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Posted: Tue 03 May, 2005 19.22
by SteveL
Jamez wrote:My budget for a new system is £300, but I am willing to go to up to £400 if need be. I know £300 doesn't sound much, but I don't have money to burn.
I'm afraid if you're after a decent > 3GHz P4 setup, you'll be looking at a little bit more than £300.
The trouble with the site you've mentioned in your first post is that all the components seem to be generic and unbranded (hence the low price), which hardly screams high quality. This is especially true on stuff like RAM, motherboards and PSUs. If I were you I'd email them, stating the setup you're after, and ask the brand names of the components before you order (if you do decide to go with them).
The cheapest I can find on a preliminary look for a 3GHz Prescott is > £100; throw in a decent motherboard, graphics/sound card and hard disc and you've passed £300 already.
The system you've got at the moment sounds decent enough; isn't it possible for it to last just another few months until you can save up a bit more?
Posted: Tue 03 May, 2005 20.08
by Bail
Ermm I dont think so, my current spec is nigh on what Jamez has mentioned he wants it cost me a little over £500 and £200 of that was just the case and mobo.
Posted: Tue 03 May, 2005 20.10
by Sput
Jamez wrote:How do I increase the RAM?
You just slot it in. As you have 128MB I'm betting there'll be at least one slot free. Also, if you buy decent DDR ram, you can pull it out of your existing machine and whack it into your new one should you still replace.
Things seem to be more about RAM than CPU speed these days, and I'm guessing you're going to be doing a lot of editing of large files rather than maths-intensive stuff like gaming. With that in mind I think you could save a lot by not going nearly so fast and stacking up on memory. Also, as has been said, 40 gigs really is a paltry amount these days.
Posted: Tue 03 May, 2005 20.21
by SteveL
Bail wrote:Ermm I dont think so, my current spec is nigh on what Jamez has mentioned he wants it cost me a little over £500 and £200 of that was just the case and mobo.
Did you opt for standalone video/sound? Or are they onboard?
Posted: Tue 03 May, 2005 20.47
by Bail
Ati Radon 9800SE, Sound is onboard.
Posted: Tue 03 May, 2005 20.56
by Jamez
Bail wrote:Ati Radon 9800SE, Sound is onboard.
Whereas I would be happy with onboard video, but a decent soundcard!
Posted: Tue 03 May, 2005 22.03
by SteveL
What sort of sound card are you after? The works, with a proper 5/1/4" bay to go in the front of your computer, with loads of jack/phono/optical inputs/outputs?
Posted: Tue 03 May, 2005 22.07
by Bail
Ah.. I do have a soundcard, which I salvaged from my old PC. For the same prcie as a gfx card you can get an nice Audigy2 (what I got)
Posted: Tue 03 May, 2005 22.22
by Sput
It's expensive, but I cannot recommend highly enough a Yamaha SW1000XG sound card. Truly the best I've come across.
Posted: Tue 03 May, 2005 23.07
by Jamez
OK, based on the information you guys have given me so far, I customised my new computer and the total came to just over £550 inc. Vat. That includes the OS and a 17" TFT.
Around 3.0Ghz Processor
1Gb RAM
120Gb HD
Onboard Video
Onboard Soundcard (I'll get the soundcard at a later date seperately)
17" TFT
Win XP Pro (with CD)
What do you reckon?
Posted: Tue 03 May, 2005 23.32
by Bail
Sounds ok, although do you NEED a new mon and xp? Do you intend to buy or build? scan.co.uk are my recomended peeps.