To build or not to build.

311

I have never built a pc and all I've ever installed was drives ,memory and cards etc, in Dell machines.
I'm in the process of deciding on a mac or a new machine ,if I go for a new machine am I better off getting a ready made one on komplett .Or is it worth the money I would save buying the parts seperately and building myself??

Brian.

8T8

If you are not too pushed about the components used then go with a pre-built system from Komplett. If you were after very specific items then a self build would be a more appropriate path.

Not knocking the Mac as a platform but even the Intel Mac's are still not that great value for money but if you want to run OSX it is the only legal way to do so.

311

thanks 8T8 ,it's not really just the osx I'd be after ,but the whole apple package in it's simplicity. I'll go the pre built route if I go for the pc ,thanks.

Edit ,this is what I was looking at ,is it alright.
OCZ Technology Powersupply ATX/EPS 600W,
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 2.13GHz Socket
Creative SB Audigy SE , Bulk
Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2
Norman IC, 1 year license Virus Control
PC box
SoftThinks Installation/Recovery
Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB SATA2
OCZ Gold PC5400 DDR2 2048MB Dual Pack,
NEC DVD-recorder ND-3570 IDE Black OEM
Gigabyte GZ-FSCA1-AN Silver
Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3, P965, Socket-775,
XFX GeForce 7300GS 256MB DDR2, HD-ready
Western Digital Raptor 150GB SATA
Sony Floppy Drive, 3,5" 1,44MB Silver

IgsTer

thats a very nice bundle ya got picked out mate..want something a bit like that meself except for probably a better gfx card..how much will that cost ya?

PogMoThoin

Just build it yourself, there's nothing 2 it. You'd be suprised how easy it is. Hardest part is picking the parts. I had mine built & installing software in 6 hrs, took me a few goes to arrange the cables the way i wanted them. You'd know everything bout the rig when your finished. Its nice to have the "I built this" feeling as #Elites says.

311

I would build it myself ,but I've never owned anything but retail pc's ,Dell ,gateway ,olivetti. I was thinking if I bought one like this from komplett I would stand a better chance of looking at where everything goes ,for a future build.
If I was building one myself ,I'd probably buy the cheapest setup and take my time learning the ins and outs.

To buy the machine that I listed is costing 1500 euro. I wouldn't mess around with a brand new intel chip for the first time ,I'd probably build a cheapo first.

Thanks for the replies ,
Brian.

You Suck!

Hardest part is picking the parts.

Thats pretty much it, assemby should be the least of your worries* so long as you arn't one of those people who have the uncanny ability to break something just by looking at it(* always, always ask before you do something tho)

And seeing as your not in to overclocking, you won't have to go through the work setting up after.

Plus at least youll get the option of a good looking case

311

Thanks again ,I haven't played games on pcs in years ,but I'm hoping to get a 24" monitor to go with the machine ,so games might be back on the menu:D
I might opt for a better graphics card ,but I haven't a clue what ones are good now and good for the next couple of years ,without spending too much.

ScumLord

Putting a pc together is the easy part the only part that's really nerve racking is putting in the CPU and turning it on for the first time.

I had awful trouble with my last build getting software to work on it but got there aventually thanks to the folks on here, at least you know you have a good support network to help get the thing up and running because you won't have one company that you can go to for support like dell or komplett. Not that their support is much cop these days anyway (that's aimed at Dell). If things do go wrong at least by the time you've fixed it you'll know your pc inside out.

I wouldn't pay for anti virus ether, AVG all the way. Do you really need a sound card? Sound is usually built into most motherboards.

I wouldn't mess around with a brand new intel chip for the first time ,I'd probably build a cheapo first.

The core 2 isn't to bad for installation, it doesn't have pins on it like other chips I've installed so it won't break if you accedently drop it in the wrong way and have to take it out again.

It's a good experience and you do get oo's and ah's for having a pc no ones ever seen the likes of and then you tell them you built it and their even more impressed.

311

Elites , I think about 250 euro would be enough for a decent card.
I couldn't justify paying anymore than that ,because personally I don't think I'd ever see the difference ( I think ).

Thanks
Brian.

PogMoThoin

If your goin for a 24' monitor i'd advise you to spend at least 300ish on the gpu. They perform better at higher resolutions. This is the absolute minimum i'd recommend: http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=324857
Anything lower would struggle @ 1600x1200 res

311

PogMoThoin wrote:

If your goin for a 24' monitor i'd advise you to spend at least 300ish on the gpu. They perform better at higher resolutions. This is the absolute minimum i'd recommend: http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=324857
Anything lower would struggle @ 1600x1200 res

thanks for that ,that card seems to be out of stock .
Are these cards any use ?? http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=324813
Or should I stay away from geforce cards ?

PogMoThoin

Its fine, but how bout this, double the memory of the 1 you posted & not much more expensive: http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=320626

311

Thanks for all the help ,I'll be keeping my eyes on the threads here ,theres stuff coming up that I wasn't evening thinking of.

I'll more than likely make the machine myself ,I have no excuses to make a mistake with the amount of info here .

Cheers,
Brian.