AlanHo Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 I have decided to buy a new computer tower to replace my three year old computer (which is slow) and reuse some of the peripherals. I do not play games on the computer but do carry out video editing and photo editing using PSP and Adobe Photoshop. I also use Turbocad occasionally.I have been quoted £750 (inc VAT) for the following spec (tower only). This price includes delivery, installing and setting up peripherals and installing all drivers & my software. Your comments would be appreciated before I take the plunge. Is the spec OK and does the total cost seem reasonable ?Case - Antec Sonata Ultra Quiet Midi Tower Case in Piano Black inc 380w TP PSUFans - Extra 12cm ultra quiet fanMotherboard - Asus A8V-Deluxe AMD Skt939 K8T800PR 8x AGP DDR400 +SATA RAID +Firewire +Gigabit LAN +8ch.audio +USB2 (up to DDR400)Processor - AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 64 bit Winchester Retail inc.fan Socket 939Discs - 2 x 120 GB Western Digital Caviar SATA 7200rpm 8MB cache HDDMemory - Geil® 1Gb PC3200 Dual Channel DDR Kit (2x512MB) High Speed CL (5ns Cas 2.5 6-3-3)Graphics - ATI Radeon 9550SE 128MB DDR 8x AGP, TV Out & DVI RetailCard reader - Samcheer 3.5" Internal 6-in-One card reader (Beige, Black & Silver Bezels)DVD/CD - Samsung 16x DVD Drive Black bezel IDE OEMDVD Burner - LG GSA 4120B DVD/CD/RAM (Transfer from existing computer)Modem - Genius 56K PCI Internal Fax Modem RetailBroadband - Transfer network card from existing computerVideo Editing - Transfer Pinnacle DC10 card from existing computerPeripherals - Reuse existing keyboard, mouse, broadband modem, TFT Monitor.Software - Windows XP home edition Retail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel=UK= Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 Graphics card seems to let it down abit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 I always swear by my local supplier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel=UK= Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 I always swear by my local supplierwell ya should cos he might hear ya and ban your arse out the shop for good........................................ ill get me coat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djohn Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 It looks good to me Alan but -pops- will be your best guide on this seeing he has the experience of not only building PC's but also ones that are specific for graphics work. Follow his advice and I don't think you will go far wrong. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 I always swear by my local supplierwell ya should cos he might hear ya and ban your arse out the shop for good........................................ ill get me coatHe values my custom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 I noticed some of the components and the Windows disc are retail versions. Why?OEM Windows is appreciably cheaper than retail and has exactly the same facilities. With other items, you are paying extra for a fancy box with garish graphics and a few bits and bobs that you most likely don't need as they are already supplied with the case or the motherboard.BTW, almost all of my new machines (the ones for my son's business and one for myself) are in Sonata cases. Very smart and very quiet. If you want them even quieter, you can get a soundproofing kit from Quiet PC. All the pieces are pre-cut and only need assembling in the case. I've also used Zalman Flower coolers (also from Quiet PC) as the heat sink assembly on the CPU. This makes it even quieter and, if you're into this sort of thing, looks impressive when you open the case.So impressed was I with the Sonata case, my latest mini cube machine (specifically for video and using a micro ATX M/B is in an Antec Aria case http://www.antec-inc.com/aria.html well chuffed with that :) :) :) :) :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 I noticed some of the components and the Windows disc are retail versions. Why?OEM Windows is appreciably cheaper than retail and has exactly the same facilities. With other items, you are paying extra for a fancy box with garish graphics and a few bits and bobs that you most likely don't need as they are already supplied with the case or the motherboard.BTW, almost all of my new machines (the ones for my son's business and one for myself) are in Sonata cases. Very smart and very quiet. If you want them even quieter, you can get a soundproofing kit from Quiet PC http://www.quietpc.com/uk/materials.php#antec . All the pieces are pre-cut and only need assembling in the case. I've also used Zalman Flower coolers (also from Quiet PC) http://www.quietpc.com/uk/amdcooling.php#7700 as the heat sink assembly on the CPU. This makes it even quieter and, if you're into this sort of thing, looks impressive when you open the case.So impressed was I with the Sonata case, my latest mini cube machine (specifically for video and using a micro ATX M/B is in an Antec Aria case http://www.antec-inc.com/aria.html well chuffed with that :) :) :) :) :)Inserted two addresses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt James T. Kirk Posted January 13, 2005 Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 seems a bit high for not having the monitor included too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted January 13, 2005 Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 seems a bit high for not having the monitor included too.Remember that this is rip off Britain. We pay more here for most things compared with America, except perhaps books. Also remember that the dollar is very weak and the pound strong at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanHo Posted January 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 Pops - thanks for the info.I take it that the choice of case is fine and assume that the processor, memory and disc drives are OK. You didn't gasp at the cost so I guess this too is probably in the ball park.One thing I have no knowledge of is setting up the drives in RAID array - do I really need this as a home user who takes a daily data back-up on an external UBS2 hard drive and a weekly data back-up onto DVD-RAM discs stored away from home. My sketchy understanding is that RAID drives can be difficult to manage by a rank amateur like myself. I don't need the facility to mirror the discs. Your comments would be appreciated. I have asked the supplier to go for OEM versions as you suggested. It will be interesting to see how much this saves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted January 13, 2005 Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 For the average home user, and even office user, RAID can create more problems than it solves. The discs used in a RAID setup can be much better utilised by them doing something useful rather than sitting there mimicking everything you do on your machine.Regarding OEM, there should be an appreciable saving over retail prices. I was going to say in my previous post that if your builder was using retail versions then insist on having the packaging and all the extras returned to you. These would be no use, except to show that he might have actually used retail versions rather than fobbing you off (if you see what I mean0.Since my post yesterday, I have received a commision from my son to build five more machines for him - all in Sonata cases to match the others. Now, my son is the most pernickety person on the planet when it comes to having exactly what he wants so, having more of these shows that have something going for them.The machine I sending this from is in a Sonata case with the extra sound proofing and there is just a faint hum - just enough to let you know it's going.There is one thing I don't like about it - there are two very bright, garish, blue LEDs on the front. These can be disconnected though.N.B I notice there is no floppy drive. I don't install floppy drives now but not everyone is happy with that so, is the omission intentional? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanHo Posted January 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 I do not believe I need a floppy drive - I cannot remember when I last used one.Having said that - will Murphy's law someday bite me and I regret the decision?.My computer is configured to boot up from the CD before the floppy - so I hope that it will enable me to manage any future crashes and reinstalls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted January 13, 2005 Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 I've not used a floppy for a long time and I've not installed one on a machine of my build since XP first came in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted January 14, 2005 Report Share Posted January 14, 2005 I still use floppy disks on the odd occasion. I really don't want to use a CD for things like a back up of e-mail addresses, or addresses in MS Outlook, or even for the odd e-mail that I want to keep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanHo Posted January 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 I have now had my new computer for three days and am delighted with it.As you promised pops - the case is excellent and the fans so quiet.The only difference with the spec in my first post is that they fitted a combined floppy and card reader - which works very well and takes up no more space in the tower.It was a bit frustrating loading all my software, downloading upgrades and getting it all working properly - but the beast just flies along now - especially with graphics editing.Like andsome I put my faith in a local builder and am pleased that I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 Excellent! :) When you've got everything set up as you want it, remember to make a full backup. Could save you a lot of heartache in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artist Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 I've not used a floppy for a long time and I've not installed one on a machine of my build since XP first came in.I'm in the middle of another course at the adult education centre - Floppy discs still used there - so until I've exhausted the courses I'll need it :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 I have now had my new computer for three days and am delighted with it.As you promised pops - the case is excellent and the fans so quiet.The only difference with the spec in my first post is that they fitted a combined floppy and card reader - which works very well and takes up no more space in the tower.It was a bit frustrating loading all my software, downloading upgrades and getting it all working properly - but the beast just flies along now - especially with graphics editing.Like andsome I put my faith in a local builder and am pleased that I did.Glad everything is OK. You can't beat the small dealer who relies on your business to exist. Personal recommendation is worth it's weight in gold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Besty Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 You dont need a floppy just a pen key :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scuzzman Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 USB Jumpdrives have negated the need for a floppy anymore...That said... I still use my floppy quite heavily, because I detest USB... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 As I said a floppy is very useful for bits and pieces that I want to save. It seems to be such a waste using a CD for everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syntax01010 Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 Sounds like you got a good system put together for a pretty decent price, especially given for what you wanted to use it for.Much like previous comments, I agree on the small time computer shops. Sure, a small time store might not have the resources of some place like TigerDirect or NewEgg, but when your business is what they depend on to stay in business that does give you some nice advantages in dealing with them on price issues.I am personally holding off on getting an AMD 64 chip until the official 64 bit build of XP is out, and until they settle down a bit. Since the AMD 64 chip was first released they have changed the socket type and the chip core a handful of times. I understand this is just to improve apon the product, but i'd prefer to wait until every new 64 chip that comes out is all using the same socket type, core, cache, etc. That way if I ever want to upgrade, there is at least a slim chance I can do it.However, good call on going for AMD. I have been a huge fan of their processors for many years now. I am currently still using an AMD Athlon XP 2400+ processor that I got when they first came out. I realize that is far from top of the line anymore, but it still flies along nicely, even on XP. As far as floppies go, they are getting to the point of being almost useless anymore, but I still keep them in new systems I build for the ease of quick small backups that don't need a full CD for storage space, and for emergency situations where a prepared boot disk comes in very handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Besty Posted February 4, 2005 Report Share Posted February 4, 2005 Penkey or floppy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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