View Full Version : Spec Me: £500
Looking to build a new system for my folks as they're current one is around 7-8yrs old now (P4 2.53ghz not even HT)
I've rebuilt this machine 4 or 5 times over the years and it's just reaching the end of it's life.
So I need some advice on the best build possible for under £500
Case (Compact and quiet, but quiet more important)
Motherboard (Needs optical outputs, firewire as essentials)
CPU (Best value whilst great performance, not interested in overclocked)
Ram (4gb min, 6gb preferred DDR3)
Vid Card (mid range... perhaps ATI 5770 or similar)
HD (500GB upwards, speed essential, not enough for SSD)
PSU (quietness is essential)
DVDRW (Basic and reliable, probably a liteon as I have used them for years without issue)
Needs good video capabilities and needs a min of 4GB DDR3, preferably AMD CPU as more VFM.
I've got a few ideas and will post up my thoughts later.
Cheers
Corsair XMS3 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666 C9 1333MHz Triple Channel Kit (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Memory/DDR3+Tri-Channel+%E2%80%93+1333MHz+%2F+PC3-10666/Corsair+XMS3+6GB+%283x2GB%29+DDR3+PC3-10666+C9+1333MHz+Triple+Channel+Kit+?productId=341 35)#34135 £ 99.99
OCZ StealthXStream 500W Silent SLI/Crossfire Ready ATX2.2 Power Supply (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power+Supplies/650W+or+less/OCZ+StealthXStream+500W+Silent+SLI%2FCrossfire+Rea dy+ATX2.2+Power+Supply+?productId=29090) #29090 £ 31.99
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition 125W C3 (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CPUs+%2F+Processors/AMD/Phenom+II+AM3/AMD+Phenom+II+X4+Quad+Core+955+Black+Edition+125W+ C3+?productId=39930) #39930 £ 94.99
LiteOn IHAS124-19 24x Internal DVD±R/RW SATA Drive - Black (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CD%2FDVD+Drives/Internal/SATA/LiteOn+IHAS124-19+24x+Internal+DVD%C2%B1R%2FRW+SATA+Drive+-+Black+?productId=40154) #40154 £ 15.19
ASRock M3A770DE AMD770 (Socket AM3) DDR3 PCI-Express Motherboard (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/AMD+Socket+AM3/ASRock+M3A770DE+AMD770+%28Socket+AM3%29+DDR3+PCI-Express+Motherboard+?productId=37777) #37777 £ 46.99
XFX ATI Radeon HD 4890 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/ATI+4000+Series/XFX+ATI+Radeon+HD+4890+1024MB+GDDR5+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+?productId=37323) #37323 £ 99.99
Samsung HD502HJ F3 500GB 3.5" SATA II Hard Drive (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Hard+Drives/Serial+ATA/Samsung+HD502HJ++F3+500GB+3.5%22+SATA+II+Hard+Driv e+?productId=37759) #37759 £ 26.99
Cart Total £ 416.13
Approx. Delivery £ 9.70
VAT £ 74.52
Total £500.35
Corsair XMS3 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666 C9 1333MHz Triple Channel Kit (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Memory/DDR3+Tri-Channel+%E2%80%93+1333MHz+%2F+PC3-10666/Corsair+XMS3+6GB+%283x2GB%29+DDR3+PC3-10666+C9+1333MHz+Triple+Channel+Kit+?productId=341 35)#34135 £ 99.99
OCZ StealthXStream 500W Silent SLI/Crossfire Ready ATX2.2 Power Supply (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power+Supplies/650W+or+less/OCZ+StealthXStream+500W+Silent+SLI%2FCrossfire+Rea dy+ATX2.2+Power+Supply+?productId=29090) #29090 £ 31.99
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition 125W C3 (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CPUs+%2F+Processors/AMD/Phenom+II+AM3/AMD+Phenom+II+X4+Quad+Core+955+Black+Edition+125W+ C3+?productId=39930) #39930 £ 94.99
LiteOn IHAS124-19 24x Internal DVD±R/RW SATA Drive - Black (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CD%2FDVD+Drives/Internal/SATA/LiteOn+IHAS124-19+24x+Internal+DVD%C2%B1R%2FRW+SATA+Drive+-+Black+?productId=40154) #40154 £ 15.19
ASRock M3A770DE AMD770 (Socket AM3) DDR3 PCI-Express Motherboard (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/AMD+Socket+AM3/ASRock+M3A770DE+AMD770+%28Socket+AM3%29+DDR3+PCI-Express+Motherboard+?productId=37777) #37777 £ 46.99
XFX ATI Radeon HD 4890 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/ATI+4000+Series/XFX+ATI+Radeon+HD+4890+1024MB+GDDR5+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+?productId=37323) #37323 £ 99.99
Samsung HD502HJ F3 500GB 3.5" SATA II Hard Drive (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Hard+Drives/Serial+ATA/Samsung+HD502HJ++F3+500GB+3.5%22+SATA+II+Hard+Driv e+?productId=37759) #37759 £ 26.99
Cart Total £ 416.13
Approx. Delivery £ 9.70
VAT £ 74.52
Total £500.35
Seem's pretty solid but triple channel will be kinda wasted since only i7 1366 supports triple channel so a normal dual channel ddr3 be fine.
https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/OCZ+Gold+4GB+(2x2GB)+DDR3+PC3-10666C9+1333MHz+Dual+Channel+Kit+?productId=37540
OCZ StealthXStream 500W Silent SLI/Crossfire Ready ATX2.2 Power Supply (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power+Supplies/650W+or+less/OCZ+StealthXStream+500W+Silent+SLI%2FCrossfire+Rea dy+ATX2.2+Power+Supply+?productId=29090) #29090 £ 31.99
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition 125W C3 (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CPUs+%2F+Processors/AMD/Phenom+II+AM3/AMD+Phenom+II+X4+Quad+Core+955+Black+Edition+125W+ C3+?productId=39930) #39930 £ 94.99
LiteOn IHAS124-19 24x Internal DVD±R/RW SATA Drive - Black (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CD%2FDVD+Drives/Internal/SATA/LiteOn+IHAS124-19+24x+Internal+DVD%C2%B1R%2FRW+SATA+Drive+-+Black+?productId=40154) #40154 £ 15.19
ASRock M3A770DE AMD770 (Socket AM3) DDR3 PCI-Express Motherboard (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/AMD+Socket+AM3/ASRock+M3A770DE+AMD770+%28Socket+AM3%29+DDR3+PCI-Express+Motherboard+?productId=37777) #37777 £ 46.99
XFX ATI Radeon HD 4890 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/ATI+4000+Series/XFX+ATI+Radeon+HD+4890+1024MB+GDDR5+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+?productId=37323) #37323 £ 99.99
Samsung HD502HJ F3 500GB 3.5" SATA II Hard Drive (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Hard+Drives/Serial+ATA/Samsung+HD502HJ++F3+500GB+3.5%22+SATA+II+Hard+Driv e+?productId=37759) #37759 £ 26.99
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Memory/DDR3+Dual+Channel+%E2%80%93+1600MHz+%2F+PC3-12800/OCZ+Gold+4GB+%282x2GB%29+DDR3+PC3-12800C8+1600MHz+Dual+Channel+Kit+?productId=34387
£75.99
Cart Total £ 360.14
Approx. Delivery £ 10.20
VAT £ 64.81
Total £435.15
How's that sound... frees up some cash for a reasonable case.
How about something like this mate: gone over but it's a good build.
note some item's are cheaper via super special
https://www.aria.co.uk/WishList/l9sqt7aJ4J8v37C4Ot_C0A,,
I like the case and would be interested to hear from people about how quiet it is, but can't see the point of the MB... they'll have no need for crossfire as they don't play games, and the on board HD4200 would be redundant too.
From my perspective.. whilst it's a nice board, the extra features listed are ones that would never be used and at almost twice the price.
I'm looking to build something that will last them another 7 years before thinking about a new one. :)
What about thoughts on a decent and very quiet heat sink to replace the stock one?
I like the case and would be interested to hear from people about how quiet it is, but can't see the point of the MB... they'll have no need for crossfire as they don't play games, and the on board HD4200 would be redundant too.
From my perspective.. whilst it's a nice board, the extra features listed are ones that would never be used and at almost twice the price.
I'm looking to build something that will last them another 7 years before thinking about a new one. :)
What about thoughts on a decent and very quiet heat sink to replace the stock one?
Hi, i've change the motherboard and added a decent cpu cooler, its one of the best ones for AMD. the fan can be loud at full speed so in the bios just set the cpu fan to silent:
Edit: just read your above post again, if they won't be playing games a 4890 isn't needed. you can get something a lot cheaper
I see you list and raise it with this one
https://www.aria.co.uk/WishList/ePFTG4-IVhtoojc2EpuIng,,
I can accept going £23 over budget (ic delivery) but not close to £80 (inc delivery)... and if there are any superspecials and deal4days on when we buy everything... I may be able to save some more or upgrade.
I see you list and raise it with this one
https://www.aria.co.uk/WishList/ePFTG4-IVhtoojc2EpuIng,,
I can accept going £23 over budget (ic delivery) but not close to £80 (inc delivery)... and if there are any superspecials and deal4days on when we buy everything... I may be able to save some more or upgrade.
could you confirm. in your previous post you said they won't be playing games. is that true? if so you can get something cheaper like this:
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/ATI+5700+Series/XFX+ATI+Radeon+HD+5750+512MB+GDDR5+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+?productId=39072
that will allow you to play games at medium-high settings depending on the monitor's res
Toonshorty
13-08-10, 23:18
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Cases/Lian-Li/Lian+Li+PC-V351+Micro-ATX+Cube+Case+-+Black?productId=39416
Look at this case maybe.
It's expensive but quality wise it's a really nice case.
I was looking at the 57xx series of cards, but figured that as there's £20 difference between the 5750 and the 4890.. and the latter is the far superior card... that extra £20 gets you more than £20 worth of extra performance.
I was looking at the 57xx series of cards, but figured that as there's £20 difference between the 5750 and the 4890.. and the latter is the far superior card... that extra £20 gets you more than £20 worth of extra performance.
That's right, i'm using the 4890 now its a great card, surprising its very quite at idle and not that loud under load.
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Cases/Lian-Li/Lian+Li+PC-V351+Micro-ATX+Cube+Case+-+Black?productId=39416
Look at this case maybe.
It's expensive but quality wise it's a really nice case.
ooooh, me likey.
Unfortunately.. it won't fit in the space under the desk (279mm wide, and the gap for the PC shelf is about 200mm)... But it's in my wishlist for my next build. :)
Toonshorty
13-08-10, 23:28
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Cases/Lian-Li/Lian+Li+PC-Q07B+Aluminium+Mini-ITX+Cube+Case+-+Black?productId=40657
damn and blast... I missed out one very important bit of the build.. one that's essential and cannot be overlooked.
Win7 (HP64bit)
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Cases/Lian-Li/Lian+Li+PC-Q07B+Aluminium+Mini-ITX+Cube+Case+-+Black?productId=40657
stoppit... you're making me drool... I love lian-li cases and I'll be dammed if my folks are having one that looks so much better than mine. :D
damn and blast... I missed out one very important bit of the build.. one that's essential and cannot be overlooked.
Win7 (HP64bit)
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Software/Operating+Systems/Microsoft+Windows+7+Home+Premium+64-Bit+-+OEM+?productId=38272
callumburns
13-08-10, 23:35
https://www.aria.co.uk/WishList/wjc56SmL0mud4PvbS0caiQ,,
how does that look to you mate :)?
Toonshorty
13-08-10, 23:41
http://i35.tinypic.com/uahbb.jpg
I've thrown in a firewire controller in there, if you don't need it you can save yourself £40.
I've based it on integrated graphics but your folks shouldn't need more than that.
Lot's of great suggestions... I think I've narrowed it down to a preferred list, a few minor changes to the original one to make use of suggestions made here.
I added a firewire card to the folks PC a couple of years ago so they could transfer video to it from their older camcorder and I've got a firewire card in mine too. I can always salvage that and save the money that way.
I know Intel have the edge in performance, but I think AMD offers the best value for money and allows for a dedicated video card instead of integrated. I can trim some money by going for the next CPU down for example and allow the addition of W7 wilst still keeping close to budget.
My folks aren't going to appreciate the beauty of a Lian-Li case like I would... it's just a black box sitting under the desk, so something simple and effective.. and half the price is the way to go for practical reasons.
PSU is locked in, Ram is locked in, vid card is locked in and I think the case Zaim will do fine for them. Win7 is locked in... so the rest can be flexible to suit the budget now.
Besides... I'll be watching the super specials to see if I can get it under budget. :)
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