Author Topic: OK Come On Simon spill the beans (Read 7119 times)

Simon · « **Reply #15 on:** August 24, 2006, 10:57 »

What I have also found, Tony, is that the price of shop bought PC has dramatically come down, and to build your own, at the spec of the high street machines (forgetting the quality of the parts), is now financially uneconomical. Try telling Joe Bloggs that he will get a much better PC for his money, by spending the same getting one hand built, as he would by buying one from the high street, but it might not be quite such an up to date spec, and he doesn't want to know!

Tony · « **Reply #16 on:** August 24, 2006, 11:42 »

Totally agree Simon, it's only really worth doing it for yourself.

Anyway, change of plan, I have looked at costs of upgrading on the existing board, as against going AMD64 3700+ 2.2 GHz IMB Cache on a new MOBO

And for about £50 extra I can have a much faster new 64 bit set up. PLUS have my existing set up in a case with a HHD loaded and ready, as a back up machine. I would just need to pop my graphics and memory chips in to it.

I'll give you exact costings if I decide to do it.....it's that satifaction thing you get from building your own machine.

Tony · « **Reply #17 on:** August 24, 2006, 18:02 »

Simon to back up what we were saying regards off the shelf PC's you can get a good spec AMD 64 3700+ PC for £531 with XP installed. And a a PCI-Express ATI RADEON X700 SE with up to 512MB HyperMemory Graphics card. LINK

As I wanted an AGP x 8 Socket 939 mobo to take my two Dual head cards [one AGP, one PCI] And as Socket 939 mobo's with 1 AGPx8, 5xPCI slots are like rocking horse poo, I thought I better move up to the AMD 64 CPU now. Plus I get L2 1GB with that chip as against L2 512MB on the Barton CPU. Much better for the video editing....that new camcorder is costing more than I thought :wink:

The CPU, Heat Pipe Fan Cooler, Mobo, and 1GB DDR PC3200 400MHz memory came to £157.

Just doing a 3000+ Barton CPU upgrade, new HSF, with another 512MB of 333MHz memory, would have cost me £130. So £27 differance, and by putting my exsisting set up [minus graphics cards] in a cheap £22 case it comes to £49 differance. That way I will also have a spare back up rig, packed away in a box

Clive · « **Reply #18 on:** August 24, 2006, 18:42 »

In the bad old days I thought nothing of paying £1500 for a PC but now it seems that quite reasonable spec machines can be had for under £400 if I'm not mistaken. I'm sure the graphics cards are bottom of the range but I'm sure they would fit the bill for most purposes.

Simon · « **Reply #19 on:** August 24, 2006, 19:02 »

I have just spent nearly a grand on a new bed, so at the moment, a new PC is a long way down the road!

Tony, that link doesn't work, but yes it does prove the point. What people also forget, when considering a quote for a personal build, is that Windows XP will add about £60 to the final total - which they see as getting for nothing with an off the shelf PC. Of course, it doesn't matter that they get the full installation CD with a personal build. :roll:

Tony · « **Reply #20 on:** August 24, 2006, 19:26 »

Quote from: "Simon"

I have just spent nearly a grand on a new bed, so at the moment, a new PC is a long way down the road!

Tony, that link doesn't work, but yes it does prove the point. What people also forget, when considering a quote for a personal build, is that Windows XP will add about £60 to the final total - which they see as getting for nothing with an off the shelf PC. Of course, it doesn't matter that they get the full installation CD with a personal build. :roll:

Sorted Simon, its the third PC spec down on that page.

Clive I Know it's mind boggling, only thing going up these days would appear to be house prices

Simon · « **Reply #21 on:** August 24, 2006, 20:45 »

Sorry Bruv, the link is still not working. All I get is a 404 error page. Try posting it in full - perhaps TinyURL is doing something to it?

Tony · « **Reply #22 on:** August 24, 2006, 21:58 »

Quote from: "Simon"

Sorry Bruv, the link is still not working. All I get is a 404 error page. Try posting it in full - perhaps TinyURL is doing something to it?

Aspire EXXX series

Gerrrrrrrrrrrrrronimooooooooooooooo ......nailed the bugger

Tony · « **Reply #23 on:** August 24, 2006, 22:27 »

Quote from: "Tony"

Just doing a 3000+ Barton CPU upgrade, new HSF, with another 512MB of 333MHz memory, would have cost me £130. So £27 differance, and by putting my exsisting set up [minus graphics cards] in a cheap £22 case it comes to £49 differance. That way I will also have a spare back up rig, packed away in a box

Doh the total differance has now grown by another £17 to £66, as the Yank could not confirm his reasonably priced (£38) 1 GB PC3200 Micron [Crucial] memory stick was compatiable with the Mobo. Just told me to check with the mobo maker, but tech support is only geared up to answer questions about faults on their product. No serial number and your not let past GO.

So I went for two 512 MB PC3200 Corsair sticks that were cross referanced on their memory compatiblity selector. I've never had an issue with memory. But the mobo manual cited only two memory modual choices by Samsung, and two by Nanya, and one each by Micron and Infineon. Turns out there are loads of compatible choices in Corsair, Cricial, and Kingston.

Talking of memory faults, an eighteen year old across the road was sw**king his brand new £999 gamer machine from "overclockers " something or other yestereday. It had two 1GB sticks in it, very quite machine, look the part [like Sandra's beast] Anyway I poped back over with some software for him, and he stood in the door way chin on the step, and said...you wont beleive this....I said ...it's brewed up? Turns out it just crashed mid game...Blue screen of death ...error dumping memory.

I said take out a stick see if it works with only either one in. He was not sure so phoned the firm up and they said the same thing. Turns out after reseating the sticks it worked....But it was still slow to me., anyway they came and picked it up today.

Edit: Cost differeance estimates adjusted based on £90 for a new XP3000+ barton core upgrade to existing mobo. With 1 day 23hrs to go on Ebay, a new 3000+ barton is now bid at £77 delivered. Could it reach it reach £100?

Anyway as of now I'll end up with two PC's instead of just one, for an extra £66 pound outlay.

Camstop · « **Reply #24 on:** August 24, 2006, 22:29 »

Nice to see you back Tony

This Dell offer has came on today and don't look too bad for £499 delivered.

Specification:

Intel® Pentium® D 805 Dual Core (2.66GHz, 533MHz fsb, 2x1MB cache)
Windows® XP Home
1024MB Dual Channel DDR2 533MHz Memory
160GB (7200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive with 8MB DataBurst? cache
16x max. DVD+/-RW Drive
Dell E196FP 19" Flat Panel Monitor
128MB ATI Radeon® X300 SE HyperMemory graphics card
Integrated Audio with Dolby Digital 7.1 capability

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&oc=D08515

As usual with these you have to scroll down and change the cover to "Collect & Return, 1 Year Service only" to get the £499 price

And if you do want 256 video card scroll down some more and select it which adds £23.50 to the total price.

The monitor is the same as i have here and i'm delighted with it

Edit> If you don't want the monitor they are currenty fetching around the £155 + Delivery costs on ebay :wink:

HTH

Tony · « **Reply #25 on:** August 24, 2006, 22:47 »

Thanks cammy,

thats an excellent deal, especially with a 19" monitor thrown in, suppose they are all built in China like most things are these days.

Only thing I have against Dells are they have very little capacity to upgrade them, but at those prices who needs to

I bought a superb 7 piece eucalyptus wood garden set, made in Vietnam. On offer half price in the Spring from Focus. And with my daughters home mover discount card, I got it for £112.50. I also bought an 3 piece aluminium patio set last June, made in China. because we don't actually have a garden in this rented gaff....just a little balcony

Camstop · « **Reply #26 on:** August 24, 2006, 22:59 »

Quote from: "Tony"

Only thing I have against Dells are they have very little capacity to upgrade them, but at those prices who needs to

As far as i know it is the 3100 models that aren't upgradable but this is a 5150 model which i'm sure is more flexable...ohhh and upgradable :wink:

But best to check first :cowboy:

Clive · « **Reply #27 on:** August 24, 2006, 23:20 »

Fire extinguisher thrown in for free? :whistle:

Camstop · « **Reply #28 on:** August 24, 2006, 23:25 »

:wink:

Tony · « **Reply #29 on:** August 24, 2006, 23:40 »

Nice on Clive,

did you know it was on the market news today that Apple are recalling 1.1 million laptop batteries as well................Theres a bloody Chinaman out there somewhere on for a right old bollacking.

I bought 2 brand new batteries for my Canon camcorder on Ebay for £11.98 delivered. Exact same battery, color everything, apart from it dont say Canon on it. They are £52.50 each delivered on the website I bought the camcorder from.