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New build - component advice
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17-02-2010 8:27pm#1
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Put it like this: the i3-530 is an E8400 with bells on. Its just as fast, can OC even more ludicrously fast, costs roughly the same (should be cheaper but the LGA1156 mobos are pricier) but has the advantage of HyperThreading support to make short work of some newer games and a whole load of non-gaming applications. And you can just yank it out and drop in the next-gen version of the current i5-750 when the time comes
As for that benchmark...
1. The only other mid-range CPU in that roundup was the AMD X4-630; everything else was either old or current high-end chips, some of which are nearly twice the price of the i3.
2. Crysis is a bad example as its horribly implemented and hates HT (and pretty much everything else except raw POWAH!!) so the i3 was going to get a cack result there anyway. Check out the X3 bench for a much more realistic result.
3. The results are ranked by Minimum FPS, which is jack-****-stupid :mad: Any new tech might have a clash with drivers, the game or other hardware in the build and return an anomalously low Min FPS, thus sliding down the chart for no good reason and certainly no reason that carries over to real-world performance. Even crippled by HT-Hate the i3 has better Average FPS in Crysis than its competitors old or new at stock clocks. The higher E8400 result is of course due to the massive 4.2GHz OC, and even then it gets beat out by the i3 running at "only" 3.5GHz in Average FPS! :P
Moral of the story? Until reviewers start using a statistical standard-deviation of low-FPS performance captured during a bench you're simply best off ignoring any Min FPS results; they're just single numerical points that might not even have a chance to register on the human eye in real life. I'd be more worried about the CPU that gives 25fps for half the bench than the one that gives 24fps for just a single second, but at the moment reviewers aren't telling you about that are they? :rolleyes:0 -
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Slow RAM. Plus 2GB is a bit slim nowadays, although a lot of people are being forced down this route - 4GB of cheap 1333MHz DDR3 will set you back at least €85
No expert but what about this monitor? Just a bit cheaper for a similar featurelist.
Also if the Antec 300 isn't floating your boat Pix has both the Antec 200 and the NZXT Gamma in the ~€40 range. The Gamma is arguably the nicest-looking and most expandable of the three but doesn't come with either of its top 140mm fans. The 300 is the worst for cable management, closely followed by the 200. Although the 200 is quite feature-rich it lacks a bottom grille for the PSU and the aesthetics aren't for everyone.0 -
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Fanny Cradock wrote: »I'm unsure how big a draw back not having the top 140mm fans would be
You can add one or two 120/140mm fans up top when you want, they're just not included as standard. The cable management, PSU "floor filter" and the nice odd gemetric front bezel are, though
Note that 140mm fans are expensive this side of Germany - you'd be paying €10-13 a pop instead of €5-7 on a certain other site :rolleyes: And while the cheapest 120mm fans on Komplett are over €7 at least they're quiet Zalmans with silicone mounts included! Too many fans are still being supplied with dodgy screws that are worse than useless. And getting the silicone mounts that Zalman include for free are €4+ per fan here! They're only €1 a pop on HWVS!
In any case if you're still collecting stuff from Komplett free via the pick-up-point (and you're probably picking up the wifi gear there anyway) then make sure to pick up the Samsung F3 500GB HDD there (a steal at €45!). Also, if you want a full-size ATX mobo to go with the case the Asus P7H55 is only €91 there. Of course if you want to put up with an mATX model check out the MSI H55M-E33 which is under €80 on Pix. And there's cheaper RAM on Pix too - the PNY-branded generic DDR3-10600 modules are currently €42 a pop, so getting a pair will give you 4GB of native 1333MHz (i.e. runs at 1.5V unlike the OCZ!) for under €85
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It coming together now, guys. €721 for this lot:
Just a few more questions and I hope I'll be done.
1) What are the differences between an ATX mobo and a mATX? I've gone for the Asus P7H55, but if I can save €11 on the mATX without impacting performance then I'd go with it.
2) Really basic question, but I'm a little confused about what type of internet connection I have - regular wireless or phone broadband or cable/all-in-one type ADSL. I guess I could just phone NTL about this :rolleyes:
3) With regards to the wireless PCI card, will this fit in the case with either the ATX and mATX mobos?
4) Is there any performance difference between a PCI card and a USB adapter? If not I might go with this the slightly cheaper option.0
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