Buying a Computer, need advice!!!

[Highlander999]

Looking at buying a custom made computer.

A) Will this play top range games, i.e. S.T.A.L.K.E.R, Empire Total War on a good graphics setting without lag?

B) Is this a good price?

Here are it's specs:

Processor (CPU): AMD PHENOM™ X3 8650 (2.3GHz) 3 x 512K L2 CACHE (Socket AM2+)

Memory (RAM): 4GB CORSAIR XMS2 800MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY! (2x2GB)

Motherboard: ASUS? M3N72-D: DUAL DDR2, S-ATA II, 2 x PCI-Ex, 2 x PCI

Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium 64 bit Edition + SP1, CD & Licence (?83)

USB Options: 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS (4 REAR + 2 FRONT) AS STANDARD

Memory - 1st Hard Disk: 160GB SERIAL ATA II HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm)

2nd Hard Disk: NONE

RAID (HDD 1 & 2): NONE

1st CD/DVD Drive: 22x DUAL LAYER LIGHTSCRIBE DVD WRITER ?R/?RW/RAM

2nd CD/DVD Drive: NONE

Graphics Card: 1024MB GEFORCE 9600GT PCI Express + DVI + TV-OUT

2nd Graphics Card: NONE

3rd Graphics Card: NONE

Sound Card: ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Modem: NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND

Network Facilities: ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT

Floppy Disk Drive: NONE

Memory Card Reader: INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)

Case: STYLISH TRIDENT MID TOWER ATX CASE - SILVER/BLACK

Power Supply & Case Cooling: 450W Quiet Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan

Processor Cooling: STANDARD CPU COOLER

Firewire & Video Editing: NONE

TV Card: NONE

Monitor: 17 Inch Wide TFT Silver/Black 1440 x 900 8MS, D-Sub (?59)

2nd Monitor: NONE

DVI Cable: NONE

Keyboard & Mouse: Logitech? Internet Keyboard + Hotkeys (Black) (?6)

Mouse: Black Logitech? Premium Optical Mouse (?4)

Speakers: LOGITECH S150 2.0 DIGITAL USB SPEAKER SYSTEM (?8)

Printer: NONE

Surge Protection: NONE

Webcam: NONE

Headsets (VOIP): NONE

Anti-Virus: NONE

Office Software: NONE

External Hard Drive: NONE

Home Installation: NONE

Warranty: 1 Year Return-to-Base incl 1st Month Free Collect & Return

Delivery: STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)

Build Time: Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days

Quantity: 1



Other Features Included As Standard...

Software: CD/DVD authoring software and Power DVD software is included with all DVD Writers.

Ports: Each computer comes with 1 x PS/2 keyboard port and either 1 x PS/2 mouse port or 2 extra USB ports.

Fans: Where necessary your computer will come with extra case fans fitted.

Memory: Our memory comes with a 100% tested lifetime warranty!

Bezels: All our drives come in either silver, black or beige and are all of a
high quality & matched brand.

Support: We offer lifetime hardware technical support during normal office hours.

Cables & Manuals: A power cable, all drivers, manuals, and a heatsink & fan are included with every order.

Service: Our computers come fully assembled & thoroughly tested. We are so confident in the quality of our computers that we offer a free collection and re-delivery service* should you ever have a problem with your computer.

Installation: If you order an operating system it will come fully installed with the CD and licence key.



So there you go. All this is for ?639 including VAT and delivery. So is this is a good comp/good deal?

Thanks

 

[Kshitiz_Indian]

Tbh, if you could expand your budget to 718, I would say an AMD 4850 graphics card based system. But then you're only taking a 17" monitor, and the 4850 would be just overkill for it, so a 9600GT will suffice - however there's no need of taking a 1024MB one. Save it there and get a better processor than that AMD. Here you go -

Processor (CPU)


Intel? Core™2 Quad Q8300 (4 X 2.50GHz) 1333MHz FSB/4MB Cache

Memory (RAM)


4GB CORSAIR XMS2 800MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY! (2x2GB)

Motherboard


ASUS? P5N73-AM: DDR2, S-ATA II, 1 x PCI-E x16, 2 PCI, etc

Operating System


Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium 64 bit Edition + SP1, CD & Licence (?83)

USB Options


6 x USB 2.0 PORTS (4 REAR + 2 FRONT) AS STANDARD

Memory - 1st Hard Disk


160GB SERIAL ATA II HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm)

2nd Hard Disk


NONE

RAID (HDD 1 & 2)


NONE

1st CD/DVD Drive


22x DUAL LAYER LIGHTSCRIBE DVD WRITER ?R/?RW/RAM

2nd CD/DVD Drive


NONE

Graphics Card


512MB GEFORCE 9600GT PCI Express + DVI + TV-OUT

2nd Graphics Card


NONE

Sound Card


ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Modem


NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND

Network Facilities


ONBOARD 10/100 LAN PORT

Floppy Disk Drive


NONE

Memory Card Reader


INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)

Case


STYLISH TRIDENT MID TOWER ATX CASE - BLACK/SILVER

Power Supply & Case Cooling


350W Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan

Processor Cooling


STANDARD CPU COOLER

Firewire & Video Editing


NONE

TV Card


NONE

Monitor


17 Inch Wide TFT Silver/Black 1440 x 900 8MS, D-Sub (?59)

2nd Monitor


NONE

DVI Cable


NONE

Keyboard & Mouse


Logitech? Internet Keyboard + Hotkeys (Black) (?6)

Mouse


Black Logitech? Premium Optical Mouse (?4)

Speakers


LOGITECH S150 2.0 DIGITAL USB SPEAKER SYSTEM (?8)

Printer


NONE

Surge Protection


NONE

Webcam


NONE

Headsets (VOIP)


NONE

Anti-Virus


NONE

Office Software


NONE

External Hard Drive


NONE

Home Installation


NONE

Warranty


1 Year Return-to-Base incl 1st Month Free Collect & Return

Delivery


STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)

Build Time


Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days

Quantity


1


Price - ?546.96 ex VAT.

?629 inc VAT and Delivery.


This one gets you a MUCH better processor, for 10 bucks less than the previous one lol, and the graphics card being 512MB is equally capable for a 17" Monitor - trust me, I use it for 22" on mine lol.

 

[MattW]

Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium 64 bit Edition + SP1, CD & Licence (?83)

Change that. You'll want either the 32 bit edition, or XP. If you don't understand what I mean by '32 bit' you definitely will want to do the change.

Also, up the HD space. 500GB HDs are cheap and there will only be a few quid difference now, and it will make a lot of difference down the line.

Finally, if you don't have it already: Microsoft Office Discount for Students - The Ultimate Steal will get you Office 2007 Ultimate for ?38.95.

 

[Kshitiz_Indian]

Change that. You'll want either the 32 bit edition, or XP. If you don't understand what I mean by '32 bit' you definitely will want to do the change.

Well I think that 64-bit edition is quite stable and good, it was ofcourse the XP-64 edition that was trash. I've heard many people use the 64- bit edition. Moreover, if he's taking 4 Gig's of RAM he HAS to use 64-bit.

 

[MattW]

Well I think that 64-bit edition is quite stable and good, it was ofcourse the XP-64 edition that was trash. I've heard many people use the 64- bit edition. Moreover, if he's taking 4 Gig's of RAM he HAS to use 64-bit.

I'd still be cautious about it. I'll bet you 100k vCash that if he went for 64 bit, there'd be a thread in a few weeks time asking about getting something to work.

The performance benefits aren't worth the effort imo.

 

[Kshitiz_Indian]

Its not about the performance benefits - His 4 Gigs of RAM would simply be wasted.

The problem's he would be in wouldn't be a problem of Vista / MS or anything, it'd just be that the software developer would've followed a lazy method and hence it would conflict a bit with 64-bit.

But then again, most industry software ARE working with 64-bit Vista. It also has an emulation layer which helps run 32-bit only software.

 

[MattW]

Its not about the performance benefits - His 4 Gigs of RAM would simply be wasted.

Well you aren't going to notice the difference between 3GB and 4GB in most use. You will notice if a game doesn't work, googling "S.T.A.L.K.E.R 64 bit issues" turns up a lot of results.

Yes, it might impact only a small handful of things, but if you are a computer user who wants things to just work, 32 bit is the only realistic option still.

 

[Kshitiz_Indian]

Well most of the issues I found were an year old, and mostly with Dynamic lighting.

Though yeah, 3 GB RAM would be similar, but I doubt 3GB is the right way to go, you lose out on things being Dual channel and wasting performance away where you could've got it.

I've been using 64-bit Vista for quite a while now even though I only have 2Gigs RAM, and haven't found any issues except for those programs which even had some problems running in XP.

 

[MattW]

Though yeah, 3 GB RAM would be similar, but I doubt 3GB is the right way to go, you lose out on things being Dual channel and wasting performance away where you could've got it.

I was meaning have the 4GB in the computer but just accept not using it all. RAM is cheap.

Well most of the issues I found were an year old, and mostly with Dynamic lighting.

Still, it proves the point that there are issues, why would you bother when the performance benefits are minimal?

 

[The_gas]

I have just upgraded from xp homwe to vista 64, and got myself another 2 gigs of ddr2 to take me up to 4 gig.

First impressions of vista are great, although it took me a while to figure things out, and find stuff. Setting up my home network took me a while, but once i figured out where everything was it was easy.

I have only installed GTA IV and Pes 09 so far, but GTA IV really runs like a dream now. Before i would get between 15-30fps average on xp, but with the extra 2 gigs, and vista 64 i never drop below 25, and average around 30-40fps.

Also, i had to underclock my ram from 800mhz to 650mhz because all my ram slots are now full, and i think the motherboard memory controller was having issues running it at full speed. Anyhoo i think i should be able to get it runnung at 667mhz with some more work and maybe a little help from more knowledgable sources.

All that said and done, if you're going for vista 64, get 4 gigs minimum (ram), and a high spec dual core for everyday gaming, or a low spec quad core if you want to play gta iv. I know people say quad core is the way to go, but quite often a high spec conroe will win vs a low spec quad core. Saying that, i am looking at getting a quad core, but it won't be the cheapest, it will likely be a Q6600 G0 that can overclock to 3.6ghz.

Xp 17in monitor, vista 22 inch from that site, if you're going with vista 64, you may as well have a better monitor.

Oh and i would always go for the HD4850, even if it may be overkill. You can slap heavy amounts of AA+AF on which is always nice, cheap and powerfull.

 

[Highlander999]

Ok cheers guys, I had a fiddle around, and I got this. What do you think?




Processor (CPU): AMD PHENOM? II X4 810 (2.6GHz) 8MB CACHE (Socket AM3)

Memory (RAM): 4GB CORSAIR XMS2 800MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY! (2x2GB)

Motherboard: ASUS? M3N72-D: DUAL DDR2, S-ATA II, 2 x PCI-Ex, 2 x PCI

Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista? Home Premium 32 bit Edition + SP1, CD & Licence (?83)

USB Options: 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS (4 REAR + 2 FRONT) AS STANDARD

Memory - 1st Hard Disk: 250GB SERIAL ATA II HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm)

2nd Hard Disk: NONE

RAID (HDD 1 & 2): NONE

1st CD/DVD Drive: 22x DUAL LAYER LIGHTSCRIBE DVD WRITER ?R/?RW/RAM

2nd CD/DVD Drive: NONE

Graphics Card: 1024MB GEFORCE 9600GT PCI Express + DVI + TV-OUT

2nd Graphics Card: NONE

3rd Graphics Card: NONE

Sound Card: ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Modem: NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND

Network Facilities: ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT

Floppy Disk Drive: NONE

Memory Card Reader: INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)

Case: STYLISH TRIDENT MID TOWER ATX CASE - SILVER/BLACK

Power Supply & Case Cooling: 450W Quiet Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan

Processor Cooling: STANDARD CPU COOLER

Firewire & Video Editing: NONE

TV Card: NONE

Monitor: 19 Inch Wide TFT Silver/Black 1440 x 900 5MS, D-Sub, DVI, Audio (?79)

2nd Monitor: NONE

DVI Cable: NONE

Keyboard & Mouse: Logitech? Internet Keyboard + Hotkeys (Black) (?6)

Mouse: Black Logitech? Premium Optical Mouse (?4)

Speakers: LOGITECH S220 2.1 SILVER/BLACK SPEAKER SYSTEM (?12)

Printer: NONE

Surge Protection: NONE

Webcam: NONE

Headsets (VOIP): NONE

Anti-Virus: NONE

Office Software: NONE

External Hard Drive: NONE

Home Installation: NONE

Warranty: 1 Year Return-to-Base incl 1st Month Free Collect & Return

Delivery: STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)

Build Time: Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days

Quantity: 1



Other Features Included As Standard...

Software: CD/DVD authoring software and Power DVD software is included with all DVD Writers.

Ports: Each computer comes with 1 x PS/2 keyboard port and either 1 x PS/2 mouse port or 2 extra USB ports.

Fans: Where necessary your computer will come with extra case fans fitted.

Memory: Our memory comes with a 100% tested lifetime warranty!

Bezels: All our drives come in either silver, black or beige and are all of a
high quality & matched brand.

Support: We offer lifetime hardware technical support during normal office hours.

Cables & Manuals: A power cable, all drivers, manuals, and a heatsink & fan are included with every order.

Service: Our computers come fully assembled & thoroughly tested. We are so confident in the quality of our computers that we offer a free collection and re-delivery service* should you ever have a problem with your computer.

Installation: If you order an operating system it will come fully installed with the CD and licence key.

?731 inc VAT and Delivery.

 

[The_gas]

4 Mistakes.

1-You need vista 64 if you are going to select 4 gig of ram.
2-You have picked a 9600gt, when there is a better option available ie 4850.
3- You will need surge protection, if a fault arises from this your warranty with pc specialist will be void.
4- Monitor, going 22 inch ?25 on top of what the 17" monitor costs, why would you prefer a smaller screen with a lower resolution.

Apart from that, not bad.

 

[Kshitiz_Indian]

Moreover, I don't see why you're adamant about choosing AMD when Intel has far better alternatives atm.

 

[The_gas]

Yeah i would agree with Kshits, Intel is probably the way to go if you can afford it.

 

[Highlander999]

Avroneel said you would say that