Lost for what spec PC to get..

Hi,

please bear with me, im a big nub when it comes to IT stuff....

I'm looking to build/buy a desktop but i am not sure what the best components will be...

I will be using the computer to play online poker and watch films... Gaming is not really very important to me. but there will be several programs running simultaneously and i would like it to handle em all comfortably without any lag or hangups..

Id like it to be quiet... although i hear u can access your tower unit remotely now (run your mouse keyboard and monitor through electric LAN network) so i may do that in future if its noisy, provided i don't loose out on performance too much..

I will need plenty of storage so im thinking 500+ HD (which HD? Sata2?)

Is it possible to have a HD output from ur GFX card to your monitor (HD TVor HD ready LCD) to watch your films in HD? and does a sound card really make much of a difference? Films are important lol..

So given those parameters what would you guys recomend? i dont need exact specs just general guidelines.. budget is not really an issue but i dont really want to spend much more then £1k , also if i wanted to to get a company to build it who is the "best" company to go for?

so far ive looked into over clockers and dell along with some other custom build ones, but i always end up spec'ing it to something silly and cost is 1500-3k!! so i thought i would post and ask do i really need top of the range stuff when likely hood of me playing a game on it is very low, (i do have another gaming rig in bros room which i frag on from time to time thou lol)

Thanks for all help in advance..

Mk

Looking at a $2000 build and taking into consideration VAT and higher prices in the UK.
I would look at.
OS: OEM version of windows xp pro 32 bit.
If you feel you need DX 10 then Vista home 64 bit

CPU: Intel E8500 or Q6600

Motherboard: A P35 NorthBridge one

Ram: Anything you can get that's less than 25 quid a GB for 4GB just make sure it's a name brand with a lifetime warranty.

Video Card: 8600GT if your just gona watch movies.
8800GT if you want to play games and watch movies. If XfX and EVGA offer their life warranty in the UK, well it's a no brain er.

PSU: Any tier 1 or 2 PSU rated at 600 watts or better.

Hard Drive: If Seagate offers it's 5 year warranty in the UK get one of the series 7200.11 32MB cache hard drives, 500GB or higher.

DVD Burner: I don't buy anything made by Sony/NEC not since the root kit thing anyways. I mostly buy Samsung.

After Market CPU Cooling: I buy the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro, all but one of my CPU's has an AC cooler on it. Now if you want to spend a bit more, I would look at the Xigmatek HDT S1284 it's got the best specs for cooling of all the air cooling units. But in Pea soup UK you prolly won't need anything better than stock unless you overclock the computer.

Monitor: I like Samsung here also, 22 inch lcd HDCP with an HDMI input.

Well these guidelines should help you kill off a thousand pounds easily.

Thanks a lot guys, im starting to get a clearer picture of what i need in my PC imo.. How do u guys feel about "pre-overclocked" Processors?

I found the spec below for ~650 on OC . com are they generally over priced? (i dont mind paying slightly extra if the specs are good!)

- Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 GO 2.40GHz Quad Core CPU Overclocked too a minimum of 3.30GHz and beyond. (8/9 x 400MHz - 1600MHz FSB)
- Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro Intel approved cooler
- Arctic Silver 5 Heatsink compound professionally hand installed by our technicians
- Abit IP35-Pro Intel P35 (Socket LGA775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
- Award winning OCZ 2GB SLI PC2-8500 CAS5 (2x1GB) Dual Channel Kit (Overclocked at 1000MHz+)
- 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 32MB Cache SATA-2 Hard Drive
- NVIDIA XFX Alpha Dog 8800 GT 512MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) DirectX 10 Graphics Card
- Pioneer 215DBK 20x DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black)
- Corsair TX 650W Next Generation Power Supply
- 1yr Onsite Collect & Return Warranty (Can collect from any address (UK Mainland ONLY) and same day collection possible if requested before 11am)

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/show [...] =FS-048-OK

Sure mate it looks fine, if the price suits you great. I would try to get a longer warranty though, not withstanding obtuse recommendations from the condescending knuckelous nimblous.
Building a box can be fun, also frustrating, if you have people that you can call on if you get stuck, you can learn much about a computer system.
Over all the choice comes down to you, and your own level of desire to do a home build.
I haven't bought a manufactured system in 13 years.

what is this "Hydraulic Lan"? i goggled it but didnt find anything, the electric lan i was refering to was a Poweline HD thing.

blaaaargh stay away from dell, pcworld or any pre built system!!!

OC is a brilliant site used them alot and never had any issues!!!

what do you guys think of this build? and for £1500 what kinda specs can i expect... this PC building is sooo damn infuriating atm... i just cant decide what i would need... i am either at £500 region with core2duos Or in 1500+ region with SLIs... WHAT TO DO!!!

[img][/img]

^ Looks good.