Components to build a new PC

icebergx

Hi all,

I'm looking to build my next PC but wanted to get som einput into which components would be best.
I want to spend £500 max. and io need the following components:

1) Processor (I've seen the AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ S939 OEM for £123)

2) Motherboard (Asus A8N-E SKT 939 NFORCE 4 AUDIO LAN PCI-Express ATX for £60. Can I connect my old ATA HDD and DVDRW to this?)

3) Memory (CRUCIAL 1GB DDR PC3200 400MHz 184-PIN UNBUFF 128MX64 for £60 and I also have 2 x 256MB DDR333 on my old PC which I wanted to move over.

4) Hard Drive (min. 300GB SATA)

5) Graphics Card

I'd also like a new case but this doesn't have to be to be top of the range. It is important for me to be able to connect my old IDE DVDRW and HDDs along with the new components I purchase as I'm not planning to upgrade these at the moment. A also already have a Floppy Disk Drive and a 450w PSU.

I don't play any game on my PC but do some videio re-ncoding and use some system hungery apps like MS Office, Dragon Naturally Speaking and Azureus (File Sharing App).

Have I missed anything important? Are the components I've mentioned above compatable?)

Thanks for ant help you can give.

PS. The prices quoted are from ebuyer and lowestonweb.com

nickmack

icebergx wrote:

3) Memory (CRUCIAL 1GB DDR PC3200 400MHz 184-PIN UNBUFF 128MX64 for £60 and I also have 2 x 256MB DDR333 on my old PC which I wanted to move over.

You shouldn't use your old 333MHz memory with your new 400MHz memory. It will slow the new memory down.

wolfman

1) Try and wait a few weeks if possible. The new Intel Cores will be out which will shake up the market quite a bit. AMD's should hopefully drop even more in price, and it may be worth considering an Intel Core. Their performance is excellent from what I've seen and the prices don't look set to be too expensive.

2) I'd go for a socket 940 board instead of a socket 939 board. If going for an AMD, the new AM2 platform uses socket 940 instead of socket 939. The socket is just the slot that the cpu fits into, socket 940 is newer and more future proof. You need to make sure you get a corresponding socket 940 AMD.

4) Most hard drives will be fine. Maxtor, Seagate, Western Digital, Hitachi. I'd go for a Seagate or Western Digital given the choice.

5) If you want a new case, Antec do some decent cases. I personally like the Antec Sonata II but it comes with a PSU which you already have.

icebergx

Do you think 1GB Ram is enough?

Will I still be able to use/install some of my old software or will I have to get 64 bit versions?

Any suggestions for Graphics cards?

Lord_Chris

woah, can you post the link to the amd dual core please... £123 for an amd dual core 3800+???? cheapest i could find about a month ago was just under 200.

ohh, and yes you can connect your old DVD to the new motherboard, and i'm assuming you mean a SATA hard drive? if so then that SHOULD be okay... if you look on Asus' homepage i *think* that specifically tells you if it is SATA complient.

also, Azureus and MS Office are NOT at all resource guzzlers.

EDIT : i think you've got the price for the dual core wrong. On Ebuyer it is £186 and lowestonweb didnt have the mentioned model.

icebergx

Here you go:

http://www.lowestonweb.com/Products/DisplayInfoMain.asp?e=59908737-FD77-46CB-9487-370E334EB1E9&td=1

My old HDD isn't a SATA, just a plain old IDE. I plan to use this as a slave HDD and my new SATA one as my Primary HDD.

zombiecazz

Just a suggestion....if your not going to play games I would stick to Pentium. We've got one comuputer with AMD with an ASUS motherboard, but much prefer my pentium.

wolfman

I wouldn't go for Intel unless it was one of the new Intel Core's.

AMD Athlon64's are superior in most benchmarks to Intel Pentium 4's and D's. And they use a lot less power so you save a little more money. They run quite a bit cooler too, which is important especially given these hot summers. And finally, you generally get more bang for your buck.

The new Intel Core's look set to adopt a similar stance. In fact they're meant to be even more power efficient than the Athlon64's. Plus from the benchmarks I've seen they look set to wipe the floor with AMD.

Still given this shake up, prices are set to drop dramatically. Namely AMD and the older Pentium range. So, AMD should still be a good choice given the price is right.


1gb Ram should be enough. Unless you're gaming or doing graphical work, you don't really need any more.


I looked up the motherboard you mentioned on Asus, but couldn't find it. I'm sure it'll support ATA though. Most modern boards still have it to support older hard drives and DVD-ROM's.

Again though, I'd go for a socket 940 board instead of a 939. It's newer, and you'll be able to run faster RAM. Also the mounting of the cpu has changed with socket 940. Socket 939 is ok, I guess it depends upon how you plan to upgrade your system.


For a graphics card, go for something like an nVidia GeForce 6600 or 6600GT. They usually cost around £50-80 and should give you plenty of power for what you want to do.


Wait couple of weeks, if not at least one week for the Intel Core's to come out, as prices will drop.

garcia

wolfman wrote:

Wait couple of weeks, if not at least one week for the Intel Core's to come out, as prices will drop.

Sorry to jump on this thread, but does this apply to laptops too?? How much of a price drop can we expect?

Many thanks,
garcia.

icebergx

Thanks Wolfman and the rest of you guys,Would you be able to recommend a good Socket 940 Motherboard and Processor at good prices respectively. Do you think I can get the Socket 940AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ at a similar price to the 030 (£120-160)Also, I'd like a case that is as cool as possible but don't really want to spend more than £30. Can anyone recommend anything?

wolfman

For an AM2 (socket 940) board in your price range, the MSI K9N Platinum is very good. I've seen it for around £70.

Wait till the price drops and see how everything pans out. If there is a considerable price difference between socket 939 and socket 940, then just go for socket 939.

An Intel Core would be nice, although we'll have to wait and see how available they are. I have a feeling an Athlon64 AM2 (socket 940) will still be the best solution for a little while longer.

Oh, and no idea regarding laptops, sorry.