€500 to spend to play Total War, self build or Dell?

quarryman

Out of the loop a while now (my last build was a 6600gt gfx card).

Leftover I have:
a really good quality PSU 400w.
a case
hard drives

So i need:
at least a 21" monitor (that I can plug my xbox360 and PC into).
mobo
ram
cpu
graphics card

From reading around the threads here it looks like:
mobo - €80 will do the job
ram - €50 for some corsair
CPU - €80 for an E5200 Intel
Graphics card - Have no clue here. What should i be paying to get recent games playing well? My benchmark would be Empire Total War.

Also on the monitor issue, its important i can plug the pc and 360 into it, am i just better off getting a 22" TV since i think my xbox only has component out (no HDMI)? Not sure if there is a converter for this. What are TVs like for playing high res dependent games like strategy stuff?

From fishing around on Dell i'm tempted to abandon the self-build idea altogether and just get a base package with the largest monitor and add a graphics card. Something like this Inspiron 530. That way i wouldn't have to worry about building, missing cables, and a DIY looking job (the case i have left is pretty crappy).

thanks in advance for any help.

uberpixie

quarryman wrote: »

Out of the loop a while now (my last build was a 6600gt gfx card).

Leftover I have:
a really good quality PSU 400w.
a case
hard drives

So i need:
at least a 21" monitor (that I can plug my xbox360 and PC into).
mobo
ram
cpu
graphics card

From reading around the threads here it looks like:
mobo - €80 will do the job
ram - €50 for some corsair
CPU - €80 for an E5200 Intel
Graphics card - Have no clue here. What should i be paying to get recent games playing well? My benchmark would be Empire Total War.

Also on the monitor issue, its important i can plug the pc and 360 into it, am i just better off getting a 22" TV since i think my xbox only has component out (no HDMI)? Not sure if there is a converter for this. What are TVs like for playing high res dependent games like strategy stuff?

From fishing around on Dell i'm tempted to abandon the self-build idea altogether and just get a base package with the largest monitor and add a graphics card. Something like this Inspiron 530. That way i wouldn't have to worry about building, missing cables, and a DIY looking job (the case i have left is pretty crappy).

thanks in advance for any help.

If you fancy dell job fair enough: just bear in mind they will always shaft you on the psu.

Now if your spare PSU will fit into a dell..... then you are on to a winner.

You could easily get the cheap dell with a monitor, pop in your PSU then choose a gfx card. (thsi will prob work out cheaper than a self build)

Now Dell sometimes use non standard PSUs and motherboards, it varies from model to model. It would be a good idea to check up on this before buying. Nose about Dell forums etc... should give you an idea.

€500 for a self build would be a little tight if you include the monitor. If you have a really crap case: expand your budget by €130 and pickup an Antec P182.
(very plain case, but fantastic layout and built for airflow and silence in mind, makes a big difference to the noise levels.)

magick

personally id go for the self build, but thats just me, but u can tailor it to ur needs, at least thats what i did, and it plays total war fine

blackgold>>

450 delivered.
hardwareversand.

Solitaire

Not 100% sure but from previous form I can't think of a Dell for under €800 that will have anything better than integrated graphics :eek: The basic Inspirons overcharge so badly that for €500 you'd only be getting the E5200 and a half-assed case and mobo if you're lucky; you'd still have to buy and install RAM and graphics yourself (if Dell haven't been gits and removed the PCIe slot from the mobo that is! :rolleyes: ).

EDIT: interrupted by lunch :P And HWVS seems slow today. And my typing sucks.

blackgold: Err, graphics card? :P

E5200 €61.51
MSI P43 Neo-F €64.05
2x2GB GeIL PC6400 CL5 €35.52
XFX HD4830 (with shroud!) €89.01 (the Sapphire one is also good, neat p-states for energy saving, and their HD4850 is only €133)
Coolermaster Elite 330 (without side window) €30.49 (get a second 120mm fan if you want)
LG Flatron W2242T-DF 22" €144.30 (has DVI input)
Say ~€455 incl shipping, €500 if you get the HD4850. And that's with a shiny new case. I assume you have a DVD drive left over?

And as for the Xbox IIRC you'll need a proprietary cable to convert to VGA or DVI.

Lu Tze

quarryman wrote: »

Something like this Inspiron 530. That way i wouldn't have to worry about building, missing cables, and a DIY looking job (the case i have left is pretty crappy).

thanks in advance for any help.

How about buying from dell outlet


[SIZE=-1]Studio Desktop 540 (System Identifier. 09ELCA0J)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Studio Desktop 540MT Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 (2.66GHz, 1066MHz, 3MB) [/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1]English Windows Vista Home Premium [/SIZE]
System Price EUR 409.49
[SIZE=-1]Operating System: [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]English Windows Vista Home Premium [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Memory: [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]2048MB 800MHZ (2X1GB) Memory [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Hard Disk Drive: [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]500GB 7200rpm SATA HD [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Video: [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]Graphics 256 MB ATI Radeon HD 3450 [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]CD Read-Write Drive: [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]DVD+/-RW, 16 [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]MISC: [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]Vista OnLine Getting Started Guide [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Dell Quietkey Black Keyboard [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Ship Accessory English Docs with UK/Irish Power Cord [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Mouse Dell Wheel USB 2 Button Scroll Black [/SIZE]


€409 for the above, and they have a special of €123 off until the 26th of march making it €286 before shipping - no monitor though but you should have enough left over from your €500 to get something

TerrorFirmer

Tricky budget to include a decent sized monitor but here's what I'd go for for around the 500 quid mark. Notice I added a Case, as if your current case is crap like you've implied it'd be a real shame to use it for a new build.

The system above in the Outlet needs a monitor, and most definitely a new video card, as well as more ram - at the end of it all, it'd work out at the same price but still be a Dell at the end of the day to boot. Self build is the way forward if you're comfortable with it.

Also should mention I always use Komplett as some people don't like purchasing abroad, so this gives them a rough idea as well as an Irish source.

blackgold>>

i had a gpu 4830 in there i must of forgot to delete the case....
Ah well terror has nearly the same a me and it looks amazing for 522.
**** dell.

Solitaire

blackgold>> wrote:

**** dell

Amen

And thanks Terror, you beat me to it, always good to have a Komplett pricing

AlmightyCushion

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

Tricky budget to include a decent sized monitor but here's what I'd go for for around the 500 quid mark. Notice I added a Case, as if your current case is crap like you've implied it'd be a real shame to use it for a new build.

The system above in the Outlet needs a monitor, and most definitely a new video card, as well as more ram - at the end of it all, it'd work out at the same price but still be a Dell at the end of the day to boot. Self build is the way forward if you're comfortable with it.

Also should mention I always use Komplett as some people don't like purchasing abroad, so this gives them a rough idea as well as an Irish source.

That looks great but he'll be a little disappointed when he tries to turn it on and realises there is no psu.

TerrorFirmer

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

That looks great but he'll be a little disappointed when he tries to turn it on and realises there is no psu.

He already has one as he said in his first post

AlmightyCushion

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

He already has one as he said in his first post

Shut up. HA! That showed you.

*runs off*

quarryman

Yes I'm PSU'd up

Thanks for the suggestions. Looks like i'll go with the self build.

So I think I'd be settled on:
Intel 5200
4GB RAM
Asus Mobo

The 2 important choices are the monitor and gfx.

For the graphics people are saying 4830 and the 4850. Is there much difference between them? Are they the best mid-price options at the moment? I don't need to be cutting edge but I'd like to play most of the recent and upcoming games at decent resolutions. I'd like it to not break a sweat for anything up to 2 years old.

And the monitor is probably the most crucial item. I want to have a dual xbox and pc setup going into the same display. My 360 only has component so I might trade it in for a HDMI model. Then I think i'll run the PC through DVI and HDMI for the 360.

PaddyTheNth

I have a 512mb 4850 and it handles Total War with everything maxed without breaking a sweat. Bear in mind that I've only got a 17' 4:3 monitor though...1280*something resolution.

I'd go with the 4850 as I reckon it'll give a bit more life going forward, though I seem to remember that if you're looking to go larger than 22 inches the higher resolutions will be better handled by the 1GB version.

e: it also was running Far Cry 2 with almost everthing maxed (AA turned down IIRC) at well over 30 FPS on a 22' monitor, can't remember the res but it would have been similar to what you're looking at.

Solitaire

Basically if you need good 1650*1080 performance in most games and/or you're skint, get the HD4830. If you want great 1650*1080 performance in most games, can afford it or want good performance at 1920*1080 get the HD4850.

Bear in mind that the HD4830 and most newer HD4850s are highly overclcokable and said process is as easy as going into Catalyst Control Centre; not sure about all HD4850s but I know many sites have run the Sapphire Value one within a hair's breadth of HD4870 speeds. The HD4870 itself is just an overclocked and overvolted HD4850 with fancy new memory; as a result it has little overclocking headroom.

Unless you want to push the HD4850 hard the HD4870 is the best choice if you need great 1920*1080 performance. Until recently that resolution wasn't an option unless you got a cheap 24" or a very expensive 22" but as you can see from Terror's build that higher resolution is now becoming far more predominant. I don't see that as neccessarily a good thing; it forces you to pay more for a graphics card, ie. if thinking of a HD4830 you have to get a HD4850, 4870 instead of 4850 etc. Even a cheap HD4870 is going to stretch your budget a bit.

quarryman

Great summary thanks.

Gone are the days when I would look up FPS charts and compare game performances. Layman's language is best now