[QUESTION] New Computer

[Aph3x]

I have a request for those of you in the know, im looking to build a new computer as my current one is starting to look a little like frankenstiens monster. Its around 5 years old and although it runs the games i play it does it on the lowest setting.

Im able to build a computer and am happy putting all the parts together myself, seems to be cheaper to do this too and you can custom build your PC, i have between £500 - £600 to spend on a new PC and will not need to buy a new HDD as i have 2 biggies in the current PC i want to swap over, 1 SATA 1 normal (forget the techie term).

The problem i have is that i dont really know what parts go with what ie. CPU and mobo, im also not particularly clued up on which gfx cards are best and which types of items to get. I've always had AMD CPU's and am happy to carry on with them but if Intel are now out performing them i'd be happy to switch. I was wondering if any of you fine people could suggest a build which would fit in with my budget.

Sorry for the huge post but i wanted to get as much info in as possible.

Thanks in advance

[Cadelin]

I would recommend doing a search on this forum, lots of people have been getting new computers recently. Here is one similar to your requirements

Unless you give some requirements then its hard to say what build would be best for you.

[Aph3x]

Sorry, I will be gaming on the PC, dont tend to use the current one for much else. I was looking for a mobo, CPU, RAM and a case, think that should cover it, have most of the other things i can take from the current PC. OS im running will be Vista have 32bit installed at the minute.

[Helme]

Intel C2D E8400
Asus P5Q-Pro
4GB of PC6400/8500 ram, Corsair/Kingston/OCZ/Geil
Antec Sonata 3 is a good choice for PSU+Case.

You sure you don't need a graphics card? if you do - Ati HD4850 for a cheap great card with future CrossFire upgrades available or an Ati HD4870 for singlecard solution(can be ran in CrossFire aswell tho).

[Kryten]

Agree with above posts but scratch Kingston from the list of RAM, it's cheaply manufactured for the masses and as a result is about as reliable as a plumber's estimate.

[Aph3x]

Sorry I do need a gfx card too, forgot the current one was AGP, cheers for the advice, will price it up and see how it all works out.

[Spudgun]

From personal experience I had trouble with an asus board (p5k) and OCZ memory, would avoid with asus boards personally, others I'm sure though have not had any problems.

I've got the Intel C2D E8400 and i'm very happy with it.

[Kryten]

There are indeed a few people who have had issues but the same goes for every single other board on the market. P5K here with OCZ memory and it's as good as it can get, frankly.

[Gef]

Originally Posted by Helme

Intel C2D E8400
Asus P5Q-Pro
4GB of PC6400/8500 ram, Corsair/Kingston/OCZ/Geil
Antec Sonata 3 is a good choice for PSU+Case.

You sure you don't need a graphics card? if you do - Ati HD4850 for a cheap great card with future CrossFire upgrades available or an Ati HD4870 for singlecard solution(can be ran in CrossFire aswell tho).

Pretty much what I just bought



I forgot the HS & Fan, which I got from Maplin for £15..

[Aph3x]

Ok have these items sitting in my basket ready to buy, what are your thoughts.

Silverstone TJ06S-W (Silver) Aluminum Supertower Case with Window (w/o PSU)

2GB (2x1GB) Corsair TwinX XMS2, DDR2 PC2-6400 (800), 240 Pins, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 5-5-5-18

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, Kentsfield Core, S775, 2.40 GHz 1066MHz 8MB Cache, 9x Multiplier, Retail

Asus P5N-D, NF750i SLI, 775, PCI-E 2.0 (x16), DDR2, 533/667/800, SATA II, SATA RAID, ATX

512MB Gainward HD 4850, PCI-E 2.0 (x16), Mem 993MHz GDDR3, GPU 625MHz, 2x DL DVI-I/HDTV

Asus V-52 Intel LGA775 CPU Cooler - Copper - Core2 Quad/Duo Ready

What are your thoughts?

[Aph3x]

Ok forgot to add this to the list

650W NorthQ Black Magic Flex Modular PSU 80%+ Eff' 135mm Silent Fan OEM

[Kryten]

I'd ditch the NorthQ (which are frankly fairly dire despite desperate attempts to get into the mid-high end PSU market) and go for something like a Corsair 620HW which should be around the same price mark if not a little cheaper.

Also, get rid of the motherboard, nvidia chipsets are not the most reliable and there's a lot of issues floating round at the minute, which a brief hunt round most the hardware sites will show. Stick with an intel P45 or at the very least P35 chipset board, such as the P5Q or P5K, or even a Gigabyte P45 board.

Make sure that Q6600 is a "g0 stepping" or "energy efficient" model, if not then ditch it. Do you really need quad core? If not, E8400 is a much better choice.