New Build

johnnyd91 · 29-11-2011, 00:42

Hey guys im going to attempt to build my first computer for which i will use for browsing the internet and watching videos etc... i was looking at this http://www.ebuyer.com/283340-amd-ath...lmlx2gb250bund ....was just wondering your thoughts..... and if its what i need for a basic computer! chers

funkyCable · 29-11-2011, 08:36

Congrats on taking up the project. Trust me it feels good building up your own pc and having complete control of the configuration. I dont have much experience with AMD. Whats your budget like?

---------- Post added at 08:36 ---------- Previous post was at 08:26 ----------

What operating system are you looking at using? I would suggest you get a 64bit OS as the motherboard supports up to 8gigs. You may also want to get some more RAM which is fairly cheap.

**Rob** · 29-11-2011, 10:09

If all he is going to do is internet and video watching a powerful 8GB RAM would be overkill and 4GB plenty. The system shown there is adequate. Indeed, untill recently I was using an intel E6600 based CPU, 2GB RAM and an ATI 5450 Graphics PC on a windows 7 64 system for media player type uses.

The real limitation of that spec system will be graphics and specifically the output method. I can only see a reference to a VGA RGB output. If you want to use a TV type screen as a monitor the easiest setup can be a HDMI output but that might warrant a separate graphics card. As the integrated graphics uses shared RAM you may just find that watching detailed video content gets a bit jumpy.

If you are building your own PC around that bundle don't forget you also need
case:
power supply (PSU)
Hard drive
CPU cooler (if the standard retail cooler is not included in the bundle - can't see it referenced)
Operating System

funkyCable · 29-11-2011, 12:25

I agree Rob, I didn't say he needed to get 8gig but doesn't win 7 run slower on 2 gig.? If he got another 2gb DIMM then it would be quiet a nice little machine.

As for OS you could also get a linux distro like ubuntu which comes in 32/64bit version and its free.

johnnyd91 · 29-11-2011, 13:19

Thanks for ur input guys, i don't really want to spend that much on it - £200 or under wud be ideal - but if i had to go over budget by 20-30 quid then no worries. I hope to get the mobo,CPU,RAM and windows 7 for xmas so it gives me a starting point, so i can buy the other parts that are needed when i can see what is in front of me. Any other recommendations on bundles on the market or should i stick with what i have seen?

johnnyd91 · 29-11-2011, 19:24

http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/prod...PCA-V6M4A3000E Had a look at this aswell

martyh · 29-11-2011, 19:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnyd91

Hey guys im going to attempt to build my first computer for which i will use for browsing the internet and watching videos etc... i was looking at this http://www.ebuyer.com/283340-amd-ath...lmlx2gb250bund ....was just wondering your thoughts..... and if its what i need for a basic computer! chers

I did this last christmas with my youngest son for his christmas prezzie and it is much ,much better than buying a off the shelf machine ,this is a list of the parts we bought complete with prices (last years)

Case [£35.47]
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elite-330-Mid-Tower-Chassis/dp/B000OH10G2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292275911&sr=8-1-catcorr
-------------
Elite 330 Mid Tower Chassis
2- Fan slots
1- Fan installed
Form Factor: ATX & MicroATX
---------------
Mobo [£61.98]
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-AM3-M4A77TD-Pro-5200MT/dp/B002KPH6C8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292275962&sr=1-1
---------------
Asus AM3 M4A77TD Pro
AM3 Socket (Phenom II Series supported)
PCI-E 2.0 X16 Mode
Supports 16gb RAM
4 Ram Slots
---------------
Processor [£139.99]
http://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-Phenom-1055T-Six-core-Processor/dp/B003FVNC0Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1292276360&sr=1-1
---------------
AMD Phenom II X6 1055T (HexaCore/Six-Core Processor)
32Bit Computing- Yes
64 Bit Computing - Yes
Max Power - 125 W
Core Clock - 2.8GHZ (Per Core)
Virtualization support
HyperTransport 3.0
Turbo Core Technology
AM3 Socket Required
--------------------
Video Card [£162.50
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-6850-GDDR5-HDMI-Graphics/dp/B0048EEEOW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292276401&sr=1-1
--------------------
Sapphire HD 6850 1GB PCI-E Graphic card
1GB GDDR5 Ram
Stereoscopic 3D support
Eye Efinity 3.0
HDMI 1.4a
Display Port 1.2
PCI-E 2.0 X16 Slot required
500W PSU OR higher
1x 6-Pin Power cable
---------------------
PSU [£46.76 Amazon]
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMPSU-500CX-500W-Power-Supply/dp/B0045Y1EJ8/ref=sr_1_5?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1292276485&sr=1-5
---------------------
Cosair 500Watt PSU
1x ATX 24Pin & 20 Pin compatiblity (Mobo power)
1x ESP/ATX12V 8-4Pin (Processor Power)
2x PCI-E 6pin power cables (Video card connection)
5x SATA Power cable (Hard/disc drives)
4x 4 Pin Peripheral (Hard/disc drives)
1x floppy power cable (floppy drive)
--------------------
Ram [£45.39]
--------------------
4GB DDR3 Corsair Ram kit.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/CORSAIR-4GB-1333MHz-DDR3-Memory/dp/B002D11C6U/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1292276516&sr=1-1
---------------------
Estimated Total: 484.44
---------------------
The actual finished price was £503 because the processor was out of stock at amazon so we went to Novatech who i would highly recomend .Also the HD monitor we bought was about £160 i think The PC has worked faultlessly running windows 7 and doing high end on line gaming .It may be that the graphics are a bit OTT for your needs but you could always lower that spec but make sure it supports High Def .
Hope this helps

Gavin78 · 29-11-2011, 21:54

Hi Johnny I've always built my own pc's.

I'm sure others might chip in but I've always ordered my parts from Ebuyer.

So here are my recommendations

Motherboard:-

Asus M4A88T http://www.ebuyer.com/220150-asus-m4...board-m4a88t-m

Its an AM3 board, will take 16 gigs of DDR 3 ram, supports SATA 3 and comes with a better on-board graphics card ATI Radeon HD4250 bit more future proof than the current one you were looking at costs £60

CPU depends on what you want......Quadcore AMD Athlon II X4 640 Socket AM3 3GHz 2MB L2 Cache Retail Boxed Processor £76

or something a bit cheaper AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition 3.2GHz Socket AM3 6MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor £68

If you prefer gaming then go for the quad if you dont really play games then go for the cheaper dualcore as it wont matter most applications dont need quadcore although I found I needed at least a quadcore to play Black ops on my pc.

Memory.....its cheap as chips now so get it as soon as before it goes back up....

8 gigs might be over kill but its there and its cheap....Corsair 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz XMS3 Memory Kit CL9 1.5V unbuffered £30 (I use this ram 1600mhz version but can vouch for it)

Or if you want to save money 4 gigs of Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz Memory Kit Unbuffered CL9. £20

So I'll just round it all up for you.

Asus M4A88T mobo
AMD 640 x4 3ghz
8 gig of ram

Total cost = £166

Bit cheaper version

Asus M4A88T
AMD x2 555
4 gig of ram

Total = £148 or £158 with 8 gig of ram

hope this helps....I find motherboard bundles to always cost more than buying up the parts seperate

tizmeinnit · 30-11-2011, 13:59

the beauty of a bundle is its meant to be tested meaning all parts at least post. Nothing worse than building a system and it does not post

Gavin78 · 30-11-2011, 19:43

Well I can't see why they wouldn't only problem I came across was cheap memory not booting the pc but thats what you get for going cheap brands

---------- Post added at 19:43 ---------- Previous post was at 19:42 ----------

All I can say is "buy cheap buy twice"

LSainsbury · 30-11-2011, 21:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by tizmeinnit

the beauty of a bundle is its meant to be tested meaning all parts at least post. Nothing worse than building a system and it does not post

I've built many PC's - not one of them have ever failed to POST.

Adding ~£30 to a bundle, just for some muppet to line up CPU pins on a board and install a couple of sticks of RAM and powering it up is madness - it's a 15 min job!

---------- Post added at 21:15 ---------- Previous post was at 21:14 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gavin78

Well I can't see why they wouldn't only problem I came across was cheap memory not booting the pc but thats what you get for going cheap brands

---------- Post added at 19:43 ---------- Previous post was at 19:42 ----------

All I can say is "buy cheap buy twice"

+1 on that advice - don't skimp - do it correctly with well known manufacturers.

johnnyd91 · 30-11-2011, 22:05

Chers guys

johnnyd91 · 03-12-2011, 00:59

What do u guys think about a referb? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2509421645...ht_9855wt_1188

Jameseh · 03-12-2011, 01:44

Looks a gud-un. The cheapest dual-core or higher AM3 socket processor I could find is this Athlon II X3 460 on Scan though having never used a AMD setup I couldn't tell you if that line was any good but on raw specs alone it seems great for the price.

LSainsbury · 03-12-2011, 15:39

Referb? I'd be cautious....how exactly has it been referbed? Blown the dust off it??