My New £600 PC

[SmuJ]

In the next few months i'm going to finally by myself a new PC. I've got a budget of £600 that i want to spend, i already have a monitor, Speakers, Keyboard and Mouse. (Please note i will be buying a new 22" Monitor the following month seperatly)

So here's what i've got in my mind at the moment...
http://img11.imageshack.us/i/600system.jpg/

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/3645/600system.jpg (http://img11.imageshack.us/i/600system.jpg/)

1.) Will all this work together?

2.) Any improvements, areas i could save money in?

Thanks again.

[Mr. Lime]

Dont know whether a 500w will be up to the task,

wait till someone else confirms before changing it though :L

[IainK]

i don't see anything :S


So here's what i've got in my mind at the moment...


1.) Will all this work together?

looks likes that to me

[Aegis]

Will what work together, there is nothing there lol.

[Mr. Lime]

Hmmmm pic fail but if you open the image in a new tab it works

here peeps (http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/3645/600system.jpg)

[SmuJ]

Image url - http://img11.imageshack.us/i/600system.jpg/

[Mr. Lime]

Image url - http://img11.imageshack.us/i/600system.jpg/

lol got beat to your own pic there mate :L

[IainK]

ditch the kaspersky imo, use a free one

[SmuJ]

Yeah, just wanted to be safe rather then hacked. Everything else OK though guys..?

[IainK]

planning on playing games? if so get a better GPU

at least this:
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Graphics-ATI/ATIHD4600Series/Novatech/4670512MB.html
that's leagues ahead of the 5450 which is designed as a multimedia card rather thana gaming card, teh 4670 was intended as a low end gamind card so will win out against the 5450 despite being older

[SmuJ]

planning on playing games? if so get a better GPU

Yes, what would you go with then?

[IainK]

see above, just edited it in :P

next worthwhile one up from that is:
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Graphics-ATI/ATIHD5700Series/Novatech/57501GB.html
imo

not too up to date on nvidia cards though so there may be something suitable from the green team

[SmuJ]

OK Thanks i will have a look and take this card into consideration, thanks for your input.

[IainK]

meanwhile I shall have a read into the green team's latest offerings and get back to you :)

[IainK]

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Graphics-Nvidia/NvidiaGTS250Series/Novatech/GTS2501GB.html

that's slightly faster than the 5750 (about the same as the 5770) but no DX11 and uses more power when both idle and under load, the PSU should handle it though

[IainK]

actually the gt240 seems to be a good performer for the price, it's about the same price and a bit faster than the 4670:

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Graphics-Nvidia/NvidiaGT240Series/Novatech/GT240512MB.html

so my recommendation is either the gt240 (if you're spending around £50) or the gts250/5750 if you're willing to spend £100

may I ask why you need two disc drives?

[SmuJ]

Wow, kool! Can't fault the effort. Cheers IanK. I will take a look..

Although just trying to keep the system close to £600 as possible..

[IainK]

FWIW I rekon you can get rid of an optical drive freeing up £15, get rid of kaperskey-another £15 + the £54 allocated for the 5450 and that's £85 to spend on a card... i'll take the challange and find one!

sorry for confusing you but i've found what I personaly think is the perfect card for you:

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Graphics-Nvidia/Nvidia9800Series/Novatech/9800GT512MB.html

significantly faster than the gt240, slightly slower than the gts250, and quite a bit cheaper, no DX11, but it's the best bang for buck at that price

[brainiac361]

tbh, if you just got a barebones, and somehow (hint) got windows 7 another way, you could get an i7 and a 5770 for £600. £600 better spent?? just a question to ask yourself

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?BB-I5754A

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?SAM-F3500

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?SAM-S223C

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?NOV-5770

[tefg]

I got a prebuilt system for £700 a few months ago with an i5 and a 5850. 4GB memory, 1TB hard drive so all canny similar to your spec.

[bezza]

ditch the kaspersky imo, use a free one

+1 I had Kaspersky before the licence expired and got bored of warning messages flashing up all the time. Got AVG and feel more than adequately covered. Few quid saved there and could perhaps get a better GPU (which is the limiting factor IMO).

[LiamJ]

Comes in right on budget :
http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/5535/600pc.jpg


Or, if you did go for a barebone bundle go for this (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?BB-9654G2), along with Windows 7 HP OEM (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Software/OperatingSystems/Microsoft/GFC-00564GFC-00949.html) , a 5770 (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Graphics-ATI/ATIHD5700Series/Novatech/57701GB.html)and a Samsung F3 1TB (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?SAM-F31TB).

In the first build, you could swap the 1Tb drive for the 500Gb version to save £20 and get a mobo like this (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Motherboards/AMDAM3AMDChipsetMotherboards/Asus/M4A785TD-VEVO.html) which has crossfire support.

I also probably would have selected the Athlon II x4 620 or even the Phenom II x3 720 but Nova are currently stocking either of them.

[rampageturke]

Dont know whether a 500w will be up to the task

it will easily

[Martini1991]

Should be able to get a 5850 system?

[bezza]

Should be able to get a 5850 system?

Your posts aren't being particularly constructive or helpful at the moment. Perhaps elaborate a bit more and explain to the OP where he can free up a bit of cash from elsewhere in the build to realise a 5850.

[I3R0K3N7FEET]

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?PC-1211

??

has the OP stated a use for this pc?

hi i dont want to sound stupid.. but can people stop recommending a 32bit Os... get the 64bit os..

32bit is out of date already so lets drop it :P


+1 I had Kaspersky before the licence expired and got bored of warning messages flashing up all the time. Got AVG and feel more than adequately covered. Few quid saved there and could perhaps get a better GPU (which is the limiting factor IMO).

have you heard that AVGfree will no exist after 2010.. this is the last year theyre doing free so ive heard. :(

[brainiac361]

planning on playing games? if so get a better GPU


Yes, what would you go with then?


has the OP stated a use for this pc?

hes a gamer. it was hard to see tbh

anyway, about a 5850 system, i think ive got one slightly over budget, only £28 over tho, but comes with windows 7

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/8951/57455980.jpg

[Mr. Orange]

get some blue fans for that case! :D
It only comes with top one and the back one. so you'll need 2 at least (for the front, you can stick on on the side if you want, and replace the back one)

[I3R0K3N7FEET]

@ brainiac.. thats a good build really esp to fit in a 5850 in the price.. but i think its wasted

imo i think value lies in getting quality parts.. even if you have to make do with cheaper parts for the time being.

this is my go.. £50 overbudget mind.. though personally if youre thinking of buying a new monitor too.. it might be worth saving the pennies on the graphics and buy this (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Motherboards/AMDAM3AMDChipsetMotherboards/Asus/M4A785TD-VEVO.html) instead of the specc'd mobo, run off the igp for the month and save. and buy a monitor and a 5770 at the same time.

1854

[bezza]

@ brainiac.. thats a good build really esp to fit in a 5850 in the price.. but i think its wasted

imo i think value lies in getting quality parts.. even if you have to make do with cheaper parts for the time being.

this is my go.. £50 overbudget mind.. though personally if youre thinking of buying a new monitor too.. it might be worth saving the pennies on the graphics and buy this (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Motherboards/AMDAM3AMDChipsetMotherboards/Asus/M4A785TD-VEVO.html) instead of the specc'd mobo, run off the igp for the month and save. and buy a monitor and a 5770 at the same time.

1854

Think the case is perhaps a bit overkill. Some pennies to be saved there!

[smifis]

I got the £25 cheap corona(?) case for a built for a friend a little while back and it's not bad for the price, the power supple that come with it runs a dual core pentium but i wouldn't trust it with anything else though.

I'm sure you could save a few pennies by getting a cheap case like this and i've never had any problems with cheap motherboards either, especially if you're not overclocking.

[brainiac361]

I got the £25 cheap corona(?) case for a built for a friend a little while back and it's not bad for the price, the power supple that come with it runs a dual core pentium but i wouldn't trust it with anything else though.

I'm sure you could save a few pennies by getting a cheap case like this and i've never had any problems with cheap motherboards either, especially if you're not overclocking.
not sure about that case, whether a 5850 would fit. also, i used that case to build my partents pc with. wouldnt touch again. edges are quite sharp, and build quality not the best. spend a bit more, after all, a good case will last years (Not a £100+ one like death suggested)

[I3R0K3N7FEET]

well you guys are boring and i doubt you have any idea how wonderful lian li cases are. :P £100 well spent imo. spoiling my fun.. well this here comes to £605 perfect really. :twisted:


1855

[smifis]

meh, mine always sat under the desk cooling my feet.

Right up until last week, i've reused an old gateway tower from 1999 with about 3 different motherboards, cpus, psu, and hards in.

It's an ugly SOAB but it did its job.

i cant see why a 5850 wouldn't fit. i've got a dual slot card in there atm and its fine.

[I3R0K3N7FEET]

meh, mine always sat under the desk cooling my feet.

Right up until last week, i've reused an old gateway tower from 1999 with about 3 different motherboards, cpus, psu, and hards in.

It's an ugly SOAB but it did its job.

i cant see why a 5850 wouldn't fit. i've got a dual slot card in there atm and its fine.

the 5850 is a 10.5-11" card.. thats big even for a decent midi tower.

[IainK]

i'd get the novatech 9800gt rather than the 5670 though

[brainiac361]

the cooler master 335 that i had in my spec will fit a 5850 easily

http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/upload/product/2817/feature10.jpg

310mm is 12.4"

[I3R0K3N7FEET]

i'd get the novatech 9800gt rather than the 5670 though

well even a 4850 would be good value

@ brainiac :) good show!

thats how long my..............................





scythe blade is.....

[brainiac361]

just a question to the OP, quite important

1) is this pc going to be a one off (as in, buy it now, and wont upgrade until couple of years time)

or

you have £600 now, and in months time, you will have more money to upgrade parts?

because if it is 1), i would get the athlon with a 5850

if it is 2) get a good phenom, get a 5770 and crossfire it later. you will see better performance in the long run

[smifis]

heh i'll measure the corona case later.

[brainiac361]

heh i'll measure the corona case later.
even if it does fit, i wouldnt reccomend. if you want a 5850, you would want better cooling if you want the best performance out of it

[brainiac361]

after a bit of speccing here are my choices:

Choice 1:
I want to spend around £600, and want best performance and i dont want to touch again for year(s)

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/8951/57455980.jpg

Choice 2:
I want great performance now, but i will have money in future to upgrade it and add another 5770 for better gaming

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/9260/pc2mi.jpg

[I3R0K3N7FEET]

@ brainiac.. the phenom 2 x2 550/555 will out perform that quad in nearly all games. i think you have hit the nail on the head with option 2 there.. its also AM3 platform and is a much better mobo than the bundle in option 1 and with the cooler master case it should fall around just over budget

good show :)

[brainiac361]

and if he could ditch the windows 7, he could be able to get a 5850. perfect :)

[I3R0K3N7FEET]

should be able to find a copy of the RC/RTM for temporary use if the op is willing to wait and save for windows7

[SmuJ]

OK, Thanks for everyones input. I've got a feq queries though...

A few people recommended going the dual core AMD route rather then quad core intel?

I'm far from any expert, just a noobie really but to untrained IT man it looks like this;

2 cores and cheaper amd (better ram) VS. 4 cores intel (weaker ram)

So my question is are the dual core suggestions, more for potentional like overclock them a bit, and you can use better ram..? Because i would prefer just to buy a system and leave it how it is for 4 years.

to summarise;

Is it a case of buying a top-end dual core system with my budget or buying an average quad core one?

Whats the story with AMD Vs. Intel these days- is it just price?

[TheMadDutchDude]

Intel is much further ahead than AMD. I'd highly recommend you get the Quad core system as all the latest things coming out are starting to take advantage of multiple cores. If you get DX11 and when the games start to support it, you'll benefit highly from a Quad core.

I'd personally go with intel but each to their own.

The Q8300 can still be overclocked. Not very much but it'll still provide a good gain. Plenty of us on here are willing to help you if you need assistance overclocking.

[A Ginger Sheep]

if i was going for a quad from intel i wouldnt go for anything less than an i5, and i would rather have a phenom x3 from amd than that q8300.

[smifis]

Intels are streaks ahead of AMD, true AMD is a little bit cheaper but you really do get what you pay for and IMO the gain of DDR3 over DDR2 are minimal and arent worth the hassle

[I3R0K3N7FEET]

if this system is purely for gaming the amd dualcore can OC very well and will perform just as well than most latest quads. you can always upgrade to a quad at a later time. if you want to go intel you will be sacrificing a lot elsewhere as the intel platform will be double the cost. the onyl intel chip really worth considering atm is the i5 750 unless you can afford i7. but then again imo real world performance is marginal over a phenom 2 x4 965

also while you are right ddr3 isnt really worth it right now.. but in the sense that it IS worth it as DDR3 wil keep its value much longer than ddr2 and can be used when upgrading again where as by the time you come to that with a ddr2 system it will all be obsolete.

[smifis]

Hmm, i can see your point,

There is never a "best" in anything. Intel = power but the downside is cost and (sometimes) how much they will overclock, but then, your intel is already quite powerful so would you want to put it to its limits?

AMD= cheaper but i hear they overclock like crazy, i cant say as the last AMD i've had was an AMD Athlon XP. but i do know you get ddr3, which is on the i3, i5, and i7 processors anyway.

so more over anythinbg else, it's cost.

[I3R0K3N7FEET]

Hmm, i can see your point,

There is never a "best" in anything. Intel = power but the downside is cost and (sometimes) how much they will overclock, but then, your intel is already quite powerful so would you want to put it to its limits?

AMD= cheaper but i hear they overclock like crazy, i cant say as the last AMD i've had was an AMD Athlon XP. but i do know you get ddr3, which is on the i3, i5, and i7 processors anyway.

so more over anythinbg else, it's cost.

of late the intel i7's overclock better than the AMD phenom 2 but the amd phenom 2's are good for 3.8-4ghz with good cooling and personally i think that almost everything you will need to do with ANY of these chips will be eaten alive with ANy of these latest cpu's. if youre interested in overclocking and benchmarking get an i5-i7 if you just want great general/almost as good as but much lower (platform) price get a phenom 2. if your budget can stretch get an i5 750 personally mayte i would say get a phenom 2 platform and save the money for a better graphics card. if youre an nvidia man there are some new nvidia AM3 boards released lately too.

[SmuJ]

OK, thanks again for everyones input.

Maybe i should of said this in my first post on this thread, but i've always bought Intel and i've used many PC's that are Intel and i've never experience any problems. So my personal view is, why switch? So i know i will pay a bit more, but IMO its worth it.

So this is where i'm at now;

Confirmed Parts (that i will be buying)
Antec Three Hundred Case - Black - No Psu
OCZ StealthXStream 600w Silent SLI Ready ATX2 Power Supply http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/servlet/Tracking?title=Basket&info2=1&info3=50+%20in%20stock&info=OCZ-S600&session=0062203AE8C4E359DAE2A6C4B56CC9FE&referer=http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/
Samsung S222A 22x DVD+/-RW 8x Dual Layer DVD-RAM IDE Black - OEM http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/servlet/Tracking?title=Basket&info2=1&info3=50+%20in%20stock&info=SAM-S222A%20&session=0062203AE8C4E359DAE2A6C4B56CC9FE&referer=http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/
HIS ATI Radeon HD4670 IceQ 1GB DDR3 VGA/DVI/HDMI PCI-Express - Retail http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/servlet/Tracking?title=Basket&info2=1&info3=8%20in%20stock&info=HIS-4670IQ&session=0062203AE8C4E359DAE2A6C4B56CC9FE&referer=http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/
Samsung Spin Point F3 SATAII NCQ 500GB 16Mb Cache Hard Drive <9.0ms 7200rpm - OEM http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/servlet/Tracking?title=Basket&info2=1&info3=50+%20in%20stock&info=SAM-F3500&session=0062203AE8C4E359DAE2A6C4B56CC9FE&referer=http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/

To decide:
Novatech Motherboard Bundle - Intel Quad Core Q8300 - 4Gb DDR2 800Mhz - Intel G31 Motherboard

OR

Novatech Motherboard Bundle - Intel Core i5 750 - 4GB DDR3 1600Mhz - Intel P55 Motherboard http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/servlet/Tracking?title=Basket&info2=1&info3=5%20in%20stock&info=MBB-I5754G&session=0062203AE8C4E359DAE2A6C4B56CC9FE&referer=http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/

As mentioned before i want to make this system as upgradable as possible for the future, and i will most liekly have this PC for the next 4 years. I know if i went the i5 route i will have to increase the budget... but it might well be worth it.

Whats your thoughts on the system so far then.. and the final bit of course?

[smifis]

the i5 should blow the Q8300 away plus it has ddr3 which is upgradeable and latest tech

[I3R0K3N7FEET]

if those are your choices than go i5