Jayno Posted November 8, 2005 Report Share Posted November 8, 2005 I've come to the end of upgrading my 1998 Dan computer and would now like to give my local PC builder my spec for a new desktop PC - rough budget say £500 - £800 to include WXP2, excluding monitor. Could spend more if good case for doing so.I want some decent future proofing, robust/reliable high performance, speed/ease at running several things at once, best processor I can afford, lots of ram, large OS/memory options thru two (front loading) HD's, plenty of USB, PCI express, top DVD stuff (including for high storage backups discs), graphics .. firewire? wireless? Only half know what I'm on about really. :blush: Be grateful to anyone for a suitable spec list with a few comments why you're suggesting what you do?jayno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackrat Posted November 8, 2005 Report Share Posted November 8, 2005 I would certainly go the AMD socket 939 way as you can start off with a 64bit 3000 (which will do anything you throw at it) and in a few years you could use the same board to fit a dual core processor, which futureproof`s it as much as is possible.If you are looking for longevity buy a power supply from the likes of Antec.Coolermaster & lian do some nice cases, and they are well made with nice touches like a removable motherboard tray and slides for easy installation of drives.Crucial or Geil 2 x 512 ddr3200 matched pair to run in dual channel configuration.And any SATA drive.The best motherboards in my opinion are Asus or DFI lan party.And i also thik that the Nvidia 6600gt is the best value for money at the moment.Pops could probably give you better advice as he builds and looks after a lot of machines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayno Posted November 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 Thanks TrackratYou've helped put me on the track, and I must say I do like the look of those Iian cases.Wonder if anyone else will post?j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 I see my moniker has been mentioned by trackrat.The machines I build nowadays are fairly specialist in that there is always an emphasis on them being functional and, above all, quiet. To this end, I am tending to use Antec Sonata cases with a silencer kit from QuietPC - that's for ATX boards. I've also built a few micro ATX machines in Antec Aria cube cases. Both of these cases look smart and "do the business". They come with a quiet PSU.Regarding motherboards, I use Abit and, more often now, ASUS. As the models change almost weekly, it's not fair to suggest a particular one but, look out your requirements on an ASUS listing and I'm sure you'll find on that fits your requirements.You don't really need front loading HDs although I would strongly recommend at least two internal ones. Get as much RAM as you can afford. Firewire or IEE 1394 - wouldn't bother unless you really need it for video. There is a tendency, though, to use USB 2 now rather than the (more expensive) 1394. You can always put a Firewire card in later if you need it. With USB2 - you will get at least four ports on the M/B and I suggest a PCI card with four or six extra ones.Regarding future proofing, unfortunately, the way things move in computing, your machine will be out of date even before you've put the last screw into it so don't worry too much about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayno Posted November 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 Some good tips Pops thankyou. Are you actually in the biz of building PC's for folk and if so, do you have details or a website I can nose at?j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 Not in the biz but I build for my son's business as he is very finicky about his spec's and is not happy with machines he can get commercially. Apart from that, I build for friends and friends of friends etc. But, that's slowing down now as I'm getting a bit old for all that sort of thing.I'm totally self taught in building computers. As soon as you get the parts it becomes fairly apparent what goes where, especially if you have a machine that you can look at/dismantle. Might be an idea for you to pick up an old machine - you can get non-working ones from charity shops for next to nothing - strip it down and re-build it. Better and much more instructive that reading about it.There are a few precautions you should take - like not handling circuit boards other than by their edges. Make sure you're earthed to the case either by wearing an earthing strap or keep touching it. Only put screws where you're supposed to put screws - and put all of them in, don't leave any out as this may cause stress on the board. When everything is put back together, give the whole thing a shake. If it rattles, something's wrong! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayno Posted November 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 Rattle and shake then ... :rockon: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan2273 Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 . When everything is put back together, give the whole thing a shake. If it rattles, something's wrong! I like that pops that is something I would never of thought of doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 . When everything is put back together, give the whole thing a shake. If it rattles, something's wrong! I like that pops that is something I would never of thought of doing.It's very common for an odd screw or something to be lost and left behind. If it's in the wrong place, it could be disastrous on power-up.Something I was told many years ago by an electronics engineer in the days of thermionic valves. At that time, picking up your bit of equipment and shaking it wasn't nearly as easy as it is now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prctr Posted November 21, 2005 Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 Jayno, One thing I'd mention, after having built a few machines, several of which actually worked ! I agree that Asus & Abit put out good boards, and that a LOT of RAM is a good thing. Depending on whether you are a gamer, you'll focus more on a quality video card.I also agree that USB 2 is the way to go - extremely adaptable AND it is a simple matter to add a PCI card in the rear to increase the number of USB ports available. This has proved a bit tidier and somewhat more reliable than an external USB hub.Also, it is of concern to us all, I think, to consider back up methods - what better time than when contemplating a build and doing a shopping list? An external USB hard drive is a wonderful thing.You may want to think about whether you would like to budget for a dual-monitor set up. These are very cool, and allow for having a number of open windows simultaneously. If so, get two identical video cards (well, you don't HAVE to have identical twins....)Hope this helped some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel=UK= Posted November 27, 2005 Report Share Posted November 27, 2005 ill be ordering the following on Tuesday MSI K8N Neo4-F SKT939 nForce4 chipset Dual DDR400 PCI-E ATX £60.96 inc VATAMD (Venice) Athlon 64Bit 3200+ Socket 939pin 512k L2cache 90nm Retail Boxed £104.92 inc VATMSI 6800GS 256MB GDDR3 TV + DVI PCI-E £164.33 inc VATGeil Value 512MB DDR PC3200 400MHz with Aluminium heat spreader £33.95 inc VAT (already have 512MB)All in thats £364.16 , and it should last me a little while :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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