Advice needed for new PC (Self Build or not?)

[cmndr_andi]

for an extra £30 he might aswell stick the athlon II x4 620 in it he'll still be far under and if he ever does run some multi threaded apps on it he'll be covered.

Indeed, that is a good option. I mean the 245 will run everything fine, but the quad core will handle mutil-threaded stuff even better - if he is willing to spend the extra.

 

[MonkeykingZX]

consolidating all your old hard drives onto 1 large hdd would be a good idea as cmndr_andi stated aswell, but again all depends on how close to that £500 you're willing to go

 

[Scorpio1000]

Thanks for all the replies so far.
So it looks like the AMD chip is the one to go for.
Would you recommend that I change my case too?

@cmndr_andi Thanks for the spec!

 

[cmndr_andi]

You're very welcome

Your current case is perfectly adequate and will work fine with the new components - so a new case isn't necessary.

Personally, if I were in your situation I would get a nice new case for aesthetic, noise and cooling reasons - but you have to decide on this yourself. Some good reasonably priced cases I would recommend are:

Antec 300
Lancool Dragon-Lord
Coolermaster CM-690 Dominator
NZXT BETA

 

[Scorpio1000]

You're very welcome

Your current case is perfectly adequate and will work fine with the new components - so a new case isn't necessary.

Personally, if I were in your situation I would get a nice new case for aesthetic, noise and cooling reasons - but you have to decide on this yourself. Some good reasonably priced cases I would recommend are:

Antec 300
Lancool Dragon-Lord
Coolermaster CM-690 Dominator
NZXT BETA

Thanks again, I think I will go with a new case..

 

[Scorpio1000]

Just spoke to OCUK on the phone and the sales guy recommended this system:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-226-OK

I am tempted, whats your thoughts?

 

[cmndr_andi]

It is a good system, but the i3 may be overkill. Also, with an operating system it is £200 more than the above upgrade.

 

[Scorpio1000]

It is a good system, but the i3 may be overkill. Also, with an operating system it is £200 more than the above upgrade.

I already have the OS

 

[cmndr_andi]

Ah, ok - if you take off the OS from my upgrade spec -it is a £199 difference + postage. My point is, its quite a lot more expensive for performance you likely won't use.

 

[Scorpio1000]

Ah, ok - if you take off the OS from my upgrade spec -it is a £199 difference + postage. My point is, its quite a lot more expensive for performance you likely won't use.

I hear you. Will I need a GFX card or does that Mobo come with internal graphics which will be good enough for day to day stuff?

 

[cmndr_andi]

The 785G AMD motherboard comes with an integrated HD 4200 graphics card. Pretty good for an integrated card, can decode 1080p video without any trouble. It will play older games fine, and a lot of modern games on low settings. For standard stuff like web browsing, office and video/audio editing, it is more than enough.

 

[Scorpio1000]

The 785G AMD motherboard comes with an integrated HD 4200 graphics card. Pretty good for an integrated card, can decode 1080p video without any trouble. It will play older games fine, and a lot of modern games on low settings. For standard stuff like web browsing, office and video/audio editing, it is more than enough.

Perfect!!

 

[Scorpio1000]

My final question (I think) is what to do with my 2x old Pentium 4 PCs. Do I try and get rid of them as whole systems, break them down and sell off the components or give them away??

 

[MonkeykingZX]

you might be able to make £50-60 for each system so might as well sell them unless you're feeling particularly charitable

 

[Scorpio1000]

you might be able to make £50-60 for each system so might as well sell them unless you're feeling particularly charitable

Ok thanks...