Let's start at the beginning

GingerNinja · 29 Jan 2008 at 23:39

Evening ladies and gents,

I'd like some help from the combined brains on here regarding a new PC. I thought I'd probably need to describe my situation first.

I've got a budget of about £1000 but it's very vague. I have a PS3 for gaming and a work laptop, so I won't want a desktop for any hardcore gaming although maybe a bit of Football Manager. This might make it seem like I don't even need another computer at the moment so who knows..

I have no experience of doing anything internal with a PC or overclocking but I'm keen to get involved and start spending my money buying the latest versions of stuff just to keep up with everyone else..

1) Can you guys recommend a simple case to get me started? I was looking at getting an Antec P182 because it looks good and has plenty of space inside. A small htpc case would look nice under the LCD next to the PS3 but I'm worried that it might be a pain for a first build.

2) If I want to learn to overclock do you think it'd be better to buy something like an E2180 CPU so I wouldn't worry about blowing everything?

3) How easy is to upgrade a system at a later date, say if I wanted to add a graphics card after using one a motherboard?

4) I've heard that these days, building a pc is almost like putting lego together, do you guys agree?

Cheers
Andrew

BFG_9000 · 29 Jan 2008 at 23:42

Akasa Eclipse, easy to work with & loads of room

*Claimed* Welcome to the forums M8..

Tetras · 29 Jan 2008 at 23:51

2) If I want to learn to overclock do you think it'd be better to buy something like an E2180 CPU so I wouldn't worry about blowing everything?

Nah, Intel overclocking is so easy it shouldn't be legal. If you manage to blow it up you'll win an award, for something.

3) How easy is to upgrade a system at a later date, say if I wanted to add a graphics card after using one a motherboard?

That sentence is confuddling my brainiator. If what you mean is "how easy is it to upgrade to a new graphics card", very easy (though considerably easier if you don't have a teeny tiny case).

4) I've heard that these days, building a pc is almost like putting lego together, do you guys agree?

Yep, apart from the first time you install an LGA775 cooler with pushpins, in which case it is like jamming a square duplo block into a triangle hole, with your eyes closed, outside, in a storm. I jest, just do it outside the case so you can check the pins have clicked and push them in a diagonal config (top left then top right kinda thing), do not do one side then the other!!

GingerNinja · 30 Jan 2008 at 00:03

Tetras said:
That sentence is confuddling my brainiator. If what you mean is "how easy is it to upgrade to a new graphics card", very easy (though considerably easier if you don't have a teeny tiny case).

I might use the wrong terminology so please bear with me...

What I was trying to say was, if I buy and assemble a PC without a graphics card and then at a later date want to add a graphics card, is it just a case of whipping out the mobo and connecting a new graphics card to it then plugging it back in?

Cheers

Tetras · 30 Jan 2008 at 00:08

What I was trying to say was, if I buy and assemble a PC without a graphics card and then at a later date want to add a graphics card, is it just a case of whipping out the mobo and connecting a new graphics card to it then plugging it back in?

No, you would leave the motherboard in the case, remove the old graphics card, plug the new one in (software wise you would remove the old drivers before you shut down with add/remove programs).

There might be a few cables in the way if you have a small case that have to be disconnected before you can physically pull the old card out but larger cases you shouldn't have to worry. There is also a little catch on the end of some PCI-Express 16X slots (design depends on manufacturer) that needs to be messed with (can be a little fiddly) before the card can be removed from the slot.

Edit: Ooops, you said "without a graphics card". Not all motherboards have onboard graphics and those that do it can't be removed (built into the board so to speak) and will usually de-activate automatically if a graphics card is plugged in to the PCI-Express 16X slot. There are some rare boards with onboard graphics (mostly very small ones) that don't have a PCI-Express 16X slot AT ALL, in which case you could not upgrade it (but you would have to intentionally look for such a board to find one so don't worry).

jak731 · 30 Jan 2008 at 00:15

in a word no, provided it will fit into your case and your PSU can power it.

below is my attempt at a spec.

Your basket
Product Name Qty Price Line Total
OCZ 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-6400C4 Dual Channel Platinum Revision 2 XTC Series DDR2 (OCZ2P800R22GK) £22.99
(£27.01) £22.99
(£27.01)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (ST3250410AS) £38.99
(£45.81) £38.99
(£45.81)
OcUK Value IP35 Pro Intel P35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £49.99
(£58.74) £49.99
(£58.74)
Intel Core 2 Duo E2200 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.20GHz (800FSB) - Retail £49.99
(£58.74) £49.99
(£58.74)
Tuniq Tower 120 CPU Cooler (Socket 478/754/939/940/AM2/LGA775) £27.99
(£32.89) £27.99
(£32.89)
Corsair HX 620W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-620HXUK) £74.99
(£88.11) £74.99
(£88.11)
Lian-Li PC V2000 PLUS Silver Aluminium Full-Tower (No PSU) £137.99
(£162.14) £137.99
(£162.14)
Pioneer DVR-215DBK 20x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM £16.99
(£19.96) £16.99
(£19.96)
OcUK Value L2442W 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Glossy Black £229.99
(£270.24) £229.99
(£270.24)
PowerColor ATI Radeon HD 3850 Pro Extreme 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail £99.99
(£117.49) £99.99
(£117.49)
Sub Total : £749.90
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £21.98
VAT is being charged at 17.5% VAT : £135.08
Total : £906.96

the MB will support the wolfdale CPUs if and when you need/want one.

the tuniq tower is capable of cooling a quad core in case you want one.

the HX620 should provide enough power until you decide to do a stupidly large upgrade.

the V2000+ should be big enough to hold whatever you want to put in your PC, if space is a problem i highly advise against this case.

E2200 over the E2180 as it has a higher multiplier, so OCing is easier

the 3850 graphics card will most likely not allow you to max out graphics on the 24" monitor in the spec, but should allow for some light pc gaming.

i only put a 250GB HDD in as i donn know if you want or need more space

GingerNinja · 30 Jan 2008 at 00:23

Cheers jak, I was just planning on plugging the computer into my tv, it's 42" 1080p, would it be ok to use that?

If I did that, what do you reckon would be the best way to spend the money?

I guess I put a few 500Gb hard drives in the bays but what should my priorities be from there, CPU/mobo?

Apologies for the stupid questions.

jak731 · 30 Jan 2008 at 00:29

i think if you drop the monitor, just save the money or if you want to splash out, look at better MBs such as the abit IP35 PRO. or a x38 chipset based MB.

also what connectors have you got on the TV? HDMI, VGA etc

GingerNinja · 30 Jan 2008 at 00:30

It's a Toshiba 42x3030DB, there's a spare HDMI, I think there's a DVI connection too.

jak731 · 30 Jan 2008 at 00:35

if you intend on using the speakers on the TV, i think you should check if the graphics card i linked to comes with a dvi-hdmi adaptor, otherwise you will not get sound unless you use onboard sound.