Gaming desktop...

latecomer

I've got to say that I only started building my own PCs about 5 years ago and despite being rather unlucky with components its been good fun and a lot cheaper than buying a ready made system.

For your first one its well worth reading up on what other more experienced people are building or recommending somewhere like the site linked earlier. Most people at the moment will recommend Intel Core2 processors (big change from a few years ago when AMD was ahead).

Simon_M_2

ASUS P5B 775 Motherboard £ 42.95
20x Samsung SH-S202 20X IDE DVDR-W Black £ 12.55
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz 95W G0 Stepping (Retail 775) £ 111.95
Club 3D nVidia GeForce 9600GT 512MB PCI-E2.0 £ 64.95
500GB Maxtor - 32MB - SATA2 - 7200RPM £ 36.25
2 X Kingston 1GB PC2-6400 ValueRAM £19.90
Cooler Master Centurion 5 Silver £ 44.95
OCZ 600W StealthXStream PSU £ 41.95 Cart Total £ 375.45
VAT £ 65.70
Total £441.15

All of the above will work fine together. I chose the case for functionality and ease of assembly, looks of course is a matter of opinion, some of the nice looking cases are a pain to install into, the Thermaltake Soprano been one.

I specifically chose 2GB of RAM as a 32bit OS has a physical limitation of 4GB max RAM, and you will usually never see more than 3.5GB anyway. Vista 32bit SP1 has a patch that does display the full 4GB of RAM under computer properties however it will still only use around 3.5GB max. With this motherboard if you install 4GB of RAM and enable memory hole remapping whilst using a 32bit OS you will only see 2GB of RAM LOL. You could install 3GB of RAm if you wished and the system would run in dual channel interleaved mode.

Hope this helps.

[Deleted User]

I'd definately make the jump to a 64 bit operating system if you're buying new, that way you'll have no driver issues and you can use 4GB of RAM and more

johng_uk

bumpydog wrote: »

My advise would be to have a trawl through people's proposed build specs here:

http://www.buildyourown.org.uk/forums/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=33

People usually say how much they have to spend, and then get advise on whether components are compatable or whether something can be swapped out for something which is better value.

Go on mate - Build It !

/EDIT : There's also a sticky on what you'll need and general compatability:
http://www.buildyourown.org.uk/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16317

Cheers mate - I was looking around that sight for a thread such as the one you posted, and couldn't see anything!

I'm looking into it serioulsy now, although as Tony suggested earlier, I can see how the 'shopping' list is one of the hardest bits!

I've also been looking at some systems here:

http://www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk

Some of these seem good value for money - Is it ALWAYS cheaper to build your own? Bearin mind I have no keyboard, speakers, O/S etc.

johng_uk

anewhope wrote: »

I'd definately make the jump to a 64 bit operating system if you're buying new, that way you'll have no driver issues and you can use 4GB of RAM and more

What's the difference between 64-bit and 32-bit operating saystems?

And what's the difference in price!!

johng_uk

Whether or not I build my own system (although I'm warming to the idea), http://www.buildyourown.org.uk, is a cracking website.

It has loads of informitive pages and opened my eyes!

TVM!

bumpydog

johng_uk wrote: »

Some of these seem good value for money - Is it ALWAYS cheaper to build your own? Bearin mind I have no keyboard, speakers, O/S etc.

No its not. If you are after a bog standard sub £400 PC then you could pick up one from a supermarket for a bit less than it would cost you to make it. However the parts would not be of a good quality, and it would have limited scope to upgrade. i.e the processors that most of these budget PCs use has a fixed clockspeed which doesn't allow you to overclock and essentially add extra processing power for free. In addition the motherboards don't usually have many (or any) additional expension slots so you're usually stuck with what you've bought until it becomes obsolete.

As you spend more than £500 the choice whether to build or buy becomes much clearer as you begin to get much more PC for your money. The key is not to rush into it and have a read through the forums first. Then after having done your research propose a build spec and take on board what people say about it. Don't be at all scared about building it, it really is like putting together lego and almost as much fun

DatabaseError

john. there is little or no price difference between vista 64 and vista 32, the main differences being 64 accepts 4gb+ ram, and can run 64 bit apps, which are currently few and far between, but a few games have x64 executables, so we're getting there. Another issue with x64 has been drivers, the software which makes the compuer components/peripherals work. It is probably fair to say that most, if not all, hardware under 2 years old has vista 64 drivers, even my 4 or 5 year old epson printer was just plug and play in vista 64. I can't think of a reason to go back to x32, so am unlikely ever to. as to your list of components, most motherboards have very capable onboard HD audio chipsets nowadays, unless you are a real audiophile, you won't need a separate soundcard, basic list is
CPU
CPU Cooler (may be included with CPU if retail rather than OEM)
Ram (cheap as chips, go for 4Gb)
Motherboard -available for as little as £20, spend £50+ for a bit of quality
GPU (Graphics card) ignore all 256meg cards, a good value 512mb card is the ATI HD4850 @ around £100
Case - Generally, the more you spend, the better build quality, for around £50 you should get one with a couple of case fans included, get all that hot air out. DO NOT get a case with an included PSU (power supply), this will be a cheap unit, and you risk failure of your expensive components
PSU (power supply) Hard to say what output you'll need without full specs, but 600-750w will almost certainly be enough, expect to pay in excess of £60

[Deleted User]

tonyhague wrote: »

john. there is little or no price difference between vista 64 and vista 32, the main differences being 64 accepts 4gb+ ram, and can run 64 bit apps, which are currently few and far between, but a few games have x64 executables, so we're getting there. Another issue with x64 has been drivers, the software which makes the compuer components/peripherals work. It is probably fair to say that most, if not all, hardware under 2 years old has vista 64 drivers, even my 4 or 5 year old epson printer was just plug and play in vista 64. I can't think of a reason to go back to x32, so am unlikely ever to. as to your list of components, most motherboards have very capable onboard HD audio chipsets nowadays, unless you are a real audiophile, you won't need a separate soundcard, basic list is CPU CPU Cooler (may be included with CPU if retail rather than OEM) Ram (cheap as chips, go for 4Gb) Motherboard -available for as little as £20, spend £50+ for a bit of quality GPU (Graphics card) ignore all 256meg cards, a good value 512mb card is the ATI HD4850 @ around £100 Case - Generally, the more you spend, the better build quality, for around £50 you should get one with a couple of case fans included, get all that hot air out. DO NOT get a case with an included PSU (power supply), this will be a cheap unit, and you risk failure of your expensive components PSU (power supply) Hard to say what output you'll need without full specs, but 600-750w will almost certainly be enough, expect to pay in excess of £60

I agree with everything in that post, especially the PSU. Do not skimp!

banger9365

i will have to agree with most of the above and yes if your buget is low then a prebuilt pc is right for you put if you have more the spend then custom built give you more pc for your money ,
do not skimp on a psu like winpower for a custom built pc ,there fine for replacing old psu's for old pc put not new pc's

and if you go custom built x64 is the only way to go know and before i forget have fun doing it,the key is research ,hardware and price and when you have a price stick to it it's hard to do that,
i have spent a 1k on hardware over the last few weeks upgrading mine and thats just on three parts ,cpu,motherboard and graphics card ,put it is my baby and i do not have any other vices(drinking,gambeling ect)

what am really saying take your time and have fun
there is one thing i will say if it's your first time building a pc do not go for the topend flagship stuff they can be a pain in the !!! to get working right if you do not know what your doing with them eg asus striker ,rampage (topend fllagship board),maxium(yes i am a asus fan)