Help to spec new gaming rig please........

Rusty · 19 Jun 2007 at 20:29

After being laptop only for the last 3 years, i've been contemplating for a while changing back to desktop (i live on a narrowboat so space is at a premium :cool:

)

However, the untimely demise of my laptop

has made the decision for me. Trouble is, after 3 years out of the game, i find myself somewhat bewildered by the stuff that's out there now!

I've roughly £1000 to spend (preferably less!) and wondered if anybody would help me spec a gaming system with that? I need, literally, everything

Due to space concerns, i was thinking 19" - 20" widescreen as a max for the monitor, plus the case cannot be too big either, though a reasonable mid tower should fit (i was contemplating SFF?????) also due to power concerns, i am thinking of a UPS, though this can be bought at a later stage. Also a PCI slot would be nice, so i can use a PCI-PCMCIA adaptor and plug my web n walk card in.

Below is my effort at specifying a decent machine, any/all help and advice very greatly appreciated.

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit Edition DVD - OEM - 1Pk (66I-00788) £59.99
(£70.49) £59.99
(£70.49)
Intel Core 2 DUO LGA775 E6600 2.40GHz Retail / Abit AB9 Pro / 2GB GeIL PC2-6400C4 DDR2 Dual Channel Kit - Bundle £269.97
(£317.21) £269.97
(£317.21)
Akasa SATA-2 45cm Silver Data Cable £3.99
(£4.69) £7.98
(£9.38)
Saitek PZ30AU Eclipse Illuminated Keyboard - Blue £21.99
(£25.84) £21.99
(£25.84)
Akasa Ultra Quiet 500W Paxpower Active PFC ATX2.2 PSU - Black Nickel £46.99
(£55.21) £46.99
(£55.21)
Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case £54.99
(£64.61) £54.99
(£64.61)
Samsung SH-S203BEBN 20x20 DVD±RW Dual Layer Serial ATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
(£23.49) £19.99
(£23.49)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB ST3320620AS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM £44.99
(£52.86) £44.99
(£52.86)
Samsung SM-206BW 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Glossy Black £179.99
(£211.49) £179.99
(£211.49)
EVGA GeForce 8800 GTS SuperClocked 320MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (320-P2-E815-AR) £169.99
(£199.74) £169.99
(£199.74)
Sub Total : £876.87
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £14.95
VAT is being charged at 17.5% VAT : £156.07
Total : £1,047.89

Sorry about the text, i don't know how to get all the image on one page to post as a .jpg

Regards,

Rusty

Sinny · 19 Jun 2007 at 20:50

ever thought of getting a motherboard ^_^, i suggest a P35, also i would change the powersupply to a Corsair 520w.

kremedios · 19 Jun 2007 at 20:53

Also speccing the CPU to a C2D E4400 will save even more money, and allow you to overclock it to high speeds matching the E6600

Rusty · 19 Jun 2007 at 20:56

Sinny said:
ever thought of getting a motherboard ^_^, i suggest a P35, also i would change the powersupply to a Corsair 520w.

Motherboard is in with the CPU/Mobo/RAM bundle...............though i'm open to suggestion with everything

Rusty

Alex UK · 19 Jun 2007 at 21:00

I'd go with this...

Creative Inspire T3100 2.1 Speakers - OEM
(£21.14) £17.99

Corsair HX 520W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-520HXUK)
(£72.84) £61.99

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket 775)
(£17.61) £14.99

Samsung SH-S182D 18x18 DVD±RW ReWriter (Black) - OEM
(£15.26) £12.99

Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB 2500KS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM
(£45.81) £38.99

OcUK GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail
(£176.24) £149.99

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C4 800MHz Dual Channel Kit (BL2KIT12864AA804)
(£72.84) £61.99

Gigabyte GA_P35_DS3R (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
(£93.99) £79.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 "LGA775 Conroe" 1.86GHz (1066FSB) - Retail
(£111.61) £94.99

Logitech Cordless Desktop EX 110 - Retail
(£22.31) £18.99

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32-Bit Edition DVD - OEM - 1Pk (66I-00715)
(£70.49) £59.99

Dell E207WFP 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
(£193.86) £164.99

Lian-Li PC-7 PLUS Aluminium Midi-Tower Case - Silver
(£56.39) £47.99

Sub Total : £825.87
Shipping : £24.95
VAT : £148.89
Total : £999.71

Couldn't have gotten much closer to the budget anyway...

Rusty · 20 Jun 2007 at 16:32

Is XP or Vista the way to go? If Vista, 32 or 64bit??? Also can you use all SATA drives, or do you need an IDE drive in there somewhere?? Is SATA II worth getting???

Rusty

Alex UK · 20 Jun 2007 at 16:36

Vista is definitely the way to go. However, the 32Bit vs. 64Bit question is a bit more difficult. Personally I'd go with 64Bit, but theres a chance you may encounter compatibility problems along the way. There's no need for an IDE drive, and yes, SATA II is worth going for.

Rusty · 21 Jun 2007 at 20:40

Thanks Alex

Vista for me then, with all SATA II.

Is 640mb GTS worth the extra over 320mb? or is it worth going the whole hog and getting GTX?

Also, is the HSF that comes with retail C2D any good? or is it wise to use something else?

Thanks

Rusty

Alex UK · 21 Jun 2007 at 20:46

If you can afford it, then I would try and push for the 640MB version. New and upcoming games are going to using lots of memory, so the more the merrier. However, the GTX probably isn't worth the premium over the GTS as you'll only be gaming at 1680 x 1050.

Mansize_tissue · 21 Jun 2007 at 22:50

I'd get an after-market heat sink if you're planning on overclocking. If not, then there's no point. I suggest you do, though, because if not the CPU will probably bottleneck the graphics card.