[dragonfire]

as a newbie i am needing some info on what to buy as a pc system i would like something that has digital, p4 or better 3.8 mhz or bigger 250 hdd, 1gb ram heaps of graphics ms office xp home lcd monitor i have $3000 to spend less if possible
can someone please write down some specs so i know what to say to pc man or pc builder ,if i know what to say then maybe i wont get conned
thanx for all answers

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definately dont ask for a 3.8 Mhz pc and you will have a job trying to get a 3.8 Ghz cpu as well the fastest ive ever seen to buy was 3.6Ghz and at 450 quid it is one of the most expensive cpus out there. And from what ive heard of ausie prices it will probably be even more other there.
Try looking at AMD the 4000+ is cheaper than the 3.6 ghz amd and is rated at a faster speed not actual clock speed though bare in mind performance rating.

What do you want to use the pc for and then parts can be recommended to suit the use.

[warriorscot]

definately dont ask for a 3.8 Mhz pc and you will have a job trying to get a 3.8 Ghz cpu as well the fastest ive ever seen to buy was 3.6Ghz and at 450 quid it is one of the most expensive cpus out there. And from what ive heard of ausie prices it will probably be even more other there.
Try looking at AMD the 4000+ is cheaper than the 3.6 ghz amd and is rated at a faster speed not actual clock speed though bare in mind performance rating.

What do you want to use the pc for and then parts can be recommended to suit the use.

[dragonfire]

thanx for your info
i would like to use pc for games /digital photos /media
just general use
ALSO MOTHERWELL WILL WIN THIS YEAR

[KGH]

First, build it yourself. You will save a bundle ordering parts online and building yourself, if you have any experience at all.

CPU - Mate, check out Digispan for CPU prices - a 4000+ San Diego will set you back about $700. I am using one myself (albeit a Clawhammer) and it is a good cpu. I'm not sure whether the price premium is justified when compared to the 3700+ ($490) however. If you are going to be predominantly gaming, AMD64's provide superior performance. If you are going to be doing a lot of multimedia work, perhaps you could look at an X2 4200+ or 4400+ (pricey, but superior in multithreaded apps).

Mobo - You need to work out whether you want an SLi (Nvidia) or Crossfire (ATI) (running two vid cards) capable motherboard. If the latter, you will need to wait a while. What other features do you need? Will you be using onboard sound? Do you intend to overclock?

You are a little more limited here (ie, in Aus) than elsewhere. If you want DFI, checkout PC Case Gear. DFI is a good board for overclocking. A non SLI board will set you back $220 (NF4 Ultra) and a SLI (NF4 SLi-D) capable board $290.

MSI (K8N Neo 4) is another option. Check out Techbuy for others. A good MSI board will set you back around $200-320.

Abit AN8 would probably do you well (I am using an Abit AV8 and it has been problem free thus far) as will an Asus A8n SLI board.

Graphics - Nvidia or ATI? If you want ultra high end, look at a Nvidia Pci-E 7800GTX (XFX 7800GTX - $915.40 at Techbuy); or a Pci-E X850XT (HIS X850XT ICE QII - $840 at Techbuy). If you want a step down, look at a 6800GT or 6800GT Ultra (still muchos expensive here - better paying a little more for the 7800) or an X800L ($600ish).

Memory - Go for a dual channel kit of Corsair, OCZ, Geil. Probably a 2 x 512mb TwinX 3200C corsair kit will be about right.

Hard drive - depending on what configuration you want to use (ie, one big and one small, two similar sizes, one big drive), look at a Hitachi Deskstar 7200RPM SATA drive.

If we break that down we get:

1 x 3700+ - $480 (Digispan)
1 x DFI NF4 Ultra - $220 (PCCase Gear)
1 x XFX 7800GTX - $915 (Techbuy)
2 x 512mb Corsair Twinx 3200C Dual channel kit - $210 (Digispan)
1 x 250GB Hitachi SATA - $226 (Techbuy)
1 x BenQ 17" 8ms Response LCD monitor - $400 (Digispan)

Around $2451 for a high end system. That is without case, PSU, optical drives, keyboard, mouse, speakers. Do you have these parts already?

[warriorscot]

I would say get the slowest of the san diego cores and you can always overclock it if you really want more speed. A motherboard as long as its nforce 4 or ati 200 you should be fine. I owuldnt waste my money on a 7800 they are very very expensive as nvidia seem to think that expensive cards mean they are better cards and so they will sell more. The x800 is a good choice very cheap but with very good performance. I would get 2 gb of ram since you want to do medi work on it.

Buying parts and building is the best option and the cheapest but its not for everyone, if you think you are up for it, then do it its easy to learn how and its pretty fun as well.

[KGH]

Just found an HIS X800XL for $438.90 on Techbuy if you are interested dragonfire and an Xpertvision 7800GTX for $789 (non SLI I think) at Getright - not sure if they would ship to you if you are not in Adelaide.

Edited by KGH, 01 August 2005 - 06:46 PM.

[warriorscot]

Motherwell, You arent even in scotland , i cant escape all the football its everywhere.

[dragonfire]

motherwell &sheffield wednesday in england. pm me leave email&will write ok

[warriorscot]

AMD just brought out a new mid range 3800+x2 that would maybe suit your system.