First time PC build advice please!

Zascar · 10-02-2011 12:56am #1

I've never built a pc before but want to give it a go. I've always been into computers but used to work for Dell so always had them. I've just started to learn Photoshop & Illustrator and my computer is starting to creak. My current pc is Ancient, P4 3.4 with Hyperthreading oooohhhhh!

but in fairness it has done me very well and is generally fine. But I'd like a refresh.

Deffo trying to keep it on the cheap, but would appreciate some advice. Normal motherboard and average processor - I'm sure anything now will beat the pants of what I have been using. Basic graphics card that will handle Photoshop for a beginner - and dual monitor preferably. Prob 4gb of ram. Decent Sound card. Not sure about Case and power supply, what should I b looking for? 1-2tb hard drive.

Also, would it be worth going for an SSD for the OS? Is it worth it f trying to keep costs down?

Sorry if this is vague put some pointers would be appreciated. What sites are good for building a pc, or do some have bundles and offers etc?

Thanks for your help!
Zascar

Frynge · 10-02-2011 1:12am

komplett and dabs are good places to start looking for parts.

BUT....
you say you want to keep it on the cheap so definitely no point in an ssd for the os cus the quicker boot time would probably be of little benefit.

also from what you describe your needs to be i would suggest getting a tower in a high street shop. (cheaper than the likes of dell aswell)

i've done all the building of a computer before and it is just not worth the hassle unless you wish to do it mainly as a hobby.

indough · 10-02-2011 7:09am

i would never suggest anyone buy a computer in an irish shop tbh. its going to be well over the cost of buying one online no matter where you go over here. if you dont want to build it yourself just go the hardwareversand route and get them to pre-build it for you. ireland is definitely not the way to go regarding value for money unfortunately

jeepers101 · 10-02-2011 7:32am

I built one last year and although I did my best to keep the costs down it ended up costing me a fortune. It was something I always wanted to do so I didn't mind. If you think you can save money by building your own then forget about it.

Zascar · 10-02-2011 9:34am

Hmmmmmm... Ahh ok, so should I just go and get a Dell instead - when you say High Street shop, where is a good place to buy??

Only reason I thought of this is because I had always thought that the Aldi/Medion pc's were good value, but there was a thread on it recently and people were saying you could buy the same pc in bits and build it yourself for a lot less than Aldi were selling it for...

Jonny7 · 10-02-2011 11:59am

Yup if you are interested in the aldi PC, its 500 euros, but you are stuck with the spec they give you

and indeed with that budget you can build a better more customised PC, with higher quality components (which really shouldn't be the case but such are prices at the mo)

go to www.hardwareversand.de, choose English and choose PC configurator

To narrow it down a bit
stick with AMD processors for now, e.g.
3 core cpu 62 euros
4 core cpu 85 euros
6 core cpu 150 euros

motherboard

any 4 gigs of ram

graphics card, once you hit 60 euros you start getting good performance (gaming wise) e.g. ATI 5670

power supply - no cheapy units, can choose something like superflower 450watt 80+, or better

harddrive - anything Samsung is good, F3 1 tb - 50 euros, 2 tb - 80 euros

whatever you feel you need

choosing, reading reviews, and building it yourself is great fun

IrishMetalhead · 10-02-2011 3:05pm

never go to dell never
dell usually ends up costing 25 to 35% more then getting a custom built comp il choose out components for you when i get on my comp later im posting on my phone atm

Zascar · 10-02-2011 3:59pm

Thanks a mil, yeah if someone could help me pick out a few things I'd really really appreciate it

OK I just had a look through that site....

Processor: I'm sure 3 core would be fine. Am I going to notice the difference if I go for 4 core?
Motherboard: The cheapest half decent acceptable one
Ram: 4GB, any type as you say..
Graphics: I won't be doing any gaming - at all - only Photoshop & Illustrator. My last graphics card was integrated lol, so literally anything will do, but I would like Dual Monitor though.
Hard Drive: I already have a 750gb - Another 1TB would be fine. Are they all relatively comparable speed wise?
Power Supply & fan etc: I have no idea, I need a recommendation here:
Case: Hmmm not sure, I just know I definitely need a lot of usb ports. What else do I need to think about?
Wifi: I have a usb dongle, but should I get something better?

Anything else I need to consider??

Zascar · 10-02-2011 4:16pm

Jonny7 wrote: »

go to www.hardwareversand.de, choose English and choose PC configurator

Guys are there any other good sites I should be checking out for this type of thing? Are komplett and dabs any good?

IrishMetalhead · 10-02-2011 4:48pm

indough · 10-02-2011 6:27pm

jeepers101 wrote: »

I built one last year and although I did my best to keep the costs down it ended up costing me a fortune. It was something I always wanted to do so I didn't mind. If you think you can save money by building your own then forget about it.

you can definitely save money building it yourself you just have to put in a lot of research and shop around for the parts. if i had purchased something pre built with the same quality of components it would have cost me a good 200+ more than it did. its not only about saving money anyway but also about getting the best for your money.

Zascar · 10-02-2011 6:38pm

Thanks metalhead that's really sound of you!! Much appreciated.

Ok I know I sound like a complete cheapskate, but I was hoping not to spend as much as €500. How much lower could I go without it being pointless? The graphics card for example I'm sure is way way more than I need. I actually have a proper copy of XP so no need for the Window 7. Any other way I can downgrade without having too much of an effect on performance etc?

IrishMetalhead · 10-02-2011 7:38pm

depends on what type of os your xp is because 4gb of ram wont work on 32bit os's it has to ti be 64bit i can i have another look for another graphics card for you when i get home to see about lowering the price

Kevinf63 · 10-02-2011 8:01pm

Zascar wrote: »

Thanks metalhead that's really sound of you!! Much appreciated.

Ok I know I sound like a complete cheapskate, but I was hoping not to spend as much as €500. How much lower could I go without it being pointless? The graphics card for example I'm sure is way way more than I need. I actually have a proper copy of XP so no need for the Window 7. Any other way I can downgrade without having too much of an effect on performance etc?

If your sticking with XP, keep that thing updated and virus protected. A new PC is a giant magnet to viruses. If you don't want to fork out the money for an expensive virus scanner and firewall etc. get Microsoft Security Essentials. Does the job, and its free.

XP won't do you for the next few years. I would say in the next 3-4 years maybe even less, Microsoft might drop support for it in an attempt to make you upgrade but also because its too much effort to be updating numerous OS systems.

Metalhead is right though, if you drop to XP your 4GB RAM will actually be 3.5GB at most (I think) as 32-bit OS systems can't process more than that. Thats when the 64-bit OS systems come in handy.

jeepers101 · 10-02-2011 9:23pm

indough wrote: »

you can definitely save money building it yourself you just have to put in a lot of research and shop around for the parts. if i had purchased something pre built with the same quality of components it would have cost me a good 200+ more than it did. its not only about saving money anyway but also about getting the best for your money.

Yeah I did put a lot of research into it but I think that was my downfall

The more I read up on the specs the better components I wanted.

In fairness though that example put together above is for 465 euro and doesn't include a monitor, keyboard, speakers etc. You can pick up a decent package for 400 euro off the shelf. I don't think its done to save money- more for the thrill of it.

On the other hand, if you do pick decent components and leave room for expansion, it'll probably save you money in the long term as you can upgrade when necessary. Also, if any part of the hardware fails you'll know how to diagnose and fix it.

IrishMetalhead · 10-02-2011 9:29pm

can you please tell us all what this 400 package was keeping in mind that the example i specced out has a tri-core proc and gaming graphics

jeepers101 · 10-02-2011 10:40pm

IrishMetalhead wrote: »

can you please tell us all what this 400 package was keeping in mind that the example i specced out has a tri-core proc and gaming graphics

IrishMetalHead I'm not trying to take away from those selections you have made. It'd make a great PC, not just a decent PC.

Granted the packages for under 400 are not good for much other than web browsing here is a system for around the same price as yours that I believe you would not be able to build for cheaper than the price it is offered here.

http://www.dabs.ie/products/acer-aspire-athlonii-x1301-pc---3gb-ddr---320gb-hdd---w7hp---19--lcd-ws-tft----keyboard-and-optical-mouse-78Y9.html

IrishMetalhead · 10-02-2011 11:04pm

not trying to offend or cause an arguement or anything but i actually can build a full system for less then that mainly because alot of components in the such as the gpu (nvidia 7000 series) and ram (DDR2) are old and budgeted and so is the cpu (the athlon 620 would be fairly old now) granted it would be harder to get those parts now cause i don't think there being made anymore but it is possible to build a same spec system for less just giving you my openion plus 19" monitors go for less than €100 these days

IrishMetalhead · 10-02-2011 11:24pm

just specced out a simular specced pc but has a better cpu, larger hdd and with 4gb of ddr3 rather than 3gb of ddr2,
both are using in tergrade graphics and sound.

(BTW the PC linked to dabs is €474.40 not under €400)

IrishMetalhead · 11-02-2011 12:21am

okay i reworked the one i specced out originally i changed the psu, graphics and mobo and took away the os:

CPU: AMD Athlon x3 445 - €62.81
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/artic...7139&agid=1242

Motherbaord: AsRock M3A UCC - €43.51
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/artic...9282&agid=1232

Ram: 4gb Mushkin Silverline Stiletto PC3-10667U CL9-9-9-24 - €35.58
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/artic...3951&agid=1192

Graphics Card: Club 3D HD5450 1gb - €36.55
http://www4.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=31435&agid=1004

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1tb - €46.37
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/artic...0028&agid=1284

Disc Drive: Samsung DVD-RW - €15.77
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/artic...29466&agid=699

Case: CoolerMaster Elite 330 - €35.06
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/artic...=9427&agid=631

PSU: Super-Flower 450w - €28.96
http://www4.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=24481&agid=1627

The total should come to €337.63 including shipping

jeepers101 · 11-02-2011 7:17am

IrishMetalhead wrote: »

just specced out a simular specced pc but has a better cpu, larger hdd and with 4gb of ddr3 rather than 3gb of ddr2,
both are using in tergrade graphics and sound.

(BTW the PC linked to dabs is €474.40 not under €400)

Thats good work MetalHead, wish I had you to hand when I built mine

I know that PC isn't under 400. Here is a sub-400 from the Dabs site but as I said they're not good for much other than web browsing (before the litany of abuse commences

)

http://www.dabs.ie/products/lenovo-thinkcentre-a70-pentium-dual-core-e5500-1gb-250gb-dvdrw-windows-7-home-premium-office-ready-74FR.html

Here is another desktop, no monitor and no OS for a very reasonable sub-300

http://www.dabs.ie/products/zoostorm-pentium-dual-core-e5500-2gb-500gb-no-operating-system-7B1V.html

Jonny7 · 11-02-2011 1:36pm

jeepers101 wrote: »

Thats good work MetalHead, wish I had you to hand when I built mine

I know that PC isn't under 400. Here is a sub-400 from the Dabs site but as I said they're not good for much other than web browsing (before the litany of abuse commences )

http://www.dabs.ie/products/lenovo-thinkcentre-a70-pentium-dual-core-e5500-1gb-250gb-dvdrw-windows-7-home-premium-office-ready-74FR.html

Here is another desktop, no monitor and no OS for a very reasonable sub-300

http://www.dabs.ie/products/zoostorm-pentium-dual-core-e5500-2gb-500gb-no-operating-system-7B1V.html

That second PC is 283 euros, without operating system?

I just built the exact same spec for 197 euros + build 20 euros + 30 delivery.. still cheaper.. actually much cheaper

For 283 you can get a much faster tricore, with double the ram and double the harddrive

Yes on some sites the low end pcs might be bargains, but its rare. The true bargains lay on ebay and outlet sites, they take time and a little expertise to find, then its possible to get quadcores with full windows and all bells and whistles for sub 300.

Zascar · 11-02-2011 2:15pm

Thanks for all the replies guys that's brilliant!

Jonny7 wrote: »

That second PC is 283 euros, without operating system?

I just built the exact same spec for 197 euros + build 20 euros + 30 delivery.. still cheaper.. actually much cheaper

For 283 you can get a much faster tricore, with double the ram and double the harddrive

Yes on some sites the low end pcs might be bargains, but its rare. The true bargains lay on ebay and outlet sites, they take time and a little expertise to find, then its possible to get quadcores with full windows and all bells and whistles for sub 300.

Cool, care to share some links?

Zascar · 11-02-2011 2:25pm

IrishMetalhead wrote: »

okay i reworked the one i specced out originally i changed the psu, graphics and mobo and took away the os:

CPU: AMD Athlon x3 445 - €62.81
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/artic...7139&agid=1242

Motherbaord: AsRock M3A UCC - €43.51
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/artic...9282&agid=1232

Ram: 4gb Mushkin Silverline Stiletto PC3-10667U CL9-9-9-24 - €35.58
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/artic...3951&agid=1192

Graphics Card: Club 3D HD5450 1gb - €36.55
http://www4.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=31435&agid=1004

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1tb - €46.37
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/artic...0028&agid=1284

Disc Drive: Samsung DVD-RW - €15.77
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/artic...29466&agid=699

Case: CoolerMaster Elite 330 - €35.06
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/artic...=9427&agid=631

PSU: Super-Flower 450w - €28.96
http://www4.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=24481&agid=1627

The total should come to €337.63 including shipping

Cheers man this looks great! Realistically am I even going to notice the difference with this cheaper mobo & psu? I'm guessing not. I don't think the graphics card is dual monitor though, I'll have to have a look and find the cheapest one I can that does have it... Thanks a mil for your help - very much appreciated!

IrishMetalhead · 11-02-2011 2:48pm

the gpu does actually suport dual monitors it has 3 video ports out vga, dvi & hdmi so say your using dvi monitors youll just need a hdmi to dvi cable pr if your using two vga cables you just need a dvi to vga adapter either way adapters are fairly cheap

Kevinf63 · 11-02-2011 2:49pm

Zascar wrote: »

Cheers man this looks great! Realistically am I even going to notice the difference with this cheaper mobo & psu? I'm guessing not. I don't think the graphics card is dual monitor though, I'll have to have a look and find the cheapest one I can that does have it... Thanks a mil for your help - very much appreciated!

Nah you won't notice much difference with the PSU and Mobo. By the way...

"AMD Eyefinity technology is supported by graphics cards in the ATI Radeon™ HD 5400 series and higher."

That comes from the official AMD site. So I guess it does support it.

Zascar · 11-02-2011 2:51pm

Perfect, I have one of the new-ish dell monitors and it has VGA & DVI - so I can run one monitor off VGA and the other off DVI? HDMI will be handy too!

IrishMetalhead · 11-02-2011 3:27pm

yup you can do that aswell but id use the dvi on the new monitor if your getting one because it offers supirior quality than vga so youd want to have it on your primary monitor but thats just my openion

Kevinf63 · 11-02-2011 3:31pm

Zascar wrote: »

Perfect, I have one of the new-ish dell monitors and it has VGA & DVI - so I can run one monitor off VGA and the other off DVI? HDMI will be handy too!

I dont know much about multi-display.. but take a look at this I wouldn't be too sure on using different ports to get eyefinity.
EDIT: thanks for confirming that with multiple ports! @IrishMetalhead

Jonny7 · 11-02-2011 4:06pm

Zascar wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies guys that's brilliant!

Cool, care to share some links?

Metalheads PC is better

but you can give it a shot yourself

hardwareversand.de, choose English, then PC configurator

170 euros is really the lowest limit

Would recommend Metalheads build

Monotype · 11-02-2011 5:29pm

I tried to do better than IrishMetalhead but I just felt sick in cutting some of the corners so I couldn't really recommend anything much lower with a clear conscience.

Well... except maybe the asgard case for €4.50 cheaper.

First time PC build advice please!

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