Help, looking to Build/Buy a PC

[Guest RB26DETT]

second link doesn't work.

 

if i were you, i'd get a full tower case like an Antec 1200 or Thermaltake Armour for maximum airflow and space. ;)

[Nodz86]

second link doesn't work.

 

if i were you, i'd get a full tower case like an Antec 1200 or Thermaltake Armour for maximum airflow and space. ;)

 

Strange link works for me.

 

I'll google them later and see what they are like

[Guest RB26DETT]

since I'm bored:

 

Thermaltake Shark

http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=763575

 

Thermaltake Armour

http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=763582

 

Antec 1200

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143852

[Nodz86]

That Antec 1200 was on my shortlist before I narrowed it down (mainly went by looks and lights).

 

So whats the difference between them ones and the ones I've put?? They all seem to be roughly the same size give or take a few mill

[Guest RB26DETT]

nope. the one's you linked are just mid-towers. full-towers are taller and longer.

[Nodz86]

nope. the one's you linked are just mid-towers. full-towers are taller and longer.

 

Ahh k, I'll have to have a measure up and see how much room I've got to accomadate one.

[Guest RB26DETT]

alright. :)

[Nodz86]

nope. the one's you linked are just mid-towers. full-towers are taller and longer.

 

Taller is ok (but would 100mm make much difference), but longer is a problem, I can go to 500mm depth tops, (thats with 120mm over hang on my desk). Width is not a problem neither.

 

I would go for a bigger one but space and funds are limited and as they are bigger and are double or even treble the price then I think they are out the question tbh.

 

So I'm probably goin to go for the XION II just unsure whether to get blue or green.

[pyrre]

Yeah, you don't necessarily need full tower. I have a case that's about the same size as the Xion II and there's at least enough room for me.

 

And googlproxer, why not ASUS for video card? From what I've heard they're good and I don't have anything to complain about them. Also I would say avoid Sapphire for video cards.

[Nodz86]

I've updated the 1st post as it looks like I'm going down the self build route now.

 

I'm going to post next to the ones with a blank how much I'll be willing to spend when I get chance but all recomandations welcome.

 

Edit:

Stupid question why is Vista ultimate http://www.ebuyer.com/product/123047 £90 cheaper than Vista Premium http://www.ebuyer.com/product/123057??

[Iced_Bullet]

2 versions of OSs

 

OEM and Retail. OEM has the same "software" as the retail, except it doesn't come in the fancy box and doesnt have any warranty. With the Retail version, you get the MS support and manual (even I didn;t need that!) and fancy box. Also, you can't swap the OS to another PC. You can update everything on the PC except the Mobo keeping the OS still registered, but as soon as the mobo is upgraded, MS assumes it is a new PC and cancels your OS registation and it doesn't work. Whereas you don't have those problems with Retail.

 

I opted for OEM Vista Home Premium for £60 as it's 1/3 of the price of Retail as a) I wont be updating my mobo any time soon and b) if something goes wrong I'll just buy another as it;s cheaper still.

[HavockJoker]

Thermaltake case, all the way. One of the best case makers out today.

[Guest RB26DETT]

lol. MAXISHINE! he has both the Armor and I think the Shark too IIRC. Me and King are Maxishine disciples. O_O

 

changed my mind about the HDD's and i'm really sure on the PSU i originally suggested since i really have no clue what a good PSU is.

 

 

Mobo

 

Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R, iP45 Express, S775, PCI-E 2.0x16, DDR2 1066/1200/800, SATA II, SATA RAID, ATX

http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=847363

 

Video Card

 

512MB Gigabyte HD4870, PCI-E 2.0(x16), 3600MHz GDDR5, GPU 750MHz, 800 Cores, 2x DL DVI-I/ HDTV, HDCP

http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=838515

 

Sound Card

 

Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty Professional

http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=503578

 

RAM

 

4GB (2x2GB) Corsair TwinX DDR2 PC2-8500 (1066), 240 Pin, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 5-5-5-15, EPP, DHX

http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=782925

 

Hard Disk Drive

 

(Would you be needing this much space?)

Western Digital 1TB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 16MB Cache RE2 Drive - OEM

 

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/139213

[googlproxer]

Well I've heard that there was a few problems with there latest cards pyrre

but thats probably just me :)

[Iced_Bullet]

The Mobo you gave RB has a 7.1 connection on the back, so is there a need for the extra Sound Card?

[Guest RB26DETT]

yeah about that. i just realized that there's no need for it. most of todays "good" motherboards come with HD audio already.

 

my bad.

[kalniel]

Some very good advice already in this thread, so nothing much for me to add.

 

Brand of graphics card is completely irrelevant as far as the actual card is concerned - at the moment they all use an identical card that comes straight from AMD and slap a sticker on it :p You should therefore make the choice based on package contents, warranty and price.

 

When you start getting special models (pre-overclocked, custom coolers etc.) then it makes a difference, but it's almost never worth paying extra for such features.

 

Cases: mid-tower is the most popular choice at the moment and for pretty good reason - they fit in everything you need and don't take up much space. Going for full tower is useful if you want something exotic like water cooling, or if you're running a computer that needs 10 hard drives and 5 DVD players! Within that choice is really personal preference - I have a thing for coolermaster cases because they're such good quality for the money and have relatively understated designs. Even flashy cases can be fine, just make sure they have a 120mm case exhaust fan on the rear and an air intake at the bottom on the front - that's all that's needed for optimum airflow in most situations.

 

Yup, CPU-wise only get Intel at the moment. Video cards are much closer - AMD have the lead in performance/price at the moment, but if you know you'll only be playing games that massively prefer one make to the other you won't be going wrong either way.

 

HDD you can't really go wrong, WD, Seagate, Samsung, Hitachi are all premium makes and have excellent performance.

 

RAM: 4gb is already more than you need, but you can go up to 16gb or so depending on motherboard if you really want to go nuts. Remember to get a 64bit operating system if you have more than 3gb in total though.

 

PSU: Even going for the more powerful suggestions (4870 etc.) you won't need more than 400-500W, more important is the amount of juice supplied on the 12v line... sadly manufactures like hoodwinking people about this in their quoted figures so you're best bet is to go with a trusted make - corsair, seasonic & ocz all base their PSUs on the Seasonic one and are fab. FSP and CWT based units are also fine. Best 'premium' unit for your usage is probably the 620HX from corsair.

[hesonly5]

Can I sue you for false advertising for the first sentence of that post? :p

[Guest RB26DETT]

lol yeah. that wasnt "too much" of an addition. :p

 

for Optical Drives, i've heard that you should stay away from Sony says the people i work with. often times it reads disks with data on them as a blanks.

 

as for optical drive, i've only used Lite-On optical drives and don't have any single complaint. ;)

[kalniel]

Can I sue you for false advertising for the first sentence of that post? :p

Heh, well it wasn't all that much - most of the important information had already been said :p

 

I used to have a problem with an older Sony drive, but a firmware update sorted it all out. That said I'd still go with Pioneer for first choice, though Lite-On, Samsung, etc. are also fine.

[Nodz86]

Thanks all, I'll go through all the suggestions and post what I've gone for, fo you all to rate. :thumbsup:

 

Kal I dread to see how long a post of yours is when you've got alot to add. :p

 

BTW I've rep'd who I can rep.

[Nodz86]

Right I was just searching about on the usual sites and it seems that you can't get a 64 bit Retail version of Vista they only sell OEM. Is this correct??

 

Was thinking about this MoBo

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/142854

 

And heres the HDD I was looking at:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143288

 

What do you guys think??

 

Edit: Sorry for double posting, would edit last post but no one would see it

[Guest RB26DETT]

mobo:

 

hmmm. the first mobo on the link you posted. one review said even being that it is 45nm ready, his e8400 wouldn't run. and the q9450 which you said you'll be getting is 45nm.

 

second mobo is a waste of money imo. it's more expensive since it supports DDR3 memory which isn't even mainstream yet.

[Nodz86]

mobo:

 

hmmm. the first mobo on the link you posted. one review said even being that it is 45nm ready, his e8400 wouldn't run. and the q9450 which you said you'll be getting is 45nm.

 

second mobo is a waste of money imo. it's more expensive since it supports DDR3 memory which isn't even mainstream yet.

 

I only ment the 1st one the second one starts getting stupid as DDR3 is very expensive atm.

 

So in simpleton terms (as I'm getting to grips with the tech stuff), them reviews are basically saying it could be a pain to get it to work unless it comes with the updated Bios??

 

Basically thats how much I would be willing to spend on a mobo (as I'm going self build and getting OEM OS I don't intend to upgrade for a good while)

 

The other reason I was looking at that board was because it had WiFi so I could go on the net whilst on the Xbox but when I wanted to game I could plug my eathernet in.

[Guest RB26DETT]

can't help out here. i don't know jack about the BIOS. maybe someone else could answer for you. sorry mate.