Looking for new PC @ approx £400.00

GaryS

Loking to get a new PC, budget is approx £400.00.

Will be used for a bit of gaming and general net/email/office.

Only base unit needed.

Looking at this one from Novatech, what do you think ?

Isys EX Pro - Intel Core 2 Duo E2180 2048mb DDR 250gb HDD nVidia 8500GT 512Mb DVDRW

ssedd

Dell normally have some good deals if you check out their website.

BillScarab

Depends what games you want to play. The 8500GT is not really a gaming card and won't play the latest games very well.

GaryS

BillScarab wrote: »

Depends what games you want to play. The 8500GT is not really a gaming card and won't play the latest games very well.

That just the sort of reply I was looking for, I think that son wants to play "Brothers in Arms" and "Call of Duty" type games.

I was also looking at this one, also from Novatech but it looks to have 8600GT graphics card.

Icon Elite Pro AMD X2 4600 AM2 2048mb DDR667 320gb HDD 8600GT 512mb DVD Burner

BillScarab

Thought I'd replied to this but it seems to have disappeared.

The 8600gt is slightly better than the 8500gt but the AMD processors are not as good as the Intel ones.

Really for modern games you need to look at the 8800 range, the 8800gt is a particularly good card and fairly reasonably priced. The only problem is you can't get them at the moment and you'd struggle with a budget of £400.

How about this with a C2D processor and the 8600gt card?

http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/index.php?page=results

Also what size monitor will he be using as that is a factor as well?

charliepie_2

You seem to know your stuff Bill! Good question about the monitor. That pcspecialist site is really expensive isn't it?! When I clicked your link I didn't get much either so perhaps the page expired?

BillScarab

Yep, looked like it expired. PCspecialist are OK for prices so long as yo don't go mad when you configure things.

oldagetraveller

I've recommended PCspecialist a few times on this forum and would still recommend them without any hesitation. I didn't find them expensive when comparing like for like and they only use top quality branded components without any extra rubbish preloaded except OS if required (Dell etc.).
I've had 2 PCs from them, the first nearly two years old which has been virtually totally reliable. I had a slight DVD RW drive problem on that machine a few days ago which was sorted over the 'phone in no time, so they don't run away once they have your money! Local rate tech. support and based in Holmfirth, Yorkshire.
I don't know why Dell are always recommended, I've never found them reasonable once you go further than the lowest basic misleading headline price!! I bet they build down to a price too and not up to a standard?

GaryS

Monitor is not required as he already has a 19" DVI input widescreen display.

Had an email back from game makers who say that the follwing cards should be ok:
NVIDIA GeForce3/Ti series
NVIDIA GeForce4/Ti (excluding the GeForce4MX series)
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 series
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5800 series
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900 series
NVIDIA GeForce 6200 series
NVIDIA GeForce 6600 series
NVIDIA GeForce 6800 series
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 series
NVIDIA GeForce 7600 series
NVIDIA GeForce 7800 series
NVIDIA GeForce 7900 series
NVIDIA GeForce 8400 series
NVIDIA GeForce 8500 series
NVIDIA GeForce 8600 series
NVIDIA GeForce 8700 series
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 series or better with latest manufacturer drivers.

Hopefully the Intel model with the 8500GT should be ok.

GaryS

This is the full spec of the Intel model:

Processor Intel Pentium D 925 3.0GHz Dual Core Processor Processor Speed 3.0GHz Memory 2048MB PC5400 667MHz DDR2 Ram Hard Drive 250GB Serial ATA II Hard Drive PCI E Graphics nVidia 7300LE 256Mb Turbo Cache PCI-E Graphics Drive 1 16x Dual Layer +R/-R/RW DVD burner Sound 5.1 6-Channel Capable Sound Floppy Drive None Installed Case Micro ATX Mini Tower Case Drive Bays 2 x 5.25", 3 x 3.5" (1xInt, 2xExt) Memory Slots 2 x DDR2 Memory Capacity 2GB Keyboard & Mouse Novatech Keyboard & Optical Mouse USB Ports 6 x USB2 (2 Front, 4 Back) Networking Port 1 x RJ45 Network Port (10/100) Serial Port 1 x Serial Port Parallel Port 1 x Parallel Port Dimensions (mm) 185 (W) x 361 (H) x 421 (D) Front Side Bus 533MHZ Warranty 12 Mths RTB Colour Black and Silver

spakkker

The pentium d 925 is now old tech and the e2180 you mention at start would prob be better. Also a core 2 duo or maybe quad, depending on the motherboard, would fit straight in later. I've read an e4500 is 150% of d925 performance.