[Kevin Irving]

Just as an aside, since it's related to the OP's question.

Is there much point in spending 3K on a machine, in order to have an amazing computer now, and "futureproof" it?

I mean the peripherals should last years and there's not much room to upgrade. Same goes for card readers, a good qaulity case, fans, etc.

[TheGunns]

Originally Posted by Mathiasb

komplett.ie

Item Link Price
MB: ASRock Z68 Pro3 Gen3 - Socket 1155 - ATX http://komplett.ie/Komplett/product/...x/details.aspx €94
CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz 6MB S1155 http://komplett.ie/Komplett/product/...5/details.aspx €200
Cooler: (included with CPU)
RAM: Corsair XMS3 DIMM- 8GB 1600MHz PC3-12800 http://komplett.ie/Komplett/product/...0/details.aspx €55
GPU: Sapphire RADEON HD 6870 - 1GB- PCI-E http://komplett.ie/Komplett/product/...e/details.aspx €160
SSD: OCZ Agility 3 60GB http://komplett.ie/Komplett/product/...0/details.aspx €78
HDD: WD 1TB WD10EZRX http://komplett.ie/Komplett/product/...b/details.aspx €95
Case: Thermaltake V3 Black Edition http://komplett.ie/Komplett/product/...u/details.aspx €48
PSU: Corsair - Builder CX430 V2 - 430 Watt http://komplett.ie/Komplett/product/...t/details.aspx €48

Total: €778 including shipping

6870 is a little slower than 6950, but not by much. The CPU's are unlocked, so you can OC some if you want. If you want to save some cash, skip to a slower i5 CPU, remove the SSD, maybe find a cheaper motherboard (less SATA ports, no USB3 etc).

are those components all that I would need to get the system up and running?
don't particulary like the case but is this interchangeable?
will they run games and would it be capable of using photoshop and sony vegas?

[Eboggles]

This build is much cheaper (windows, speakers nor wireless card was included in the above ones) and gives you exact same performance as you don't want to overclock.

Item	Price
Intel Core i5-2400 Box, LGA1155	€166.45
ASRock H61M/U3S3 (B3), Sockel 1155, mATX	€55.07
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9	€34.67
Crucial M4 64GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5")	€74.54
Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB, SATA II (HD502HJ)	€71.26
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit SB-Version Englisch	€84.81
HIS HD 6870 Fan GDDR5 1024MB HDMI/DP/2xDVI	€143.49
Akasa AK-ICR-11 Interner Media Card Reader mit Bluetooth, 8,89cm (3,5")	€13.06
Logitech LS11 2.0 Stereo Speaker System	€14.41
LogiLink Wireless LAN 300 Mbps PCI Karte 802.11n 2T2R	€16.42
BitFenix Merc Alpha	€31.61
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W	€40.88
Shipping	€18.99
Paypal Charge	€22.97
Total	€788.63

You still need a keyboard and mouse, though.

If you want to shave a bit off you can drop the graphics card to a 6850 and drop the SSD.

Oh by the way (I only saw it now) as you're not building just yet, you could wait for IB. Its actually released today but I can't find the model that would fit your build. Expect it to be an extra tenner with a bump in performance (not much) and lower power requirements.

And if you have a family member in the education system (student or teacher) you can get windows 7 for €55 here and don't worry, it can be used for clean installs.

[Mathiasb]

Originally Posted by Eboggles

This build is much cheaper (windows, speakers nor wireless card was included in the above ones) and gives you exact same performance as you don't want to overclock.


You still need a keyboard and mouse, though.

If you want to shave a bit off you can drop the graphics card to a 6850 and drop the SSD.

Oh by the way (I only saw it now) as you're not building just yet, you could wait for IB. Its actually released today but I can't find the model that would fit your build. Expect it to be an extra tenner with a bump in performance (not much) and lower power requirements.

And if you have a family member in the education system (student or teacher) you can get windows 7 for €55 here and don't worry, it can be used for clean installs.

Didn't know about that shop, very good.

[TheGunns]

Originally Posted by Eboggles

This build is much cheaper (windows, speakers nor wireless card was included in the above ones) and gives you exact same performance as you don't want to overclock.


You still need a keyboard and mouse, though.

If you want to shave a bit off you can drop the graphics card to a 6850 and drop the SSD.

Oh by the way (I only saw it now) as you're not building just yet, you could wait for IB. Its actually released today but I can't find the model that would fit your build. Expect it to be an extra tenner with a bump in performance (not much) and lower power requirements.

And if you have a family member in the education system (student or teacher) you can get windows 7 for €55 here and don't worry, it can be used for clean installs.

it says that its an upgrade copy though?
I'll wait a bit not for the ivy bridge but I'm hoping that the SB will be cheaper and I should be able to use that student site soonish and would want to avail of that. Is that mother bord decent? Would rather get a quality one and cheap out on something else that'd be easy to upgrade later. Any better (smaller) wireless and card readers available? are they easy to install?
Is it really simple-ish to build it yourself? Easy as in it would take me a...day? to put it all together once I've got the parts.

[Mathiasb]

About the "quality" of motherboards, there's no difference unless you're overclocking. Go for the chipset you want, look for how many SATA ports you want (how many of them 6Gbps and so on), and other features, then pick the cheapest one. Maybe look at how long the warranty is.

It's easy to build yourself, the few things you need to be careful with are installing "distance washers" in the case (if they're not installed already) for the motherboard. Be careful when installing the CPU so you don't bend any pins in the socket on the MB. Be careful about ESD, use an anti static wrist wrap or similar.

[TheGunns]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digi...724502&sr=1-18

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Sandyb...724733&sr=1-12

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Burrag...5724965&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMX4...725216&sr=1-18

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-AD-7261...5725439&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.co.uk/NZXT-Phantom...5724238&sr=1-3

http://www.amazon.co.uk/500-WATT-ATX...5725659&sr=1-8

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trust-SC-510...5725725&sr=1-3

I know I've lwft things out but how do I know if theyre all compatible?

Edit: sorry for the shoddy table

[FlyingIrishMan]

- HDD is okay, expensive for the size though..
- I hope you meant the i5 2500K... thats the 2500 you have.
- Expensive motherboard, and get Z68/Z77.
- RAM is fine.
- Optical drive is fine.
- Love that case, was going to get it myself but went for power over looks in the end.
- PSU looks cheap, don't see any details of the brand or anything, although reviews look good.
- Onboard sound is fine really, I don't know much about Soundcards so can't help you there.

Do you plan on buying from Amazon or just used that to show everything.

[TheGunns]

Originally Posted by FlyingIrishMan

- HDD is okay, expensive for the size though..
- I hope you meant the i5 2500K... thats the 2500 you have.
- Expensive motherboard, and get Z68/Z77.
- RAM is fine.
- Optical drive is fine.
- Love that case, was going to get it myself but went for power over looks in the end.
- PSU looks cheap, don't see any details of the brand or anything, although reviews look good.
- Onboard sound is fine really, I don't know much about Soundcards so can't help you there.

Do you plan on buying from Amazon or just used that to show everything.

plan on buying cheapest really. Is there a lack of power in the case? Would this be good enough to play modern games and edit videos?

[uncle_sam_ie]

Originally Posted by TheGunns

plan on buying cheapest really. Is there a lack of power in the case? Would this be good enough to play modern games and edit videos?

Cheap for a PSU is bad. The best that would happen is it will damage your components over time, causing BSOD. The worst, it could start a fire. Don't go cheap on a PSU
EDIT: http://forums.pcper.com/showthread.php?t=478717
This is a good unit to go for, http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...t/details.aspx
and
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...23&subcat=1497

[Mathiasb]

Originally Posted by uncle_sam_ie

Cheap for a PSU is bad. The best that would happen is it will damage your components over time, causing BSOD. The worst, it could start a fire. Don't go cheap on a PSU
EDIT: http://forums.pcper.com/showthread.php?t=478717
This is a good unit to go for, http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...t/details.aspx
and
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...23&subcat=1497

That's both true and not true - go with a good brand (Antec, Corsair, OCZ, Silvestone, XFX etc). Many are rebranded (which is not a bad thing). You don't need more than 450-500 watts unless you're overclocking and/or going SLI/Crossfire.

[TheGunns]

Samsung optical drive: http://www.dabs.ie/products/samsung-...ack--7WXQ.html
Samsung Hard drive: http://www.dabs.ie/products/samsung-...16mb-6M0S.html
Asus Graphics Card (AMD Radeon 6770): http://www.dabs.ie/products/asus-ati...ndle-7MT0.html
Intel i5: http://www.dabs.ie/products/intel-co...-6mb-7YXJ.html
Intel Motherbord: http://www.dabs.ie/products/intel-bo...-atx-7L34.html
Corsair RAM: http://www.dabs.ie/products/corsair-...-xmp-79V5.html
OCZ PSU: http://www.dabs.ie/products/ocz-tech...pply-7H4C.html
Case: http://www.dabs.ie/products/xigmatek...ssis-77R3.html

Anyone have any thought on this build? Comes to around 620 and with windows should be around 700. Will it play new games and will photoshop and such applications work on it? By my workings I think its safe but I've not had a desktop for years so I'm out of loop. Any idea how future proof it is? I plan on upgrading it so any idea if the case allows? I think it does but want to double check. Depending on feedback I think this is the one I'll go for. Thanks for all the help

[uncle_sam_ie]

You can't overclock that CPU with a H67 motherboard. You could go with this http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...x/details.aspx
And I'd go with this GPU if that's your budget, http://www.dabs.ie/products/sapphire...?refs=12&src=3 This is better http://www.dabs.ie/products/sapphire...?refs=13&src=3 or the 6870 if you can find it cheaper
650 watt is a bit of an over kill for that system. This is a good unit http://www.dabs.ie/products/xfx-450-...fs=50544&src=3
Get 8G RAM being that its cheap. Irish and very good company to deal with http://www.memoryc.ie/products/descr...GB_/index.html
Also, if your gaming then a 7200RPM would be better or even better yet an SSD http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...0/details.aspx

[Mathiasb]

Originally Posted by uncle_sam_ie

You can't overclock that CPU with a H67 motherboard. You could go with this http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...x/details.aspx
And I'd go with this GPU if that's your budget, http://www.dabs.ie/products/sapphire...?refs=12&src=3 This is better http://www.dabs.ie/products/sapphire...?refs=13&src=3 or the 6870 if you can find it cheaper
650 watt is a bit of an over kill for that system. This is a good unit http://www.dabs.ie/products/xfx-450-...fs=50544&src=3
Get 8G RAM being that its cheap. Irish and very good company to deal with http://www.memoryc.ie/products/descr...GB_/index.html
Also, if your gaming then a 7200RPM would be better or even better yet an SSD http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/prod...0/details.aspx

What he said.