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Geek Culture / Building a PC advice

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Michael P
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Location: London (UK)
Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 19:23 Edited at: 2nd Apr 2008 20:15
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I've decided to build a really cheap computer with the following parts:
-Colors IT 8011L-B3 Silver Midi Neon Case Window 400W
-Asrock motherboard ConRoe1333-D667 LGA775 Intel 945GC Core 2 Duo / Core 2 Extreme integrated VGA DDR2 PCI-E micro ATX
-Aeneon 512MB DDR2 667Mhz PC5300 RAM memory
-Aeneon 512MB DDR2 667Mhz PC5300 RAM memory
-Zotac GeForce 7200GS 256MB DDR2 PCI-E Video Graphics Card
-Maxtor 80GB DiamondMax Plus21 SATA II 300 Hard Disk Drive 7200rpm 8MB Cache
-Genius Soundmaker 5.1 Value Retail
-350W P4/AMD quiet PSU with PFC 20 pin / 24 pin
-LG DVD ROM GDR-H30NBB Beige 16x52 IDE oem
-Intel CPU Celeron D420 1.60GHz 800MHz LGA775 512K Retail

Are all these arts compatible with each other? I know people are probably not willing to go through and check each part, but if you notice anything obviously wrong with the above list then please let me know.

Is there anything else other than what is in that list that is necessary when building a computer from scratch (excluding software)? To make life easier, here is a list of what each part actually is:
-Case
-Motherboard
-Ram 1
-Ram 2
-Graphics Card
-Hard Drive
-Sound Card
-Power Supply
-CD Drive
-Processor

If you were going to change anything there that would maximize performance with minimum cost, what would you change?
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Kendor
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 19:53
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It will be a bit difficult for your computer to work without a CPU

Quote: "but if you notice anything obviously wrong with the above list then please let me know"


I think that motherboard does not support 800Mhz RAM, but only 667/533 Mhz

Theory is when you know something, but it doesn't work. Practice is when something works, but you don't know why.
Programmers combine theory and practice: Nothing works and they don't know why.
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GatorHex
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 19:59 Edited at: 2nd Apr 2008 20:26
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I recently speced up a cheapish PC for a friend with scan.co.uk parts. I wouldn't go lower spec than this for a games machine.

It goes a little something like this..

Specs 2.4Ghz x 2 (Dual Core), 2Gb Dual Channel RAM, 250Gb Hard Drive, CD/DVD Recorder, add a 19" LCD monitor depending on budget.

the parts codes..

LN21083 Intel Pentium Dual-Core, E2220, Socket 775, Allendale Core,
2x2.4 GHz, 1MB Cache, Retail £45.49 £53.45

LN21758 Gigabyte GA-945GCM-S2L, i945GC, S775, PCI-E (x16), DDR2
400/533/667 MHz, SATA II, µATX, On Board VGA £27.32 £32.10

LN12200 2GB (2x1GB) Corsair TwinX XMS2, DDR2 PC2-5400 (667),
240 Pin, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 4-4-4-12 £23.54 £27.66

LN16941 250 GB Maxtor STM3250310AS DiamondMax 21, SATA II,
7200 rpm, 8MB Cache, 11 ms £29.10 £34.19

LN8232 Scan '2012' 4 in 1 Kit. Black/Silver inc Keyb/Mouse/Speakers
ATX Midi Tower 400W Passive PFC PSU £23.60 £27.73

LN20986 Optiarc AD-7191S-0B 20x DVD±R, 8x DVD±DL, DVD + RW x8/-RW x6,
x12 DVD-RAM SATA Lightscribe Black oem £14.71 £17.28

LN21476 512MB Palit 8600GT, PCI-E (x16), GDDR2, 2xDual Link DVI-I/HDTV £41.42 £48.67

TOTAL 1 = £241.08 no monitor

LN21876
19" Hanns-G HW191DP Silver/Black Widescreen LCD, 1440x900, 700:1, 300 cd/m², 5 ms, Speakers, VESA £84.49 £99.28

Add a monitor TOTAL 2 = with new slim 19" LCD monitor add £100 = £341

If you think you may want Windows Vista it's best to buy it with the
parts because it's cheaper as Vista 32bit Premium OEM add £57.

DinoHunter (still no nVidia compo voucher!), CPU/GPU Benchmark, DarkFish Encryption DLL, War MMOG (WIP), 3D Model Viewer
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GatorHex
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 20:04 Edited at: 2nd Apr 2008 21:12
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Problems with your spec

no CPU,
no OS,
no Monitor,
MB seems to be 667 max but your buyin 800 memory,
Case your buying seems to have a 400w PSU and you buy another 350w
80Gb hard drive won't install much especialy games which are 1Gb-2Gb these days,
7200GS is not worth buying especially for todays games.

IT WILL STRUGGLE TO PLAY THE LATEST GAMES Bio-Shock, Lost Planet, Crysis etc. I'd save up another £50 if I was you.

what you want to do with your pc anyhow?

DinoHunter (still no nVidia compo voucher!), CPU/GPU Benchmark, DarkFish Encryption DLL, War MMOG (WIP), 3D Model Viewer
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Michael P
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 20:06
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Can't believe I forgot the processor ; Added it now.
You are correct, the ram was not compatible - changed to: 'Aeneon 512MB DDR2 667Mhz PC5300 RAM memory.
Current cost of computer is around 170 pounds (without an OS).
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Michael P
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 20:10 Edited at: 2nd Apr 2008 20:17
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GatorHex, I'm not sure if the case comes with a PSU installed; have a look:
http://www.microdirect.co.uk/(25009)Colors-IT-8011LB3-Silver-Midi-Neon-Case-Window.aspx

[edit] The PC is for ebay to try and make some money to pay for repairs on my main PC which died today
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Virtual X
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 20:19
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you may aswell buy one mate, probably workout alot cheaper than building from scratch
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GatorHex
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 20:20 Edited at: 2nd Apr 2008 20:21
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The description "-Colors IT 8011L-B3 Silver Midi Neon Case Window 400W" says to me it comes with a 400w PSU but you should check sometimes they take them out of the box and sell them seperatly to lower the price.

DinoHunter (still no nVidia compo voucher!), CPU/GPU Benchmark, DarkFish Encryption DLL, War MMOG (WIP), 3D Model Viewer
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GatorHex
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 20:24
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If you want a cool case and not bothered about buying a PSU I'd recommend this one it's what I use on my own machines.

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=571840

Cube size (uatx) + windows top, left and right, 12cm blue LED silent fan + temprature sensor and display

DinoHunter (still no nVidia compo voucher!), CPU/GPU Benchmark, DarkFish Encryption DLL, War MMOG (WIP), 3D Model Viewer
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Virtual X
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 20:27 Edited at: 2nd Apr 2008 20:27
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nah, you want this one: http://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?criteria=B39FP&DOY=

you could take off abroad with this case, hahaha
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BiggAdd
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 20:45 Edited at: 2nd Apr 2008 20:45
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Take a look over at Ebuyer.com
When I built my new system pretty much all the parts I found on Microdirect were a bit cheaper on Ebuyer. As your buying a few parts, you could save a tad.

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BiggAdd
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 21:20 Edited at: 2nd Apr 2008 21:29
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Just knocked this up in ebuyer. Tried to keep it around the price:


You Might have to buy a Molex to Sata adapter for the Power.

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RalphY
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 21:29
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I can recommend buying from ebuyer and overclockers.co.uk, I have used both in the past and not had any problems.

Random slightly related story, but I was just disassembling my old computer today. Came round to time to remove the heat sink and the CPU had completely fused to the bottom of it. Ripped it right out the socket. Amazing all the pins were intact but I can't get the damn thing of the bottom of the heat sink.

Oh boy! Sleep! That's when I'm a Viking! | Super Nintendo Chalmers!
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GatorHex
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 21:45 Edited at: 2nd Apr 2008 21:47
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Intel Core2Duo E2180 (2ghz i think not how they advertize it!) Computer Tower + 1gb DDR2 Branded Memory + 250gb SATA HDD £189 Delivered.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/bmz-computers

DinoHunter (still no nVidia compo voucher!), CPU/GPU Benchmark, DarkFish Encryption DLL, War MMOG (WIP), 3D Model Viewer
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SunnyKatt
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 22:33
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Get a tiny main hard drive and a big Maxtor external drive. Best thing I ever did, and when you need to switch to a new computer, moving all the files is a snap!

ZEKEGAMES FORUMS-GOOGLE "Zekegames"
http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=115938&b=20
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NeX the Fairly Fast Ferret
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 22:59
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I'm not sure that's a good idea. Drop it, your files are dead. Knock it over whilst it's running, your files are dead. Try and play a game over the USB port, your files might as well be dead.


I fail at life. No, really.
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Michael P
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 23:04
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The number of times the word 'dead' was used in that last post has scared me from ever buying an external hard drive Sounds like a fantastic film in the making: 'The external hard drive' - anybody who puts a file onto it dies within a week after receiving an email asking them if they wish to buy Viagra.
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SunnyKatt
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 23:09
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I play my games over the drive and they play fine.

ZEKEGAMES FORUMS-GOOGLE "Zekegames"
http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=115938&b=20
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NeX the Fairly Fast Ferret
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 23:22
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Which games do you play over it? Can't be anything demanding. I used to have a USB 2.0 hard drive plugged into a USB 2.0 port (not 1.0, I know that's slow) and the speed was far inferior to the IDE internal drives. Plus, it needed an external power supply, which led to even more cable tangles.


I fail at life. No, really.
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SunnyKatt
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 23:30
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Really? Played Crysis, orange box, supreme commander + other taxing games w/ no problemo.

ZEKEGAMES FORUMS-GOOGLE "Zekegames"
http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=115938&b=20
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Michael P
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2008 23:57 Edited at: 3rd Apr 2008 00:00
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Generally speaking in computer games like the ones you are mentioning, everything is loaded pre game play (on the loading screen). This means that most likely, loading is slower with an external drive, but actual game play will be unaffected. If we are talking about MMORPG's though (like world of warcraft for example), the world is too big to load all into memory at once and so having an external drive may make game play less smooth. Note that the hard drive is only accessed when loading things, most game play is done using the RAM because it is much faster.

[edit] I'd also like to add my theory as to what is most important in a computer designed to play FPS games at their best; ignoring loading times as a factor:
1. Graphics Card
2. CPU
3. RAM

Nothing else really matters.
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SunnyKatt
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2008 00:05
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Yes, crysis takes about 15 or so mins to load a level. REALLY SLOW. Gameplay is great and fine though.

ZEKEGAMES FORUMS-GOOGLE "Zekegames"
http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=115938&b=20
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NeX the Fairly Fast Ferret
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2008 00:26
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I think anything over a minute to load anything from less than a hundred metres away is a problem.


I fail at life. No, really.
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Benjamin
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2008 00:36
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Quote: "Yes, crysis takes about 15 or so mins to load a level. REALLY SLOW."

No doubt due to using an external HDD.

Multisync - TCP Server/Client Multiplayer Plugin (DBP/DBCe)
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NeX the Fairly Fast Ferret
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2008 00:50
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And anyway, if you were to need your HDD on a USB interface, caddies are something daft like a tenner.


I fail at life. No, really.
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CattleRustler
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2008 01:14
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with hdd's dirt cheap why not get a decent main drive and a honkin' second drive. same premise as above but with super fast data rates. I ended up getting a single wd sata2 internal .5TB drive, 3 gb/sec transfer when I built this machine a couple weeks ago, but normally over the years I have always used 2 drives. Since the old pc has another .5 tb drive in it I decided to go with one large drive in here, and the other pc can hold back ups. I would never consider an external for anything other than a backup drive, second only to a networked internal drive on another machine, but thats just me

[href]mod2software[/href]
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SunnyKatt
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2008 01:44
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All my games take forever. I click load then go get something to eat. Used to it. I use up 1/2 of my 500 gig external drive. My main HD is a 30 gig. Tiny!

ZEKEGAMES FORUMS-GOOGLE "Zekegames"
http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=115938&b=20
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dark nooby
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Posted: 5th Apr 2008 22:25
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GSKILL ram is really cheap i got 4 gigs of 800MHz 4-4-4-12 for $200 new zealand currency.

Hey sus out the XFX MG-630I-7109 motherboard, it has quadcore support and built in Geforce 7100i onboard VGA (probably use system ram for textures),GIGLAN,8 Channel sound

also check out CPU E4500 core 2 duo 2.2 allendale cheap and very powerful for its specs it cost me $138 new zealand currency


and if you want power for less money i bought the XFX 8800GT 512MB for $467 new zealand currency

:note usa dollar is worth double the new zealand dollar so if you live in the States just halve these prices.
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Michael P
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Posted: 6th Apr 2008 20:44 Edited at: 6th Apr 2008 22:01
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Built the OP PC, have to see if I make any money out of it: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330225865005

Thinking about making this PC to sell as a midrange gaming PC; tell me what you think, see attached excel spreadsheet.

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