Cheap base unit?

[Psyduck]

Hi people, I've got a mission for anyone feeling helpful...

My current PC is going to go live in an arcade cabinet soon, and so I'll be wanting a new one. I have a pretty new monitor, so I'm just after a base unit. I don't use it for games very often, so I'm basically after the cheapest one possible. I've got a radeon 9700 pro that will go in it, so graphic cards not important, and I've got a DVD rewriter, though I would like a minimum of 80gb HD, and 512mb RAM if at all possible.
Price range is probably ?200-?400, though keeping as low as possible.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

[Corrupt Rose]

Do you have a problem with Celeron processors?

The only thing they really fall down on is Video work and 3D rendering (and by proxy, they're not so hot at the latest games). Anyway, Prices from Overclockers.co.uk:

Core Bundle (Ref: BU-021-OK) - ?142 Inc. VAT.
2.5Ghz Celeron D
512MB Corsair memory
Socket 478 Mobo
Needed bits to connect stuff

Hard Drive (Ref: HD-028-MD) - ?48 Inc. VAT.
120GB Maxtor IDE.

You could get an 80GB one for less, but I recommend going for the 120.

And then you can get a decent case for between ?30-50, I won't look for you because that's all down to personal preference, and you can potentially go much cheaper if you don't care about looks.

If you want a more powerful processor, it'll cost more, but not vastly more, but as it stands, what I've listed is well within your price range. If anyone can beat it, please do...

[gingerj]

dos.co.uk do some cheap ones...

[Psyduck]

Ideally I'd like one that comes ready made, rather than just buying parts, but if it's cheap enough I guess I'd build...
Thanks for the tips so far and keep em coming!
Oh, and absolutely no problems with celerons.

[Corrupt Rose]

Keeping with Overclockers.co.uk for the moment then...

- Intel Celeron D 335 2.8GHz Retail CPU
- Intel Celeron Approved Heatsink
- 512MB OcUK PC3200 DDR Memory
- Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 80GB 2MB Cache Hard Drive
- 52X CD-ROM
- 3 1/2 Inch Floppy Drive
- On-Board 2D/3D Graphics
- On-Board AC'97 Audio
- Integrated 10/100Mbps LAN
- 165W PSU

(Ref: FS-006-AS) ?270 Inc. VAT.

The problem with buying a pre-made PC is that you always get the gubbins you don't want. In this case, you're getting a CD-Rom Drive (and additionally, I have my concerns over that PSU).

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From PC World...

- Intel Celeron 2.4GHz Processor
- 512Mb RAM
- 80Gb Hard Drive
- DVD & CD-ReWriter Drives
- 64Mb ATi Radeon 9200 Graphics Card
- 6 USB Connections
- Speakers Included
- Works 6.0
- Windows XP Home Edition
- 1 Year FREE Onsite Warranty

(Ref: 020361) - ?207 Inc. VAT.

This one is subject to availibility.

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If you've got time, you could always pop down to your local independant PC place and get them to give you a quote... they'll almost certainly be able to build you a PC to your exact specifications, and if you're worried about being take for a ride, I'm sure there are a couple of nice people on here ready to cast their eye over the numbers and let you know...

[Psyduck]

Thanks again...
The Overclockers PC definitely has a PSU problem - the 9700 needs at least a 300watt supply.
The PCWorld one is excellent, I'd seen it myself, but it's not actually available anywhere anymore - I've checked...

I'm quite confident with PCs, so I'm sure I wouldn't be taken for a ride, but my local stores are pretty poxy. I just thought some people on here might know of some good websites for buying PCs...I have looked around a bit myself, but you can't look everywhere.

Thanks again for all replies so far...any more still very welcome!