# Advice Before Purchasing PC



## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

I've been on the look-out for the last couple of weeks for a new computer, as my current one is just on its way down. I've basically looked everywhere on the UK Online Stores for the best offers in my price range, and i think I've found a pretty good one for the price. 

Before i post a link to the computer itself, I've basically been looking for something that's below £300, has plenty of RAM, a decent processor/clock speed etc etc. My main requirement is it has to be good for editing in Photoshop/Sony Vegas, as i like to edit quite a bit. 

Here's the model I'm thinking about purchasing:
Buy ACER X1420 | DESKTOP PC - Computer Base Units | Comet

It comes pre-installed with 4GB of RAM, however i plan on upgrading to about 6GB in the future to boost the performance as it can take 8GB max. It has a decent clock-speed/processor and comes with 1TB in disk space. I know it's only a dual-core processor, but taking all it's features into consideration, it really is the best one out there for the price. 

My only problem is, in the "Technical specifications" column underneath the product, if you hover over the "Shared Graphics" text, it says it isn't powerful enough for digital photography, video editing and gaming. Sorry but surely that's wrong, my current PC only has 512MB of RAM and that handles Sony Vegas/Photoshop pretty well, yet there telling me this model isn't powerful enough to edit with possibly 8GB of RAM installed, if i upgraded. 

Thoughts ?


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## jaythorpe522 (Sep 7, 2010)

What versions of Vegas and Photoshop are you running, and on what OS? When XP first came out, I could run most audio and video editors fine on 512MB, but after SP3 XP by *itself* stopped running 'reasonably well' on only 512MB. I wouldn't even dream of trying to run Vista or 7 with less than 2 GB of system RAM.

You can run video editing off of integrated graphics OK, but if you're doing heavy transitioning and lots of rendering, especially 3D, your life will be so much better with dedicated graphic memory. Gaming pretty much REQUIRES a dedicated GPU and graphic memory.

A big problem with prebuilt computers is PSU. They are often underpowered and/or of questionable manufacturing origin, and therefore prone to fail (and ruin other parts of the computer with it). You should look over the building threads and see if there's a way to fit it into your budget to build your machine. Quality parts are worth the time and effort.

jw


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## jaythorpe522 (Sep 7, 2010)

Here's the link for the building thread : http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...evised-2011-and-updated-regularly-448272.html

Also, taking a look at your link, the machine seems pretty outdated, including no USB 3.0 and only VGA out.

jw


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

jaythorpe522 said:


> What versions of Vegas and Photoshop are you running, and on what OS?


Vegas 10.0 and Photoshop CS5 on XP SP3, both run pretty smoothly on the 512MB of RAM. 



jaythorpe522 said:


> Here's the link for the building thread : http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...evised-2011-and-updated-regularly-448272.html
> 
> Also, taking a look at your link, the machine seems pretty outdated, including no USB 3.0 and only VGA out.
> 
> jw


Thanks, but there's no way i plan on building my own PC, i just don't have the time, skill nor patience to be quite frankly honest. 

I want to state i won't be doing any serious 3D editing of such or plan on rendering 2 hour films in Vegas that requires a top of the range processor or graphics card. Editing is basically more of a hobby than anything, its by no means my job. I basically use my current PC to browse the net more than anything, but i start college in September on a TV/Film course, and just want a good PC that can handle PS/SV smooth enough when i work on a project, and other applications like Office etc etc. 

My budget is a max of £280 being a student, and the model I've posted is no doubt the best out there for that price, as I've looked at around 50 PC's from the UK Stores and this is arguably the best from the bunch. The only other one i would consider is this due to the Quad Core Processor: PACKARD BELL iMEDIA A3523 UK Refurbished Desktop PC at cheap prices | PC World ...But it's been refurbished, has a slow clock speed, and less RAM/Disk Space than the other model. 

Which one out of the two would you rank the best though ?


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## jaythorpe522 (Sep 7, 2010)

well, cores > clock speed. 2.8 > 2.3, but 4 >> 2. As far as processing power goes, the refurb is better.

RAM is an issue if you're doing video, but from what it sounds like you'd never really need more than 4.

I can't find any specifics on the MoBos, so I really can't make heads or tails of comparing/contrasting the two.

The refurb has the major advantage of having a GPU, and overall between the machines the PB is better. However, refurb is a pretty scary word, so if I had to choose between the two I'd probably wind up with the Acer, but, really, all you need is a little purchase guidance from the building forum and one afternoon of time, and you really can build your own...

jw


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

building a pc does not take a long time, its a bit like a higsaw and you would be up and running in a couple of hours.

Me personally I wouldn't buy that system but then again I would never buy an Acer or any prebuilt because they are usually crap.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

jaythorpe522 said:


> well, cores > clock speed. 2.8 > 2.3, but 4 >> 2. As far as processing power goes, the refurb is better.
> 
> RAM is an issue if you're doing video, but from what it sounds like you'd never really need more than 4.
> 
> ...


Hhmm, so the Packard Bell one pretty much kicks the Acer's *** in every significant department apart from RAM, but as you say, 4GB should be enough for the average user, like myself.

Refurbished really isn't as scary as it sounds, as they've apparently tested all the machines etc etc...but of course having a brand new PC is always a plus. I'm undecided now on which one to purchase, as they both have their pro's and con's. Would the 3GB of RAM that comes pre-installed with the Packard Bell one be enough to run Win764-bit, Vegas and PS from the off, or would you advise upgrading to the 4GB max RAM straight away ?

Regarding building my own, as much as i appreciate your advice and help, wrench97 already give me a quote on how much it would cost to build my own, and it was way out of my price-range. I basically just want to buy something that's going to get me through college, as once i leave college, I'll have the funds to buy something in the £1,000 range.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

I would choose a packard bell over an Acer any day and yes 3GB RAM will be enough.


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## jaythorpe522 (Sep 7, 2010)

TheManc said:


> Refurbished really isn't as scary as it sounds, as they've apparently tested all the machines


yeah, but if one piece of HW goes, it can cause damage to another that might not show up on a basic "does it work" refurb benchmark test.



TheManc said:


> Regarding building my own, as much as i appreciate your advice and help, wrench97 already give me a quote on how much it would cost to build my own, and it was way out of my price-range.


Well, wrench97's definitely got my number when it comes to this, but I think you should maybe ask him to compare the machines you're looking at to the $500 AMD build, 'cause the $500 AMD build kicks the Acer's butt up and down when it comes to performance, and if you can re-use your old case, you're looking at $480, which current conversion says is L296...

just sayin'...

jw, will now stop trying to convince you to build. but you should build.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Well i think the Acer one is defiantly out of the equation, as an Acer model from the same shop received the following customer review:



> I bought this PC back in march 2011. At first the computer seemed ok, good speed, easy to use. Then the problems started. The PC used to switch itself down and when you went to turn it back on the power light flickered, the fans inside started up but nothing. Sent back to Acer who said it was a faulty power button which they replaced. 6 days after the PC came back the same thing has happened again so waiting for it to be collected. My advice:: Steer away from any Acer computers. Pay that little bit more for HP or Compaq


And this is a review for a model that's apparently better than the Acer model i want, so i think I'll defiantly stay away from any Acer computers. 

The refurbished one is defiantly tempting due to the Quad Core, but it's refurbished, and if I'm going to spend around £300, i want something that's new. I'm honestly considering waiting a few more weeks first, save up a little extra cash for something that's more reliable and better than any of the models I've previously considered. 

Here's a few more that are worth considering:
£300 - PACKARD BELL IMEDIA D3527 Desktop PC - Black at cheap prices | PC World 
£330 - COMPAQ SG3-350UK - Black at cheap prices | PC World
£350 - HP Pavilion G5410uk Desktop PC buy online | Currys
£350 - Buy HP G5415UK | DESKTOP PC - Computer Base Units | Comet

Refurbished:
£300 - PACKARD BELL iMedia I4523uk Refurbished Intel Core i3 PC at cheap prices | PC World

Only reason i included the Refurb one was because of it's processor details, which sound pretty dam good for the price. The £350 one's i listed would really be pushing my budget, but would they be worth it ?

If possible, could you rank them in order from best to worst ? 

Thanks.


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## jaythorpe522 (Sep 7, 2010)

Processor: D wins, others nearly equal. Refurb slightly better than D.
Graphics: all have integrated graphics with limitations previously noted.
RAM: well, more is better, and with Vegas & photoshop you may (or may not) notice a difference between 3 and 4 GB.
Storage: in my experience, you're not going to notice between 750GB and 1TB. once you have that much "stuff" stored, you really need a backup drive and an archiving system, or you're eventually just gonna lose everything when the drive gets old.

So, There's hardly any rankable difference between them all; I don't think the triple-core vs dual is worth L50.

They're all 'rank'; i.e., I wouldn't touch 'em with gloves on. There is no way of knowing the quality of the components used -- the HDDs could be encased in plastic and lubricated with spit, the RAM could be hand-soldered, the PSUs are probably absolute trash. That's likely what was wrong with the Acer system in the review -- probably a junk power supply, which took out other parts of the PC, and the whole thing is an RMA time-bomb. The vendor just hopes it lasts through warranty period.

I don't think there'd be much difference in performance between any of 'em, so, I'd say get the cheapest (the PB) and save the cash.

OR, spend LESS than the L350 and bui.... a bett....erm. I said I wouldn't, didn't I?

jw


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

I'm getting the vibe that nearly every single pre-built PC is considered rubbish around here, right ? 

I feel I'm kind of being over fussy with what i want though to be honest, as my current PC would be considered rubbish, but it does the job with just 512MB of RAM day in day out and has rarely broken down in anyway, and this was given to me second-hand, so the models I've listed are most likely 10x better than my current PC, so i would defiantly be more than satisfied with any of the models listed, if i purchased one.

But it just feels wrong purchasing a computer that's been described as "rank" and basically, a piece of crap. On the other-hand though, all of them models are a million times better than my current PC, so maybe there's no need in looking for the best computer around for the price, any of them listed will do the job for someone like myself, who only uses the internet, and edits as a hobby.

Regarding building my own, honestly guys, i don't have the patience, which sounds like a crap excuse, but i really can't be bothered buying each part separately from different sites, then waiting for it to be delivered, then building it together etc etc. 

Finally, when you said i should buy the PB, which one do you mean, the £300 new one, the £300 refurb or the £270 refurb previously posted ?


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## jaythorpe522 (Sep 7, 2010)

Whoops -- I didn't look at that refurb, I thought it was the same refurb; also I thought you had taken the refurbs off of the table. I was referring to the PB non refurb you had linked to.

Perhaps I was overly harsh; I simply am incredibly suspicious when I can't find out brand names. I buy prebuilts for my office (lenovos, and one HP laptop) but I buy through a vendor I have a relationship with, and I know the brand of the HDD and RAM before it leaves the warehouse. My vendor is not the cheapest, but does try to match prices when possible. It's usually not possible, because I insist on brands, but, my account rep is good 

But there's a reason these PCs are "L100 off!!!" and great deals: the vendors cut corners when it comes to part quality. Your current system is not necessarily 'worse' than these -- they obviously spec way way higher, but, analogy time: a Casio works better than a broken Rolex...

jw


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Your spot on with your last point, but even if i get 2 years from one of them systems I'd be happy, as i plan on upgrading again once i leave college anyway, as I'll have the required money for a brilliant system then. 

Regarding the refurb's, i know i said I'll avoid them, but that particular one has an i-3 processor with over 3GHz and 4MB smart cache, which caught my eye instantly. However after reading the reviews for it, it seems to be pretty flimsy, so I'll give it a miss. 

Looks like this will be my best bet then: PACKARD BELL IMEDIA D3527 Desktop PC - Black at cheap prices | PC World or this due to the cheap price despite being a refurb: PACKARD BELL iMEDIA A3523 UK Refurbished Desktop PC at cheap prices | PC World

The biggest problem with both of them though is neither have any customer reviews, so its a gamble. But which one's better when ignoring the fact that one's a refurb ? 

I'll keep looking around the net first though for other deals around the £300 range and keep this thread open just encase i need an expert opinion before i splash any cash. I have another question though, will purchasing a model from an actual manufacturers website mean better quality/a more reliable product than say buying the same model from a store ?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

as said pc D is the best.

The reason why people say build your own is the fact that you could build a system of the same spec for less money or you can double the spec for around the same.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

greenbrucelee said:


> as said pc D is the best.


But is paying for a tri-core really worth an extra £50 ? Jay doesn't think so and neither do i so...

I'll most likely opt with the £300 New PB, but the £270 Refurb PB has a quad-core and would be £40 cheaper, so I'm kind of undecided. I'll wait to see what Jay thinks first about the two, and possibly yourself if your willing to offer your opinion on which i should buy ?



> The reason why people say build your own is the fact that you could build a system of the same spec for less money or you can double the spec for around the same.


I understand, but as I've already stated, i don't have the patience to build my own, so unfortunately it's not an option I'll be taking, as much as i probably should.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

the tri core will be longer lasting so to speak than the others the HP is the next best then its the compaq then the packard bell.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

And your opinion on which of these two i should buy ?

*NEW PB* - PACKARD BELL IMEDIA D3527 Desktop PC - Black at cheap prices | PC World 

*REFURB PB - *PACKARD BELL iMEDIA A3523 UK Refurbished Desktop PC at cheap prices | PC World

Although a refurb, it has a quad-core processor and is £40 cheaper.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

the new one


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

I remember asking wrench97 what processors i should avoid when taking into consideration i do alot of editing, and he mentioned a few of which included Pentium Dual Core(E5x00, E6x00), and the processor for that new PB is a Pentium Dual Core E6700 so...


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

if you do editing etc then you should go quad core run a 64 bit oberating system and have atleast 8GB RAM.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Do HP.com ship to the UK ? Because I've seen some cracking deals on their website that just aren't available on the HP.co.uk website.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

TheManc said:


> Do HP.com ship to the UK ? Because I've seen some cracking deals on their website that just aren't available on the HP.co.uk website.


I have no idea, why not contact them and ask?

its been 16 years since I ever bought a prebuilt system.


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## DrBarney (Jul 20, 2011)

very interesting topic guys. Nice.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

greenbrucelee said:


> I have no idea, why not contact them and ask?
> 
> its been 16 years since I ever bought a prebuilt system.


Probably not, it would be different model numbers for the UK power cord and doesn't the EU require IE to be removed or not installed on European systems?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

wrench97 said:


> Probably not, it would be different model numbers for the UK power cord and doesn't the EU require IE to be removed or not installed on European systems?


I think there has to be the choice. Not sure how windows 7 is in the US but when you install it in Europe and you connect to the Internet a choice comes up saying which browser to do you want to use. Safari, Opera, Firefox, IE8 and chrome are offered up. You click the one you want.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

I looked on the website and they unfortunately don't ship to the UK. 

Moving on, I've narrowed it down to 2 computers now.

*Computer 1:* PACKARD BELL IMEDIA D3527 Desktop PC - Black at cheap prices | PC World

*Model:* Packard Bell iMedia D3527
*Price:* £300
*Processor:* Dual-core Intel® Pentium® E6700, 3.2 GHz, 2MB cache
*RAM:* 3GB
*Graphics card:* GMA X4500

*Computer 2:* Inspiron 560 Desktop Details | Dell UK

*Model:* Dell Inspiron 560 MT
*Price:* £280
*Processor:* Dual-core Intel® Pentium® E6700, 3.2 GHz, 2MB cache
*RAM:* 2GB
*Graphics card:* GMA X4500

However, i can upgrade *Computer 2* to 6GB of RAM for just £23.99 with Crucial, and *Computer 2* will also come with a recovery disk from just £5.00, meaning the total cost of *Computer 2* with that included would be *£308.*

So for £8 more, i would get 3GB more RAM with Computer 2 than 1, and also a Recovery Disk which Computer 1 doesn't offer. 

Surely it's worth opting with the Dell ?

Btw, here's the RAM upgrade link for the Inspiron 560: Computer memory upgrades for Dell Inspiron 560 Desktop/PC from Crucial.com


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

As much as I hate to say it I would go for the dell


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

As would I, but I can be biased towards Dell


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

So would the following RAM defiantly be compatible with that model: Computer memory upgrades for Dell Inspiron 560 Desktop/PC from Crucial.com

As i plan purchasing the PC next week, and then buying 4GB of RAM so it has a total of 6GB.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

if crucial says it is then you can guarantee 99.99% that it is. It is extremley rare for crucial to get it wrong.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Yes, but from the page linked I can't tell what speed ram it comes with?
If it's 1066 you may be better off just adding the 4 gig @ 1333 and removing the 1066(PC3 8500).


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

I think it would be best to run the crucial scanner once i receive the system, and then purchase the 4GB from there.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

The PC comes pre-installed with a McAfee SecurityCenter 15 Month Subscription, but will a program like PC Decrapifier or the Add/Remove programs wizard be powerful enough to remove McAfee ? 

Or does it require some additional special software to remove it ? 

Thanks.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

McAfee has a removal tool> How to uninstall or reinstall supported McAfee consumer products using the McAfee Consumer Products Removal tool (MCPR.exe)


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

wrench97 said:


> McAfee has a removal tool> How to uninstall or reinstall supported McAfee consumer products using the McAfee Consumer Products Removal tool (MCPR.exe)


Thanks. 

Btw, in the reviews for the computer I'm about to purchase, people are saying pop-ups keep on constantly popping up from all the pre-installed software, when i remove the software, will the pop-ups be removed aswell ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Yes, not sure what the popups are though unless it's updates?


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

wrench97 said:


> Yes, not sure what the popups are though unless it's updates?


Pop-ups asking the user whether they want to buy the full version of trial software etc etc. 

It's just I've removed programs in the past on XP, and they've left certain task in "Scheduled Task", but i assume it's more than likely the pop-ups will be removed once the programs been unistalled.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I keep forgetting about the trial software on oem systems


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

It says in the "Design" tab underneath the computer I'm buying:



> *With the Inspiron 560 desktop*, you can have the power as you want. *Meet your performance needs with a choice of 4 powerful Intel® processors.*
> 
> The Intel® Celeron® , Intel® Pentium® dual core, Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo and Intel® Core 2 Quad processor options are designed to get you through your day-to-day computing and beyond.


But there's no options available for you to select a more powerful processor. There's a "Customize" button which takes you to a long processor of picking the color, OS etc etc, but nothing allows you to pick a more powerful processor.

It also says this in the "Design" tab:



> See it, love it, save it. Store your favorite music, photos and video *using a single hard drive with up to 1TB of storage*.


Yet the PC only comes with a 500GB hard drive, there's no option available to pick a 1TB hard drive.

My best guess is it's either saying you can upgrade to a more powerful processor by buying the processor separately and then installing it into this model, or it's talking about different Dell models that cost more, but it clearly says "With the Inspiron 560 desktop, meet your performance needs with a choice of 4 powerful Intel® processors ". 

I don't see any choice of 4 powerful different processors ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

If you go to Dell and customize a 560 you'll see those options, you are looking at a retail stock model where all the options are pre-chosen.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Where can you choose a different processor for the 560 though ? There's a customize button underneath the product but that's only to customize the colour, OS etc etc. 

Also, I've decided I'm going to get a quote for building my own system, or upgrading my current one. It's finally hit me that its cheaper, and you can actually build something miles better. I start college in September on a TV/Film course, so I'll more than likely need a great system for the future, as there's no doubt I'll be editing. 

Would it best to start a thread over in the building forum then ?


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Second thoughts, I've just watched 2 hours worth of videos on how to build a computer, and jesus christ. It's not necessarily complicated, but the amount of little things to take into consideration, all the different methods etc etc put me right of the idea. 

Buying a Pre-Built is so much easier and less hassle, so i think I'll stick with a pre-built.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Looks like the celeron or the E6700 are all that's offered for the socket 775 model now.

The little things are not actually all that bad, the plus is you end with exactly what you want and have the options of quality components.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

wrench97 said:


> Looks like the celeron or the E6700 are all that's offered for the socket 775 model now.
> 
> The little things are not actually all that bad, the plus is you end with exactly what you want and have the options of quality components.


agreed. prebuilts often come with bloatware too which is very annoying.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

I'll start a thread in the building forum and get a quote then, as the more i research cheap pre-builts the less i want to purchase one. I mean take the reviews for that inspiron 560 as an example, people either say its a good computer for browsing the web, or the computer is slow/doesn't work.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

it will be both.

PCs you buy from shops or order online are basically glorified type writers especially if you are only gonna spend 2 or 3 hundred on it.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Well if any of you want to check out my thread over in the building section please do: http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f255/qoute-needed-594453.html

Feedback & advice would be brilliant.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

greenbrucelee said:


> I think there has to be the choice. Not sure how windows 7 is in the US but when you install it in Europe and you connect to the Internet a choice comes up saying which browser to do you want to use. Safari, Opera, Firefox, IE8 and chrome are offered up. You click the one you want.


To answer this, in the US when install Win7 or buy a PC with Win7 you get the current flavor of IE pre-installed.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

wrench97 said:


> To answer this, in the US when install Win7 or buy a PC with Win7 you get the current flavor of IE pre-installed.


That'll be down to the fair option policy the weirdos in Europe came up with. Basically they think we dont know that there are other browsers out there, or thats how it seems to me.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

I've decided to finally opt with a pre-built, and i think I've landed the perfect one.

Firstly, it's only £256 without an OS, about £330 with an OS. It's from one of the most best reviewed companies in the UK aswell. Here's the specs:

• AMD Athlon II X3 450 3.20GHz (Socket AM3) Processor
• Radeon HD 3000 Onboard GPU
• 4GB Mushkin Silverline #996768 (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz 9-9-9-24
• 1TB Samsung HD103SJ SpinPoint F3 SATA-II 3.5" Hard Drive
• MSI 760GM-E51 AMD 760G (Socket AM3+) DDR3 Micro-ATX Motherboard
• 400W Arianet ACE Series 80PLUS ATX2.3 Power Supply
• Arianet 2016 Midi Chassis
• AMD Official CPU Cooler
• 52 in 1 Card Reader
• Sony Optical SATA DVD Writer, AD-5260S-0B
• Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
• 1 Years RTB Warranty

*Compare this to all the other pre-builts i've looked at, and here's how it wins:*

• 400W Power Supply (Not 300 like all the other's)
• 16GB Max RAM 
• Tri-Core Processor
• 1TB Storage
• Doesn't come with any pre-installed software

It's £30 cheaper than the Dell one i was going to buy, yet has a better processor, better Power supply, more storage, double the RAM, more max RAM, no pre-installed software...the list goes on. 

Just goes to show what a bit of digging finds you. The only fault i can find is the brand name, which isn't a popular one, but unlike the majority of other companies in the UK, Aria.co.uk has received brilliant reviews and has brilliant customer service. My current monitor is from the same store, and it's been brilliant for the 4 years I've had it.

Here's the product link: Proteus E450 Desktop PC - Aria PC

What do you think guys ?


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## joeten (Dec 4, 2008)

You could end up replacing the psu maybe look into that with them it may cost the other £30 but a better quality psu is very important


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

joeten said:


> You could end up replacing the psu maybe look into that with them it may cost the other £30 but a better quality psu is very important


I'll send them a question asking about that, because as you rightly say, a more powerful/better PSU could add years onto how long the computer will last.


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## joeten (Dec 4, 2008)

Quality is the key see the sticky here http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f210/power-supply-information-and-selection-192217.html the brands there are known good quality and are reccommended


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

joeten said:


> Quality is the key see the sticky here http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f210/power-supply-information-and-selection-192217.html the brands there are known good quality and are recommended


I had a look in that thread, and the recommended brands for the Standard Computer Class are SeaSonic, Thermaltake and Corsair. 

Now the site in which i plan on buying my system from, Acer.co.uk, actually has both SeaSonic and Corsair powerful supplies listed in their products. I also asked the site themselves if it would be possible for them to insert a better power supply into the system i want to buy, and they said it is possible, but i have to contact the sales team about it, which i plan on doing. 

Before i contact them though, firstly, what would you recommend ? 450W, 500W, 550W, 600W etc etc ? I don't do any gaming what so ever if that helps in narrowing down the selection. 

Here's the Power Supplies section of that site: Power Supply - Aria Technology


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## joeten (Dec 4, 2008)

Minimum 550w would be my suggestion however some of the others may have some suggestions


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

550w gives you enough head room, should you ever want to add a mid-range video card.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Well here's the current Power Supply that's inside the system i want to buy: 400W Arianet ACE Series 80PLUS ATX2.3 Power Supply - Aria Technology It's 400W and costs £18. 

Now i can get the 620W version of that for just £7 more, or the 520W version for just £3 more. I would go ahead and purchase a Seasonic or Corsair one, but they just cost to much. 

Btw, the higher the watts the better right ?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

no the better the components the better.

A psus' wattage is important but the amps are more important. The amps should add up to the wattage but with low quality power supplies they often don't.

The power supplies you have mention are rubbish. We dont suggest good quality power supplies for you to loose money we suggest them because they are the most important part of your system and purchasing a low quality psu can cause damage to the entire system and therfore cost you a lot of money by having to replace parts.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

No worries, i understand. 

Here's all the Power Supply brands listed on that site:

ARIANET
Be Quiet!
COOLERMASTER
CORSAIR
Mushkin
OCZ Technology
SEASONIC
XFX

Could you possibly rank them from best to worst, if you can that is. It's just i don't see have a clue what's reliable and what's not.

Thanks.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The reason they are so cheap is they lack among other things the over current, over load, under current protection circuits the better power supplies have, have a much shorter warranty period, and most often are not capable of delivering the advertised wattage at the actual temperature the run.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The XFX supplies are good(built by Seasonic) usually cheaper currently because they are the new kid in the block. Corsair except for the CX, GS models are good(either Seasonic or ChannelWell built), OCZ is so/so seen a lot of voltage regulation issues lately from them.
Coolermaster depends on the model they have good units but are usually the priciest of the bunch for the good model and cheaper but overpriced for the junk models. 
Mushkin I believe in a OCZ unit.
ARIANET & Be Quiet! various suppliers including Super Flower, FSP, and HEC are the lowest of the group.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

After a look through the same site i plan on buying my system from, these are the only one's listed that are in my budget:

430W Corsair Builder Series 430CX V2 Power Supply - Aria Technology

450W XFX Core Edition 80PLUS Bronze Power Supply - Aria Technology

500W Coolermaster Elite Power ATX2.3 Power Supply - OEM - Aria Technology

500W Corsair Builder Series 500CX Power Supply - Aria Technology

However there all under 550W, and two of them are Corsair CX's which you don't recommend. 

Just to make things easier, the max I'm willing to pay for a system including the OS is about £340. The system i plan on buying is £256, however you can deduct £18 of that as i won't be using the power supply included. So that's £238 without a power supply. Add £71 onto that for the OS and that's a total of £309. Leaving me £31 for a Power Supply, meaning some of the one's i listed aren't in my budget, after adding everything up now, haha. 

However the longer i wait, the more money I'll have, meaning more money for a better power supply, so it's a waiting game really.


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## joeten (Dec 4, 2008)

That is a good idea wait a little bit untill you can afford the better psu it will save you money in the end


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

joeten said:


> That is a good idea wait a little bit untill you can afford the better psu it will save you money in the end


I'll most likely will wait longer. 

Will any PSU work with the system i plan on buying then, i assume probably not ?

Here's the system btw: Proteus E450 Desktop PC - Aria PC


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## joeten (Dec 4, 2008)

the atx type is fine which is what they have


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Instead of waiting until i have the money and then selecting a PSU, I'd prefer to pick one now, as i want to email Aria Technology as soon as possible about modifying the system with a better PSU.

Here's the Power Supply section of the site: Power Supply - Aria Technology

What would you recommend ?

I'm willing to go with something for around £50, £60 would probably be my maximum, it depends, but we can decide that once we've selected a few that are worth purchasing.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

For the integrated video setup the 450w XFX will be fine>450W XFX Core Edition 80PLUS Bronze Power Supply - Aria Technology

Ask them if they can get/use a 550w XFX Core Edition it's about $15 more here.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

wrench97 said:


> For the integrated video setup the 450w XFX will be fine>450W XFX Core Edition 80PLUS Bronze Power Supply - Aria Technology
> 
> Ask them if they can get/use a 550w XFX Core Edition it's about $15 more here.


Will do.

Thanks buddy.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

seasonic,corsair,xfx (all the same as they are made by seasonic so 1,2,3 for them Coolermaster 4, OCz extreme series only (would not recommend any others)5, be quiet 6.

would recommend or even give the others a rating since they are crap.

Anything made by seasonic will be top notch.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Something interesting that's caught my eye. 

The site in which i plan on buying the system from, actually offer the option of letting you buy all the components separately, and then let them build it for you, or, they let you customize any of there pre-built systems until it fits your needs. 

Now the system i plan on buying, comes with a tri-core AMD processor, however i of course would prefer a quad core. The quad core is £15 more on the site than the tri. However instead of paying £15 more, i could just simply sacrifice the 1TB hard drive the system comes with, for a much smaller one, which will result in about a £15 saving, which then can be used to purchase the quad core. 

I'll have a better look tomorrow on the site etc etc, but the freedom of customizing any of their systems is worth looking at.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Yes it is, I'm not a big fan of large drives myself, personally I run a 250 and a 640, using the 640 for storage and image back ups of the 250, but that's another discussion.


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## Dblanchard1278 (Jun 18, 2009)

I think wrenches drive set up is a good idea, I always recomend two drives for those who wish to build a pc cause its easier to defrag a 250 gig or 320 gig drive rather than a terabyte drive.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Well the system comes with a *1TB Samsung HD103SJ SpinPoint F3 SATA-II 3.5" Hard Drive* which is £40, however i of course want to save £15 so i can upgrade the processor to a quad core. So i would be looking for a hard drive in the region of £25, and here's all the hard drivers listed that are either £25 or under.

*£18 - 250GB* - Hitachi CinemaStar 7K500 250GB 3.5" HCS725025VLA380 - (Clean Pull) - Aria PC 

*£21 - 250GB* - 250GB Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JS 3.5" SATA II Hard Drive - Clean Pull - Aria Technology

*£23 - 400GB* - 400GB Seagate NL35 ST3400832NS 3.5" SATA II Hard Drive - (CLEAN PULL) - Aria Technology

*£24 - 160GB* - 160GB Samsung HD161GJ Spinpoint 3.5" SATA-II Hard Drive - OEM - Aria Technology

*£25 - 160GB* - 160GB Samsung Spinpoint SATA2 8MB - Aria Technology

Which one would you recommend ? 

Space isn't really a problem for me either, as I'm only using 20GB of my current 75GB hard drive. Also, is there any compatible issues with hard drives, or can you fit any hard drive into any system, no problem ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Go for the 400gb Seagate.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

So it's going to work out like this:

*Proteus E450 System = £256.67*

Deduct £17.99 400W Arianet ACE Series 80PLUS ATX2.3 Power Supply 
Deduct £39.05 1TB Samsung HD103SJ SpinPoint F3 SATA-II 3.5" Hard Drive
Deduct £55.62 AMD Athlon II X3 Tri Core 450 3.20GHz (Socket AM3) Processor

*Total = £144.01 *- _Without Old Editions
_
Add £34.80 450W XFX Core Edition 80PLUS Bronze Power Supply 
Add £22.99 400GB Seagate NL35 ST3400832NS 3.5" SATA II Hard Drive 
Add £70.79 AMD Athlon II X4 Quad Core 645 3.1GHz (Socket AM3) Processor

*Total = 272.59* - _With New Editions_

Add £70.82 Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit SP1 - OEM

*Total = £343.41* - _With Windows 7_

Changing 3 components doesn't require anything else to be changed does it ? 

Hopefully it actually turns out to be that simple, and no additional cost need adding due to modifying the components. I'll send Aria an email Monday morning notifying them about these changes, and will hopefully make a purchase by the end of next week either online, over the phone or at the store, which is only down the road from me. 

It's amazing if you compare this modified system to the Acer system i listed in my first post in this thread, the difference in quality remarkable


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Nope the changes do not require any other changes, looks quite good.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

The system doesn't have built in WiFi, however they said they can add on in for me. So i was wondering, would this do the job: TP-Link 54Mbps Wireless PCI Adapter [TL-WN350G] - Aria Technology


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

How far away is the router?
The card will work, I use a lot of a Linksys USB wireless adapter.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

wrench97 said:


> How far away is the router?
> The card will work, I use a lot of a Linksys USB wireless adapter.


About 8-10 meters, it's situated in the next-door room to where my computer is. 

I currently have a Linksys USB wireless adapter myself, that i plug in the front USB port and that picks up the wireless connection for me. The product i listed, that's different to a USB adapter right, and it plugs inside the actual computer itself ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Yes it goes in a PCI slot on the motherboard.

8-10 meters won't be an issue for any adapter.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Aria have decided a custom build is necessary due to the amount of components i want to change from the original pre-built system. 

I've been given a quote for the custom build, which can be seen below: 

450W XFX Core Edition Bronze
LG 22x DVDRW/RAM SATA Internal
52 in 1 Card Reader Black
Corsair 4GB TwinX DDR3 PC3-106
400GB Seagate ST3400832NS - CL
AMD Athlon II X4 Quad Core 645
MSI 760GM-E51 AMD 760G
Arianet 2016 Midi Chassis
TP-LINK Wireless 54MB PCI Card
MS WINDOWS 7 HOME PREMIUM 64-B
**SYSTEM LABOUR CHARGE**
Standard Carriage

*Total GBP Excl. VAT* - 308.29
*20% VAT* - 61.66
*Total GBP Incl. VAT* - 369.95

The only problem is, the MSI motherboard listed in the quote is currently out of stock, and has been like that for a week or so now. Therefore, i might just pick a different motherboard as i want to purchase the custom build as soon as possible. 

Here's the Motherboard that's Out Of Stock:
MSI 760GM-E51 AMD 760G (Socket AM3+) DDR3 PCI-Express Micro-ATX Motherboard - Aria Technology

Here's the different Motherboard i might purchase instead:
MSI 870-C45 AMD 870 (Socket AM3+) DDR3 PCI-Express ATX Motherboard - Aria Technology

No difference in price between the two, so they must be pretty similar. Would this different Motherboard work with all the other components in my custom build quote then ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The 870 board does not have integrated video, PCIe x16 video card only.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

So i should just wait until the 760G comes back in stock ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Or switch to the Asus board> Asus M5A78L-M LX AMD 760G (Socket AM3) DDR3 PCI-Express Motherboard - Aria Technology


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

I'll wait and see first. 

That ASUS board only supports a max of 8GB of RAM, where as the MSI supports 16GB. Also, the ASUS come's with 10 x USB 2.0 slots, and I'm not sure whether or not the case I'll be purchasing has 10 slots, i may be wrong though.


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## joeten (Dec 4, 2008)

Don't get to tied up with ram you probably will never use 8Gb


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

joeten said:


> Don't get to tied up with ram you probably will never use 8Gb


I was thinking the same regarding 16GB, as i plan on upgrading to 8GB in the near future so i have the perfect editing system with the quad processor aswell. 

I may yet opt with the ASUS one, but will the case I'm purchasing support 10 x USB 2.0 slots ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

doesn't have to, you only hook up what the case has, gives you the option to add usb brackets in the rear expansion card slots if you needed more USB ports.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Do any of these Motherboards come with a graphics/video card ?


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

The one wrench97 linked to in post #85 has onboard video. It also has a Pci-e graphics slot so upgrading the graphics is possible.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Amd_Man said:


> The one wrench97 linked to in post #85 *has onboard video*. It also has a Pci-e graphics slot so upgrading the graphics is possible.


ATI or nvidia ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

ATI, AMD owns ATI so a ATI integrated video chipset will be ATI video.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

wrench97 said:


> ATI, AMD owns ATI so a ATI integrated video chipset will be ATI video.


What ATI model though ?

And which is better, the one in the MSI board or the one in the ASUS board ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

They are both the same chipset, so both have HD3000 integrated video.
MSI doesn't list the video but Asus does> ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Motherboards- ASUS M5A78L-M LX


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Oh right, that's brilliant then. 

Instead of installing the drivers from the disk, I'll download them from the ASUS site, as they'll be the latest ones. So I'll need the Chipset, Audio & VGA Driver, but I'll download that from the AMD website. I'm not sure whether or not I'll need the LAN driver as I'm using that wireless adapter, which will have its own driver. What about the BIOS updates listed, will i need them ? 

Here's the link to the download page: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Motherboards- ASUS M5A78L-M LX You'll have to select the OS, which will be Win7 64-bit. 

Regarding the VGA driver, here's the driver download link for it: ATI Radeon 
However i don't want the entire CCC package, just the driver itself. If you click on the "Individual Downloads" tab, you'll see the video driver at the top, but it has an OpenCL driver below it aswell, do i need this ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I would start with the drivers on the disk, then update, always good to have the original to roll back to if needed, install the lan driver, sometimes you need to troubleshoot ISP/network using a wired connection.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Okay.

What about the OpenCL driver for the video card, is that need along with the video driver itself ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Open GL will in the driver package.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

What about the BIOS updates listed, are they worth installing ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

First you need to see what Bios is on the board, it will have the latest that was available when manufactured. So if it's a fresh board it will already have the latest.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

It says this in the specs next to BIOS, "16 Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI v2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS V2.5, ACPI V2.0a". 

Just another question, it says in the Motherboard specs "10 x USB 2.0 port(s) (4 at back panel, gray, 6 at mid-board)". So 4 will be located at the back, what about the front ? 

I've never knew how the Motherboard USB slots become locatable from the front, does something plug-in from the middle of the motherboard and feed all the way to the front of the PC or something ?

Finally, under the Memory/Device tab in the ASUS motherboard link, it has an update for that aswell, worth downloading ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

For the Front USB, the case comes with the front ports, USB, audio some also have firewire and cables that hook to the headers on the motherboard("6 at mid-board")

The Bios specs is the capability and the description of the bios hardware rom chip, nothing to do with the software version number.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

I've sent Aria a question asking them what BIOS version the motherboard comes with, as the CPU i plan on purchasing is only compatible with the motherboard if the BIOS version is 0205 or above.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I believe 205 is the release version, don't worry they'll make sure it has a version that works when they assemble it.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

wrench97 said:


> I believe 205 is the release version, don't worry they'll make sure it has a version that works when they assemble it.


I was thinking that myself. 

In the hope that everything stays in stock, I'll make a purchase next week for the following custom build then:

450W XFX Core Edition Bronze
LG 22x DVDRW/RAM SATA Internal
52 in 1 Card Reader Black
Corsair 4GB TwinX DDR3 PC3-106
400GB Seagate ST3400832NS - CL
AMD Athlon II X4 Quad Core 645
Asus M5A78L-M LX AMD 760G
Arianet 2016 Midi Chassis
TP-LINK Wireless 54MB PCI Card
MS WINDOWS 7 HOME PREMIUM 64-B

So for one final check, everything there component wise will work fine together ? Apart from the Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse & Speakers, which i already have, i don't need anything else right ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Yep it'll all work and that's all you need.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

I've downloaded the Driver packages, and i was wondering does the Vista folder and then the Bin64 folder inside that apply to Windows 7 64-bit aswell ? As there's only Vista and XP folders in the packages.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The driver packages cover All the windows versions.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

wrench97 said:


> The driver packages cover All the windows versions.


I understand your point, except there's no Windows 7 folder in the package, so my question was, does the vista64 driver folder apply for windows7 64-bit ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Yes they would have updated the Vista drivers to include 7, the OS are pretty close especially after the Vista SP's


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

I was wondering, do PSU's nowadays and in particular, the one i plan on buying, actually come with the power cord/cable that you plug into the back of the PC from a plug-socket ?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

yes they do.


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## joeten (Dec 4, 2008)

And you can buy them from around £3 if need be


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Okay, thanks.


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## joeten (Dec 4, 2008)

Welcome


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Regarding the CPU, here's the one i plan on purchasing:
AMD Athlon II X4 Quad Core 645 3.1GHz (Socket AM3) Processor - Retail - Aria Technology

Would it be worth paying an extra £4/£10 for one of these ?:
AMD Phenom II X4 850 3.30GHz Quad Core 95w (Socket AM3) Processor - Retail - Aria Technology
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition 125W C3 (Socket AM3) Processor - Retail - Aria Technology

Only problem with the 955 is it isn't compatible with the ASUS motherboard, but is with the MSI one i was going to buy, so...


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

That's a catch 22 there the 955 is a 125w CPU, Asus does not list it because the voltage regulation section for the CPU, since both only have a 4 wire CPU power socket and the 8 wire normally found on boards the support the 125w CPU's I be leery of running the 955 on either board.

For 5 pounds the 850 is nice bump gives you more cache on die for the video/image editing.


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

My 4 pin (wire) Asus board supports 125w, but your right that not all do.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Thanks for the info/advice, I'll pay the little extra for the 850 then. 

My only current concern is the 450W XFX PSU. I understand it will work fine with my chosen components, but it's just that feeling off "Will 450W be enough if i upgrade anything in the future, i.e, the GPU". On the Aria website, they only list the 450W and 650W version, there's no 550W one. I've sent them a question asking whether or not they have it, but they most likely don't, otherwise it would be listed on the site. 

Saying that, i doubt i will upgrade the GPU, i never play games on a PC, i use my 360 for that, so the 450W version will probably be fine.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

For the chosen set up it's fine but if you ever think you might add video now is the time to spend a little more instead of a lot more later


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

wrench97 said:


> For the chosen set up it's fine but if you ever think you might add video now is the time to spend a little more instead of a lot more later


It's unlikely i'll upgrade the video card, as i won't need it for college to edit any films, and by the time i've left college i'll have the money to buy a new more powerful system anyway, if need be.

This current system is just something to get me through college basically.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

It's a solid basic system, for a decent price as it sits.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

What do the following components do ?

LG 22x DVDRW/RAM SATA Internal
52 in 1 Card Reader Black

Their included in my quote and I'm not quite sure what they are their for and whether their needed or not.


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## jaythorpe522 (Sep 7, 2010)

mfmcgreal said:


> LG 22x DVDRW/RAM SATA Internal


That is an optical drive -- CD and DVD reading, writing, and re-writing (only with rewritable discs). No BlueRay.



mfmcgreal said:


> 52 in 1 Card Reader Black


That will read SD cards, CF cards, etc. -- memory cards and sticks from cameras, smartphones, audio and video recorders, etc.

Optical drive is pretty much necessary in this day and age. Card reader is sexy, often useful, not always necessary (most of those devices will also connect to your PC with USB, so ... ).

jw

PS -- I've not been participating in your thread since page 2 or 3 I guess -- Wrench has about 53892 more smartness points than I do, so I just lurked and watched him work. I'm glad you are taking the time and effort to really get the right product; the system you've put together knocks the [expletive] out of the refurbs and preassembleds you were looking at, and you'll be much happier with your results than you would have been otherwise! Good on ya.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

jaythorpe522 said:


> That is an optical drive -- CD and DVD reading, writing, and re-writing (only with rewritable discs). No BlueRay.
> 
> 
> That will read SD cards, CF cards, etc. -- memory cards and sticks from cameras, smartphones, audio and video recorders, etc.
> ...


Thanks for the info. 

The card reader is only £6 so I'll probably go ahead with that, and of course the optical driver, however i can't seem to find that optical driver listed on the website I'm buying the custom build from, it was just listed in a quote given to me via email by the website, so i don't even know the price or any info about it. 

I totally agree with your last paragraph aswell. I just wasn't satisfied with the pre-builts i was looking at, so waited a little longer, did a little more digging and luckily found a site that sells quality components and builds PC's for their customers needs. If it wasn't for finding that site, and of course taken on board the advice from you guys, i would probably be sitting here now typing on a pre-built that's capable of blowing up any second due to the PSU.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

*Update*

The 450W XFX PSU listed on the site has now been removed, which is worrying as it normally lets you pre-order the product if its out of stock, but this has been totally removed. Hopefully they list it back up soonish. 

I'm still undecided on the CPU, as the Phenom 850 one requires the ASUS motherboard BIOS to be version 0404, which is the second update listed. I've contacted Aria asking them what BIOS version the motherboard comes with, and they said contact their technical assistants, however that's 60p a minute via phone, so I've asked for an email, and currently waiting for a reply. 

Regarding the 4GB of RAM i plan on purchasing, which one's best from the following:
4GB Corsair XMS3 (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10600C9 1333Mhz Dual Channel Kit - TW3X4G1333C9A - Aria Technology
4GB Mushkin Silverline #996768 (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz 9-9-9-24 - Aria Technology

Thanks.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I like the Mushkin.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

It says the following about the 450W XFX PSU:

Discontinued!
This item is currently discontinued and at present, we have no replacement on order. Please use the remember function to receive a text or email when it is available again. 

Looks like i may have to be opt for a different PSU then. The following are the only one's in my price range/budget:

430W Corsair Builder Series 430CX V2 Power Supply - Aria Technology
430W be quiet! Pure Power BQT L7 ATX2.3 Power Supply - Aria Technology
450W Coolermaster GX 80PLUS Bronze Power Supply - Aria Technology
500W Coolermaster Elite Power ATX2.3 Power Supply - OEM - Aria Technology
500W Mushkin Enhanced Volta ATX2.3 Power Supply - Aria Technology

What would you recommend ?


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

There's also this: 500W Corsair Builder Series 500CX Power Supply - Aria PC


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

For your use the CX500 will be fine, what's the price difference from the XFX450?


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

wrench97 said:


> For your use the CX500 will be fine, what's the price difference from the XFX450?


About £9.

If I'm going with that PSU, i may aswell pay an extra £5 for the 600W version: 600W Corsair Builder Series 600CX V2 Power Supply - Aria PC

Also, regarding the *LG 22x DVDRW/RAM SATA Internal* that was included in my quote, what section of the site (Aria PC - Computer Hardware, Components, Monitors.. at lowest prices) will that come under, as i can't seem to find that product on the site.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Blue Ray/DVD drives then DVD/RW
DVD-R/RW Writer - Aria Technology


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

I've been doing a little bit of research regarding the PSU, and newegg and Aria sell the same PSU's, just newegg has alot more customer reviews. So I've been using the reviews on newegg to make a decision. 

The CX500 you said will be fine hasn't received great reviews on newegg, and after looking back a few pages or so in this thread, you recommended Corsair except for the CX and GS models, so it's a good job i did a bit of digging. 

It seems everything that's recommended on here PSU wise, even in the sticky threads in the building forum, has at least 5 reviews on newegg from customers saying it either died on arrival, or blew up after a few days/weeks/months. It's certainly made me even more wary and careful now, when making a decision on what to buy. 

Anyway, after reading a bunch of threads in the building forum, this seems to be my best bet as it's been recommend by you guys in them threads numerous times, and it's the only Corsair one that Aria sell that isn't a CX model. It's slightly out of my budget but eh, what isn't. 650W Corsair TX650 V2 ATX2.3 SLI/Crossfire Compliant Power Supply - Aria Technology

That hasn't exactly received perfect reviews on newegg either though, 8 people have rated it 1 star with 3 people saying it turned off itself whilst installing windows and it didn't work again, and these are recent reviews. The only thing that gives me confidence is the 50 people who rated it 5 stars, and the fact that i won't be testing it for the first time, Aria will be, so if it blows up in their factory, then it's their problem. 

It's either that PSU, or this: 550W OCZ ZS Series ATX2.2 80PLUS Bronze Power Supply - Aria Technology

What are your thoughts/advice ?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

the corsair ax/tx and ax models are made by seasonic who make the best power supplies. Yes even with good power supply makes you will get a duff one but you should always go for quality when choosing psu. XFX PSUs are also made by seasonic as are many top brand power supplies. I always use seasonics own branded power supplies as you cant get any better.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Thanks for the advice, the TX650 it will be then.

I'm glad I've come across the reviews on newegg, as the ASUS board i was going to purchase, and the Wireless network card both have dreadful feedback from customers on their, so I've decided to opt with the MSI board and ditch the Wireless network card, and use my current wireless adapter instead. 

The Ariant 2016 case i was going to purchase on Aria has also been taken down and doesn't look to be re-stocked, therefore meaning a new case will have to be chosen. Will this fine for my set-up ?: Arianet Gamer FM-12A Black w/ 120mm Red LED Midi Tower Chassis - Aria Technology


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

For integrated Video the 500cx would be fine, for a gaming video card setup I would not recommend it. I don't put a lot of stock the the reviews on egg, when you see rave reviews about how great something is and the reviewer ends by saying "when I get some money I might buy one"............and you'll also see the same reviewer giving poor reviews to 3 different motherboards and 2 different power supplies or it gets a bad review because his AM2 CPU didn't work in it(of course it didn't it's a AM3 socket board)...........the experience level of most is low.

On the case it's a house brand Arianet case not sure who actually makes it.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

wrench97 said:


> For integrated Video the 500cx would be fine, for a gaming video card setup I would not recommend it. I don't put a lot of stock the the reviews on egg, when you see rave reviews about how great something is and the reviewer ends by saying "when I get some money I might buy one"............and you'll also see the same reviewer giving poor reviews to 3 different motherboards and 2 different power supplies or it gets a bad review because his AM2 CPU didn't work in it(of course it didn't it's a AM3 socket board)...........the experience level of most is low.


But when the reviews actually say, it died within x amount days, currently awaiting an RMA etc etc multiple times from different people, then it quite evidently puts me off, as a customer spending my hard earned money on it. It just wouldn't feel right now buying the 500cx due to it being so badly reviewed. I think I'll stick with the TX650, as that will also allow me to upgrade in the future. 

The biggest advantage for me, with all these components, is firstly, I'm not building it, and secondly, not testing it for the first time either. If anything blows up in the factory when their testing it, then they'll simply replace if for another in their stock, so that's really reassuring. 



wrench97 said:


> On the case it's a house brand Arianet case not sure who actually makes it.


No worries, all that matters is everything fits inside it, which I'll clarify with Aria once i make a purchase. 

I'll get a quote from Aria tomorrow for the following then:

*Arianet Gamer FM-12A Midi Tower Chassis
650W Corsair TX650 Power Supply 
MSI 870-C45 AMD 870 (Socket AM3+) Motherboard 
AMD Athlon II X4 Quad Core 645
4GB Mushkin Silverline
400GB Seagate 3.5" SATA II Hard Drive - (CLEAN PULL) 
LG 22x DVD-RW SATA Black Optical ReWriter Drive
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit SP1 - OEM
*
All that with the 20% VAT they add to the total cost, and delivery should be about £410, which is pushing my budget to the absolute maximum, but it will be worth it, right.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Yes it's worth it. 

The 650tx is certainly a better PSU then any of the others you looked at, All I was trying to point out is from the reviews it's hard to know it that PSU is actually the part that failed or if that was the reviewers best guess egg will accept a return within 30-90 days for any reason the component returned may or may not be faulty.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

Asus make far superior boards to MSI as do gigabyte. If you want to red proper reviews on hardware dont do it in a place where your buying things do it on a technical forum or review site.

Asus and gigabytes tech support are second to none.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

wrench97 said:


> Yes it's worth it.
> 
> The 650tx is certainly a better PSU then any of the others you looked at, All I was trying to point out is from the reviews it's hard to know it that PSU is actually the part that failed or if that was the reviewers best guess egg will accept a return within 30-90 days for any reason the component returned may or may not be faulty.


I see. 

Well I'll get a quote for that build anyway, and hopefully it's no dearer than £410. If it is, then I'll downgrade to the CX500/600 and upgrade something else as i would be saving about £30 downgrading the PSU.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

pleaase rad my post before buying (post 140).


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

greenbrucelee said:


> Asus make far superior boards to MSI as do gigabyte.
> 
> Asus and gigabytes tech support are second to none.


Well, here's the only motherboards in my budget:

Asus M5A78L-M LX AMD 760G (Socket AM3) DDR3 PCI-Express Motherboard - Aria Technology

Gigabyte GA-M68MT-S2P GeForce 7025/ nForce 630a (Socket AM3+) DDR3 PCI-Express Micro-ATX Motherboard - Aria Technology

MSI 870-C45 AMD 870 (Socket AM3+) DDR3 PCI-Express ATX Motherboard - Aria Technology

The ASUS one has received appalling reviews on newegg, the Gigabyte has received really good reviews and the MSI isn't listed on their, however has received great reviews on other sites. 

I was originally going to go with the MSI, then i switched to the ASUS because it was cheaper, then only today switched back to the MSI because of the reviews. I haven't really looked at the Gigabyte one. 

What do you recommend ?


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

There's also this: Asus M4A78LT-M LE AMD 760G (Socket AM3) DDR3 PCI-Express Motherboard - Aria Technology 

However this comes under the AMD AM3 (700 Chipset) category, whereas the others come under the AMD AM3+ Ready. 

Does that mean/make any difference ?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

I would go for the gigabyte.

The asus one is slightly older than the other two.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

greenbrucelee said:


> I would go for the gigabyte.
> 
> The asus one is slightly older than the other two.


Thanks for the advice, the gigabyte it will be. 

Opting with that would save me £10 aswell, meaning i can pick the following CPU instead of the Athlon II X4 645: AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition 125W C3 (Socket AM3) Processor - Retail - Aria Technology

I had a look at the CPU support list for that gigabyte motherboard, and it supports the 955, so it's all good.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

good luck


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

I've just added all the components up, added on the delivery charge, the 20% VAT they charge and it come to around £392, which is pretty amazing. 

Hopefully the quote i receive tomorrow from Aria is around the same price, if so, then time to make a purchase.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I don't believe the 7025 video is as powerful as the ATI video, if you were using a card maybe but that's an old chipset ported to a AM3 socket, no Sata III or USB 3.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

wrench97 said:


> I don't believe the 7025 video is as powerful as the ATI video, if you were using a card maybe but that's an old chipset ported to a AM3 socket, no Sata III or USB 3.


Do the others i looked at have Sata III & USB 3, and are they even required ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Sata III at this point no, USB 3 has faster transfer speeds for external drives.

The big point to me is the video since you are planing to use the integrated.

Radeon 3000 vs Geforce 7025(scroll down for the 7025)
PassMark Software - Video Card Benchmarks - Low End Video Cards


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

wrench97 said:


> Sata III at this point no, USB 3 has faster transfer speeds for external drives.
> 
> The big point to me is the video since you are planing to use the integrated.
> 
> ...


Thanks for pointing that out, the difference between them both is more than enough to drop the idea of opting with that Gigabyte one. 

So it's either the ASUS motherboard i previously looked at, or this which i've just discovered: Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H 760G (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard - Aria Technology It is slightly dearer, but it supports the Phenom X4 955, has the same GPU as the ASUS and also has more RAM slots, it just seems an overall better board. 

I've basically narrowed it down to build A & B now, one where i sacrifice the CPU/Motherboard for a better PSU, and the other sacrificing the PSU for a better CPU/Motherboard. 

*Build A:*

650W Corsair TX650
Asus M5A78L-M LX AMD 760G
AMD Athlon II X4 Quad Core 645 3.1GHz
4GB Mushkin Silverline DDR3 1333MHz
400GB Seagate 3.5" SATA II Hard Drive 
LG 22x DVD-RW SATA Black Optical Drive
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - OEM
Arianet Gamer FM-12A Midi Tower Chassis

*Estimated Total Inc. Delivery/VAT:* £401.59

*Build B:*

500W Corsair Builder Series 500CX
Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H 760G
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition
4GB Mushkin Silverline DDR3 1333MHz 
400GB Seagate 3.5" SATA II Hard Drive
LG 22x DVD-RW SATA Black Optical Drive 
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - OEM
Arianet Gamer FM-12A Midi Tower Chassis

*Estimated Total Inc. Delivery/VAT:* £404.54

So build A has a better PSU than Build B, however Build B has a better CPU/Motherboard which will probably benefit me more than a quality 650W PSU. 

So it's either of these, in which I'll hopefully order Monday/Tuesday, unless one of the components goes out of stock and doesn't return.

So, A or B ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

B suits your needs very well.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

I've just looked back at a quote they give me last week, and just realized, when they add up all the components, they *don't* include the VAT for them. What they do is, add up all the components excl. VAT, get a total price for that, and then add 20% VAT onto that, saving me loads of money. 

So my price estimations are way way way overpriced, thus meaning i can upgrade even more now. With that in mind, i may aswell put the 650W Corsair TX650 in build B, and get a quote. 

Happy times.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Sounds like a winner.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

yep that would be a good move, go for B with the corsair.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

I haven't received an email back yet from Aria giving me a quote for build B with the TX650 PSU, but I've just re-calculated the total price after finding out they don't include VAT on all the components, and it came to about £360, which is £40 under my budget. 

So what should i upgrade with the spare £40, if i do have £40 spare that is ? 

I was thinking upgrading to 8GB of RAM, adding in the 51 in 1 card reader i was previously considering, and upgrading the 400GB Seagate Hard-drive to something bigger. 

Btw, a quick question about RAM, what's the difference between Dual Channel 1333 & 1600 ect ect ?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

there is no need more than 4GB ram unless your into video editing or using apps like photoshop etc and you would need a 64 bit operating system to utilise more than 3.5GB RAM anyway.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

greenbrucelee said:


> there is no need more than 4GB ram *unless your into video editing or using apps like photoshop etc* and you would need a 64 bit operating system to utilise more than 3.5GB RAM anyway.


That's the reason I'm buying this system, for video editing/photoshop, as I'm starting a TV/Film course at college next Tuesday, so i need a new system for the editing side.

I'm also purchasing the 64-bit version of Windows.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

then go for the 8GB


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

greenbrucelee said:


> then go for the 8GB


8GB Corsair XMS3 (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Dual Channel Kit - CMX8GX3M2A1333C9 - Aria Technology ?

What's the difference between Dual Channel 1333 and 1600 MHz ? Also, what's better, 4 x 2GB sticks or 2 x 4GB sticks ?


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## joeten (Dec 4, 2008)

Look at the 4x2gb the 4 gb can be problematic


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

4x2GB is better

the 1600MHz should be faster but what you should look for is the latency. The lower the latency the better. This will be in the ram specs.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

2 quantities of this will do fine then: 4GB Mushkin Silverline #996768 (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz 9-9-9-24 - Aria Technology


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Filling all the slots 1333 would be a better choice.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Actually, i might just pick a better case instead of doubling the amount of RAM, as 4GB is more than survivable for the time being, i guess it depends on how much the total cost of the system comes to though. If its way below budget then i might go for the 8GB, however it's not worth debating about it right now. 

Here's the case i was originally going with: Arianet Gamer FM-12A Black w/ 120mm Red LED Midi Tower Chassis - Aria Technology

It's the second cheapest case they sell, and looks like it's lacking in air vents, so what would you recommend from the following list:

Case computer - Aria Technology


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

Antec and coolermaster make better cases.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

It's hard to tell from that picture there are front vents and all cases have rear vents, if there were side vents they would be on the other side of the case.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Someone on the Aria forums included that case in their builds, and one of the users said the following:


> One thing i would say though, you should spend more money on a case. The one you selected only takes a single 80mm/120mm front fan and only a single 80mm rear fan. Double the budget and buy one of the cheap Coolermaster cases such as the Elite 430.


It's difficult with me though, because I'm not using the system for gaming, nor do i intend to add in additional fans etc etc. Obviously i can't predict the future, but for video editing, everything I've already included in my system should be fine in the long-run. 

What do you think i should do ?

The entire system so far should come to about £355, so I'll have money spare to pick at least one better component. I could either chose an additional 4GB of RAM, a larger hard-drive, a better case or a modular PSU.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

You'll be fine with 2 fans as 90% of the retail PC's only have 1.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

If you could recommend one case on that list though, £35 max price, what would it be ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

This is a solid case, not the prettiest in the bunch but a solid case> Coolermaster Elite 330 Midi Tower Chassis - Aria Technology

As is the 334> Coolermaster Elite 334 Midi Chassis - Aria Technology


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Do cases in this price range come with 2 fans then ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

They both come with one rear and have a place to add a front if needed.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Just been looking at some fans for the first time, and their so cheap. Would you recommend me buying one, or wouldn't it be necessary for my system ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I don't believe it'll be necessary for your usage, but if you want to add one I've used the Arctic Cooling fans they're pretty quiet > Arctic Cooling F12 Quiet Case Fan 120mm - Aria Technology

Though the Antec tri-cool's are my favorite Aria doesn't appear to carry them.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

I'll probably opt with this case aswell: https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Com...+Tower+-+Black+?productId=41176&rqcType=r#rqc

I'll look more into a case selection tomorrow though. I'm defiantly going to go with an extra fan for the price though.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

That one does come with a front and a rear 120mm fan. For 2 total.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Good, no point buying an additional fan then. 

I might go with a 500GB hardrive aswell, as it's only £8 dearer for an extra 100GB. Which 500GB would you recommend: 

Hitachi Deskstar 500GB 5K1000 3.5" Hard Drive - HDD - Aria Technology
Seagate 500GB 3.5" ST500DM002 Barracuda SATA III 6GB/s Hard Drive - HDD 7200RPM - Aria Technology
500GB Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 3.5" SATA III Hard Drive - Aria Technology
500GB Samsung HD502HJ F3 3.5" SATA II Hard Drive - Aria Technology

Any of them will work with this motherboard aswell i take it ? Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H 760G (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard - Aria Technology


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The WD drive> 500GB Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 3.5" SATA III Hard Drive - Aria Technology


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

I've just been reading the comments for that Elite 430 case, and the Aria staff confirmed it only comes with 1 x 120mm fan, which i believe is positioned at the front of case. 

So I'll defiantly purchase that 120mm fan you recommended, however where would you recommend it being positioned ? The back, side etc etc.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The rear, front to back air flow is best.

They must be using a optional model number the coolermaster site lists 2 fans 


> * Interior black coating makes stylish inside looks.
> * * Front 120mm fan with brilliant Blue LED provides the best airflow to HDDs.
> * Rear 120mm fan for high-efficiency ventilation.*
> * Tool-Free mechanical design for quick assembly and maintenance.
> ...


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

wrench97 said:


> *They must be using a optional model number* the coolermaster site lists 2 fans


I think they are, because the model their listing doesn't come with a side window either.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Just been given a new quote which includes all these better components I've added in over the last few pages like the better case, additional fan, better hard drive etc etc and it added up to £430, which is way out of my budget. Looks like i assumed i had more money spare than i actually did, my mistake. 

I'm now faced with the tough decision of selecting a couple of cheaper options for some components. Reverting back to the 400GB Seagate Hard Drive isn't a problem, so that should bring it down to £420. I could choose the Corsair 500CX PSU but i've read countless threads on this forum where moderators don't recommend the CX series because it's not made by seasonic and it's received awful reviews on newegg. Therefore I'm not confident in going ahead with that, so I'll stick with the 650TX. 

Downgrading the case back to the £18 Arianet case i was originally going to buy should bring the budget under £400, but it's the second cheapest case Aria list, which pretty much tells me it's crap, not to forget members on the Aria forums recommend investing in a better case. 

This thread will end up dragging onto 20+ pages at this rate. Just when i thought i finally put together the perfect build, it costs to much, typical.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Go ahead and swap the case back, if you not moving it around a lot or sitting on it I'll bet it will be fine.


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## Johnny1982 (Oct 15, 2010)

mfmcgreal said:


> I've just been reading the comments for that Elite 430 case, and the Aria staff confirmed it only comes with 1 x 120mm fan, which i believe is positioned at the front of case.
> 
> So I'll defiantly purchase that 120mm fan you recommended, however where would you recommend it being positioned ? The back, side etc etc.


Looking at the Cooler Master Website: Elite 430 Black - Cooler Master - Leading Provider of Computer Case | Cooler | Power Supply The Elite 430 comes with a blue led 120mm fan mounted in front as an intake. The other fan I would recommend putting at the back of the case as an exhaust blowing out the hot air. That's your best setup for case fans. Side fans can disrupt airflow if you have a front intake - rear exhaust setup.

What I can read the other fans are all optional:
Top: 120 mm fan x 2 (optional)
Front: 120 mm blue LED fan x 1, 140 mm fan x 1 (optional)
Rear: 80/90/120 mm fan x1(optional) 
Side: 120 mm fan x 1(optional)
Bottom:80/90/120 mm fan x1(optional)


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Johnny1982 said:


> Looking at the Cooler Master Website: Elite 430 Black - Cooler Master - Leading Provider of Computer Case | Cooler | Power Supply The Elite 430 comes with a blue led 120mm fan mounted in front as an intake. The other fan I would recommend putting at the back of the case as an exhaust blowing out the hot air. That's your best setup for case fans. Side fans can disrupt airflow if you have a front intake - rear exhaust setup.
> 
> What I can read the other fans are all optional:
> Top: 120 mm fan x 2 (optional)
> ...


Without sounding disrespectful, go back and read post #184 :wink:


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

you choice mate.

But he difference between an arinet case and a cooler master case is the same as the difference between a do it youself flat pack desk and a professionally built oak table.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

greenbrucelee said:


> you choice mate.
> 
> But he difference between an arinet case and a cooler master case is the same as the difference between a do it youself flat pack desk and a professionally built oak table.


I basically don't have a choice, it's either the Arianet case or no system what so ever. As long as it does the job i'm not to fussed. There's space at the back of that case for an 80mm fan, you recommend me getting one for it ? 

If not, then the final system will look like this:

*Arianet Gamer FM-12A Black w/ 120mm LED Chassis
650W Corsair TX650 Power Supply
Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H 760G Motherboard 
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955
4GB Mushkin Silverline DDR3 1333MHz 
400GB Seagate 3.5" SATA II Hard Drive
Sony Optical DVD Writer
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit *

Got a quote from Aria a few days back for the exact same system except for a cheaper motherboard, and it came to about £340, so this with the better motherboard should be about £360-70 i would imagine. If it comes to £370, then I'll have £10 spare, which should cover an additional fan if need be. 

Disappointed considering what i could have got, but this system is a million times better than the pre-built Acer i was going to buy in post #1, 10 pages back now lol.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Somethings not adding up the difference in case price was only 20 pounds right?


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## Johnny1982 (Oct 15, 2010)

mfmcgreal said:


> Without sounding disrespectful, go back and read post #184 :wink:


No problems mate, I was just merely pointing out that the fan is in the front and that all others are optional. Greenbrucelee's analogy is spot-on, IMO. I'm on my third case already, upgraded from an Asus TA-D31 last time.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

why havent you looked elsewhere such as wwwoverclockers.co.uk or www.novatech.co.uk

I have never heard of aria before and as Wrench asked wasn't the difference only about £20 with the coolermaster case?


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

greenbrucelee said:


> I have never heard of aria before


You say it like their not trustworthy, which couldn't be further from the truth. 

Firstly, i live just down the road from their official store, secondly, the reviews they've received on the net is second to none, and finally, all the staff who work at the store, build the computers etc are on their online forums daily, offering support, advice etc etc. There's not many companies like that around today. They even offer discounts on products if you have so many post on the forums and stuff, their first class. 

I'll also know who's building the system due to their forums, and the guys who do build them, do an amazing job according to the feedback they've received. 



greenbrucelee said:


> why havent you looked elsewhere such as wwwoverclockers.co.uk or www.novatech.co.uk


Because of the following:

overlockers.co.uk reviews - Overclockers UK www.overclockers.co.uk Reviews | Online Computer Shops | Review Centre
*2.9 out of 5 based on 359 reviews*

novatech.co.uk reviews - Novatech Direct Ltd www.novatech.co.uk Reviews | Online Computer Shops | Review Centre
*2.8 out of 5 based on 64 reviews
*
aria.co.uk reviews - Aria Technology www.aria.co.uk Reviews | Online Computer Shops | Review Centre
*4.3 out of 5 based on 443 reviews *

Aria blows both of them out of the water, and i don't even know why I'm defending them, doubting their credibility would be like saying you guys are a bunch of robots. Their first class, end off. Not to forget, i basically live next to the store itself, meaning i can collect my system up once it's been built and tested, meaning no delivery is required. 



greenbrucelee said:


> as Wrench asked wasn't the difference only about £20 with the coolermaster case?


Yes, but i didn't just upgrade the case, i picked a dearer hard drive, motherboard and added in an additional fan aswell, and forget about the £49 they charge for building the system, I basically ****** the pricing up. 

With all the new editions, i predicted it to be in the £380 range, but i forgot about the £49 + VAT they charge for building the computer. It's confusing to explain how the pricing works for their custom builds, but don't worry, it's all legit and it's a bargain for what you get.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I was not implying it wasn't legit, just that the math wasn't adding up, I use a spreadsheet layout that way you put systems side by side to see how the price changes when you change components around, but I have no idea how they figure Vat


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

I wasn't trying imply they were not legit but when overclockers and novatech are nationally reconised and aria is not I know who I would trust more.

Secondly you need to stop believing every review you see on the internet. Companies do post reviews of themselves and get employees to do it too.

Ask people who have genuinely shopped at these places to find out. I mainly buy my stuff from overclockers but have bought from novatech and never had a problem with either. Scan is also a good place to buy from.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

wrench97 said:


> I was not implying it wasn't legit, just that the math wasn't adding up, I use a spreadsheet layout that way you put systems side by side to see how the price changes when you change components around, but I have no idea how they figure Vat


It works along these guidelines. 

Add up the cost of all the components excluding VAT (I think), then add on £49 for system labor charge, then you get the *total unit price.* 

Then they add on 20% VAT of the total unit price which gives you the final cost. So for the quote i was given earlier this morning, the total unit price was £360.47, so that includes the cost of all the components plus the charge for building it. Then 20% VAT of that is £72, which they add onto the unit price, which gives you a total price of £432.56.

I asked them via email how the pricing works out, and got the following email:



> Hi Martin,
> 
> The custom build charge is £49.00 + VAT. The components are priced at trade. Each component is priced individually but if you take £15 - £25 off the basket price and then add the build charge you won’t be too far out.
> 
> ...


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

20%? And to think I complain about the 6% sales tax here


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

greenbrucelee said:


> I wasn't trying imply they were not legit but when overclockers and novatech are nationally reconised and aria is not I know who I would trust more.
> 
> Secondly you need to stop believing every review you see on the internet. Companies do post reviews of themselves and get employees to do it too.
> 
> *Ask people who have genuinely shopped at these places to find out.* I mainly buy my stuff from overclockers but have bought from novatech and never had a problem with either. Scan is also a good place to buy from.


I bought my current PC monitor from Aria, so I'm one of them customers, and their forum is full of satisfied customers who've posted pics of the builds and everything. Put it this way, there's not many companies where the majority of the staff are on the forums offering advice, updates on purchases etc etc. 

I'm not shopping anywhere else, and don't need to as Aria fit the bill.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

wrench97 said:


> 20%? And to think I complain about the 6% sales tax here


yep VAT is 20%.

Usually when you buy a bunch of computer components there will be 20% adding to each component.

sor for example it would be gpu £300 + 20%
CPU-£200+20%
mobo-£165+20%

Most of our cost for petrol/gas is tax and VAT (about 80%) thats why we in the UK pay more than nearly double what you do. £1.31 a litre or £5.80 a gallon.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

mfmcgreal said:


> I bought my current PC monitor from Aria, so I'm one of them customers, and their forum is full of satisfied customers who've posted pics of the builds and everything. Put it this way, there's not many companies where the majority of the staff are on the forums offering advice, updates on purchases etc etc.
> 
> I'm not shopping anywhere else, and don't need to as Aria fit the bill.


ok your choice.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

greenbrucelee said:


> yep VAT is 20%.
> 
> Usually when you buy a bunch of computer components there will be 20% adding to each component.
> 
> ...


Not to get off tract but hopefully that is offset by a lack of income(federal, state, and local in some cases) and real estate property taxes?


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

It feels like I'm going around in circles at the moment. Were on 11+ pages and i still have the same PC i started with, it's problem after problem. 

I'm so close to just giving up guys, haha. Now i know why people buy pre-builts, no stress what so ever, until it explodes a month later that is.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Your close, looks like within about 25 pounds of getting what you want


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

The thing is, the longer i wait, the bigger my budget becomes. As this thread has progressed, my budget has just grown and grown, hence the reason for the constant changes in components. 

So by page 15, I'll probably want to upgrade everything again, haha. Being serious though, I'll be probably just opt with the system i listed a few posts back, as i really can't survive another week of this, it's doing my head in.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

wrench97 said:


> Not to get off tract but hopefully that is offset by a lack of income(federal, state, and local in some cases) and real estate property taxes?


No it isn't. There is a reason why people call the UK rip off Britain.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Found a little extra money so my max budget should be about £430 now. 

Regarding the case, I've only been looking in the "MIDI Tower" category, there's also a "Micro ATX" category. Inside there I've found a few more options that are worth considering. 

This one's caught my eye, and also looks pretty slick: Fractal Design Core 1000 Micro-ATX Chassis - Aria Technology

My motherboard form factor is Micro ATX, so it should slot into their nicely. My only worry is the PSU, the TX650 i plan on buying is rather on the large side, and that case looks alot smaller than other cases I've been considering. 

There's also this case: Coolermaster Elite 342 Micro-ATX Chassis - Aria PC It's a few pounds cheaper than the fractual one, and of course, coolermaster branded. However, it looks pretty ugly, and doesn't have the sound proof technology the fractual one has.

Thoughts ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

You don't want a micro case, the smaller size makes it harder to cool(think xbox), and it limits future upgrade possibilities.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

what he said ^ especially if you decide to get a modern graphics card.


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## mfmcgreal (Jul 16, 2010)

Thanks for mentioning that. 

As i now have the money, i may aswell just go with the 430 case i was originally going to get a few pages back:

Coolermaster Elite 430 Midi Tower - Black - Aria Technology

Get that along with this fan: Arctic Cooling F12 Quiet Case Fan 120mm - Aria Technology


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

sounds good.


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