Building a new computer/buying one?

Marcion · Post by **Marcion** » 06 Nov 2009, 13:32

Hi guys,

recently my computer died....the heatsink fell off after 2 of the hooks broke off on their own accord. Given that my machine is roughly 3 years old, I thought that it would be wiser to buy a new machine.

My old system was a Pentium Intel 3 Ghz Processor

Type Intel Pentium 4 Cpu 3.40 Ghz
Speed: 3400 Mhz

CPU

Manufacturer: Intel
Intel Pentium 4 Cpu 3.40 Ghz
Frequency=3400 Mhz
800 Mhz

My gfx card (seperate, not integrated) was a Nvidia GEforce 6200 SE TC

Leadtek LR2A1D 64Mb (32bit) vga tv.

I am not 100% sure....what constitutes a good deal, i.e. good value for money....:S

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=226448

That was the particular package I was thinking of getting...£120 is about $260....dunno if that helps....

How powerful IS the 8200 card? I hear mixed reviews...:S

I could play CC3 Tib Wars+Kanes Wrath on medium settings, and a bit of tweaking and it worked fine....I am not looking for a super powerful gfx card but at the same time....not looking for the stone age either lol

So to boil it down...if someone can help me locate a computer deal that is equal to or more powerful than my current system then Id be super happy

Post by **bad_brain** » 06 Nov 2009, 14:32

hm, well, the package you linked surely isn't a bad deal, would be hard to get something better for such a low price.
the 8200 is onboard, but there is a discrete 8500 GT card included, and from what they wrote you can use both in a pseudo-SLI mode which will increase the performance.
but there's 1 thing that is a little strange:
the DX10 support....they write the g-card(s) do, but in the reviews I found they say the opposite, so I wouldn't count on it. the 8500 is surely not a gaming card...of course you will be able to play the games you've listed, but with the latest games you will most likely have problems even on low settings.

so, for that low price it's pretty pointless to look for better parts, maybe you should list the hardware you can re-use from the old system (like the PSU or soundcard) and the max. amount you can spend...then we can see if we can build a better system than in the offer...

Marcion · Post by **Marcion** » 06 Nov 2009, 14:38

Ok.

Well, my PSU is working fine....

my HDD seems to be OK, its 250 GB Barracuda: SATA.

It seems that everything but my CPU/MOBO is salvagable...

Post by **bad_brain** » 06 Nov 2009, 14:41

ok, so you need just mainboard, CPU and video card? what about RAM modules? and how much can you spend?

Marcion · Post by **Marcion** » 06 Nov 2009, 14:45

um....sorry BB, Im not sure as to whether I need RAM modules or not....

maybe if I give more info?

After attaching my heatsink back in place the computer refused to turn back on....for more than 5 secs and the BIOS would not even appear. No beeps were emitted, the machine just powered off by itself.

AS to total cost...hmm..I would say $300-350 max....Im not looking for anything overly powerful or fancy....just want a working computer!

Post by **bad_brain** » 06 Nov 2009, 15:04

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819103678
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813157139
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820145034
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814125258

$350 all together, and good enough even for the latest games...WAY better than the package...

Marcion · Post by **Marcion** » 06 Nov 2009, 15:10

Thanks BB....one problem.....

they dont ship internationally. I live in the UK.....

Post by **bad_brain** » 06 Nov 2009, 15:11

look in an UK online shop, those parts are not exotic ones so pretty any shop should have them....

Post by **computathug** » 07 Nov 2009, 07:07

Here is a decent priced shop i buy quite a few things from and i also live in the uk

http://madoka.3bsystems.co.uk/browse.php

I am thinking we had a little chat in IRC the other day

If ya need any more help dont be afraid to ask and il get on irc and help you through a few things