Build or buy?

cleanbluesky · 30 Jun 2006 at 19:40

I am thinking of making a computer for my friend to fix an ailing P3 system. I want it on the cheap side, and this person isn't a massive gamer so it doesn't have to be expensive...

I want something about £300 and I dont mind sourcing 2nd hand parts through eBay or anything. Would it be cheaper to get the parts individually or buy one of the Dell desktops off eBay?

tom_nieto · 30 Jun 2006 at 19:41

You'd be looking at some serious second hand bargains to make a £300 system.

Honestly, with an OS and TFT screen a pre built system would probably offer better value in this price bracket.

Indy500 · 30 Jun 2006 at 19:42

I'd say build. Or, even just buy a used system, there are some suprisingly good ones in MM at times for about ~£175-200.

Unless you want OS\TFT, in which case its more difficult to beat OEM prices. I'd steer clear of Dell though.

cleanbluesky · 30 Jun 2006 at 19:48

sr4470 said:
I'd say build. Or, even just buy a used system, there are some suprisingly good ones in MM at times for about ~£175-200.

Yes, MM - I think I'll try there...

Unless you want OS\TFT, in which case its more difficult to beat OEM prices. I'd steer clear of Dell though.

Have software, TFT can come later...

Darkwave · 30 Jun 2006 at 19:50

Always build.

Not only is it usually cheaper than buying, it's always more fun.

Mista.Gee · 30 Jun 2006 at 19:55

Can i ask what MM stands for?

Indy500 · 30 Jun 2006 at 19:56

geepee said:
Can i ask what MM stands for?

Members Market. You yourself cant access it yet, check the FAQ for details.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/faq.php?faq=vb_user_maintain#faq_vb_use_cookies

Jack Bauer · 30 Jun 2006 at 21:15

i priced a sempron system a month back in that price range. tbh I could only match the big retailers, might as well go and buy one over the counter.

GhostRider · 1 Jul 2006 at 00:22

well heres a try

CP-117-AM AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice 90nm (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA3000BPBOX) (CP-117-AM)
£52.95 £52.95
MY-004-OK OcUK Value 1GB (2x512MB) PC3200 184pin DDR Memory Dual Channel Kit (MY-004-OK)
£49.95 £49.95
MB-002-AK Asrock 939Dual-SATA2 (Socket 939 & Upgradable to AM2) AGP & PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-002-AK)
£36.95 £36.95
GX-026-BG BFG 3DFuzion GeForce 7600 GS 256MB DDR2 TV-Out/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-026-BG)
£67.95 £67.95
HD-051-SE Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 80GB ST3808110AS SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-051-SE)
£29.50 £29.50
HD-001-OK OcUK Value Floppy Drive - Black (HD-001-OK)
£5.95 £5.95
CD-078-SA Samsung SH-S182D 18x18 DVD±RW ReWriter (Black) (CD-078-SA)
£21.95 £21.95
CA-052-AN Antec NSK4400 Mini Tower Case - 380W SmartPower PSU (CA-052-AN)
£34.95 £34.95
Subtotal £300.15
VAT £52.53
Total £352.68

and if it wasn't for the pesky tax man it would almost be on budget. Hopefully this will let you compare against the stuff on MM

Indy500 · 1 Jul 2006 at 00:26

Replace the leadtek 7600GS with the 7300GT.

SiriusB · 1 Jul 2006 at 00:31

GhostRider said:
well heres a try

CP-117-AM AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice 90nm (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA3000BPBOX) (CP-117-AM)
£52.95 £52.95
MY-004-OK OcUK Value 1GB (2x512MB) PC3200 184pin DDR Memory Dual Channel Kit (MY-004-OK)
£49.95 £49.95
MB-002-AK Asrock 939Dual-SATA2 (Socket 939 & Upgradable to AM2) AGP & PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-002-AK)
£36.95 £36.95
GX-026-BG BFG 3DFuzion GeForce 7600 GS 256MB DDR2 TV-Out/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-026-BG)
£67.95 £67.95
HD-051-SE Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 80GB ST3808110AS SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-051-SE)
£29.50 £29.50
HD-001-OK OcUK Value Floppy Drive - Black (HD-001-OK)
£5.95 £5.95
CD-078-SA Samsung SH-S182D 18x18 DVD±RW ReWriter (Black) (CD-078-SA)
£21.95 £21.95
CA-052-AN Antec NSK4400 Mini Tower Case - 380W SmartPower PSU (CA-052-AN)
£34.95 £34.95
Subtotal £300.15
VAT £52.53
Total £352.68

and if it wasn't for the pesky tax man it would almost be on budget. Hopefully this will let you compare against the stuff on MM

And who the hell needs a floppy drive!?

SiriusB

Raikiri · 1 Jul 2006 at 00:32

Similar spec really but under budget with les RAM (graphics are about the same)... also includes shipping

CD-043-LG LG GSA-H10ABAL 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM (CD-043-LG)
£20.95 £20.95
MY-005-OK OcUK Value 512MB (2x256MB) PC3200 184pin DDR Memory Dual Channel Kit (MY-005-OK)
£23.95 £23.95
HD-023-SA Samsung SpinPoint P HD080HJ 80GB SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-023-SA)
£26.95 £26.95
CA-052-AN Antec NSK4400 Mini Tower Case - 380W SmartPower PSU (CA-052-AN)
£34.95 £34.95
GX-087-LT Leadtek GeForce 7300 GT 256MB DDR2 TV-Out/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-087-LT)
£49.95 £49.95
CP-117-AM AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice 90nm (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA3000BPBOX) (CP-117-AM)
£52.95 £52.95
MB-063-AB Abit AX8 VIA K8T890 (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-063-AB)
£29.00 £29.00
Subtotal £238.70
Shipping (City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)) £10.95
VAT £43.69
Total £293.34

Psycho Sonny · 1 Jul 2006 at 00:39

why not get a really cheap cpu that overclocks well, and if he isnt a gamer just get him onboard graphics, does he need a dvd writer, etc cut down everywhere u can, what will be his main uses, if its just surfing the net then you could build a system for £200

semi-pro waster · 1 Jul 2006 at 01:58

I suppose it depends what your friend wants to do with the PC but you could even look at second-hand laptops. I just picked up a Compaq Presario 2100 with a an XP-M 2400, 768mb Ram, 60gb hard drive, DVD/CD-RW for $500CAD which equates to £250 roughly. I'm sure there are similar deals or better in the UK for secondhand laptops.

cleanbluesky · 1 Jul 2006 at 09:27

Big thanks to GhostRider and Raikiri, that looks like a very good spec...