i need opinions

djjimmy2k2

New Member
hi guys,

im moving to university over here in england in a few weeks and im planning on getting a new pc before i do. the pc i have at the moment is dying, about a month ago it found a problem with the hd, and now its losing some files (i had to reinstall windows last week) but then again it isnt that surprising, it is an old 350mhz computer, and so i need a new one before i move to uni.

now im here to ask you guys your opinions on the kind of pc i should get. i need one that has some of the best specs for the price and one that can run all the programs like photoshop, illustrator, dreamweaver, flash and many more (im on a multimedia computing course). also i want to use it for games, movies and stuff like that. considering that ill be using it for uni i think maybe a laptop might be best what with its portability etc but compared with a similar spec pc they are more expensive arent they, plus they arent the best for gaming.

i also think i should say that if theres anyone here that lives in england it might be best if they could help me, ill take anyone elses help aswell but im dealing with english money. i have no more than a £1000 budget but all that is like a kind of grant on top of my student loan and it would be useful to have some left for the rest of the year so i would kinda like some change. the minimum im looking to pay is about £500 and i think maybe the most i would LIKE to pay would be about £800 although i could (maybe) stretch to £1000 (id prefer not to though).

i have found this one which i think is pretty decent, very decent i think considering the price. it hasnt got a monitor but ive got one myself.

so what do you guys think, what should i go for?
 

Praetor

Administrator
Staff member
Athlon64 3500+ (Newcastle, Socket939) $420USD
MSI K8T NEO2FIR $125USD
Corsair ValueSelect 1GB Kit $160USD
Thermaltake VA3000 Tsunami + 400W PSU $115USD
Thermaltake Polo735 $30USD
2 x WD 200GB 8MB $225USD
LiteOn 52x32x52 Black, $30USD
Pioneer 107 Black $80USD
Soundblaster Audigy2 ZS $75USD
GeForceFX5900XT 128MB $175USD
NET COST: $1435 (£799)

Comments:
- Realistically a better storage solution would be to take the ASUS A8V Deluxe for $10USD more (which has SATA support), pop in a Raptor as primary and then have a 300GB 5400RPM 2MB drive running secondary -- why? Because when you're running a 300GB drive for general storage, it doesnt need to be blazing fast. The reason I stuck with 2x200GB was (a) it was a relatively cheaper option and (b) to match the other system you're looking at
- You can replace the Litey and Pioneer with a Plextor 712A Black for $120 ($10 more than the other drives). The Plexy is a beast of a drive and more than capable of manhandling even the prestigious LiteOn
- The video card wasnt a primary concern (hence it was the last thing I spec'd and I didnt make an attempt to shoot for the 6800) -- why? Because in your description, (a) gaming clearly wasnt a primary concern and (b) the 5900XT isnt a "bad" card in any way. If you DO want to go for a little more oomph, wait around for the 6600GT ... with the 6800 hitting the $280USD marker, I woulndt expect the 6600GT to be any higher than $220USD and its smaller brother the 6600 in the $175USD range, easy subsitutes for your 5900XT. Now that ive reread your post if you absolutely want to you can squeeze in the 6800 and the other HDD configuration I mentioned earlier. Regardless you wont be dissapointed.


Ill be back later to give a P4C solution... right now my batteries need charging..... and i need food :p
 

djjimmy2k2

New Member
the thing is i know virtually nothing about computer components and i really dont want to buy them seperate and put them together. i want to get an already built system.
 

Praetor

Administrator
Staff member
Well in that case, sure its a solid system although on closer inspection a lot of things are left to be desired (not horribly critical things tho):
- The mobo is based off the decent/good 915P chipset ... but just like anychipset, you can have good mobos using it or bad ones. Odds are since Tiny doesnt seem to be a massively OEMish company that you'll get a decent mobo but its always good to check
- The one thing that the system there that outdoes the one i spec'd is that the HDDs are SATA whilst mine are not.
- The video system you're getting, the X600 is fairly large portion of the system's price however if you look deeper, the X600 is an overcharged piece of crap (whereas the X800 is just overcharged) ... consider that the X600, the midrange series of the new "X" line of ATI cards, is not a challenge for the 9800 -- that's the last generation.... i'll stop ranting now
- Note that neither optical drive is specified (and yes, brands/models do matter), nor is the spec for the RAM available. Many of the "features" the system has are all onboard features -- nothing bad about it per se but that should be included in the price of the mobo rather then the way they are probably doing it (each feature adding to the cost of the system when you've already accounted for the mobo).


Not that ive gotten through all the ranting and raving:
- The system is a very nice setup (minus the video card) for that price; you're getting a lot of hardware and odds are you'll be more than pleased with it
- If you do reconsider and want to learn to build a computer (its not all that hard) this is the place to learn! :)
 

djjimmy2k2

New Member
ok, first things first. whats a mobo? whats OEMish mean? and whats SATA mean? sorry but im not with all this computer speak.

and about the drive brands and models, i think it might be a good idea to email tiny and ask. what do you mean by the "spec for the RAM"? also whats the difference between onboard features and not onboard features.

what kind of video card should i be hoping for at that price anyway?

and lastly ill say that right now with goin to uni in a few weeks i dont wanna be messin about with buildin a pc from scratch so i wanna go for a ready built system. maybe sometime in the future though.
 

Praetor

Administrator
Staff member
ok, first things first. whats a mobo? whats OEMish mean? and whats SATA mean? sorry but im not with all this computer speak.
-Mobo = motherboard = the single most important component your computer has
-OEMish = a hacked together word that means "has a lot of OEM characteristics"
-OEM = a brand name computer
-SATA = SerialATA aka ATA150 ... the drives I spec'd are a part of the ATA133 spec. There isnt a world of difference really as drives never reach those speeds anyways. SATA is the more advanced/recent spec but sometimes (depending on the mobo you have), a hassle and a half to deal with

and about the drive brands and models, I think it might be a good idea to email tiny and ask
Ive never encountered a non-enthusiast OEM that gave out specs on their boards and/or used "normal" parts (the answer I usually get is "Premium grade components", "<insert company name>-customized products" or roughly "Screw off, its a piece of crap and we know it so dont ask").

what do you mean by the "spec for the RAM"?
There are three things that define the performance of memory:
1. The designated speed (i.e., PC3200)
2. The timings (i.e, 2-3-3-5)
3. Overclocability
For most people, #1 is the most important and in general thats the case. The 2nd and 3rd points while interrelated are quite independent. The timings indicate how soon a specific "cell" inside a memory block can be accessed (measured in cycles), the lower the better -- except, when you consider the 3rd point: how much faster you can make a given cycle complete. I.e., consider a 2.0Ghz system running on 200Mhz core (i know such a system doesnt exist but the numbers are easy) 2-3-3-5 (total 13 cycles) vs 3-4-4-8 (19 cycles). In the case of the former, if the memory is running at 200Mhz there (PC3200) which gives a actual delay of 67ns (135cycles) while the latter, say runing at 266Mhz (PC4200) might have an actual delay of only 52ns (146cycles) .... the numbers might be off a bit (im still working on that) but you get the idea

and lastly ill say that right now with goin to uni in a few weeks I dont wanna be messin about with buildin a pc from scratch so I wanna go for a ready built system. maybe sometime in the future though.
Good call i guess :)
 

djjimmy2k2

New Member
ok well now i know what mobo means although i already knew what a motherboard was, didnt know it was called a mobo though. OEM is now clearer but i didnt understand the SATA thing, oh well, dont matter.

about the drive brands and RAM specs, if you click on the 'Tech Specs' tab on the page with the computer that i linked to (just above the box that says the features) it gives some more details:

the drives:
Double Layer - High speed multi-format DVD Burner Drive (8.5GB instead of 4.7GB). Use as DVD burner, CD burner, DVD Rom and CD ROM.
NEC 16 Speed DVD Burner Drive.
Additional 16 speed DVD ROM Drive for DVD-playback and easy disc to disc copying.
the RAM:
1024 MB, (2x 512MB) DDR 400 (PC3200) RAM Modules Fitted. Micron /Hynix Brand
:)
 

Praetor

Administrator
Staff member
about the drive brands and RAM specs, if you click on the 'Tech Specs' tab on the page with the computer that I linked to (just above the box that says the features) it gives some more details:
- Read those "details" .. ok so they have the NEC as the burner but that doesnt mean much -- NEC makes several models, some really good, some really bad
- The RAM ... they cant even tell you whether its Micron or Hynix? (niether of which are specactular)
 

djjimmy2k2

New Member
ok, well now i think im kinda changing my mind about that certain computer, well that company to be honest. i just found this website and the customer reviews on there are, to put it mildly, shit.

i guess im gonna look around again.
 

Praetor

Administrator
Staff member
LOL the folly of buying OEM :p ... really you should consider building on yourself its not more complicated than screwing some stuff to a case ... really. If you're uncomfortable dealing with the CPU many stores will pop the CPU and HSF on there for you either free of charge or for like $5 or something. For everything else, if it fits... it fits.
 
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