Buying a new computer

[DaveP2]

Hi
Muckshifter and some of you guys helped me with a build for a computer which i bought about 2 1/2 years ago.
It was along the lines of this

MIDI ATX (400W) Case
ASUS A8N-E
Athlon 64 939 3500+ CPU
1024Mb DDR400
200Gb 7200 8Mb HDD
3.5" Floppy Drive
PCI-Ex 6600 Graphics card
int. 6ch Snd, 10/100, usb 2.0
16x +/- D.L. DVD Writer
56K Modem
Wireless Mouse & Keyboard version

I got it from 3bsystems.co.uk and i guess i'll buy from them again.
I don't need mouse keyboard or 56k modem this time.

I use a computer very heavily as i use it for work and i'm on the internet most of the time,previous computers i've ended up having issues with a noisey fan and the latest computer i get a fan speed low or not working warning everytime i switch my computer on(i think it runs at just a low speed now)
I sent an email to 3bsystems and said
"I use my computer for long hours pretty much everyday on the internet.I don't really play games on it."

they said,look at this with maybe upgrading the psu to 550w(add £10) & the cpu fan to low noise version (add £19) and do i need a new os with the system.Here is the system they said take a look at

http://madoka.3bsystems.co.uk/productdetail.php?stockcode=SK-01933&catref=0

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 s775 B/U 12Mth RTB Wty

MIDI ATX (400W) Case,
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 s775 8Mb CPU,
Asrock 4CORE1333-GLAN M/board,
1 x 2GB DDR2 667 Ram,
320Gb SATA2 7200 HDD,
32 in 1 Card Reader,
512Mb DDR2 Geforce 8500GT PCI-X,
int. 6 Ch. Snd, USB2.0, 10/100,
20X +/- DVD Re-Writer & DL,
FULL BUILT & TESTED,was £369
*Colour of case may vary.*
price
£ 335.00 (£ 285.11)

I remember you guys saying back then amd athlon was the way to go not intel,what do you guys think and could i get a better one built for my needs?

 

[Waynos_Face]

Looks pretty good for the price, the motherboard isn't a great one and the graphics card is a bit lame, but overall decent enough for the price.

If you got one from them before then at least you know they are reliable.

The 6600GT you have at the moment is probably as good as the 8500GT.

 

[DaveP2]

Is that computer they mentioned better than the one i have now? I'm not great with computers but i always prefer to get them built rather than have one that is already done,with the right advice i think they are always the better option.

 

[Waynos_Face]

Yeah the Intel Q6600 Quad core is just about the best processor at the moment.

Its alot better, it would be so much faster, but some of the parts used are gonna be cheap.

You think you could have a go at building your own???

Am just looking now and for the money you are gonna spend you will get a slightly better spec but all are the best brand products.

But again if you haven't had a problem with the last PC then no reason not to trust the build.

 

[Waynos_Face]

I got this from aria.co.uk

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz 95W G0 Stepping (Retail 775) £ 98.75
XFX GeForce 8600GTS 256MB PCI-E Retail £ 34.95
MSI P6NGM-L Nvidia MCP73U/PV/V Socket 775 Motherboard £ 27.68
Corsair 2GB PC2-6400 XMS2 (2x1GB) £ 25.95
LiteOn LH-20A1L-14C 20x DVDRW LightScribe SATA Retail Kit £ 14.99
320GB Seagate Barracuda SATA2 16MB £ 31.75
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 PRO £ 11.95
Xilence 480W Gaming PSU £ 24.25
Antec Three Hundred Cool and Quiet Gaming Case £ 29.85

Cart Total £ 300.12
VAT £ 52.52
Total £352.64

Shipping £ 10.01

 

[DaveP2]

I'm having afew problems with my old computer at the moment although given the battering i give through number of hours in use i was fairly happy.I really don't want to use aria i bought a computer from them in the past and it was a piece of junk,after just several months part by part started to break and it wasn'ta cheap computer either.I would like help from people to build a computer if that is the best option as i don't know much myself but have always had them built in the past with the help of other peoples knowledge.

How does this one below stack up compared to what i have now and what they suggested

AMD Phenom Quad Core 9550 B/U 12Mth RTB Wty

9006 Midi ATX (520w) Case,
AMD Phenom Quad Core 9550 4Mb CPU,
Gigabyte GA-M770-DS3 (PCI-X),
2Gb (2x1Gb) DDR2 667 Ram,
500Gb SATA2 7200 HDD,
32 in 1 Card Reader,
int 6Ch snd,10/100 Lan,Firewire,
1GB DDR2 Geforce 8600GT PCI-X,
DRIVE 1: 16x DVD / 48x Cd Rom,
DRIVE 2: 20x +/- DVD Re-Writer DL
FULL BUILT & TESTED,was £475
Case Colour may vary, call to confirm.
£ 409.00 (£ 348.09)
http://madoka.3bsystems.co.uk/productdetail.php?stockcode=SK-01934&catref=116

 

[Waynos_Face]

Yeah is a good system, but the other is a better buy, as intel processors spank amd at the moment.

Have a look for some how to build a pc guides and see what you think, it is very easy and could save yourself some money and get better parts as well.

The 1GB 8600GT is a bit of a gimmick as its not powerful enough to use all that memory.

 

[DaveP2]

interesting,so intel is the way to go

i'll look through afew websites abit later to try and find out some new things.More help from Muckshifter and you guys would be really useful

 

[Waynos_Face]

Hi,

Found this, its a decent enough guide but he skips through pretty quickly as its only 11 mins, but it shows all the important bits.

 

[DaveP2]

Found what?

 

[Madxgraphics]

Hi,

Found this, its a decent enough guide but he skips through pretty quickly as its only 11 mins, but it shows all the important bits.

Hmmmm Waynos, apparently you have lsot what ever it was that you found before the rest of us could see it..Now i'll never know what it is that you found before you lost it..Oh booohooo

 

[Waynos_Face]

Did it disappear???

Spooky! Here it is again.

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/features/185508/

 

[DaveP2]

thanks,i just saw that myself after doing a search,it helps alittle,i'm looking around some more websites now.

Any more help and ideas from people appreciated.

 

[Waynos_Face]

Do you have a PC components place near to you, cause you can knock some of the price down by picking it up and seeing if they have any specials or discounts on large buys?

Thats if you decide to build your own.

 

[Madxgraphics]

Did it disappear???

Spooky! Here it is again.

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/features/185508/

 

[DaveP2]

I won't be building it myself,i'll get whoever i buy it off to build it

I was looking at that aria one,what difference in performace would i notice if instead of


Corsair 2GB PC2-6400 XMS2 (2x1GB) i got

Corsair 4GB PC2-6400 XMS2 (2x2GB) and does that fit ok with all the other parts?

i take it i'll have to get windows vista aswell?

 

[Waynos_Face]

Depends on what kinds of applications you are going to be running, with vista the more RAM the better as it will use 1GB on its own to run properly.

My Number 2 PC has Vista and 2GB of RAM and runs fine.

You can get vista if you want or if you have the disk you can put the operating system from your old PC onto the new one. Although you need the CD and somewhere on the PC will be a windows sticker with the license key on it.

4GB will run fine, although you could get it with 2 and if you need to upgrade later you can do that.

 

[DaveP2]

I have a windows xp home disc which i've used on 2 computers but when i tryed it on a 3rd it wouldn't validate for some reason.

Is it better to have vista or xphome?

Also,i i didn't ask before but what are the advantages fo that aria build compared to the one they recommended in the first post on this thread.

 

[JaLing]

I have a windows xp home disc which i've used on 2 computers but when i tryed it on a 3rd it wouldn't validate for some reason.

Is it better to have vista or xphome?

Also,i i didn't ask before but what are the advantages fo that aria build compared to the one they recommended in the first post on this thread.

Thats because Activation is based upon attempts and system spec.
BTW.... if it was a OEM version i.e. already installed your not supposed to transfer it to another system.. it lives and dies with the origional system.
Generally M/S licenses are valid for 1 installation at a time (excepts like... Enterprise and open volumn licensing).

Once again we're venturing into a massive grey area (and illegal) so I'll leave it at that and say my dues.

 

[Waynos_Face]

Well XP or Vista is upto you really upto you.

Was it the same version of XP?

Advantages that all the parts are branded and better performance wise.