Time for a change

MA_Moby · Post by **MA_Moby** » 09 Apr 2007 12:19

My computer, based around a Dimension 8100, is getting a tad elderly, and I really should change it wihtin the next year or so.

Currently it consists of:

Pentium 4 1300 MHz
768MB RAM
Radeon 9800 Pro
Maxtor 160GB
A nice Audigy soundcard

I want to get this updated so that I can play the next generation of flight sims.

So I see my options as:

A - upgrade my RAM and CPU to the maximum my system will take (believe this is Pentium 4 2.5!).

B - replace the heart of the computer. CPU, motherboard, RAM, and stick it all in a new box wiht my current video and sound card, drives etc. (I have never built a PC before)

C - buy a ready-made PC with a descent CPU and upgrade RAM, video, soundcard.

D - Buy a ready-made PC maxed out (dual core, 4 gigs of RAM etc) and sell the componants of my current machine on eBAY for beer money.

Considering I've never actually built a PC from scratch, just upgraded everything on mine bar the motherboard and CPU, bit by bit, what do you think the best, and cheapest, option would be? And what would you do? Any advice welcome.

MA_DanglyBob · Post by **MA_DanglyBob** » 09 Apr 2007 13:33

tbh, building a PC is easy, though its easy for some of us to claim that as we've probably done literally hundreds...

Not so easy to claim when it's your first time and you're sat in front of £1000 quids worth of bits...

I wouldn't go for top of the range stuff myself, the value goes down helluva quick and I find it's more economical to upgrade after a year or so with midrange priced stuff. But thats just my point of view.

MA_Thorn · Post by **MA_Thorn** » 09 Apr 2007 19:40

Considering I've never actually built a PC from scratch, just upgraded everything on mine bar the motherboard and CPU, bit by bit, what do you think the best, and cheapest, option would be? And what would you do? Any advice welcome.

That tells me you have practically built your own PC already

Go for the plunge and build your own.

Post by **MA_Hat** » 09 Apr 2007 19:41

Without a doubt.. build a PC from scratch... it really is a lot easier than you think. And you've got a bunch of PC peeps here that'll help you through it if you get stuck....(and even talk you through it on the phone!)

I absolutely LOVE my PC now... it's exactly how I want it to be.. and just fairly whistles along nice and quietly.

I imagein that this would also be the best and cheapest option to get exactly what you want.

Most important question for now is....

What's your budget?

MA_Moby · Post by **MA_Moby** » 10 Apr 2007 09:47

If I go the self build route, and bearing in mind that I will probably keep and swap over my graphics card (for now), sound card, hard drive, the CD drives, and the floppy drive, then I'm hoping not to spend much more than about £500.

So a new tower, motherboard, CPU, RAM, new USB ports (preferably placed wher I can get easy access) and slot for my SD card.

Am I right in thinking that you can buy motherboard/CPU/heatsink sets?

Trig · Post by **Trig** » 10 Apr 2007 09:51

Yeah you can buy sets but I tend to just buy exactly what you want/need instead of what someone else has decided to bundle together...

MA_DanglyBob · Post by **MA_DanglyBob** » 10 Apr 2007 10:03

If you're sticking with your gfx, bear in mind that you may want a PCIe next card round.

so you either want a cheaper mobo, expecting to upgrade mobo next time round as well or maybe go for one with both PCIe an AGP slots.

MA_Moby · Post by **MA_Moby** » 10 Apr 2007 12:20

Maybe it'd be better to spend and extra £150 on a new graphics card then, and get a mobo with PCIe slots - saves more changes in the future.

Would £650 for a tower, motherboard, CPU, RAM, a slave drive (another Maxtor - probably) and new gfx seem reasonable? I'll have to start a good trawl around to find out the current prices. I probably won't be doing this for at least six months, so I can wait for prices to fall a little.

Trig · Post by **Trig** » 10 Apr 2007 12:31

If your going to get a new GFX card...
I replaced my 9800Pro with an x800 card which is pretty much the same performance wise, I have now replaced that with an x1950 which for around £100 is plenty fast enough for modern games, and with DX10 on the horizon I dont think spending much more than that on a GFX card is a wise idea as newer cards will be out shortly...

Post by **MA_Hat** » 10 Apr 2007 18:52

The system I ended up buying recently for a grand is cheaper now...

http://www.ma-squadron.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9794

And there's stuff in there that you may not necessarily need.. e.g. metal case, keyboard, mouse, graphics tablet, operating system, a 200 quid graphics card etc.... and there's no card reader etc.

But.. the RAM is half the price now, the CPU is cheaper etc and it's 100% pure luvverliness...

I think you could get the basics of mine for about 700 quid now, so Im certain that 650 would get you a system that would blow your little socks off.

Just say when you are ready to buy and we'll go shopping for you

SmoothNuts · Post by **SmoothNuts** » 10 Apr 2007 19:14

Trig you reckon I could catch you on skype at some point fella? I need a word.

MA_DanglyBob · Post by **MA_DanglyBob** » 10 Apr 2007 19:15

Don't know how everyone else feels, but SATA drives are are cheap as nuts.... I'd say worth going for over IDE's for secondary drives.

Post by **MA_Hat** » 10 Apr 2007 19:23

I've got everything on my 2 sata hard drives now...

At the low price new sata hard drives are, I wouldnt consider using an old ide one as a secondary drive...

The IDE Hard drives are still sitting in my old shuttle (160 gigs worth)

If I were Moby, I would get a total new system.. with just the things that I'd NEED/WANT on it.. and keep the old PC as a secondary.. / or flog accordingly.

Trig · Post by **Trig** » 10 Apr 2007 20:25

I'll log on in a mo chap

MA_Geist · Post by **MA_Geist** » 10 Apr 2007 20:44

I think the only problem with SATA drives atm is windows doesn't like using them as a primary drive. You need to have a floppy with the drivers on it during install for them to be detected.

MA_Zak33 · Post by **MA_Zak33** » 19 Apr 2007 18:30

MA_Geist wrote:I think the only problem with SATA drives atm is windows doesn't like using them as a primary drive. You need to have a floppy with the drivers on it during install for them to be detected.

only on some XP disks and mobo's chap,

Later XP disks have the SATA drivers for a lot of systems.

New build is my advice. Core2Duo, 2 cheap SATA drives, 2gig ram, forget Vista, use good old XP.

Getting any new PCiExpress card will be good jump up because the Core2Duo cpu is a monster.

BUT..if you're look for cheap...really cheap...build waht Bob and Dak have

A64, using normal DDR ram, one big hard drive and a new card.

It's painfully cheap. Painfully.

MA_DanglyBob · Post by **MA_DanglyBob** » 19 Apr 2007 19:21

and goes like a bomb too....

Real value for money, most bang for buck at the mo, while leaving options open for upgrading again in the future.

SmoothNuts · Post by **SmoothNuts** » 19 Apr 2007 19:38

MA_DanglyBob wrote:...cheap as nuts....

I beg your pardon!

MA_DanglyBob · Post by **MA_DanglyBob** » 19 Apr 2007 21:25

denying it?