Build Advice Rebuilding a Dell Q6600 rig - advice

Ok, I've got a Dell XPS-420, got it 3 years ago - going pretty strong, and runs new games really well - conisdering I use a fairly small monitor (19" 1440*900).

However, the BTX motherboard in it is shiiiiii...really bad, as is the DDR RAM that came installed. Every now and then when I turn it on, I'm getting blue screens, have to remount hardware. PITA.

What I want to do is keep the usable hardware, and rebuild the framework of the PC. I want to do this SOON as from my research, there aren't many socket 775 motherboards out there any more :S I don't have the money to do a new build (with a new processor). The budget is...as low as possible. Preferably under £200 - including a new copy of Windows (as I don't have any install discs :-( )

Here's the specs atm:

Q6600
3GB DDR-5300
GTS-450 1GB
2*250GB HDDs in RAID-0

So...I need a new MB, a new ATX PSU, a new ATX case, new RAM, a new cooling fan and a new OS.

I'm down to a choice of 3 motherboards - as there is very little out there:
Gigabyte GA-EG41MFT-US2H mATX - £53.29
Gigabyte GA-P41T-D3 ATX - £46.12
Gigabyte GA-EP45T-UD3LR ATX - £84.98

The idea of a small, portable mATX rig appeals to me - as I move my desktop a lot between my home and university, but is the P45 board a lot better than the others? Also - will I be able to RAID 0 my drives with these MBs? I'd be open to a little OC on my processor - but nothing mental.

Other components:
Windows 7 Premium - £69 from ebuyer.
2*2GB DDR3 RAM (1066MHz or 1333MHz) - ~£36
Corsair / OCZ PSU - ~£35
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro 2 cooling fan - ~£15
Case - budgeted for a low end coolermaster - ~£30

So it's about £185 excluding the motherboard - going to be overbudget Might stick it in a cheapo nasty case for the mo till I can afford something better / mod something mb.

Comments and thoughts please? Preferably - suggestions of other motherboards!

CC

 

Have a read of the Bit-Tech 'Affordable All-Rounder'...

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/buyers-guide/2011/03/10/pc-hardware-buyer-s-guide-march-2011/2

Should be able to glean some good ideas from that build.

 

Thanks, but I need a 775 MB, so that guide's basically useless.

I've already got candidates for a case / RAM / PSU

CC

 

Check the market place, a fair bit of 775 gen stuff has been showing up on there over the last month

 

If your certain you cannot afford a new cpu etc I would consider bargain hunting on ebay?

Plenty of socket 775 products to be had there

 

+1 to members market. If your going 775 then you'll most likely need DDR2 memory rather then DDR3 tho some higher end boards did support it. Personally I would spend considerably more on a PSU.
If possible sell some of your old kit on MM too. Might get a few pennies for it.

 

http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=206502 hopefully he would knock a bit of for you as well if you don't take the sound card

edit: oopps just realised the boards sound doesn't work, hence the include sound card, anyway, maybe knock the case of the list and you'd be only £5 over budget

 

Great advice guys! Got an ASUS P5Q Pro (though not the one listed above) and an Artic Freezer 7 on the way - bought on the Marketplace for £53.

So I still need a case, PSU, RAM and OS.

Case is a tricky one - I need a case that is pretty portable, as I move around a lot. Portable = sturdy, lightweight, handle etc. But...I could buy a rubbish one for £11 on ebuyer

PSU - spend more, really? Is it actually a good use of my money - especially considering that I'm very limited.

RAM - DDR2 prices are currently higher than DDR3 new....I need some 2nd hand RAM too. Looking for 4GB 1066MHz if anybody's got any kicking around?

OS - I should really splurge on a copy of Windows 7. Good investment.

CC

 

If your gonna go cheap on 1 of those 4 its probably safest and most sensible to be the case (unless its some fan and vent less lump that will melt your hardware)

A (really) cheap PSU is a no no for me. It could damage your components.

 

Member market

I picked up a coule of cracking 775 boards on there recently

 

The CoolerMaster Storm Scout might be what you want:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/165238
But price is higher than the budget you hope for. But in my opion, it's worth paying a little more for a case than the £30 range ones, as a decent case can last for years for many builds (not unless you toss if out the window from 2nd floor ).

 

The Cooler Master CM Storm Scout Mid tower fits your description but is around the £60 mark.

Not sure how portable an LGA775 system can be anyway

 

Antec 300 for the Case. Light, well made and relativley cheap at around £40. There's on going for £25 in the market place.

Spend money on a PSU, It's the most crucial thing to have if you want a PC to work-i.e, Power on and Stay powered on. I would go for a Corsair PSU personally.

Defo get Windows 7 64bit.

Sam

 

Case + PSU Bundles:
Coolermaster Elite 330 + 500W PSU for £53
Coolermaste Elite 430 + 500W PSU for £58
The Elite 430 looks like quite a nice case from the CM website, but these CM PSUs any good?

PSU:
Corsair 430W CX PSU
Worth spending more than this? Really?

Of course there's always stuff out there for £5 more, just £10 more, only £15 more but it adds up to >£50 pretty quickly.

Also - RE Windows 7 64 bit - it's got to be 32 bit I'm afraid, I do a lot of CAD work for engineering degree on this machine, and the CAD systems only run on 32 bit operating systems.

CC

 

Xigmatek Midgard for around £50. Cracking case and if I am honest, better value for money than the Antec 300 now that the Antec is around the £46 mark.

The Midgard comes with 2 1800rpm 120mm fans and a (much needed) fan controller, loads of cables routing options and room for more fans. There is a filtered PSU intake vent in the floor and the intake has filters as well.

I just built a SB rig for a friend with one, I highly recommend looking at one, in the flesh if you can.

Avoid those CM PSU's, they are shite. The Corsair Builder Series is way better and gets 9 out of 10 from jonnyguru.com. Corsair are about to release the 80 Plus certified version of the Builder Series (v2) as well but I have no idea when exactly.

If you have to go for a cheap case, don't get a cheap PSU with it. The CX430 is fine.

 

i'm surprised at that fingers cos I've been using cm PSU's for ages with no issues at all. maybe i have been lucky, who knows, but i generally recommend them too! gonna have to do some more reading methinks!

I can however recommend these cases for a budget build. they are well made, and quite feature packed for such a small outlay.

 

The basic CM PSU's are not to be trusted if you like your hardware however CM do make good PSU's. The "Elite" versions sold with these cases are not one of them though.

Sorry to disagree with you again but the Casecom cases are simply rubbish, plain and simple. Apart from the CoolerMaster cases already mentioned, have a look at the Silverstone PS01/02/03/04/05 or the Xigmatek Asgard for a decent budget case.

 

Ok cheers for the input Fingers.

Sonic - sometimes, all that cheap cases have going for them is a little va-va-voom in the pure, blinging looks department...but that case is dirrrrrrrtee ugly man. I wouldn't pull it even after a night on the snakebites.

I'll see what I can get in terms of 2nd hand DDR2 RAM (new stuff is hitting £60 for a 4GB kit...) - then go from there with the rest of the build. Never know, mb I'll find £50 on the floor?

CC

 

If you are sure you will be taking your rig around a lot, you should really consider the CoolerMaster Storm Scrout (as it got handle and weight only around 8.7kg), even if it does cost more.

But if your heart is set on the CoolerMaster Elite 430, it is a decent case for the price as well.

As for 2nd hand DDR2, I doubt you will be able to find 2x2GB kits for under £50, even in 2nd hand market.

 

well i have had personal experience with that case, and build quality is up there with the best of them, it has bottom mounted psu, and fan vent. plenty of cooling options, rolled edges, cpu cutouts, cable management holes, screwless design. really, what more could you want for 24 quid!!