Finally chosen the computer I wish to purchase!

And still want your opinion!
Why? I need you to tell me if im making any huge mistake that I cant see because of the stars in my eyes. Anyway , here we go.

Basically the computer will be used for everything , word processing , web design ( so flash , all macromedia products and photoshop ). Will be used for surfing , and also importantly ; Gaming.

I do want the computer to be able to play high end games as well , so lets get down to the fun part , the specs.

Processor ; Intel® Core™2 Quad Q6600 (4 X 2.40GHz) 1066MHz FSB/8MB L2 Cache To be honest , I wanted a quad core , and this looked nice.

Ram ; 2048 MB CORSAIR DDR2 667MHz 2 MB of ram should hold me up ok ? right? Plus the OS wont be 64 bit?

OS ; WINDOWS® XP Home (inc. Genuine CD & License) I'll get Vista when the time is right..

HardDrive ; 250GB SERIAL ATA II HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE 250GB will hold me up for a fair while , and its a lot , compared to my old HD , 16 GB

Graphics Card ; 1024MB GEFORCE 8600GT PCI Express + DVI + TV-OUT
Now , this is where I do get lost , I know nothing about graphics cards , and I need your opinion on this model.

Sound Card ; 8 Channel Realtek ALC883 High Definition Audio Incredibly simple soundcard , which is ok by me

CD Drive ; 20x Dual Layer LightScribe DVD Writer ±R/±RW/RAM Pretty Standard DVD / CD drive , will do all I need it too.

Power Supply/Case cooling ; 500W (Peak) Quiet Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan Know nothing of this area , down to you.

Processor cooling ; SUPER QUIET 19 dBA INTEL CPU COOLER Does the quad core need a better cooler?

Monitor ; 19 INCH TFT Silver/Black 1280 x1024 8MS D-Sub, DVI, Audio Pretty standard monitor , nice size , will do me just fine.



Well , there you have it , the setup thats took me a week to find.

Its costing me 740 quid ( pounds sterling ) around that mark.
So is there anything on there that does need upgrading?(or downgrading)

I need all your expert opinions.
Thanks

- Ryan

 

Someone check that infomation out?
ive never heard of a 1gb gfx card

is it 2 combined?
i know there are
512 GEFORCE 8600GT
so, i think it would be 2x of them

 

They exist.

http://www.gainward.com/product/product_detail.php?products_id=131

 

I'd plump for XP Pro, if they don't rip you off with the difference in price. Bazza

 

Uffff,this is a MONSTER:eek,WITH MONSTER CPU,MONSTER Graphic Card...by the way your MOBO is?and the PSU is what model?I think you will might need MORE Juice for this BABY.

 

3 things id change: one is the video card, second is the PSU, and third is the sound card. I also would like to know what motherboard you're going to be using. Also, i dunno if that is the stock cooler or not but either get a nice one (Zalman 9700) or stay stock. Anything else IMO is a waste of money (though there are exceptions, i just cant remember the names of the coolers)

1) Since you want this to be a gaming computer id get no less than a 320mb 8800GTS. Sure, a 1gig 8600GT will be nice but there is NO way it will make use of all that video memory. Hell, even the 8800GTX doesnt have that much memory lol. Companies tend to slap extra memory on lower end cards and jack up the prices to get uninformed buyers to spend more money on a card that they think is better because it has more memory

2) Definitely upgrade that PSU. You cant one with lots of amps on the 12v rails and also one that is efficient (peak wattage numbers can lie about the true output of the PSU when under load) OCZ PSUs are amazing and are decently priced (for performance PSUs that is lol, they are still over $100 USD) Go at least 600W, more if you plan on SLI (if your mobo supports it which i dunno since its not listed)

3) Last i checked, Realtek is onboard sound. It may sound decent but it robs your CPU of clock cycles since it doesnt have its own dedicated audio processor. Any model X-fi will be a vast improvement over anything Realtek has to offer. Your ears will thank you

 

Could anyone build a better computer , for around 700 / 800 pounds , using the same website as me ?

http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/index.php?page=form&&select=intel2

 

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/3733/69544735oi6.jpg

755 Quid, incl. VAT

Changed :

GFX card to Geforce 8800GTS (320MB version) [Much Better than a 8600 and don't worry about the memory its more of a marketing gimmick]

Hard Drive to 320 GB (you'll need the extra space, trust me, this is the least you should get)

Sound Card to Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ Xtreme Audio

PSU to 600W , beefy card and freedom to add more power hungry cards, at least you get your peace of mind, PSU are way underrated and are very important

Hope that helps

EDIT : Whoops, i forgot about the DVDWriter, i just bought a new PC and used my old DVD-Writer so i'm programmed to ignore it , it adds another 20 Quid, so the total would be 770 incl. VAT.

 

VERY nice work zato! thats basically what i would have done too lol, good work.

 

Is that with or without monitor? also , thanks for your help , I beleive you have just sorted my purchase out.

Also , being the bargain hunter I am , is there anyway to get a similar setup for cheaper?

Any means neccesary.

 

If it was me I would have a look around at a lot of other sites
There does not appear to be a lot of variety at that one.

Are you getting the site to build the pc for you, or are you planning on building it yourself ?

If building it yourself, you will probably find that you will be better off sourcing parts from 2 or 3 different places. Some sites will have good prices on certain items and not others.

I would certainly be looking at getting a good power supply and cpu heatsink, and the monitor is worth shopping around for too.

It is a big investment, it is worth while taking your time with.

 

I am taking my time with it , although I dont beleive I could build a computer by myself.


I want a nice rounded computer - WITH - monitor for around 750 pounds , from anywhere , and im getting myself into more confusion with every turn .

help?

 

There are a few options then, I guess

Buy all parts online from the place that is assembling the PC (as in your opening post)

Buy all parts online from a variety of sites and have them assembled locally (verifying with the assembler that the parts are compatible and the build price for those parts)

Buy some parts online and others locally and have them assembled locally
(this may save you some money on postage for the heavier items like the PSU & monitor

Buy all parts locally and have them assembled locally

Buy a pre assembled 'brand name' computer (dell etc), you may find one that is what you are looking for or that can be tailorered to suit your needs. :confused

I would imagine it is easier to get well-priced computer hardware in the UK than it is here (Australia)
I have previously sourced parts from The US, Hongkong and Taiwan and been able to still get them shipped here cheaper than I can buy them here, this is potentially the cheapest method (depending on local prices), but is also the most complicated.
I tend to work out what parts I want and then try to find the cheapest place to get them from.

Hopefully someone from the UK will give you some good ideas on the best places to shop

 

I've decided to get the computer mentioned above. Use my crappy 17" monitor for another month , then get a 200-250 pound crystal clear 22" monitor .


My Last question then , is will that computer cover pretty much everything I need it to? And what wont it do?

 

there isnt really anything it cant do lol, its a very nice build and should keep you going for a LONG time

 

Very sound choice my friend, i would've advised exactly the same thing, keep the 17' monitor for now, focus on having a PC that'll last you 3+ years (hopefully more) then when you have more money get the monitor you want, monitors are getting cheaper by the day so don't worry about that.

As to what the pc can do, well play every new game at max settings smoothly, at pretty high resolutions. Great for encoding files, HD-decoding, you know, that processor is almost overkill for even intensive use I say ALMOST, we don't know what the future may bring !

 

Thanks for everyones replys.

You've all been Immensly helpful , and to be frank , cleared up all doubts I had about purchasing the computer. Furthermore *drumroll please* I've just ordered the computer with a giant cringe/grin on my face. Bye money , bye bye. It should hold me in good stead.

Also , I think the computer may be a bit overkill for starcraft ( god I love that game )


On the monitor front, i've put around 250 pound away for it , and decided upon this monitor ;

Monitor A


Its a possibilty however , if I decide I need food or to get drunk , that I may have to go for the following monitor ;

Monitor B

Which I know is not as good , but its hopefully (?) pretty decent.

And a 22" is big enough imho.



This then leaves me with 2 problems.

I need a new computer desk , and new mouse and keyboard. These should be sorted out by me , in the following months.

The reason I put all the above about the monitors / peripherals / desk however , is that I want your opinion on certain items you've used before / are using , with personal experience in order to sway my decision/ help me out .

(Sorry about all the forward slashs. )

All the best
-Ryan

 

Monitors are one thing i dont recommend buying online (well, at first). Id go to your local PC or electronics store and look at them in person. It is VERY hard to determine the picture quality of a monitor just from looking at it online. After you check them out, THEN go online to see if you can get a better deal on the monitor(s) you like.

 

I totally agree with viper. Have a few things in mind to ask about, like contrast ration, brightness, and MOST OF ALL as a gamer : Response time. Ask to see a game played on the monitor you plan to pick, only YOUR eyes will determine if what you see is acceptable or not, BUT don't get anything with too high a response time, it may not seem obvious on the "slower" games like RTS's (eg Starcraft) but in FPS's and almost all action games it will make a difference, so watch out.

In short : Lower response time = Sweeter gaming experience. But don't buy into the 120Hz 0ms gimmick yet, its too expensive atm.

Also, helloooo fellow Starcraft fan ! We eagerly anticipate SC2 together !

 

Ooh , Starcraft 2 , dont get me started

Anyway , I would like to ask something about the attributes of LCD screens.
These involve ;

• Resolution ( fairly obvious ) 1680x1050
• Contrast ratio 3000:1
• Response time 2 ms
• Brightness 300cd/m2
• DVi

The writing in dark red at the end of each listed item , are what the monitor I chose to begin with has.

But bar resolution , I dont actually know , specifically , what any of these mean - can anyone explain?

Also , while im thinking about it , I was going to purchase oblivion , would the game run on the specs I quoted in post 10? And would it run smoothly on high settings?


Also , if someone has an opinion on a specific mouse/keyboard or computer desk or chair , please state your veiw!