[dmdougie]

Hi, I have a Radeon RX800 card. Im just about to update my comp, I aint wanting to be spending an absolute fortune, was hoping to keep it around the £700 mark. Iv'e done some looking around and have kinda settled on the following specs:

WD Raptor 150GB - £122

Intel core2 E6850 - £163

Havent settled on any RAM - any suggestions?

Also gonna get a new DVD rom - again not sure which one yet - and have been advised to get the Antec 900. I think with the dual core processor Im probably gonna have to buy a new MoBo so thats an extra wee bit of cash gone.

So with all that said, is it worth updating my graphics card? If so to what?

Thanks again for any help provided,

-Doug

[alex]

Originally Posted by dmdougie Hi, I have a Radeon RX800 card. Im just about to update my comp, I aint wanting to be spending an absolute fortune, was hoping to keep it around the £700 mark. Iv'e done some looking around and have kinda settled on the following specs: WD Raptor 150GB - £122 Intel core2 E6850 - £163 Havent settled on any RAM - any suggestions? Also gonna get a new DVD rom - again not sure which one yet - and have been advised to get the Antec 900. I think with the dual core processor Im probably gonna have to buy a new MoBo so thats an extra wee bit of cash gone. So with all that said, is it worth updating my graphics card? If so to what? Thanks again for any help provided, -Doug

Hi DM.

Firstly, forget the Raptor it holds no benefit over high gb/platter drives, the Samsung T166 500gb is also faster at loading games. Actually, staying with the Samsung it's quieter, obviously holds a lot more data, is cheaper and runs cooler.

Antec 900 is a fine case. It's my mid-range case of choice.

For the Optical drive there's no price difference (really) between dvd-rom's and dvd-rw's so I'd be going for the Pioneer DVD-112.

Also, whilst the E6850 is a fine chip if you're not an avid photoshop'er or gamer I'd recommend the E6750, especially as you have to get a mobo to make use of the 1333mhz fsb, as you'll save some money this way.

For the mobo, Asus P5k-E will suffice nicely. Good, cheap, stable motherboard.

If you do game a bit though, and in keeping with new tech, I'd be looking at the Nvidia 8600GTS. They go for around £100, and it's really the only mid-range DX10 card available that's in any way decent.

If you're not fussed about DX10 or new tech for the card I'd be looking at a 7900GS.

Have a look at www.scan.co.uk or www.ebuyer.com as they tend to have good price's normally on graphics cards.

[dmdougie]

Thanks for that Alex. I do use my computer quite extensively for gaming so would probably still go for the E6850, can I still get the AsusP5k-E or would I have to look for another board? Also is the Nvidia card compatable with the Asus board?

Finally, what kind of RAM would you reccommend?

Thanks
-Doug

[alex]

Yeah, go for the P5k-E, very good on a cost basis.

For ram, My fave is A-Data 1066mhz (but I like to overclock) and it's hard to come by in the u.k, least it was last time I looked for a member.

Stick with Corsair XMS2, CL5.

[dmdougie]

Great, thanks for the advice. Think I know everything I need to know for buying components. No doubt I'll be having some issues with BIOS and the general configuration of the system so will be posting again soon!

Thanks for all the help
-Doug