New PC Spec (please) - flexible budget.

[Swiftan]

Ello,

My PC is becoming quite outdated so I've decided to buy a new one.

Current spec:
AMD64 3500+
1 GB RAM
X800XT
yadda yadda

I haven't kept up to date on hardware since I bought this PC so I'm without clues. When I bought this PC though it was top, top spec and cost a fortune so I'm looking for a hint of value for money this time.

What I want/would like:

Future proofed PC
Vista ready (DX10?)
Gaming and media effective
Everything except keyboard and mouse

That's pretty much it, feel free to use your imagination though explanations for choices would be nice. My budget is very flexible, though I'd rather not pay top dollar for latest gen stuff that'll be shadowed in a few months.

Cheers lads, if any other info is needed I'll be sticking around.

 

[semi-pro waster]

Something like this may be suitable, you have a good CPU at stock speeds but with a lot of overclocking potential. A motherboard with a lot of features and decent overclocking potential at a reasonable price, if you really want to overclock further then the P5B might be better though. The heatsink and fan are great at their job and quiet. The case is a matter of personal preference but it is quality. The PSU is quite possibly the best available and at a decent price. Hard drive is very quick, not too far off Raptor speeds but at a much more reasonable price. The graphics card supports DX10 with excellent DX9 performance, if you have a huge monitor then you might be better off with the 8800GTX. I think that covers most of it.

Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail £164.99
(£193.86) £164.99
(£193.86)
GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GX22GB6400UDC) £114.99
(£135.11) £114.99
(£135.11)
Asus P5N-E SLi nForce 650 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £69.99
(£82.24) £69.99
(£82.24)
NEC AD7170S Serial ATA 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM £18.99
(£22.31) £18.99
(£22.31)
Noctua NH-U12F (Socket LGA775/754/939/940/AM2) Heatsink £30.99
(£36.41) £30.99
(£36.41)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB ST3320620AS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM £51.99
(£61.09) £51.99
(£61.09)
BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC 320MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail £179.99
(£211.49) £179.99
(£211.49)
Lian-Li PC-7 PLUS Aluminium Midi-Tower Case - Black £49.99
(£58.74) £49.99
(£58.74)
Corsair HX 520W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-520HXUK) £59.99
(£70.49) £59.99
(£70.49)
Sub Total : £741.91
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £10.95
Vat : £131.75
Total : £884.61

//edit, ok just noticed the everything bar keyboard and mouse - get a monitor to fit your budget (maybe a good 22") and Vista 64bit would probably be my suggestion.

 

[Cupra]

Something like this may be suitable, you have a good CPU at stock speeds but with a lot of overclocking potential. A motherboard with a lot of features and decent overclocking potential at a reasonable price, if you really want to overclock further then the P5B might be better though. The heatsink and fan are great at their job and quiet. The case is a matter of personal preference but it is quality. The PSU is quite possibly the best available and at a decent price. Hard drive is very quick, not too far off Raptor speeds but at a much more reasonable price. The graphics card supports DX10 with excellent DX9 performance, if you have a huge monitor then you might be better off with the 8800GTX. I think that covers most of it.

Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail £164.99
(£193.86) £164.99
(£193.86)
GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GX22GB6400UDC) £114.99
(£135.11) £114.99
(£135.11)
Asus P5N-E SLi nForce 650 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £69.99
(£82.24) £69.99
(£82.24)
NEC AD7170S Serial ATA 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM £18.99
(£22.31) £18.99
(£22.31)
Noctua NH-U12F (Socket LGA775/754/939/940/AM2) Heatsink £30.99
(£36.41) £30.99
(£36.41)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB ST3320620AS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM £51.99
(£61.09) £51.99
(£61.09)
BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC 320MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail £179.99
(£211.49) £179.99
(£211.49)
Lian-Li PC-7 PLUS Aluminium Midi-Tower Case - Black £49.99
(£58.74) £49.99
(£58.74)
Corsair HX 520W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-520HXUK) £59.99
(£70.49) £59.99
(£70.49)
Sub Total : £741.91
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £10.95
Vat : £131.75
Total : £884.61

//edit, ok just noticed the everything bar keyboard and mouse - get a monitor to fit your budget (maybe a good 22") and Vista 64bit would probably be my suggestion.

brilliant spec i would add a new nb heatsink the standard one is poor so a noctula nc-u6 would be your best option there.

is there anything you will be keeping from your old pc that could cut the price a bit?

 

[Swiftan]

Stuff

Exactly what I was looking for, much appreciated and thanks for your time. I forgot to mention noise levels are a factor in my decision but you seem to have that covered already.

As for keeping anything from my old PC I'll probably sell the lot to take the edge off my new one.

Cheers