

 

[Rakk]

Hehe, I guess I'll have to go find some cheap tights to buy.

And then I'll do an awful lot of faffing about (I always do when spending money) before ordering.

Quick question about the 'COOLERMASTER ELITE 310 BLUE CASE', does it have nice quick release latches for the side panel (the current case I have does) - this is probably quite important given I'm going to have to try to dust it more often that I have been on my current one - unless I manage to get the tights air filter working. Also will everything in my list above fit?

 

[Rakk]

Well, since the new GTX460 1 Gig version is out, here's my revised plan:

Case COOLERMASTER ELITE 310 BLUE CASE + 2 FRONT USB
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-930 (2.80GHz) 4.8GTs/8MB Cache
Motherboard ASUS® P6X58D-E: DDR3, USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, 3-Way SLI
Memory (RAM) 6GB SAMSUNG DDR3 TRI-DDR3 1333MHz (3 X 2GB)
Graphics Card 1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX460 GDDR5 PCI EXPRESS - DirectX® 11
1st Hard Disk 250GB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 4x BLU-RAY ROM DRIVE, 16x DVD ROM (£40)
Memory Card Reader INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)
Power Supply CORSAIR 650W PSU (TX650) 80+ ULTRA QUIET (£79)
Processor Cooling TITAN FENRIR EXTREME DIRECT TOUCH COPPER CPU COOLER (£39)
Sound Card ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB Options 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Warranty 3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, Lifetime Tech Support) (£5)
Delivery SATURDAY DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (BEFORE 12 NOON) (£19)

I changed the RAM to the Samsung RAM after reading a few threads where it was claimed its more stable than the faster Corsair RAM - is that correct, was that a good idea?
I'm also wondering whether I really need a blu-ray drive is blu-ray going to be used instead of DVD's for software and such, or still just going to be used for films and such?

So hows it look?

 

[Gorman]

Looks good, Samsung is good ram so you cant go wrong there.

As for the future of blu-ray who know. I hope games dont start coming out on it, i dont have one yet!

Will definately be movies for the immediate future.

 

[Rakk]

As for the future of blu-ray who know. I hope games dont start coming out on it, i dont have one yet!

Will definately be movies for the immediate future.

Cool, may ditch the blu-ray player then - I'm the person who hasn't even watched any DVD fiilms for about a year

 

[Gorman]

ah well unless you have a big blu-ray collection i would ditch it too. Can always be added later if needed.

 

[Bandred]

Hi Rakk,

it seems like you and I are coming up with almost identical specs so comments on your build have been helpful to me too.

At the moment I've specified the Coolermaster HAF 922 case, mainly because it is reported to have dust filters. I can't say that it's my favourite for looks, but I do also prefer the positioning of the external front ports.

My only other thought on you build is the capacity of the hard drive. I would fill up 250GB in no time However, I guess that's down to how you use your PC and is something that can be added to later if needs be.

Best of luck with the rest of the process

Mike

 

[Rakk]

Hi Rakk,
My only other thought on you build is the capacity of the hard drive. I would fill up 250GB in no time However, I guess that's down to how you use your PC and is something that can be added to later if needs be.

Hehe, yeah, well, I'm currently only using 110GB on my current hard drive which is why I chose a small one

 

[Rakk]

Well, I've just ordered it

Now, I just need to wait, and hope it doesn't take too long

 

[Gorman]

Good stuff!