£600 Spec

davewhite04 · 2 Mar 2006 at 21:47

Hello all,

I'm building a PC for a friend and want to keep the budget to around the £600 mark. I haven't kept upto date with the best components hence my request for advice.

I want at least an ASUS SLI mainboard with a 6600 G/Card and 1GB RAM. A 120GB HDD is as high as I need. Would prefer a case that is good and can handle two Akaska 120mm fans. Also a LCD screen is required, 17" is fine or bigger.

The machine will be used for school work and internet browsing and would like some decent games to be able to run on there(Sim 2 for example).

Cheers for any suggestions

PS I would prefer to buy from Overclockers.co.uk

Explicit · 2 Mar 2006 at 21:59

davewhite04 said:
I want at least an ASUS SLI mainboard with a 6600 G/Card and 1GB RAM. A 120GB HDD is as high as I need. Would prefer a case that is good and can handle two Akaska 120mm fans. Also a LCD screen is required, 17" is fine or bigger.

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 90nm (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA3200BPBOX) (CP-118-AM)
£112.74
Asus A8N-SLi SE nForce4 SLi (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-101-AS)
£82.19
OcUK Value 1GB (2x512MB) PC3200 184pin DDR Memory Dual Channel Kit (MY-004-OK)
£46.94
Leadtek WinFast PCX6600GT-TDH GeForce PCX6600 GT 128MB DDR3 TV-Out/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-045-LT)
£82.19
Western Digital Caviar Special Edition 120GB 1200JS SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-055-WD)
£51.54
Arctic Cooling T1 Silentium Silent Midi Tower Case - 450W Seasonic Silent PSU (CA-000-AR)
£58.69
Hyundai ImageQuest B70A 17" LCD Monitor (MO-026-HY)
£164.44

Total inc VAT: £598.73

Raikiri · 2 Mar 2006 at 22:01

MY-005-GL GeIL 1GB (2x512MB) PC3200 Value Dual Channel Kit CAS2.5 (GE1GB3200BHDC) (MY-005-GL)
£49.95 £49.95
CP-131-AM AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 90nm (Socket 939) - OEM (CP-131-AM)
£87.95 £87.95
CD-033-LG LG GSA-4167BAL 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM (CD-033-LG)
£23.95 £23.95
CA-048-AN Antec SLK3800BUK Black Quiet Midi Tower Case - 400W SmartPower PSU (CA-048-AN)
£54.95 £54.95
HS-015-AR Arctic Cooling Silencer 64 Ultra CPU Cooler (Socket 754) (HS-015-AR)
£4.95 £4.95
MO-026-HY Hyundai ImageQuest B70A 17" LCD Monitor (MO-026-HY)
£139.95 £139.95
HD-055-WD Western Digital Caviar Special Edition 120GB 1200JS SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-055-WD)
£43.95 £43.95
MB-120-AS Asus A8N5X nForce4 (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-120-AS)
£51.95 £51.95
GX-045-LT Leadtek WinFast PCX6600GT-TDH GeForce PCX6600 GT 128MB DDR3 TV-Out/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-045-LT)
£69.95 £69.95
Subtotal £527.55
VAT £92.33
Total £619.88

hows that?

davewhite04 · 2 Mar 2006 at 22:25

Good specs thanks. I do however need to add a DVD ROM and Floppy to these aswell as a good keyboard and mouse. Speakers also.

If this is the best options then I'll add the rest myself. The Antec case looks smart, what about the Sonato II from Antec(I'll pay the little bit extra)?

Edited: Noticed the DVD drive was included above

Explicit · 2 Mar 2006 at 22:41

davewhite04 said:
Good specs thanks. I do however need to add a DVD ROM and Floppy to these aswell as a good keyboard and mouse. Speakers also.

Hmm, that's a bit of a squeeze:

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice 90nm (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA3000BPBOX) (CP-117-AM)
£96.64
Asus A8N-SLi SE nForce4 SLi (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-101-AS)
£82.19
OcUK Value 1GB (2x512MB) PC3200 184pin DDR Memory Dual Channel Kit (MY-004-OK)
£46.94
Leadtek WinFast PCX6600TD GeForce PCX6600 256MB DDR2 TV-Out/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-046-LT)
£76.32
Western Digital Caviar Special Edition 120GB 1200JS SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-055-WD)
£51.64
NEC ND4551 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer LabelFlash ReWriter (Black) - OEM (CD-026-NE)
£32.64
Antec SLK3800BUK Black Quiet Midi Tower Case - 400W SmartPower PSU (CA-048-AN)
£64.57
Logitech Internet Pro Keyboard (Black) - OEM (KB-011-LG)
£10.52
Logitech S96 PS/2 Optical Wheel Mouse Black - OEM (KB-046-LG)
£6.46
Hyundai ImageQuest B70A 17" LCD Monitor (MO-026-HY)
£164.44
Creative SBS380 2.1 Speakers - Retail (SP-064-CL)
£22.27

Total inc VAT: £654.63

You can drop the speakers for headphones to pull the price down. And if you don't need SLI, then you can get the A8N-E.

davewhite04 · 2 Mar 2006 at 22:52

That looks sound.

Thank you for the feedback I'll seriosly consider this as it seems the best pound for pound setup. I like the look of the Antec Sonato II, any experience of this case?

Explicit · 2 Mar 2006 at 22:57

davewhite04 said:
That looks sound.

Thank you for the feedback I'll seriosly consider this as it seems the best pound for pound setup. I like the look of the Antec Sonato II, any experience of this case?

Yeah, the Sonato II is a great case. Very quiet, and elegant.

If you take a 17" CRT

p) then you can have the following:

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 90nm (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA3200BPBOX) (CP-118-AM)
£112.74
Asus A8N-SLi SE nForce4 SLi (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-101-AS)
£82.19
OcUK Value 1GB (2x512MB) PC3200 184pin DDR Memory Dual Channel Kit (MY-004-OK)
£46.94
Leadtek WinFast PCX6600TD GeForce PCX6600 256MB DDR2 TV-Out/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-046-LT)
£76.32
Western Digital Caviar Special Edition 120GB 1200JS SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-055-WD)
£51.64
NEC ND4551 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer LabelFlash ReWriter (Black) - OEM (CD-026-NE)
£32.64
Antec Sonata II Piano Black Quiet Case - 450W Smart Power PSU (CA-040-AN)
£77.49
Logitech Internet Pro Keyboard (Black) - OEM (KB-011-LG)
£10.52
Logitech S96 PS/2 Optical Wheel Mouse Black - OEM (KB-046-LG)
£6.46
Hyundai ImageQuest Q770S 17'' Perfectly Flat CRT Monitor - Black/Silver (MO-006-HY)
£76.32
Creative SBS380 2.1 Speakers - Retail (SP-064-CL)
£22.27

Total inc VAT: £595.53

Raikiri · 2 Mar 2006 at 23:06

6600gt is only £6 more and a bit faster, might be worth it.

davewhite04 · 2 Mar 2006 at 23:23

Hmm I think I'll add the GT as Raikiri recommended and the cheapest 17" LCD available, should be a pretty decent system, and I thin I can add another 6600GT at a leter date for the Sli advantage.

Nice.

Thank you both

BigDom · 2 Mar 2006 at 23:33

Ok I know you said SLI/6600GT but IMO at this price bracket a better choice is definatly ATI. Over budget slightly as all are and no speakers/kb/mouse ( as those are very much down to personal choice ) but IMO a good solid rig.

Incidently 2x6600's are slower than a single X850XT for similar price (if anything the 850XT is cheaper). I know.. cos I've tested it

. SLI isn't a big boost and some games don't support it.

CP-117-AM AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice 90nm (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA3000BPBOX) (CP-117-AM)
£83.95 £83.95
CD-030-NE NEC ND4570 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM (CD-030-NE)
£24.95 £24.95
CA-001-AR Arctic Cooling T2 Silentium Silent Midi Tower Case - 450W Seasonic Silent PSU (CA-001-AR)
£49.95 £49.95
MO-026-HY Hyundai ImageQuest B70A 17" LCD Monitor (MO-026-HY)
£139.95 £139.95
MB-129-AS Asus A8R-MVP Crossfire (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-129-AS)
£69.95 £69.95
GX-053-PC PowerColor ATI Radeon X800 GTO 128MB DDR TV-Out/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-053-PC)
£69.95 £69.95
MY-004-OK OcUK Value 1GB (2x512MB) PC3200 184pin DDR Memory Dual Channel Kit (MY-004-OK)
£39.95 £39.95
HD-072-MD Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 10 NCQ 120GB 6L120M0 SATA 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-072-MD)
£42.95 £42.95
Subtotal £521.60
Shipping (City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)) £14.95
VAT £93.90
Total £630.45

davewhite04 · 2 Mar 2006 at 23:38

Is that case and PSU much cop? Bah I see delivery has went up a fiver

BigDom · 2 Mar 2006 at 23:39

davewhite04 said:
Is that case and PSU much cop? Bah I see delivery has went up a fiver

Seasonics have a good reputation around here. As a budget case/PSU combination I believe this is the best option.

davewhite04 · 2 Mar 2006 at 23:44

I could push the budget up slightly, so is the Antec Sonato II worth the extra cash in your opinion?

BigDom · 2 Mar 2006 at 23:48

davewhite04 said:
I could push the budget up slightly, so is the Antec Sonato II worth the extra cash in your opinion?

I wouldn't like to say to be honest. The Antec PSU is definatly a good one and if you like the look of the Sonato then sure why not.

davewhite04 · 2 Mar 2006 at 23:56

Thanks, I was wondering if 450W is good enough for this setup? If it is then I think I'll go with the Antec, as they're a great company judging by past experience.

Explicit · 3 Mar 2006 at 00:03

davewhite04 said:
Thanks, I was wondering if 450W is good enough for this setup? If it is then I think I'll go with the Antec, as they're a great company judging by past experience.

The Artctic case PSU is 450W max, continous power is actually 350W. I hate it when companies exaggerate specs with devious marketing techniques. But fair play, they have stated it on their website:
http://www.arctic-cooling.com/pc_case2.php?idx=4

ACESHIGH · 3 Mar 2006 at 00:21

BigDom said:
Ok I know you said SLI/6600GT but IMO at this price bracket a better choice is definatly ATI. Over budget slightly as all are and no speakers/kb/mouse ( as those are very much down to personal choice ) but IMO a good solid rig.

Incidently 2x6600's are slower than a single X850XT for similar price (if anything the 850XT is cheaper). I know.. cos I've tested it . SLI isn't a big boost and some games don't support it.

CP-117-AM AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice 90nm (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA3000BPBOX) (CP-117-AM)
£83.95 £83.95
CD-030-NE NEC ND4570 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM (CD-030-NE)
£24.95 £24.95
CA-001-AR Arctic Cooling T2 Silentium Silent Midi Tower Case - 450W Seasonic Silent PSU (CA-001-AR)
£49.95 £49.95
MO-026-HY Hyundai ImageQuest B70A 17" LCD Monitor (MO-026-HY)
£139.95 £139.95
MB-129-AS Asus A8R-MVP Crossfire (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-129-AS)
£69.95 £69.95
GX-053-PC PowerColor ATI Radeon X800 GTO 128MB DDR TV-Out/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-053-PC)
£69.95 £69.95
MY-004-OK OcUK Value 1GB (2x512MB) PC3200 184pin DDR Memory Dual Channel Kit (MY-004-OK)
£39.95 £39.95
HD-072-MD Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 10 NCQ 120GB 6L120M0 SATA 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-072-MD)
£42.95 £42.95
Subtotal £521.60
Shipping (City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)) £14.95
VAT £93.90
Total £630.45

That looks like a well specced system.
Best graphics of the bunch.
If you can stretch i think the Athlon 64 3200+ is a worthwhile upgrade also

davewhite04 · 3 Mar 2006 at 12:34

This is what I decided on, thanks for the feedback people

Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition inc. SP2 - OEM £50.95
MS Microsoft Works 8.5 - OEM (SW-019-MS) £9.95
Creative SBS380 2.1 Speakers - Retail (SP-064-CL) £18.95
Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 10 NCQ 120GB 6L120M0 SATA 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-072-MD) £42.95
OcUK Value Floppy Drive - Black (HD-001-OK) £5.95
Akasa Serial ATA 45cm DAYGLO Orange Data Cable (CB-000-AK) £2.95
Antec Sonata II Piano - 450W Smart Power PSU (CA-040-AN) £65.95
Creative Modem Blaster V.92 PCI - OEM (MD-003-CL) £7.95
Akasa AK-183-L2B Ultra Quiet 120mm Fan - 3 pin (FG-024-AK) £5.95
Hyundai ImageQuest B70A 17" LCD Monitor (MO-026-HY) £139.95
Asus A8R-MVP Crossfire (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard £69.95
OcUK Value 1GB (2x512MB) PC3200 184pin DDR Memory Dual Channel Kit
£39.95
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 90nm (Socket 939) - Retail (CP-118-AM) £95.95
PowerColor ATI Radeon X800 GTO 128MB DDR TV-Out/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-053-PC) £69.95
Logitech Internet Pro Keyboard (Black) - OEM (KB-011-LG) £8.95
Logitech B58 Optical Wheel Mouse (Black) - £6.95
NEC ND4570 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - 24.95

Total Inc VAT/Delivery £817.65

I had to add software and added bits and pieces, overall I think it's a good rig, hopefully will get the go ahead before this week only deals end.

Big thanks to BigDom for pointing out this crossfire technology to me, it's something I had never heard of.

Explicit · 3 Mar 2006 at 12:50

So you mananged to increase the budget, nice

You might want to change the Maxtor to a Seagate 120GB (5yr warranty) or WD 120GB (3yr warranty)

Also, no dvd writer?

Explicit · 3 Mar 2006 at 13:20

For 49p more, here's something to consider

AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Venice 90nm (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA3500BPBOX) (CP-119-AM)
£140.94
Asus A8N-E nForce4 Ultra (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-088-AS)
£72.79
OcUK Value 1GB (2x512MB) PC3200 184pin DDR Memory Dual Channel Kit (MY-004-OK)
£46.34
HIS Excalibur ATI Radeon X800 GTO ICEQII TURBO 256MB GDDR3 TV-Out/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (RX800GTO-256ICEQT) (GX-044-HT)
£105.69
Western Digital Caviar Special Edition 120GB 1200JS SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-055-WD)
£51.64
NEC ND4551 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer LabelFlash ReWriter (Black) - OEM (CD-026-NE)
£32.84
OcUK Value Floppy Drive - Black (HD-001-OK)
£6.99
OcUK Value V.92 PCI Modem - Retail (MD-000-OK)
£8.17
Antec Sonata II Piano Black Quiet Case - 450W Smart Power PSU (CA-040-AN)
£77.49
Hyundai ImageQuest B70A 17" LCD Monitor (MO-026-HY)
£164.44
Logitech Internet Pro Keyboard (Black) - OEM (KB-011-LG)
£10.52
Logitech S96 PS/2 Optical Wheel Mouse Black - OEM (KB-046-LG)
£6.46
Creative SBS380 2.1 Speakers - Retail (SP-064-CL)
£22.27
Microsoft Works 8.5 - OEM (SW-019-MS)
£11.69
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition inc. SP2 - OEM (OS-001-MS)
£59.87

Total inc VAT: £818.14

You get a a much better graphics card, and a faster CPU. Also includes the bits and bobs you added on. You don't need the SATA cable as the mobo includes every cable you will require