Prebuilt budget system (< £500)

[RedPutty]

My sister is looking for a new comp (well new base unit..shes keeping the monitor etc). Self build is not an option.

this is the best i've found so far at £499
http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=122435&cks=PRL

I cant find out much about that epox mobo and wonder about the 9200 gfx card. She is unlikely to care much about FPS but I'd like it to have at least *some* futureproofing.
I cant understand why they put 256MB ram on a slow card. Wierd.

I've looked around and it seems the best, I looked on scans site but couldnt find anything comparable. I'm trying to choose somewhere i've bought from myself so I at least know she isnt paying money to some dodgy geezer who has thrown up a website.

[Stoo]

Comet are flogging an HP system for £399 inc vat & 17" monitor at the mo (Prolly a Celery, but still damned cheap if you don't want to go the DIY route)..

Linky: http://www.comet.co.uk/comet/html/cache/349_183296.html

[TeePee]

I've just built a system for £400 with slightyly better spec to that one from komplett.. Are you positive self-build isn't possible? Because theres a big saving available at that level, even if you get someone else to build it for you.

[RedPutty]

I can build one myself no probs but my sis lives a few hundred miles away and isnt up to it herself. Plus that way I dont become liable for every little thing that ever goes wrong with it

The comet one is ok but she has a LCD monitor already and wants a bigger HD than that.

cheers guys.

[john-boi]

With self build you can avoid that next to useless graphics card and get a half decent system.
£500 is a decent amount and would get you a decent system.

Off the top of my head decent case and board £110, say an Abit NForce2 and case with a decent 400watt PSU
Xp 2500 £60
512mb ram PC 3200 £80 (if you had built this a month ago more like £60 but it will go higher) from crucial can get cheaper but lets not skimp.
DVD ROM www.aria.couk. £20
Cd/RW £25
120gb Hard drive £55

ok what does that come to say around £350 so you have say £120 to buy an FX 5700 Ultra and £30 for bits and bobs such as heatsink fans etc.

This is a far superior pC to that from Komplett the only hole in my argument is that there is no OS but I'm sure with some hunting around you could save the odd tenner here and their on the prices I've mentioned and scrape together £60 for a copy of XP.

But hey it's for your sister and I'm sure you don't want her getting a better system than yours so stick with Komplett after all!!!

[TeePee]

Look into building it for her and then shipping it to her...?

[MD]

no cos hes right, as soon as you do that you are 24-7 tech support on it lol

Been there, done that.

m@

p.s. Dell have some pretty hot offers on right now..... ok so it comes with a monitor, but call them and see if they will take it off and how much you will save....

[RedPutty]

You guys are great at solving the wrong problem, i;lll give you that much

said in jest so dont flame me

[Stoo]

oh crap yeah, dell outlet, you can get a pretty decent baseunit there for not too much £££, completely forgot about that.. *doh*

[RedPutty]

no cos hes right, as soon as you do that you are 24-7 tech support on it lol

Been there, done that.

Oh yeah.
I built her last comp a few years ago.
Once she brought it the 200 miles for me to fix it. It wouldnt boot up properly. After reseating all the cards and thereby getting it to work it transpired her daughter had kicked it. She was insistent that wasnt what caused it - yeah right

[MD]

not just thier outlet stuff, their normal stuff is speced better than the Komplett stuff and it comes with a 3 yr warranty!!! On site too, dammit Dell you don't make it easy for us system builders....

m@

[RedPutty]

i'm looking at dell now thanks for the tip. Only thing I cant seem to be able to choose a system without a monitor.

or i'm being a retard lol

[MD]

no new systems you can't, cos the sites built for people who don;t always have a clue what they want, you know, Dell are afraid of sending people systems and then they get a call saying there is no screen lol

try the outlet, you might need to choose a system online in the normal section and call them and ask them to do it without monitor. I know they do as we got a delivery of 9 boxes and one monitor coming to my mates business, hes got an 'idea' apparently.

[Jonny M]

www.novatech.co.uk

[TeePee]

I think Lidl have some instore bargains, but thats too vague a tip to be worth anything...

Thanks for the comment RE: solving the wrong problem. We do try

[RedPutty]

hehe a little friendly ribbing from me

some good info so far. Novatech looks good too.