Is there anything more I can do?

T

Technical

Member
Hi everyone,

Hopeing for some advice on the following specification and whether its sensible. I still have some room in my budget if there is anything worth bumping up or adding. It will mainly be for Ubuntu doing general tasks with a large number of applications open but I also want it to last me along time (current one is 6 years and strong) as well as being very fast and responsive.
I also need a higher spec and Windows to run specialist CAD software like AutoCAD and Autodesk's Revit etc. I have no intension of any OCing and I'm hoping just as a bonus to make choices to reduce noise.

Case
COOLERMASTER SILEO 500 QUIET MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7-2600 Quad Core (3.40GHz, 8MB Cache) + HD Graphics
Motherboard
ASUS® P8Z77-V LX: USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs, ATI®CrossFireX
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB) - Is it worth getting HyperX for what little extra it costs?
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 560 - DVI,HDMI,VGA (Special Offer)
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON HYPERX SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 555MB/sR | 510MB/sW) - I plan on wipeing the Windows installation and sticking in my current 1TB HDD to install Windows and Ubuntu across. The other option I considered is going full SSD with 240gb for performance, simplicity (only one drive) and reduced noise (hence the case).
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ TX650 V2-80 PLUS® BRONZE (£69)
Processor Cooling
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE INTEL CPU COOLER (£19)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £951.00 including VAT and delivery.

Any advice welcome,

Thanks.
 
Corfate

Corfate

Author Level
Think you've made a great spec there :)

I'd stick with the 120GB Kingston SSd like you have, then add your other 1TB HDD in :) Just make sure it's got no nasties on before you put it in your new rig and format it :p
 
T

Technical

Member
Thanks alot!
Well I'm going to wipe it and start from scratch, Ubuntu 12.04 will be out soon anyway :)
I've been looking through these forums trying to pick up some tips etc. and do have acouple of random questions I do want to ask:
1. am I correct in thinking the Windows licence isn't OEM so no hidden partition, special CD etc.?
2. Any idea what the special offer is on the GTX60 or where it lists that type of extra info?
3. Are the cases just for looks mainly, theres no significant difference between the big gaming cases and a smaller one like I have chosen for a spec such as mine?
4. I don't know much about Windows 7, what type of arrangements can you make in terms of split partitioning? I know the software I will be using for it will be very large unlike the Ubuntu stuff so I could possibly stick the software on the HDD?

Thanks.
 
Corfate

Corfate

Author Level
1. Not sure :(
2. Guessing it's just a price drop :)
3. The benefit of a bigger gaming case is the airflow really. The bigger it is, the more fans to push air through your rig, keeping the parts cooler :) The problem with these silent cases is that they have padding to keep noise down, but that has the effect of slightly warmer temps.
4. Im not sure, sorry :p I don't know an aweful lot about Windows, i mainly stick to hardware :p

Hope 2 & 3 help :p
 
T

Technical

Member
Thanks they did.
I am having some second thoughts on sacrificing airflow for noise, I'm use to noise anyway lol
What is the best gaming/airflow case? :-D
Also if I am going to forget the noise option and have the budget is it worth going for the fan controller/extra fan option? The environment I work in isn't always the coolest places to start with :-D
 
Corfate

Corfate

Author Level
Well, take a pick on the config of what case you like the look of, and i'll tell you what features for fans etc it has :p It's all personal opinion on looks :)
 
T

Technical

Member
They are all cool. I was thinking between:
InWIN Dragon Rider Black Gaming Case (but it says you can't have the fan option)
COOLERMASTER CM STORM TROOPER - because others have recommended it in other threads :-D
The Coolermaster Cosmos 1000 Case - because it looks very nice in reviews

I'm really liking the looks of this one actually (feature wise too):
BITFENIX COLOSSUS WINDOW BLACK GAMING CASE - and has the most epic official trailer ever lol
 
vanthus

vanthus

Member Resting in Peace
Technical said:
Thanks alot!
Well I'm going to wipe it and start from scratch, Ubuntu 12.04 will be out soon anyway :)
I've been looking through these forums trying to pick up some tips etc. and do have acouple of random questions I do want to ask:
1. am I correct in thinking the Windows licence isn't OEM so no hidden partition, special CD etc.?
2. Any idea what the special offer is on the GTX60 or where it lists that type of extra info?
3. Are the cases just for looks mainly, theres no significant difference between the big gaming cases and a smaller one like I have
chosen for a spec such as mine?
4. I don't know much about Windows 7, what type of arrangements can you make in terms of split partitioning? I know the software I will be using for it will be very large unlike the Ubuntu stuff so I could possibly stick the software on the HDD?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
1 The Windows OS licence from PCS is OEM.
4 With Windows7 you can use disc management to create partitions.
 
vanthus

vanthus

Member Resting in Peace
Technical said:
Oh right ok fair enough, as I expected. Any idea if it's using a hidden partition or disk? Just out of interest really...
Click to expand...
It will install a 100MB System Reserved partition which cant be deleted from within windows,
I believe it's possible to omit this partition somehow on installation of windows.
There are various methods if you google "how to delete system reserved partition"
look a bit risky to me though.
 
Last edited:
T

Technical

Member
hmmm might not include Windows and get my own full licence then...

Thanks Cofate, I saw in a video review that it has fan control on the case, does this mean there isn't much more benefit from the fan controller with fans as well?
 
T

Technical

Member
vanthus said:
I'm not certain,but I think the system reserved partition is created wether it be OEM or retail.
Click to expand...

Not too bothered about any partition's it makes, I just can't stand OEM's. Doesn't cost that much more to have a full licence I can do what I want with. Lost my last OEM lience due to hardware failure, along with other bad experiences so I'm going to avoid it this time.
 
Corfate

Corfate

Author Level
Well, the fan controller on he case will have 3 settings, low mid and high. Having a fan controller with knobs or a touchscreen will allow you to control the speed of the fans much better. Up to you really :)
 
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