Suggest Alternatives / Improvements (Quad-core spec)

Dace · 24 Mar 2008 at 20:36

Evening all. I'm planning a new build based on a overclocked Q6600 and I'm wondering if there is any way to decrease the cost a little.

I'm sort of sold on Vista Home Premium 64-Bit, the 22" screen and the Q6600. The other parts I'm willing to consider alternatives based on price/performance.

Ignore hard drives/case/psu/kb and mouse etc. I'll be pulling these from my current rig.

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit Edition DVD 59.99
OcUK Value IP35 Pro Intel P35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard 59.99
OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-6400C5 Dual Channel Vista Gold Series DDR2 46.99
Leadtek GeForce 8800 GT ZL OC 512MB 119.99
Sony NEC Optiarc AD-7191S 20x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer Lightscribe ReWriter 16.99
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail 126.99
Belinea 2225S1W 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor 124.99

So there we go, any suggestions on how to drop these costs down? Any worthwhile improvements that could be made without breaking the bank?

All contributions welcomed. Cheers chaps.

crazyDAJT · 24 Mar 2008 at 20:53

I don't know about the Value IP35

remember you copy of vista is locked to your motherboard. so you want it to be sticking around for the longest time possible. i would go Abit, Asus or gigabyte P35

Dace · 25 Mar 2008 at 14:36

crazyDAJT said:
I don't know about the Value IP35

remember you copy of vista is locked to your motherboard. so you want it to be sticking around for the longest time possible. i would go Abit, Asus or gigabyte P35

Can't you do the usual "my motherboard blew up and I had to get a new one" excuse that worked with XP?

Fire Wizard · 25 Mar 2008 at 14:49

Dace said:
Can't you do the usual "my motherboard blew up and I had to get a new one" excuse that worked with XP?

Hello Dace, if you do the above, you will certainly no longer be licensed to use that copy of Windows.

Why purchase a specific license if in the future, you're going to invalid it?

Old Wino · 25 Mar 2008 at 14:58

Fire Wizard · 25 Mar 2008 at 15:00

Hello Old Wino, what you can physically do and what you can do legally are not the same.

The licensing terms of an OEM license are as follows; You can change any system component in your system as many times as you wish apart from the motherboard and you will still be licensed. Now you may have to re-activate Windows after a hardware and/or configuration change either by the online process or if it fails for various reasons, you will have to ring them up. If you do have to ring them up and speak with a Microsoft Agent, just tell them the truth, what exactly has happened and they will happily re-activate your copy of Windows for you. You will not be violating the EULA and you are still within your rights to use Windows.

If you change your motherboard for a performance upgrade (We are not talking about replacing your motherboard under warranty), then I am afraid you will have to purchase a new copy of Windows (License). If you wish to use the same copy of Windows with your brand new motherboard, the only way you are going to get Windows re-activated is if you ring up and lie to Microsoft. You may now have an activated copy of Windows but you are certainly no longer licensed.

As you can see, you may be able to physically do something but that doesn't necessary make it legal.

Sorry if I wasn't very clear in the first place.

Old Wino · 25 Mar 2008 at 16:29

crazyDAJT · 25 Mar 2008 at 17:03

Old Wino said:
If we must have this cruddy licensing system then why not have a limit to the number of motherboards the O/S can be 'related to' during it's lifetime, I dunno say 6, as the next Microshaft O/S should be out by then anyway. An O/S that you 'throw away' with each motherboard should only cost a tenner at most.

rant over

there is a limit, its 1...

this is why retail copy's are so much more expensive. you can install them on as many PC (one at a time). you are normally offered cheep upgrades to new OS's 2.

i built me PC to last me about 3 years. so £70 each 3 years makes much more sense that £300

Dace · 25 Mar 2008 at 17:54

Old Wino said:
You could get the Asus P5KC which is DDR2 + DDR3 and runs up to 1333 so this would not need upgrading so quickly.

Lovely suggestion on the mainboard. I found a review online which stated that the P5KC is "the second of the Intel P35 combo boards this month, which is compatible with both DDR2 and DDR3".

Does anyone know who makes the second of these boards?

Cheers chaps.