Opinions on a System Build - £550 budget

mattydinx

mattydinx

mattydinx

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Joined
12 May 2008
Posts
8
Location
Northumberland, UK
Hey Guys,

A friend of mine is currently looking for a new computer to replace her ageing laptop. Having uttered the words "I saw this gaming computer in Currys..." I swiftly interrupted her and proclaimed "I can build a better one for less!"...perhaps I spoke too soon.

I've put the following spec. together based on her requirements:
  • Will be used to play WoW and LOTRO, L4D and "new" games (what new games these are, I don't know!)
  • Be able to Burn CD/DVD
  • Already has Keyboard, Mouse & Monitor
  • Must include Windows in the price
  • 4 USB Ports minimum
  • 1GB Graphics Card (mainly for futureproofing)
  • BUDGET: £550 MAX!

The Spec:
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit - £80.99
CPU: Intel Core i3 530 2.93GHz - £77.98
M/B: Asus P7P55-M P55 - £84.49
RAM: Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) 1333MHz - £76.36
GFX: XFX ATI Radeon HD 5750 XXX 1024MB - £91.64
PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro 500w Silent SLI Certified Modular Power Supply - £58.99
HDD: Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB SATA-II 16MB - £31.98
Case: Asus TA-8H3 Black Midi Tower Case - Black - £20.99
DVD: OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - £12.98

Total: £536.41

Does the above system seem adequate?...Overkill?
Are there alternatives that perhaps I didn't think of that would offer better performance/Cost.

I've tried to include for expandability, CrossFire graphics (Although the PSU may limit that), Additional Memory, and possibly some overclocking potential (different CPU cooler required)

She's stressed that £550 is the absolute maximum she can stretch too.

All thoughts and suggestions welcome.
 
Your basketProduct Name Qty Price Line Total
HIS ATI Radeon HD 5770 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £105.74
(£89.99) £105.74
(£89.99)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-00599) £80.99
(£68.93) £80.99
(£68.93)
Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) £70.49
(£59.99) £70.49
(£59.99)
AMD Athlon II X4 Quad Core 630 2.80GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £70.49
(£59.99) £70.49
(£59.99)
MSI 770-C45 AMD 770 (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard £49.98
(£42.54) £49.98
(£42.54)
Silverstone PS02B Precision Midi Case - Black £39.99
(£34.03) £39.99
(£34.03)
Corsair CX 430W ATX Power Supply £37.98
(£32.32) £37.98
(£32.32)
Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD502HJ) £31.98
(£27.22) £31.98
(£27.22)
Samsung SH-S223C/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
(£11.91) £13.99
(£11.91)
Sub Total : £426.92
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £12.50
VAT is being charged at 17.50% VAT : £76.90
Total : £516.32


Your basketProduct Name Qty Price Line Total
Palit GeForce GTX 460 768MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with HAWX2 PC-Game £124.98
(£106.37) £124.98
(£106.37)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-00599) £80.99
(£68.93) £80.99
(£68.93)
Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) £70.49
(£59.99) £70.49
(£59.99)
AMD Athlon II X4 Quad Core 630 2.80GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £70.49
(£59.99) £70.49
(£59.99)
MSI 770-C45 AMD 770 (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard £49.98
(£42.54) £49.98
(£42.54)
Corsair CX 430W ATX Power Supply £37.98
(£32.32) £37.98
(£32.32)
Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD502HJ) £31.98
(£27.22) £31.98
(£27.22)
Xigmatek Asgard Midi Tower Case - Black £26.99
(£22.97) £26.99
(£22.97)
Samsung SH-S223C/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
(£11.91) £13.99
(£11.91)
Sub Total : £432.24
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £12.50
VAT is being charged at 17.50% VAT : £77.83
Total : £522.57
 
Hold on. This is to replace a laptop. And she's been looking at systems is high street stores. Are you absolutely certain that she doesn't need a monitor or expect one included within her £550? If she does then its radical rethink time here. If she doesn't need a monitor then either of stulid's builds would fit the bill nicely.
 
Last edited:
VFM Addict said:
Hold on. This is to replace a laptop. And she's been looking at systems is high street stores. Are you absolutely certain that she doesn't need a monitor or expect one included within her £550? If she does then its radical rethink time here.
Click to expand...

oh dear, do try to read the OP correctly.

mattydinx said:
[*]Already has Keyboard, Mouse & Monitor
Click to expand...
 
Its often about customers expectations as much as their needs. The OP may know that she already has a monitor, etc. But that may be a very different thing from what the customer here expects. What high street kit was she looking at? Did it include a monitor and is that what she will expect to be getting? After all its to replace a laptop so are we are possibly talking about an old monitor that hasn't been used for some time..

All I'm saying really is, is the OP totally certain that she is not expecting a monitor.

Cheers,
vfm
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the replies guys.

I was considering the AMD route however, I was of the understanding that in terms of performance, the Intel 'i' series were leaps and bounds ahead of their AMD counterparts.

I'll take the suggestions back to her.

As for the monitor, she'll be using her HDTV which supports VGA and HDMI.

Also, the system she was looking at was the ADVENT Centurion CPD1303
 
Well the res of the TV isn't going to be high so the XFX ATI Radeon HD 5750 XXX 1024MB you suggested yourself would be fine.

My thoughts are that if there was ever going to be a bottleneck then it would be concerning the number of cores as games will increasing require more.

For that reason I'd certainly go AMD within your budget rather than i3 because I'm convinced that real cores beat pseudo-cores everytime.

Cheers,
vfm
 
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