Request for "Recommended Builds" sticky

[FutileBreadMachine]

Hi all

I was wondering why there is no recommended builds sticky here on the OCUK forums? People are constantly posting new threads requesting advice on builds. Perhaps someone with the knowledge/time can keep a post updated with the latest recommendations for low/medium/high-end builds? Something like £500/£1000/£1500 brackets. See here for an example: http://forums.firingsquad.com/firingsquad/board/message?board.id=hardware&thread.id=114188

I could potentially do it myself, but I know there are a lot of people on here with more knowledge of what hardware gives the best bang for your buck. And surely not everyone can be as lazy as me

 

[BillytheImpaler]

The trouble with that is that every build is different for two reasons.

1. Pretty much every user has different needs. One might need a rig for gaming and gaming alone with no overclocking. Another might want to overclock. Another might want a parallel 3D rendering rig. Another might want a low priced rig for nothing but office work. Since every case is different it would be difficult to have a one-size-fits-all solution in any given price bracket.
2. Furthermore, the prices, technology, and availability change every day. You'd have to update the recommendations with great frequency to stay on top of the market.

 

[melbourne720]

I did something along those lines for the Graphics Forum. It was okay for a while, but it gets out of date very quickly (except the AGP, as not much new stuff came out).

Billy is right, it gets old really quickly.

 

[FutileBreadMachine]

Fair enough, but I don't think things change that fast. I've seen the same Gigabyte GA-P35 MB and the Q6600 recommended for ages all over forums. The biggest new thing has been the new Wolfdale dual cores. Even then, the same Gigabyte/Abit/Asus motherboards that have been around for months support them, so no big change there. And DDR2 is still going to be the standard RAM used for months to come. Graphics wise, we all know things are pretty slow at the mo.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

The biggest thing to consider is price. Yes, the Q6600 has been most desirable for a long time, but because of changing prices, the best RAM for a given spec changes on a nearly daily basis. It might be OCZ PC2-6400 today but tomorrow it could be Geil PC2-6400. Sometimes the Tuniq tower is the best cooler for a spec, but other times, as prices change, the Thermalright Ultra or the Scythe Ninja might be a better choice.