Please Please Help With Some Advice!! I'm in the process of attempting to build PC I mainly will be using it to browse, download and watch movies, sky player, iplayer on my TV monitor... I do a fair amount of multi tasking and usually have more than one page open... gaming isn't hugely important for me because i already got a station and 360... So far i have ordered: Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4850 Coolermaster Elite 430 Black with 500W PSU 2TB Spinpoint Ecogreen Internal HD 1 x extra led fan for the back of the case As far as i'm aware now what I need is a Processor, Motherboard and RAM and also a DVD player (I need dual layer)... Which should i get??? From what i can tell the best deals come in bundles on scan, aria etc but I don't understand the quality of the components are how compatible they are with each other or what i have already... I was thinking i'd need an I5 processor but apeart from that i'm clueless, plus in the bundles i keep seeing coolers and other components which i'm not sure are nescessary. please Help!!?? Suggestions on Motherboard, processor and Ram combos??? if you could send links that would also be appreciated!! Thanks in Advance
If the OP is really not fussed about gaming then the system you linked is a little over kill Dae314. Have a look at the 'Affordable All-Rounder' linked here. If you're really really not fussed about games then drop the graphics card they recommend for something cheap within a £50 bracket should see you proud. Just keep in mind the technology listed is very good it's just a little dated by recent standards. However it's more than capable of the things you listed and then some! SCAN is a very good place to source components and if you post 20 times in these forums you can even get free weekday delivery. Just read the forum front page before you login for more information about that. Besides that if you need more detailed links to specific items for your build just let us know and we'll guide you through compatibility issues!
This is all you need for your basic needs. It come in cheaper than the cost of an i5 for the lot. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/amd-athlon-ii-x2-250-regor-core-s-am3-30ghz-1mb-total-cache-ht-2000mhz-65w-retail http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-(2x2gb)-corsair-xms3-ddr3-pc3-12800-(1600)-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-9-9-9-24-xmp-165v http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigabyte-ga-770t-d3l-amd-770-am3-pci-e-20-(x16)-ddr3-1666(oc)-sata-3gb-s-sata-raid-atx http://www.scan.co.uk/products/sony-ad-5260s-0b-24x-dvdr-12xdvddl-dvdplusrw-x8-rwx6-sata-black-oem If you think you want a better proccer then get the AMD 955 instead (£100)
Depending on your budget and how fast a CPU you feel you need, you may want to consider an i3 (probably LGA1156 but if you can get a good deal then you could opt for 1155). I agree with the above though, 4GB DDR3 and a cheap wee DVD drive would suit you fine.
I second the LGA1156 with an I3, and think 4gb of ram is the minimum for any build nowadays. Heck for your needs, you could go the AMD route and probably shave a few more dollars. Use a micro atx mobo also.
following-up on the alternative to intel - if you want to step down (or across) from an i3 then consider a system based around the AMD Phenom II X4 here is the spring system guide 'econobox' it is about $15 cheaper than the low-end sandy bridge i3... enjoy the deliberations...
+1 also if he's on a budget (note he didn't say and that's why I put the gamer up). *sits quietly and waits for the OP's response*
This. Although I'd still plump to add an SSD for supreme responsiveness instead of the big graphics card Failing that, a Sandy Bridge i3 build if he wants to go with Intel.
HI guys Sorry for the delayed response and thanks for the feedback: I have now ordered: Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4850 Coolermaster Elite 430 Black with 500W PSU 1 x extra led fan for the back of the case 2TB Spinpoint Ecogreen Internal HD LiteOn IHAS224-19 24x DVD-SM Drive LightScribe SATA I've not yet ordered a motherboard, cpu or any ram yet? Still not sure what to go for after taking on board many of you feel the i5 quadcore maybe more than I need. I'm not solely gonna be browsing it will get used for everything ie downloading lots, streaming to TV, browsing watching video with lots of pages open. may get a few music production programmes and may end up doing some gaming but like I said it ain't top priority cause i already have consoles!! I figured I5 processor would cover all this (multitasking,etc) plus set me up in the future when I want to upgrade?!? I'm still not sure about the motherboard. I was looking at this: ASUS P8P67-M Intel P67 (REV B3) Socket 1155 DDR3 PCI-Express but its just under £100!! is that the absolute best I can get within that price bracket with my other components?? also whats the difference between this and other boards I'm seeing for £50?? Thanks for your help? any suggestions on cpu, ram and particularly a motherboard appreciated thanks
Well something I still don't think you've told us is how much have you got to spend? if you can stretch to around £350, then a i5 2500k will serve you well, something like this will certainly "future proof" you for a while. also the £50 boards your probably seeing are h67 chipset, which doesn't allow overclocking and has on board graphics, which seeing as you've just bough a gpu, theres no point in using these. The Asus P8P67 M is the best and cheapest board you should go for if you want to go with sandy bridge. If you do then something like this should do you well. Description Scansure Available Ex VAT Inc VAT LN36550 8GB (2x4GB) Corsair Vengeance DDR3 PC3-12800 (1600), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 9-9-9-24, XMP, 1.50V £66.12 £79.34 LN36726 Intel Core i5 2500K Unlocked, 1155, Sdy Bridge, QuadCore, 3.3GHz, GPU 850Mhz, 6MB Cache, 95W, Retail £134.15 £160.98 LN38035 Asus P8P67-M Rev3, Intel P67 Express, S1155, PCI-E, 2.0 x16, DDR3 2133 / 2200, SATA 6Gb/s, RAID MATX £80.67 £96.80 Recalculate Basket Save Basket View Saved Baskets Net Total Carriage VAT £280.94 £7.99 £57.78 Total £346.71 however if you haven't that much then a quad core amd setup will serve you well too, and saves you about £100 Asus M4A88TD-M EVO/USB3, AMD 880G, S AM3, DDR3 2000 (OC), 1600, SATA 6Gb/s RAID, USB 3.0, uATX, VGA £68.88 £82.66 LN34240 AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black, Deneb Core, S AM3, 3.2GHz, 8MB Cache, HT 3600MHz, 125W, Retail £82.55 £99.06 LN36550 8GB (2x4GB) Corsair Vengeance DDR3 PC3-12800 (1600), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 9-9-9-24, XMP, 1.50V £66.12 £79.34 Recalculate Basket Save Basket View Saved Baskets Net Total Carriage VAT £217.55 £7.99 £45.11 Total £270.65
Cheers for this man I didn't really wanna spend that much (£350) but think I may end up doing so. Don't really wanna go the AMD route. Any reason why you suggested I get 8gb in ram? From what i've been informed 4gb should be more than enough. Also you suggested i go for the: Asus P8P67-M Rev3, Intel P67 Express, S1155, PCI-E, 2.0 x16, DDR3 2133 / 2200, SATA 6Gb/s, RAID MATX is that pretty much the same board as these which others have suggested: Asus P8P67 LE R3 P67 Socket 1155 8 Channel HD Audio ATX Motherboard ASUS P8P67 LE (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard Asus P8P67-M PRO and do you rate it higher than these: Asus P8H67-M Evo Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD3 (Version B3) Intel P67 Express Socket 1155 Motherboard - GA-P67A-UD3/B3 sorry if these are some basic questions but i'm seriously clueless on this subject plus scared of getting wrong stuff. Thanks again
