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| Thread ID: 97694 | 2009-02-24 05:09:00 | PC Build 2009 | JMoore (9352) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 750929 | 2009-02-24 05:09:00 | I am looking to purchase a decent mid-range, good value PC to replace my old system. I would like the machine to be multi-purpose - gaming (COD4/WaW being the most hardware intensive), browsing net, downloading, multimedia, Uni assignments etc. I am looking to spend around $1500 but up to $2000 if I can see the extra value. Focuses would be a decent hard drive, nice monitor and quiet case. I'm in Christchurch and have had a quote down here which doesn't sound too bad but I would appreciate any input as to whether the hardware and prices are good quality and value - all prices include GST. Asus (P5Q SE/R (Express Gate)) Intel P45 Chipset LGA775 $258.46 Intel Core 2 Duo Processor 2.53GHz LGA75 3M Cache $219.38 2 x A-data 2GB DDR2 800 DIMM $123.75 Asus EN9800GT 1GB PCI-E Video Card 2 x DVI-I HTV $322.28 Western Digital 1000GB 7200RPM 3MB SATA2 Green $260.00 Sony Internal 20x DVD Burner SATA Black $64.09 NZXT (HU-001) Hush Silent Computer Chassis, Noise Damp $151.88 Vantec 550W ION2 Plus, 135mm Silent Fan, ATX v2.2 $136.83 Viewsonic (VX2240W) 22'' Wide LCD 1680*1050 2ms $311.63 Logitech Wave Ergonomic Corded Keyboard $88.49 Logitech MX 518 Gaming Mouse $73.13 Total $2009.92 Any opinions, comments or recommendations on the above system would be greatly appreciated if you think anything is poor quality, not necessary, could be better, too expensive etc. it would be great to know. Thanks in advance. |
JMoore (9352) | ||
| 750930 | 2009-02-24 05:19:00 | Possibly a better PSU. Silverstone, Corsair and Enermax are all good brands. Also maybe some better RAM, Corsair, Kingston or GSkill are decent. IMO. Have you used an Ergonomic keyboard like that before? Some people buy them and end up hating them! |
stormdragon (6013) | ||
| 750931 | 2009-02-24 05:41:00 | just as a matter of interest, what difference does ram make? I thought they are all the same. Any speed increases are negligble... | utopian201 (6245) | ||
| 750932 | 2009-02-24 06:06:00 | Some are more reliable then others, some have more OC abilities. | stormdragon (6013) | ||
| 750933 | 2009-02-24 06:13:00 | I heard somewhere that 9800gt 1gb is not worth it and a 9800gt 512mb gives little or no performance boost. I may be wrong someone should confirm this first. If this is the case, then you have some money to spend a better PSP or CPU or just save some money. |
Tomo (14561) | ||
| 750934 | 2009-02-24 06:24:00 | I heard somewhere that 9800gt 1gb is not worth it and a 9800gt 512mb gives little or no performance boost. I may be wrong someone should confirm this first. If this is the case, then you have some money to spend a better PSP or CPU or just save some money. youd be right in saying it isnt worth it, 1gig is alot and everything else will bottleneck it first. at that resolution 512mb would be more than enough IMO |
hueybot3000 (3646) | ||
| 750935 | 2009-02-24 06:52:00 | The HD4850 would beat the 9800GT in most games. And its only a little bit more: c1com.co.nz There's also a big fan version as well, runs real cool. RAM-Get something like GSkill ,OCZ, corsair Also go for a silverstone, corsair, or thermaltake PSU Get the normal P5Q-SE mobo, not the /r version. The only extra thing is slightly better RAID or something. You should pay a little extra and get the P5Q-Pro if you might get another GFX card later to increase power...in the long term it'll be cheaper. For the mouse, I reckon you should get the sidewinder instead. Waay better IMO: www.trademe.co.nz KB-EXCELLENT choice. Its a VERY comfortable kb. BTW Stormdragon-This ergonomic kb isn't like the weird M$ ergonomic ones, its more similar to a normal kb but just as comfortable to use:thumbs: I reckon you should get either VX2233vm or the VX2260 instead of the VX2240, they're both full HD and around the same price. Althought the VX2233vm is only 5ms refresh rate, the VX2240 has 2ms refresh rate. And the VX2233vm doesn't have HDMI, only DVI, but same quality anyways so I wouldn't worry about it Blam EDIT: And you could get a cheap cooler at a later stage(or even now)for around 60 bucks(ACF7Pro) and overclock that E7200 to 3.0ghz easily. You would prob even be able to manage 3.5ghz stable. Not too sure tho, but the overclockability on the E7200 is prob pretty good |
Blam (54) | ||
| 750936 | 2009-02-24 08:16:00 | Wow thanks for all the replies. Alright, if anything I would be looking to save a bit of money if possible. Like I said I'm going for a mid range multi purpose system, it doesn't need to do anything too flash. What benefit would a better PSU have? And how necessary would this be? RAM I'm not too fussed about, as far as I have heard they're all much of a muchness. Have used a couple of ergo keyboards and this one isn't the full on split in half ones you see, was also recommended to me. I probably won't be OCing either just as a side note. Good to hear about the Video card, that's the sort of stuff I'd like to hear, will definitely look at just getting the 512MB if the difference isn't worth it. Any other opinions on the Video card? I've had an NVIDIA card for my last 3 computers but am happy to consider alternatives. Like I mentioned before though I am looking to spend less money and get more value if possible! Thanks for the note on the SE/R mobo, will look into that. Am used to the MX518, does anyone else recommend the sidewinder over this? The monitor is another thing I would definitely be interested in opinions on, it was a bit of an afterthought, but is it worth getting Full HD? I'll have a look at a couple of other reviews for Viewsonics. I maaay look at a cooler at a later stage but for now is that case suitable for my requirements? How do the prices look? Thanks again for all the input, any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. |
JMoore (9352) | ||
| 750937 | 2009-02-24 08:48:00 | I reckon the HD4850 would be better than the 9800GT. PSU a pretty important part you need it to be reliable, and more power is always good, meaning you'll have space for further upgrades. Go for a reliable brand, such as Corsair ,Antec, Thermaltake or Silverstone For your system, I would say 550w would be sufficient, but 620w or 650w would be best. Full HD is really good, with blueray and Full HD movies coming in, a Full HD would be good preperation. More screen estate, and if you ever decide to get a tv tuner card or a blueray player, you'll be able to watch TV and movies at FULL hd. And only for a fraction extra standard definition. I personally have the VX2233vm, and the image is stunning. Full HD glory is.........glorious!:thumbs: For the case: I would personally go with the Antec Three Hundred. Excellent cooling and a good budget gaming case. Its just my preference though. Your case is good too, NZXT is a good brand:) But the Antec 300 has waaay better cooling. BTW you might want to look on trademe for your parts, sometimes people buy stuff online and find out its the wrong product or whatever, and sell it for a fraction of the retail price:D I recently bought a NEW P5Q-Pro mobo for 210, original retail is like 300 or something:D Cheers Blam |
Blam (54) | ||
| 750938 | 2009-02-27 05:47:00 | Still working on this, thanks for all the input. Given I'm a bit over budget at the moment I might stick with the 9800GT, there are some cheapie Palit cards but I assume I would be better off to go with Asustek or another brand? Theres about a $50 difference between the 512MB and the 1GB so if you reckon that the 1GB isn't worth it I can save $50 there. Thanks for the recommendations on the PSU. Had a look at the Viewsonic monitors and I'm VERY keen on the VX2260wm so I think I'll stick with that. Had a look at the Antec Three Hundred but looks like it will be hard to source in Christchurch so might end up paying a bit more for shipping. Still tossing up between that and the NZXT. Any other suggestions, recommendations or comments would be greatly appreciated. |
JMoore (9352) | ||
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