I've got £650 to spend what would you suggest?

Hey everyone.

I've been on these boards a while but havent got round to posting but I've actually saved up some cash to spend on a pc. I was just wondering whether you could help.

The situation is I've got £650 to spend on the computer that includes components, PSU and the tower case itself. I'm doing an illustration course in uni so I'd be using applications like dreamweaver, illustrator, photoshop etc. I'll also be using it for gaming and I was wondering what would you experienced pc builders reccommend for this budget?

So that's £650 to pay for motherboard, memory, PSU, Processor, hard drive etc. I've already got money aside for a monitor and the peripherals so that's not an issue.

I hope you guys can help as I'm really confused by the masses of stuff out there!

Thanks in advance.

Richie Lee :)

Being able to do coursework during dull lectures is a godsend, so consider a Dell Vostro notebook. You could even get one and a second monitor :P

If you're after a more traditional solution, You might just be able to sqeeze a Core 2 Quad Q6600, 4Gb of DDR2, windows vista 64 bit home premium, and a 320Mb 8800 GTS based system into your budget. It's very tight, however. The heavy media work means 4Gb of ram would be a good idea, so I'm unwilling to recommend the cheaper option at this time :S

If you can allow another £50 to £100, then you certainly can manage a very impressive system. You might also be able to save a fair bit using today only type offers and the like.


What do people think? A less powerful graphics card than the 8800 GTS to allow the 4Gb of ram and a complete system, or save money by only having 2Gb of ram (since it is hard to use that much anyhow)?

I already have a HP laptop for uni work so I wont need to get another, thanks though! I'm spending money on a pc so that I can use it to back up the files I work on at uni and also to do some work at home.

Monitor wise I've eyed up the 22" Samsung pebble which is a HDTV aswell I'm told.

I may be able to stretch to £700 at a maximum. I was thinking of sticking to windows XP SP2 for the meantime as I've heard things are quite sketchy on Vista in relation to games etc. What I want from the machine is essentially an all rounder. Good enough to play games, decent memory storage, be able to watch my dvds on it and keeping it quiet :)

thanks for the advice I'll look into it.

Richie

Don't bother to go over 2Gb if your sticking with XP

Yeh I've been told anything over 2gb was excessive for XP. Thanks for that. Well I'm heading off now, any other advice you guys could give it would be great.

Regards
Richie Lee

I don't think you should get that monitor. This is a sticky subject because people always argue about it, but basically, all 22" monitors are 6bit panels that use dithering. An 8bit panel is much better and you'll be glad you got one some day. So you should look at 20" monitors (or 24" if you can extend your budget quite a lot). With a 20" you aren't losing much screen size (2inches is hardly noticeable), and you still get the same resolution. But the plus side, is that there are 20" monitors with good 8bit panels.

I also suggest finding one with an IPS or S-IPS panel, not a TN panel. Of course, if you aren't too fussy about the quality of your display, then ignore this. But having seen various types of panels recently, for me, there is no contest.

As for your PC itself, can you build it yourself? Or would you be looking at getting one pre-built? If you can build it yourself (its easy nowdays), just go to www.scan.co.uk and price up your parts. I can double check later if you like, but just off the top of my head, you should be looking at what Rosaline said basically. The Q6600 is an amazing CPU and is a fairly good price. Then an 8800GTS (get the cheapest brand you can find). Then get 2gig of DDR2 ram, even the corsair value stuff. Stick in a 320gig hard disk (any brand except Maxtor), and a keyboard and mouse and you are ready to go. Oh, and a case and PSU. Case can be fairly cheap, but a PSU I'd suggest the Corsair HX 520W

I can't say for sure without pricing it up, but that shouldn't be too far from your budget. If it is, its possible to save a bit by getting a cheaper CPU. Also, whether you need a copy of Win XP or not, will matter. Cause thats another little expense that adds up.

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Originally Posted by acrobat

I don't think you should get that monitor. This is a sticky subject because people always argue about it, but basically, all 22" monitors are 6bit panels that use dithering. An 8bit panel is much better and you'll be glad you got one some day. So you should look at 20" monitors (or 24" if you can extend your budget quite a lot). With a 20" you aren't losing much screen size (2inches is hardly noticeable), and you still get the same resolution. But the plus side, is that there are 20" monitors with good 8bit panels.

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Can we have a source please on that sweeping generalisation? As far as I am aware, and having looked at the colour quality reviews, I don't believe that to be the case (especially since some are known to use the same panel as their 20" cousins).

As for finding a monitor, RichieLee will probably benefit most from one with a good colour response. The Samsung 6BW range seemed to do pretty well for their price in this regard.

Going back to what Richie said, if he's sticking with XP, then 2Gb should suffice.

Will you be needing an XP licence? You might be able to acquire a legal student copy via your university, talk with their IT Services helpdesk for more information. If you don't know if you will need it or not, remember to factor it into the cost.

Rosaline is right, as you are at University, depending on what course you do, you could get Windows XP Professional, Vista or 2003 via MSDNAA. That's if the University subscribes to MSDN.

Good luck anyhow with your search.

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Originally Posted by Rosaline

Can we have a source please on that sweeping generalisation?

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Its not a sweeping generalisation. Find the source yourself. I dont like your tone, so I wont be going out my way to help educate you.

Calling all 22" monitors a special case that larger or smaller monitors don't have is a sweeping generalisation when you don't include the details, such as they predominantly use TN panels. Technologically, there is no reason why they all have to be this special case, so again, a sweeping generalisation.

There's nothing wrong with that, however, if it's true ;)

A quick google search found the TN thing (which has nothing inherently to do with screen diagonal) mentioned on forums, but obviously most forums are not to be trusted. Without providing more information, how can a consumer know that a larger or smaller panel will not have the same problem?

And surely the colour reproduction quality is more important anyday than the techniques used to reach that colour?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by acrobat

Its not a sweeping generalisation. Find the source yourself. I dont like your tone, so I wont be going out my way to help educate you.

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No need to be like that. There was no tone, just a question to ask you to back up your statement. I would also like a read of whatever source you post, based on your comments adn the fact that I own a 22" monitor.

Mmm, when the flames have died down a bit I might add a constructive post...

From the sound of it you need some raw processing power, so there is no question you should get a Quad core, Get a q6600 and make sure it is a G0 stepping (newer - cooler).
Any P35 motherboard with DDR2 memory support will be fine. I like Gigabyte, but it really is up to you.

Do stick with XP if you are unsure. I see little advantage if it doesn't bother you not having the latest eye candy. Thus with XP 2GB RAM should be fine.

The powersupply kinda depends on your graphics card... getting a mid range card - then 500W will do, maybe even 450W. Make sure you get a good brand. If you think you will have a high end graphics card now or in the future then get at least a 600W supply. OCZ, Corsair, Enermax, Seasonic, and a few others.

Graphics card. Well, if the primary purposeis really gaming (and we know it is, you already have a laptop ;) then really you should spend most on the graphics card - it will make the most difference. 8800GTS 320Mb or 2900Pro is a minimum. If you can wait a bit, new cards are coming which will give much more bang per buck...

Hey all,

Thanks I appreciate all the posts.
Yes the laptop I already have to do uni work on is a HP nx6125. Nothing special, does the job and I take it to uni every now and again. I was thinking of upgrading the shocking standard RAM on this up to 2GB but I thought if I was gonna do that then I might aswell get myself a gaming PC as well as TV all in one. A entertainment jack of all trades if you like, hence the option of a Samsung pebble monitor/TV just found this (Samsung SM2032MW 20" LCD TV/Monitor HDTV) which seems to be of reasonable price.

So what's the benefit of the Quad core processor then? Is it for "futureproofing"? The only reason I ask is that a friend has a dual core processor that runs the same clock speed standard as a quad core and works out to be like £75 cheaper, which could be used elsewhere. Again I know it's tricky to work out a good combination :juggle: but anything you'd like to add would be great.

And yes I'll be building the computer so no need for prebuilt options.

Thanks

oh yeah I forgot to add I'll be looking to opt for a GTS, probably the cheaper 320mb version I've heard good things about the BFG pre-overclocked GTS.

RAM wise I'll go for 2GB:

OCZ Dual Channel XTC 2GB PC5400 DDR2 667MHz Gamer Memory (2 x 1024MB) £44.82 on Yoyotech

Possibly an Antec p182 case.

not sure what PSU to go for.

Processor wise I was thinking of an intel E6700 a few months back but not so sure now!

Havent got a clue what motherboard

No idea what hard drive.

Also need a dvd drive.

I wont be needing an XP licence thanks.

Remember guys I'm building this completely from scratch so I presume I'll have to buy cooling fans? Or are they included?

Anyway thanks again

not too sure on any other components atm.

Regards,

Richie

The advantage of Quad core is that most media generation software packages support scalable multiple processor systems, meaning the more cores, the faster photoshop applies filters, the faster flash compiles, etc.

However, given your tight budget, and desire for gaming (which has yet to really love quad core systems), dropping down to a regular Core 2 Duo will allow you a better graphics card that will offer a more noticeable improvement for the price when it comes to gaming. An E6750 for £118 would probably be ideal.

Some cases include cooling fans, simply make sure to check the specifications carefully.

If you are not going to look into overclocking, that ram will do, but remember that for £10 you can often get 2Gb of crucial balistix PC6400, which would give you some layway for overclocking (which is fairly simple now, thanks to Clunk's guide). That said, your price point is very tight, so every penny saved is good.

For the motherboard, a basic P35 board at around £70 will offer you good features. Any cheaper with these and I start to worry about what's wrong with them :P

DVD rewriters are thankfully very cheap now, with almost every single one on the market coming in at around £20. I've heard good things about the Samsung drives.

For the PSU, you will want a quality named brand. It is worth paying extra for a PSU that will not fry your system. I'll let others suggest these as they know them better.

Finally, as for the hard drive, this might sound a little odd but see how much money is left over at the end. Hard drives are one of the few components with little but size effecting the price, and that can be easily added to in the future as you need. Frankly, even an 160Gb drive will be more than enough for most legal uses aside from film editing. However bigger is better and it always has been, so simply see what you can fit in after the rest.

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OCZ Dual Channel XTC 2GB PC5400 DDR2 667MHz Gamer Memory (2 x 1024MB) £44.82 on Yoyotech

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For £2-3 more this is faster OCZ memory: http://www.microdirect.co.uk/(14386)...n-Edition.aspx

or
and although i dont like to use them OCUK are doing OCZ Platinum PC6400 2x1gb for £45.
I paid over £120 for this pack aonly 7 months ago :(

Will you be overclocking??

I\'ll leave it standard for a little bit once it\'s all put together but I will be looking to overclock it in the near future yes. A complete novice at overclocking though so I\'ll have to look online for guides before i go about doing it.

Thanks Blitzen I\'ll look into that.

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Originally Posted by RichieLee

I'll leave it standard for a little bit once it's all put together but I will be looking to overclock it in the near future yes. A complete novice at overclocking though so I'll have to look online for guides before i go about doing it.

Thanks Blitzen I'll look into that.

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Although you will leave it as standard for now, the OCZ memory clocks beautifully.

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Originally Posted by Rosaline

Calling all 22" monitors a special case that larger or smaller monitors don't have is a sweeping generalisation when you don't include the details, such as they predominantly use TN panels. Technologically, there is no reason why they all have to be this special case, so again, a sweeping generalisation.

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Its not a generalisation if its true.

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Originally Posted by Rosaline

And surely the colour reproduction quality is more important anyday than the techniques used to reach that colour?

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True. And thats why you should avoid 22" monitors if the quality is important to you. Because they all use 6bit panels.

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Originally Posted by s_kinton

No need to be like that. There was no tone, just a question to ask you to back up your statement. I would also like a read of whatever source you post, based on your comments adn the fact that I own a 22" monitor.

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No need to be like what? You don't tell someone they are using sweeping generalisations and basically suggest they are talking bollocks, if you don't know that to be the case. And you don't know, or you wouldn't be asking for proof.

And if you own a 22" monitor, you should be able to find the specifications of whatever it is, and see for yourself. Or find someone with a good 20" or 24" screen, and put yours next to it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RichieLee

So what's the benefit of the Quad core processor then? Is it for "futureproofing"? The only reason I ask is that a friend has a dual core processor that runs the same clock speed standard as a quad core and works out to be like £75 cheaper, which could be used elsewhere.

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You might not need the quad core actually, but it just makes sense to buy it really. That £75 just sets you up for the future much better than a dual core. So its not essential, but its probably worth doing considering the price difference isn't huge. If you are really into your gaming though, you might be better off putting that £75 towards a better graphics card. Or even get a smaller CPU which would give you more to spend on a graphics card, and you might be able to get an 8800GTX. You can then overclock your CPU to keep up. (There is a good guide on this forum btw).

As for that Samsung monitor, I don't know anything about it (apart from the tech spec), but I think you would probably be better off with that, than the other one. Also, when you get it, run a dead pixel test to make sure you don't have any. Because if you do, you can sometimes get a replacement, no questions asked, if you are within the first couple of weeks. Sometimes after that, some companies (NEC grr...) will screw you and only offer you a refurbished replacement etc...

Implying that no other size of monitor could possibly have this problem, and that the problem is exclusively thanks to being 22" in diagonal is fairly off the mark, tbh. The majority of reviews for quality 22" that I have seen show good conformance to the ISO colour range. This normally is a very good guide to colour reproduction quality.

There is frankly no logical reason why monitors bigger or smaller cannot be effected by this issue, so more information is needed to make sure that those considering a purchase know how to avoid such a problem. Asking for this information seems perfectly reasonable to me.

Edit: I've just read up on the issue, and it is all down to the TN panels in use, although only S-PVA seems to be exclusively 8-bit based. These TN panels are actually extremely common, with a lot of monitors of 24" or smaller being based on this. The Samsung 206BW, for example, has this 6bit dithering issue. Explaining the technological basis and what to check for allows for this to be investigated and the problem truely avoided.

Now, I'll admit that my wording could have been nicer, yes. However, stating that someone should have a smaller, less pleasing monitor or a £100+ more expensive monitor whilst giving them no means to ensure that they avoid the same problem aside from an illogical connection is not fair, either. Rubbishing other people's existing purchases without proof is not nice, either. You could at least add "However what really matters is your own personal experience", which is ultimately the truth in all things.

This entire discussion has gotten frankly out of hand and off-topic, however

So here's a quick list I made from browsing on Overclockers. See what you think. I'm not necessarily going to buy it all from OC I'll shop around after i know exactly what parts I need. It's here to let you guys know what

RAM-OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) PC2-6400C4 Dual Channel Platinum Revision 2 XTC Series DDR2 (OCZ2P800R22GK) £46.99

PSU-Corsair HX 520W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-520HXUK) Corsair HX 520W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-520HXUK) £68.14

Case-Antec P182 in gunmetal black £82.24

processor- Intel E6750 £119.84

motherboard-Asus P5K Intel P35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £82.24 OR Abit IP35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £82.24
- I could use some help on this one, both the same price, I just dont know which one to opt for. Any help please?

Graphics card-BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC 320MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI £182.11

(possibly)sound card-Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio 7.1 Sound Card - OEM (PCI) £28.19

hard drive- I have absolutely no idea, some suggestions would be great.

optical drive-Samsung SH-S202JBEBN 20x DVD±RW x12 Ram Dual Layer DVD-Writer £19.96

so right now that's £629.71 even before adding a hard drive! :confused:

anyway what are your thoughts on these components?

update. So here's an updated list of everything including peripherals. It all comes to a hefty £992.68. If you have any suggestions, advice or queries about the hardware I've listed please say something as I am a complete noob with computers and this really will be my first ever build. Also any suggestions as to where to go to get the equipment would be great.

Again thanks for all the help so far, you guys have helped a lot!

keyboardSaitek Eclipse 2 Illuminated Keyboard Purple

mouseMicrosoft Laser Mouse 6000 - OEM

speakersCreative Inspire T6100 5.1 Speakers - OEM

processorIntel Core 2 Duo E6750 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.66GHz (1333FSB) - Retail

motherboardAsus P5K Intel P35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard

RAMOCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) PC2-6400C4 Dual Channel Platinum Revision 2 XTC Series DDR2 (OCZ2P800R22GK)

graphics cardBFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC 320MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail

dvd driveSamsung SH-S203BEBN 20x20 DVD±RW Dual Layer Serial ATA ReWriter (Black)

caseAntec P182 Super Midi Tower Case - No PSU (Gun Metal Black)


harddriveSamsung SpinPoint T 320GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD321KJ)

monitor/tvSamsung SM-2032MW Pebble 20" HD Ready Widescreen LCD with Analogue TV Tuner - Glossy Black

PSUCorsair HX 520W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-520HXUK)

That looks great to me. What does that all add up to now? That Samsung spinpoint is a decent disk too. The only thing I wonder is if you are really into your games, you might be better off getting a smaller CPU and then putting the money towards your graphics card. Even just the 640mb version of that GTS could help you. But thats just gaming. The rest of your work would probably benefit more from that faster CPU anf FSB. By the way, if that case doesn't come with fans, you can plan on what fan(s) to get for that too. Fast ones with high air flow (but noisy). Or slow ones with not much air flow but quiet. Etc.


Rosaline....

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Originally Posted by Rosaline

Implying that no other size of monitor could possibly have this problem,

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I never implied that at all. Read my post again.

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Originally Posted by Rosaline

and that the problem is exclusively thanks to being 22" in diagonal is fairly off the mark, tbh.

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Its not because of the size, its because of the panels used in 22" screens... I'm not going to argue this with you anymore and listen to you tell me I'm off the mark, and then have you ask me for information... Either research it yourself, or just continue to assume that I'm wrong because you can't think of any logical reason why it would be true and can't be bothered to research it yourself.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rosaline

Edit: I've just read up on the issue, and it is all down to the TN panels in use, although only S-PVA seems to be exclusively 8-bit based. These TN panels are actually extremely common, with a lot of monitors of 24" or smaller being based on this. The Samsung 206BW, for example, has this 6bit dithering issue. Explaining the technological basis and what to check for allows for this to be investigated and the problem truely avoided.

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I did explain... Read my post again. I told him clearly that they where 6bit and that he would be better off with an 8bit panel. Perhaps if you didn't concentrate on arguing with me, you would see that I told him that, and I'm the only one who told him that.. You've just spent the rest of the time arguing with me about it and only now did you bother to research it yourself. And yet you are still trying to argue with me about it even although you saw what I said was true.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rosaline

Now, I'll admit that my wording could have been nicer, yes. However, stating that someone should have a smaller, less pleasing monitor or a £100+ more expensive monitor whilst giving them no means to ensure that they avoid the same problem aside from an illogical connection is not fair,

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Bollocks, don't give me that. Whats not fair is you arguing with me about something you haven't researched. I never said all other sized monitors are pefect. I just suggested he avoided 22", and now you know why. And I gave him the reasons why, which he could use to find a more suitable monitor.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rosaline

Rubbishing other people's existing purchases without proof is not nice, either. You could at least add "However what really matters is your own personal experience", which is ultimately the truth in all things.

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Thats bollocks too. I haven't rubbished anybody's anything. And like I said, I don't appreciate being told I'm wrong by someone who hasn't researched it. If you just asked me for proof to begin with, I probably would have found it for you. And that own personal experience thing is bollocks too. We're not talking about favourite restaurant here, its a piece of hardware that he wants to do real work on, flash/photoshop etc. It would be stupid to have him go out and buy a 6bit screen when he could have a better one for a similar price. Don't try to make out I gave him unreasonable or unfair advice. I didn't. Read my post again.

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Originally Posted by acrobat

You might not need the quad core actually, but it just makes sense to buy it really. That £75 just sets you up for the future much better than a dual core. So its not essential, but its probably worth doing considering the price difference isn't huge. If you are really into your gaming though, you might be better off putting that £75 towards a better graphics card. Or even get a smaller CPU which would give you more to spend on a graphics card, and you might be able to get an 8800GTX. You can then overclock your CPU to keep up. (There is a good guide on this forum btw).

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Having a buff CPU with an 8800GTX is pretty much a given though, just under a core's worth of CPU time will be drivers compiling DX/OpenGL calls to the GPUs native instructions and priming data. A Q6600 is a worthwhile buy as more and more games are going to make use of it. So it's not a bad suggestion at all.

Yeah, there are actually quite a few games which are making good use of it already too. It just makes sense (for a gamer atleast) because its only a matter of time until there are more games like Alan Wake which completely, purposely, offload large chunks of processing tasks to specific cores.

Although, on a strict budget, I would still have a hard time choosing that, at the expense of a better graphics card. But it probably all depends on how good that 8800GTS (320mb version) is. I don't really know how good it is. I just know I would rather a better graphics card if possible, because even the 8800GTX struggles with a few games :surrender:

I'm not an obsessive player of games if I'm totally honest. I've had consoles before like the wii, ps2 etc and played with them for a few sessions then not touch them again for months. A pc however I will use almost everyday. I mean if I get bored with a game I can easily do something else on a computer be it another game or surfing the web or watching a dvd. This is why I'm setting out to bulid it as a multimedia rig, i.e. why I'm choosing a tv/monitor as mentioned previously.

The emphasis on gaming performance is there because I intend on playing a lot more games with this new machine. I've never really had a "gaming pc" per sé. It's always been a cheap low end computer, and because of this I havent had the pleasure of playing the latest games. I enjoy FPSs but let's be honest they're a little bit cack on consoles due to the sluggish control pad. With this new rig hopefully i'll be able to use it for all my uni work, for watching tv, for listening to music and playing all the latest games at super fast speeds!

I'm going for a 20" monitor because the bigger one is like over £100 more. and that money really could be used elsewhere and besides an upgrade from a 15" laptop screen up to a 20" would be impressive enough I think :)

I am contemplating a quad core but right now I think at the price it is the E6750 is perfectly suitable for my needs, overclocked it should be capable of handling the latest games for the next couple of years at least so when the time comes I'll hopefully have the funds to replace the CPU if need be.

The price at the moment is up to £992.68 inc delivery from Overclockers. If I decide this is the perfect spec for me then I'll go and ask the other retailers like Scan or YoYoTech to see if they can do a deal.

Hmmm a quick configuration on Yoyotech has landed me with this, note the 620w PSU and an 8800 GTX. The price doesn't seem to be much more really. but it is excluding a monitor I suppose.

Yoyotech Intel Warbird Gamma
Was £726.82 ex. vat
Now £ 712.28 ex. vat
£836.93 inc. vat
Cases: Antec P182 Gun Metal Black Case

Powersupply: Corsair 620W HX Series Modular SLi Powersupply, ATX, EPS 12V, whisper quiet, 5 year warranty

Intel Motherboard: Asus P5K Intel P35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard

Intel CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66Ghz Socket 775 CPU - Retail

PC Memory: OCZ 2GB KIT (2x1024MB) DDR2 800 (PC6400) Platinum XTC Memory

Desktop Hard Drive: Samsung 320GB HD321KJ Spinpoint T, SATA300, 7200 rpm, 16MB Hard Disk Drive

CD/DVD RW: Samsung SH-S183A/BEBN SATA - 18X DVDRW Dual Layer

Graphics Card: YYT 8800GTX 768MB DDR3, HDTV, Dual DVI, PCI-E Graphics Card - oem

Keyboard: Saitek Eclipse II Keyboard Illuminated Red/Blue/Purple User changable Colours USB

Mouse: Microsoft Habu Laser Gaming Mouse

If the budget allows, and you are running 64 Bit Vista (no reason not to with that system i would think), either get the 2x2gb memory or 4 x 1gb.

I'm going to stick with XP for the moment until a service pack comes out for vista.

I think I may leave out the GTX instead put a GTS in it so I can free up some cash for the monitors speakers, mouse and keyboard etc.

Essentially I must keep this rig to £1000 absolute maximum including everything.

Again any advice or suggestions greatly appreciated thanks for all the info so far.

motherboard wise I really could use some help with. I'm looking at Asus P5Ks atm but so many of them vary in price massively and then there's mention of the Abit boards. :confused: what's the difference? It's all a bit confusing to me.

Are there any areas I could skimp on to make up for in others? Everything I've come across I've tried to opt for quality over price, it's pretty difficult to get a good compromise without sacrificing something else in the process, then of course with quality comes price.

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I'm looking at Asus P5Ks atm but so many of them vary in price massively and then there's mention of the Abit boards. what's the difference?

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The main difference i think is that you can get help from ABIT either via the forums here or by telephone.
From what i have read before, ASUS are the 'Lord Lucan' of the PC component world. (or have they cleared up their act now? )

Nope they're still pretty damn terrible.

I'd go Abit any chance I got.

So Abit it is then by the sounds of things. prices seem to vary quite a bit on motherboards. I want a decent one but I wont be running multiple graphics cards in SLi or anything so really i want a relatively basic, but decent one for my rig. Could you point me in the right direction?

http://www.yoyotech.co.uk/product_in...5815a27c08f6bd

is this any good? it's a Abit Fatal1ty FP-IN9 SLI ATX, 650i SLI, GLAN, SATAII+RAID, DDR2 800 Motherboard.

then there's also this http://www.yoyotech.co.uk/product_in...5815a27c08f6bd

Abit Fatal1ty F-I90HD MATX, HDMI, SATAII+RAID, DDR2 800 Motherboard

Not so sure why there's a £10 price difference.

Than there's also the Abit IP35 Intel P35, Dual DDR2, Sokcet 775, 7.1 Audio, PCI-E, SATA 2, ATX Motherboard.

http://www.yoyotech.co.uk/product_in...5815a27c08f6bd

and the

Abit IP35-E Intel P35, Dual DDR2, Sokcet 775, 7.1 Audio, PCI-E, SATA 2, ATX Motherboard

http://www.yoyotech.co.uk/product_in...5815a27c08f6bd

all pretty much about the same price but which one? :confused:

Yes it's all a bit confusing really :rolleyes:

I think anything 'Fatality' are a gimmick and carry a price to reflect that.

The IP35's are getting decent reviews though. Personally, if i was changing my mobo tomorrow, its probably what i would go for.

Well after a few days of searching I think I've at last finally decided on what to go for (hopefully). Let me know what you think :)

Antec P180 V2 Advanced Super Midi Tower Case, Black (no PSU)

520W Corsair HX Series Modular PSU, ATX, EPS12V, whisper quiet, 5 year warranty

Abit IP-35, iP35 Express, S 775, PCI-E (x16), DDR2 533/667/800, SATA II, SATA RAID, ATX

Saitek PK 02AV Eclipse II Wired Keyboard, BackLit Purple, Red + Blue Keys, USB 1.1/2.0, Black

Microsoft Intelli Optical Mouse, 800dpi, PS2/USB 1.1/2.0, 5 Buttons, Ivory/Silver

LG M228WA 22" TV/Monitor Widescreen 1680x1050 60Hz 3000:1 300 cd/m2 5ms VGA/DVI-D Tuner Speakers

Samsung SH-S202N/BEBN 20x DVD±R, 16xDVD±DL, DVD+RW x8/-RW x6, PATA,Lightscribe

OCZ 2GB Kit (2x1GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 CL 4-4-4-15 PLATINUM XTC with LIFETIME WARRANTY

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz 1333FSB

Leadtek 8800GTS 640MB DVI PCI-E

320 Gb Samsung HD321KJ Spinpoint T166, SATA300, 7200 rpm, 16MB Cache, 9 ms, NCQ

Grand Total of £935.02 from a combo of parts with Scan (£13.42 delivery) and eBuyer (free delivery)

I decided to opt for an LG 22" monitor/tv because it's pretty much the same price as the samsung about a tenner more and it's had many decent reviews.

Also going for a cheap 640mb 8800GTS hence the Leadtek.

An Abit Mobo IP35 express in fact, after hearing so many horror stories about the Asus P5K I think I'll leave that one.

Everything else pretty much the same list as last time.

Just some spare cash for some speakers now or is there anything missing you can spot?

Regards,

Richie Lee :)

I still don't think you should get that screen :P Although that one looks like one of the best ones. But everything else looks good to me. Graphics card was a good choice.

All looking good now......:)

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Originally Posted by acrobat

I still don't think you should get that screen :P Although that one looks like one of the best ones. But everything else looks good to me. Graphics card was a good choice.

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Haha thanks acrobat, I knew you'd say that :P But really for a tenner more over the samsung I cant complain now can I? It does seem like a decent one out of the 22" bunch though.

I've heard that there's some free delivery scheme with scan too? That'd be cool to save that tiny bit more cash I could possibly upgrade the cooling fans :P

Yeah it definitely looks like one of the best, judging by the reviews and stuff I've seen online for it. I hope you love it.

As for the free delivery scheme, there are few links about it on this forum somewhere. I think this is the main one:
HEXUS.community discussion forums - Announcements in Forum : SCAN.care@HEXUS

I remember reading that you have to be a helpful member on the forum with a certain amount of posts and stuff, but I'm not sure if thats true anymore. I've seen a few people with hardly any posts who seem to still be getting the free delivery, so they might just be giving it to anyone who registers now. Its worth trying though anyway. Could save you a little chunk to put towards a nice keyboard or a night out or something. With me, everything I save on the delivery usually goes to Scan anyway, cause I just buy more stuff :P I'm sure that was their sneaky plan.

This was the actual final spec list I spent my money on :) I missed the delivery today because I wasn't at my home address (DAMN IT!) but not to worry all 3 packages should be arriving Monday with a bit of luck :)

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750

Antec P182 Gunmetal Grey Super Mid Tower Case - No PSU

Arctic Cooling AC-FRZ-7P Freezer 7 Pro Socket 775 Processor Cooler

Microsoft Black Wired PS/2 Keyboard 500 - Retail Box

Logitech X-230 2.1 Speaker System - 32W RMS

520W Corsair HX Series Modular PSU,

Abit IP-35, iP35 Express, S 775, PC

320 Gb Samsung HD321KJ Spinpoint T1

Samsung SH-S203N/BEBN 20x DVD±R, 16

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound

120mm Sharkoon 1000 LED "Golf Ball"x2

Leadtek GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail

Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 - Retail

GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit

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But it probably all depends on how good that 8800GTS (320mb version) is. I don't really know how good it is

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So far i am running everything maxxed out on my 320mb 8800GTS. I grant you, its not top of the tree (although only 4-5 rungs down), but its still more than capable, especially on a 19" monitor to do everything i throw at it.

They are now £170 (which is great value) and in my mind, even when i bought it 10months ago, it was better vlue than the 640mb version for the resolutions i use it at.

That with the fact, i would rather put the extra £60-70 to good use elsewhere that have bought the 64mb one because i wouldnt benifit from it.

Did anyone suggest holding out for the 8800GT? or did you want the PC right now?

I think i'd send the GTS back if the 8800GT lives up to the hype. Cheaper and a better from the looks of things.

to be honest I'd like the PC right now. Plus the GTS was pretty cheap at £211 Although the GT does sound great I think if I waited any longer then i might as well as not bought a pc at all. I've already waited a year to build this pc. Originally i thought I would spend £1700 but since then I've now ended up with a rig of approx the same spec at just below £1000

Hate to say it..but it looks like it will be out on monday.

Don't open the box just yet eh ;)

If the GT is so good then why is it supposed to be alot cheaper aswell?

I have read things (dunno how true) that the GT performs inbetween a 640GTS and a GTX. So...for £150-170 whats the compromise?

(BTW...If the GT was out tomorrow, wouldnt some sites have it on already? People like OCUK tend to ignore the NDA's usually and pre-sell before release...they havent as yet)

Well the GTS's are due a refresh with the new chip that the GT uses, so it will most likely pop back in between the GT and GTX (refresh).

I believe the current GTS's have gone EOL due to what scan are saying about them.

Quite a few places broke the NDA a couple of weeks ago and had them on their sites.
Not sure if any do at the moment though.

4 GB is not worth it. Illustrator and Photoshop isnt what i would call "heavy" media/design work.

Consider the main components first, then things like Hard drive and DVD drive last.

A Q6600 is a good future proofing bet.

Well the rig's been built and it's all working properly as it should. :D thanks for all the input guys. it's been a real help. Although I would've saved money by waiting for the GT I think my computers great and I cant complain about it! Only thing is that my 22" monitor reverts to using it's standard speakers in TV mode, I'd like to change it to my PC speakers but without having to physically change the jacks. I'll have to take a look around I guess.

Great PC, Great monitor! Lovely picture quality, and very very silent!

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Originally Posted by CrazyMonkey

4 GB is not worth it. Illustrator and Photoshop isnt what i would call "heavy" media/design work.

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It is depending what you do with it, if you start working with A3 600dpi images in photoshop the memory is very useful.

That said if RichieLee is sticking to XP then 4gb is wasted and so is a quad core

Must say I'm currently putting a system to gether for a friend £650, no monitor, XP and it's pritty much the same as your specs Richie

Couple of things
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound, not really needed the ArcticCooling Freezer7Pro comes with MX1 pre-applied
That said if you are buy at Scan, they have the Asaka ak-965 on special this week for just over £10, a saveing of a couple of quid and it's suposed to be as good/slightly better than the ACf7p
Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

And personally I would go for the Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer, optical are nice but Laser are better :)
I quite like the Logitech MX 400 Laser mouse as a basic corded laser mouse, I found the shape very nice. :D