£500 quad-core system - struggling!

I need to build a new PC system for a friend but the budget is £500 max. For this I need to buy a case, cpu, memory, motherboard, graphics card, Vista 60 OEM, DVD-writer, HDD and PSU. I will reuse the existing 19" LCD monitor, mouse and keyboard.

I would like to have a quad-core CPU, 4GB of RAM and Vista 64 to ensure the system has a useful life of 3-5 years.

The PC will only be used for surfing, a couple of CAD/CAM type apps and emails. No gaming-capability required. It needs to be a near-silent PC too!

So far I have come up with the following:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 SLACR, Kentsfield Core, Socket 775, 2.40 GHz 1066MHz 8MB Cache, Retail - £143.29

Antec Solo Quiet Mini Tower ATX Case without PSU - Piano Black/Silver - £58.69

500GB Western Digital WD5000AACS Caviar GP, Green SATA II, 7200 rpm, 16MB Cache, 8.9 ms, NCQ - £55.21

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1* 64Bit 1Pk OEM (DVD) - £61.79

LiteON DH-20A1S-18C Black 20x DVD±R, 8x DVD±DL, DVD+RW x8 / -RW x 6, DVD-RAM x12, SATA Black - £17.61

520W Corsair HX Series Modular PSU, ATX, EPS12V, whisper quiet, 5 year warranty - £65.55

512MB EVGA 9600GT Standard, PCI-E 2.0 (x16), 1800MHz GDDR3, GPU 650MHz, Streams 64, 2xDL DVI-I/HDTV - £108.81

This has already gone over the £500 limit and I have yet to include 4GB of RAM (probably around £60).

So, where can I save some cash to allow for 4GB of RAM? If possible, I would like to keep the CPU (as it's an incredible bargain and this retail version comes with an HSF), the motherboard (as I already have a similar Abit motherboard) and the PSU (I already have the HX620W in my own system which is similar to the HX520W). However, alternative cheaper components with similar specs would be fine.

Well you could get the antec sonata Plus + 550w modular PSU. The case is same, but it comes wit hthe PSU for £100 all in.

If he is not gaming drop that graphics card. It's a waste. An ATi HD3450 for £27 will do CAD stuff, not sure about CAM. They will be passive though so avoid noise.

Intel stock cooler will ruin a system like that so you need something like a scythe mine for £23 to make it really nice an quiet.

The Samsung (SH203) ODD is quieter than the Lite-On.

not trying too be harsh or anything but i doubt you can get it for around £500, i spent £550 on my current rig excluding a case.

Motherboard, you havent listed one yet but you could try a gigabyte p35 for something like £50(yes abit may be better but more expensive too).

As mike said, cut down the gfx card too a 3450 or something.
Does he really need a 500gb hard drive? you could get a cheap 250gb for around half the price.
Switch the case too a coolermaster 690, cheaper and is good enough or you could even wait for the antec 300 @ £38 it should be good.

PSU: could save a 10er by getting the non modular corsair 550w psu Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

Your best bet is to save on the case + psu option ; there are some other options apart from the ones I have pointed out below.

There are a number of cases that come with integrated 500W for as low as 24 pounds on Ebuyer like this, or this.

Or there is the Coolermaster

I am going to upgrade and I ended up shifting my old parts into this Extra Value Case and although my old PSU is a 530W .. this 400W handles everything like a breeze even after I have overclocked the old system. The case is solid, has enough space and I quite like it. Don't discount these cheaper cases with combined PSUs, they are very good deals.

staffsmike or blitzen or someone came up with a super sexy quad core 500 quid build not long ago...

http://forums.hexus.net/hexus-hardwa...p-machine.html
I believe has a build with similar requirements, but if you search q6600 £500 there are loads of threads which come up, no sure how relevent they all are, but if you have have time to trawl through them there may be some good ideas.

I second StaffsMike with respect to the graphics card - if they are not a gamer, then a significantly cheaper graphics card will do fine, may well be passive, and can easily be replaced in the future if they get into gaming.

I also agree with the comments regarding the hard drive size. You can get some very nice drives for around the £35 mark, shaving some money off to allow for other components.

However, I must warn with respect to dagger_meerkat's suggestion of an integrated PSU with a case. With PSUs protecting your computer from full on mains voltage, you really get what you pay for. However, a full 520W is probably more than this system will need unless they really get into gaming bigtime and want a powerful graphics card. Corsair may do lower power PSUs that will likely still meet your quality requirements. Similarly, you might be able to get a cheaper case, but be careful of noise increases.

The Antec combo suggested by staffsMike is the exception that makes the rule regarding cases & PSUs. The PSU is a good one in its own right. The 3 suggested by d_m are not.

Yea, i have a (small) black antec case nsk 4480 mini, that came with a nice earthwatts PSU, it's only 380w though, but seems very solid.

and i think it around the same price as the one you've put down :-\

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions. The Antec case combo sounds ideal.

There's this Antec with a 500W Earthwatts at £75?

Okay, having taken on board some of the suggestions, i've added a motherboard and 4GB of RAM too and the price isn't too bad, still above £500 but not by a huge amount:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 SLACR, Kentsfield Core, Socket 775, 2.40 GHz 1066MHz 8MB Cache, Retail - £143.29
Scythe Miné Quiet Heatpipe CPU Cooler S478, S775, S754, S939, S940 compatible - £23.84
ANTEC MIDI CASE SONATA PLUS 550 SIL/BLK - £99.82
500GB Western Digital WD5000AACS Caviar GP, Green SATA II, 7200 rpm, 16MB Cache, 8.9 ms, NCQ - £55.21
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1* 64Bit 1Pk OEM (DVD) - £61.79
Samsung SH-S203D/BEBN 20x DVD±R, 12x DVD±DL, DVD+RW x8/-RW x6, SATA,Black, OEM - £16.79
256MB HiS HD3450 FullHD PCI-E2, 800MHz GDDR2, 600MHz GPU 40Streams, D-Sub/DVI-I/HDTV Silent Heatsink - £32.91
Abit IP-35, Dark Raider, iP35 Express, S 775, PCI-E (x16), DDR2 533/667/800, SATA II, SATA RAID, ATX - £67.79
4GB (2x2GB) Corsair DDR2 6400 2x256Mx64 non-ECC 2x240 DIMM unbuffered 5-5-5-18 64bit OS DHX - £60.68

TOTAL: £562.12

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dagger_meerkat

There's this Antec with a 500W Earthwatts at £75?

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Thanks for that - that shaves £25 off the total price!

That's ok .. I was thinking .. why don't you for an IP35-E .. that goes very well with the Q6600 and its 10 pounds cheaper? And there is cheaper corsair ram if you want to look into it.

Not read anything but the OP but why spend that on a case and then the same again on a PSU, I use the Antec SLK1650's here when I build machines, decent enough case and comes with a decent enough Antec PSU...

You said for surfing and cad programs, ditch the 9600 and replace that with an 8600gt, I use this now till i can afford an upgrade, it runs 3d studio pretty good, and as for 4gb, settle for 2gb. Its a tight budget to be aiming that high, thats about 50-60 quid back already

Here's a couple of things you change to make a small saving:

Samsung 500gb (t166) for £44 from Scan

Coolermaster Elite 330 Black Case With CM eXtreme Power 460W PSU £43.99

Thanks all. I'll be ordering everything in a week's time. I know it's been a tough challenge but, thanks to the advice in this thread, i've managed to shortlist the following items:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 - £143.29
Scythe Miné - £23.84
Coolermaster Elite 330 - £42.99
500 GB Samsung HD501LJ - £44.29
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium - £61.79
Samsung SH-S203D/BEBN 20x DVD±R - £16.79
256MB HiS HD3450 - £32.91
Abit IP35V - £54.54
4GB (2x2GB) Corsair DDR2 6400 - £60.68

TOTAL: approx. £481.09

So, there you have a 4GB, Quad-core, Vista 64-bit base system for under £500.

isn't that the PSU people keep moaning about being noisey?

I'd be tempted to get that very cheap sharkoon case on scan and a corsair vx 450W.. it'll cost you the extra £20 but I think it would be worth it.

or one of these
Antec NSK4480 Black & Silver Mini-Tower ATX Case - With 380W EarthWatts PSU - Ebuyer

or these
Antec NSK6580 Mid Tower ATX/MATX Case - With 430W EarthWatts PSU ATX12V 2.0 USB/FireWire/Audio - Ebuyer

I agree with Mike on the case/PSU combo.

Either any cheap case + VX450 or Antec NSK4480.

I've got the VX450 and an NSK4000 (NSK4480 without PSU)and am pretty happy with both, except the case only has an 80mm fan intake.

Chimp

the nsk6580 has two 92mm's at the front which is why I thought it was worth mentioning :)

also the IP-35E is only £3 more if it gets back into stock which has better chipset cooling if nothing else. Also the dark raider may pop up for a similar price on today onlys so watch out.

Swap the Scythe for an Artic Cooling Freezer Pro 7?
Certainly cheaper and if you're not OC'ing should be pretty quiet.

You want quiet so bigger fans the better. Anything with 80mm's will be too noisy.

I don't think the freezer 7 pro is particularly quiet when the fan is spinning at the sort of speed required to deliver good temps. It's very good for the money but the mine is worth the £8 or so extra by far.

It can get very quiet but the mine will give better cooling with very little noise.

You can save a bit of money with this
Sapphire HD 3450 256MB DDR2 VGA DVI TV Out PCI-E Graphics Card - Ebuyer and if you got the nsk6580 you would get free delivery on that :)

I have a Freezer Pro 7 but will probably swap it soon because on full speed it is very loud.
I'd spend the extra and get something decent like a Scythe or TRUE.

Also need to find a way to jam a 120mm fan into the Antec NSK4000 but that's a different story...

Chimp

Quote:

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Originally Posted by staffsMike

or these
Antec NSK6580 Mid Tower ATX/MATX Case - With 430W EarthWatts PSU ATX12V 2.0 USB/FireWire/Audio - Ebuyer

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This would be my choice for a budget case and psu.

These are nice cases and the psu seems solid. Better than the coolermaster one I posted.

Okay guys you've convinced me about the Antec NSK6580 case. Would the 430W PSU be sufficient to power a Q6600 quad-core (non-overclocked)?

Also, i'll got the Abit IP-35E mobo instead of the V.

That should be plenty to power your system with the HD3450 and Q6600.
If I remember correctly, I think the EarthWatts PSUs are made by Seasonic and so should be very good?

Chimp

Not sure about seasonic making them but they are pretty solid PSU's from what I have read.

Plenty enough power for that system with overclocks or not imo :)

That's going to be a great build for that budget, tonnes of power for anything you want it to do.

The earthwatts should be more than enough I think.

HERE is the official page.

HERE are some reviews although for the 500w version (although I would suspect they're very much the same)

I've had a think about the HSF and have specced the Artic Cooling Freezer Pro 7. It seems a lot easier to fit compared to the Scythe Mine and the system will be running at stock speeds. Apparently, it's fairly quiet at stock speeds. I've also gone for the Abit IP35-E motherboard.

The shortlist is currently looking like this:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 SLACR...........................................£132.76
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro......................................................£14.38
Antec NSK6580 Mid Tower (inc. PSU).........................................£59.69
500 GB Samsung HD501LJ Spinpoint T166..................................£44.29
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1* 64Bit 1Pk OEM......£61.79
Toshiba/Samsung TS-H653, 20x DVD±R.....................................£14.09
256MB Sapphire HD3450...........................................................£26.43
Abit IP35-E..............................................................................£57.92
4GB (2x2GB) Corsair TwinX XMS2, DDR2 PC2-6400 (800)............£58.33
Microsoft B2L-00045 Comfort Curve Keyboard + Mouse...............£14.06


TOTAL:...................................................................................£483.74

I've managed to throw in a Microsoft keyboard and an optical mouse and still keep things below £500. One or two of the items are from this weekends Today Only on Scan. The case/PSU is from eBuyer and the other items are from Scan's normal prices. Would the Scythe Mine be that much better than the ACF 7 Pro at this budget level?

For the extra £10 I would probably get it while you have no plans to OC at the moment you may decide to in the future at which point the better cooler will be a big benefit. It will also be quiet at all load levels while still keeping your cpu cool, the ACF7P may be fine at stock speeds with low loads but under full load I would think it will still ramp up the fan speed and the noise.

I finally got round to building my £500 PC project. In the end I opted for the following components:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6850, Conroe Core, S775, 3.0 GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 4MB Cache, Retail
Price: £115.14
Supplier: Scan

Heatsink: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
Price: £14.38
Supplier: Scan

Case/PSU: Antec NSK6580 Mid Tower ATX/MATX Case - With 430W EarthWatts PSU ATX12V 2.0
Price: £59.69
Supplier: eBuyer

HDD: 320 GB Western Digital WD3200AAKS Caviar SE16, SATA II, 7200 rpm, 16MB Cache, 8.9 ms
Price: £40.83
Supplier: Scan

OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1* 64Bit 1Pk OEM (DVD)
Price: £61.79
Supplier: Scan

DVD Writer: Toshiba/Samsung TS-H653, 20x DVD±R, 12x DVD±DL, DVD+RW x8/-RW x6, SATA, Black, Lightscribe, OEM
Price: £14.09
Supplier: Scan

Graphics card: 256MB Sapphire HD3450 PCI-E 2.0, 1000MHz GDDR2 600MHz GPU 40 Streams DVI-I/HDTV/D-Sub HDCP Ready
Price: £26.43
Supplier: Scan

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L, iP35 Express, S 775, PCI-E (x16), DDR2 1066/667/800, SATA II, ATX
Price: £56.75
Supplier: Scan

RAM: 4GB (2x2GB) Corsair DDR2 6400 2x256Mx64 non-ECC 2x240 DIMM unbuffered 5-5-5-18 64bit OS DHX
Price: £58.16
Supplier: Scan

Keyboard/Mouse: Microsoft B2L-00045 Comfort Curve 2000 Wired Keyboard, USB 1.1/2.0, 800dpi Optical Mouse, Black
Price: £14.06
Supplier: Scan

Office App: Microsoft Office 2007
Price: £79.98
Supplier: Amazon

TOTAL: £541.30

Firstly, a big thank you to all those that offered advice. The system was very easy to build and took around two hours of build time and three hours to install Vista, updates and a few apps. The system booted first time and was rock solid during the software installation.

A couple of points worth mentioning about the build: the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro HSF almost touches one of the onboard heatsinks and fouls memory slot 0. The memory has large finned heatsnks attached and it is impossible to use slot 0 because of the fan attached to the heatsink. I had to use slots 1 and 3 for the 2 x 2GB sticks. A minor problem but not one I expected.

The drives were easy to install thanks to the removable cage for the HHDs and a simple slot-in for the 5.25inch optical drive.

It was easy to tidy the cables by just shoving them into the area for the drives. There is plenty of space in this case for lots and lots of drives!

The BIOS was easy to set up and Vista 64-bit installed with no issues whatsoever. The system isn't as quiet as I had hoped. Tomorrow I will set the case fan to the slow setting (of three settings). I'm not sure if it's the case fan or the HSF that's making some noise. Still, it's still very quiet as my reference is my P182-based system which is all but inaudible.

The WEI score was 4.4 with the CPU and RAM scoring between 5.7 and 5.9. The score was let down by the graphics performance as i'm using a bottom of the range graphics card.

Why did you not go for the E8300 cpu on that budget?