Worth it or not?

[Dom]

Ok, so I've found a website pcworld.com to get a ready made PC from because searching the net for the seperate pieces melts my head This is what I came up with.

# AMD Athlon 64 processor 3500+
# Windows XP Home Edition
# 1024 Mb RAM Memory
# 320 Gb Hard Drive
# M-Format Dual Layer DVD ReWriter Drive
# 256 Mb Radeon 9800
# 9-In-1 Media Card Reader
# 7 x 2.0 USB Ports
# 2 x Firewire Connections
# LG L1717S 17" TFT MONITOR

All in all £800, which is $1442.

Now I'm not sure if thats worth it, I really dunno because a friend of mien said it wasnt, then another said it was so yea, any advice would be great.

 

[Greg King]

Dom,


First off, please elaborate the specifics of your system such as what kind of RAM and what core your CPU is etc. etc.... From the specs you did provide, and assuming that everything in Europe is going to cost more, that seems to be a decent PC. If I can however recommend anything, I would go with a 6600GT over the 9800 Pro. Same price range but much more "newer game" friendly. That is my only suggestion.

Also, what motherboard are you looking at?

If you want to save some money, the Venice 3200's are nice CPU's as well and I am sure you would be just as happy with it. I am saying this as an owner of a 3500 Winchester. I loved the chip, and it benchmarked better than an old 3200 that I had for a short time but in gaming, the differance was not noticable at all. You can always OC the 3200 a mere 200MHz and then you are at a 3500+ capabilities for no extra money. Thats just me though...you wont be unhappy with the 3500 and thats a fact.

What would your friend suggest you build if not this PC?

Either way you go, best of luck and keep us posted on your new build. I will offer you all the help that I can. Good luck and welcome to the forums!

 

[Dom]

Well unfortunately the website http://www.pcworld.co.uk dosent offer anymore spec's than that. Thats all the detial they give.

I'm starting to think I'd be better just buying the stuff seperately now, cause I can get MUCH better for the same price.

I think an American website would be the best because I have noticed thier items are cheaper than here in Europe.

So if you would be so kind as to suggets a few sites I could check? I'm not too familiar with any I would prefer to not get ripped >_>

Also, If I'm buying it all seperate is this all I'll need?

-Mobo

-GFX Card

-Processor

-RAM (is DDR still the best you can get? I dunno that achrynom has always stuck out in my head)

-Sound Card

-DvD Rom Drive

-Network Card

-Fans

-Case /w power supply (No idea what voltage of power supply)

-Hard Drive

I have the monitor and mouse+k/b already so no worries there.

If I've left any vital components out please tell me lol.

Thanks again,

Dom

EDIT : Omg forgot about 3 items, this is why I shouldnt be allowed near a PC lol

 

[Greg King]

Well unfortunately the website http://www.pcworld.co.uk dosent offer anymore spec's than that. Thats all the detial they give.

I'm starting to think I'd be better just buying the stuff seperately now, cause I can get MUCH better for the same price.

I think an American website would be the best because I have noticed thier items are cheaper than here in Europe.

So if you would be so kind as to suggets a few sites I could check? I'm not too familiar with any I would prefer to not get ripped >_>

Also, If I'm buying it all seperate is this all I'll need?

-Mobo

-GFX Card

-Processor

-RAM (is DDR still the best you can get? I dunno that achrynom has always stuck out in my head)

-Sound Card

-DvD Rom Drive

-Network Card

-Fans

-Case /w power supply (No idea what voltage of power supply)

-Hard Drive

I have the monitor and mouse+k/b already so no worries there.

If I've left any vital components out please tell me lol.

Thanks again,

Dom

EDIT : Omg forgot about 3 items, this is why I shouldnt be allowed near a PC lol

Dom, I would check first to see if any sites here in the US will even ship to you in Europe and if there are, fi out what the total cast will be, including shipping. Now, here are my suggestions to your list up top.

You will obviously need a motherbaord and CPU. If you go with AMD, and I highly recommend it, you will need DDR. I know there are many types and sizes of RAM but DDR is king ding a ling for the AMD 64 family. If you go Intel, I would recommend DDR2 with a newer mobo that supports it. I wouldnt get a really cheap mobo for an AMD but it doesnt sound like you need a really expensive one either so you can find a good motherboard for around 120 USD. With that good mobo, you will have a network port as well as on board sound so you can save some money and not get a network card and also not get a sound card. The case is totally up to you and your prefence. I like the plain, refined look with no case windows or lights anywhere but everyone is differant. When you do pik out a case, see if it needs 80mm or 120mm case fans and you can purchase as many as needed according to what your case takes. My case takes 4 but every case is differant. For a video card, what will you be doing with your PC primarily? If it is gaming then the video card might very well be the most expensive purchase on your list. Good cards range anywhere from 200 dollars to 550 dollars so the list is long and the options are equally as long. You will want a DVD drive of course and as cheap as they are, you might as well get a nice DVD burner as I know they can be found for as little as <60 dollars....thats only if you want to burn any CD's or DVD's. And finally, your HDD...I would go with a serial ATA drive (SATA). I say this, not because the differance is all that noticable over IDE, but because the cables are far smaller and less cumbersome to hook up once your drive is in your case. I wouldn't get anything less than 80 or 120 GB and I only say this because they are getting really inexpensive and you never know when the extra space will be needed. I will email a few friends of mine in Europe (Scandanavian area) and see who they purchase through and let you know what they say. I usually get my stuff through www.newegg.com but I know that they wont ship ever seas...they wont even ship to Canada soo......

Best of luck and keep me posted, I will help you all that I can.

 

[Bobbythecat]

Good morning...the cat/nocturnal law student here!
I've done a quick search, and here's a site that had decent stuff at a reasonable price: http://www.scan.co.uk/
They certainly didn't have everything newegg.com has...well, newegg pretty much has almost everything... Some things, like cooling devices, cases, and laptops I browse/buy elsewhere, as newegg doesn't have what I want, or is too pricy, after including the shipping and tax that I get to enjoy being a resident of the state newegg is incorporated/registered in..

Get yourself a socket 939 single-core San Francisco core CPU, and a motherboard supporting socket 939 CPUs w/ PCI-Ex, single slot or SLI capable is up to you... Get yourself a PCI-Express nVidia 6600GT, as it seems to be at the right price with great performance. Get a DDR memory that has low CAS latency, as the rule of thumb. 3 is normal, 2.5 is good, and 2 is best, although pricy! Find a monitor that has the lowest response time...read up on it, and you'll understand why, if you'll be getting a flat-panel. Get a case that has good air-flow (I have a Coolermaster Centurion that just is amazing with airflow, keeping my quasi-fan-less PSU and HDDs nice and cool), and oh, so many things to list, but time to study. Later!

 

[Word.]

To Dom.

Dom, sounds like your having alot of troubles.... i have a freind who also was going to buy a PC from a website. He sent me the link, ever since i went on that link i told him NO. They dont give any specs at all to what you are buying.... PLEASE don't buy anything till you know exactly what your buying. and if you dont know some of the parts try doing some "Google" research on them.... and maybe read a few reviews on certain parts. this will help you alot in the knowlegde of your pc you want.

 

[Bobbythecat]

Definately spend time doing research... For instance, I bought my AMD 3800+ X2 because I found that it sucks in very little electricity and would stably overclock to AMD 4800+ X2 speeds easily, as I have it right now. I picked the memory that could handle the overclock as well after researching... Believe me, it is rewarding!