I need assistance to buy a new computer [Archive]

YegaDoyai

8th February 2007, 13:27

What do you need? Computer + Monitor + Keyboard/Mouse etc

If it is 'just a box' then I reccomend the following:

Liteon DVD-8900 16x DVD±RW/RAM (Black) (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CD-062-LO) - OEM (£17.61)
Samsung SpinPoint P SP2504C 250GB SATA-II 8MB Cache (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-018-SA) - OEM (£50.51)
Connect3D ATI Radeon X1950 Pro 256MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-064-CO) - Retail (£117.49)
GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GX22GB6400UDC) (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-058-GL) (£129.24)
Intel Core 2 DUO E4300 "LGA775 Allendale" 1.80GHz (800FSB) (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-142-IN) - Retail (£112.79)
Antec SLK3800BUK Black Quiet Midi Tower Case (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-048-AN) - 400W SmartPower PSU (£70.49)
Abit IP-95 Micro ATX (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-120-AB) (£39.94)

=£549.76 inc delivery

theneoking

8th February 2007, 20:03

how come the mother board is so cheap?, i was looking at getting the e6400 processer would this processer work on that motherboard?

Sid

8th February 2007, 20:41

how come the mother board is so cheap?, i was looking at getting the e6400 processer would this processer work on that motherboard?

Because it uses the via chipset rather than the Intel 965/975 or the nForce 650, which are better.

If you can put together a complete system using a E6300 for under £540, go for it. I very much doubt you'll be able to with 2GB of RAM and a X1950 Pro.

YegaDoyai

8th February 2007, 20:45

Better is subjective, for that budget, the VIA chipset is considerably 'better' as the nvidia option could chew up 50% of his budget alone.

Sid

8th February 2007, 20:51

Better is subjective, for that budget, the VIA chipset is considerably 'better' as the nvidia option could chew up 50% of his budget alone.

They are better, though. I didn't say they were necessarily "good value". :D

theneoking

8th February 2007, 23:54

I dont need a hardrive, or a moniter,

all i need is Processor, Motherboard, Case, Ram, Graphics card

P.S I have a hard-drive with windows installed if I hook that up with this new comp will it work or do i have to buy brand new one?

YegaDoyai

8th February 2007, 23:57

no, it'll work, why don't you have a case if you have an Hdd?

theneoking

9th February 2007, 00:14

My old computer case it like a prison cell and its like impossible and very restrictive to reach the wires to everything, and there aint much room in it if ya know what i mean...

YegaDoyai

9th February 2007, 07:56

k doky, I suggest going for my original spec but choosing case/MOBO to fit budget. With a saving of £50 with you not getting the HDD you have a few options but really it would be better spent on the MOBO not the case, as the case is probably better relative quality to the current spec MOBO.

Off the top of my head I'd suggest going for the Asus P5B but I'm kinda tired and there may be better boards available at that price range.

Sid will be along shortly to correct any omisions I've made.

CaNNoN_FoDDa

9th February 2007, 12:40

I still have arctic silver peeps can borrow.

Tiberio

9th February 2007, 22:12

If you want, I have an extra PSU (Tagan Dual engine ATX2.2 500W) that you can have for a cheap price along with a Lian Li PC7 case.

theneoking

10th February 2007, 00:29

Is this computer a good buy?

http://pcs.timeuk.com/computers/power_pc/18091/61306/TIME_MACHINE_4200_W19%22_WIDESCREEN?gclid=COen_Ji1 oooCFSS_EAodyxmzpw

DAve

10th February 2007, 00:35

it's a time machine. I've had a friend that bought one and regretted it every day until he binned it. That was 3 years ago though.

The killer will be the:
Graphics - ATI Radeon 128MB PCI Express DX9.0 Integrated Graphics
That's an onboard graphics card, so is likely to be shit for games.

theneoking

10th February 2007, 00:38

How about these two?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/INTEL-CORE-2-DUO-6400-2-GB-DDR2-512MB-NVIDIA-7300GS_W0QQitemZ170079730903QQihZ007QQcategoryZ179 QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/GENCS/653/860/-/3308568/Hewlett_Packard_Pavilion_M7780_Core2Duo_E6400_Vist a_Premium_Desktop_PC/Product.html?searchtype=genre

Muppet

10th February 2007, 02:13

You're best building a custom PC. More value for money plus you get to buy EXACTLY what you want ;)

I'd recommend listening to Yega on this one. The parts he is proposing are extremely good. People are even overclocking their E4300 CPU to over 3ghz.

GingerPrinz

10th February 2007, 02:23

Yeah Yega is the authority. If for some reason you just HAVE to buy premade, at least use www.computerplanet.co.uk which lets you select the parts, and they will build it for you and ship it to you.

theneoking

10th February 2007, 15:14

oki doke then ill have a look and post up my final system later for your opinion;)

Also id like to ask about overclocking, because i aint got clue how to do it, can anyone tell me?

Right heres what Ive came up with so far..
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-039-OK
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-064-CO

Anyone know where's best to buy a case from?

theneoking

10th February 2007, 18:25

If you want, I have an extra PSU (Tagan Dual engine ATX2.2 500W) that you can have for a cheap price along with a Lian Li PC7 case.

How much for the both of them?

Tiberio

11th February 2007, 00:07

50 pounds should do it.

YegaDoyai

12th February 2007, 04:02

Don't go for the bundle deals, they rarely if ever offer what you want. Go for either the E4300, 6300 or 6600.

The 43 is the low power variant that is excellent for smaller cases or if being quiet is top priority. They clock REALLY well

The 63 is the high power of the above, in generates slightly more heat but is faster. Clocks about the same.

The 66 is the first Conroe and has double the L2 cache but come at a price premium. Well worth the money if you have it as it clocks really well too.

Memory is freqquently on special offer at overclockers and in general you are better at looking at what is on offer. As for the Gigabyte MOBO. You'll have to ask someone else, personaly I'd avoid Gigabyte in favour of ASUS/Abit.

With regards to the PSU Tiberio is offering, for £50 that is a steal so take him up on the offer before I do. As for the case, you should look into what you want in terms of style, you may not thing it makes a difference but when you take your computer to a lan people do pay attentio to it so it's nice to have one you are not embarresed about showing, or have reservations over.

Please do not buy a pre built, a little peice of my soul dies everytime someone does that.

Fyndir

12th February 2007, 05:51

With regards to the PSU Tiberio is offering, for £50 that is a steal so take him up on the offer before I do.

But do remember to clean it thoroughly of crumbs from various baked goods, Hobbits love their baked goods after all.

LastChanceHotel

12th February 2007, 14:02

I'd be interested in Tiberio's old case if you're not after it.

I think my one has seen better days!

Captain_Caveman

12th February 2007, 14:33

The Gigabyte P965 is a good solid board. The DS3 in the bundle won't clock as well as the P5W but I doubt you need it to hit the 500 FSB anyway. It did have some issues early on but the new revision sorted everything, short of buying a P5W DH or an Asus Commando (read silly money for your budget) I would heartily recommend it.

theneoking

12th February 2007, 16:02

Ok thanks for ya feedback on that, and yes i dont mind if you take the case and psu, im gonna go n buy a new one at the computer fair that comes to my town next month.

Have anyones ever shopped at this website their prices seem to be unbeatable..
http://www.tekheads.co.uk/

What type of graphics card works best to get with the e6600?
AGP?
PCI?
PCI express?
nVidia?
ATI?

Captain_Caveman

12th February 2007, 17:51

Well if you want the case Jan I will take the PSU if no one grabs it first. How much you want for it seperately Tiberio?

Sid

12th February 2007, 18:01

I've already PMed Tiberio about taking both.

Captain_Caveman

12th February 2007, 18:32

*shakes fist at Sid*

DAAAAMMMMNNNN you Sid.

:D

Oh and KKKKKKKKKHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNN!

Uuurrahh

12th February 2007, 20:05

Beware of those components. They may contain h4x.

Fyndir

12th February 2007, 20:51

Beware of those components. They may contain h4x.

Yeah, the hobbit put on a height cheat to make himself a normal size so he could use the vehicles in BF2. >=(

LastChanceHotel

13th February 2007, 01:33

Yeah, the hobbit put on a height cheat to make himself a normal size so he could use the vehicles in BF2. >=(

He also got confused while inside the elevator. "The lands of mordor are under attack!"

Uuurrahh

15th February 2007, 22:25

Don't want any of your h4x3d fucking feet hair either.

Because the server fails, this post is in response to the one below.

Tiberio

15th February 2007, 23:27

I will try and bring the case + PSU to the next lan, then let you guys fight over them :P
And I will make sure that there are no lembas bread crumbs in the case:)

theneoking

16th February 2007, 14:43

ok heres my final system!:)

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=430632
Foxconn 975X7AB
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=470203
OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) PC2-6400
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-072-OC&tool=3
256MB Sapphire Radeon X1950Pro
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=481911
Jeantech Phong II
http://www.jeantech.com/phong1.htm
530W Hiper HPU
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=408083

Total cost of £557

Uuurrahh

16th February 2007, 18:01

The name of your case amuses me. *giggle*

Muppet

16th February 2007, 20:24

Hiper Type-R PSU's are known to explode on occasion. Not sure if a Type-M will follow suit - worth googling that PSU to see if anyone else has been having problems with it. But i would suggest sticking with bigger names like Tagan, OCZ etc for better quality PSU's.

You could save a bit by getting a Gigabyte DS3 motherboard too, they both run at the same FSB and is known for good overclocking results. I've read a few threads about the foxconn and they're not known for being *great* boards. I have heard of one catching fire - 'Fire on the Foxconn' was the thread.

You sure you want to go for a E6400? Just asking incase you are thinking of overclocking or not. If you are, then you could again save a little money and get a E6300 with a decent heatsink/fan. They can quite easily reach 3ghz.

theneoking

16th February 2007, 21:11

Yeh well if i dont overclock my e6400 what will the peformance be like compared to the e6300?

Muppet

16th February 2007, 21:31

It's a difference of 1.86 to 2.13ghz i think - so there will be a little speed difference, yes, but probably not extravagant enough to notice it improving things a lot.

I never really compared my E6300 at stock against when it was o/c to 3.2ghz - but in SuperPI at least, i gained 10-15 secs to the low 18 seconds. However when it comes to games, i dont *think* it would make much of a difference to your overall FPS - still both great processors either way.

YegaDoyai

17th February 2007, 01:58

Yeah, warning flags on the case and PSU, nothing major, but far from the best for the money.

Read up on them, no reviews means they are either too new or REALLY bad.

theneoking

17th February 2007, 12:49

Muppet

17th February 2007, 15:23

Ive already got my case and its great!, Ill read up on PSU though

You no when u overclock the CPU does it decrease the processers lifetime?
If i was to overclock the e6300 what would be a sensible frequency to increase to?

You say the motherboard i picked isnt a good choice so comparing with this one which is better?
ASUS P5N32-SLI
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=443854
OR
Foxconn 975X7AB
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=470203

Out of those 2, definately the ASUS motherboard.

I guess overclocking a CPU can decrease its lifetime, but the c2d range is excellent and is known for its great overclocking abilities. So i can only assume that these things will last a good 3-5 years. If i remember correctly, doesn't the retail versions come with a 3 year warranty anyway? Just don't tell them you've been overclocking if there is a problem ;)

A moderate overclock on a e6300 could be anywhere from 2.13 (e6400 speed) to 2.67ghz (e6700 speed). Pushing past the 2.8ghz range and into the 400fsb range normally requires quite a bit more voltage to pass through before an even more significant improvement is seen (well this is the case for most DS3 motherboard - they have a so called 'weak spot' roughly around 415-430fsb). With the increased voltage comes increased heat, so with stock cooler on the e6300 you should be fine up to 2.4ghz, maybe even 2.8 if theres a good contact on the heatsink.

theneoking

17th February 2007, 16:06

Muppet

17th February 2007, 16:17

Hmm ok then thanks for the help stuart:o

Just some more questions for you though:confused:
What Motherboard are you using with ur e6300?
Do u get good peformance on games with it when its not been overclocked?

I'm currently using the Gigabyte DS3 and running at 450+ fsb with a big ass heatsink and fan.

At stock, the e6300 is still an extremely great CPU and runs all the games i play (CSS, BF2, CoH etc) at full whack (with a o/c 7800GTX) at awesome FPS. So yes, great performance - even at stock :) But if you are weary of overclocking and would rather get a faster stock clock speed, then go for what your money can buy.

theneoking

18th February 2007, 22:28

I'm currently using the Gigabyte DS3 and running at 450+ fsb with a big ass heatsink and fan.

At stock, the e6300 is still an extremely great CPU and runs all the games i play (CSS, BF2, CoH etc) at full whack (with a o/c 7800GTX) at awesome FPS. So yes, great performance - even at stock :) But if you are weary of overclocking and would rather get a faster stock clock speed, then go for what your money can buy.

Well on the basis of all what you said i think I will just stay with the
e6400
ASUS P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe
OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB)
X1950Pro 256MB
& 530 Watt PSU(not sure on which yet)

Thanks for the advice M8