New rig time (£500-£800)

joshlane

joshlane

joshlane

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Joined
15 Feb 2007
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157
Location
Lincoln
hi guys,

been out the loop for far too long now and my AMD64:3500+, 1gig, 6800gs rig is getting a tad old.

it still runs and is fine for a bit of office work but really needs updating.

so requirements:

budget: 500-800
use: gaming, photo editing, office work
OS: vista (required)

i currently run dual monitors (19") but would like a 24" or something to go with the new rig.

i will need the whole shbang, so this is a spec you can really get your teeth into! i wouldn't mind a spec at the low end and at the top end.

stuff has moved on so much in the last 2 years and my head has been burried in my job that i have lost it with what to go for.

thanks in advance and i look forward to reviewing your specs!
 
Is there anything in your current rig you will be using? (case, dvdrw?)
Do you plan on overclocking?

First attempt at the top end with a 24" included (i'm slightly over but depending on the above questions i may be able to lower it) :)

 
the only things i will salvage is a a 500gb WD HDD and my soundgraph iMON wireless remote card.

the current computer will still be used in an office and this will go into the bedroom hence the big screen for watching DVD's etc.

will also want surround sound and wireless keyboard/ mouse

that looks good though so far - i can't believe the spec compared to what i am currently working on.

i have overlclocked in the past - this however will not be for awhile with this rig as the GF wants it to be low noise - may have to consider some silent cooling somewhere to.

looks as though i will have to raise the budget.

thanks for the spec so far!
 
looking a little closer a 22" will suffice

do i require the pro mobo as iwill not be using crossfire unless its a certainity for the future.

in terms of monitors that is different about about the analogue/ digital input

i take it that is DVI and VGA - what is the difference if any?

thanks
 
tatts said:
Is there anything in your current rig you will be using? (case, dvdrw?)
Do you plan on overclocking?

First attempt at the top end with a 24" included (i'm slightly over but depending on the above questions i may be able to lower it) :)

Click to expand...

Bringing down the power supply to a weaker yet still sufficient VX450 will take the budget back down. With this build that tatts has done, I had a sense of deja vu. Pretty much the exact parts I would have chosen. I would just change the hard drive to a WD6400AAKS, or 750GB Spinpoint F1 personally.
 
Creative Inspire 7.1 T7900 Speakers (51MF7020AA001) (£78.71)
GeIL 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-6400C5 800MHz Black Dragon DDR2 (GB24GB6400C5DC)(£55.21)
Antec Three Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case (£35.24)
Intel Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB)-Retail (£117.49)
Pioneer DVR-215DBK 20x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM(£17.61)
Gainward ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-E)- (£111.61)
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic SP1 32-Bit - OEM (66G-02082)(£56.39)
Logitech Cordless Desktop LX710 Laser (967670-1120) (£39.94)
Asus VW222S 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black (£169.19)
Asus P5Q Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (£76.36)
Arctic Cooling MX-2 Thermal Compound (£4.69)
Zalman ZM-MFC1 Plus Black Multi Fan Controller (£25.84)
Samsung SpinPoint F1 750GB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD753LJ) (£64.61)
Corsair VX 450W ATX PSU (CMPSU-450VXUK) (£46.99)

£929.83 inc. VAT and P&P

hmm slightly over budget....
may have to ditch the monitor for now = 756.13 inc. VAT and P&P

what do you think to the revisions
 
joshlane said:
Creative Inspire 7.1 T7900 Speakers (51MF7020AA001) (£78.71)
GeIL 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-6400C5 800MHz Black Dragon DDR2 (GB24GB6400C5DC)(£55.21)
Antec Three Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case (£35.24)
Intel Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB)-Retail (£117.49)
Pioneer DVR-215DBK 20x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM(£17.61)
Gainward ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-E)- (£111.61)
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic SP1 32-Bit - OEM (66G-02082)(£56.39)
Logitech Cordless Desktop LX710 Laser (967670-1120) (£39.94)
Asus VW222S 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black (£169.19)
Asus P5Q Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (£76.36)
Arctic Cooling MX-2 Thermal Compound (£4.69)
Zalman ZM-MFC1 Plus Black Multi Fan Controller (£25.84)
Samsung SpinPoint F1 750GB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD753LJ) (£64.61)
Corsair VX 450W ATX PSU (CMPSU-450VXUK) (£46.99)

£929.83 inc. VAT and P&P

hmm slightly over budget....
may have to ditch the monitor for now = 756.13 inc. VAT and P&P

what do you think to the revisions
Click to expand...
Looks fine to me. As for lowering budget if you already have a 500GB HDD, delete the 750GB from your order (you can always buy an extra HDD later) & also remove the Creative Inspire Speakers (use current speakers or headphones untill you can get these). That means you buy all the meaty parts now and then get speakers and HDD later on when you get some more spending money.
 
yeah good point, i currently have the creative 6.1's i could transfer over from the office and the 500gb WD drive was bought but has never really been needed.

removing the speakers, HDD and monitor = £602.59 inc. VAT and P&P

another thing to consider is cooling for the quad core, is the scythe ninja's still the best fo the job?

i can't believe that i've missed it is a ATI card!! have been nvidia all my life too!

i've also a copy of XP at home - could use that instead of the vista bringing the total down to £546.20
 
I would personally stick with the corsair HX520. if you're going for the asus p5q then the pro is definately worth the extra £8 for better cooling & crossfire support.

If you're not planning on overclocking much then you could always go for a cheaper motherboard (i just chose the P45 for good clocking/features & possible crossfire in the future).

Best cooler has to be the tuniq tower - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...CPU Cooler (Socket 478/754/939/940/AM2/LGA775)

You could use your current 500GB as back up & only buy a 160GB or 250GB for windows :)
 
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