[HistoryGirl]

Hi guys,

I'm planning on building myself a new PC for the experience and better deal for my money. I've read Carbons thread and some other stuff, I know the various bits and pieces I need but sure not completely on where to start. So advice would be great.

I want to make it as futureproof/upgradeable as possible so when the time comes (maybe 4/5 years down the line) I don't have to start completely afresh and I'm prepared to spend a bit more to do that. I will be using mainly general office stuff, surfing the web and a bit of a gaming. I would also like to have bluetooth and wireless built-in to save the hassle of usb adapters.

EDIT:

This is what I reckon I need.

Motherboard
Decent PSU
CPU
Cooling?
Soundcard
Graphics card
Hard drive at least 500GB but i know they are pretty cheap
2 x DVD drives
Speakers
Wireless keyboard/mouse
Cad reader would also be useful
Monitor 20"+

I wouldn't have a clue about cases so recommendations would be useful.

Considering I wont be using it for any high-end gaming I won't be needing a quad core. Is it worth me getting a motherboard that supports DDR3 considering how cheap DDR2 is.

The fun part money I'm looking at spending around £1000 plus OS but that is negotiable.

Many many thanks

[Carbon]

I want to make it as futureproof/upgradeable as possible so when the time comes (maybe 4/5 years down the line) I don't have to start completely afresh and I'm prepared to spend a bit more to do that

This isn't a very reasonable goal - in general, it's best to buy a top price/perf system now and then put the money you would have spent into a new system later. Paying more now won't do anything to maximize longevity.

In general, it's best if you pick something close to your budget from the guide and then I can make comments on it. Otherwise I have to make wild guesses at Scan because I'm ignorant of UK hardware prices.

[HistoryGirl]

OK thats fair enough. Sorry forget you're not in the UK. :)

[4D(Fordy(Ford) Ollie]

Damn hardware costs so much more over here :@

Check out sites like:
Novatech
OverclockersUK
Misco
Dabs
Scan
DCLstore

[HistoryGirl]

Motherboard:

Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P AMD 770 (Socket AM3) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard[/SIZE]

£76.99 from overclockers.co.uk

CPU:
AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 6MB L3 Cache Black Edition Retail Boxed Processor

£90.85 inc vat from scan.co.uk

RAM:

4GB kit (2GBx2), 240-pin DIMM, DDR2 PC2-6400 memory module
£40.24 inc VAT from http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/part...2KIT25664AA800

I just want to make sure I've picked the right type of RAM for the motherboard and not made a stupid noobie mistake. I'm not sure its worth me getting more than 4GB at the moment

Hard Drive:
1TB Western Digital WD10EADS Caviar Green, SATA 3Gb/s, IntelliPower, 32MB Cache, NCQ
£56.94 inc VAT from scan.co.uk

Optical Drive:
LG GH22LS50 AUAR 22x DVD±R, 12x DVD±DL, DVD+RW x8/-RW x6, DVD-RAM x12, SATA Black L/S Retail (x2?)

£21.84 inc VAT scan.co.uk I'd like two dvd drives ideally just makes things easier


Keyboard and Mouse:
31340138105 - Genius KB 600 Black Value Wireless Keyboard & Optical Mouse Kit

£13.73 inc VAT scan.co.uk

SPEAKERS:
Altec Lansing VS2420 2.0 Compact 2.5" Speakers

£18.37 inc VAT

Monitor:
20" Acer Black Widescreen TFT Monitor 10000:1 http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/20-Acer-V203HAb-Black-Widescreen-TFT-Monitor-1600x900-300cd-m2-100001-(dynamic)-5ms

I need some advice on a PSU I know its not worth getting a cheap one because it won't last. Also a graphics card and whether it may be worth getting me a soundcard. And any other stupid mistakes that I may have made.



Many thanks guys

[HistoryGirl]

Sorry for double post wouldn't let me edit it. Just realised I've made a bloody silly mistake.

DDR3 RAM instead is needed so how about?

http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/part...KIT25664BA1339

[Carbon]

Could get DDR3 since the price dif is so low but I think the problem is that you're paying too much for the DDR2 - I'm sure a 4gb set of DDR2-800 is a lot cheaper at overclockers, etc.

The T of the MA770-UD3T is the DDR3 variant, the regular one isn't DDR3. It's only usually worth it if there's a very small price difference.

The monitor is okay, there's a 22" at 1680x1050 for a little more and this which is much better but probably out of your budget - I have a 1920x1080 monitor though and it replaced both my old 1440x900 screens and no way I'd go back.

Graphics card & PSU as 4850 and 400CX should work.

I'd avoid LG drives, they have some weird software thing inside their firmware that plays DVDs and totally sucks. I have two drives but really I've found I only need one, although I have a bad habit of just ripping all my disks to isos and then throwing them in a box so your mileage may vary.

[Razer]

Added to the other stored, take a look at:

CCLOnline.com
MicroDirect.co.uk

They seem to have offers on most of the time, might save you some pennies!