Ready built or build your own PC?

[jools182]

I am looking to spend about £300-£400 on a new PC

Would I be better buying a ready to go system or build my own

I use my machine for browsing, gaming and online gaming (COD2, medal of honor etc), autocad, and music and video files

 

[Rik]

Building your own is the way to go for sure. You can incorporate what ever specs you like and have a machine that can be upgraded.

 

[Bruce2]

Building your own you can use better quality parts with the same money.

 

[pdyckman@comcas]

Building your own is the way to go since you are interested in gaming. You can build your machine to be compatible and supportive of your Graphics card. If you have not built a P.C. yet, the physical act of assembly is fairly straight forward and fun. Do a bunch of research on the different components that you will be using, make sure they work as good as possible 'together'. Be careful of ESD. Have fun.

 

[beef_jerky4104]

Building your own is the only true way.

 

[jools182]

I recently bought an X1650 Pro Ultimate graphics card for my current PC

Would this be ok for a new build or should I buy something else?

Also, is it possible to build a PC within my budget of £300-400?

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

You can build a good PC within that budget. Here is my recommendation:
MSI P35 Neo-F Socket 775 FSB1333 onboard 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard - £58.98
inc VAT
Intel Pentium Dual Core E2180 2GHz Socket 775 800MHz FSB L2 1MB Cache Retail Box Processor - £52.34 inc VAT
OCZ 2GB Kit (2x1GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 CL 4-4-4-15 PLATINUM XTC with LIFETIME WARRANTY - £48.03 inc VAT
XFX 7900GS 256MB DDR3 ExTreme Edition DUAL DVI PCI-E Graphics Card - £63.17 inc VAT
Coolermaster Elite 330 Black Mid Tower Case - No PSU - £24.64 inc VAT
Corsair VX 550W PSU - 120mm Fan, 5 Year Warranty - £54.99 inc VAT
Western Digital WD3200AAKS 320GB SATAII 16MB Cache 7200 RPM - OEM - £42.13 inc VAT
NEC Optiarc AD-7170S-0B 18x DVD±RW/DL/RAM Serial ATA Black - OEM - £17.00 inc VAT
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro HSF - £16.50 inc VAT

Grand Total = £377.78 and shipping is free on all the items. Using the HSF I've recommended, you can OC the processor to get Core 2 Duo performance from it. All other parts are of excellent quality and will work together perfectly. I hope I helped.

 

[jools182]

Thanks very much!

If I wanted to upgrade the processor, what should I go for?

Also could i run 64 bit vista with that?

Sorry for all the questions!

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Oh, it was no problem mate.
As for the CPU upgrade, it'd depend on what you can afford. But the dual-core price vs. performance king would be the E6750.
And yes, 64-bit Vista will run fine with that system, no problems.