Home build PC - any recommendations?

[ascender]

I've lost track with the PC component side of things over the last while and am now in the position where I need to build a PC for myself. Obviously i want to future proof myself as much as possible, but don't want to spend a shedload on the thing. An equivalent intel iMac albeit with 24" screen, comes in at ?1500, so that's my benchmark.

My source for most of this has been the PC Pro A List and my own experience - i.e. I had a Shuttle before and it was excellent. A small form factor machine would be nice as I don't need to plug in lots of cards.

Any recommendations or changes based on your own experiences would be much appreciated.

20" LG Flatscreen Panel
Nvidia GeForce 7600 GT (decent budget card?)
2Gb RAM
Intel Core 2 DUO E6400 "LGA775 Allendale" 2.13GHz
Shuttle case & m/board
2 * Samsung Spinpoint 250Gb SATA HDD
CD/DVD drive of some sort, loads out there

Like I say, any ideas and advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers,


Mike.

[in5ane]

I've been wanting a new PC for a while, but I'm waiting it out until Vista after Xmas for a few reasons:

Nvidia are releasing a new card next month, which will work with HD copyright, have physics on chip etc. Might as well go in at the top

I want a motherboard that supports HD copyright stuff as well. Also, Vista supports two flash based technologies that'll work better support from the mobo: flash memory used to extend main memory, and hybrid flash hard drives. These two technoligies should speed up booting immensely.

After Xmas HD-DVD burners should be cheaper, and do double-sided HD-DVD, as well as DVD and CD burning. Even if never buy a movie, 30gb per disc for backing up is decent enough

64bit Core Quadros (4 cores in one chip) should be out soon, for some serious cpu power.

As for hard drives, I just bought an external 500gb job from dabs for ?129! If you want it in the system, just take it out the caddy it comes in

I bought my PC as soon as XP was out, with components that were the best at the time, and that PC has held its own for like five years. I'd always recomend gettting the best PC you can, because contrary to popular belief, PC tech is actually slowing down, and will last you quite a lot longer if you buy the right kit. Before this I was upgrading bits and bobs every other month, which is way more hassle and costs you more in the long run...

[ascender]

Yip, I totally agree, my last PC lasted me a good few years which was unheard of after probably the previous 10 years spent with constant upgrades every few months.

Now, well I'm not so sure. I have an iBook here for the day to day stuff, but its limited as its not got a DVD burner and the screen is quite small.

Its tempting to get an Intel iMac to get the best of both worlds as I could run XP on that now "properly". But then, despite the 360, would i maybe regret not having a gaming PC? The flip side to that is that OS X is still a much nicer place to work, IMO, than XP. Vista looks good, but Leopard looks like its going to be just as good.

Decisions, decisions....

[in5ane]

Ah, a mac user! I have a mini, but it recently died and I didnt see the need to replace it... I would get a mac laptop, but only one mouse button really throws me

Did you see this today? http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10...ro_fastest_pc/

Did get me thinking more about dual booting in the future...

[SubparMario]

Looks like a good system to me. You can't go wrong with a 7600 GT - very good performance for the money, with the added bonus of being nvidia.

Buying the best stuff when it comes to the likes of processors and graphics cards is a mug's game. The high end almost always has an OTT mark-up for a modest increase in power.

Look at the Core2Duo.. 6400 at ?165, 6800 at ?700. The bad boy is only a bit faster in actual real world use, as opposed to benchmarks, and a 6400 is still a really fast processor. You could save over 500 quid and put it in a jar for a Core5Octo three years down the line!

[ascender]

I've decided to go for an iMac, so I guess that's the end of my PC days! Got one with a 7600GT and with the Intel chips, they seem to run XP quickly as well, so I should be able to play the odd game I can't get on one of my consoles. Since I sold my PC i've been using a Mac laptop and its just such a nice place to do work, I'm now a convert.

[NekoFever]

I would get a mac laptop, but only one mouse button really throws me

Buy a cheap USB mouse. I use my Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer for Bluetooth on my iBook and it supports all five buttons without a problem, and ironically more seamlessly than Windows did because it works without the additional software that Windows required.

Apple really do need to start including a two-button mouse because you'd be surprised by the number of people who don't know that they're even supported.

[in5ane]

Yeah, I used my intellimouse with my Mini... but an extra mouse for a laptop? Kinda ruins the portability a little