Spec check (£350)

65simonl · 22 May 2008 at 21:32

Hi all,

With my old pc pretty much dead i think it's about time for a new spec. I don't need anything spectacular... just good enough for general work, general t'internet browsing and an occasional bit of gaming (COD and Pro Evo).

I'm aiming for around the £350 mark but it'd be great if i could manage it for £300. This is what i've currently got in mind...

Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 & DDR3 Motherboard
£78.71

Intel Core 2 Duo E2180 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.00GHz (800FSB) - Retail
£45.81

Corsair 2GB DDR2 XMS2 DHX PC2-6400C5DHX TwinX (2x1GB)
£35.24

Corsair HX 520W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-520HXUK)
£70.49

XFX 8600GT 256MB DDR3 540MHz Core Clock Dual DVI HDTV Out PCI-E Graphics Card
£42.99

Maxtor Diamondmax 21 250GB SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (STM3250310AS)
£30.54

Samsung SH-S203D/BEBN 20x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM
£16.44

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775)
£17.61

Gigabyte GZ-M1 Black Micro-ATX Case No PSU
£27.01

Total = £348.40

I've already got a decent monitor, and mouse, keyboard etc.

Any advise regarding compatibility / performance would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Ben M · 22 May 2008 at 21:46

looks good.

how big is your monitor?

i'd probably swap the 2180 for the 2200, it's not much more expensive but it is better.

you can get a 512mb version of that card here:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...GT 512MB DDR2 HDTV/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail
for not much more than the 256mb version

oh and change the maxtor HDD for another brand, maxtors have a reputation for failing.

Happy · 22 May 2008 at 21:48

Looks fine, however I would go with the OCZ over that Corsair ram, but that's my preference.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...num Revision 2 XTC Series DDR2 (OCZ2P800R22GK)

For gaming I would try to extend you budget to include a better GPU:- Ideally

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...3 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail

or

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...3 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail

To above, Maxtors have been improving.

-Exodus- · 22 May 2008 at 21:58

what about some crucial ballistix for a fiver cheaper:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-088-CR

Frame352 · 22 May 2008 at 21:59

ATX mobo in a mATX case?

65simonl · 22 May 2008 at 22:19

Oops. Well noticed on the case. Schoolboy error.

I've got a 19" monitor.

Is the 8600GT GPU not sufficient for decent gaming?

Is the crucial ballistix ram better even though its only 667mhz, not 800mhz?

mp260767 · 23 May 2008 at 12:24

PowerColor ATI Radeon HD 3850 Pro 256MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail £64.99 (£76.36)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (ST3250410AS) £31.99 (£37.59)

Asus P5K Intel P35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £59.99
(£70.49)

Samsung SH-S203D/BEBN 20x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99 (£16.44)

GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-6400C5 800MHz Value DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GX22GB6400DC) £25.99 (£30.54)

Antec NSK 4480B Mini Tower Case (Black) - 380W Earth Watts PSU £45.99
(£54.04)

Intel Core 2 Duo E2180 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.00GHz (800FSB) - Retail £38.99 (£45.81)

Sub Total : £281.93
Shipping : £10.95
VAT : £51.25
Total : £344.13

bennyboy2606 · 23 May 2008 at 12:28

£50 over your budget but its good and has overclocking ability...

lunarwolf · 23 May 2008 at 22:28

bennyboy2606 said:
£50 over your budget but its good and has overclocking ability...

1. Micro Atx board - why?

2. The board is AMD only so incompatible with your Intel CPU recommendation

3. 9600GT? get a 8800GT for an extra £5

Ben M · 23 May 2008 at 22:29

bennyboy2606 said:
£50 over your budget but its good and has overclocking ability...

Don't spec people stuff if you have no clue what you're on about.