New System!

Hi, its been a while since i've been on here, but im getting a new system and i knew this would be the place to ask about it.

Before you all go mental at me, yes it is a pre-built system, but i dont have time to build it myself. This is due to me havin to go back to uni in the next few days and this computer i'm typing from is going in the next few days also, so i gotta be quick!

Im buying online from pc specialists, the current system is as follows;

ASUS P5QL
Quad Q8300 (really wanted the Q9400 but cant afford :( )
2GB CORSAIR DOMINATOR 1066MHz
RADEON HD 4850 (512 mb model)
Vista Home Premium
250gig hard disk
22x Dual Layer Lightscribe DVD burner
450W Quiet Dual Rail PSU (anyone know what model their psu's are? bit iffy on this)
22 Inch Wide TFT (1680 x1050 top res)
3 year Warranty.

Price: £946 inc VAT and Delivery.

I really couldn't find anything at all on the Q8300, has anyone got any views on it? Is the step up to a Q9400 really worth it?
450watts should be enough for this system too right? I was thinking of buying a Corsair 512 PSU if this one is a bit crap and sticking that in there.

Going for a large warranty over higher end hardware, as this is gonna have to last me a few years!

Thanks!

Dave

Should be fine, it is a lower end quad but the performance difference between them will be negligible.

You should get 4GB of ram at 800mhz than 2GB at 1066mhz because they are the same price.

Make sure your vista is 64bit

250gb is a bit low, the difference between 250 and 500 is like 5 pound i think.

PSU is a bit....... and a no name psu is NEVER quiet.


All in all, i think there is something a bit wrong with the price, seems a bit toooo high, i will spec one up in a sec and see what i get.

Thanks for the tip on the RAM and hd, never realised it was so little for so much more!

The price is quite high because of the 3 year warranty i think, its £135.

Do you know if the Q8300 overclocks well?

Thanks for the quick reply.

Did a quick spec of a similar system, about right i guess once u factor in their delivery cost and 3 year warranty, i still think you should try and get a better PSU.

There isnt much need to overclock it tbh, however if you do you should check your warranty terms as if you do any overclocking it will probably be void.

If you're going for 4gb of memory then make sure you get vista 64bit

Quote:

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Originally Posted by crazy_dave

I really couldn't find anything at all on the Q8300, has anyone got any views on it? Is the step up to a Q9400 really worth it?

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I seem to recall some benchmarks that put the Q8300 behind the Q6600. I will have a dig around see if I can find them again. The Phenom II (out next week) has the potential to shake up the price of Core 2 Quads so keep an eye on what happens there.

How much time really does it take to build a pc. Give me all the parts and I'd be installing vista in under an hour. Never would I spend that amount on a pre built pc.

That's if it works.. no DOA parts etc..

I agree though, on a good day an hour to build something like that and it will install vista in 15 minutes.

If the warranty is on-site then it's worth it but if not it will take as long to send it back as to get a new part and fix yourself.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by burtie

How much time really does it take to build a pc. Give me all the parts and I'd be installing vista in under an hour. Never would I spend that amount on a pre built pc.

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ditto

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tonpal

I seem to recall some benchmarks that put the Q8300 behind the Q6600. I will have a dig around see if I can find them again.

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Couldn't find the benchmarks I was thinking of.

Found this one though.

http://www.behardware.com/articles/7...the-q6600.html

It puts the Q8300 a fraction in front of the Q6600.