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Component Specification:

Processor - Intel Quad Core Q6600 2.4GHz S775:

The oldie but a goody. Intel’s old Quad Core the Q6600 still has a lot to give. Although stock clocked at 2.4Ghz, this will easily overclock near to 3.0Ghz without any problems.

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 - Gigabyte Radeon 4870 512MB:

Staying the same as last months, just from a different vendor. This version has 512Mb of gDDR5, which is clocked at a blazing fast 3.6Ghz and has a core speed of 750Mhz.

RAM - OCZ Technology 2×1GB PC2-6400 DDR2 (x2):

This memory is rated at CAS latency of 4-4-4-15, and at a speed of 800Mhz. This is from OCZ’s platinum range, their highest rated memory range. As such it comes with very low timing, good reliability and very good potential overclocking ability. With this build 4Gb of total system memory is included.

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 - OCZ Technology StealthXStream 600W :

OCZ’s philosophy with this PSU is silence and efficiency. So with 600W we have enough power in order to deal with this system’s configuration. It has four +12V rails, each with a maximum of 18 Amps, so you will definitely get all the continuous power you need. All the cables are fully sleeved also.

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 onboard sound can manage.

Case Fan - Antec PRO 120mm DBB Fan :

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

Conclusion:

Not much difference in regards to last months, apart from the P45 motherboard, which has featured heavily in this months reviews and the only addition being the case fan as there was some money going spare at the end.

Component Specification:

Processor - Intel Quad Core Q6600 2.4GHz S775:

The oldie but a goody. Intel’s old Quad Core the Q6600 still has a lot to give. Although stock clocked at 2.4Ghz, this will easily overclock near to 3.0Ghz without any problems. From last month’s PC we get the two added cores over the E8400. We loose some cache per core, however with a little overclock we can easily overcome the performance hit. This is now a great value processor.

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.

I have chosen to spend the remaining budget on this motherboard rather than a better graphics card because as the market stands today, there is no card that beats the ATI 3850 until we reach the realms of £170, which is far to much for our budget. So the remaining money went on this rather wonderful motherboard!

Graphics Card - Gigabyte Radeon 4850 512MB:

This month the prices on the new ATI Radeon cards have stabilized a bit more, allowing us to jump from the 3850 to the 4850. A ridiculous jump in processing power.

RAM - OCZ Technology 2×1GB PC2-6400 DDR2 (x2):

This memory is rated at CAS latency of 4-4-4-15, and at a speed of 800Mhz. This is from OCZ’s platinum range, their highest rated memory range. As such it comes with very low timing, good reliability and very good potential overclocking ability. With this build 4Gb of total system memory is included.

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 - OCZ Technology StealthXStream 600W :

OCZ’s philosophy with this PSU is silence and efficiency. So with 600W we have enough power in order to deal with this system’s configuration. It has four +12V rails, each with a maximum of 18 Amps, so you will definitely get all the continuous power you need. All the cables are fully sleeved also.

Case - Antec BLACK THREE HUNDRED:

With the increase of price of the processor and graphics card, some components have had to be downgraded, the case is one of those. It is replaced with the less design orientated Antec Three Hundred. This case however is still a very good buy, as it still provides ample space for cooling. Two fans are installed on this case, the top mounted 140mm fan and the rear mounted 120mm fan. There are three extra fans mountings, one on the side and two at the front of the case.

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

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

Cpu Cooler - OCZ Vendetta 2:

Another component that has had to be swapped out is the Vendetta 2 heatsink, with the old Vendetta heatsink. Slightly older technology and a smaller fan the older Vendetta obviously won’t be as good as cooling as the new version, however at £13 odd pounds, it is great value and fits the budget space perfectly.

Conclusion:

Some price changes have definately changed this build, luckily none of the main components have changed, so performance wise it is still that same, cooling and design have been the areas that have been hit.

Component Specification:

Processor - Intel Quad Core Q6600 2.4GHz S775:

The oldie but a goody. Intel’s old Quad Core the Q6600 still has a lot to give. Although stock clocked at 2.4Ghz, this will easily overclock near to 3.0Ghz without any problems. From last month’s PC we get the two added cores over the E8400. We loose some cache per core, however with a little overclock we can easily overcome the performance hit. This is now a great value processor.

Motherboard - Gigabyte S775 Intel P35 ATX:

Middle of the range Intel motherboard, comes with support for Intel’s new 45nm Processors and has a 1333Mhz FSB. Also supports up to 1066Mhz DDR2 RAM. Only has one PCI-e Card slot, so if you were thinking of having a crossfire system, you would be better off looking at another board. However in this price range, having a dual card setup would prove to be too expensive.

Graphics Card - Gigabyte Radeon 4850 512MB:

This month the prices on the new ATI Radeon cards have stabilized a bit more, allowing us to jump from the 3850 to the 4850. A ridiculous jump in processing power.

RAM - OCZ Technology 2×1GB PC2-6400 DDR2 (x2):

This memory is rated at CAS latency of 4-4-4-15, and at a speed of 800Mhz. This is from OCZ’s platinum range, their highest rated memory range. As such it comes with very low timing, good reliability and very good potential overclocking ability. With this build 4Gb of total system memory is included.

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 - OCZ Technology 500W STEALTHXSTREAM:

OCZ’s philosophy with this PSU is silence and efficiency. So with 500W we have enough power in order to deal with this system’s configuration. It can deliver 36A on the 12v rail, so plenty of power for continuous usage. All the cables are fully sleeved also.

Case - Antec BLACK THREE HUNDRED:

Antec’s entry gaming case, however still provides ample space for cooling. Two fans are installed on this case, the top mounted 140mm fan and the rear mounted 120mm fan. There are three extra fans mountings, one on the side and two at the front of the case.

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

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

Cpu Cooler - Stock Cooler

In order to keep this build under budget with the increase of other components prices, the CPU cooler has had to be cut. The stock cooler will definately do the job, it even will cope with alittle overclocking, however if you want to try anything serious, it would be best to lay off until a proper cooler can be bought.

Conclusion:

Increase in prices has caused the cpu cooler to be dropped, however apart from that it is the same computer as last month’s and so it is a very capable machine!

Component Specification:

Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 S775 2.66GHz:

This intel processor is still from reduced cache family of the new 45nm Dual Cores, however it is about 0.1Ghz faster than last months. Comes with 4Mb of Cache.

Motherboard - Gigabyte S775 Intel P35 ATX:

Middle of the range Intel motherboard, comes with support for Intel’s new 45nm Processors and has a 1333Mhz FSB. Also supports up to 1066Mhz DDR2 RAM. Only has one PCI-e Card slot, so if you were thinking of having a crossfire system, you would be better off looking at another board. However in this price range, having a dual card setup would prove to be too expensive.

Graphics Card - Gigabyte Radeon 4850 512MB:

This month the prices on the new ATI Radeon cards have stabalised a bit more, allowing us to jump from the 3850 to the 4850. A redicolous jump in processing power.

RAM - OCZ Technology 2×1GB PC2-6400 DDR2:

This memory is rated at CAS latency of 4-4-4-15, and at a speed of 800Mhz. This is from OCZ’s platinum range, their highest rated memory range. As such it comes with very low timing, good reliability and very good potential overclocking ability.

HDD - 320Gb Samsung Spinpoint:

320GB is alot of space, that is many thousands of songs and documents aswell as some movies and games. Comes with standard 16MB of cache.

Power Supply - Gigabyte SUPERB 460W PSU:

Gigabyte are generally known for their Motherboards, however this PSU from them is not a bad choice. The 460W is definately going to be sufficient to run the components in this case.

Case - Asustek BLACK/SILVER MIDI CASE:

Redicously cheap case, also has a small footprint with it being a midi case. Also has a tool-less design for easy installation. You get what you pay for though, as the build quality is not the best. However a case for just over £15 you can’t really complain.

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

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

Cpu Cooler - OCZ Vendetta:

Not the best air cooler out there on the market, however provides a better cooling solution than the stock fan. Having the fan not mounted align with the CPU, allows for better airflow through the case and better cooling in general.

Conclusion:

More overbudget this month, increase in processor price pushed the system a bit of out budget. So slightly less value for money than last month’s, but still the same performance.

With all this worry about google collecting your search habits whilst searching, there is some worry about what Chrome could potentially do, as it would capture you whole Internet experience. Do not worry however, Matt Cutts - a member of google’s webspam team, wrote on his blog about what information is sent to google.

Well the answer is pretty much nothing, the only thing that goes is the search hints when you type in an url, but you can use another search engine or turn them off completely! The software is completely open-source as well, so if you are so inclined you could take a look yourself and settle your nerves that way.

For developers Chrome has a lot of utility straight from outside the box. You can view the source like pretty much all Web browsers, this pops out into another tab where everything is colour coded, much like you would expect from an IDE(Interactive Developer Environment).

It also contains two other options, which are pretty awesome - The JavaScript console and debugger. Pretty powerful tools to be included as standard and I am definitely going to be using the next time I do some javascript work!

If you fancy the download, click here.

Component Specification:

Processor - AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 6000+:

This dual core processor is rated at 3.0Ghz stock, and has 2mb of cache. It can definately keep up with the Intel CPU’s, with this processor being a comparable standard to an Intel E6600. Whilst this AMD chip may not have a similar amount of headroom as an intel chip for overclocking, there is still some breathing room for overclocking.

Motherboard - MSI K9A2 CF-F AMD 790X:

Middle of the range AM2 motherboard, contains all standard features: 6USB ports, front audio, PCI-E x16. Also supports up to 1066Mhz RAM, with correct BIOS.

Graphics Card - Radeon HD 3850 512MB:

With the introduction of the new range of graphics cards, the older generations prices have been cut drastically. So in this build we can see that the 8600GT has been swapped out for a ATI 3850, which is in my opinion is a much better card.

RAM - OCZ Technology 2×1GB 240DIMM PC2-6400 DDR2:

An upgrade from last month value RAM, to full spec 800Mhz DDR2 RAM. Timings are 4-4-4-15 and coming from OCZ’s Platinum range we can be sure of it’s stability, reliability and overclocking potential.

HDD - 500Gb Samsung Spinpoint:

A complete step up from last month, a dip in the processor price has meant that a 500Gb HDD can be used, so that is an extra 140Gb this month! 500Gb is alot of space, that is many thousands of songs and documents aswell as some movies and games. Comes with standard 16MB of cache.

Power Supply - Gigabyte SUPERB 460W PSU:

Gigabyte are generally known for their Motherboards, however this PSU from them is not a bad choice. The 460W is definately going to be sufficient to run the components in this case.

Case - Asustek BLACK/SILVER MIDI CASE:

Redicously cheap case, also has a small footprint with it being a midi case. Also has a tool-less design for easy installation. You get what you pay for though, as the build quality is not the best. However a case for just over £15 you can’t really complain.

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

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

Cpu Cooler - Stock Cooler:

The stock cooler, is well the stock cooler. Not the best in the world but will keep your CPU cool, if the need for any overclocking arises expect your CPU to get hot, or buy a new cooler!

Conclusion:

A cheaper processor has meant that high spec system memory can be added rather than using the value RAM from before. The hard drive has also been upgraded from 320Gb to 500Gb.

For part of my third year Computer Science project I need to use CUDA, however although Nvidia provide extensive documentation and a very active forum, I never found a tutorial that explained everything from a very simple point of view, so I stumbled blindly around until I found an approach that worked!

Well today I have just found a blog, namely Parralel Panorama that would have been incredably useful a few weeks ago. This blog concentrates on GPGPU as a whole, but also has a collection of the best CUDA tutorials I have seen on the internet.

So if you are interested in starting up with CUDA and unleashing the power of your graphics card for everyday processing tasks head over to the first tutorial.

Full Computer Specification:

Component Type	Component Name	Price(£)
Processor	AMD PHENOM 9550 AM2+ 2.2GHz 4MB CACHE	118.96
Motherboard	Gigabyte AM2 AMD RS780G DDR2	58.24
Graphics Card	Graphics Card Integrated ATI Radeon HD3200 graphics	N/A
RAM	Kingston ValueRAM 2×1GB 240-Pin DIMM PC2-6400	28.59
Hard Disk Drive	Maxtor Diamondback 500GB	42.28
Power Supply	Supplied with Case	N/A
Case	Asustek TM250 Mini Tower ATX 400W	31.33
DVD Drive	LG 20x DVD+/-RW	16.45
CPU Cooler	Stock Cooler	N/A
Total Price (£):	295.85

Component Specification:

Processor - AMD PHENOM 9550 AM2+ 2.2GHz 4MB CACHE:

You may be wondering why a phenom is here rather than a AMD X2 or a core 2 duo. The reasoning behind this is because of the increased number of cores. Being a workstation, multitasking is going to be key, so having a system that can keep up with 4-5 simultaneous running applications, rather than pushing out the fastest benchmarks is going to be key, hence why this phenom has been chosen. This phenom also is very power efficient, a definite plus with rising electricity prices.

Specs:
Clock Speed: 2.2Ghz
Cache: 4Mb (L2 + L3)
Socket AM2+
HyperTransport 3

Motherboard - Gigabyte AM2 AMD RS780G DDR2:

This Gigabyte board has all the features needed for a workstation, the most notable is the onboard 3200 ATI graphics. Has all the connectivity that a good workstation need, USB, Firewire and gigabit ethernet.

RAM - Kingston ValueRAM 2×1GB 240-Pin DIMM PC2-6400:

This is low rated RAM 800Mhz, with CAS ratings of CL5. However with a work machine overclocking should not be one of the first considerations, so this RAM will easily suffice, especially as it is quite cheap.

HDD - Maxtor Diamondback 500GB:

This hard drive is large enough to store many thousands of songs, documents or games or movies. It also has a large 32MB cache, which will increase performance over models with 16MBs.

Case - Asustek TM250 Mini Tower ATX 400W:

A small footprint case, perfect for a workstation, but with enough cooling and vents to ensure that components inside don’t get cooked. Includes own power supply to keep cost down.

DVD Drive - LG 20x DVD+/-RW:
Fairly cheap DVD drive, though will write DVD’s at a 20x speed.

Conclusion:

This article has managed to lay out the components needed to provide an under £300 workstation, that is also quite powerful with it’s Quad Core AMD processor. This is pretty special as a few years ago with this budget your options were extremely limted in what was available in the market.

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.