Hi all, I'm looking to build a machine probably around the end of May/half way through June. I have never built a pc from scratch but have some experience installing ram, hard-drives, graphics cards etc. so thought I would come here for some advice and tips.
I'm looking to build a machine for general use and occasional game playing (usually strategy, RPG type games) but currently am not gaming. I have gone for a graphics card with a decent price to performance ratio that I would probably upgrade to a more a powerful card if necessary later on in the pc's life if I was gaming more. Other than that I would probably be looking to avoid upgrading else for several years. I may be interested in overclocking slightly if beneficial later on.
I have priced this build on novatech.co.uk (I am in the uk) and my budget is around 900 - 1000 pounds max including a monitor. Any suggestions for other good sites to order components from would also be appreciated.
Processor: Intel Quad Core Q9450 4 x 2.66Ghz 12Mb Cache 1333 FSB, ~250 pounds currently (should hopefully drop)
Mobo: Asus P5E Intel X38, 130 pounds
Ram: Corsair TwinX 2GB Kit (2x1GB) 240Pin PC2-8500 Dominator 1066MHz, 45 pounds (possibly more if go for 64bit os)
Cooler: Zalman CNPS9700-LED, 35 pounds (recommended as a cooler that fits the space on mobo)
Graphics card: Novatech ATI Radeon HD 3850 P256MB GDDR3, 70 pounds
HD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 500Gb, 55 pounds or Samsung Spin Point F1 SATAII NCQ 1TB, 100 pounds
Optical: Asus 20x SATA Lightscribe DVD+/-RW, 20 pounds
Case: Antec P182 Super Midi Tower, 85 pounds
Power supply: Corsair HX 520W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU, 65 pounds
Total cost: 755 - 790 pounds
I will also need:-
Monitor: 22 inch LCD - any advice appreciated!
Keyboard: any advice appreciated!
OS: Either XP or Vista, I am currently leaning towards XP as the new MS OS is meant to be out in 2010 as I understand and vista is a pain in the rear end. Would it be worth going for a 64 bit version and getting extra ram? Again, any advice appreciated!
Finally, are there any particular tools I would need for assembly - other than a screwdriver set and some decent thermal grease?
Sorry for the huge post, am just a bit apprehensive about building for the first time! Thanks in advance - Boffinboy
I'm looking to build a machine for general use and occasional game playing (usually strategy, RPG type games) but currently am not gaming. I have gone for a graphics card with a decent price to performance ratio that I would probably upgrade to a more a powerful card if necessary later on in the pc's life if I was gaming more. Other than that I would probably be looking to avoid upgrading else for several years. I may be interested in overclocking slightly if beneficial later on.
I have priced this build on novatech.co.uk (I am in the uk) and my budget is around 900 - 1000 pounds max including a monitor. Any suggestions for other good sites to order components from would also be appreciated.
Processor: Intel Quad Core Q9450 4 x 2.66Ghz 12Mb Cache 1333 FSB, ~250 pounds currently (should hopefully drop)
Mobo: Asus P5E Intel X38, 130 pounds
Ram: Corsair TwinX 2GB Kit (2x1GB) 240Pin PC2-8500 Dominator 1066MHz, 45 pounds (possibly more if go for 64bit os)
Cooler: Zalman CNPS9700-LED, 35 pounds (recommended as a cooler that fits the space on mobo)
Graphics card: Novatech ATI Radeon HD 3850 P256MB GDDR3, 70 pounds
HD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 500Gb, 55 pounds or Samsung Spin Point F1 SATAII NCQ 1TB, 100 pounds
Optical: Asus 20x SATA Lightscribe DVD+/-RW, 20 pounds
Case: Antec P182 Super Midi Tower, 85 pounds
Power supply: Corsair HX 520W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU, 65 pounds
Total cost: 755 - 790 pounds
I will also need:-
Monitor: 22 inch LCD - any advice appreciated!
Keyboard: any advice appreciated!
OS: Either XP or Vista, I am currently leaning towards XP as the new MS OS is meant to be out in 2010 as I understand and vista is a pain in the rear end. Would it be worth going for a 64 bit version and getting extra ram? Again, any advice appreciated!
Finally, are there any particular tools I would need for assembly - other than a screwdriver set and some decent thermal grease?
Sorry for the huge post, am just a bit apprehensive about building for the first time! Thanks in advance - Boffinboy