New Computer Help

[xeqt]

Hello there....So basically I need a new computer, I have got a Dell Power Edge 1800 that I could use for parts. I am currently looking at computers from Cyberpower and was hoping to save some money using some parts from the dell I currently have in the new system. i.e if the hard drive from the dell is good enough, then ill order the new system without a hard rive.

Get my drift? So what I would like to know if possible:
Is this possible to begin with?

• Are any of the parts from the dell worth using & are they compatible?
• Which system should I look at buying from cyberpower, Intel/AMD?
• Quad or Duo core?
• Is it worth waiting until the new windows live 7 comes out, or dosen't it really matter?
• Should I get a hard drive cooler?

I will be using the computer primarily for gaming. The dell specifications are outlined above, but it has 2x1gig RAM, 500Gig HD & the 3.2Ghz processor I think.

Thank you very much in advance for your time.

[jdeb]

are you building another server?
If not, what are you going to use it for?
What are the specs of your hardware inside? or service tag number?
budget?

The case and power supply are sweet

[xeqt]

Thank you for your reply. In response to your questions. I'm not building another server, I would be using the computer primarily for gaming. I cant get the service tag number at the moment because I'm not at home. What about the dual Intel xeon 3.2ghz processor, is that any good for gaming?
I think its about this.

Processors: Intel Xeon Dual Core 3.2Ghz
Memory: 2GB )
Hard Drive: 1 x Western Digital 250GB
Optical Drive: CD-ROM, floppy Drive

[not important]

It seems you want a gaming PC. Posting your budget would be a big help.

[xeqt]

oh ok, mmm perhaps about £700

[jdeb]

you could put the dell on ebay and go from there, you should be able to get at least 250.00 (your money). The only gaming board that I know of for those cpu's is a intel skull trail but it is way overpriced at 600.00.

then you could build one from scratch

p45 board
e8400 cpu
4 gig ddr2 800
32mb 500 gig wd black hard drive
NZT case
Antec or Corsair power supply
ATI 4XXX card
LG or lite on dvd drive

[Masaki 7-11]

jdeb has a pretty good build list above; here is a parts list similar to the one above with prices and links:


650W TX Corsair PSU, single 12V rail, energy efficient, quiet & cool, fully compatible, 5yr warranty
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/650W-...e-5yr-warranty
£78.76

Intel Core 2 Duo, E8400, Wolfdale Core, S775, 3.0GHz, 1333MHz, 6MB Cache, 9x Multiplier, Retail
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Intel...tiplier-Retail
£138.56

4GB (2x2GB) Corsair TwinX XMS2, DDR2 PC2-6400 (800), 240 Pins, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 5-5-5-18, DHX
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/4GB-(...S-5-5-5-18-DHX
£40.99

Antec Three Hundred Black Midi Tower Case w/o PSU
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Antec...r-Case-w-o-PSU
£50.47

Asus P5Q PRO, iP45, S 775, PCI-E 2.0 (x16), DDR2 1200MHz, SATA II, SATA RAID, ATX
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Asus-...-SATA-RAID-ATX
£105.56

640GB Western Digital WD6401AALS Caviar Black, SATA 3Gb/s, 7200 rpm, 32MB Cache
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/640GB...rpm-32MB-Cache
£58.52

LG GH22NS40 22x DVD±R, 16xDVD±DL, DVD+RW x8/-RWx6 ,12xRAM SATA, Black, OEM
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/LG-GH...SATA-Black-OEM
£16.55

1GB Sapphire HD 4870, PCI-E 2.0 (x16), 3600MHz GDDR5, GPU 750MHz, 800 Cores, 2x DL DVI-I/ HDTV, HDCP
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/1Gb-S...MHz-PCIE-2xDVI
£154.07

Net Total £559.55

Carriage £11.25

VAT £85.62

Total £656.42

[xeqt]

Woah thank you very much for your reply, very details. I appreciate it.
What if i decided to keep my current tower & power supply [from the dell], and then get the rest of the items you suggested, would it all be compatible & fit? Also could I keep my current RAM & just buy two news ones, or do the pairs have to be matching?

Thank you very much for your responses.
XEQT

[glc]

Case, power supply, and ram are all not compatible. Sorry.

[xeqt]

Oh ok. So would it be possible to get other different hardware which would be compatible with them?

Thanks for reply.

[glc]

No. The case uses a proprietary front panel connector, the I/O shield is not removable, the power supply is not set up for the use of a PCI-E video card, and ECC ram is not generally compatible with a desktop motherboard.

You have a purpose-built SERVER there.

[xeqt]

ah ok, well that saves me a lot of time. Thank you again for all your responses, very helpful. I guess that leads me onto my next questions, but ill post that on a different section.

[xeqt]

Hello again - Need some help if possible. I'm looking to buy a new pc, which will primarily be used for gaming. I am currently looking at CyberPower Pc's and 'customising' their computers.
First and foremost are these computers a good start? Or would you recommend something else? I'm looking to spend about a maximum of £700 [inc vat.]. I guess the next follow up question from this would be, Intel or AMD?

Thank you for your reply's.

Xeqt

[glc]

I would recommend building your own, as was recommended in your other thread - which I am merging with this one.

[doubledragon5]

The problem in going with a prebuilt like cyperpower is quality of parts. You can build your own and you have the choice of which quality parts you put in it. Buil your own and you will never go back to prebuilt again..

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by doubledragon5 The problem in going with a prebuilt like cyperpower is quality of parts. You can build your own and you have the choice of which quality parts you put in it. Buil your own and you will never go back to prebuilt again..

For most prebuilt systems quality of parts is a problem; however Cyberpower let's you know what type of parts are going in and gives you a good amount of options to change the parts so that it will end up with good quality parts. I would still recommend building your own; however if you don't want to or prefer the warranty of a pre-built computer, Cyberpower looks like a good way to go.

[xeqt]

.

[xeqt]

Originally Posted by Masaki 7-11 For most prebuilt systems quality of parts is a problem; however Cyberpower let's you know what type of parts are going in and gives you a good amount of options to change the parts so that it will end up with good quality parts. I would still recommend building your own; however if you don't want to or prefer the warranty of a pre-built computer, Cyberpower looks like a good way to go.

You are all so helpfully here. Thanks again for your feedback. So i think i'm going to go with the cyberpower systems and user the on-site customiser to ensure hardware quality to an extent. Before I choose a system, Intel or AMD for gaming? Then Quad/Duo? Take into account its going to be used for gaming.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by xeqt You are all so helpfully here. Thanks again for your feedback. So i think i'm going to go with the cyberpower systems and user the on-site customiser to ensure hardware quality to an extent. Before I choose a system, Intel or AMD for gaming? Then Quad/Duo? Take into account its going to be used for gaming.

I would start out with the 'Gamer Infinity 620' (this is a dual core Intel system which should handle gaming pretty well) system and make the following changes:

Change case to either the NZXT Hush [+35] (if you want a quiet computer) or
NZXT Tempest [+42] (if you want a clear side panel, good airflow and lots of room for expansion)

Change the power supply to the Enermax Pro 82+ 625Watt [+86]

Change the motherboard to the Asus P5Q Pro [+55]

Change the video card to the ATI Radeon HD4830 [+31]

(optional) Change the OS based on what you would prefer; the default is Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit; other good options are Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit (doesn't see all your ram, however from my experience it's more stable and faster than 64-bit) and Windows XP Home (this is the least expensive option and has the most performance).

The Total Price should be around £680 (after VAT and before shipping) and the list on the side should look something like this (keep in mind that there are some changes you may wish to make):

* Case: NZXT TEMPEST BLACK Mid Tower Case
* Lights & Illumination: NONE
* Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Default Case Fan
* Power Supply Upgrade: 625 Watts Power Supplies (Enermax Pro 82+ 625Watt Power Supply (84 - 88% Efficiency))
* CPU: (Sckt775)Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E7400 CPU @ 2.80GHz 1066FSB 3MB L2 ***Overclockable XXX*** Cache 64-bit
* Overclocking Service: No Overclocking
* Cooling Fan: INTEL LGA775 CERTIFIED CPU FAN & HEATSINK
* Motherboard: (Quad-Core FSB1333) ASUS P5Q PRO P45 LGA775 CrossFire FSB1333 DDR2/800 Mainboard w/GbLAN, USB2.0, & 7.1Audio ***Overclockable XXX***
* Memory: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)4GB (2x2GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory (G.SKILL Value Select or Major Brand)
* VGA Power Supply: NONE
* Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 4830 PCI-E 16X 512MB Video Card
* Video Card 2: NONE
* Video Card 3: NONE
* Monitor & LCD: NONE
* 2nd Monitor: NONE
* Hard Drive: Single Hard Drive (500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
* Data Hard Drive: NONE
* Hard Drive Cooler: None
* Optical Drive: SONY DUAL FORMAT 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR)
* Optical Drive 2: NONE
* Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
* Speakers: NONE
* Network: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD
* MODEM: NONE
* Keyboard: NONE
* Mouse: NONE
* Extra Thermal Display : NONE (AS SHOWN)
* Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: NONE
* Wireless 802.11B/G Access Point: NONE
* Flash Media Reader/Writer: None
* Cable Wiring: None
* Cables: None
* Video Camera: NONE
* Power Surge Protection: None
* IEEE Card: NONE
* USB Port: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
* USB Portable Drive: NONE
* Floppy: NONE
* OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 (64-bit Edition)
* Media Center Remote & TV Tuner: NONE
* RUSH SERVICE: NONE
* WARRANTY SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
* HOME INSTALLATION SERVICE: NONE

[doubledragon5]

Ive been to their site, I still suggest building your own. In the long run it should still cost you less, and you can't beat the satisfaction of doing it yourself..

[xeqt]

Originally Posted by Masaki 7-11 I would start out with the 'Gamer Infinity 620' (this is a dual core Intel system which should handle gaming pretty well) system and make the following changes: Change case to either the NZXT Hush [+35] (if you want a quiet computer) or NZXT Tempest [+42] (if you want a clear side panel, good airflow and lots of room for expansion) Change the power supply to the Enermax Pro 82+ 625Watt [+86] Change the motherboard to the Asus P5Q Pro [+55] Change the video card to the ATI Radeon HD4830 [+31] (optional) Change the OS based on what you would prefer; the default is Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit; other good options are Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit (doesn't see all your ram, however from my experience it's more stable and faster than 64-bit) and Windows XP Home (this is the least expensive option and has the most performance). The Total Price should be around £680 (after VAT and before shipping) and the list on the side should look something like this (keep in mind that there are some changes you may wish to make): * Case: NZXT TEMPEST BLACK Mid Tower Case * Lights & Illumination: NONE * Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Default Case Fan * Power Supply Upgrade: 625 Watts Power Supplies (Enermax Pro 82+ 625Watt Power Supply (84 - 88% Efficiency)) * CPU: (Sckt775)Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E7400 CPU @ 2.80GHz 1066FSB 3MB L2 ***Overclockable XXX*** Cache 64-bit * Overclocking Service: No Overclocking * Cooling Fan: INTEL LGA775 CERTIFIED CPU FAN & HEATSINK * Motherboard: (Quad-Core FSB1333) ASUS P5Q PRO P45 LGA775 CrossFire FSB1333 DDR2/800 Mainboard w/GbLAN, USB2.0, & 7.1Audio ***Overclockable XXX*** * Memory: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)4GB (2x2GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory (G.SKILL Value Select or Major Brand) * VGA Power Supply: NONE * Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 4830 PCI-E 16X 512MB Video Card * Video Card 2: NONE * Video Card 3: NONE * Monitor & LCD: NONE * 2nd Monitor: NONE * Hard Drive: Single Hard Drive (500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD) * Data Hard Drive: NONE * Hard Drive Cooler: None * Optical Drive: SONY DUAL FORMAT 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR) * Optical Drive 2: NONE * Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO * Speakers: NONE * Network: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD * MODEM: NONE * Keyboard: NONE * Mouse: NONE * Extra Thermal Display : NONE (AS SHOWN) * Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: NONE * Wireless 802.11B/G Access Point: NONE * Flash Media Reader/Writer: None * Cable Wiring: None * Cables: None * Video Camera: NONE * Power Surge Protection: None * IEEE Card: NONE * USB Port: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports * USB Portable Drive: NONE * Floppy: NONE * OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 (64-bit Edition) * Media Center Remote & TV Tuner: NONE * RUSH SERVICE: NONE * WARRANTY SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT * HOME INSTALLATION SERVICE: NONE

Woah thanks very much, ill have a look at it. Very helpful yet again, you've put good time into looking at that, i really do appreciate it. I would consider building my own system, only problem is I am not very experience, and i like the idea of the warranty and customer support.

[Khalil]

The parts and warranty sound really good. I would go for this system as Masaki proposed.

[xeqt]

Ok I think im going to order that system that you aid. However I'm stuck on one thing, xp or vista. I prefer xp, but should I go to vista? Or does it not really matter because windows live 7 is coming out soon?

[glc]

Get what you WANT.