Core2Duo on a shoe string!!!

Jonny L · 13 May 2007 at 22:14

Hey guys I know I usually offer help in this section but my decrepid system is just not gonna cut it anymore. I will obviously keep it as we have had some great times together

.

So I want you guys to help me spec a system for around £250 to include:

cpu
gfx
mobo
aftermarket cooler
ram
psu

The system really needs to be a good overclocker and something that can be partially updated later, so far I have come up with this:

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-5300C3 667MHz Dual Channel Kit (BL2KIT12864AA663) £63.99
(£75.19) £63.99
(£75.19)
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket 775) £15.99
(£18.79) £15.99
(£18.79)
OcUK Huntkey 500W PSU £32.99
(£38.76) £32.99
(£38.76)
OcUK GeForce 7300 GT SILENT 256MB DDR2 HDTV/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail £21.99
(£25.84) £21.99
(£25.84)
Intel Core 2 Duo E2140 "LGA775 Conroe" 1.60GHz (800FSB) - Retail £49.99
(£58.74) £49.99
(£58.74)
Gigabyte GA_965P_S3 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard - OEM £50.00
(£58.75) £50.00
(£58.75)
Sub Total : £234.95
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £8.95
Vat : £42.68
Total : £286.58

But I would like to cut the price a bit without infringing the attainable overclocks, I have seen the 2gig Team Elite cas5 pc6400 kit going for 58 quid, would this diminish my overclocking potential?

Cupra · 13 May 2007 at 22:18

ive not used that ram but i read somewhere its good ram

the ballistix will be the best bang for buck tbh

Jay123 · 13 May 2007 at 22:18

Your basket
Product Name Qty Price Line Total
OcUK GeForce 8500 GT 256MB DDR2 HDTV/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail £43.99
(£51.69) £43.99
(£51.69)
OcUK Huntkey 500W PSU £32.99
(£38.76) £32.99
(£38.76)
Team Elite 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C5 800MHz Dual Channel Kit (TEDD2048M800HC5DC) £49.99
(£58.74) £49.99
(£58.74)
Abit IB9 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £54.99
(£64.61) £54.99
(£64.61)
Intel Core 2 Duo E2140 "LGA775 Conroe" 1.60GHz (800FSB) - Retail £49.99
(£58.74) £49.99
(£58.74)
Sub Total : £231.95
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £8.95
Vat : £42.16
Total : £283.06

Sorry didnt include cooler

Jonny L · 13 May 2007 at 22:19

Thanks for the replies guys, how is the IB9 at overclocking?

Jay123 · 13 May 2007 at 22:21

Jonny L said:
Thanks for the replies guys, how is the IB9 at overclocking?

Overclocking with £250 machine is very unlikely, even if you do then a very small overclock it will be .....

Jonny L · 13 May 2007 at 22:23

Yer thats why I would prefer to stick to the S3, using the team elite ram I can get it to 270, its more cpu power than gfx that I'm looking for, it will be for gaming but I'm used to poor gfx and I've heard that the 7300gt does quite well. I want cpu power over gfx as cpus tend ot outlive the gfx.

I suppose what I would really like to know, is if using the c5 team elite ram will hinder me in reaching 3ghz on the cpu?

GAMEfreak · 13 May 2007 at 23:01

dont touch 8500GTs. toms hardwares interactive charts and such prove why. bang for buck it isnt worth it. dx 10 isnt much of a leap either.

skanky · 13 May 2007 at 23:40

GAMEfreak said:
dont touch 8500GTs. toms hardwares interactive charts and such prove why. bang for buck it isnt worth it. dx 10 isnt much of a leap either.

depends what its used for tbh, if its for gaming then maybe but if its for a htpc and when winxp gets the h264 accelerated drivers (or for right now, using vista) then its easily the best choice.

tsj · 14 May 2007 at 00:13

Good choice on the RAM... Looks like a great Pc for someone on a very tight budget

Cairnsey · 14 May 2007 at 00:32

why don't you upgrade your current system with this:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-151-IN&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=793

this:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-011-AK&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=205

Total - £105ish

You'd use your existing gfx card and RAM but could get a new gfx card and more RAM if need be.

Jonny L · 14 May 2007 at 16:59

Thanks for the replies guys, I don't really want a mixed up chipset as I really want to do some proper overclocking. I think I've pretty much settled on the following:

OcUK Huntkey 500W PSU £32.99
(£38.76) £32.99
(£38.76)
Team Elite 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C5 800MHz Dual Channel Kit (TEDD2048M800HC5DC) £49.99
(£58.74) £49.99
(£58.74)
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket 775) £15.99
(£18.79) £15.99
(£18.79)
OcUK GeForce 7300 GT SILENT 256MB DDR2 HDTV/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail £21.99
(£25.84) £21.99
(£25.84)
Intel Core 2 Duo E2140 "LGA775 Conroe" 1.60GHz (800FSB) - Retail £49.99
(£58.74) £49.99
(£58.74)
Gigabyte GA_965P_S3 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard - OEM £50.00
(£58.75) £50.00
(£58.75)
Sub Total : £220.95
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £8.95
Vat : £40.23
Total : £270.13

What I would really like to know, is if the cas5 ram will hinder me getting the cpu to 3ghz and maybe a little bit above?

I'm probably gonna buy this in around 3 weeks as I'm doing exams at the moment, so hopefully prices will come down even more between now and then