BabylenTatarsky

Link: Dell Inspiron 530 Q6600 2GB PC Base Unit - Tesco.Direct

Yeah, yeah, I know it's from Tesco - but it seems a bit of a bargain.

Might get it. What do you think?

Worth putting this cheap RAM in it for an extra kick?

One thing:Can that not be replaced? 'Cos it's, well, no good, and I'd wanna play Counterstrike Source on it, among other games. Integrated, though? There'll be an option to turn it off and put a new, proper one in, right?

Quote from someone who bought it on another forum:Thoughts? Please.

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temeteus82

I would not touch that system with a long stick. It does have PCI-E 16x slot so you can get better gfx card. But you would like to go 800MHz DDR2 ram..

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cozumel

The thing is though, it comes back to old nugget.

That Dell has a Q6600, Vista Home Premium, Roxio Creator/My DVD & MS Works which comes to about £270. For £20 more Dell have provided generic RAM, a Dell mobo, Dell PSU, an OEM 320GB HDD, DVD dual layer rewriter and a case.

• Is it good value? Yes, very.
• Could I build a system with that configuration or software for the same price? No
• Is it a good computer? That all depends what you want out of it. If you don't want to be able to upgrade then no. But if you want something you can game with then it will give average performance due to a low performing IGP mobo then yes. ( Even if you put in a better graphics solution the mobo would hold it back.
• Would I buy one? I'd rather stick a large porcupine all the way up my back passage until I can remove it through my nose. But then that's my personal preference.

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CDsDontBurn

there is no mention of a display.

for gaming, you would want to add a sepereate gfx card. but there's a limitation as to what you can put in there due to PSU/space restrictions which is something else you would want to look into.

but, if CS:S is all you'll be playing, it shouldn't require anything more than like an 8600GT card as that card draws all of it's power straight from the PCI-E bus itself.

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BabylenTatarsky

Thanks for the replies. I'll stay away.

MIG-31

Thats why it's listed as a Base Unit.They are not supplied with any type of display.

More often than not when a store sells a Base Unit,The will be very little room for upgrade options.IE CPU and memory is possibly as high as the bios will accept.

And for that price it is most likely aimed toward Basic Use,Like Internet/Office Use etc.

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BabylenTatarsky

Right, ignoring the crappy Tesco one from the first post... what do you think of this:



A quadcore with 4GB RAM for sub £400. Seems pretty good to me. Is it good value? I don't have more than £400 but can't cope with this POS system I'm on at the moment.

Wondering how much better it's gonna be. Currently got some random Pentium 4 2.66GHz Processor and 768MB RAM, with a GeForce 7600 GT. It works, and plays my games, but it's slow as hell. Will the one on the picture be a lot better, if at all?

Sorry I'm a total noob at specs. Really appreciate answers.

temeteus82

I would get a bit better psu and if you can get 8800GT or 9800GT you are good.

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Judas

the Asus P5Q SE looks like a good board.... i personally wouldn't touch an nforce board.. EVER again.

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BabylenTatarsky

Had a tinker and came back with this:



A bit more than I wanted to spend really. Couldn't afford upgrading the PSU. Is 450W not enough? And what's wrong with that motherboard? There's an ASUS P5B SE S/L 1333FSB (O.C) (Intel G31) one for marginally more than the original, if it's just the nVidia thing. :/ Using that would bring the total down to £427.35, which might be okay.

Thanks a lot for the (quick) responses too. Much appreciated.

cozumel

That's a really nice rig. Just the PSU you need to change. I think nvidia recommend a 550w psu with the 9800GT if I remember right. And if you have the option available 2x2GB DDR2 is better than 4x1GB (they cost about the same but the mobo prefers it). If you change the graphics card to an 8800GT then the money you save could be put on a better PSU. The 8800GT will play all the latest games at a good quality

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cozumel

Just checked with my 8800GT and minimum PSU specs are 400W with 26A min on the 12v. Just make sure the PSU is quality though as it is the most important component in your whole rig. If it is no good it can fatally damage all your components.

Edit: I stand corrected on the 9800GT required power supply. The requirements are the same as 8800GT according to EVGA website.

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BabylenTatarsky

D'oh. Changed the motherboard to bring the price back down after upgrading the PSU. Also changed the RAM to 2x2GB, cos it was only £3 difference. (Had that in the first, set it up wrong second time!)

Here it is:


£450.

Is that motherboard any good? I can't afford any more, heh.

cozumel

Sorry dude, I was wrong about the psu spec for the 9800GT and edited my last post while you were posting. You could go with the 450W and the original mobo as long as the PSU is from a reputable manufacturer. Any idea which model 450W PSU it is? The P5Q mobo was a nice choice and far better than the one in your last post.

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BabylenTatarsky

Oh. Well with the 450W PSU and the P5Q mobo, it comes to £ 463.7, which I could just about manage. I think. No idea what make/model of PSU it is though. Just says AC Input: 230VAC 10A 50-60Hz and has this picture.

cozumel

hey, I just checked out computer planet website. If the 450W and 600W PSUs you are choosing are within the first four in the list then I strongly advise against those choices as they are unbranded generic models and may be of a low quality. Much better to get the OCZ Stealth Xtreme 500W instead (though not my favourite is far better than generic).

If you change the mobo to the P5K (P35 chipset) instead of the P5Q which saves £5 then the extra £14 for the PSU is offset a touch. (ie only £9 more).

Edit: You could also get a 250GB instead of 320GB HDD to reduce the cost a touch more. If you needed more storage space in a years time the price of HDD storage space is continually dropping so it kind of makes sense.

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BabylenTatarsky

That comes to £487.27, which I can't afford.

I really appreciate your help, though - thanks for looking. I guess you're right about the PSU. No point getting a crappy one just cos it's cheap, cos it won't be any good. I better get saving then.

OldBuzzard

Is it possible to order it without the PSU? Or, maybe order the cheapest possible PSU, and replace it yourself?

The Corsair 450VX has 33A on the +12v and would do a good job.

I see it at Overclockers.co.uk for 46.99 inc VAT. Yoyotech at 49.42 inc.

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When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY

Robert McClelland

should this thread go here? http://www.hardwareheaven.com/hardware...ssion-support/ hehe just a thought

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BabylenTatarsky

I've put it together with the best setup you lot came up with, and together with Vista HP 64bit it came to ££574.22.

It'll leave me without about £30 to last me 20 days, but I'm definitely contemplating buying it. I know you can get OEM Vista from elsewhere, but I can't be bothered with the fuss.

Hmm, decisions, decisions.

cozumel

"Super Duper" is the first phrase that pops into my mind. And there will be a ton of upgrade paths for you if you wanted to go down that path. (Upgrading would also be a good way to learn if you have the desire, so that you can build your own rig next time).

Your new rig will be better than mine

btw, that P5Q mobo gives you high quality on-board 7.1 sound, not the 5.1 which Computer Planet are stating on your final spec.

Edit: £30 is more than enough for 20 days. You won't be going out anywhere. You'll be stuck in your room playing games 24/7 on your new toy and growing a long flowing beard.

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BabylenTatarsky

It actually leaves me with £52.78. Plenty, that.

I recently had an operation (on my delicate area) so don't plan on going out on the razz anytime soon.

*orders*

Thanks for all the help.