Need help choosing a computer

Ashok_2

Cerro wrote: »

I'd agree with most of what GoofyGAT said - although mobo's are pretty central to a system to me, hence why i spend a bit more on them, nothing worse than buying something to upgrade a system only to find you don't have the space for it... I think Goofy would have a heart attack if he spent the £200 on a motherboard alone.

The graphics card isn't that great, its OK, mainstream card, capable of DX10 but as Goofy said, the XT1950X is better. Worth noting that the 8600 will perform better on DX10 games, but not by much. My personal preference is for Nvidia cards too - because their drivers tend to be abit better and more stable (and easier to overclock), but thats my opinion. The 80Gb hard disk, you can get a 160Gb for £2 more...

I'd also get the monitor myself, it will save on delivery and its not like he needs it for anything, so a direct order yourself would be the same.

You can take any of these specs, take any part from any of them and put them together - there are very few parts that are incompatible (there are good parts and bad parts but few incompatible ones). Since we have given you a list based almost exclusively around the P965 or the 680i every part can be switched around and it is just a case of putting it together and then screwing it into the case and there are plenty of case guides (just google the case you want) that will take you through each step, give a few hints and will also give you a good idea on how good the case is.

The worst that can happen is a part is broken and you have to RMA it back to the company you bought it from. Worst I had is when my latest PC refused to boot when i first built it, my motherboard (Asus Striker) would not provide enough volts to the memory to boot, until i ripped everything out except the bare minimum - long story short, I got it to boot and fixed it myself without having to send it back but even if I had, i would have got a replacement. Most companies are very understanding so if you buy something by mistake many of them will offer you a replacement (not that you would since you know everything you want to buy and we can tell you if it is compatible or not).

Okay, so I'll change the graphics card to XTI050X, but is there any other Nvidia card that I could change it too.. I prefer them with the PureVideo technology.

Any chance of recommendations to change processor.. I can go up another £90 or so!

GoofyGAT

Sad to announce that Goofy/Gaffers's in hospital - he had a heart attack this morning (his first btw). For a start, writing all that blue text was too much of a strain. But seeing a £200 mb :eek: was the last straw that broke the camel's back - err, that caused the myocardial infarction. But life must go on & computer's built, so on we go.....

---

"With your spec.. it is quad core, and with a better graphics card, but I did want 4GB of RAM and this particular monitor, Samsung SM206BW......Which one would be better?" - I think the difference isn't only between those components, e.g. my CPU & monitor are a lot dearer. Apart from the additional RAM, you've added extra hard+optical drives too, & there's the £75 build+del charge (free in my spec). Which one of what would be better?

If it's 4Gb of that RAM for £101 then that's absolutely fine - actually very, very good. So I'll pose the question again, only stronger this time - where's he buying his memory from??!!

"Okay, so I'll change the graphics card to XTI050X, but is there any other Nvidia card that I could change it too.. I prefer them with the PureVideo technology." - ATI's AVIVO could be as good/better(?). Official Sapphire X1950XT 256Mb specs confirms it has AVIVO - see below under 'Avivo Video and Display Platform'.

"Any chance of recommendations to change processor.. I can go up another £90 or so!" - I think you should wait for the price changes to come into effect before deciding. The Q6600 was £227 yesterday (now gone back up again) & will face a cut in all probability.

Some potential savings that may be easily achievable = £80 (with this you may be able to get the 8800GTS!):
- Getting the E6750, saving £20 (??)
- Cutting down on the case, saving £25 here alone if you go for the Antec Nine Hundred (excellent price-performance)
- Getting the monitor from eBuyer, saving £25 (includes £5 discount from seller - no monitor delivery)
- Don't forget to do away with that pesky memory cooler, saving £10!

G

Ashok_2

Lol.. Few things..

I'll find out about RAM soon and let you know. But I think he's made a pricing error.. will soon find out!

Graphics card, you recommended XTI050X, or X1950XT.. For now, I've changed it to 320MB Inno3D 8800GTS .. Are the two you mentioned better or worse? Depending on what you say, graphics card still may change.

When I said recommendations on processor I actually meant mother board but anyway.. Regarding processor you recommended E6750, you said it's better and cheaper than E6600? I can't find it in many places.. where were you looking at it from? I don't understand it being better and cheaper than E6600.. wouldn't everyone buy E6750 then?

I actually meant recommendations on better motherboard.. the person who made spec told me that the only benefits of upgrading motherboard now would be SLI compatibility and overclocking ability, no other benefits? If that is it, I don't think there's much point in me upgrading.. Or is there more to it than that?

I've removed the cooler, and changed price of monitor to use eBuyer (but he won't cut £5 for delivery, he says price is same, he pays certain amount for under a certain weight). I've left case same (For now).

Right now total price is: £1068.49 , can go up another £40 (or slightly more if needed)..

I honestly don't know how much more you can put up with this.. you've been so helpful up to now, if you continue with your blue text stuff as above, for a few more posts it would be great lol.. We are getting very close to the end! As soon as we agree on spec I can get another quote..

We're getting there!

If you want it current spec listing is below:

MSI P965 Neo-F - £62.13
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 - £137.76
2GB OCZ Gold Series DDR2 Dual Channel Kit X2 - £101.00
320MB Inno3D 8800GTS - £189.99
650W CoolerMaster eXtreme Power - £43.95
Thermaltake Shark VA7000 - Black - £90.75
LITEON SATA 20X DVDRW/RAM Black X2 - £39.96
500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 - £64.61
80GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 8Mb SATA - £27.99
Samsung Syncmaster SM206BW 20" LCD - £170.38
Vista Home Premium 32 - £64.97
Building and Shipping £75.00 TOTAL - £1,068.49

GoofyGAT

I'll find out about RAM soon and let you know. But I think he's made a pricing error.. will soon find out! - Hopefully not a pricing error [<---praying]

Graphics card, you recommended or X1950XT.. For now, I've changed it to 320MB Inno3D 8800GTS .. Are the two you mentioned better or worse? Depending on what you say, graphics card still may change. - The 8800GTS will be fine if it falls within your budget, otherwise the X1950XT & use the £80-85 for something else - the Q6600? (The 'XTI050X' is your invention entirely - you should be proud!)

Regarding processor you recommended E6750, you said it's better and cheaper than E6600? I can't find it in many places.. where were you looking at it from? I don't understand it being better and cheaper than E6600.. wouldn't everyone buy E6750 then? - Yes / See post #15 for link - price has been fluctuating, but should be steady(ish) when CPU price cuts are officially announced / Cheaper now because of this / Yes, unless they've never heard of them or know about the price cuts. But the E6600 should face the chop too , & they'll all rush off & buy that??

I actually meant recommendations on better motherboard.. the person who made spec told me that the only benefits of upgrading motherboard now would be SLI compatibility and overclocking ability, no other benefits? If that is it, I don't think there's much point in me upgrading.. Or is there more to it than that? - better mbs also come with more features, most of which you probably won't use anyway(?). I agreed with choice of mb before

I've removed the cooler, and changed price of monitor to use eBuyer (but he won't cut £5 for delivery, he says price is same, he pays certain amount for under a certain weight). I've left case same (For now). - He's probably right. But time for you to see 'Don't get done get Dom' (no, only kidding!)

Right now total price is: £1068.49 , can go up another £40 (or slightly more if needed).. - looks good

I honestly don't know how much more you can put up with this.. you've been so helpful up to now, if you continue with your blue text stuff as above, for a few more posts it would be great lol.. We are getting very close to the end! As soon as we agree on spec I can get another quote.. - I'm at my wits end. I'll continue with the blue text. Just keep Cerro's £200 mbs/similar away - another one like that could be fatal. The end (not that one) would be nice, but we've enjoyed the journey , G

Ashok_2

Hmm.. Video card is still causing me a lot of confusion. It is left down to two, the 8800 GTS for £189.99 or the X1950XT for £140 (That is the Gecube one, the other one is Sapphire for £105.. not sure of the difference?!)

I'm assuming 8800 GTS is better, but will it make that difference for me from the X1950XT.. I watch a LOT of movies, and play a couple of games, so I want movies to look as good as possible and games to look pretty good too.. Which one do I go for?!

With processor, it is out of stock on ebuyer, for god knows how long, and hardly any other places are selling it. It is £117.44 here, but the same site are selling the E6600 for more? Is E6750 definitely better?

So shall I leave motherboard as it is? I just want a pretty fast, and decent computer lol.. If I'm not really going to benefit from spending more, then this is fine?

There... another long post lol, just left with two parts, graphics card and processor to decide on!!

Oh and I forgot..

I was told no need to add a 7.1 sound card as the motherboard already had one included.. surely the one included won't be as good as a decent Creative one?! Or is it not going to make a difference?

GoofyGAT

Hmm.. Video card is still causing me a lot of confusion. It is left down to two, the 8800 GTS for £189.99 or the X1950XT for £140 (That is the Gecube one, the other one is Sapphire for £105.. not sure of the difference?!) - The main difference is that the Gecube has a much better cooling fan & can be overclocked a bit. Go for the Sapphire. Looking at some reviews, it may need a better cooler as the stock one is 'noisy' apparently. [But hold out concerning this. One man's 'noise' is another's 'cannot hear any' or 'can hear a little but can't be bothered' - I'm the lattermost. If nothing else, you'll find out which type you are if you go for this ]

I'm assuming 8800 GTS is better, but will it make that difference for me from the X1950XT.. I watch a LOT of movies, and play a couple of games, so I want movies to look as good as possible and games to look pretty good too.. Which one do I go for?! - For couple of games (means you're not a hardcore gamer), then the X1950XT would be excellent. As I said before it's currently one of the most powerful DX9 cards on the market. [I've got a X800XT PE (£60 secondhand) & a £105 Hanns.G 19" TFT. If you can seriously tell the difference in movies between these & your fancy £350 8800GTS+Samung TFT setup, I'll eat this thread for dinner (OK, may be not - that'll be bad for digestion). You will thrash me in games though]

With processor, it is out of stock on ebuyer, for god knows how long, and hardly any other places are selling it. It is £117.44 here, but the same site are selling the E6600 for more? Is E6750 definitely better? - That's an excellent price (saw it on Scan for £130). Good news is that the Q6600 has already fallen - now down to £182 delivered

So shall I leave motherboard as it is? I just want a pretty fast, and decent computer lol.. If I'm not really going to benefit from spending more, then this is fine? - Sorry, I've just spotted a better mb than the MSI - it's the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3P (Rev 3.3) - that'll be hard to top for the £66-70 pricetag. I think it must be a Rev 3.3 spec though for optimum performance. If this builder is any good he should be able to get his hands on one [Cerro may have a point about a much better mb. But the really good ones are generaly aimed at enthusiasts trying to eke out every last drop of performance (this little bit 'extra' won't be noticeable to most anyway). They also usually make use of the extra features. Some others get them just because they're expensive ('must be a lot better if it is'), or may want to impress others?]

There... another long post lol, just left with two parts, graphics card and processor to decide on!! - The better ones if they fall within your budget. If not, the others will be cracking as well

Oh and I forgot..I was told no need to add a 7.1 sound card as the motherboard already had one included.. surely the one included won't be as good as a decent Creative one?! Or is it not going to make a difference? - This is personal choice [Being no audiophile, I was quite happy with onboard sound, until it packed up & had to go for an inexpensive Audigy 2 off eBay].

Do you have speakers? G

Ashok_2

GoofyGAT wrote: »

Hmm.. Video card is still causing me a lot of confusion. It is left down to two, the 8800 GTS for £189.99 or the X1950XT for £140 (That is the Gecube one, the other one is Sapphire for £105.. not sure of the difference?!) - The main difference is that the Gecube has a much better cooling fan & can be overclocked a bit. Go for the Sapphire. Looking at some reviews, it may need a better cooler as the stock one is 'noisy' apparently. [But hold out concerning this. One man's 'noise' is another's 'cannot hear any' or 'can hear a little but can't be bothered' - I'm the lattermost. If nothing else, you'll find out which type you are if you go for this ]

I'm assuming 8800 GTS is better, but will it make that difference for me from the X1950XT.. I watch a LOT of movies, and play a couple of games, so I want movies to look as good as possible and games to look pretty good too.. Which one do I go for?! - For couple of games (means you're not a hardcore gamer), then the X1950XT would be excellent. As I said before it's currently one of the most powerful DX9 cards on the market. [I've got a X800XT PE (£60 secondhand) & a £105 Hanns.G 19" TFT. If you can seriously tell the difference in movies between these & your fancy £350 8800GTS+Samung TFT setup, I'll eat this thread for dinner (OK, may be not - that'll be bad for digestion). You will thrash me in games though]

With processor, it is out of stock on ebuyer, for god knows how long, and hardly any other places are selling it. It is £117.44 here, but the same site are selling the E6600 for more? Is E6750 definitely better? - That's an excellent price (saw it on Scan for £130). Good news is that the Q6600 has already fallen - now down to £182 delivered

So shall I leave motherboard as it is? I just want a pretty fast, and decent computer lol.. If I'm not really going to benefit from spending more, then this is fine? - Sorry, I've just spotted a better mb than the MSI - it's the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3P (Rev 3.3) - that'll be hard to top for the £66-70 pricetag. I think it must be a Rev 3.3 spec though for optimum performance. If this builder is any good he should be able to get his hands on one [Cerro may have a point about a much better mb. But the really good ones are generaly aimed at enthusiasts trying to eke out every last drop of performance (this little bit 'extra' won't be noticeable to most anyway). They also usually make use of the extra features. Some others get them just because they're expensive ('must be a lot better if it is'), or may want to impress others?]

There... another long post lol, just left with two parts, graphics card and processor to decide on!! - The better ones if they fall within your budget. If not, the others will be cracking as well

Oh and I forgot..I was told no need to add a 7.1 sound card as the motherboard already had one included.. surely the one included won't be as good as a decent Creative one?! Or is it not going to make a difference? - This is personal choice [Being no audiophile, I was quite happy with onboard sound, until it packed up & had to go for an inexpensive Audigy 2 off eBay].

Do you have speakers? G

I think I may go for 8800 just for the direct x, if it fits in my budget, otherwise I'll go for the other one. Apparantly this 8800 is quite good, but others put 2 of them in their computers?! I find it hard to believe what difference it can really make lol, and the amount of money people would spend!

About processor, is anything with with Q at front definitely better than the E models lol..? Sorry if that's stupid question. I read something about Vista Home Premium not being compatible with more than one processor, does that count with Quad core?

The motherboard, is it actually going to make a difference if I choose the one you just recommended.. will everything else be compatible?

I have a set of Creative 5.1 speakers I bought with my Alienware (which I sold for £1100 but the buyer, who was a powerseller hasn't paid in a week and is now ignoring me, so causing me problems, as that was what I was going to use to pay for this computer, and I don't think I'll sell for same price now , or anywhere near). The model is T6060, they cost a helluva lot a year ago, but I don't think they're anything special now, but I'm not going to buy a new set..

I'll probably stick with onboard sound then!

Still stuck with graphics card/processor lol.. I think it mainly depends on the quote I get from the more reputable seller, if I can fit the better stuff in my budget I will go for it.. Just wondering though, what should I put first, better processor (E6750 or Q600) or the graphics card, with money I have to spare in budget?

Seriously though.. how long can you put up with addressing each and everyone of my points in blue text?! Sure, it's helping me a lot, but I'm sure in the next couple of posts you'll give up lol? Or not? You deserve poster of the month! :beer:

GoofyGAT

Apparantly this 8800 is quite good, but others put 2 of them in their computers?! I find it hard to believe what difference it can really make lol, and the amount of money people would spend! - Yep, it really makes little difference, especially for the bloated extra expense. Is not a very clever thing to do by any account IMO - some people have more money than.....

About processor, is anything with with Q at front definitely better than the E models lol..? - Yes, Q is for quad core - after all this discussion you must know this by now lol

I read something about Vista Home Premium not being compatible with more than one processor, does that count with Quad core? - That's not true as it runs happily on both dual & quad cores. E.g. who'll be selling/buying quad core PCs with Vista installed if they're not compatible with each other? Quads could be overkill though, but things may change - how quickly is anyone's guess. A quote from last year that still holds true: "Quad-core and above will eventually become useful, but not before the majority of the software you run is programmed for it. This will take some time."

So you could go for the E6750 & X1950XT (saving ~£140) & still have a very capable system. For your use at the moment, even overkill. But it seems you absolutely must spend that £1100 on a desktop PC & we're trying to help you acheive this. Some people have...never mind!

The motherboard, is it actually going to make a difference if I choose the one you just recommended.. will everything else be compatible? - Well, for about the same price, who can argue with a better option - did you read that article? (Btw, the underlined text in my blue text posts are actually clickable links). Yes, everything else will be compatible

I have a set of Creative 5.1 speakers....model is T6060...but I'm not going to buy a new set..I'll probably stick with onboard sound then! - Both should do nicely

Just wondering though, what should I put first, better processor (E6750 or Q600) or the graphics card, with money I have to spare in budget? - As you're not an avid gamer, put processor first - but see E6750 & X1950XT comments above

Seriously though.. how long can you put up with addressing each and everyone of my points in blue text?! Sure, it's helping me a lot, but I'm sure in the next couple of posts you'll give up lol? - I'm not really putting up with all of this very well - haven't you noticed my posts are getting more sarcastic by the minute :rolleyes:? It's nothing much more than selecting the text & pressing the colour blue. I'll survive - just

Or not? You deserve poster of the month! :beer: - That's kind, but poster of the month is for people who help many others in a big money-saving/other quite beneficial way - not for helping one person spend a big sum of money . Next thing I know, they'll be banning me from this site :eek:. Don't worry, you'll be following soon after :whistle:, G

Ashok_2

Thanks.

I was considering changing case to Antex 900 but someone told me it looks cheap? Anyone got first-hand experience with the case?

For now, I've kept graphics card to 8800, but it may change to the X1950XT.

I'm waiting on prices from the other reputable seller for processors, and then I can change around.

Right now, still left with graphics card and processor, but the total price with 8800 is £1068 , so should be able to fit a better processor in and stay with budget.

Once I'm 100% sure on spec I want I'll hunt around on eBay as well to check for better priced hard ware.

Is there any problems with buying second hand graphics card etc..?

Also, on another note, do get TV cards that have built in aerials that come out from the back of the tower (like the aerials in wifi cards), not a crappy USB one with small aerial though, a proper one. As I have no aerial socket nearby.

Thanks.. getting closer!

Cerro

I'm sorry to hear about your recent heart attack Goofy, get well soon!

£200 for a motherboard was a tad excessive but I did need all six sata ports and the board is the best for overclocking - however it turns out the it doesn't support any decent ram (although every other 680i board does) and it has an iffy bios. More trouble than its worth in the end - lots of little niggles means im having to look for a new one - I'll save you from another heart attack and just keep it to myself. But I do hate it when a motherboard doesn't meet all my needs.

If you ask me whats more important - graphics card or processor, I'd say graphics, hands down. Reason being, most processors these days do more than enough, even the low end ones. With the Core 2 Duos (and Quads), they are easily overclocked and big gains can be had, especially with the lower end ones - but then not everyone is willing to do it, given the risks involved. Gfx cards are harder to get a big overclock, anything over a small, modest overclock would require a new cooler/heatsink for the card. But that is from the view of a gamer, the average user can get by with integrated gfx *spits*

I personally, would avoid second-hand parts off of ebay - im sure there are great bargins to be found but you don't know what the other person has done with them, perhaps they have overclocked them and drastically reduced their lifespan? Have they looked after the part, its impossible to tell if the part has been damaged from heat without getting to use it for a month or so.

If you like movies and are going to watch alot in 5.1, I would highly recommend a seperate soundcard, you will notice the difference with the sound quality and since they are so cheap (£27 for X-FI), there's no real excuse not to get a soundcard. Crank up the sound and you can hear the difference between integrated sound and dedicated soundcard - it also uses far less cpu time, freeing it up for other things. Also, if you main use is movies, have you considered a home cinema kind of setup? Creative Gigaworks 7.1 - these speakers have so much power and generate so much pressure it is like being in the cinema, neighbours may not quite appreciate it though... Add to that a projector and there you have it, a cinema through your PC (its my next big project) and it also has the added benefits of allowing you to watch movies and play games in 3D - it does mean you need an nvidia card because only their drivers mange this wonderous feat! But all that would set you back £1000 alone, then add extra for the edimensional glasses and 3D software for your dvds.

Careful with the case and powersupply. These two are important, the case needs space to hold everything and it is better for your health if you get a case that is well "finished" (as in, it has no sharp edges). Airflow is a big factor too. PSU, well you need power to all those parts, get a shoddily made PSU and you get a shoddy supply of power, results in damage to your expensive hardware and you don't want that now do you?

TV tuners... never heard of them coming with aerials, since TV aerials tend to be pretty sizeable, it probably won't look that great in your living room.

Take a look at this monitor - it is just about perfect in everyway and only £17 more than the samsung you want.