[zoostation]

Ok I'll cut to the chase otherwise this could get very long.

I'm going to replace my 3 year old PC, which was based around an AMD Athlon 3000 single core processor with 512mb ram and to be honest I have no idea what motherboard it has. It has 120 gb hard drive.

I decided to replace rather than upgrade as I am going to uni and would like the new one to last 3 years without having to do much to it.

The PC is used for heavy net use, watching video's, DVD, storing and listening to my music, my 120 gb is rammed full and I am deleting stuff on a monthly basis it seems. I would also like to play the latest games on it without any problems, but don't expect that I'll be able to play the latest games in 18 months time without some upgrades.

I've deliberated over each part with more thought than I have put into, well pretty much anything.

The only definite thing - Corsair 2gb DDR2 800mhz @ £67
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=MY-092-CS

I also reckon it would be wise to to upgrade to Vista Home premum in order to make sure it's still going strong in a couple of years @ £67

One major headache I have had selecting is the motherboard, I have definitely decided to go with AMD for the cpu now as core duo is just gonna stretch the budget too much.

Having read a lot of threads on here I have decided that a 64x2 6000+ is an extravagance that isn't needed.

Which CPU and motherboard would you suggest, at £40 this http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=CP-134-AM (AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ (Socket 939) - OEM) is going dirt cheap, but what does the 939 socket connection mean, and what is the difference in terms of performance compared to an AM2 socket connection, other than having to get a different type of motherboard?

I want to keep the overall budget at £500, I am using my monitor, mouse, keyboard and dvd rw drive from my old pc.

Oh and would it be a big no no to get a case with a psu supplied or am I better off getting them both seperate?

Right I think that's enough questions for now, I didn't really cut to the chase did I, but thanks for sticking with it, if you did.

 

[iampoor]

socket 939 is outdated.

Don't buy that. ANd if you did ddr2 RAM would not work with it.

The best AMD overclocker is the x3600

The x2 6000 is a wast of money and not an "extravagence" (if you spend that much on a processor you go C2D)

The x2 3600 can easly beat a x2 6000 when overclocked

 

[Fusion Racing]

do you need to buy a new case aswell? or not, because, if not, ive got a great build here

Edit: if you need a case, i can manage £521 posted from ocuk... but i can't really get any lower on price, unless you go for a crappy case

 

[zoostation]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fusion Racing do you need to buy a new case aswell? or not, because, if not, ive got a great build here

Yeah I'll need a new case because the current pc is going to my mum.

How will the x2 3600 stand up in a couple of years, how easy is it to learn overclocking, I am pretty tech savvy I just haven't kept on top of tech changes since buying my last pc, I guess at £50 I shouldn't worry too much as I could replace the cpu in 2 years or so if needs be.

 

[iampoor]

well it will be crap in 3 years (my pc is 3 years).

But AM2 and AM3 willl be compatible.

Overclocking is very easy

 

[Fusion Racing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoostation Yeah I'll need a new case because the current pc is going to my mum. How will the x2 3600 stand up in a couple of years, how easy is it to learn overclocking, I am pretty tech savvy I just haven't kept on top of tech changes since buying my last pc, I guess at £50 I shouldn't worry too much as I could replace the cpu in 2 years or so if needs be.

what would you say to a build that is £521.... would £21 over your budget be ok? - its mainly the shipping that pushes it up

and this is a C2D build

 

[zoostation]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fusion Racing what would you say to a build that is £521.... would £21 over your budget be ok? - its mainly the shipping that pushes it up and this is a C2D build

I could live with £21 over, could you show us the components?

 

[zoostation]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iampoor well it will be crap in 3 years (my pc is 3 years). But AM2 and AM3 willl be compatible. Overclocking is very easy

What motherboard would you suggest for this, problem I have had at the minute selecting a motherboard is I think I am going over and above what my needs are.

Have had another look, and would this be appropriate and allow me to stick a newer cpu on in 18 months or so if needs be.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=MB-145-AS

 

[Fusion Racing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoostation I could live with £21 over, could you show us the components?

i can

i think everything is in there, if it isn't - ill add it and find a way to get the price back down

 

[zoostation]

Thing is I thought if I was going to go the way of Intel I would base it around the e6550 when it's released (and I'd prepared to go to £550 but then it's hitting maximum)

Is 600w necessary for the psu, what could I run the system at comfortably?

I'd want vista which is like £67 of the budget straight away tho.

 

[Fusion Racing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoostation Thing is I thought if I was going to go the way of Intel I would base it around the e6550 when it's released (and I'd prepared to go to £550 but then it's hitting maximum) Is 600w necessary for the psu, what could I run the system at comfortably? I'd want vista which is like £67 of the budget straight away tho.

ahh yeh damn.... i forgot about vista

the thing is, with this rig, it will be so much better than any AMD rig you could build - much faster, and would overclock loads more aswell...

if you want vista aswell... it would be tight on prices... depends, what you want to do really... cheaper case you could afford vista easier - or just get more monies somehow

 

[t4ct1c47]

I think you'd be better off with a system like the one Fusion Racing has suggested.

Quote:

Originally Posted by iampoor Overclocking is very easy

Overclocking in small amounts, such as 150Mhz on a Pentium 4 3.0Ghz is easy. However, decent overclocks aren't quite as simple as there is alot of trial and error involved. I used to run my previous Pentium 4 650 @ 4.0Ghz on a 24/7 basis, and I'm currently running an extra 1200Mhz through my E6600. There are many factors to take into consideration, for starters, you'd definately need an after market cooler to hit 3.0Ghz if you based your system on the X2 3600+. You'd also need to familurise yourself with the voltage requirements of your motherboard and CPU to attain decent clock speeds.

 

[waqasr]

This is just about your budget..now i know you think that cpu is low end..but trust me that overclocked to 3 ghz..which is very likely compared to say the e6600 at 3.0ghz..the difference is not much..ok so its got 1mb L2..but it wont be very noticeable.

 

[zoostation]

Ok I have been going at this for the last 8 and half hours, which is more than shocking and very sad I know.

I'm £16 over my max budget haha (like such a thing can be stuck to) but I set it low so not to go too extravagant.

I could probably save money with a different graphics card which may do the same job for less money, so any sugggestions welcome.

I only have 450w from the psu which is with the case. That may not be enough, I do not honestly know and would like some advice as a couple of you have suggested 600w, I'm hoping that's not necessary otherwise I have to relook at this.

 

[ted]

skip the 8600... performance isn't worth it unless you "have to have" the dx10 card.

 

[iampoor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by t4ct1c47 Overclocking in small amounts, such as 150Mhz on a Pentium 4 3.0Ghz is easy. However, decent overclocks aren't quite as simple as there is alot of trial and error involved. I used to run my previous Pentium 4 650 @ 4.0Ghz on a 24/7 basis, and I'm currently running an extra 1200Mhz through my E6600. There are many factors to take into consideration, for starters, you'd definately need an after market cooler to hit 3.0Ghz if you based your system on the X2 3600+. You'd also need to familurise yourself with the voltage requirements of your motherboard and CPU to attain decent clock speeds.

My point is It doesn't take lots of though just time which I mentioned nothing about.

I know mine wasn't hard. I saying that it is easy to Understand

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoostation Ok I have been going at this for the last 8 and half hours, which is more than shocking and very sad I know. I'm £16 over my max budget haha (like such a thing can be stuck to) but I set it low so not to go too extravagant. I could probably save money with a different graphics card which may do the same job for less money, so any sugggestions welcome. I only have 450w from the psu which is with the case. That may not be enough, I do not honestly know and would like some advice as a couple of you have suggested 600w, I'm hoping that's not necessary otherwise I have to relook at this.

Thats a good compromise.

However all the systems here are good. for the minimum yours is fine

 

[zoostation]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ted skip the 8600... performance isn't worth it unless you "have to have" the dx10 card.

Could you suggest an alternative, I do agree it would be daft for the most expensive component to be the graphics card.

Thanks for your help everyone btw.

 

[Fusion Racing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoostation Could you suggest an alternative, I do agree it would be daft for the most expensive component to be the graphics card. Thanks for your help everyone btw.

only alternative would be the X1950 Pro - but considering the 8600GTS is £111 and performs around a 7900GT in DX9 its a damn good buy

i made another build which had the same parts as my last one i posted apart from it had vista home premium 64bit... and i changed the case to a Thermaltake soprano and its still expensive, but a good build. £574 posted...

i can't really make it cheaper or you will really start to lose performance

 

[iampoor]

The only other alternative is the 8600gts (which is a better value) but it costs more.

STAY WITH THE 8600GT

 

[zoostation]

I am actually now thinking that I will get an x1950, it'll end up costing around £580 for the total build, but I'll be really happy with it, and could stretch to that all being well.

Just want to know tho, do Nvidia boards tend to perform better with intel processors than radeon or is there no difference.

And in the future I would like to get a blu ray or hd drive and a good widescreen hd compliant monitor, would the gpu and set up I am proposing be alright to play hd, without the need for further upgrades?