Building a new setup

[Smoke]

Right, budget is ?500. No more, less is a bonus.

I want to setup that'll run the latest games, well. And perform memory intensive tasks such as rendering or video editing.

Can anybody reccomend cheap, but decent hardware?

 

[Pesmerga]

$500? Or 500 Euros? Or pounds?

www.newegg.com

 

[Smoke]

500 pounds, I forgot this forum likes to screw with the pound sign. I'm looking for this crap myself, but help from experienced people would be good.

 

[Pesmerga]

How many $$$$ is that. I'm a stupid Ameri****.

 

[Smoke]

500.00 Gbp = 992.290 Usd

 

[Higlac]

I have a good quiet graphics card, very inexpensive and great value. Just don't expect great framerates with max settings. DX10 compatible. It runs EP:1 on my crap computer with max settings at 35-40 fps. Requires at least 400 watts from your power supply though. It does not require a 6 pin power cable though.

review: (don't believe the 5/10, the card costs $90)
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2151670,00.asp

 

[Vigilante]

I built the setup in my sig for about that much. I score 13,000 in 3dmark06 with a little overclocking.

That card is not exactly an extreme gaming card, Higlac. If he's got nearly $1000 to spend much better can be bought.

 

[Higlac]

Well, shit then go buy something good. I just realized that it was 500 pounds not dollars. Well, I got mine for about $50 or so last fall. Great card for that price though.

 

[Smoke]

What do you guys think about this.

Kingston 2GB KIT (2X1GB) DDR2 667MHz/PC2-5300 CL5 Non Ecc 1.8V http://www.ebuyer.com/product/91124/show_product_overview

Hitachi 250GB SATA Hard Drive 7200rpm 8MB Cache - OEM http://www.ebuyer.com/product/124298

Extra Value MA9J 19" Widescreen TFT Monitor MultiMedia 1440x900 500:1 300cd/m2 8ms http://www.ebuyer.com/product/127932/show_product_overview

Inno3D 8800GT 512MB GDDR3 Wind Edition Cooler Dual DVI TV Out PCI-E Graphics Card http://www.ebuyer.com/product/142228

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4600+ Socket AM2 2.4GHz OEM Processor http://www.ebuyer.com/product/135693

EV Shiny Piano Black Mid Tower Case with Colour LCD Display - No PSU http://www.ebuyer.com/product/134828

Extra Value 80mm Internal Case Fan - 3pin http://www.ebuyer.com/product/23880

MSI K9N Neo-F V3 Socket AM2 nForce560 7.1channel audio ATX Motherboard http://www.ebuyer.com/product/131187

Extra Value 120mm Blue LED Fan - 4pin Molex Connection http://www.ebuyer.com/product/65697

Extra Value Black 500W PSU - With 12cm Blue LED Fan 20+4pin 1x SATA 1x PCI-E http://www.ebuyer.com/product/129422

LG GDR-H30NBB 52x16 DVD-Rom Beige - OEM http://www.ebuyer.com/product/131757

Razer Green Diamonback 3G Gaming Mouse - USB http://www.ebuyer.com/product/132989

KeySonic Backlit USB Black Keyboard - With Integrated 2 port USB2.0 Hub http://www.ebuyer.com/product/104611

Black Fabric Mouse Mat http://www.ebuyer.com/product/43972

 

[Druckles]

That's surprisingly similar to the build I got in July/August.

But I didn't buy any peripherals. And I didn't have to pay VAT. Including VAT it would have come out as ₤539.41, although I think prices dropped by a couple of pounds since that figure. ₤459.07 is the price I have down here not including VAT. My monitor was about ₤500 which I bought in January. I also got a X1950Pro back then. But that's about what your 8800GT is equivalent to now. Price-wise.

I can't see much wrong with it. But then I'd have to research each individual part specifically. Oh, and I bought two 250GB rather than your one. Can you not use whatever current peripherals you have at the moment, spend a little more on the inside and then purchase some new peripherals later? For example the monitor doesn't look too impressive...

 

[Smoke]

I get what you're saying about the secondary parts, but what's wrong with the monitor? I WAS going to get a 22" widescreen but the price was just too much for my budget.

 

[baron insig]

Go for core 2 duo not amd. perferormance to pound ratio its way way way better.

check out scan.co.uk and overclockers.co.uk
That PSU = your computer no work

a 500W value psu powering a 8800 ? no chance go for a branded PSU or u will have no end of trouble

ill see what i can knock out of ebuyer

 

[Druckles]

I get what you're saying about the secondary parts, but what's wrong with the monitor? I WAS going to get a 22" widescreen but the price was just too much for my budget.

If you have a monitor already, I'd do what I suggested with the other peripherals and stick it out until you get some extra cash. It will be totally worth it. It's what I did, anyway, and neither my 24" or myself are complaining.

Go for core 2 duo not amd. perferormance to pound ratio its way way way better.

No.

check out scan.co.uk and overclockers.co.uk

Yeah, Scan is a particularly good site if you haven't already looked around on it.

That PSU = your computer no work

a 500W value psu powering a 8800 ? no chance go for a branded PSU or u will have no end of trouble

The fact it's 500W is not a problem. I'm running my set up on a 520W with plenty of room to spare. You only want to worry about things if you have a dual graphics card setup, a quad core or a 7.1 surround sound system.

But don't go with a cheap power supply, whatever you do.

 

[baron insig]

look intel have the crown right now.

A 500W value PSU will not output 500W at any stretch of the imagination.

The rails will run dodgy ass voltages which wont stay where they shud be. And u will get random restarts and bsods. I love how you say a 7.1 surround sound system will want more power. that draws power from the mains not ur pc mate.
a quad core running at full capacity hits 100W of power consumption. a dual hits 60. Thats a tiny difference.
If ur running two cards yes you would worry.

With a cheap PSU where is his headroom for adding another hdd, or if he sticks with what he has a dvd'rw.

I know you said no more than 500,
but for an entire pc, ie no spare case, keybaord mouse fans cd drive and hdd AND a monitor its quite tight to get something that does what u ask And have something that will actually work.



get 57 more quids together and buy that.

Seagate HDD as they have a 5 year warranty are quieter and better.

a dvd RW cos mate a dvd rom! was only 4 quid less

case has gert fan at front, got u 2 80 mm on the back and it come swith an 80 on the side preinstalled.

That Pc shud last you a wee while.

Never ever cheap out on PSU! ever!

I agree on the monitor.
i have a 24" dell beast and it rocks. if ur gaming a decent monitor is a must. u spend all that on a gfx card. and then get motion blurs and poor colour reproduction

you dont have to listen to me, gd luck building ur pc

 

[Eejit]

Lambda-tek also have good prices for a lot of items, I found them cheaper than ebuyer for most of the items I was looking at when I bought parts in January.
Scan has great prices for gpus but some other parts aren't as good value, OC prices are pretty high for most things, RAM and fan prices aren't as bad.

I found a couple of parts for good prices at this site, they used to have the cheapest 8400 cpus but jacked up the price since Jan.

 

[Druckles]

You have two cases there...

And I'd suggest the monitor that Smoke suggested over that one, actually. And possibly the mouse as well. But a DVD+RW is a must. I'd agree with everything else except maybe the mouse and the CPU.

You can check the Graphics Card thread for any thoughts on the graphics card.

Once you've made up your mind, ensure that the parts fit

 

[baron insig]

ahh yeah, go for the widescreen smoke,

two cases?

mouse wise, i have a wired kb and a wireless mouse. Logitech mx revolution is a Very great mouse.

And the microsoft 3000 keyboard thats a gul wing shape. perfect ofr typing on and it is comfy

lol that post wasnt much help

but its expensive, ur running a budget.

 

[Eejit]

An Acer 19" widescreen for 101gbp here. 2 quid more for 5ms instead of 8ms, better contrast and a brand known to be reliable.

 

[baron insig]

thats a great price!

 

[Smoke]

How about this?

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/139865

 

[DEATHMASTER]

perhaps one of these?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...E&N=2010320058+50001516+1131414178&name=Antec
Just saying cause its the same brand I have, reliable.

 

[Eejit]

How about this?

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/139865

I think most people tend to be quite wary of PSUs which are so much cheaper than the average price.