Uber Comp spec please !!!!

[Afroninja]

OK, how about a screenshot of my machine at home thats been running windows 2000 with a 2.4c p4 ever since they came out?

 

[old.LandShark]

Originally posted by old.Tohtori
Just never...everever...neverever-everever use AMD with ASUS.

Nope.

Never!

Overheating son of a *****(guess it!) combination.

*nods*

... what? Motherboards have exceptionally little to do with the thermal characteristics of your CPU. I have heard nothing of problems of this type, and I've certainly had no problems with this 4-year-old 850mHz thunderbird that's been 300mHz overclocked for at least 3 years, in an Asus mobo.

Originally posted by tripitaka
And i thought the idea of this thread was to give a perspective of other ppl systems, NOT to flame someone for what they bought?

The simple answer instead of the long explanation - is if you have the money and are a lazy git, buy premade with a hefty system spec. Thats what i did.

I'm sorry, I assure you I wasn't flaming. A large chunk of alienware prices is the fact that you get trade-price upgrades for years afterwards, and by all accounts superb customer service; I recognise that. And they DO look good.

However, the fact remains his budget is £600, not in excess of £2000.
Then again, my own suggestion fails to take into account lack of technical knowledge. Overclocking, while simpler these days than it once was, is still not thaaat great if you're not confident with fiddling around in PCs anyway.

Alright, here's a suggestion that involves no overclocking:

Tyan Tachyon Radeon 9600 Pro: £99 from eBuyer

Antec Sonata quiet case + 380W antec PSU: £74 from OCuk

AMD Barton 2500+ Processor: £61 from OCuk with 3yr warranty and decent heatsink/fan included. May not be as quiet as a seperately-bought cooler, but it's a cheap option and the warranty's good.

Asus A7N8X Deluxe nForce2 motherboard: £72 from OCUk. Comes with the best onboard sound available, firewire, serialATA, 2x network cards onboard, 6x USB2.0 ports, etc etc. Good motherboard, in other words.

OCUk Value DVD reader and CD-rewriter: £31 from OCuk. They're rebranded Samsung drives, I believe, and they come with a good 2-year warranty.

1024mb twinMOS PC2700, DDR333 RAM: £110 from ocUK. No point having faster RAM than this if you aren't buying a very very fast processor or overclocking a slow one.


All this is £447 before VAT. £525 after VAT.
Includes: case+quiet 120mm exhaust fan, power supply, motherboard, graphics, CPU + cooling, gig of RAM, good sound.

I'm not sure of the prices for Geforce FX 5700 cards. If you can fit one into the budget instead of the Radeon 9600Pro, then do so; they're better.

How's that?

 

[old.Tohtori]

Originally posted by old.LandShark
... what? Motherboards have exceptionally little to do with the thermal characteristics of your CPU. I have heard nothing of problems of this type, and I've certainly had no problems with this 4-year-old 850mHz thunderbird that's been 300mHz overclocked for at least 3 years, in an Asus mobo.

Yes but in an old comp i had, the "techy" persons told that the overheating was infact because a certain ASUS mobo didn't work well/at-all with the AMD K-6 processor.

Which is why i hate both

 

[Addlcove]

Originally posted by Afroninja
OK, how about a screenshot of my machine at home thats been running windows 2000 with a 2.4c p4 ever since they came out?

rightclick "my computer" so I can see what processor you have in your machine

next to that put the processor performance bar from "taskmanager" you get when you push ctrl+alt+del.

IF you are succesfully running HT under 2000 I would like to know how, as the 3 machines I have here are currently unable to do it (aside from the mentioned link)

 

[Sharma]

Originally posted by Whoodoo_RD
http://www.alienware.com/ - nuff said

There IS a UK site btw.

 

[Afroninja]

Originally posted by Addlcove
rightclick "my computer" so I can see what processor you have in your machine

next to that put the processor performance bar from "taskmanager" you get when you push ctrl+alt+del.

IF you are succesfully running HT under 2000 I would like to know how, as the 3 machines I have here are currently unable to do it (aside from the mentioned link)

consider it done, when i get home

trust me though, its a "dual" 2.4c complete with the with the 2 cpu usage boxes in the task manager

 

[Moody]

Got a P4 2.53GhHz
1024 MB DDR ram
ATI Radeon 9700Pro
Soundblaster Live (not really important for daoc tho)
A few harddisks with 8MB cache
OS is WinXP Pro
Very important I find the 3Com networkcard. The packetloss and unstable connections I had with a Realtek-based networkcard was mindboggling.

I sometimes run 2 accounts and thats not a problem at all.

I got some issues with flickering sky when the weather changes, but for the rest the picture quality is much better than an Nvidia card and its a fast bugger too

 

[SilverHood]

I had a similar problem some 7 months ago.. got my bits from OCUK and it was just over 800 quid back then.


Asus A7N8X-VM nForce2 - £61.90
AMD Athlon "Barton" XP2500+ - £56.90
Western Digital Caviar 80GB - £51.00
Akasa AK824cu Copper Base CPU Cooler £12.50
Hercules 3D Prophet 9800 128MB DDR £179.95
Crucial 512MB DDR PC2700 £59.90
LiteON 16x DVD-ROM £20.90
Lian Li PC 60 Aluminium Midi-Tower £68.00
Q-Tec 550W Dual Fan Gold PSU 24.90

thats around 620 quid with VAT. No idea what you have, or haven't got, so you might be able to miss some bits, but 600 for a decent pc is cutting it pretty steep


btw, Landsharkes ones looks nice.... mine was done from OCUK's only.... so shop around
Oh, but you'll want a better than 380W PSU, 450W atleast, if not 550W. The price difference is so small anyway.

On the Barton CPU, you can overclock it easily, without needing any extra heating. I got an extra 250 mhz, and got a temperature rise of less than 5 degrees. Just a few bios tweaks, can post instructions if anyone wants them.

 

[old.Trine Aquavit]

OK, here's a spec for a budget base PC, keeping costs down & including all bits:

Case & PSU = Generic, £35
Cooling fans (front & back) = Cooler Master, £12
Motherboard (build-in sound) = MSI KT6 DELTA-LSR, £65
Processor = AMD Athlon 2600+, £70
Processor heatsink/fan = Cooler Master CP5-6J31C, £8
RAM = 2 x 512Mb PC3200 DDR RAM, £130
GFX Card = Gigabyte Radeon 9600, £80
Hard drive = Samsung Spinpoint P80, £59
Floppy drive = Generic, £8
CDRW/DVD drive = Sony Combo CDRW/DVD, £58

Total: £525

A pretty nice spec PC, imo. You could beef up the graphics (e.g. to a 9800 if you can salvage CD/DVD drives, etc). XP Home is probably your best bet as an OS.

Note: I really recommend getting 1GB RAM for MMOGs - they eat up RAM like nothing else.

 

[tripitaka]

Originally posted by old.LandShark

I'm sorry, I assure you I wasn't flaming. A large chunk of alienware prices is the fact that you get trade-price upgrades for years afterwards, and by all accounts superb customer service; I recognise that. And they DO look good.

However, the fact remains his budget is £600, not in excess of £2000.

......How's that?

oops and my bad also - didn't read the budget bit

But yes , trade prices and customer service and support is all part n parcel of the <eeeeelongated> price.

I've had to call them a few times - and they're nicer than a nice thing in an especially nice shop, to ask them a few general questions - and point out a couple of flaws in their recovery CD

 

[Twaize]

Bah noone commented my specs <crys>

 

[old.Trine Aquavit]

Originally posted by Twaize
Bah noone commented my specs <crys>

Perhaps because they were very unrealistic given the £600 budget?

 

[Arkian]

Do people actually buy PCs from Alienware?

I've just had a look at some of their prices and on the high end systems you are paying >£500 than the equivalent system from other vendors, e.g. carrera

£500 more for a 'pretty' pc?

 

[SilverHood]

Originally posted by old.Trine Aquavit
OK, here's a spec for a budget base PC, keeping costs down & including all bits:

Case & PSU = Generic, £35

Case AND PSU for 35 quid? where?

 

[Addlcove]

Originally posted by Afroninja
OK, how about a screenshot of my machine at home thats been running windows 2000 with a 2.4c p4 ever since they came out?

Still waiting

 

[Afroninja]

watching stargate, then ill boot into 2k

 

[Afroninja]

ok, advert time. sooooo...

 

[old.LandShark]

Originally posted by SilverHood
Case AND PSU for 35 quid? where?

www.Ebuyer.co.uk have a crapload of such deals. However, bear in mind that just because a PSU claims a riduculously high output like 550W, doesn't mean it can actual handle any real demands anything like that high.
PSUs are one part of a PC where I really don't trust generic brands. It's one of the rare parts where, when sold as 'generic', it's actually NOT just an unbranded or slightly more feature-poor version of a well known brand. A lot of generic RAM, for example, is(used to be?) samsung, and was therefore fine 99% of the time.

 

[SFXman]

Originally posted by Whoodoo_RD
http://www.alienware.com/ - nuff said

I sure would not mind, had fun with the customize button:

1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support with Onsite Service
Alienware Full-Tower Case (420-Watt PS) - Space Black
Alienware Cable Management System
AMD Athlon™ 64 FX-51 Processor with HyperTransport Technology - $100 Instant Rebate
Ajigo High Performace Heatsink / Fan Unit for Athlon 64 Processors
ASUS SK8N - NVIDIA® nForce3™ Pro 150 Motherboard
2GB Registered ECC DDR SDRAM PC-3200 - 4 x 512MB Module
ATI RADEON™ 9800 XT 256MB 8x AGP w/DVI & S-Video
AlienIce™ Video Cooling System - Terra Green
500GB Western Digital Caviar SE Serial ATA RAID 0 Array
Samsung 52x24x52x16x CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive - Black
Plextor PX-708A 8x DVD±R/W Drive - Black
Verbatim DataLifePlus CD-R 52x 80 Minute 50-Pack Spindle
Verbatim DataLifePlus 4.7GB 2.4x Speed DVD+RW 3-Pack in Jewel Case
Creative Sound Blaster® Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro - 7.1
Intel® PRO/1000 MT Gigabit Desktop Adapter
Alienware™ USB 2.0 256MB Flash Drive
3.5" 1.44 MB Floppy Disk Drive - Black
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
NEC 30" LCD3000 LCD - Black
Klipsch ProMedia™ Ultra 5.1 500-Watt Speakers
Microsoft Internet Keyboard - Space Black
Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 - USB - Space Black
Lexmark-X6170 All-In-One Office Center with 6' USB Cable
Belkin Universal UPS 1200VA
Alienware™ USB 2.0 256MB Flash Drive
Microsoft Wireless Desktop Kit
Belkin Nostromo™ SpeedPad n52 USB
Logitech® Freedom 2.4 Cordless Joystick
Logitech® MOMO® Force Steering Wheel
Sennheiser RS85 Stereo Wireless Headphones with HiDyn Plus
Creative® NOMAD® Jukebox Zen NX 30GB USB 2.0
Logitech QuickCam Pro 4000
Bonus 12-Month Subscription to Computer Games Magazine!
Alienware Home Essentials bundle
Age of Mythology
Age of Mythology: The Titans Expansion Pack
Battlefield 1942
Delta Force: Black Hawk Down
Command and Conquer: Generals
Command and Conquer Generals: Zero Hour
Enter the Matrix
Freedom Fighter
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Halo: Combat Evolved
Home World 2
Jedi Knight Academy
LionHeart : Legacy of the Crusader
Medal of Honor Allied Assault™
Medal of Honor Allied Assault: Breakthrough
Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide
PlanetSide
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Rise of Nations
SAVAGE: The Battle for Newerth
Sims: Double Deluxe Edition
Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
The Temple of Elemental Evil
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Gold Edition
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
Tron 2.0
Unreal Tournament 2003
Warcraft III
WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne
3DMark®03 Professional w/$10.00 Instant Rebate
Microsoft Office XP Professional
Norton AntiVirus™ 2004 Professional Edition
Norton Internet Security ™ 2004 Professional Edition
AlienAdrenaline: Video Performance Optimizer
Free Alienware® T-Shirt - Black
AlienAutopsy: Automated Technical Support Request System

$12,227.

 

[Addlcove]

Originally posted by Afroninja
ok, advert time. sooooo...

how did you do it?

got 3 pc´s at work with HT processors that are unable to facilitate it´s ue, would be very handy as they are running CAD programs

 

[SFXman]

Forget all previous systems... I would take this by far:
http://www.go-l.com/desktops/machl38/features/index.htm

 

[Khalen]

Please don't buy a mobo because of Sata... it's not that good and the new generation is coming soon already so getting Sata 1 is crap.

My new pc:

P4 2.8 Ghz with HT
1 Gb Ram
Radeon 9700

with these 3 babies my pc runs smooth in zergs like sidi or teleports.

 

[Moody]

Neh. Got almost the same (cpu only 2.53 here) and sauvage is still laggy Sidi and dragon stuff is ok tho.

 

[Twaize]

Originally posted by old.Trine Aquavit
Perhaps because they were very unrealistic given the £600 budget?

Well erm hmm didn't get that part...

 

[Cyradix]

Originally posted by SFXman
Forget all previous systems... I would take this by far:
http://www.go-l.com/desktops/machl38/features/index.htm

The cheapest model is $3999.99.
The extreme version will set you back $7799

And it doens't even include a monitor

Try the 92" inch panel ($17499.99)

http://www.go-l.com/store/hardware/grand_canyon.htm


I bet you would still lag during big raids though

 

[old.Trine Aquavit]

Originally posted by SilverHood
Case AND PSU for 35 quid? where?

http://www.dabs.com/uk/channels/components/caseandcaseaccessories/productView.htm?quicklinx=28WD

It's not the prettiest in the world and they do have a few that are cheaper (and uglier). It's obviously going to be a cheap power supply, but it should be OK for most needs as long as you're not stressing it too much. If you're running a shed-load of stuff off the PSU (lots of drives, etc.) then you might want to pick up a good quality PSU (I bought an Enermax one), but it won't be cheap.

I can recommend www.dabs.com - I get quite a bit of stuff from them and they've always given me good service and the prices are pretty good, too.

 

[old.tRoG]

The Radeon 9800 Pro (128Mb) is the undisputed daddy

 

[SFXman]

Originally posted by old.tRoG
The Radeon 9800 Pro (128Mb) is the undisputed daddy

AGP Pro 8x Accelerated 256bit MemoryBus
Radeon™ 9800 Pro/ XT Graphics with 8 Pixel
Pipelines at 3.04Gp/s Pixel Fil rate, 21.8GB/
bandwidth & Multi-monitor, High-Definition support.
The daddy of your daddy.

 

[old.Tohtori]

Jeff: I got a Radeon 3000X-PDx4 processor...

Tonder: Cool.

Jeff: Triple mocca X-25 cooling system...

Tonder: Oh?

Jeff: 512 Gigabit mem system for the HULK-3000 Chip converter, 2x128 RVDCD system, AtheonPantheon 3GB overload capasitator and a Thundercage x500 locatorunit with a Unix compability and a WinXp3k overdrive.

Tonder: Where's the powerbutton?

Jeff: ....

 

[old.tRoG]

Originally posted by SFXman
AGP Pro 8x Accelerated 256bit MemoryBus
Radeon™ 9800 Pro/ XT Graphics with 8 Pixel
Pipelines at 3.04Gp/s Pixel Fil rate, 21.8GB/
bandwidth & Multi-monitor, High-Definition support.
The daddy of your daddy.

Cut the geek speak, mothahfuckah.