Hi all,

This is going to be my first build, so need all your help. I have selected the components which will allow for some overclocking. Not too sure which mobo to get, the only other ones which come to mind are the Gigabyte X48-DQ6 or DS4. Reason for X48 is I'll probably want Crossfire at some point (full 16x speed on both pcie's):


CPU : Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping

COOLER : Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme

MOBO : Asus Rampage Formula Intel X48

RAM : Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500C5 or Corsair XMS2 Dominator PC2-8500C5

PSU : Corsair 650W TX Series

CASE : Antec P182 Advanced Super Mid Tower

VIDEO: Sapphire HD 4850 512MB PCI-E2.0


I would appreciate any suggestions for my build or alternative components with similar performance, also will these components fit in the case and is the CPU cooler going to be easy to fit (I know on one of the Gigabyte boards you have to take off the copper cooling plates from the bottom).

also add to list:

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F1 500GB x2, RAID 1.

All alright, only some comments
Get minimum 750W PSU
Get OCZ Freeze Eztreme thermal compound
Get 120MM Sythe fan for your HS(Look at my sig)

I totally agree with kad.. you seem to have budget and might want to crossfire later so get a 750w psu

first things first. I pretty much build pcs for a living, and there are some suggestions that i have for you. first off, i would skip the quad core and go straight for a Core 2 Duo 3.0 GHz 45nm, 1333MHz FSB processor. It is cheaper and better performance. Second thing; you have no hard drive listed so i would get one Third, I would stick with the ASUS motherboard but not that particular model. That model won't give your graphics card the power to run at 100%. Even though they are PCI x 16, they aren't x16 2.0. So i would get a motherboard from ASUS that supports PCI Express x16 2.0 which will give that graphics card a huge boost in performance. Lastly, I would not upgrade your power supply to a 750 watt. 650 is plenty, and if anyone else knows, the 4850 is a very powerful card and you won't need a second one. It will run everything you need and want without the need for a second. One tip of advice though. The 4850 is very hot. It will heat up your case to an extreme. So either buy a ton of fans, or save an extra $100 and buy a 4870 which will creamate everything on the market for only $309. So if anyone has any questions, please email sleek_customs@yahoo.com. ^^

I'm pretty sure that X48 supports PCIe x16 2.0...? Doesn't it? Pretty sure all x38 AND x48 chipsets have the Pcie 2.0... at least the newer ones

The mobo is fine and so is the quad. Quit advertising your business on toms. I agree with the 750W if you plan to crossfire. The quad will definitely benefit if you convert videos, etc. It doesn't hurt to go with the quad considering what the price is.

I think I would pick a VisionTek 4850 over Sapphire since Visiontek has a lifetime warranty on their cards where as Sapphire only has a 2 year warranty.

I have had a Sapphire card for almost 2 years and they will not even return my emails through their website.

AND THEY TRIED TO SCREW ME ON THE REBATE! Sapphire had this deal with 411rebates where you have to fill out a form AND register the rebate on a 411rebates website. The homepage on the website says "411 REBATES WHERE CUSTOMER SERVICE RULES!" and it has a picture of a phone operator with a headset on. Yet there is not a single phone # listed on anywhere on that website and all interactions have to be done by email.

When I bought my new system I received my rebates from MSI, OCZ, and Coolermaster the following month. 15 WEEKS LATER I STILL DID NOT GET A REBATE FROM SAPPHIRE. And I was suppose to have it no later than 14 weeks. I emailed 411 rebates and they gave a sorry excuse saying they can't be held responsible for stuff lost in the US MAIL. That was a valid excuse from the 1950s until the mid 1980's but with today's computerized mail systems mail just does not get lost any more.

Anyhow I called their buff and got my rebate 5 weeks after that. The hassle was not worth the $20 bucks I got and I will never be buying from Sapphire again. 20 weeks for 20 bucks and I had to track it all the way.

Plus Sapphire's website slow and inferior to Visiontek's in lay out and design. And Sapphire's tech support (Though Good) is farmed out to another company and there are normally long wait times to get through.

Next time I upgrade it will likely be with Visiontek or I will get an ATI card with an Ice-Q Turbo cooler from HIS.

By the way the ICE-Q cards from HIS will be coming out the end of July.

OK guys, thanks for all your input this is my final spec, going to order by the end of next week, any final thoughts.

Changes from original specs:

1) HDD changed from Samsung as i've read a lot of reports of drive failures.
2) PSU has been changed as the Corsair isn't modular plus needed 750W
3) CASE changed as i wanted a side window (any alternatives within a similar price range would be appreciated)

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz 95W G0 Stepping (Retail 775)

MOBO: ASUS Rampage Formula Republic of Gamers Series - motherboard - ATX - iX48

VIDEO: Gainward ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail

MEMORY: Crucial BL2KIT12864AA80A 2GB kit (1GBx2), Ballistix 240-pin DIMM

PSU: Thermaltake 750W Toughpower Cable Management SLI PSU

CASE: Antec 900 - Nine Hundred Ultimate Gamer Case

CPU COOLER: Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme

CASE: Noctua NF-S12 1200RPM 120mm Silent Case Fan - 3 Pin

HDD: 500 GB Western Digital WD5000AAKS Caviar SE16, SATA 300, 7200 rpm, 16MB Cache, 8.9 ms

TOTAL PRICE: £730

Just a few more queries;

will the case be adequate for the components (CPU cooler is quite large)?
Is the PSU a good choice (reliabilty/efficiency)?
Im still not sure about the HDD, possible alternatives?