Is it time?

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Is it time for me to get a new Computer?

Story

First of all i started with a crappy PC which was a Pentium 3 128 SD Ram 10 GB HDD with a 64 bit onboard sound/video and graphics card and a 56k Dial up Modem, and believe it or not, i used to play games like Guild Wars and WoW on it. Then my dad bought me a new computer, which is the one i have now, it was about 200 quid which the current spec is, AMD Sempron 2800+, 160GB HHD 1GB DDR Ram 256 DDR ATI Radeon 9250 Sapphire GFX and i have a 2MB (Temporarily 4MB) LAN. Games work quite good on my current PC i do not experience any Lag etc.

Conclusion

So is it time for me to get a new PC? what do you think, if so, Read On


SPEC ME!

For those who think its time for me to get another Computer would u like to spec me on a new one?

Here is a brief.

Base Unit Only

Either an AMD X2 Processor or any Pentium from Pentium D to Allende/Conroe
Ram 1GB-2GB
HDD 60 GB - 300GB
Case between 20 quid - 100 quid ( must be spacious )
Any GDDR3 GFX Card which is compatible
CPU Coolers

Every thing else (e.g) PSU, Mobo etc Just basic, but good enough to take all of this in

Subtotal 700 quid

Thanks for reading.
 
CP-135-IN Intel Core 2 DUO E6300 "LGA775 Allendale" 1.86GHz (1066FSB) - OEM (CP-135-IN)
£99.99 £99.99
HD-018-SA Samsung SpinPoint P SP2504C 250GB SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-018-SA)
£44.99 £44.99
MB-063-GI Gigabyte GA_965P_S3 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (MB-063-GI)
£79.99 £79.99
MY-058-GL GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GX22GB6400UDC) (MY-058-GL)
£139.99 £139.99
HS-017-AR Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket 775) (HS-017-AR)
£14.99 £14.99
CD-062-LO Liteon DVD-8900 16x DVD±RW/RAM (Black) - OEM (CD-062-LO)
£15.99 £15.99
GX-134-SP Sapphire ATI Radeon X1950 Pro 256MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-134-SP)
£114.99 £114.99
CA-067-AN Antec NSK6500 Super Midi Tower Case - 430W PSU (CA
£58.99 £58.99
Subtotal £569.92
VAT £99.74
Total £669.66
 
is 430W enough?

also 4got to mention, i might be overclocking too
ill come up with a spec soon.

tbh a 250 gig HDD is way too big for me, ive just realised that ive ever only used 60 GB, if its going to be 200 GB+ HDD id rather have 2 harddrives also.

160 GB is enough for me , or even 80, then theres around an extra 30-70 quid to spare, what to do with that?
 
Last edited:
REFERENCE DESCRIPTION QUANTITY PRICE COST REMOVE
HS-017-AR Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket 775) (HS-017-AR)
£14.99 £14.99
MB-163-AS Asus P5VD2-MX Micro ATX (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (MB-163-AS)
£37.99 £37.99
MY-034-GL GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC5300 667MHz Value DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GX22GB5300DC) (MY-034-GL)
£139.99 £139.99
CP-135-IN Intel Core 2 DUO E6300 "LGA775 Allendale" 1.86GHz (1066FSB) - OEM (CP-135-IN)
£99.99 £99.99
CA-065-AN Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming case (CA-065-AN)
£63.99 £63.99
CA-009-HP Hiper HPU-4M580 Type R 580W ATX2.2 PSU - Black (CA-009-HP)
£44.99 £44.99
GX-044-CO Connect3D ATI Radeon X1800 XT 256MB GDDR3 AVIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-044-CO)
£119.99 £119.99
CD-059-LO Liteon DRW-6S160P-05C 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM (CD-059-LO)
£16.95 £16.95
HD-104-WD Western Digital Caviar RE 250GB 2500YS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-104-WD)
£49.99 £49.99
Subtotal £588.87
VAT £103.06
Total £691.93

try that on for size...
 
LanceCrossfire said:
you overclocking???

Yes, sorry i just edited my recent post saying i might be overclocking too.

Oh and one more thing, DVD/CD Drives arent needed, sorry if i didnt mention all this in my first post
 
ATIorNvidia said:
is 430W enough?

also 4got to mention, i might be overclocking too
ill come up with a spec soon.

tbh a 250 gig HDD is way too big for me, ive just realised that ive ever only used 60 GB, if its going to be 200 GB+ HDD id rather have 2 harddrives also.

160 GB is enough for me , or even 80, then theres around an extra 30-70 quid to spare, what to do with that?
to be honest it would be far more cost effective to go for a 250GB HDD as there only a couple of quid more...
for overclockers the gigabyte DS3 mobo and Core 2 E6300 are probably best but that would mean sacrificing money elsewhere or upping the budget... theres no point going any lower then a X1800XT niether as there probably one of, if not, the best GPU for price/performance...
 
BU-039-OK Intel Core 2 DUO LGA775 E6400 2.13GHz Retail / Gigabyte 965P DS3 / 2GB Corsair XMS2-6400C5 DDR2 Dual Channel Kit - Bundle (BU-039-OK)
CP-127-IN Intel Core 2 DUO E6400 "LGA775 Allendale" 2.13GHz (1066FSB) - Retail (CP-127-IN) 1
MY-092-CS Corsair 2GB DDR2 XMS2-6400C5 TwinX (2x1GB) (MY-092-CS) 1
MB-061-GI Gigabyte GA_965P_DS3 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (MB-061-GI) 1
£392.97 £392.97
GX-062-HT HIS ATI Radeon X1650 Pro ICEQ Turbo 256MB GDDR3 AVIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (RX1650P-256ICEQT) (GX-062-HT)
£79.99 £79.99
HD-093-SE Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 160GB ST3160811AS SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-093-SE)
£35.99 £35.99
HS-031-TR ThermalRight Ultra-90 (Socket 478/775) Heatsink (HS-031-TR)
£16.99 £16.99
CA-065-AN Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming case (CA-065-AN)
£63.99 £63.99
CA-063-AN Antec TruePower Trio 650W PSU (CA-063-AN)

Total £784.81 (If i have to, i will go to £800

Is this bad?, im not very good at doing this so bear with me

The processor,ram,Mobo is currently a bundle so later on i will try and make up a different one (singular)
 
LanceCrossfire said:
go for the E6300, swap the corsair for either the G.Skill or Geil equivilant, and please god dont buy the X1650pro... its wasted on that spec...

Thats what i was thinking, but ill come up with a more stable spec abit later.
 
The bundled 430w will be more than enough, Antec make very good PSUs. The antec 900 case seems to be a bit crap tbh, build quality isn't very good and (imo) looks terrible. You'll need a 90mm fan for that CPU cooler and please don't buy the x1650...

What I specced is £100 less and better... larger HD, better RAM, faster graphics. Admittedly a slightly slower CPU but as you plan to OC I don't see this as a particularly bad thing.
 
I think im going to drop the E6400, settle for the E6300 and up the GFX Card, also which is considered, 'better' or more 'reliable' out of all of the Ram Brands like Giel, Corsair etc.
 
if your considering clocking, then geil... every stick of corsair i have owned has caused me problems... flashing lights on dimms look so cool though:D... the antec supply is enough only prob is, if it goes pop and you RMA or whatever, you have to return the case to... or so ive heard...
 
CP-135-IN Intel Core 2 DUO E6300 "LGA775 Allendale" 1.86GHz (1066FSB) - OEM (CP-135-IN) 1
£99.99 £99.99
MB-176-AS Asus P5B-VM Micro ATX (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (MB-176-AS) 1
£79.99 £79.99
GX-124-SP Sapphire ATI Radeon X1900 GT 256MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-124-SP) 1
£111.99 £111.99
HS-003-SY Scythe Ninja Plus Rev.B Heatpipe CPU Cooler (478/754/939/940/AM2/LGA755) (HS-003-SY) 1
£33.99 £33.99
CA-065-AN Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming case (CA-065-AN) 1
£63.99 £63.99
CA-063-AN Antec TruePower Trio 650W PSU (CA-063-AN) 1
£77.99 £77.99
MY-030-CS Corsair 1GB DDR XMS3200C2PT TwinX (2x512MB) CAS2 (MY-030-CS) 1
£84.99 £84.99
HD-051-SE Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 80GB ST3808110AS SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-051-SE) 2
£28.99 £57.98
Subtotal £610.91
VAT £106.91
Total £717.82


GeiL instead of Corsair... couldnt be bothered to change it

Whatcha think?
 
ATIorNvidia said:
{snip}Whatcha think?
PSU is OTT, especially for a X1900GT. 430Ws (& a better brand) PSU will do.

I'd go for the new/etc 7200.10 Seagates.

That RAM won't work! You need DDR2 & make 2GB the minimum!

HSF is OTT if not planning any major overclocks. & for the latter you'll need a better mobo like the DS3 :)
 
Last edited:
ATIorNvidia said:
I would go for the 2GB Ram but isnt it gonan be way over budget? this is the only reason why.
Not necessarily...
  • Intel Core 2 DUO E6300 "LGA775 Allendale" 1.86GHz (1066FSB) - OEM (CP-135-IN) £99.99
  • Gigabyte GA_965P_DS3 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (MB-061-GI) £89.99
  • GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GX22GB6400UDC) (MY-058-GL) £139.99 - on 'This Week Only' so hurry
  • Connect3D ATI Radeon X1900 XT 256MB GDDR3 AVIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-053-CO) £144.99 ;)
  • NEC AD7170A 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM (CD-044-NE) £19.99
  • Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket 775) (HS-017-AR) £14.99
  • Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming case (CA-065-AN) £63.99
  • Seasonic S12 500W Silent ATX2.0 Power Supply (CA-001-SS) £67.99
  • Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 200GB ST3200820AS SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-085-SE) £45.99 :D
  • Subtotal £687.91
  • VAT £120.39
  • Total £808.30
£8 over budget but, better Mobo, RAM, HDD, PSU & GFX :p
 
hp7909 said:
Not necessarily...
  • Intel Core 2 DUO E6300 "LGA775 Allendale" 1.86GHz (1066FSB) - OEM (CP-135-IN) £99.99
  • Gigabyte GA_965P_DS3 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (MB-061-GI) £89.99
  • GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GX22GB6400UDC) (MY-058-GL) £139.99 - on 'This Week Only' so hurry
  • Connect3D ATI Radeon X1900 XT 256MB GDDR3 AVIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-053-CO) £144.99 ;)
  • NEC AD7170A 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM (CD-044-NE) £19.99
  • Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket 775) (HS-017-AR) £14.99
  • Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming case (CA-065-AN) £63.99
  • Seasonic S12 500W Silent ATX2.0 Power Supply (CA-001-SS) £67.99
  • Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 200GB ST3200820AS SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-085-SE) £45.99 :D
  • Subtotal £687.91
  • VAT £120.39
  • Total £808.30
£8 over budget but, better Mobo, RAM, HDD, PSU & GFX :p


My subtotal was 700, but if i have to go over that, i guess i will lol
 
You said:

"Oh and one more thing, DVD/CD Drives arent needed, sorry if i didnt mention all this in my first post"

So you can remove:

"NEC AD7170A 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM (CD-044-NE) £19.99"

Another £20.00 off :D

Overall it looks like a decent rig, and is an overclockers dream esp with that cpu/mobo/ram combo. Maybe change the s12 to m12 to tidy things up a bit, but wont really affect performance (please correct me if im wrong)

Also, buying a 500w PSU and then trying to upgrade to a next gen graphics card may cause trouble? Go for a 600w and future proof yourself?

Might be getting a rig similar very soon :eek:
 
Last edited:
CP-135-IN Intel Core 2 DUO E6300 "LGA775 Allendale" 1.86GHz (1066FSB) - OEM (CP-135-IN) £99.99 £99.99
MB-061-GI Gigabyte GA_965P_DS3 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (MB-061-GI) £89.99 £89.99
MY-058-GL GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GX22GB6400UDC) (MY-058-GL) £139.99 £139.99
GX-053-CO Connect3D ATI Radeon X1900 XT 256MB GDDR3 AVIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-053-CO) £144.99 £144.99
HS-017-AR Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket 775) (HS-017-AR) £14.99 £14.99
CA-065-AN Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming case (CA-065-AN) £63.99 £63.99
CA-023-EN Enermax Noisetaker 535W EG565AX-VE(W) SFMA ATX2.0 SLI Compliant PSU (CA-023-EN) £54.99 £54.99
HD-051-SE Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 80GB ST3808110AS SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-051-SE) £28.99 £28.99
Subtotal £637.92
VAT £111.64
Total £749.56


very similar but an hdd much closer to your minimum, lower power psu, no optical drive as specified. You could probably choose a cheaper case if you're not set on the nine-hundred. Put the same gfx as I don't know a lot about the gfx market...
(edit: that psu is white tho - dunno if that matters. Also a modular psu would be nice but it's not that much effort to tidy up your cabling on a non-modular psu if you only have 1 or 2 hdds.)
 
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