spec me please

johnholmes

johnholmes

johnholmes

Associate
Joined
25 Dec 2010
Posts
65
Greetings to all forum members. This is my first post so please be gentle!

Before I start I would like to say this forum is brilliant and by far the best one on the net.

Please can you spec me a am3 build that is mainly going to be used for surfing with lots of tabs opened,video editing/encoding and using a vm. I dont game so no graphics card is needed but I can always add that later on if you think it helps. Ideally I would like to start with 6 gigs of ram and my budget is £520.00 without monitor but i need os. can someone also tell me if all cables to connect to motherboard comes with items.
Thanks in advance. Cheers.

p. s.

not my real name obviously(LOL) Hey it was funny at the time!
 
Your basketProduct Name Qty Price Line Total
GeIL 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz VALUE PLUS Dual Channel (GVP38GB1600C9DC) £91.99
(£76.66) £91.99
(£76.66)
OCZ Vertex 2 "25nm Edition" 50GB 2.5" SATA-II Solid State Hard Drive (OCZSSD2-2VTX50G) £91.91
(£76.59) £91.91
(£76.59)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-00599) £83.99
(£69.99) £83.99
(£69.99)
AMD Athlon II X4 Quad Core 630 2.80GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £76.79
(£63.99) £76.79
(£63.99)
Coolermaster Elite 430 Windowed Case - Black (with 500w Elite Power PSU) £64.33
(£53.61) £64.33
(£53.61)
Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H AMD 880G (Socket AM3) microATX DDR3 Motherboard £60.67
(£50.56) £60.67
(£50.56)
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD105SI) £38.80
(£32.33) £38.80
(£32.33)
LiteOn IHAS124-19 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.28
(£11.90) £14.28
(£11.90)
Sub Total : £435.63
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £10.00
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £89.13
Total : £534.76

Onboard graphics, 8GB of ram, a quad core cpu, and a nice fast SSD with 1TB backup.

all cables come with the motherboard box, psu comes with the case.
 
Last edited:
awsome quick reply stulid. thanks.

Interesting choices you have made. Can i be cheeky and ask you an alternative choice but with a better power supply. I dont mind leaving the ssd and maybe even going to a phenom instead. currently using a acer laptop which is spinning at 4200 rpm so anything is going to feel faster. I will post tomorrow my thoughts and choices. thanks again.
 
Another.

Your basketProduct Name Qty Price Line Total
AMD Phenom II X6 Six Core 1055T 2.80GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £141.98
(£118.32) £141.98
(£118.32)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-00599) £83.99
(£69.99) £83.99
(£69.99)
Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H AMD 880G (Socket AM3) microATX DDR3 Motherboard £60.67
(£50.56) £60.67
(£50.56)
Antec High Current Gamer 520W Power Supply £56.99
(£47.49) £56.99
(£47.49)
Silverstone SST-PS03B Precision Midi Tower Case - Black £40.84
(£34.03) £40.84
(£34.03)
GeIL 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz VALUE PLUS Dual Channel (GVP34GB1600C9DC) £38.99
(£32.49) £77.98
(£64.98)
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD105SI) £38.80
(£32.33) £38.80
(£32.33)
Samsung SH-S223L/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.39
(£11.99) £14.39
(£11.99)
Sub Total : £429.69
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £11.75
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £88.29
Total : £529.73

Hex core cpu, 8GB of ram but using 4 sticks of ram, different case, great psu.
 
Thanks for being quick again stulid.

I am starting to get confused now but i am sure you can sort it out.

I was thinking of going with a phenom quad 3.2 gz and the coolerrmaster rc 600 gladiator case and the the antec power supply. This brings down the price a bit so that i can get a cheap k/b and a wireless card/ usb thingy. Also the geil 2x4 gb ram is not in stock yet so a alternative please.
One other thing im not sure about is how the ram works. If i get 8 gigs on two sticks does that mean my next upgrade will be to 16 gig ram?
The static thing is also scaring me as well.should I get a wriststrap or not? Please let me know what you think and how you go about things. Thanks again
p.s. my budget is now 540
 
johnholmes said:
Thanks for being quick again stulid.

I am starting to get confused now but i am sure you can sort it out.

I was thinking of going with a phenom quad 3.2 gz and the coolerrmaster rc 600 gladiator case and the the antec power supply. This brings down the price a bit so that i can get a cheap k/b and a wireless card/ usb thingy. Also the geil 2x4 gb ram is not in stock yet so a alternative please.
One other thing im not sure about is how the ram works. If i get 8 gigs on two sticks does that mean my next upgrade will be to 16 gig ram?
The static thing is also scaring me as well.should I get a wriststrap or not? Please let me know what you think and how you go about things. Thanks again
p.s. my budget is now 540
Click to expand...


I have never used a wrist strap to build a pc, you can touch a radiator pipe to ground you for free.

After 8Gb the next is ideally 16Gb, but you can also do 12gb (8+4) but its best to use identical size/speed/capacity ram.

The next alternative 8GB ram kit is £18 more - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-290-CS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1517


Your basketProduct Name Qty Price Line Total
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition "125W Edition" 3.20GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £112.79
(£93.99) £112.79
(£93.99)
Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX8GX3M2A1600C9) £107.99
(£89.99) £107.99
(£89.99)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-00599) £83.99
(£69.99) £83.99
(£69.99)
Gigabyte GA-880GMA-UD2H AMD 880G (Socket AM3) DDR3 microATX Motherboard £81.70
(£68.08) £81.70
(£68.08)
OCZ ModXStream Pro 500w Silent SLI Certified Modular Power Supply £53.10
(£44.25) £53.10
(£44.25)
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD105SI) £38.80
(£32.33) £38.80
(£32.33)
Coolermaster Elite 430 Windowed Case - Black £38.80
(£32.33) £38.80
(£32.33)
Sony Optiarc AD-5260S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £12.49
(£10.41) £12.49
(£10.41)
Sub Total : £441.37
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £11.25
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £90.52
Total : £543.14

The motherboard is slightly different, it includes SATA and USB3.0
 
Last edited:
thanks for the suggestions stulid. Yeah this is looking more like it. :)

I hve seen windows 7 ultimate elsewhere for reasonable price. my question is does it bring anything bbesides encryption to the table and is it worth it. Do I need to buy thermal paste? and is there anyother tools i will need for my build.

Finally is there any words of encouragement you could give me as i seem to be frightened of actually placing the order!!

Look forward to your reply and i will let you know tomorrow what i decide. thanks
 
How about another spec?

Your basketProduct Name Qty Price Line Total
AMD Phenom II X6 Six Core 1075T 3.00GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £159.59
(£132.99) £159.59
(£132.99)
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9) £97.99
(£81.66) £97.99
(£81.66)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-00599) £83.99
(£69.99) £83.99
(£69.99)
Coolermaster Elite 430 Windowed Case - Black (with 500w Elite Power PSU) £64.33
(£53.61) £64.33
(£53.61)
Asus M4A78LT-M 760G (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard £49.99
(£41.66) £49.99
(£41.66)
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD103SJ) £40.99
(£34.16) £40.99
(£34.16)
Sony Optiarc AD-5260S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £12.49
(£10.41) £12.49
(£10.41)
Sub Total : £424.48
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £10.00
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £86.90
Total : £521.38
 
johnholmes said:
call it quits on this thread. how do you close threads?

will let you know how I get on
Click to expand...

No, no point to Ultimate.... Home Premium will be more than adequate.

Stulids penultimate spec was looking very good to me.

Also, you can't close threads, you can only let it die :p
 
hey how you doin stulid. I thought you had forgotten about me.
that last spec really looks interesting. Let me think about it.
Are you really sure about that power supply with that case?Heard some funny things on these forums. if you say its good then this might be the spec I go with.
Will keep you posted thanks
 
I probably just went to bed one night and forgot about this thread sorry, that psu will be fine, there is nothing in that spec that needs much power.

But,

Your basketProduct Name Qty Price Line Total
AMD Phenom II X6 Six Core 1055T 2.80GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £144.98
(£120.82) £144.98
(£120.82)
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9) £97.99
(£81.66) £97.99
(£81.66)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-00599) £83.99
(£69.99) £83.99
(£69.99)
Asus M4A78LT-M 760G (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard £49.99
(£41.66) £49.99
(£41.66)
BeQuiet Pure Power L7 530W Power Supply £46.99
(£39.16) £46.99
(£39.16)
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD103SJ) £40.99
(£34.16) £40.99
(£34.16)
Silverstone SST-PS03B Precision Midi Tower Case - Black £40.84
(£34.03) £40.84
(£34.03)
Sony Optiarc AD-5260S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £12.98
(£10.82) £12.98
(£10.82)
Sub Total : £432.30
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £11.25
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £88.71
Total : £532.26

A small sacrifice of cpu speed - http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/147?vs=185

for a bequiet psu.
 
Your basketProduct Name Qty Price Line Total
AMD Phenom II X6 Six Core 1055T 2.80GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £144.98
(£120.82) £144.98
(£120.82)
G.Skill RipJaw 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Dual Channel Kit £89.99
(£74.99) £89.99
(£74.99)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-00599) £83.99
(£69.99) £83.99
(£69.99)
Asus M4A78LT-M 760G (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard £49.99
(£41.66) £49.99
(£41.66)
BeQuiet Pure Power L7 530W Power Supply £46.99
(£39.16) £46.99
(£39.16)
Silverstone SST-PS03B Precision Midi Tower Case - Black £40.84
(£34.03) £40.84
(£34.03)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM 1yr Warranty (ST31000518AS) £36.98
(£30.82) £36.98
(£30.82)
Sony Optiarc AD-5260S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £12.98
(£10.82) £12.98
(£10.82)
Sub Total : £422.29
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £11.25
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £86.71
Total : £520.25

£12 less
 
xbitlabs had a 500gb roundup, the barracuda was better and their favorite.

wonder if the same is true for 1gb models;)

and I think you would need a benchmark program to see any actual difference.
 
stulid said:
xbitlabs had a 500gb roundup, the barracuda was better and their favorite.

wonder if the same is true for 1gb models;)

and I think you would need a benchmark program to see any actual difference.
Click to expand...

I saw that, but still thought that for 1TB the F3 was king.

True about benching though!

Also, you been on the sauce tonight? :p:D
 
No sauce tonight, but I have booked another trip to Amsterdam for March12th, so am flirting between this forum and another forum;)
 
hi guys. sorry ive been away.

You are really spoiling me now. I think the last one REALLY looks good and I will probably go with it and keep the f3. trying to save some money on os on ebay.

Will keep you posted when i order. Thanks again.

forgot to ask. do I need to order thermal paste?
 
Last edited:
johnholmes said:
hi guys. sorry ive been away.

You are really spoiling me now. I think the last one REALLY looks good and I will probably go with it and keep the f3. trying to save some money on os on ebay.

Will keep you posted when i order. Thanks again.

forgot to ask. do I need to order thermal paste?
Click to expand...

Don't -need it- coolers come with it pre-applied.
 
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