new pc build

[Pauly S]

Help wanted, i'm lost, i build a new pc every couple of years and ive just lost the will to live..
The various models of intel processor are overwhelming, where do you start? i normally buy the very best processor i can afford,then buy the best board to suit the processor,and then the memory to suit the processor and so on, that way it sort of becomes future proof.but guys i'm stuffed now, it would appear quad core is the way to go..but which quad core for around £150 to £200??
I also want at least 4 sata ports, so i can run a sata raid hdd setup with a blu ray dvd player recorder, so at least four sata.
all help greatly appreciated.lol Paul

 

[Fanum]

I used to do the same, but I found that I couldn't build my own machine up to the spec and speed that I could buy one for from Bloody Tesco or Woolies for a lot less money!!

This is a bloody good place to start in answer to your question though

 

[araspitfire]

I've build my last couple of rigs using advice thread from a flight sim forum.

If your build is game-centric have a look... though I've not needed to build a rig in a while, you may find it dated... (says Dec. 11th update though...)

http://agw.bombs-away.net/showthread.php?t=62813

Al...

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

here you go - this weeks top builds - all tested and proved compatible. Email the list to get shops to get a built system price etc.
from - http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/?tag=rmp_sg_whirlpoolpcs_recommend

prices in aus dollars - so ignore - but relative to each other

Recommended "Business/Homework/Internet Only" Box:
CPU: AMD X2 4800+ 2.4GHz AM2 $69
Motherboard: ASUS M2N-MX SE Plus $59
RAM: 2GB G.Skill DDR2-800 $48
HDD: Western Digital 640GB 16MB SATAII $97
GPU: Integrated nVidia Geforce 6100
Case & PSU: Cooler Master Elite RC-331 (w/ 350W PSU) $69
Optical Drive: Samsung SATA 20x $25

Total: $367

Recommended "Business/Homework/Internet Only" System:
CPU: AMD X2 4800+ 2.4GHz AM2 $69
Motherboard: ASUS M2N-MX SE Plus $59
RAM: 2GB G.Skill DDR2-800 $48
HDD: Western Digital 640GB 16MB SATAII $97
GPU: Integrated nVidia Geforce 6100
Case & PSU: Cooler Master Elite RC-331 (w/ 350W PSU) $69
Optical Drive: Samsung SATA 20x $25
Monitor: 22" Samsung 2253LW $275
Speakers: Logitech X-530 5.1 $66
K/B & Mouse: Logitech LX-710 $75

Total: $783

Recommended "Extreme Gaming" Box:
CPU: Intel E8400 S775 $239
Motherboard: Asus P5Q deluxe $249
RAM: 2 x 2GB Kit Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 (C4) $189
HDD: 2 x Western Digital Raptor 150GB SATA 16MB $458
1 x Western Digital 640GB SATAII 16MB $132
GPU: 1 x Ge Cube ATI Radeon 4870x2 2GB $674
Case: Thermaltake Armor+ $235
PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower 750W – $187
Optical Drive: ASUS 20x BLT-2014 Lightscribe SATA $35
Sound Card: Auzentech Prelude X-FI 7.1 $255
CPU HSF: Noctua NH-U12P Performance CPU Cooler $79

Total: $2732

Recommended "Extreme Gaming" System:
CPU: Intel E8400 S775 $239
Motherboard: Asus Rampage Formula $345
RAM: G.Skill DDR2 4G(2x2G) PC8800 1100MHZ $169
HDD: 2 x Western Digital Raptor 150GB SATA 16MB $458
1 x Western Digital 640GB SATAII 16MB $132
GPU: 2 x Ge Cube ATI Radeon 4870x2 2GB $674
Case: Thermaltake Armor+ $235
PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower 750W – $187
Optical Drive: ASUS 20x BLT-2014 Lightscribe SATA $35
Sound Card: Auzentech Prelude X-FI 7.1 $255
CPU HSF: Noctua NH-U12P Performance CPU Cooler $79
Monitor: 24" Samsung 245B 5ms DVI Wide Screen LCD $539
Speakers: Logitech Z-5500 5.1 $329
Keyboard: Logitech G15 $85
Mouse: Logitech G7 $89

Total: $3850

 

[Pauly S]

Thanks guys...

another question, is it worth converting to an apple maccy thing instead?

 

[Fanum]

 

[cookie]

another question, is it worth converting to an apple maccy thing instead?

i did

always built my own PCs, but try and avoid them entirely nowadays. macs make little sense financially though, but then neither do self built PCs

 

[redcastle]

Help wanted, i'm lost, i build a new pc every couple of years and ive just lost the will to live..
The various models of intel processor are overwhelming, where do you start? i normally buy the very best processor i can afford,then buy the best board to suit the processor,and then the memory to suit the processor and so on, that way it sort of becomes future proof.but guys i'm stuffed now, it would appear quad core is the way to go..but which quad core for around £150 to £200??
I also want at least 4 sata ports, so i can run a sata raid hdd setup with a blu ray dvd player recorder, so at least four sata.
all help greatly appreciated.lol Paul

If you go to scan.co.uk first sort your processor and mobo.........asus is always good for the mob and I prefer Intel (core2 quad) The latest i7 Intels are nice but pricey and the RAM etc is pricey too.
each component at scan will link you to another and so on, Im not saying buy the stuff off scan but it might help the confusion.
Ive just built a beast for myself and a lot of the fun is sourcing, reading and then screw drivering.
Are you using raid for safety or speed ?? If its safety fine but if you want speed just use a WD raptor drive as mentioned in motormartins posts, its not as fast as raid but only a gnats knacker off it
The only other tip if you decide to build is go for a 64bit O/S so you overcome the 4GB RAM limit with 32bit.

As for saving, If its top end stuff your building you will save a bomb. It sounds to me like your building toward the top end so go for it.

As for mac........ I'm not anti or for but just don't like paying over the odds

good luck with it and let us know what you decide

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

i did

always built my own PCs, but try and avoid them entirely nowadays. macs make little sense financially though, but then neither do self built PCs

i'd really really like to try a mac for a month or so - to see if it justifies the price tag.

can't bring myself to buy one though - so i'm a bit stuck.

 

[cookie]

i'd really really like to try a mac for a month or so - to see if it justifies the price tag.

can't bring myself to buy one though - so i'm a bit stuck.

you can buy one from apple and return it (for any reason) within 14 days for a refund. that's half way there

i don't think they do justify the price on performance alone, but they are much nicer to use IMO. i think a certain geek mindset may be an advantage here, but normal people seem to love them as well.
also, the way apple stuff all works together is unrivalled.

 

[Clive]

I've recently built a "server" based on http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?BB-P5Q95H

A Q9550 processor has all the features I want - esp. support for Virtualisation but a Q6600 is also good but cheaper.

Motherboard was a Asus P5Q - currently running 8GB, but could run upto 16GB (4GB chips are pretty expensive at the moment)

The box is quiet and runs cool - it is currently running Server 2008 with Hyper-V supporting 6 different VMs - XP * 2 , Vista, 2003 Server, WHS (Trial) and SBS2008 (messing about with).

4 * 1TB Western Digital HDs as Raid-1

About £700 worth

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

y
also, the way apple stuff all works together is unrivalled.

you mean get hooked into apple products and more high prices ?

hmm...i'm almost willing to take that plunge too. Plug n play is still 2 hrs messing about with PC's over networks, shared drives, etc etc.

not ready quite yet though.
This PC is 5 yrs old now (athlon 1.4 ) and getting slow. I might retire it to an email server life and get something newer soon .

Will it be a mac ?

 

[cookie]

you mean get hooked into apple products and more high prices ?

yes, that is true, and it certainly put me off.....but by then, you might not care

AFAICT apple do not have any competition, so what else would i buy?

 

[Anonymous]

Apple Macs expensive?
Yes they are, but so are BMW Motorcycles and like BMW motorcycles they have a healthy resale value unlike PC's which are worth nothing the moment you get them out the box (generally speaking, I appreciate there are exceptions)

In my view, this makes the Mac a reasonable ownership prospect, I've never had any trouble selling an old Mac for for good money part paying for the new one therefore owning a Mac can work out cheaper than a PC long term!

You know it makes sense

 

[stonetown]

Apple Macs expensive?
Yes they are, but so are BMW Motorcycles and like BMW motorcycles they have a healthy resale value unlike PC's which are worth nothing the moment you get them out the box (generally speaking, I appreciate there are exceptions)

In my view, this makes the Mac a reasonable ownership prospect, I've never had any trouble selling an old Mac for for good money part paying for the new one therefore owning a Mac can work out cheaper than a PC long term!

You know it makes sense

I used to build my own PC's with parts bought from computer fairs and they always worked and were always cheaper but then it became more economical to buy from shops with warranties and consumer protection etc.

Buying a PC or a MAC is like buying a high end jap bike or a BVM, the jap bike makes sense, but the BVM just has ..... something special. Neither is perfect, but the BVM (MAC) is nicer and gives you more satisfaction (not in a porn sense) ! Hard to describe really, if you do more than surf and email e.g. Photo and Video then I think a Mac is more satisfying, also I don't seem to have the same security worries since I bought a Macbook Pro. Maybe this is misplaced, but Mac's historically don't suffer with viruses or malware and the OS doesn't seem to need updating every friggin week

It also seems to work alot faster than a PC from startup and when shutting down...........it's the little things that count.

 

[Dansin]

I've recently built a "server" based on http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?BB-P5Q95H

A Q9550 processor has all the features I want - esp. support for Virtualisation but a Q6600 is also good but cheaper.

Motherboard was a Asus P5Q - currently running 8GB, but could run upto 16GB (4GB chips are pretty expensive at the moment)

The box is quiet and runs cool - it is currently running Server 2008 with Hyper-V supporting 6 different VMs - XP * 2 , Vista, 2003 Server, WHS (Trial) and SBS2008 (messing about with).

4 * 1TB Western Digital HDs as Raid-1

About £700 worth

If you go with a Q6600 (which is a great processor) make sure you get the G0 stepping (95W) version. The B3 uses more power (110W) and doesn't overclock well.