Sorry but could you please spec me a pc?

Ross1234 · 16 Dec 2008 at 23:27

My budget is £500 maybe plus a bit

I have:

hard disks
monitor 1280x1024
ddr2 ram (2GB)
dvd drive
PSU (600W)
dome crappy parts I shall not mention.

need:

case - antec 300?
mobo
cpu
graphics - ati 4850?
maybe ddr3 ram
memory card reader

its for gaming and reasonably futureproof

thanks, Ross

hows this?

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 LGA775 'Wolfdale' 3.16GHz (1333FSB) - (£155.24)
Asus ATI Radeon HD 4850 1024MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) (£149.49)
Asus P5Q-E Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £104.99
Antec 300 Three Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case - Black (No PSU)
(£45.99)

Total : £471.45 - 9.99 shipping = 461.96

can you do better?

Ross1234 · 17 Dec 2008 at 01:06

Also I have never built a pc before will I be OK?

ticklemebougy · 17 Dec 2008 at 11:23

you should be fine, most things can only fit one way so dont force it. take your time and make sure to ground yourself before touching components.

Meerkat · 17 Dec 2008 at 11:39

Building a PC is very daunting at first, but afterwards it all seems so very easy.
Most things only fit oneway and use sites/videos to get an idea of what your doing.

A ATi-Radeon 4850 512mb will do for your res, are you going to use Windows Vista 64? If so add another 2GB of the same brand RAM that you have.

The Processer and Motherboard are really good.
Also, buy an extra 120mm fan for the front of the Antec 300, as it should improve airflow.

ro55o · 17 Dec 2008 at 11:49

At your resolution, the 512mb 4850 will be more than enough, I've got one running at 1680*1050 and plays anything I throw at it.

4gb of ram is a must these days for gaming, especially if you want it a bit more future proof. It works better with vista 64bit, as it can use all of it, but even if you only have xp, still go for it, especially with the prices of the kits.

I've added a CPU cooler, get a nice easy overclock on the E8500 (It's not difficult, plus you can ask on here for any help). The above should provide a pretty decent gaming computer.

Like above, building your own PC is daunting at first, but if you take your time, make sure you ground yourself before touching the components, then it should be pretty easy and very rewarding. Always a great feeling when you complete your first build.

Ross1234 · 17 Dec 2008 at 12:11

That rig looks really good thanks. I need to buy vista 64, I presume I can buy the OEM?
Also is the aftermarket cooler neccesary? I will buy an extra fan for the case thanks.

Kennysevenfold · 17 Dec 2008 at 13:00

How about.?

roduct Name Qty Price Line Total
HIS ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB GDDR5 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail HIS ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB GDDR5 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail £159.99
(£183.99)

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 LGA775 'Wolfdale' 3.00GHz (1333FSB) - Retail Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 LGA775 'Wolfdale' 3.00GHz (1333FSB) - Retail £129.99
(£149.49)

Asus P5Q Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard Asus P5Q Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £84.99
(£97.74)

Antec 300 Three Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case - Black (No PSU) Antec 300 Three Hundren
(£50.59)

Scythe Card Reader & Floppy Drive - Black Scythe Card Reader & Floppy Drive - Black £19.99
(£22.99)

Sub Total : £438.95
Shipping : £9.99
VAT : £65.84

Total : £504.79

The Halk · 17 Dec 2008 at 13:08

The aftermarket cooler isn't necessary. You can buy an OEM operating system if you're buying hardware at the same time.

Also Ross. Shipping is free.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/sh...&posted=1&utm_source=forums&utm_medium=banner

Ross1234 · 17 Dec 2008 at 13:15

Hmm that AMD price is nice. Is it any good compared to the intel though?
I think I will go with the ATI card though.

The Halk · 17 Dec 2008 at 13:17

Yeah, it's fine. It's significantly slower core for core than the Intel, but it's got three cores rather than two. No games should stress it now, and in the future it'll be a little bit better. There should be a fair bit of room for overclocking it too.

If there was more money available I'd have gone for AMD Phenom X4 Quad Core 9850 2.50GHz Black Edition (Socket AM2) - Retail instead. Which is an extra 40 quid very well spent. I just wanted to hit the budget you had.

Ross1234 · 17 Dec 2008 at 13:22

Im tempted just to go with the intel but it does break the budget. Im not rich

Will the motherboard come with all the cables I need?

The Halk · 17 Dec 2008 at 13:32

Yes, it will.

Kennysevenfold · 17 Dec 2008 at 20:37

yeah, you shouldnt have to buy any other cable at all, all the required cables will come with either the motherboard and graphics card.

Ross1234 · 18 Dec 2008 at 12:04

What do I need to put some USB ports on the front of the PC?

ro55o · 18 Dec 2008 at 12:07

Ross1234 said:
What do I need to put some USB ports on the front of the PC?

There are already 2 USB ports on the front of the 300. The connection is inside the case, and just fits into the motherboard.

Ross1234 · 18 Dec 2008 at 12:10

ro55o said:
There are already 2 USB ports on the front of the 300. The connection is inside the case, and just fits into the motherboard.

Ah thanks.

neon.uk · 18 Dec 2008 at 12:17

ro55o's spec looks bang on the money if you ask me.

Ross1234 · 18 Dec 2008 at 12:21

neon.uk said:
ro55o's spec looks bang on the money if you ask me.

Yeah his is basically what im going for. Im just not sure about the aftermarket cpu cooler.

Ross1234 · 18 Dec 2008 at 22:33

Is there a difference if i use my cuurent ram and add 2 more gigs so I have 4 or if i buy a whole new 2x2gb?

Or in otherwords is 2x2 better then 4x1?

Swi1ch · 19 Dec 2008 at 02:57

Ross1234 said:
Is there a difference if i use my cuurent ram and add 2 more gigs so I have 4 or if i buy a whole new 2x2gb?

Or in otherwords is 2x2 better then 4x1?

2x2 is better than 4x1 I think. I couldn't tell you why but I think it's to do with latency's and stuff. Plus generally you want matched ram so unless you could get some ram that's exactly the same as what you have you're better off getting new and tbh for £40 for 4gb it's not breaking the bank.

And even if you don't plan to overclock your CPU even a cheap HSF like the Pro 7 will keep your CPU significantly cooler and thus increase it's performance/lifespan.

Edit. Oh! I dunno how old your current build is so i'll ask anyway; Are your Hard Drives IDE or SATA? Because afaik most current mobos don't come with IDE support for Hard Drives. If you dunno how to tell whether it's IDE or not (I assume you might not because it's your first build) check the cable attaching your current HDD to MB; if it's a big ribbon cable (like 2 inches wide), it's IDE.