Hardware What Hardware Should I Buy? - April 2009

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2009/04/04/what-hardware-should-i-buy-april-2009/1

We've completely rejigged the buyers guide for April - now we have four recommended builds instead of just three. Take a look at our recommendations for the Affordable All-Rounder, Enthusiast Overclocker, Gaming Workhorse and Premium Player to if you're in the mood for a new build!

 

Nice selection

Optical Drive
First Choice: LG GGGC H2OL Blu-ray, HD DVD DVD-RW combo drive

Should that not be LG GGC - one extra G.

Also what about the "V2" P6T Mobo...

 

intel Pentium?

 

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2009/04/04/what-hardware-should-i-buy-april-2009/6 <-- using $ not £ in the UK price list.

Also - have you done a "how to overclock the board" section on the "Enthusiast Overclocker" motherboards - would be nice to see.

 

not p182 for primary case choice anymore! have you guys gone the tacky route?

gamer workhorse UK price has a dollar sign

and for premium selection, i thought your group test showed TRUE to be the best performing, is it because of the mounted wiggle?

 

good to still still still see the q6600 going strong.

 

It's a brand only, it's Core 2 architecture underneath.

RE: Q6600 - I wanted to drop it, but Baz found a price we literally cannot ignore in the UK so it stays in. I did want the Phenom II X4 940 or Q9550.

 

You've left a bit of a price gap here in the displays, at £320 i think the BenQ FP241W still deserves a mention, as theres nothing between £165 and £425...

 

amazing what 1000 pounds will buy in pc equipment these days. Thanks for the article

 

I notice the 30inch monitor you're listing is still ridiculously expensive. If you want 2560x1600, I know of two such monitors available in the US that are now available for less than half the price of the NEC model you list (I live in the US, so I don't know how much they are in the UK):
Samsung SyncMaster 305T
Gateway XHD3000
Is the NEC model really enough better than those to justify the $2000+ price?

 

I'm pretty sure the E7x00 series is branded Core 2 Duo; the E5x00 is branded Pentium Dual-Core.


I also agree that there should be another monitor in the ~£250-£300 range, maybe a budget 24-incher.

 

yea, finaly the HP LP2475W in the list ;-)

 

Of course, because it is THE BEST 30" you can buy. It's phenomenal if you have a lot of money to spend on a lot of real estate. Just like if you want THE BEST pc you have to pay through the nos for it.

I havent seen the Samsung and have no idea what the Gateway uses sorry.

 

How can you get 2x Geforce 260 GTX for such LOW PRICE!!!!
I think there is a price error, especially that the U.S link leads to an ATI card.

This is the price in Canada.. you get 1 for that price.
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=33327&vpn=896-P3-1265-AR&manufacture=eVGA

 

The UK has a much more aggressive price for Nvidia cards, but the US gets better prices for ATI - that's why so many American sites are recommending 4890s right now.

Your GTX 260 prices are crackers - DO NOT buy that.

 

Scythe Kama Angle looks sweet, especially in a Antec 300 or similiar cases with top and rear exhaust fans
any upcoming review?

 

I know.. when I got my GTX 260, I paid~ 300$ after taxes and shipping.. now it's high price where ever you look (same for other Nvidia cards)

 

a nice clocked q6600 can't be beat bang for buck

 

The Gateway is better for me because of the extra inputs - I have 5 gaming consoles (SNES, N64, GC, PS2, X360) hooked up to it through a Pelican System Selector Pro. As far as what panels the monitors use, I've read that the Samsung 305T and Gateway XHD3000 use the exact same model of S-PVA panel internally, but the Gateway adds extra inputs, speakers, menu options, and a remote control.

 

A friend showed me a 22" dell with a 1920 x 1600 resolution and it was about £150. I don't know where it's gone now, mind.

Found eet:

http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1&sku=189447

Ok so the resolution is different but still it's quite a good buy.