Spec me mobo/cpu/memory combo please

unclelonghair · 12 Jun 2007 at 21:09

As my PC has just died completely I've decided that trying to pinpoint which component has gone could get messy, so am going to replace the lot.

For £250-300 I need a mobo/cpu/memory combo to replace my current set up of AMD X2 4200, Abit AN8 Fatality, 2Gb RAM

Not bothered if it's AMD AM2 or Intel.

Will be used for online gaming, Video encoding, general surfing.

I've posted this in the mobo section as that would seem to be the critical component.

Thanks in advance.

TheSwede · 12 Jun 2007 at 22:54

I am sure some of the more seasoned users here will be able to suggest a better spec, since I am fairly new on this but I thought I would help out as much as I can.

Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 "LGA775 Conroe" 1.86GHz (1066FSB) - Retail £94.99 (£111.61)
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-5300C3 667MHz Dual Channel Kit (BL2KIT12864AA663) £67.99 (£79.89)
Gigabyte GA_P35C_DS3R (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 & DDR3 Motherboard £81.99 (£96.34)

Sub Total : £244.97
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £8.25
VAT is being charged at 17.5% VAT : £44.31

Total : £297.53

I picked the Gigabyte mobo since its is a bit future proof [as much as it can be when things changes so fast], with it's ability to support DDR3 on a later date and will support the upcoming 45nm processors.. Don't overclock myself [and not sure if you do either], but if you do I have seen that many users recommend the Ballistix's so included them, a 2GB bundle so you will get the same amount of RAM as you had.. the CPU I realize is only a 1.86GHz [if I am not mistaken the AMD X2 4200 is 2.20GHz?] but as mentioned, since the mobo will support the upcoming 42nm processors it do gives you more potential to upgrade the CPU later on when finance allows, without having to buy a new mobo. [If you can go above £300 and want a faster CPU at stock, the E6600 2.40GHz would make the total £336.31]

Please feel free to wait until others have given their opinions!

Cheers
Tom

BUFF · 12 Jun 2007 at 23:04

No firewire on the DS3R if you need it though.

unclelonghair · 12 Jun 2007 at 23:11

Thanks for that - it's the sort of direction I was heading in. Any reason you went for the Gigabyte over the Asus P5K, as that looks interesting, and is a similar price?

Budget is probably going to end up closer to £400 now, as I will have to replace optical drives and/or HDD's due to lack of IDE on the latest boards (I will need at least one new SATA HDD to do a fresh install so I can try and recover what's on current drive).

Not really got into overclocking, so was thinking 6600 and the Geil Value RAM at £55 - not sure which would be the best option - slower processor, better RAM, or faster processor, poorer RAM.

TheSwede · 12 Jun 2007 at 23:41

unclelonghair said:
Thanks for that - it's the sort of direction I was heading in. Any reason you went for the Gigabyte over the Asus P5K, as that looks interesting, and is a similar price?

No problem, I mainly picked the Gigabyte board since its been recommended for me and I read up on it and I liked what I found out.. don't know anything about the Asus P5K I'm afraid, but after doing a quick search and I can see that it also support the 42nm processors, plus you have 2 PCI-E 16 slots for CrossFire if needed.. [which you probably already know!] what little I read seems ok to me.. was thinking of having a SLi/CrossFire rig myself, but after consulting this forum realized it would be a waste of money for me, which is another reason I like the Gigabyte.. it will support the DDR3 RAM later on when they are in a affordable price class and the 42nm processor... Hopefully meaning my next upgrade wont have to be a complete one, since I should be able to use still use the mobo and just upgrade the RAM and the CPU.. then again, I am no expert!

unclelonghair said:
Not really got into overclocking, so was thinking 6600 and the Geil Value RAM at £55 - not sure which would be the best option - slower processor, better RAM, or faster processor, poorer RAM.

As mentioned, I have not done any overclocking myself either so that was just a suggestion.. can't see anything wrong with the E6600 and the Geil RAM.. would put the total just above £300 and give you a bit more to spend on the optical drive and HDD.

Cheers
Tom