Need help buying a pc !

Benazir Bhutto

Dont really know much about this , so any help would be appriciated !!

Im looking on Komplett.ie ok,......i see this :http://www.komplett.ie/k/cc.aspx?bn=10306

Now, i see pc's seem to be in 2 groups, the office pc and the gamer pc.
I dont really game much , but i am looking for the best set-up i can get for my requirements:

I do look at a lot of internet videos and dvd , also sound for my music is important.
I will also want a fast pc to compliment a fairly quick broadband speed !

Should i be opting for a gaming pc for a better quality image ?

Also , what should i be looking for in a graphics card / sound card ?

I am hoping to get a new 24" monitor, and have 1500 euro max to spend in total !
Thanks

TiGeR KiNgS

need a bit more info,:)
What games ,if any, would you playing on the pc?

segasega

Unless you are encoding videos, watching them will be handled decently by any modern pc, a good monitor will probably be more beneficial than an overkill graphics card. As for sound, I would go with something in the ASUS Xonar series (think Komplett only do one), they tend to be better than the X-Fi stuff.

Sqaull20

I wouldnt bother with komplett, quite expensive...

Hardwareversand.de is where its at, super cheap, huge selection of parts and they build you a pc for €20..

Thread here on builds for every budget..

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055278463

For a non gamer like yourself, that is looking for a fast pc for encoding videos, watching dvds, watching hd etc.I would go for a sexy little matx system for just over €1000 built and delivered...

ODD-JOB

yeah

Benazir Bhutto

hey ,
thanks a lot for the replies so far ,
Tiger : I actually only have 1 game , Tiger woods pro and i cant play it as my current sound card dosent support it
but ill look at getting maybe another game or 2 sometime.....

Squall20 : I had a look at that site , but when it comes to choosing the parts, then i might as welll be looking into a bush.
I'm afraid ill chose something non-compatible or leave myself short of something , or even end up buying some expensive part that ill never use !!

Komplett , i believe is a little more expensive,,... but the layout is simple for selecting everything you need. their (customize) feature is simple by design.

Ive kinda made my mind up that Ill use Komplett, i was quite impressed with the komplett board and McKomplett giving help to customers http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=242

well I notice the price of an office / entry pc is quite high spec and very reasonably priced , and the gamer pc so comparably expensive !
I dont really understand what the gamer pc is providing that the office pc isn't !??

Sqaull20

The office pc's are mostly Amd based with basic motherboards...

Only one that is highish spec is this one, but its not good value at all..

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ci.aspx?sku=10320

This one here is a good deal, has a Quad, decent motherboard, case, power supply..

http://www.komplett.ie/k/config.aspx?ConfigSystemId=10091

I would change the 8500gt to Hd2600pro for €4, which has hdmi or to 8800gs for €50 if your going to game..

gamer

You sound ,like a casual gamer, get graphics card max price 150euro, do you really need a sound card, most mobos now have 5.1 sound built in.ITS cheaper to buy a dual core system, easier to cool and quieter,any new dual core will play any game ,since you can always buy an 8800 card if you decide to get into hard core gaming.THERES no game that needs quad core cpu at the moment.I think a 20 inch widescreen monitor is more comfortable 4 web browsing ,which will be prbly the main use 4 this pc.IT may be handy to get a graphics card with tv out .Make sure the psu you get is quiet.get vista 32bit, vista 64 bit is really for programmers, its much easier to get drivers 4 vista 32bit, or winxp home 32bit.VISTA 64BIT IS OF NO USE TO you .i think theres a much wider range of music programs designed 4 winxp than vista, many progs just don,t work in vista.Basically everthing out there now works in winxp 32bit.GET 3gig ram ,even vista doesnt use 4gig .Any pci -e grahics card will give a good image ,no need to buy a GAMING pc .YOU might want a card with hdmi out 4 hd video in future .

Benazir Bhutto

is there a big difference between athlon and intel ?

also , would you recommend vista over xp ?........if so then is there much difference between the basic and premium home edition of vista ?

last question ,.... what is your opinions on the :
HIS Radeon HD 3850 512MB GDDR3, IceQ, PCI-Express 2.0, 2xDVI/HDMI/HDCP,"Turbo" - graphics card ?

I dont mind stretching my budget if its going to improve the quality .

bluplr

Intel and athlon basically do the same job, and you probarbly won't notice a difference. If you were to build a PC though, you would have to make sure your motherboard is compatible.

Although vista has it's problems, it's hardware support seems to have cleared up, and XP is becoming very out of date.

The Radeon GFX card would be a much better selection over the 8500 GT available in the gamer PC, but I would personally prefer an 8800 gtx/gts is it is available. Again they are both very modern and until recently the best gfx cards available.

gamer

I think athlons cpus are cheaper, get at least amd 4000+ cpu dual core it,ll run any game with winxp with a fast graphics card and 3gig ram.I think amd cpus are quieter ,easier to keep cool,i think winxp is better 4 games,many devices dont have proper vista drivers ,theres no significant advantage 2 vista re,games,some games run slower on vista.UNLESS you are hardcore gamer any pci-e card with 256meg ram at least will give you perfect image quality ,get hdcp card if you wanna get a blue ray drive in future,hdmi out is handy if you have a hdtv for watching movies.
the gaming sites sites say xp is better for gaming than vista,of course in 2 years
time vista will prbly get better.i think 24inch is too big for using a pc on the web,unless you are a professional video editor .20 inch is more ergonomic ,more comfortable.

TerrorFirmer

I personally don't like Vista, but that's not based on any real failings of the OS, I just don't like the interface compared to XP.

The Radeon 3850 would indeed be better then an 8500GT, but only in terms of gaming. For your intended uses, the 8500GT would be a better option due to less noise, and less power consumption. That said though, Ati cards have traditionally offered better 2D quality then Nvidia cards, so you might want to look at a cheap Ati equivalent like the extra 4E for the 2600Pro that Squall suggested for that reason if it's important to you.

Onboard video is fine for DVD playback and un-intensive sports games though, so if you're not a gamer, it's another option for you. Squalls build looks good to me.