Could I have your views on this built-to-order system please?

It will be used for games playing (Crysis 2, Far Cry, COD 4, C&C), digital photography, storing music, etc. I am not bothered about being seriously Uber, just having a good rig that will handle pretty much anything thrown at it, and is reasonably upgradable. Nor am I worried about having a fancy case, or glowing neon lights, etc.

Are there any weaknesses do you think, or is it a pretty decent rig?

PLEASE NOTE: I am not all that knowledgeable about hardware, so please don't get technical - plain English would be best.


6GB GeIL 1333MHz DDR3 Triple Channel Memory Kit
Full Intel i7 and X58 Support
1333MHz
CAS 9-9-9-24
6GB (3 x 2GB Sticks)

MSI X58 Pro Motherboard
Intel Core i7, Socket 1366
Intel X58 Chipset, DDR3 800/1066
Gigabit LAN

LG GH22NS40 22x DVDRW
CD Write Speed: 48x
DVDR Write Speed: 22x
DVDR DL Write Speed: +16x -12x
Black / SATA / OEM

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64 Bit SP1 With Windows 7 Upgrade (OEM)
With Vista Service Pack 1
Includes x1 Windows 7 Upgrade Voucher

650W Silverpower By Seasonic SP-SS650 Power Supply
x 1 24 Pin + P8 and P4
x 1 PCI-e 8/6 Pin
x 1 PCI-e 6 Pin
x 6 SATA
x 6 Molex
x 2 Floppy
SLi Ready / 80 PLUS Bronze Certified / 2 Year Warranty

1TB Western Digital Caviar Black 3.5" Hard Disk Drive
SATA II
7200rpm
32MB Cache
OEM - Drive Only

CoolerMaster Centurion 590 (No PSU)
RC590

Edimax Wireless LAN PCI Adapter
IEE 802.11g/b
Up to 54Mbps

Zotac GeForce GTX 275 896MB
Core Clock: 633MHz
Shader Clock: 1404MHz
Memory Clock: 2268MHz GDDR3
Stream Processors: 240

Intel Core i7-920 D0 Stepping CPU
8MB Cache
2.66 GHz
4.80 GT/s
Socket 1366

Generic Internal Multi Card Reader (Silver)
With power light & access light

Build cost: approx £1000 including build cost (£50) and warranties

 

Hi! Welcome to MGs! The only concern I would have with that system is the PSU. I've heard of Seasonic PSUs, but have had no dealings with them. So, I decided to learn more at their site. However, the PSU you listed isn't on their site and I can't find any reviews for it anywhere. My guess is that the one you're getting is a discontinued model, and there's nothing wrong with that, except for the fact that it only has a 2-year warranty whereas all the newer Seasonics have a 5-year warranty. The rest of your planned system looks good, and the only reason I brought up the PSU is because, to me, it is THE most important part of a system and one part that shouldn't be skimped on. If you buy an 'el-cheapo' PSU and if it goes south, you have the potential of being the owner of a large, expensive doorstop. Again, that's only my opinion and, hopefully, someone else may be able to shed some light on it. Good Luck

 

Welcome to Major Geeks.
Not very hardware savvy myself, but have done lots of research on the Core i7 and others.
Seems like a pretty reasonable rig you are putting together.Still some room for future improvements.
All in all, I personally liked what I say.Other opinions may vary.

 

I have no personal experience with the Seasonic brand, but I completely agree with Stubby. The PSU is not something you want to skimp on... a cheap crappy one will go out at some point in your system's life, and we all have or have heard horror stories of the exploding PSU that took out the rest of the computer when it went out in flames...

Okay, maybe not that bad. :-D

But Stubby is right, a "budget" PSU is generally not a good idea. That said, the rest of the rig is good and reliable brands so it makes sense that the PSU should follow that trend. As for what you say you want, "a good rig that will handle pretty much anything thrown at it, and is reasonably upgradable", you are definitely getting that. This is a good system. A little pricey maybe, but that might be the exchange rates... in all, you could do a lot worse.

 

Actually, Seasonic is a fine brand. Here's my canned text on selecting the proper PSU:

Use the eXtreme PSU Calculator Lite to determine your power supply unit (PSU) requirements. Plug in all the hardware you think you might have in 2 or 3 years (extra drives, bigger or 2nd video card, more RAM, etc.). Be sure to read and heed the notes at the bottom of the page. I recommend setting Capacitor Aging to 30%, and if you participate in distributive computing projects (e.g. BOINC or Folding@Home), I recommend setting TDP to 100%. Research your video card and pay particular attention to the power supply requirements for your card listed on your video card maker's website. If not listed, check a comparable card (same graphics engine and RAM) from a different maker. The key specifications, in order of importance are:

1. Current (amperage or amps) on the +12V rail,
2. Efficiency,
3. Total wattage.

Then look for power supply brands listed under the "Good" column of PC Mechanic's PSU Reference List. Ensure the supplied amperage on the +12V rails of your chosen PSU meets the requirements of your video card. Don't try to save a few dollars by getting a cheap supply. Digital electronics, including CPUs, RAM, and today's advanced graphics cards, need clean, stable power. A good, well chosen supply will provide years of service and upgrade wiggle room. I strongly recommend you pick a supply with an efficiency rating equal to, or greater than 80%. Look for the 80 Plus - EnergyStar Compliant label. And don't forget to budget for a good UPS with AVR (automatic voltage regulation).

 

Seasonic is actually a well known and respectable psu manufacturer, no doubt though a better choice would be Corsair 750W tx. Apart from that it all looks good, never heard of that RAM before but it seems ok

 

I don't doubt that... I just have no experience with it, so I can't comment on it.

No personal experience with Geil either, but they get consistently god reviews and have a reputation for quality, from what I've heard.

 

I just didn't want folks to think you were implying that Seasonics were "crappy" or explosive!

GeIL may not be as well known as Crucial, Corsair, or Kingston, but they make good quality RAM.

 

I have to echo Mimsy's thoughts about the Seasontic PSU. I have no experience with it either and the comments I made were not meant to be derogatory. Sorry if I mislead anyone. However Mimsy, I didn't realize that 'god' did reviews on RAMroflmao Sorry again, but I just could NOT resist that one:-D

 

Um, now that I re-read my post it does look a lot like Seasonic bashing. My bad. :-o They are now on my list of potential PSU brands for my next build

You didn't know God knows everything, cares about everything, and is concerned with all the little things?!? If he has time to feed every single little sparrow out there, of course he has time to review hardware for his dedicated children. He wants us to have only the very best of components in our systems... He truly does see to our every need.

And Geil buys components from the same manufacturers that Digerati mentioned, which is the most important thing to consider. That, and that they are not asking for the cheaper scrap parts that just barely passed the QA tests.