New PC

[bodhi]

Hey guys,

It's bonus time and I have been thinking I might buy myself a new computer. I've been using my Sony Vaio laptop for 3 years now, and it's fine for just checking emails, browsing etc etc, but I want a monster PC that I can play games on, do download, store and edit all my photos etc etc.

I am alright with getting a monitor, peripherals, hard drive etc etc. I am just not really sure what to get in terms of box/psu, motherboard, cpu and graphics card. What are the latest things that are out which will stand the test of time (i am aware this is not technically possible, but i would at least like to try!! lol).

Looking to spend around £1000ish.

Thanks.

Bodhi

 

[floppybootstomp]

Well, motherboards with the Intel X48 chipset are about to hit the market, at the moment the boards are only on pre-order (expected April) and are going to be pricey.El Linko

So if you're worried about future proofing this chipset could be the one for you.

Asus and Gigabyte are top boys in the motherboard stakes atm.

Get the best video card you can afford, right now that would be one of the Nvidia 8800 series. At least an 8800GT 512Mb. Forget sli dual card setups.

Quad or dual core? Your choice. Unless you are going to seriously multi task or want super duper crunching scores, dual core is best value for money.

If you're going to overclock consider a third party cooler. Thermalright; Noctua; Scythe; Zalman.

AMD AM2 dual core setups are worth considering you can get a 3.2Ghz CPU for around £110.00 which is really good value.

So there's a few things to consider.

After you've bought all the peripherals, how much to spend on the box itself?

 

[Abarbarian]

If your going AMD then it might be best to wait for the AM3 series to arrive , but an AM2+ would be a better bet than the current AM2 series . Presonbaly I think the next 6 months will see some quite remarkable changes in pc hardware . Lower power consumption , better graphics, faster cpus etc .

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/03/amd_socket_am2_plus/

 

[floppybootstomp]

If your going AMD then it might be best to wait for the AM3 series to arrive , but an AM2+ would be a better bet than the current AM2 series . Presonbaly I think the next 6 months will see some quite remarkable changes in pc hardware . Lower power consumption , better graphics, faster cpus etc .

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/03/amd_socket_am2_plus/

Far as I can tell, that link shows an article that appears to be mostly speculation. And it's five months old.

Anything more solid on this AM2+? (and no, I haven't Googled ).

And as for AM3, it's that age old argument, we could all be waiting forever for the next big thing before we do a new build. Video cards; cpu's; chipsets, memory, whatever.

If the time is now though, and we're talking future proofing (as much as possible) I think the X48 chipset is actually worth waiting for as it's only a few weeks away.

 

[G~MAN]

Mac

 

[Abarbarian]

Hi flops I read quite a bit aroundthe AM2+ over the las t few months but have no bookmarks available as me pc is down .

Heres a pretty interesting review of a AM2+ mobo with the new 780 chip . It is worth a read for the info it contains on the on board graphics . I like AMD's outlook on upgrading making stuff that will let new and old generation bits work with each other . Can't post more as I'm a bit busy trying to sort out a few minor niggles with me linux instal.

http://www.ocworkbench.com/2008/J&W/J&W RS780UVD-AM2+/b9.htm

 

[bodhi]

Hey,

Sorry, i should have clarified, im not interested in AMD, want to go Intel.

Also, not bothered about overclocking, just want to get something fast!!

Won't be multi-tasking too much, think i'll just be using it for downloads, pictures, internet, and gaming. Dual Core would probably suffice i would imagine??

Bodhi

 

[floppybootstomp]

Still don't know the budget for the main unit only without the peripherals.

Is it £1000.00 for the main unit only or £1000.00 for that and the peripherals?

 

[G~MAN]

Have you considered a mac? my one word reply was brainwashing you

But honestly, or is it out of the question?

 

[crazylegs]

Have you considered a mac? my one word reply was brainwashing you

But honestly, or is it out of the question?

Has already mentioned in an earlier post that he wants to play games on this pc...That discounts the mac..

 

[G~MAN]

You can play games on a mac :S

 

[floppybootstomp]

You can play games on a mac :S

Are we having a crisis lately G-MAN?

Yes, you can play games on a Mac. Trouble is, there's a limited choice and they cost on average twice as much as Windows Games.

You can play games within Linux as well, but again, choice is limited.

There's nothing wrong with Macs they look really great and they work.

But, hang on, they're astronomically expensive; they're hopelessly under-specced; the Leopard OS was laughed out of town for being a bit rubbish and most of their software is overpriced.

Like I said, nothing wrong with Macs

Now then, we all waiting for Bodhi to give us a budget and we'll probably make some suggestions.

 

[bodhi]

Im sorry G-Man, but i hate Macs!! lol.

I havn't made a definite budget yet im afraid, I would probably say for everything maybe around £1000-1200. Im looking for a big monitor to go with it. 22-24". Also like Seagate Hard drives. Apart from that i don't mind too much. Just looking for advice at the moment, i get the size of my bonus clarified next monday, so we'll see!! ;-)

Bodhi

 

[floppybootstomp]

Alright, I still ain't sure of budget.

Let's assume:

Samsung 22" Glossy Black monitor 2ms
Logitech 5.1 spkr system @ £90.00
Logitech G11 keyboard
Logitech G5 Mouse

(All excellent for gaming as well as everything else)

They come to just short of £400.00 which leaves £600-£800 for the central unit.

Assuming you don't need an Operating System (Add about £75.00 for Vista Home premium) I'll go with that.

If you only want 2.1 spkr system, that'll save a few pennies.

If you are going with Vista I won't spec a Creative sound card.

So, let's assume that sounds about right.

On that budget I'm also going to assume you won't want to spend £200.00+ on an X48 chipset board.

That chipset will be fairly future proof but you can bet that within 6 to 9 months they'll be going for about £130.00 rather than more than £200.00.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Ok, here's an idea, it ain't set in stone. I imagined what I would buy if I buying a new machine and I was working to that budget.

Notes:

No Operating System.

Intel Stock Cooler as no overclocking.

800Mhz RAM as no overclocking.

A case is a personal choice, I like the Antec 900.

Other makes of memory could be considered but I quite like Corsair.

Unless you're going for Vista 64 Bit I personally think any more than 2Gb of RAM right now is not worth the bother.

I think a 500Gb disk is more than adequate to get started, another could be added later if needed.

Haven't considered RAID.

X38 Chipset Motherboard and 45nm technology in dual core 3Ghz CPU.

If a bigger budget was available I'd spend it on a better video card. Having said that, the GT will cope with anything out there atm.

Haven't included a floppy drive or a combo floppy/memory card reader.

You may be able to source these parts cheaper elsewhere, perhaps at E-Buyer but not sure if you'd find all these parts under one roof apart from at OCUK.

Anyways, it's something to get you started.

 

[bodhi]

Thanks Flopps, I'm at work at the moment so can't have a proper look, but i really appreciate your help and i'll give it a proper look later on!!