PC Build: what do you guys think?

[stuartwood89]

So I'm going to start building a PC for the first time ever for a friend. He has £400, or thereabouts, so I need to make sure I got this right.

Case

Power Supply

Processor

Motherboard

RAM

Hard Disc Drive

Graphics Card

Optical Drive

Monitor

Thermal Compound

I just need to make sure it will all work together. Maybe you guys can think of something better :/ I made the decisions to the best of my knowledge, but I have a feeling I've missed something out. If anyone can see any faults at all with this setup, let me know so I can find an alternative.

Also, if it matters, I'm putting Ubuntu on it.

[Jacal]

For starters, the case is out of stock. Also, I have had nothing but terrifying experiences with Asus motherboards.

[helix eternal]

everything you have listed there should work together.
I don't know much about mobos but I've heard gigabyte ones are better than asus

[stuartwood89]

Originally Posted by Excel♠2008

For starters, the case is out of stock. Also, I have had nothing but terrifying experiences with Asus motherboards.

I'm aware of that, but I won't be building for a while, my friend has to save up the money first. So by the time I have the money, the case should be in stock, if not, then I'll just pick another one. Simple.

I have an Asus motherboard and I have no trouble with it. But I'll look into Gigabyte motherboards if you think they're better.

I haven't shown the list to my friend yet, so it may change when he does see it. He may decide he wants something different anyway.

Thanks for the replies so far guys.

[patrickphan2]

Try getting a gigabyte p35 Gigabyte GA-P35-S3G iP35 Socket 775 6 channel audio ATX Motherboard - Ebuyer
I hear they are good.

[stuartwood89]

Originally Posted by patrickphan2

Try getting a gigabyte p35 Gigabyte GA-P35-S3G iP35 Socket 775 6 channel audio ATX Motherboard - Ebuyer
I hear they are good.

That would mean having to change the processor. Which Intel would you recommend for less than £50?

[The legend of ZAKU 0079]

So far, your initial spec pretty much puts it right around 500 pounds, which is probably a mid-range PC over there for that price, since it's almost $1000 in parts over here. Lemme ask you something: how does your budget look like, since you could just ditch the ASUS mobo for the MSI K9N Neo-F V3. MSI is pretty reliable when it comes to mobos and they're known for budget OC'ing, plus this one's slightly expensive than the ASUS you picked out, but well worth it.

[WiLLiSTER]

Originally Posted by stuartwood89

That would mean having to change the processor. Which Intel would you recommend for less than £50?

One of these:
E2160 OEM 42.99
Intel Pentium Dual Core E2160 Socket 775 (1.8GHz) 1MB L2 Cache OEM Processor - Ebuyer

E2160 Retail 44.33
Intel E2160 Socket 775 Pentium Dual Core 2x1.8Ghz 800FSB Retail Boxed Processor - Ebuyer

E2180 Retail 49.05
Intel Pentium Dual Core E2180 2GHz Socket 775 800MHz FSB L2 1MB Cache Retail Box Processor - Ebuyer

E2200 Retail 55.37
Intel Pentium Dual Core E2200 Socket 775 2.2GHz 800FSB Retail Boxed Processor - Ebuyer

The first two are the same, just one is oem making it cheaper. They get progressively better as you go down though. The 2200 might be the best value though since it has free shipping.

[stuartwood89]

I'll revise the list tomorrow with the parts you suggested. I might be able to get my friend to up his budget to £500.

[kimcicle]

Case: An acrylic case shouldn't be your first choice for a case mostly since they have a harder time absorbing / spreading heat than would a steel / aluminum case. Which means you'll need more fans to keep a status quo of temperature compared to a nice aluminum case.

Power Supply: DO NOT SKIMP ON YOUR POWER SUPPLY. THIS WILL ONLY BITE YOU IN THE ASS IN THE END.

Seriously, you don't know how many times I've seen "Hey guys I just saved some $$ and got this 500W PSU for $20" turn into "oh god my whole computer just blew up".

Don't go AMD, do your friend a favor and do a Core 2 Duo build.

[WiLLiSTER]

Originally Posted by kimcicle

Power Supply: DO NOT SKIMP ON YOUR POWER SUPPLY. THIS WILL ONLY BITE YOU IN THE ASS IN THE END.

Seriously, you don't know how many times I've seen "Hey guys I just saved some $$ and got this 500W PSU for $20" turn into "oh god my whole computer just blew up".

Don't go AMD, do your friend a favor and do a Core 2 Duo build.

qfe

Cheap power supplies will give you horrible HORRIBLE results. It might not even work when you try and boot. And if it does, don't expect it to last too long. In most cases, you'll get what you pay for.

[stuartwood89]

Thanks guys,

Also, one of these

EDIT: If you were me, and you only had two sites to pick from (Overclockers and Ebuyer) and you only had a maximum of £500 to spend (including monitor, keyboard, mouse etc) what would you choose for a setup?

[WiLLiSTER]

Mobo: Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R Socket 775 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard - Ebuyer
cpu: Intel Pentium Dual Core E2200 Socket 775 2.2GHz 800FSB Retail Boxed Processor - Ebuyer
ram: Corsair 2GB Kit (2x1GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 XMS2 Memory Non-ECC Unbuffered CL4(4-4-4-12) E.P.P. Technology Heat Spreader Lifetime Warranty - Ebuyer
gfx: XFX 8600GT 256MB DDR3 XXX edition Dual DVI TV Out PCI-E Graphics Card - Ebuyer
psu: Coolermaster IGreen 500W PSU - 85% Efficiency ATX12V v2.2 120mm Fan - Ebuyer
hd: Maxtor STM3250310AS 250GB SATAII 8MB Cache - OEM - Ebuyer
optical drive: LiteOn DH-20A4P-21C 20X DVD±RW/DL/RAM Black Bare Drive - OEM - Ebuyer
case: Casecom LG-3320 Piano Black Mid Tower Case - No PSU - Front USB2.0/Audio - Ebuyer
monitor: ASUS VW193S 19" TFT Monitor 1440 x 900 300 cd/m2 1600:1 5 ms 16:9 Multimedia VGA Black - Ebuyer

Leaves me with 36.52 to spare. I'm not a fan of wireless stuff, so I didn't find a mouse or keyboard from that site. Could probably find one somewhere else.