[Barry McAuley]

Hi all,
So, I'm getting a new gaming PC and have almost decided on the one I'm going for.
I was looking at the Novatech Barebones Bundles, the i5 bundle includes the following:

CPU- Intel Core i5 750 2.66Ghz
RAM- 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 (Doesn't say what make)
Case- Antec Nine Hundred - 2
PSU- OCZ StealthXStream 700w Silent Power Supply
Motherboard- Intel P55

This goes for £519.98, I know I could probably get a cheaper deal if I bought the components seperately but I'm a bit wary about destroying my CPU or Motherboard in the process of building the thing.

On top of this I was planning to get the following:
GPU- Sapphire ATI Radeon 5850 HD 725MHz 1GB PCI-Express DVI from DABS for £200.
HD- Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB 7200RPM S300 16MB for £36 from DABS also.
CD/DVD Drive - LG Electronics 22x DVDRW Black OEM SATA for £16 from DABS.

Overall it should cost £772 not including delivery.
So what does everyone think?
Does anyone know of anywhere I can get these components cheaper?
Are there and compatibility problems between the compnents that I don't know about?
Would I be better going with a different GPU/CPU combo?
Are there any other good sites for Barebone Bundles?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.
Barry

[Carbon]

Uh, "barebones" systems aren't usually prebuilt. Novatech might be different, but all they are are a usually terrible mix of components bundled together for sale, not actually physically put together. Generic 4GB RAM, a bad case, an Intel motherboard and a OCZ PSU are not worth it.

The Spinpoint F3 500GB/1TB are much faster drives than the Barracuda 7200.12. The 5850 is likely to be overkill, whereas a 4890 is much cheaper and can max out games at higher resolutions. If you are not running 1920x1080+ they are both a waste of money too.

I would be looking at Scan and Ebuyer. Here is a system from my upcoming computer parts guide that may suit your needs:

Mid-high end 1920x1080+

This is what I’d say is the most recommended system for people at this resolution and probably the most recommended system In general. The i5 is great in general, the 4890 complements it well, you pay just the right amount for what you get. The case and PSU are a little pricey and you could change them but they are both excellent buys for the price too.

As with the high-end lower res build, you can tailor around the P55M and use a P180 Mini, or alternatively use a full size ATX P55-UD3L, but this configuration is the better one in my opinion.

Add a SSD if you want like the Agility 60GB.

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2
CPU: Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz
HSF: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
GPU: SAPPHIRE 100269HDMI Radeon HD 4890 1GB
PSU: Antec CP-850 850W
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB/Spinpoint F3 1TB
Optical: Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW
Case: Antec P183