Spec help please!

ublebub · 17 Jun 2007 at 23:26

Hi guy, i've finally convinced myself to buy a new pc but i can't really justify more than about £500. I'm not a serious gamer since my current £250 dell doesn't allow it

but i could see myself getting into it. having read through a few threads i've come up with the following:

CPU e6320
MOBO Gigabyte 965P-DS3
RAM Crucial Ballistix 2Gb PC2-6400C4 800MHz
GPU Innovision 8800GTS
CASE Antec Sonata III
HDD WD Caviar 160Gb

I reckon this comes to just over £500

I already have a belinea 22" monitor- I know that 1680x1050 is probably quite large for this gfx card but i already feel ill at the thought of spending £180 on it and was considering the x1950xt for £110 to save some cash.

Does this spec look ok or could some things be changed to make it cheaper/better

I also wanted to know:

Is the case and psu (earthwatts 500w) ok for the 8800?
Is the motherboard the right one (not sure about the difference between this and the other ds3 models)

Any help would be much appreciated!

ublebub · 17 Jun 2007 at 23:51

Really? I kinda thought that to run upcoming games (crysis does look pretty good) at a large res would need at least the gts. Also it's though lack of funds rather than lack of want that i havn't been into games. If there's not going to be a noticable improvement from the 8800 over the x1950 then i'll go for the cheaper one- you're the expert

ublebub · 18 Jun 2007 at 00:33

Thanks for the help

i've heard good things about that psu but with a £500 budget it seems to compromise somewhat on getting a better cpu- is there something particularly bad about the one supplied by antec?

Also what is the difference between that motherboard and the ds3 for ~£60? btw i'm hoping to try overclocking - is the arctic cooling fan a good choice?

Cheers

ublebub · 18 Jun 2007 at 10:46

Having had a look i think that motherboard may be more than i need- i doubt i will be upgrading for quite a while so don't think theres not a lot of point going for p35 chipset.

I'm still not sure about case/psu. The antec sonata seems good value since it comes with a psu. Will the 8800 fit in the case ok?

Please let me know what you think- i'm really trying to get the best bang for buck that i can!

ublebub · 18 Jun 2007 at 12:38

I agree- the spec looks awesome but more than i can really afford. I was really hoping that someone could justify the reasons for the changes particularly the motherboard and psu. I agree that paying the extra £30 for the extra cache on the processor is probably not worth it.

Thanks for all the advice anyway

ublebub · 18 Jun 2007 at 15:44

I'd rather get at least the e4xxx series cpu and am happy with the ballistix at this price. I'm going to ask again why i need to get a £100 motherboard that supports p35 when i have no intention to upgrade to penryn. I've found the ds3 for £60 and from what i've heard it clocks well.

Also, why spend over £100 on psu/case when the antec sonata III is £75 and looks nicer? is there an issue with the 8800 and this case/psu?

I'm really grateful for all the help but please could someone tell me why i should get something rather than just telling to buy it on faith?

Thanks in advance