Do you recommend I build this PC?

[Spardacus]

Hello everyone.

My PC is like ten years out of date (Packard Bell Windows 1998) and I want to update or build one from scratch and you guessed it, my PC isn’t up to very much and is probably worth nothing if I wanted to sell it.

Anyways, I’ve been researching into components and scratching my head figuring out how compatible the components that I can afford are and I’ve decided to get a decent Motherboard because I’ll be able to update it in the future. Here is what I am planning on buying:

£150 Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 775 Processor
£177 BFG Technology BFGRNFI680iS NF680i SLI, S 775, PCI-E (x16), DDR2, SATA II
£48 Kingston Value RAM 1GB DDR2 Non-ECC
£54 200GB Samsung SpinPoint SATA300 SATA-II 3GB
£80 512MB Gigabyte 7600GS PCI-E Mem 800MHz GPU 500MHz 12Pipes
£40 CoolMaster Cavalier Aluminum Tower Case (No PSU)

I might get these
£27 Soundblaster X-fi Xtreme Sound Card
£10 Mikomi 2.0 Black PC Speakers

Salvaged from old PC
Power supply pack for tower
Monitor
Floppy Drive
CD-R/RW 12x10x32x

I’m hoping that I’ll be able to update at the end of the year with a Directx10 graphics card for next generation gaming and before that I’ll buy another Kingston 1GB RAM stick to go with the other one. (is that possible?) :?:

Finally I want your opinion on whether you think this will make a good PC as I’ve been researching for two weeks and I want to start ordering and building, I have Windows Vista already (don’t ask) and I’ll be going over to America in August so hopefully I’ll be able to pick up a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD drive providing the dollar is still weaker than the pound.

Well tell me what you think and any recommendations or improvements you think I’ll need if any, thanks for reading.

 

[n3zyd]

I doubt that old power supply will work with the new build, you want atleast 500 watts

 

[Coolest_tech]

I'll g over them one by one:

£150 Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 775 Processor
Looks good to me, though I'd reccomend that you get the E6400. I've heard that the E6300 isn't a real Core 2 Duo: Link
£177 BFG Technology BFGRNFI680iS NF680i SLI, S 775, PCI-E (x16)
, DDR2, SATA II
I think it's better to get an Asus or MSI mainboard, there have been in that buisness longer, and are trusted
£48 Kingston Value RAM 1GB DDR2 Non-ECC
1GB is OK, but 2GB will give a Huge boost
£54 200GB Samsung SpinPoint SATA300 SATA-II 3GB
Looks good.
£80 512MB Gigabyte 7600GS PCI-E Mem 800MHz GPU 500MHz 12Pipes
Also looks good. I think you don't want to get a DX10 card till Vista matures, and there are more DX10 card that can compete, unfortunately the X2900 just uses too much power. Link
£40 CoolMaster Cavalier Aluminum Tower Case (No PSU)
No comment

I might get these
£27 Soundblaster X-fi Xtreme Sound Card
Sounds good
£10 Mikomi 2.0 Black PC Speakers

Salvaged from old PC
Power supply pack for tower
I recommend that you get a new PSU. It is powering your whole PC, so if it's not good, you system will be unstable. I recommend a Thermaltake, they seem quite reliable. Mine is a Toughpower 700W, though you won't need that much right now, you may want to upgrade in the future.
Monitor
Floppy Drive
CD-R/RW 12x10x32x

Hello everyone.
Here is what I am planning on buying:

I’m hoping that I’ll be able to update at the end of the year with a Directx10 graphics card for next generation gaming and before that I’ll buy another Kingston 1GB RAM stick to go with the other one. (is that possible?) :?:

Finally I want your opinion on whether you think this will make a good PC as I’ve been researching for two weeks and I want to start ordering and building, I have Windows Vista already (don’t ask) and I’ll be going over to America in August so hopefully I’ll be able to pick up a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD drive providing the dollar is still weaker than the pound.

Well tell me what you think and any recommendations or improvements you think I’ll need if any, thanks for reading.

 

[ZozZoz]

Dude)mate)

I dunno where you got your price quotes, but you're getting ripped off big time.

1GBP (i assume your prices are in british pounds) is 1.92 US Dollars.
E6300 retails for about 200 bucks, give or take 5.

150x1.92 = 288 U.S. dollars.

same deal with the motherboard and everything else.

 

[ZozZoz]

well neither is e6400, it still has 2mb of cache available out of 4.

 

[qwertycopter]

The biggest thing to note is that a power supply from 1998 will be woefully incapable of powering that rig (not to mention the lack of connectors, such as SATA power and 4-pin CPU power). You will need to invest in a new power supply. This is not a place to skimp, especially if you want to upgrade to a power-hungry DX10 card.

Also, regarding the blu-ray or hd-dvd. Don't bother. You will pay through the teeth and for what, exactly? A small collection of over-priced high-def movies on your 1998 CRT? A modern DVD burner can be had for $30 US.

 

[lujucto]

we just get ripped off here in the UK on everything... one thing to note though is that £150 is a lot, i don't know where you are looking but i see it for £115 where I am looking

 

[zenmaster]

1) Why the Expensive SLI MB? I doubt you will need SLI anytime soon. A single top of the line Video card can satisfy most folks.

2) Video Card - Go with the 7600GT not the GS. The GT is faster. Also 256MB of RAM is more than enough for the 7600GT cards. These are not super high end cards that will be using massive resolutions. Some higher end cards could make use of the RAM on large screens, but the 7600 series does not really need this much ram. The price saving in RAM will likely pay for the upgrade to the 7600GT

3) HDD - If you can, try getting a Seagate 7200.10 model. These have Perpendicular recording which helps performance a tad.

4) Definately a new PSU

See - http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103

Anything listed, Even Tier 3, is OK. All definately better than what you have.

If you plan on heavy gaming and getting a super big card like the 8800GTX in the futre, then a 600+ Watt PSU from the list is likely what you want. If you are thinking the 7600 or the upcoming 8600 will hold you, then just about any PSU listed should work since these cards do not take loads of power.

 

[tool_462]

The E6300 is a Core 2 Duo. What the confusion is, is that the E6300 and E6400 are Allendale cores with 2MB of L2 Cache instead of the 4MB on the Conroe core CPUs (E6600/E6700/X6800) The only reason I would suggest spending the extra cash for the E6400 over the E6300 is if you are going to be overclocking, the E6400's 8x multiplier (E6300 is 7x) makes it a little easier to get a decent OC out of "generic" or 533/667 memory.

But at that point, if you are in fact an overclocker, you may want to look at the E4300 (9x multi) with 2MB L2 Cache but runs on 800mhz FSB as apposed to the 1066mhz FSB of it's bigger brothers. E4300 is also Allendale core.

 

[ragekage18]

if that is the case get the e4300 it has a x9 multiplier and is only 800 fsb which will further help with the 533 or 667 ddr2.


sorry man didnt see the later part of you thread.

 

[NightlySputnik]

2 things:

Don't go for the 512MB GeF 7600GS. Performances won't be any higher than the 256MB one altough the price will be.

Value-RAM in itself isn't a problem if you don't plan to overclock. The only thing is that I would use the money saved on your VPU to get 2GB instead of 1. You'll surely thank me in the long run. Believe me!

And last, don't forget a reasonable PSU. For good quality and price, Antec is a good choice in the True Power line. Around 500Watts... or more if you can afford it... especially if you plan to put in a Dx10 card this coming summer.

 

[angelkiller]

Hmmmm I'm confused.

From my knowledge, the e6300 IS a C2D. I don't know who told you they arn't. Second is that e6300 and e6400 ARE NOT Allendale Cores. They are Conroe. Conroe Cores have 4MB of Cache. (LIke the X6800, E6700 and E6600.) The e6300 and E6400 use the SAME physical core as higher models but have 2mb of cache disabled. (and lower clock speeds). A TRUE Allendale Core is the e4300. It physically only has 2mb of cache.

 

[angelkiller]

And just a few comments, I'd get a 7600GT instead of a GS. It's much faster, and not much more expensive. As others have said, your salvaged PSU may not work. Also, what's the point of a dedicated sound card if you're gonna use some cheap 2.0 speakers??