A little help please

[WlknCntrdiction]

I'm aware there are quite a few topics on PCs and that I'm(possibly)just adding to the massive pile of them but I'm having a bit of a dilemma and I'd like to call upon the many PC gamer denizens of this forum to help me be indicted into their fold.

Quite frankly I am getting bored of console gaming and would like to build my own computer, I have a "budget"(and I use that term very loosely)of about £650 with which to build one. I bumped into an old friend of mine yesterday and he gave me the site address to a great site called Aria, and I have to say, the prices are really cheap for some of the things they sell.

Since I'm a novice at building a computer and I'm not sure what parts are the best and what parts do and don't go together I was wondering if you could take it upon yourself to compile a "dream team" of parts totalling under or around £650, including a monitor. There is the "challenge" but I'm sure it'll be easy for you guys. I would be more than willing to answer anymore questions that you may have for me too.

The site is : Aria.co.uk

Additionally if it's ok with you guys could you get the highest spec stuff that you can, but if you can't then can you at least compile the parts for a very high end PC, I'm not going to use the example of Crysis for comparison, I know that game is not the be all and end all of deciding whether your PC is good or not. Thanks in advance.

P.S. If you can find parts cheaper somewhere else then by all means list them too but I'd preferably like the parts from that site, it would make it alot easier to get everything from one place, but I'm not going to say "no" to a good deal somewhere else

 

[42manZ]

You don't need a monitor, I don't have one and my computer works better because of it.

 

[Danny Ocean]

You don't need a monitor, I don't have one and my computer works better because of it.

You make no sense.

*goes off to make list*

 

[DeadlyYellow]

You don't need a monitor, I don't have one and my computer works better because of it.

You make no sense.

*goes off to make list*

There are some newer televisions that are compatible with VGA

 

[42manZ]

You don't need a monitor, I don't have one and my computer works better because of it.

You make no sense.

*goes off to make list*

There are some newer televisions that are compatible with VGA

Don't try to reason it out.

 

[GothmogII]

So...you were tro....joking and making a contribtion aye? Meaning...T.V. Or, projector maybe?

Anyway, on the monitors. Do find a flatscreen LCD, for gaming a 19" at the very least. Looking at that site, those cost upwards of £80, if you want to go on the cheap side you could go for a 17" for £60 and up.

 

[Danny Ocean]

Okay, Unfortunately none of the parts are actually from Aria. com, most are from Scan.co.uk.

It's just the site I know, OK?!

So listy time:

Case: £35. Antec 300.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=811571

Motherboard: £103. Asus p5k premium wifi app.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=659151

CPU: £117. Intel E8400. 2 cores at 3GHz.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=736334 £117. Intel E8400. 2 cores at 3GHz.

[RAM: £35 for 2GB.
http://www.advancetec.co.uk/acatalog/info_28020894.htm

GPU: £71. Geforce 9600 GT
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=772608

CPU cooling: £15. Artic cooling Freezer 7 pro.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=340995

Power Supply Unti: £55. Antec Earthwatts EA 650.
http://www.ginger6.com/antec-earthwatts-650w-atx12v-apfc-retail-p-30819.html

Hard Drive: £60 Samsung Spinpoint F1. 750GB, and faster than a raptor X.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=708681

CD/DVD Drive: No blu-ray, but it costs only £15.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=723855

Screen: £140 Asus 20" screen. Screens aren't really my area, can I get a second opinion on this?
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=787063

Total: about £646

 

[Jumplion]

Okay, Unfortunately none of the parts are actually from Aria. com, most are from Scan.co.uk.

It's just the site I know, OK?!

So listy time:


Case. [ www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=811571]£35. Antec 300.
Mobo. [ www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=659151]£103. Asus p5k premium wifi app.
Core. [ www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=736334]£117. Intel E8400. 2 cores at 3GHz.
RAM. [ www.advancetec.co.uk/acatalog/info_28020894.html]£35. 2GB of fast DDR2.
GPU. [ www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=772608]£71. Geforce 9600 GT, mid range. I'd get an ATI radeon 4850, but those are hard to come by!
CPU cooler. [ www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=340995]£15. Artic cooling Freezer 7 pro.
PSU. [ www.ginger6.com/antec-earthwatts-650w-atx12v-apfc-retail-p-30819.html]£55. Antec Earthwatts EA 650.
Hard Disk. [ www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=708681]£60 Samsung Spinpoint F1. 750GB, and faster than a raptor X.
CD/DVD Drive. [ www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=723855] No blu-ray, but it costs only £15.
Screen. [ www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=787063]£140. Screens aren't really my area, can I get a second opinion on this?

Total: about £646

Is that with or without shipping requirments? (Of which I'm assuming wilkn will have to pay for, or if not him, me? )

 

[Logan Westbrook]

a 9600? My experience with the X600's are that they aren't much cop.

 

[Danny Ocean]

A nice setup and at a good price, what more could you want. Good hardware is well priced at the moment.

I do think it would be better to spend a just few quid more and get a 8800GT or the 4850. The E8400 is a fantastic processor, if WlknCntrdiction had more experience i would say the Q6600 would also be a nice choice and then overclock it to an easy 3ghz.

Yeah, but it all adds up, you know?

I would've gone for something higher than a 9600, but it's got good reviews, and apparently is faster than my HD2600XT. Which plays ALL the games I've got except Crysis on high. That god-forsaken game does play on medium though, with some things on high.

You just need to know which graphical sliders have a big effect. Often, I don't even have 4x AA, but it doesn't make a difference to me as I play at 1680x1050.


That price includes VAT, but not shipping.

Edit: WOW, are ALL those links broken? *fixes*

 

[Jamash]

PCspecialists.co.uk is a good site. I was recently in the same position as Wilkn & used them to get my new PC. You have quite a lot of options when choosing exactly what components you want & the prices seem very competitive. The best part is that they build & deliver your pc for you.

I quickly used HBrutusH's specs as a guide for a quote & got this for £577

Intel Core?2 Duo E8400 (2 X 3.00GHz) 1333MHz FSB/6MB L2 CacheMemory

2GB CORSAIR XMS2 800MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY! (2x1GB)

ASUS P5K SE: DDR2, SATAII, PCI-e x16, 2 PCI, 3 x PCI-e x1

750GB SERIAL ATA II HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm)

20x Dual Layer LightScribe DVD Writer ±R/±RW/RAM

512MB RADEON HD 4850 PCI Express + DVI

ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Memory Card Reader INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)

Case Stylish Silver/Black Trident case + 2 front USB

8 x USB 2.0 PORTS (6 REAR + 2 FRONT) AS STANDARD

600W Quiet Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£59)

SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£15)

I don't know whether this is good or not for £577.

There's lots of other options like OS, monitor, peripherals etc. I've omitted for ease of posting, but I think you'll get the idea.

Like I said, I used them & am very happy, especially since you've got the flexibility of building a custom PC but the piece of mind of having them build it, deliver it have a warranty.

 

[Danny Ocean]

Also, a Q6600 is only £7 more from the same site, however, I didn't choose this because, it is a slower core by default (sure, it may have 4 cores, but multithreaded apps are hard to come by at the moment). However, if WlknCntrdctn Is prepared to Overclock the CPU, I'd advise getting that, and a

Tuniq Tower 120

To cope with the extra heat.

However, if I was him, I'd try to get my mits on one of the new ATI graphic cores, they look smexy. The 4850 is closer to his price range, but the 4870 is quite a bit better. (It's the RAM that does it).

 

[WlknCntrdiction]

Okay, Unfortunately none of the parts are actually from Aria. com, most are from Scan.co.uk.

It's just the site I know, OK?!

So listy time:

Case: £35. Antec 300.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=811571

Motherboard: £103. Asus p5k premium wifi app.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=659151

CPU: £117. Intel E8400. 2 cores at 3GHz.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=736334 £117. Intel E8400. 2 cores at 3GHz.

[RAM: £35 for 2GB.
http://www.advancetec.co.uk/acatalog/info_28020894.htm

GPU: £71. Geforce 9600 GT
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=772608

CPU cooling: £15. Artic cooling Freezer 7 pro.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=340995

Power Supply Unti: £55. Antec Earthwatts EA 650.
http://www.ginger6.com/antec-earthwatts-650w-atx12v-apfc-retail-p-30819.html

Hard Drive: £60 Samsung Spinpoint F1. 750GB, and faster than a raptor X.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=708681

CD/DVD Drive: No blu-ray, but it costs only £15.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=723855

Screen: £140 Asus 20" screen. Screens aren't really my area, can I get a second opinion on this?
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=787063

Total: about £646

Yeah that's fine, thanks. I looked at all those parts on Aria anyway and found that they were alot cheaper there but that's just nitpicking now really, but thanks again, that helps alot

 

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

You don't need a monitor, I don't have one and my computer works better because of it.

You make no sense.

*goes off to make list*

There are some newer televisions that are compatible with VGA

An HDMI adapter would probably be better. I sure as hell love mine.

 

[WlknCntrdiction]

http://www.aria.co.uk/Systems/Gaming+Range

Out of those computers in that link which ones would you guys say is the best? And can those ones be upgraded in any way? I'm thinking that I could just buy one of those instead of building my own and upgrade it if and when the need should arise. What do you think?

 

[Danny Ocean]

The gladiator titan is pretty good. It already has a good core so you can just (overclock that and) upgrade the graphics card..and buy a screen..

I still think mine is better.

 

[WlknCntrdiction]

The gladiator titan is pretty good. It already has a good core so you can just (overclock that and) upgrade the graphics card..and buy a screen..

I still think mine is better.

Yeah, yours is cheaper as well, but from a purely standard technical view which is better? Yours or that one? Or am I asking a stupid question? I don't mind building my own if it means I save money and I can upgrade it in the future too.

 

[Spierek]

Ok, I take the challenge.

LCD 17' - Philips 170B7CS SXGA 17" TFT LCD Monitor (£ 99,95)
Case - Coolermaster Elite 334 Black no PSU (£ 25.21)
CD/DVD Drive - Samsung 20x Lightscribe DVD-RW SATA Black (£ 13.19)
CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz (Retail 775) (£ 91.65)
HDD - 500GB Samsung Spinpoint F1 502IJ SATA2 7200RPM 16MB cache (£ 38.95)
RAM - Corsair 4GB PC2-6400 XMS2 (2x2GB) (£ 59.41)
Board - Asus P5Q iP45 Socket 775 Motherboard (£ 68.45) [compatible also with Quads, so changing your CPU after won't be a problem]
Power - Antec PSU TruePower Trio 650W (£ 71.03)
Video Card - nVidia GeForce 9800GT 512MB PCI-E (£ 77.75)

Cart Total £ 545.59
VAT £ 95.48
Total £ 641.07

 

[WlknCntrdiction]

Ok, I take the challenge.

LCD 17' - Philips 170B7CS SXGA 17" TFT LCD Monitor (£ 99,95)
Case - Coolermaster Elite 334 Black no PSU (£ 25.21)
CD/DVD Drive - Samsung 20x Lightscribe DVD-RW SATA Black (£ 13.19)
CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz (Retail 775) (£ 91.65)
HDD - 500GB Samsung Spinpoint F1 502IJ SATA2 7200RPM 16MB cache (£ 38.95)
RAM - Corsair 4GB PC2-6400 XMS2 (2x2GB) (£ 59.41)
Board - Asus P5Q iP45 Socket 775 Motherboard (£ 68.45) [compatible also with Quads, so changing your CPU after won't be a problem]
Power - Antec PSU TruePower Trio 650W (£ 71.03)
Video Card - nVidia GeForce 9800GT 512MB PCI-E (£ 77.75)
[/b]

Nice, thanks. I just went back over what others have said and there seems to be quite a stir over the processor and the graphics card in previous posts, could someone clarify what it is that's so bad/good about these processors and graphics cards please. It's all well and good people saying they're good because of this.... or bad because of this.... but I'd like to know why, I'm willing to learn

 

[Danny Ocean]

Well, the main issue is between the E8400, and the Q6600, both from intel.

The advantage that the E8400 is that it is clocked by default at 3GHz. However, it is only (hah) duel core.
The Q6600 is clocked at a slower 2.4GHz by default, however, it is a beast of an overclocker, and has four cores, rather than two.

It really comes down to if you're prepared to void your warranty by overclocking.
Also, in order to overclock the Q6600, you'll need more cooling.
All intel CPUs from pentium up (pentium, Core2, and Quad.) will work on current intel boards, as they are designed to plug into a special socket called LGA775.

Next are the Video cards:

The Geforce 9 series of GPUs is generally regarded as a tweak of the 8 series. They cost about the same now that ATI has upped its game, but they draw less power and are quieter.
In the Nvidia pricing scheme, the #600 cards are at the low end of the scale. and each hundred gets progressively more powerful.

A lot of people found the 8600 cards to be underwhelming, but from what I've heard the 6600 was OK, and I previously owned a 7600, which was also decent. So I don't see the problem.
Spierek has basically done the same as me, except he's gone for a smaller screen with a better graphics card. And a smaller hard drive.


Aaaanyway, if you can get all those bits on my list cheaper on aria, I'd suggest using the money saved to get a better GPU. Maybe an ATi 4850 or 4870. Or a Nvidia 9800i.