Best way to buy a new PC

[SonicMarmite]

Actually, just looking at your system specs. If the chip is a true 2ghz rather than a dirty amd pretend 2ghz, then why don`t you just spend a couple of hundred quid upgrading it. I know for a fact a 2500 athlon with more ram and a half decent graphics card will play HL2 in decent detail. Thats still quite a respectable spec system so I wouldn`t bin it just yet.

[Strider]

I was thinking of upgrading it, but it's already on its fourth now and it's just starting to fall to pieces. The missus also wants something with a swish flat screen, so the easiest thing to do is to just start over.

I can probably afford to spend up to ?1000, but only want to If I have no other options available. I can't make it myself, but I do have a friend who is dead handy at this sort of thing, so that wouldn't be a problem either.

[Kotatsu Neko]

Building a PC is surprisingly easy. I built my own Shuttle and it was litterally a half an hour job to plug the bits together. Then drop in the XP CD and it installs everything for you.

Shuttle are nice little systems, and much better now then when I bought mine. The higher end ones have space for 3 SATA HDs, 2 PCI Express slots, built in media card readers etc. Quiet now too I believe, which is nice as mine sounds like a jet engine.

[Valken]

If you take the build your own route...

MD Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2 GHz Socket 939, 512KB cache, BOXED
Corsair Value S. PC3200 DDR-DIMM 1024MB Kit w/two matched Value Select 512MB
Abit KV8Pro V1.1 Mainboard Socket 754 K8T800PRO, SATA, GbLAN, ATX, Raid
Antec Sonata Miditower, Black w/380W PSU
Western Digital Caviar 250GB S-ATA 8MB cache 7200RPM
NEC DVD recorder ND-3520A IDE Black Bulk,DVD+R/+RW/DVD-R/-RW (Dual layer)
MSI GeForce 6800GT 256MB GDDR3 AGP, NX6800GT-TD256, DVI/TV-Out, Retail
Sony Floppy Drive, 3,5" 1,44MB Black Floppy Drive Internal
Samsung 17" LCD Syncmaster 710T TCO03 Monitor, Silver


?1148

You could easily get a slightly smaller HD, a slighty less powerful CPU, a slighty more modest videocard, a smaller display etc and bring that to sub 1k prices...

I got make the list on komplett.co.uk but shopping around would make a pretty cool system for less.

[Kotatsu Neko]

My Shuttle cost me around ?1000, but that was almost 2 years ago and I did get the gfx card (Radeon 9800 Pro 256mb) cheap.

No need for a floppy drive remember.

[Valken]

No need for a floppy drive... unless you want to install SATA drivers without slipstreaming them onto the WinXP install CD.

[Alf-Life]

https://www.alienware.co.uk

Thoroughly recommended. Powerful and stylish. Built by gamers for gamers.

Even has the C17 model with HL2 bundled in, and you can configure/build it to your heart's content.

[VR46]

No need for a floppy drive...

that'll save a tenner then

Friend's have used this place with good results;

http://www.autdirect.co.uk/

[PeteJ]

I've not got a floppy drive and a SATA HDD, so I look forward to that little puzzle when all the bits arrive

I also recommend Shuttle, they're quite pricey, but they look so much nicer than 'normal' PC's and can cope with the best kit inside. I amazed at how good the build quality is, lovely.

If you want a package then I cannot recommend Evesham enough, I've bought three PC's from them in the past and they're support, delivery, specs and general PC's are exceptional.

[Valken]

It really depends on the chipset your board has... I know that WinXP wouldn't detect my mobo's SATA HD until I loaded VIA Raid drivers from floppy at the beginning of my install.

I vaguely remember Marcus saying he didn't need to install any additional drivers to get SATA to go. A quick search for SATA in this forum should bring up the thread!

[GordonJ]

If you take the build your own route...

MD Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2 GHz Socket 939, 512KB cache, BOXED
...
Abit KV8Pro V1.1 Mainboard Socket 754 K8T800PRO, SATA, GbLAN, ATX, Raid
...

I guess you cut and paste the wrong motherboard in there

[Valken]

You guessed correctly... I meant to select the AV8 socket 939 board!

Curse Firefox and it's multiple tabs!

[SonicMarmite]

Tbh if you`ve got a grand how long is a piece of string. Get a big thick pc mag, or cruise tons of websites until you`ve got the most gubbins for your grand, because only you know what exactly it`ll be used for.

I personally wouldn`t go for an alienware, because the prices of the parts mean you could build a 99% identical system for massively less $$$`s. You`re basically paying a premium for top spec parts that you can buy anyway, in a fancy case. The same used to apply to Dell but they`re really squeezing the market at the moment and are really reasonable. They also have excellent warranty and support, which if you`re not a pc techy, should be a huge consideration.

Shuttles are good but don`t forgot you can only fit a single slot graphics card in one unless they`ve revised the pci slot design as its on the wrong side of the graphics port. So a double slot card like a mutts nutts GF won`t fit inside.

Gig of ram is about right. 200GB drives are nicest price. Tft shouldn`t be more than ?250, again depending on the exact spec you want. So budget for ?750 for your system, minus ?120 for dvd writer, and a 200gb drive. Then pick the best realistic cpu and ram you can afford with whats left after buying the shuttle which will be anywhere between ?150 and ?250.

[Marf]

Decided to build myself a new machine last summer to replace the aged Dell 1ghz machine that was decaying steadily under my desk.

I got from Watford Electronics/Savastore:-

Black Antec Case
P4 3.2GHZ HT 1mb
1024Mb Kingston RAM
WD 180GB HDD
Gigabyte Mobo
SB Audigy
Radeon 9800
Sony CDRW(?17!!)
Sony Floppy

Totalled about ?650-?700, went with them mainly due to the interest free pay in 12mths option, but also the prices were reasonable, and they were good on the phone.

Built it up, whacked on 2kSP4 (XP blech) and its been smooth sailing since.

Decided not to replace the Dell 19" CRT I had left from the old machine as it is still going strong, plus I'd want a 18" sony TFT to replace it, just wasnt feeling that flush at the time, or now!

[Strider]

Oops, ignore