Let's say I wanted a pc for about 600 euro

Chaotic_Forces

Firstly, just so I'm clear: if I want to use a TV as a monitor at 1920 x 1080, I just need to connect the tv to the tower via a HDMI cable and no more wires between the TV and PC?

Secondly, I only have a laser card at best, so I can't buy online if they don't accept laser or bank transfers.
I'd be building it myself but the thing is, I won't have the cash for at least... 5 weeks. My thoughts were, if the sandybridge issues are fixed by then, hopefully the price of the i7s or something will go down a lot.

Anyway, what I want is a PC that I could play Fallout: New Vegas on and hopefully Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 when it comes out.

Now, I would love to have a computer that in about 2 or 3 years I can upgrade it with another 500/600 euro worth of gear instead of having to buy everything all over again.

So what I would want is something that would be ideally for gaming in 1920 x 1080, that could run Fallout: New Vegas, Batman: Arkham Asylum 2, Mafia 2 and so on in very high*.

*By very high, I mean at least console graphics but I can do with the shadows turned off but it must be able to run at full HD on a 26 inch TV.

And I would really appreciate having a nVidia card, it's not that important but I would just be more comfortable with one. Also, I would eventually want to for two cards so it would have to support crossfire or whatever the nVidia version is.

I think I am asking a lot for only 600-800 euro but I was wondering, just how difficult is it to remove and replace the graphics card and processor, assuming I wanted to do it?

And thanks for any help I get.:)

Monotype

Memoryc.com take laser, but they don't sell much more than just RAM.
Elara.ie take laser.
Komplett.ie take laser if you collect from them... I don't think that they do online.

You could also get a 3V card.
Do you live in Dublin where you'd be in a position to go to the komplett warehouse?

Graphics card: easy to replace. Pick a good PSU to ensure that you have power for upgrades.
Processor: easy to replace, assume compatible processors are still available.

HDMI: AFAIK, you can connect recent ATI cards (3/4/5/6 series) and the latest generation (4xx/5xx) of nVidia cards to you tv easily with HDMI and sound should work.


That's just the cheapest case. You can pick something else.

+
http://www.memoryc.com/computermemory/ddr3ram/4gbgskillripjawpc312800cl9dualkit.html
€46

Total = €700 or so.

jamescd

hardwareversand.de would be the cheapest place to buy a full build and they accept bank transfer.

You already have the monitor/TV yeah ? What about mouse/keyboard and an OS ?

Monotype

Something similar from elara.ie (including ram - cheaper on memoryc and they have free delivery, but included for completeness).




How is the same DVD drive over 30% dearer on komplett (incl VAT)?

Recommended upgrades:
1055T X6 CPU
Better case?
elara build is an matx board, both sites are lacking in selection.

Chaotic_Forces

The reason I asked about the HDMI is that I can connect my laptop to the TV with HDMI but I have an ATI 4200 HD so I'm not sure how nVidia works.
I have a very old monitor with 1024 x 768 I'd be using mostly for a while; it wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

I don't have an OS at the moment but I was thinking of using Linux for a while, that's free and I can still play games, right?
Plus, I do have a copy of windows XP that I got with an old Dell pc, can I use that since I heard Dell signs their copies of windows to only use on Dell products.

About the parts you selected for me so far, the processor is a quad core and each core runs at 3.5Ghz? Or is it like the intel ones where it can shut down 3 cores to use a maximum of 3.5Ghz?

Secondly, if (just as an exmaple), I had 4 1GB slots of RAM, I can remove those four and replace it with one 4GB slot RAM?

How exactly does upgrading to SLi work, though? I mean is it just a case of slotting in another card and doing some software configuration?

And about upgrading, is it just making sure you have a good enough power supply and the correct motherboard for the RAM/Processor/Graphics card and that it all first in the case?

And thanks for the help.

Hank Scorpio

For sli you need to have the same model of cards and a mobo that supports sli. Just put the new card into the free pci-e slot and link them together using a sli bridge.



Turn on your machine and enable sli from the nvidia control panel and update to the latest driver

Chaotic_Forces

And the PCI-E slots are the same slots that the RAM goes into?

Also, thanks!

marco_polo

Hardwareversand.de is an option as they accept bank transfers.

I did an AM3 build a few days ago on the budget gaming thread including windows 7 for exactly 600 delivered that may be of interest would play all the games you mentioned at max settings (Although I would change the GPU to the 1GB GT460). There are a couple of other things that could be improved if the budget is not a strict 600 euro such as a better case, motherboard for example.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=70466690&postcount=790

If you have another 200 quid to throw at a build you could certainly make a nice i5-760 rig, maybe even squeeze a sandybridge build out of it depending on how prices are.

Monotype

Linux and games. Well... it's generally not as straightforward as windows unless the games are designed for linux. You can usually run them through Wine or there's software that you can buy which sorts out settings for you.

Regarding 3.5GHz. That's just plain 3.5GHz for all the cores. You can enable cool and quiet which lowers the speed when it's idle to save power. Don't base performance solely by measuring frequency.

Regarding RAM: Yes, you can take out the RAM and upgrade it. It is best to order in pairs - e.g., 2x2GB (4GB). Most boards would have 4 slots. So you could fill two slots now and then get another 2x2GB later.

Regarding SLI: If you intend to do SLI in the future, definitely avoid the mATX board and pick a powerful PSU. AMD boards are designed for multiple ATI cards. However, you can get software patches which enable SLI on a lot of the boards. Link.

PCI-E slot = slot for graphics cards. You would need two for SLI/Crossfire.

Jonny7

The AMD 955 black edition is 114 on hardwareversand at the mo.. a steal

overclock it to 970 levels

yup as the other guys said you can easily do a nice fast AMD build for 600 euros

with a 460 GTX it will be fine for the next few Fallout sequels too