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Author Topic: New PC builds.  (Read 44560 times)

kitz

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New PC builds.
« on: June 05, 2012, 11:49:15 AM »

Out of curiosity does anyone know any PC manufacturers that will let you put your own o/s on their builds (ie refund for unused win7 home licence).

Kitz is currently getting more than a bit concerned about her 4y/o 'modified' Medion PC which is on 24/7 :(
I think my days of builds are long gone..  and having just had a look at individual part prices, they seem to have shot up.   Cases alone can be very expensive and my past few Medions have been because the package is cheaper than what I could have built myself for.

Anyhow I have a brand new licence for Win7 pro that I bought a while ago which Id like to use rather than Win7 home that seems to come on most prebuilt.   My problem is I need a fairly decent spec PC and a brief cost of some parts at Scan seems to show silly figures (despite the fact that Im so out of the loop these days not even sure what Im looking for or if I have the confidence or time) to buy the right parts and build.

Ideally I'd love to be able to choose what bits I need, yet if you look at the likes of Dell..  they call customisation choosing which security software you put on as customisation, rather than say increasing the size of HDD :(

*dilemma*

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toulouse

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Re: New PC builds.
« Reply #1 on: June 05, 2012, 12:04:51 PM »

Hiya Kitz,

You could try a company called Novatech (guess what the web site is called !!). I use them quite a bit, and while I just cannot be bothered looking around for the cheapest prices, I do think their prices are quite reasonable.

HTH


toulouse

 
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kitz

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Re: New PC builds.
« Reply #2 on: June 05, 2012, 12:20:17 PM »

Thank you vm for the quick reply.

Just noticed they have a 'bare bones' section..   now that is interesting..  and the prices do seem quite reasonable.
TBH the one thing I hate about own builds is putting the processor on - theres many a clip Ive struggled with in the past as Im not very heavy handed - Im fine with the rest of the stuff.

/off to have a more detailed look :)
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roseway

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Re: New PC builds.
« Reply #3 on: June 05, 2012, 12:32:56 PM »

Have a look at EBuyer.

They do PCs without operating systems at very reasonable prices.
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toulouse

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Re: New PC builds.
« Reply #4 on: June 05, 2012, 12:40:35 PM »

Just a quick follow up - I've bought several motherboard / CPU combos from Novatech, and they actually install the CPU and heatsink for you, so no worries there.

Good luck

toulouse
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kitz

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Re: New PC builds.
« Reply #5 on: June 05, 2012, 01:16:15 PM »

Thanks vm guys... getting some good info here :)

>> They do PCs without operating systems at very reasonable prices.

Unless Ive got the link wrong - their choice of no o/s is quite limited and the processor spec not quite what I wanted
Looking for an i5 I think if I can.

However they do a barebone that would support an i5 that looks quite interesting.

Ive noticed it used the Intel H61 chipset mobo which is the same as the Novatech ones.. and Id just been looking at the specs of the H61, which seems pretty good from the reviews..  ok its not the bees knees but its certainly reasonable enough for what I need :)

I know its probably a girly thing..  but I quite like that case (yeah yeah I know its what inside that counts)  :lol:


---------------

>>> I've bought several motherboard / CPU combos from Novatech, and they actually install the CPU and heatsink for you, so no worries there.

That really is a plus point..  Is it only me that struggles with this.. or have I just been unlucky in the past that it sometimes needs brute force..  and Im scared of breaking something :-X
Granted its been a while now since Ive built..  but that is the area which always worries me, cause last time I had to get someone with stronger fingers than mine to fit the heatsink :/

----------------------

Thanks again guys youve given me a new line of leads to follow up on..   as I must have spent hours looking at the wrong places before. :/

I need to do some costing up of prices.. then approach Bank of MaD for a temp loan.   I knew my system was getting on a bit, and just realised I havent had a PC as long as this one (OK its had several new bits added), but since last night the 'knew it was coming' has now become 'need to do something soon'  :(


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kitz

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Re: New PC builds.
« Reply #6 on: June 05, 2012, 01:31:33 PM »

oh just seen this which I like even better with the H67 chipset....  hmmmm

anyhow.. back to costing up parts..  and whether Novatechs fitting of the CPU and heatsink will clinch the deal.
At least now I feel less over whelmed than I have been for he past 24hrs :)
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toulouse

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Re: New PC builds.
« Reply #7 on: June 05, 2012, 01:58:23 PM »

Talking of old PCs - this one is a bit like Triggers (Only Fools & Horses) old broom. He allegedly had the same broom for about 20 years or so, and he only had 3 different broom heads and 2 or 3 handles - CLASSIC

I think I bought this Packard Bell iMedia 1280 with Windows XP Home in around 2005/6. Since that time, I have upgraded the memory, replaced the HD and CD Writer, and more recently replaced the CPU and on board graphics - and the thing is still going strong. There's no longer any support from the manufacturer, but I could care less. I also have another 8 machines (mainly purchased at various stages from Novatech) running Fedora 16 Linux mainly used to run various programs as part of the World Community Grid project as introduced by AdrianH ??? some time ago. I've also just received my Raspberry Pi, so I'm just starting to play around with that at the moment. Isn't technology wonderful.
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People tell me that I ought to get out more. But in the words of the great Homer J Simpson, "Yeah, but what ya gonna do ?"

kitz

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Re: New PC builds.
« Reply #8 on: June 05, 2012, 02:21:02 PM »

>>> Talking of old PCs - this one is a bit like Triggers (Only Fools & Horses) old broom.

hahaha I used to have one of those (my first build in about 98/99) that was so revamped so many times I think at the end there was probably only the case that was still the original..  I had it running RH as a play machine at one point..  but I think some of the parts are now in a PC that I built for my dad several years ago, but that case is still in my loft  :lol:

Once upon a time I used to have several machines, but somewhere along the lines I started buying the Aldi/Medion specials..  and adding extra bits to them as needed, but now Im just down to this machine and the ipad... so starting a new build project fills me a bit with dread...  as I havent a clue these days on what is the best CPU and compatibility of parts...

I havent got much further on this so far as Ive just got off the phone from my parents.. so I'll possibily spend the rest of the day doing research on things like graphics cards etc.   Unfort I'm busy Wed, Thurs and Fri... so best get my finger out and do some serious looking now.
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HPsauce

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Re: New PC builds.
« Reply #9 on: June 05, 2012, 03:06:44 PM »

Out of curiosity does anyone know any PC manufacturers that will let you put your own o/s on their builds
As mentioned above Novatech are worth checking out.

The "work/admin" system I'm posting this from is one of their "bare bones" systems that I bought a few years back now (March 2009!) in preparation for W7.
Currently mirrored RAID, dual-boot XP and W7x64 (bought cheaply around launch time) 4GB RAM and various bits and bobs.
Processor is actually "only" an AMD dual-core (2.7GHz Athlon 7750 Black) on a FoxConn A74MX mobo using onboard graphics (ATI Radeon 2100) but it's fine.
I think the core "box" was under £200 delivered.
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roseway

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Re: New PC builds.
« Reply #10 on: June 05, 2012, 03:43:04 PM »

Some things to keep in mind:

- Processor speed is of comparatively little importance, so don't choose the fastest processor in the range, because it will run hotter, making the fan run faster and noisier, for little increase in real-world performance.

- If you want over 4 GB of memory (which you probably do) you will need a 64-bit OS (unless 32-bit Windows supports PAE, which I doubt).

- If you care about noise, get a motherboard with onboard graphics, or choose a passively cooled graphics card. The performance for anything other than top-end gaming will be more than adequate IMO.
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kitz

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Re: New PC builds.
« Reply #11 on: June 05, 2012, 04:14:47 PM »

Still at the spoilt for choice stage and not done a full costing yet, but after preliminary talks with 'the bank'...   this seems decentish



http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/barebones/bb-34504a.html

Intel Core i5 3450 Processor
2 x 2GB DDR3 1333Mhz Memory
ATX Tower Case With 400w PSU
Intel B75 Chipset Motherboard
£274.99


At first glance, it seems to be the same as this but with case.

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/motherboardbundles/mbb-34504a.html
£249.98



The only thing with that is I was perhaps hoping to get 6 GB of RAM...  and note that it only has 2 memory slots.

I have Win 7 Pro - which includes the 64-bit DVD - just opened the box to make sure.
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toulouse

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Re: New PC builds.
« Reply #12 on: June 05, 2012, 04:30:19 PM »

That's the trouble these days, there's just so much to choose from.

Maybe you need to sit down and think about it for a bit, in particular what you really want it to be able to do. Whatever you decide on will be fine, I'm sure.

I'm not really helping much, am I ? ;)
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People tell me that I ought to get out more. But in the words of the great Homer J Simpson, "Yeah, but what ya gonna do ?"

GigabitEthernet

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Re: New PC builds.
« Reply #13 on: June 05, 2012, 04:41:45 PM »

Looking at the blue USB ports, I presume the motherboard has USB 3.0?
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kitz

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Re: New PC builds.
« Reply #14 on: June 05, 2012, 07:34:39 PM »

Looking at the blue USB ports, I presume the motherboard has USB 3.0?

Yes
2 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports
4 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
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