So its time to replace my laptop...

[wjh31]

Its three years old, even some of the older games are really starting to push it, and it just lacks the power to run some of the models im writing at all fast. (centrino M 1.5, 1.25GB ram, ati X700 64mb)

After looking around on the web, i cant find a replacement laptop with spec's that will do me for the budget im after, so i figure its time to build my own desktop to save the money and get exactly the specs im after, im just after something that will run most games reasonably, and have a reasonable grunt in the proccessor, atleast compared to this laptop, im not after a super gaming rig. Id also like expansivity, so i can add to it a couple of years down the line to keep it vaguely up to spec

My budget is up to about £500 (sorry, im on the other side of the pond to most of you) which i figure is about US$900.

so far ive picked out these:

core 2 DUO E7200

ECS G33T-M2 mobo http://www.ebuyer.com/product/130326

2x2GB DDR2 800MHz http://www.ebuyer.com/product/135600

ECS NVidea 9500GT 512MB http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148276

a tower with a 14cm fan http://www.ebuyer.com/product/134797

wireless card http://www.ebuyer.com/product/132449

a basic optical drive http://www.ebuyer.com/product/139413

maxtor 7200rpm 32mb 500GB hard drive

and a 17" 1440x900 TFT screen http://www.ebuyer.com/product/126874

650W PSU http://www.ebuyer.com/product/128675

plus a mouse + keyboard etc


So the questions:
a) have i chosen any components that are incompatible with each other
b) is there anything essential that Ive missed out
c) do any of the components render others redundant (i already crossed off a sound card and Ethernet card because they seem to be integrated with the mobo)
d) is the PSU more/less than i need, i cant seem to find any decent figures on how much power many of the components will consume
e) are there any components where i could get a lot more power for a little extra money, or not loose a lot of power for a lot less money
f) you're the experts (at least compared to me) what other things should i be asking?

thanks

[shadowpr]

I would change a few things. These would be my suggestions:

MB: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/129125

Ram: 4g: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/130429
2gb: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/98710

dvd: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/127442

hard drive: see how the seagate 7200.11 500gb sata drive compares in price.

PSU: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/135159

Video Card: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148487 or http://www.ebuyer.com/product/144657

The biggest difference in what I chose would be the quality of the parts.

[wjh31]

Is ECS not a reliable brand then?

How much of a difference does the motherboard make to the overall performance of a computer? if it would be noticeable, then that might be one to consider.

The ram is also a possibility, but again, what difference is there, and would it be visible between the Corsair sticks linked vs the generic brand i was considering.

Those graphics cards look like they might be a little above budget, especially the 9600GT, how much of a increase in performance would they give?

The seagate hard drive of same spec is about £5 more than the maxtor hard drive.

How strongly would you recommend the dvd drive upgrade, since im not sure i plan on using it too much since i usually take an image of any dvd and read it off the drive instead so i dont have to worry about digging them up.

thanks

[shadowpr]

ECS isn't a great brand. I've heard of them having quality issues in the past.

The motherboard is the central part of the computer. It connects everything, and keeps everything working together.

As for the ram, Corsair is good quality. Generic brand might not be. It might cause you problems, or it might not work well with the motherboard.

The DVD drive I linked to is also of proven quality. Plus it comes with nero software, so you don't have to worry about that.

As for the video cards, you get what you pay for basically. Look here for comparrissons: http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/g...score,538.html

That should help yo figure out what video card would be best for what games you play.

[wjh31]

ah finally, Ive been looking all over for a site with a comparison of lots of graphics cards, it doesn't have the Nvidea 9series at the moment though, but i believe the 9500gt is comparable to the 8600gt right?

ive had another look based on that and these three seem reasonable alternatives:
XFX 9500GT 256MB DDR3 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148019
Inno3D 9500GT 1GB DDR2 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148183
Force3D HD 3850 512MB DDR3 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148212

are those brands more reliable than ECS?
which is better, 256 DDR3 or 1GB DDR2?

I understand the motherboard is the central part of a computer, what i dont know is how much of an effect on overall performance a motherboard has, theres so many parts and specifications to them i dont know what half of them mean and how they effect the performance of other components

been pretty helpful so far, thanks

[shadowpr]

Of those brands, I've only heard of xfx. The others might be only for that side of the pond.

ddr3 would be above ddr2. I like the 3850 from those you picked. I believe there is no real need for 1gb of memory on the video card unless playing on a big screen.

[wjh31]

well thanks for all your help guys, i think im going to go for something like this as my final choice:

core 2 duo E7200

Force 3D ATI HD3850 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148212

ASUS P5K mobo recomended by shadowpr http://www.ebuyer.com/product/129125

Seagate 7200.11 500GB 32MB as recomended http://www.ebuyer.com/product/130826

and rather than the recomended RAM and PSU, i went for a couple i believe are about half way between,

Hiper 580W type M http://www.ebuyer.com/product/109552

OCZ 4 (2x2) GB ddr2 800mhz http://www.ebuyer.com/product/146049

unless anyone has a final word to put in, ill let you know how it goes

[Alaron]

Hiper brand power supplies are not quite the same quality level as the OCZ units. For only another quid, I'd stick with the OCZ.

[wjh31]

ah woops

i didnt realise there was that small of a difference, so many prices in my head i got a little confused, ive made the change on my list, thanks

[wjh31]

gah, ive completely forgotten about the OS

is it worth the extra £5-10 to get home premium over basic (vista)?

[shadowpr]

I think it is.

[wjh31]

well all the pieces arrived on friday, and putting all the bits together was easy, few hours tops, and it started up perfectly first time, vista hasnt arrived yet so im currently in ubuntu, which works fine except it doesnt like the graphics drivers, on install next restart->black screen and need to reinstall ubuntu, so while i havent had a chance to test it properly, everything seems to be ok, with ubuntu's sensors program showing the cpu at about 35-40C idle and 50C under load

thanks all