APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Between now and the end of August
BUDGET RANGE: Approximately £100, will consider slightly higher.
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, general use (films, internet etc)
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: All peripherals, OS (Windows 7 64 bit), case (450W PSU - will consider buying one separately depending on pricing)
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: microdirect.co.uk, scan.co.uk, misco.co.uk, overclockers.co.uk (will also consider other UK-based websites if recommended)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK
PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD, ASUS, Seagate, are preferences from previous experience but open to suggestions
OVERCLOCKING: No (will be using the standard CPU heatsink)
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe
MONITOR RESOLUTION: I'm currently using a 19" widescreen with a 16:10 aspect ratio, but I'd like to get a new 24" monitor (so I'm open to recommendations in the £120-150 price range although I have some ideas). I'm considering running a dual monitor setup using the 19" monitor for web browsing, documents etc while using the 24" for full screen applications.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: While I've already chosen a number of components below, I'd be quite happy to consider alternatives if people have personal recommendations.
I'm currently looking at building a new system to replace my 3 year old one that has recently died on me. Since I built my last PC I haven't really kept up with the industry, so now I'm coming to build a new one I have no idea what's what at the moment! I have selected a number of parts already, so what I'm primarily looking for is recommendations for a video card.
I use my PC mostly for gaming, although since there's only a few upcoming releases that have caught my eye I don't need a top of the range machine. I'd like to run things like Dawn of War 2 and Starcraft 2 on high settings, and I'm looking for around a three year lifespan for the system, although obviously not intending to run a new title in two years on max settings with no upgrades.
Nothing about the system below is set yet so I'm open to suggestions that would either improve performance within the same price range or lower cost, for example I have chosen a cheap optical drive for it but if anyone has any recommendations within a reasonable price range (£10-30) then by all means suggest them. My budget is a bit tight at the moment but since my PC is dead I'd like to get a move on and build a new one as soon as possible (I'm currently using my previous machine built in 2004!).
System Specifications:
motherboard:
Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4 AMD 790X Socket AM3 ATX
processor:
AMD CPU AM3 Athlon II X4 635 2.9GHz
memory:
Corsair memory DDR3 1333MHz 4GB kit
hard drives:
Seagate 250GB hard disk drive SATA II 300 7200rpm 8MB cache
Seagate 500GB hard disk drive Barracuda SATA II 300 7200rpm 16MB cache x2
Seagate 1TB hard disk drive SATA II 300 7200rpm 32MB cache
optical drive:
SONY DVD-ROM DDU1681S-0B 18x Black OEM
BUDGET RANGE: Approximately £100, will consider slightly higher.
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, general use (films, internet etc)
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: All peripherals, OS (Windows 7 64 bit), case (450W PSU - will consider buying one separately depending on pricing)
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: microdirect.co.uk, scan.co.uk, misco.co.uk, overclockers.co.uk (will also consider other UK-based websites if recommended)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK
PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD, ASUS, Seagate, are preferences from previous experience but open to suggestions
OVERCLOCKING: No (will be using the standard CPU heatsink)
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe
MONITOR RESOLUTION: I'm currently using a 19" widescreen with a 16:10 aspect ratio, but I'd like to get a new 24" monitor (so I'm open to recommendations in the £120-150 price range although I have some ideas). I'm considering running a dual monitor setup using the 19" monitor for web browsing, documents etc while using the 24" for full screen applications.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: While I've already chosen a number of components below, I'd be quite happy to consider alternatives if people have personal recommendations.
I'm currently looking at building a new system to replace my 3 year old one that has recently died on me. Since I built my last PC I haven't really kept up with the industry, so now I'm coming to build a new one I have no idea what's what at the moment! I have selected a number of parts already, so what I'm primarily looking for is recommendations for a video card.
I use my PC mostly for gaming, although since there's only a few upcoming releases that have caught my eye I don't need a top of the range machine. I'd like to run things like Dawn of War 2 and Starcraft 2 on high settings, and I'm looking for around a three year lifespan for the system, although obviously not intending to run a new title in two years on max settings with no upgrades.
Nothing about the system below is set yet so I'm open to suggestions that would either improve performance within the same price range or lower cost, for example I have chosen a cheap optical drive for it but if anyone has any recommendations within a reasonable price range (£10-30) then by all means suggest them. My budget is a bit tight at the moment but since my PC is dead I'd like to get a move on and build a new one as soon as possible (I'm currently using my previous machine built in 2004!).
System Specifications:
motherboard:
Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4 AMD 790X Socket AM3 ATX
processor:
AMD CPU AM3 Athlon II X4 635 2.9GHz
memory:
Corsair memory DDR3 1333MHz 4GB kit
hard drives:
Seagate 250GB hard disk drive SATA II 300 7200rpm 8MB cache
Seagate 500GB hard disk drive Barracuda SATA II 300 7200rpm 16MB cache x2
Seagate 1TB hard disk drive SATA II 300 7200rpm 32MB cache
optical drive:
SONY DVD-ROM DDU1681S-0B 18x Black OEM
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