Building own PC - Help with Parts!

robert_harper_2000

Hello I've actually copied this list from someone on this Techie somewhere but since have lost where.

Basically I thought this guy knew his stuff so what does everyone else think?

My needs will be not too bothered about gaming but may use it a bit. Main use will be multiple tasks at once with fair bit of storage needed for photos and documents etc - more work PC so security important.

His list is as follows
-Case - Antec P180B - £96
-Power Supply - Hiper 4M580 580Watt - £52
-HDD - SATA Maxtor Diamondmax 10 2x300GB - £134
-DVD RW - Pioneer 111 DVD Writer - £30
-Motherboard - ASUS A8n-32 SLI deluxe - £135
-Processor - AMD 64x2 dual Core 4400+ - £305
-Graphics card - ?
-RAM - Orsair 2GB DDR XMS 3500LL Pro Twin X - £206

Now, he gave these rough prices but I'm sure I'll find them cheaper( I'll check that out ) but I want to know if I could change the Power Supply without making a difference? etc Technical changes I don't understand...

Any help would be appreciated; thank you all:beer:

Toxteth_OGrady

Why do you want to change the psu? Hipers are very good. A decent psu is one of the best hardware investments you'll make.

:cool:

TOG

niceguyrichy

second the psu comment.
I've got one of those hipers (in black. v. sexy) and it's a great supply.

rest all looks good, but I have to ask what you plan to use it for??


if it's a hard core gaming rig you're after then that's great (with the addition of an X1900XTX), but for general purpose use it smacks a bit of overkill...

Quincy_3

robert_harper_2000 wrote:

My needs will be not too bothered about gaming but may use it a bit. Main use will be multiple tasks at once with fair bit of storage needed for photos and documents etc - more work PC so security important.

This is way to much for your needs IMHO.

niceguyrichy

missed that bit. overkill!

also just noticed, get Western Digital or Seagate drives ahead of maxtor.

albertross_2

Don't understand all this foaming at the mouth over a PSU!

Looked after PC's professionally for years, and only ever seen one failure, and that was a self build..

I'd just get a Dell for half the price..that is a lot of spec for a PC that isn't going to be used for games much.

CAT-THE-FIFTH

Building your own system is fun IMHO but you can also pick up some decent bargains from Dell

An example is here

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?null_errmsg=Please%20enter%20the%20entire%20E-value%20code&space_errmsg=The%20E-value%20code%20may%20not%20contain%20spaces&cs=ukdhs1&c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&kc=UKDHSONL&oc=D05915r&x=12&y=11

The specs of the £599 Dell system are

Pentium 2.8ghz dual core
1024mb RAM
160gb Hard disk
256mb Nvidia 7900GS Graphics card
Integrated Soundblaster Audigy 5.1 sound
DVD writer
13 in 1 card reader
Microsoft Works 7.0
Microsoft Windows XP home edition
17" TFT monitor
Stereo speakers with subwoofer
Keyboard and mouse
1-Year Collect and Return service

Pretty decent for the money if you ask me!!

Even if you increase the specs to 2gb RAM,500gb storage and a 3ghz dual core processor it is still under 1000 quid!

Plus you can use Quidco and also get cashback!!

Little_John

I have to agree with posts from above, the spec is over kill for a none gaming pc, 600GB of storage for photos is alot I dont belive you will be using it for photos Maxtor drives are noisy and there are more reliable drives available WD or Seagate. you cant have an ocasional gamming pc decide if you want to play or not if you do invest in a decent graphics card if not save a fortune drop the CPU memory and an inexpensive graphics card.

The above system for £599 will be perfect if you could up the drive space if you really have 600GB of photos. I have over 1.2TB of storage and it isnt photos.

wolfman

The spec does seem quite a lot for what you need.

Firstly, the Antec P180 is a great case, one of the best around. For your needs though you may want to consider the Antec Sonata II. It comes with a decent 450W psu, which would solve the PSU problem, yet still has great build quality.

The Hiper PSU is good. Personally though, for the money there are other brands I'd go with. Enermax and Tagan to name two. I wouldn't describe it as "foaming over the mouth", but a PSU is still an important piece of kit and something (in my opinion) worth spending the cash on.

Apart from that the spec looks ok. You may want to opt for 1gb of Ram, and maybe 2x 200gb hard drives instead of 2x 300gb. I always think it's better to have two hard drives than one large hard drive.

With regards to buying from Dell, it is a feasible option. I personally don't like such systems. I often find the case, PSU, mouse and keyboard to be of less quality than if you were to make a self build.

For example, the Dell mentioned below has a slower processor, less ram, one hard drive, possibly not the best DVD-Writer, most likely an average 17" TFT, and a bog standard case, PSU, mouse and keyboard. For me spec is important, but so is the experience of using a computer. The monitor, mouse, keyboard and case (and psu) are worth spending on in my opinion. I would always self build over buying a package deal.

albertross_2

Can't say I drool over cases either... But each to their own. PC is a tool to me, not a fashion statement. I did think the Commodore Pet was a design classic though.

My point was that there is a power supply in every PC/Telly/piece of electrical equipment in the world. They are a basic piece of equipment. What they look like is not relevant to me, neither is the brand (they very rarely go wrong in my experience, and are hidden away in the case). If one did go wrong, I'd replace it with the cheapest I could find, not a £50 one.

Off to check for "leaking capacitors", wire up my neons, and plumb in my water cooling system now..

For some reason the Tennis rackets in School for scoundrels spring to mind (I have the Ian Carmichael kit, rather than Terry Thomas).

niceguyrichy

a poor quality psu can affect the lifespan of other components in the comp, which is why I'd never buy a dirt cheap one.
Also, as I use my comp to record music, the volume of the whole shebang is important to me. So sure, I could get an £8 job from ebuyer that might just roar like a hairdrier, or I could trust the advice of some of my more 'technically inclined' (ok, benchmarking overclocking nuts) friends and cough £60 for a quality one that I know will work silently

as regards cases, I'm forever in and out of mine. swapping this out , putting this in etc. so a good quality well designed case is a must for me.
(i cut myself to ribbons on the cheap case my gf bought herself )
Different people with different needs have different requirements I guess.