What you think?

[Jon L. Obscene]

sempron 3000+ (333mhz FSB , 256kb cache, Skt A)
2x 512MB (1GB) PC2700 DDR RAM
120GB 7200rpm HDD with 2MB Buffer
52x32x52x16x DVD-ROM/CR-RW Combo Drive
128MB ATI Radeon 9250 with DVI & TV-out
V90 56K PCI Fax/Modem

£460?

I've never bought a new puter myself so what you think?

And please I'm asking this for advice, I don't want to know how cheap yours "was" if I can't get it now for that price :)

Thankyou :D

Jonno :cool:

[Cheese]

It's crap. It's certainly not worth that money.

But that's just my opinion as I use my computer for games.

For an extra 70 quid you could get something like this from ebuyer:

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=64657

Though if you really want to get something worth your money build it yourself.

[Jon L. Obscene]

:( Ebuyer don't do the terms these other people do.

btw, that does'nt include operating system or monitor etc.

Never mind, cheers dude.

Edit: Just out of curiosity, what you think is crap about it exactly?

Jonno :cool:

[Cheese]

:( Ebuyer don't do the terms these other people do.

btw, that does'nt include operating system or monitor etc.

Never mind, cheers dude.

Edit: Just out of curiosity, what you think is crap about it exactly?

Jonno :cool:

The RAM is only 2700, the hardrive only has 2mb of cache, if I was buying a new computer I'd buy a 64-bit chip now, a DVD burner would be nice and the gfx card ain't that good.

But most of these are things that only concern gamers really...

[Jon L. Obscene]

Well I ain't really interested in playing games, I have a ps2 for that, I want a puter to run my software, be able to have lots of music and movies etc on it and run several ram hungry progs without slowing to a crawl.

I'm also affected by a complete lack of cash, so my options are extremely limited as to where I can buy it from.

So take out the games part and then how does it look for using a puter for what they are spose to be used for instead of a flashy games consol :)

Jonno :cool:

[DanB]

I don't know much about pc's but it seems a lot for something that isn't really that much


Have you tried looking about elsewhere just out of interest?

I am sure the hardware blokes will put you in line when they come on though :D

[Jon L. Obscene]

To be honest Dan I know feck all about what makes of processors etc, I know I can't afford a Pentium 4, thats fact. I also know I want 1gb of ram, I'm not too bothered about the size of the HD cos they cheap as chips to upgrade, the dvd burner was a bit of a shit considering they only do the dual layer (which again I can't afford).

What I need is something like I said above, which can handle my ram hungry progs and work at the speed I work at, rather than me having to sit around waiting for progs to load EG: I got Photoshop open, I wanna open Gif animator and AOL and BT, if I do that on this puter and it basically laughs at me and locks up :frusty:

I curently got

AMD 1.3
256 Ram
20gb HD
Some cheap shit graphics
52 cd/rw which does'nt work
And a pretty green light on the front :01:

Jonno :cool:

[clocker]

Jonno,
What do you have now, what kind of hardware skills do you possess and what are the "limitations" you are facing regarding payment?

The machine you listed is not exactly "crap", but for the same amount of money you could prolly do better.
Sempron chips are essentially crippled XPs...smaller L2 caches and slower operating speeds. Try going for a XP...maybe a 2500?
The ram...hmmmm, depends on the brand. My Mushkin PC2700 would easily clock to 220FSB...a cheaper brand might not.
No matter what, I would say definitely get a SATA HDD, even if it means getting a smaller one now and adding a second one later.

[Jon L. Obscene]

Jonno,
What do you have now, what kind of hardware skills do you possess

Get me the bits and I can easily put it together, I just don't know about the bits :frusty:


and what are the "limitations" you are facing regarding payment?

12 months interest free, buy now pay in 12 months or similar, THAT'S my problem, I have no credit cards or cash or cheques or Direct Debit options.


Sempron chips are essentially crippled XPs...smaller L2 caches and slower operating speeds. Try going for a XP...maybe a 2500?

See, I have no idea what you just said :huh:
XP chip? :unsure:


The ram...hmmmm, depends on the brand. My Mushkin PC2700 would easily clock to 220FSB...a cheaper brand might not.

That may as well be in japanese too :(
Having looked about, Ram seems to be REALLY expensive, I mean even Economy ram is extortionate :dry:


No matter what, I would say definitely get a SATA HDD, even if it means getting a smaller one now and adding a second one later.

As I said, I'm not over bothered by the HD, I can always upgrade that at a later date and the above listed is only an extra £20 from 40gb to upgrade it to 120.
It's more a processor and Ram thing I need to get sorted out, trouble is I can't upgrade my pc cos no one knows anything about it :ph34r:

Jonno :cool:

[Smurfette]

Have you got a link to the one you're looking at so we could look it over properly?

Although it's AMD64, got a larger HDD and DVDRW drive, the one that Withcheese has highlighted isn't really that great...
- only 512MB memory & speed not listed (although you can obviously buy more)
- SiS chipset is not near the top of my (or many others') preferred list
- Mini tower case, so be prepared for real hassle fitting any extras

[clocker]

12 months interest free, buy now pay in 12 months or similar, THAT'S my problem, I have no credit cards or cash or cheques or Direct Debit options.
Then DON'T buy anything until you can work with better options.
You'll just be digging a deeper hole and carrying a PC that you will certainly end up hating down with you.
The machine you are looking at will not satisfy your needs and paying it off will only delay the acquisition of the PC you really want.

Forgive me....I am channeling your mother.

[Jon L. Obscene]

Have you got a link to the one you're looking at so we could look it over properly?

http://www.savastore.com/productinfo/product.aspx?catalog_name=Savastore&product_id=10277556&pid=0

It's an upgrade your own, so if you are willing to, you have to upgrade to my above stats :)


- only 512MB memory & speed not listed (although you can obviously buy more)

Yeah I did think that, from what I can see that upgrade from 512 to 1gb is the pricey bit :ph34r:

Jonno :cool:

[Jon L. Obscene]

Then DON'T buy anything until you can work with better options.
You'll just be digging a deeper hole and carrying a PC that you will certainly end up hating down with you.
The machine you are looking at will not satisfy your needs and paying it off will only delay the acquisition of the PC you really want.

I realise that, but this one is dying rapidly :(
It was second hand when I got it and was major fecked, took several days to get it working right, but it's just not powerful enough and short of a format it's gonna die.
Then you lot wont have me to talk to anymore :( (stop cheering :dry: )


Forgive me....I am channeling your mother.

:lol: :lol: No dude, my mother would just shout at me and prolly hit me with a book :lol:

Jonno :cool:

[clocker]

OK then.

Are there any small, independent computer stores near you?
Perhaps you could work a barter deal with one- your building skills for a used PC or something.
I have made the same mistake you are contemplating...you will regret it in the end, trust me.

[bigdawgfoxx]

Sempron chips are essentially crippled XPs...smaller L2 caches and slower operating speeds. Try going for a XP...maybe a 2500?

I agree! What is that amount in USDs?

[Smurfette]

How about this:

Crucial Technology 512MB 184Pin DIMM PC2100 DDR RAM Non-Parity CL2.5
87 in stock now
17BJWS x2
£95.30

Maxtor DiamondMax Plus9 80GB SATA150
310 in stock now
259XWS x1
£36.59

AMD Athlon 64 2800+ S754 512KB Box
85 in stock now
36LDWS x1
£78.29

Asustek nForce3 Socket 754 ATX Audio/LAN/RAID
10 in stock now
37ZZWS x1
£69.78

DabsValue Midi Tower 400W Silent-Silver & Neon front Lights
0 in stock now
39MZWS x1
£25.52

NEC DVD+-R/RW 16x Dual Layer IDE - Drive Only
63 in stock now
39NGWS x1
£37.44

Sapphire Technology Radeon 9250 128MB AGP DVI-I VIVO
50 in stock now
3H2SWS x1
£34.89


delivery (13.234Kg) £5.11 standard delivery for this order
subtotal £382.92 the subtotal price excludes vat
vat £66.98
total £449.90 your order qualifies for online finance
pay £16.99 for 36 months
pay £13.83 for 48 months
Use your existing monitor, kb, mouse & speakers.

edit: oops forgot the link: Dabs (http://www.dabs.com/uk)

[Smurfette]

Bollox! I just noticed that the RAM is PC2100, which is odd cos I distinctly remember filtering only PC3200.
NVM, you get the idea.

[Virtualbody1234]

... the dvd burner was a bit of a shit considering they only do the dual layer (which again I can't afford).
I think you are confused about this. Dual Layer DVD burners are able to burn to single layer media (which is cheap) and the burners themselves don't cost very much more than the 'combo drive'.

If you really don't do gaminig then the PC is not too bad at all but perhaps a bit expensive for what you get. Look for something similar elsewhere.

[Jon L. Obscene]

@Smurfette....Very kind of you thankyou :) Unfortunately the terms at that place are a bit high :ph34r:
The place I linked to do a 12 month pay all by the end of the 12 months and you pay no interest, which is possibly why they are a little expensive.

@VB.....No I understand how they work, I would rather buy a cheap and simple dvd burner rather than dual layer as maybe in a few months time I could get a 32x instead of 16, altho having seen the price posted above it's not of that much importance.
And no, although I dabble in games from time to time I don't play many, especially those that require big systems, I'm not that bothered that I wanna spend £100 on a graphics card, like I said, I have a ps2 which has not been switched on for 8 months :ph34r:

Thanks for your help guys :)

Jonno :cool:

[tesco]

@Smurfette....Very kind of you thankyou :) Unfortunately the terms at that place are a bit high :ph34r:
The place I linked to do a 12 month pay all by the end of the 12 months and you pay no interest, which is possibly why they are a little expensive.

@VB.....No I understand how they work, I would rather buy a cheap and simple dvd burner rather than dual layer as maybe in a few months time I could get a 32x instead of 16, altho having seen the price posted above it's not of that much importance.
And no, although I dabble in games from time to time I don't play many, especially those that require big systems, I'm not that bothered that I wanna spend £100 on a graphics card, like I said, I have a ps2 which has not been switched on for 8 months :ph34r:

Thanks for your help guys :)

Jonno :cool:
16x is the fastest any DVD disc can go...ever.
there wont be a 32x dvd burner. :P

[Jon L. Obscene]

Ok what about this


Processor Celeron 2.8GHz S478 (533) CPU

Motherboard 848P Neo LS 800MHz Motherboard S478

Memory 512Mb PC2700 DDR RAM

Case SunTek TH-654 ATX Case 300W

Hard Drive Maxtor 740X 80Gb 7200

CD/DVD Drive NEC ND3500A Dual Layer DVD+/-R/RW 16x DVD IDE Drive

Graphic Card Radeon 9800 Pro 128Mb AGP + DVI / TV Out



* price includes a one-off £30 assembly/QC/packaging charge.

£456

:unsure:

Jonno :cool:

[Jon L. Obscene]

16x is the fastest any DVD disc can go...ever.
there wont be a 32x dvd burner. :P

They also said man would never walk on the moon :P

Jonno :cool:

[tesco]

They also said man would never walk on the moon :P

Jonno :cool:
and he won't. :D

[Jon L. Obscene]

btw, if anyone would like to see what they think is better for around that price, please feel free :)

Try it (http://www.savastore.com/configurator/default.aspx )

Jonno :cool:

[Virtualbody1234]

They also said man would never walk on the moon :P

Jonno :cool:
They won't make a 32x DVD burner. They will change to an new format like Blu-Ray which can store 25 GBs or more.

For now the best bet is a 16x dual layer.

[Virtualbody1234]

Graphic Card Radeon 9800 Pro 128Mb AGP + DVI / TV Out
You don't need such a good graphics card if you never do gaming.

[Jon L. Obscene]

I know, but the price difference of that card is only about £20 more than a standard so I might as well, then I at least have the option :)

But what about the rest? :)

Jonno :cool:

[Jon L. Obscene]

Or this


Price Total Required Components
£340.29 ex. vat
£399.84 inc. vat Processor
PC Case
Hard Drive
CD/DVD Drive Motherboard
Memory
Graphics
Delete Configuration Configuration List


System Name

Processor Athlon 64 2800+ Boxed Socket754

Motherboard MS- 6741 K8MM-ILSR ViA K8M800 S754

Memory 512Mb PC3200 DDR RAM

Case SunTek TH-654 ATX Case 300W

Hard Drive Maxtor 740X 80Gb 7200

CD/DVD Drive NEC ND2510A Dual Layer DVD+/-R/RW 8x DVD IDE Drive

Graphic Card Radeon 9250 128MB AGP +DVI/TV Out



* price includes a one-off £30 assembly/QC/packaging charge.

Jonno :cool:

[Smurfette]

Processor Athlon 64 2800+ Boxed Socket754
Motherboard MSI-6702 K8T Neo-FIS2R VIA K8T800 S754
Memory 512Mb PC3200 DDR RAM
Case SunTek TH-654 ATX Case 300W
Hard Drive Seagate 160Gb 8Mb SATA
CD/DVD Drive NEC ND3500A Dual Layer DVD+/-R/RW 16x DVD IDE Drive
Graphic Card MSI RX9600 SE 128Mb AGP + DVI/TV Out

£385.69 ex. vat
£453.19 inc. vat

[Jon L. Obscene]

Yeah not bad but I don't need a HD that big, however I do need RAM :01:
The above one I posted is £460 with 1gb of ram :)

What ya reckon? :)

btw, muchly apreciated your help :)

Jonno :cool:

[Virtualbody1234]

Processor Athlon 64 2800+ Boxed Socket754
Motherboard MSI-6702 K8T Neo-FIS2R VIA K8T800 S754
Memory 512Mb PC3200 DDR RAM
Case SunTek TH-654 ATX Case 300W
Hard Drive Seagate 160Gb 8Mb SATA
CD/DVD Drive NEC ND3500A Dual Layer DVD+/-R/RW 16x DVD IDE Drive
Graphic Card MSI RX9600 SE 128Mb AGP + DVI/TV Out

£385.69 ex. vat
£453.19 inc. vat
This looks good to me. You could add 512MB more now or even later if you really need it.

[Smurfette]

Yeah not bad but I don't need a HD that big, however I do need RAM :01:
The above one I posted is £460 with 1gb of ram :)

What ya reckon? :)

btw, muchly apreciated your help :)

Jonno :cool:
Sorry, it took me a long time to put that together (daughter & her homework interruptions!) and I didn't see your last system (AMD64) posted.
It looks good; is that with 512MB or 1GB?
I had looked at the specs of both MSI mobos and IIRC the one you list has onboard video but only stereo sound (this may just be mis-labeled) and the one I included has no video but 5.1 sound. If you're truly not bothered by video quality and don't mind the possibility of plain ol' stereo sound, the one you picked would mean you don't need the Radeon (who's gonna miss 64MB from 1GB RAM for the onboard video?) so that money could be spent elsewhere - say, on a faster CPU or larger HDD.
Other than that, I'd say go for it... you're not gonna need a high spec gfx card and of the rest of the parts picked, there doesn't seem to be a crap item or anything that couldn't be upgraded very easily.

[Jon L. Obscene]

The one I listed at £399 was 512mb, but for another £50 could have 1gb. altho I could get another Ram chip cheaper than that elsewhere so I guess 512 will do for now.
As for the graphics, to be totally honest I'm not up on this stuff as I said I don't play games etc, but for the sake of £20 or 30 quid I would'nt mind it as someone has offered me some games which require fairly high stats.
Like I said I'm more interested in being able to store large amounts and run several progs without creeping to a standstill.

As things are with my puter if I open aol 8, photoshop 7 it's slow, if I then open Gif animator aswell it will freeze for approx 5 mins before I get the chance to even move my mouse, which as you can imagine is really annoying :lol:

Stereo sound etc does'nt bother me, I mean there's little point in having 5.1 with a 20 quid pair of speakers :frusty: , besides I use headphones most of the time anyway :)

Ok lets put it like this.

The last config I posted, will it be happy running several progs at once, be capable of storing say 60% of HD space without getting real slow and able to handle latest games?

I'm after one which will do it all if I want it to, no point in buying something then having to add to it later when I could have it all in 1 go :)

Again thankyou for taking the time to help :)

Jonno :cool:

[Virtualbody1234]

I would suggest you go for a larger hard drive. When you get into DVDs they can take up room quite quickly. Larger drives aren't that much more money.

[Jon L. Obscene]

Yeah I know, but I wont be keeping movies on my HD, they will be burnt asap :)

I'm REALLY trying to keep the price as low as possible :unsure:

Jonno :cool:

[clocker]

Please. please, please...don't get the MSI board.
Find a comparable nForce3 replacement.

[Smurfette]

Yeah, I would say you're not going to be disappointed with that, considering you're upgrading from a 1.3GHz/256MB system.
You shouldn't have any troubles, but install XP Pro and take a look at Rossco's guide for tips on streamlining it and you'll be well happy.

[Jon L. Obscene]

Ok I just been told that prices will drop after xmas, would you think it's worth the wait to find out?

Jonno :cool:

[Smurfette]

Please. please, please...don't get the MSI board.
Find a comparable nForce3 replacement.
Normally I'd say the same, but that's all that's on offer where Jonno is shopping.

[Smurfette]

Ok I just been told that prices will drop after xmas, would you think it's worth the wait to find out?

Jonno :cool:
Yeaqh, it's only about 6 weeks away.

[clocker]

Ok I just been told that prices will drop after xmas, would you think it's worth the wait to find out?

Jonno :cool:
Yes, oh God yes.
Maybe after Christmas your circumstances will have changed to the extent that other options will open up for you.
Having to shop on a budget is tough, but having only one choice of vendors is horrible.
You are forced to warp your desires to fit what they have available.

[peat moss]

Yes, oh God yes.
Maybe after Christmas your circumstances will have changed to the extent that other options will open up for you.
Having to shop on a budget is tough, but having only one choice of vendors is horrible.
You are forced to warp your desires to fit what they have available.

Good idea there was a post about best shopping time , the day after xmas or boxing day! :)

[Jon L. Obscene]

Yes, oh God yes.
Maybe after Christmas your circumstances will have changed to the extent that other options will open up for you.
Having to shop on a budget is tough, but having only one choice of vendors is horrible.
You are forced to warp your desires to fit what they have available.

Unfotunately they wont change, even 6 months from now I will still have to get it from there, as you prolly guessed I go no credit and these guys are the only people round who will do terms where I don't end up paying £900 for a £350 machine :frusty:

Also I'm not patient enough to wait, never have been and I may well put a sledge hammer thru this puter before then :whistling
I'll see what happens, I seriously doubt these people will have an xmas sale, they did'nt last year but I could be wrong, I will be seriously pissed off if it goes up after xmas tho :frusty:

But thankyou for all your help guys, sepcially Smurfette :01:

Jonno :cool:

[clocker]

Unfotunately they wont change, even 6 months from now I will still have to get it from there, as you prolly guessed I go no credit and these guys are the only people round who will do terms where I don't end up paying £900 for a £350 machine :frusty:

OK...not to be redundant, but you are still thinking within the box and your circumstances demand a more creative solution.
Surely by now you have developed a skill set of some sort that could be of use to a shop/person who has what you want.
A barter could benefit the both of you.

You have absolutely nothing to lose, so get out of here and hit the bricks, boy.

[Jon L. Obscene]

Oh I forgot to answer that, the nearest pc shop to me is 8 miles away and their cheapest (read as 1/2 the power of the above mentioned) is £899, and there's nothing I can do to work off that amount of money, maybe building work but due to medical issues I wont be oing any of that til well after xmas :frusty:

It may sound like I'm making excuses but believe me, there's nothing round here like that, christ, I even have to travel 28 miles for strings for my guitar :angry:

Seriously, the ONLY way I can get a new one is on terms, and I refuse to pay 20% interest on it thats pointless :(

Donations would be greatfully received tho :D

Nah, s'ok I'll get one eventually, I've never owned my own puter so a few more weeks/months wont make any difference :)

Jonno :cool:

[BigDaddy555]

It's crap. It's certainly not worth that money.

But that's just my opinion as I use my computer for games.

For an extra 70 quid you could get something like this from ebuyer:

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=64657

Though if you really want to get something worth your money build it yourself.


Funny, thats almost exactly what I just built. AMD Athlon XP 3200, Maxtor (SATA) 160G HDD, MSI VIA KM400 + 8237 chipset based mobo. I dont have a dvd, just a Cd burner. guess Ill get to that next.........