[meat_golem]

Hi all,

Im looking to purchase my own desktop, mainly so i can concentrate on learning Flash but also to play world of Warcraft on, so im looking for something with a bit of a beeft HDD and semi decent GFX card. Ive been looking at a site which builds Desktops to order (www.pcspecialist.co.uk), and have concocted the following build:

Processor (CPU)
INTEL® PENTIUM® 4 541 (3.2GHz) 800MHz FSB/HTT/1MB L2 Cache

Memory (RAM)
1024 MB CORSAIR DDR2 533MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY! (2x512MB)

Motherboard
HIGH END ASUS®: DUAL DDR2, S-ATA, x16 slot, 2 PCI, etc

Operating System
MICROSOFT WINDOWS® XP HOME (inc. Genuine CD & license)

USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS (4 REAR + 2 FRONT) AS STANDARD

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
160GB SERIAL ATA II HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7200rpm)

1st CD/DVD Drive
18x +/- DVD WRITER (8x +/- Dual Lyr) (5x DVD-RAM) (40x CD-RW)

Graphics Card
256MB RADEON X550 PCI Express + DVI + TV-OUT

Sound Card
INTEGRATED 6 CHANNEL (5.1 SURROUND) HIGH DEF. AUDIO

Network Facilities
2 WIRELESS 108Mbps CARDS (ONE SPARE FOR OTHER PC)

Floppy Disk Drive
1.44MB - 3.5\" FLOPPY DISK DRIVE

Case
Stylish Black/Silver Trident case + 2 front USB

Power Supply & cooling
STANDARD 350W PSU with CASE FAN

Monitor
15 INCH TFT SILVER/BLACK 1024 x 768 RES 16MS

Keyboard & Mouse
Logitech® Internet Keyboard + Hotkeys (Black)

Mouse
Black Logitech® Premium Optical Mouse

Office Software
MICROSOFT WORKS 8.5 - Word Processing, Spreadsheets, etc.

Warranty
1 Year Return-to-Base incl 1 Year Free Collect & Return

Delivery
Standard Insured Delivery to UK Mainland (Free)

£586 inc VAT and Delivery

Now what i want to know is, is this a decent build for the money (£600 is a hell of a lot for me. I do have the cash but want to be 10000% sure before i commit to purchase, esp. as i need to pay upfront before my PC is assembled. I understand it would work out cheaper to build my own, but i have no Knowledge WHATSOEVER about building my own so would be more comfortable with a professionally built setup.

So if anyone can rate this, offer advice or even suggest another place to buy from, id be grateful. many thanks!

[bassetman]

Not sure this is the best place for it, but....

aarhus2004 xmas spirit or not, there is no need to be rude!

[crjdriver]

I moved this to hardware; you will get more of a response on parts from system builders.

[dvk01]

I feel it is a bit expensive

for the same or less money you can get a dual core with bigger HD etc from http://www.meshcomputers.com/

I have had 2 from them and am very satisfied

look around carefully though and sometimes a deal at PCworld might be better than what you originally posted

[crjdriver]

Some thoughts on your parts selection.

1 I would really go with either a Pentium D 9xx series or the newer core2 duo rather than the older one you have selected.

2 Motherboard. Unless you plan on overclocking the system, I would go with a real intel board. I am not a fan of asus; they have had quality control issues lately.

3 Video card. If you intend on playing WOW, I would go with a better quality video card. An x800, x850 or x1600xt would be a better choice.

4 Power supply. Most of the power supplies that come with cases are junk. If you stick with an antec case, you will get a quality ps. You can buy a case without a ps, and install a quality unit.

This cannot be over stressed; cheap power supplies cause all types of problems.

[brite750]

so we're talking about $1200usd here then, yeah thats a chunk of cash alright.

[meat_golem]

Thanks for your input, its very helpful indeed.

This is very tempting:

http://www.meshcomputers.com/Default...UCT&KEY=116787

I do like the look of this model here. but i will be shopping around until about January before i commit to buying. As for the PCSPECIALIST parts, thats pretty much all they had that i could afford. Having a budget sucks, especially when youre at the mercy of the pricey UK stores..

[brite750]

Originally Posted by meat_golem

Thanks for your input, its very helpful indeed.

This is very tempting:

http://www.meshcomputers.com/Default...UCT&KEY=116787

I do like the look of this model here. but i will be shopping around until about January before i commit to buying. As for the PCSPECIALIST parts, thats pretty much all they had that i could afford. Having a budget sucks, especially when youre at the mercy of the pricey UK stores..

well I'm definately liking that one better

[Rich-M]

I agree looking better!

[meat_golem]

Well, i am now settled. I shall order that PC as soon as Xmas is over!

Thanks VERY much for all your help and information!

*bookmarks Meshcomputers*