Computer System Reviews

This article contains the components for August’s £1000 system build. Any updates on prices and different components will be reflected in the related categories.

Full Computer Specification:

Component Specification:

Processor - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 2.66GHz 12M Cache :

Probably the replacement for the q6600 in the months to come, unlike the q9300 this comes with the full 12Mb of cache. Built using Intel’s new 45nm manufacturing process, this processor will use less power and will also run cooler especially under load. Especially good for overclocking!

Motherboard - Gigabyte S775 Intel P45 DDR2:

Perfect motherboard for the budding enthusiast. Can support DDR2 RAM up to speeds of 1200Mhz, has a 1600Mhz FSB, supports crossfire and also has two pci-e 2.0 x16 ports meaning that each card gets the full amount of bandwidth. Also perfect for overclocking, as the bios has everything you need for tweaking.

Graphics Card - Sapphire Technology Radeon HD4870×2:

Pretty much the strongest card out on the market at the minute. 2Gb of gDDR5, rather than 1Gb combined like you would expect. Also unlike the 3870×2, the 4870×2 is still the same speed at the singular 4870 unlike in the 3000 series where it’s individual speed for each card was reduced. An awesome graphics card, it took up pretty much the extra £100 budget, but definately worth it.

RAM - OCZ Technology 2×1GB 240DIMM PC2-8500 Reaper (x2):

1066Mhz memory, super fast, super reliable and definately super overclockable especially this ram from OCZ. It come with a proper heatsink design, watch out though as it does have some height to it. Latency comes in at 5-5-5-15.

HDD - Seagate Barracuda 7200.1 500GB:

500GB is a fairly standard amount of space nowadays, however it is still a lot of space, that is many thousands of songs and documents as well as some movies and games. Comes with 32MB of cache.

Power Supply - Corsair Memory 750W TX SERIES ATX:

This Corsair PSU has been chosen, amongst other things, because of it having 8pin pci-e power connectors. The ATI 4870×2 is a power hungry beast and needs one 6pin pci-e and one 8pin pci-e and a lot of power to run stably, so fortunately this PSU can deliver all the juice that is needed!

Case - Antec Nine Hundred:

Antec’s premier gaming case bar one. Though this has everything you will need. Plenty of space in this case, but Antec have really made sure this case can deliver in the cooling column. The power supply is mounted at the bottom, providing better air flow. There are 4 fans already installed, the ‘big boy’ 200mm case fan up top, the 120mm rear fan and two 120mm fans at the front of the case, also has placement for two extra fans as well.

DVD Drive - Optiarc (Sony/NEC) 20X DVD+/RW/12X:

Fairly cheap DVD drive, though will write DVD’s at a 20x speed.

Cpu Cooler - Zalman Heatpipe CPU cooler with quiet 110mm blue LED fan:

A big cooler, but well worth it. The cooling it provides is quite ridiculous, with reports saying it can take off at least 10 degrees of your operating temperature. Watch out whilst installing however, as the edge of fins are meant to be quite sharp.

Sound Card - Creative SoundBlaster Audigy SE 7.1 :

Definately not a professional card, but for about £15 this card will provide you with much clarity than your on board sound can manage.

Case Fan - Antec PRO 120mm DBB Fan (x3):

Cheap 120mm fan, perfect for placing a hot spot in your case to get some airflow going.

Conclusion:

Again like the £900 build, I have chosen to upgrade the graphics card rather than exchange the air cooler for a water cooling system. This system now provides pretty much the top spec on the market if you ignore Intel’s ‘Extreme’ series of processors. The 4870×2 is awesome, rips through most games, it also won’t be a slouch on any GPGPU you decide to throw at it. Watch out for heat though, as it can get extremely hot.