okay, THE BUILD

[fhasser]

So, finally. The budget is set on 700 pounds r everything - incl. monitor, kb, mouse, surge protector, etc.

Guys, please check it out, tell me if there's any bottleneck, problematic hardware, not trusted brands, not enough power (PSU), better alternatives, etc.

The parts, the links and the questions:

*MAIN PARTS*

CPU - Intel Pentium Dual Core E2180 2GHz Socket 775 800MHz FSB L2 1MB Cache Retail Box, £51,02

CPU cooling - Arctic Cooling AC-FRZ-7P Freezer 7 Pro Socket 775 Processor Cooler, £15,28

MB - MSI P35 Neo-F Socket 775 FSB1333 onboard 8 channel audio ATX, £58,95

RAM - OCZ 2GB Kit (2x1GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 CL 4-4-4-15 PLATINUM XTC, £35,00

PSU - Corsair VX450WUK 450W PSU, £47,92

HDD - Seagate 7200.10/11 320GB, ~£55,00

GPU - Inno3D 8800GT OC edition 512MB Dual DVI PCI-E Graphics Card, £166,80

*ADDITIONAL STUFF*

Case - Coolermaster CM690 Dominator Black Mid Tower Case - No PSU, £49.99

Drive - LG GSA-H55NBRL 20X DVD-RW/DL/RAM Inc Nero Beige & Black Bezels - Retail, £19,73

KB - Logitech Black Ultra-Flat Keyboard - USB/PS2, £9,99

Mouse - Logitech RX3000 Premium Optical Mouse - OEM, £9,99

Surge - Belkin Superior Series 6-Way Tel/Fax/Modem Protection SurgeMaster, £6,98

Some screwdrivers - £4,00

*MONITOR*

LG L226WTQ-SF TFT Monitor 22" 2ms 3000:1 widescreen Black/Silver DVI-D, VGA, £178,22

The total of £705,88

Q:

1. will the CPU (not OCed) bottleneck my system and if yes, what's the min. freq. I'd need to OC it to avoid that.
2. will the cpu cooler fit into my mb?

So, that's it, fire away. ALL DOUBTS AND SUGGESTIONS WELCOME.

[Vaanish]

1. You dont want a IDE optical disk drive: look to buy a SATA one instead.

2. That mobo isnt that good, this Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK is much much better and only a fraction more of the price. (BTW ebuyer had an absolutely shocking selection of mobos)

3. Yes, that cooler fits in the standard LGA775 'push pin' holes, so it will work with every LGA775 motherboard.

OC that chip to 3GHz and that system will be screaming (it should get to 3GHz on stock volts)

BTW thats a very nice keyboard, im looking to get one of those myself

[fhasser]

1. Crap, they don't have any non-OEM ones with LightScribe atm... I'll look into it, thanks and well spotted. Btw, is there going to be a speed issue or smthng with IDE?

2. What's the diff between them? I wouldn't mind taking you recommendation if I knew. Yeah, ebuyer's mb selection sucks :/.

3. I just read that with several Gigabyte and Abit boards people needed to saw off couple of mm to get it fitted properly, because of the Northbridge.

[Vaanish]

Originally Posted by fhasser

1. Crap, they don't have any non-OEM ones with LightScribe atm... I'll look into it, thanks and well spotted. Btw, is there going to be a speed issue or smthng with IDE?

2. What's the diff between them? I wouldn't mind taking you recommendation if I knew. Yeah, ebuyer's mb selection sucks :/.

3. I just read that with several Gigabyte and Abit boards people needed to saw off couple of mm to get it fitted properly, because of the Northbridge.

1. Why do you care if its OEM? I got mine OEM and it was fine. (you get SATA cables with the motherboard so you dont have to buy extra ones if you get an OEM drive) SATA is better than IDE for optical drives not for the speed difference, but because IDE cables are really massive and thick and SATA ones are very thin in comparison and its much easier to do cable managemant with them.

2. Looks much much better, more overclockable, uses better parts, much better chipset cooling, firewire, and it just will be a much better product overall.

3. If you get the NEO 2-FR then it should fit, ive got mine running on a MSI P35 Platinum which is basically the same board but with a bigger heatsink and it fits in fine.

[darksideleader]

the major differences on the boards are that neo-f has a better pipeline cooling system and has 2 pci-express slots, for crossfire if you were too buy an ATI card.

[Andyf]

Really excellent build for the money- well done! You should check out overclockers.co.uk.

There is also the P35-DS3L to consider in motherboard choices. M'afraid I know nothing about the MSI.

Good catch on the IDE, whoever it was. Definitely go SATA

[DawnOfDoom]

The only downside to sata is that the connectors between component and cable are fragile and run the risk of breaking. just be care ful with your sata plug it into the mobo first > route the cable > plugin device. this keeps you from breaking the devices connector. the motherboard has shrouds around the connecter so its good.

[Invisible]

Originally Posted by DawnOfDoom

The only downside to sata is that the connectors between component and cable are fragile and run the risk of breaking. just be care ful with your sata plug it into the mobo first > route the cable > plugin device. this keeps you from breaking the devices connector. the motherboard has shrouds around the connecter so its good.

i dont think they're fragile at all :/

[DawnOfDoom]

maybe its just the people that i've talked to that use sata.... i mean they can be brutes at times....

PS if you can find some OCZ Reapers the 4 gig set you can OC them like crazy

[fhasser]

Oh, Vaanish, thanks, I wasn't sure whether mb's come with cables already. Cool, I'll take OEM definately, save a couple of quid and put them in your recommended mb.

Andyf thanks . I don't really want to buy from overclockers - they're always overpriced apart from rare deals and I don't have spare money.

Guys, really important - will the non OCed E2180 bottleneck my GPU?

And, is the Corsair VX450W sufficient to run all that? Plus, is it modular?