On the lookout for cheap...

[gamezfreak]

Hello there, I'm in the process of getting a new computer for myself, because the current one I am using is...well....prehistoric lets say.

The components I have so far are;

- AMD 2400XP+ (266mhz)
- MSI KT6 Delta motherboard
- Phillps CD-Rewiter (Cannot remember the speed)
- Coolermaster Aero 7 Lite CPU cooler
- Floppy Drive
- Connect3D RADEON 9600 PRO

Now that has set me back quite a lot. This is where I need your help in finding me components on the cheap because at the moment i'm not exactly rich. I need;

- Some good quality memory (PC2700 clocked down to PC2100 speeds to be in sync with the CPU)
- A good but cheap case
- A decent but cheap power supply
- Either an 80 or 60GB hard drive
- Anything else that i've forgot.

Is it possible you could get me some reccomendations for this lot? Prefrably between the £80 - £150 mark.

Thanks for any help that is received today.

[Ravens Nest]

Coolermaster Centurion ATX Case £44.83 no PSU
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=51378

QTEC 550 Watt PSU P4 ready Twin Fan Retail Boxed £19.97
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=34825

Western Digital Cavier SE 80Gb 7200rpm 8mb Cache Hard Drive - OEM £57.67
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=34419

TwinMOS PC3200 DDR-DIMM 256MB CL2.5 Memory 184-P (for DDR-PC400MHz) £33.15
http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?a...rpID=9&cks=PRL

[Lexeus]

I would head on over to ebuyer if you are on a budget there is this case with a 400W PSU for £24.99:

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=51068

256Mb Crucial PC-2700 £34.80:

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=42151

You didnt say what version KT6 Delta, so im not sure about the SATA, do they all have it ? But a 80Gb Maxtor SATA 8mb Cache drive £64.48:

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=48520

That makes £124.27

[Ravens Nest]

Or a cheaper case+350W PSU included and 512 ram instead of 256...

X-50 Fox ATX Midi Tower Case 350w PSU in Black £23.49
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=25760

TwinMOS PC3200 DDR-DIMM 512MB CL2.5 Memory184-P (for DDR-PC400MHz £55.00
http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?...GrpID=9&cks=PRL

Western Digital Cavier SE 80Gb 7200rpm 8mb Cache Hard Drive - OEM £57.67
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...oduct_uid=34419

What you might have forgot are
2 Qty 8cm Fans for the case About £1 each
Keyboard £3-£7
Mouse £5 -£45
Monitor £70-whatever

And does the K6 delta motherboard have sound?? if not then

Hercules Fortissimo II Digital Optical Output 5.1 Soundcard £10.24
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=52557

[Austin]

I'd suggest skipping Ebuyer, cheap but nasty IMHO. Try www.cpucity.co.uk www.dabs.com www.komplett.co.uk www.cannings.co.uk (cheap P&P).

I always prefer to shop in person for a cheap case, you can ensure the quality and important stuff (like mounts, ventilation etc) are there before you buy. The std PSU that cases come with are usually of poor quality but should do you certainly for the short term and/or in a budget system. You should find a decent no-brand case with 300-350W no-brand PSU for around £30. For the RAM I would certainly point you to www.crucial.com/uk ... PC3200 is almost the same price as PC2700 so you might as well go the whole hog even if you run it as very fast PC2100. For the HD shop around and look for a cheap price (inc P&P) and go from there. Obviously 7200rpm and 8MB are nice but not wholely necessary (esp 8MB) ... no need for SATA nor ATA133 either so see what price diffs are like. Likewise Maxtor, Seagate and WD are the most trusted names but you may find something far cheaper from another brand. Weigh up the pros and cons of what you save vs what you could gain.

[Agent]

Go with Ebuyer - their great.

[TooNice]

Seems rhat everyone got their bad experience with various vendors..

For me its Scan.
Austin is Ebuyer.
I've heard various negative things about Dabs and Komplett.

Anyone used simply.co.uk?

[Lexeus]

why do people even buy from dabs ? they are expensive

[Grolschkid]

Dabs are good if they get your order right, if not and u have to send anything back, they are a complete nightmare!!

[Stewart]

Austin, me old mucker, don't be so quick to write off eBuyer. The two best bargains in my system, the V770 Modding case + power supply, and the 19" Iiyama Vision Master 1451, both came from eBuyer.

I wouldn't use them in general, but when you are bargain hunting, there is no better place. The customer review thingy is tops as well.

When building a system, eBuyer should always be searched for that little gem or two, that can save you a few £££.

And yes, Cruical for the RAM. They remain top of my list, for price, performance, delivery times, and after sales service.

[directhex]

i'm probably not supposed to tell anyone about it, but Simply's policies r.e. not giving out peoples' credit card details to random strangers can be lacking at times...

[petrefax]

Originally posted by directhex
i'm probably not supposed to tell anyone about it, but Simply's policies r.e. not giving out peoples' credit card details to random strangers can be lacking at times...

EH!?! that doesn't sound good at all

can you elaborate at all??

[Austin]

It is certainly true that everyone has a bad experience from time to time with one of any of the retailers out there. Ebuyer are the only one I've known to be consistently underhanded and offer very poor service etc. That was over a year ago now though and it seems people tend to have positive things to say, I swore I'd never buy though after a few problems myself and loads of bad reports from many different people. I'd still be tempted to try their 'customer support' number before I'd order as they're well known for hang-ups, leaving you hanging on and being awful if/when you do eventually get through (they get half the call cost themselves you see). Anyway the only thing I've heard bad recently is that their priorities seem to have shifted somewhat after starting to ship to the US.

I've always found Dabs to have top notch service and decent enough prices compared to anyone other than Ebuyer. Komplett's shipping always made things hard for them but now they've addressed that I'd say they're well near the top of the heap. I've always looked at Simply but never ordered, IIRC they're product range, prices and P&P are all pretty poor. CPUcity were surprisingly good since I'd never heard of them a few months ago (pre-TbredB).

[Ravens Nest]

Thought after this thread started turning to reasons not to go to ebuyer i'd try to find alternatives for you.

Western Digital Caviar 80GB IDE 7200RPM Special Edition 8MB cache WD800JB £57.87
http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?a...rpID=1&cks=PRL


TwinMOS PC3200 DDR-DIMM 256MB CL2.5 Memory 184-P (for DDR-PC400MHz) £33.15
http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?a...rpID=9&cks=PRL

Zorro Black Case Ref: CASEZORROBLK
Drive bays: 4x5.25",6x3.5", Front USB2.0 + Firewire + Audio, See Through Window Side + Coloured LED Fan, 450W DUAL Fan PSU

£49.21
http://www.cclcomputers.biz/acatalog/

[DsW]

I've used Simply and found them to be pretty good. The big thing for me was the free p&p for orders over £75.

My only gripe was their customer helpline. Its a chargeable number and I had to wait more than 15 minutes on each of the three occasions that I called it.

cheers,
dave

[directhex]

Simply accidentally sent 2000 customer credit card details to some woman in middlesex. the people involved were informed, but not compensated & Simply were unrepentant. I know about it because a housemate was on the list.

Fortunately the recipient was honest & didn't abuse the numbers

--jo