Dead Men Walking

dMw Chit Chat => The Beer Bar => Technology Section => Topic started by: A Twig on March 17, 2003, 08:08:40 PM

Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: A Twig on March 17, 2003, 08:08:40 PM
Ok, currently, AMD Athlon 800Mhz, 20 Gig HD, Riva TNT2 graohics card, some lame creative soundcard which dont work with CS, i get sound for bout 30 secs then have to play in silence!!!

Im looking to upgrade the hard drive (which is buggered atm) and processor and graphics card, ideally for around £200-£250. This is a bit hopeful I know, what can pple recommend??
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: suicidal_monkey on March 17, 2003, 08:25:04 PM
~£80 - XP 2200
~£80 - 80Gb HDD

which is ~£160 leaving you 40-90 for a gfx card.
~£50 is a GF3, GF4MX, radeon 9000
not sure after that...
~£90 is GF3ti500, or 2nd hand 4200/9500pro
~£120-150 is a GF4200 to 9500 pro territory
Title: nice one
Post by: A Twig on March 17, 2003, 08:26:41 PM
Superb, cheers!
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: smilodon on March 17, 2003, 09:02:18 PM
will the mobo go from 800 to 2200 ?
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: TeaLeaf on March 17, 2003, 10:44:56 PM
That was the question I was going to ask - which motherboard you got there lil'tree-type fella?  I suspect the fastest you can go on that board is about 1.3GHz-ish.  You may need to buy a new mobo first, then upgrade the CPU, then the RAM and then worry 'bout the HDD and gfx.

A good mobo will give you pretty darn good sound - then pick up a second hand SL Live 5.1 at some point down the road.

Your GF2 will run CS with few problems.  Again, leave the gfx upgrade until later.

HDDs are for sale regularly - pick one up second hand.....

Spend your money on:

1.  New mobo inc decent onboard sound (c. £80)
2.  New CPU (XP2200 is c.£80)
3.  512MB of decent DDR RAM (512MB of stock PC2700 is c. £50 - it is so cheap it is nto worth getting it 2ndhand)

Then look to pick the rest up at cheaper than retail prices.  For example, I have a spare brand new 60GB Maxtor HDD sitting on a shelf behind me.  I would take offers etc.  There are others on these boards who will also do deals for spare bits of kit etc.  Post your needs (component needs only fella  8O ) and see what peeps come up with......but use your cash to buy the above 3 things new.

TL.  8)
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: smilodon on March 17, 2003, 11:22:48 PM
I've a AMD 2100 you can have for half price. They go for £80 on Dabs.com and I'll even pay the postage me old matey.

Ohh you know it's a bargin  8)
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: DarkAngel on March 18, 2003, 12:47:24 AM
http://www.burtoncomputers.co.uk/Very%20good%20site%20cheap%20parts%20for%20pcs%20they%20also%20are%20based%20in%20the%20uk%20and%20have%20a%20friendly%20service%20:)
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: DarkAngel on March 18, 2003, 12:48:18 AM
Sorry youll have to copy and paste cant be arsed with this urc thingy too tired

http://www.burtoncomputers.co.uk/ (http://www.burtoncomputers.co.uk/)
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: Signal on March 18, 2003, 09:41:26 AM
A few sites you might want to brose to get an idea of some prices...

http://www.coolcasemods.com/ (http://www.coolcasemods.com/)
http://www.thecoolingshop.co.uk/tcs/home.asp (http://www.thecoolingshop.co.uk/tcs/home.asp)
http://ukcasemods.com/ (http://ukcasemods.com/)

...then find it cheaper so as to know your getting a good deal :wink:
Title: ok
Post by: A Twig on March 18, 2003, 04:43:35 PM
My motherboard details:

Manufacturer:      MSI                            
Model:         MS-6316                        
Version:         N/A
BIOS Vendor:      American Megatrends Inc.        
BIOS Version:      A6316MS V1.0 B7 Time Computer Sy
BIOS Release Date:   03/22/00                        
BIOS Properties:      Plug and Play, Flash
 
So it looks like I will have to upgrade that then! Oh yeah and I only have 128MB RAM, so Ill upgrade that as well. And processor and hard drive are screwed so that is also top of the list. That will probs take a fair wodge out of my £250, so yeah looks like the rest will have to wait.

Oh and Greg, hang onto that processor I may just take you up on that!!!
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: TeaLeaf on March 18, 2003, 06:16:25 PM
OK, your mobo is so old that either the number you gave is wrong or they do not keep records of it any longer  :lol:  Here's what I would do with the £250 squid:

MOBO:
There is a very nice and highly tweakable Epox 8K5A2+ sitting just here (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Clearance_Lines_16.html).  It offers provides a nice Socket A for your CPU, VIA Apollo KT333 AGPset, USB2.0, RAID (High Point controller), 3x DDR-SDRAM Slots for PC2700, AGP4x, built-in Digital Audio (Realtek 650)
6-channel audio, game and MIDI ports and has a built-in 10/100 Mbps ethernet card.  
BUDGET £64.00

RAM:
A single 512MB stick of PC2700 DDR RAM is currently cheaper than a 512MB stick of PC2100, so get the faster PC2700!!  You will find some very cost effective PC2700 RAM here (http://www.scan.co.uk/todayonly/).  
BUDGET £41.00

CPU:
If Smiley can do you a 'pre-owned' CPU for £40 then that's a reasonable buy - but only if he has not wound the clock frequencies up in the interests of overclocking science  :wink:  A brand new Thoroughbred XP2100+ is currently £76, so buy at half price or lower.  
BUDGET £40.00

GRAPHICS CARD:
£100 will get you a brand new GF4-4200 which if you unlock and overclock (adding a bigger fan and heatsink along the way) will come within a gnat's whisker of GF4-4600 performance.   If you don't want to mess with the overclocking then go for a Radeon based chipset and spend the same bucks.  BUDGET £100.00

HDD:
Well, you can pick these up almost anywhere at decent prices.  So it depends what size you want.  But as I am right tight on your budget cap I will be nice to you and offer you my own brand new Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 60GB HDD (2MB cache 8.7ms seek and 7200rpm) for £30.00 plus a pint of my chosen beer if you ever come to one of the dMw LAN parties  :D   It is still boxed and sealed.  BUDGET £30.00

Like any good reviewer, I have blown your £250.00 budget and then some, but I am sure you'll forgive me the extra £25.00 and I reckon 10% variance on a job is within acceptable tolerances :wink:    

And finally, SOUND CARD:
If you eventually get bored with your onboard sound then a Creative Labs Soundblaster Live! will do your CS real nice and costs just £25.00 - you will find them all over the place, including here (http://www.scan.co.uk).

Hope this helps a wee bit.

TL.  8)
Title: great
Post by: A Twig on March 18, 2003, 07:05:11 PM
absolutely fantastic! Cheers for all the help pple! Ill let you know the results of my spending spree!!!!

OH and for a replacement HD, what to pple think of this?
30Gb Maxtor Plus 8 - ATA-133 (7200rpm, 2MB Cache) 1Yr

And this for my graphics card
http://www.connect3d.com/products/products...eon_9000pro.htm (http://www.connect3d.com/products/products_radeon_9000pro.htm)
Title: Final list
Post by: A Twig on March 18, 2003, 07:33:03 PM
This is what I am buying therefore:

Part                     
Epox 8K5A2+ (Socket A) Motherboard (MB-013-EP)       64.63
256Mb PC2700 (PC333) DDR Memory (Major)       22.90
30Gb Maxtor Plus 8 - ATA-133 (7200rpm, 2MB Cache) 1Yr               49.29
Radeon 9000 128MB DDR AGP RP          74.00
Athlon XP 2000+ 1.67GHz SoA             66.50

I can put it through business and get rid of VAT, therefore overall cost is £236.02p
Fantastic eh!
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: smite on March 18, 2003, 07:36:59 PM
If i was you i would take up the offer of the 60Gig that TL is offering if not TL over here mate ill have it :D
Overclockers are still doing the SB5.1 for £24 or the 4.1 for £12
Title: Nah
Post by: A Twig on March 18, 2003, 07:54:27 PM
I dont need a 60 gig, all I use my PC for is word processing and counter-strike!!!
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: TeaLeaf on March 18, 2003, 07:55:42 PM
Glad the info helped Twiggy  :D   Now when you build the system why don't you post up your benchmark scores eh?

As for the HDD please post here if you want to take me up on the offer Twiggy, otherwise Smite will have first refusal.  Right now and probably for the first time in his life, Smite is hoping another man says 'no'  :lol:

TL.  8)
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: smite on March 18, 2003, 07:57:13 PM
QuoteSmite is hoping another man says 'no' :lol:

TL. 8)

OY ...they say no all the time  :cry:  :cry:
Title: Sorted
Post by: A Twig on March 18, 2003, 08:15:48 PM
Right, the order forms have been filled in, credit cards dented, and I await my hardware!!!!

Thanks for the offer Tea but like I said I dont really need a 60G HD, so Ill turn that one down so it can go to someone more deserving!!!

Thanks to everyone for all their help!  :D Just you all wait, within about a week I'll be openin a whole can of whup-ass with all your names on it!!!!!  :)
lol

Once again, thankyou!
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: smilodon on March 18, 2003, 08:19:04 PM
Quote
CPU:
If Smiley can do you a 'pre-owned' CPU for £40 then that's a reasonable buy - but only if he has not wound the clock frequencies up in the interests of overclocking science :wink: A brand new Thoroughbred XP2100+ is currently £76, so buy at half price or lower.
BUDGET £40.00

The CPU hasn't even come out of it's little box, let alone been in a PC. It's virgin.
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: TeaLeaf on March 18, 2003, 10:20:56 PM
Smiley - as it appears from his posts that Twiggy has not bought your CPU, can I take it off your hands please?  For a price of course.....

PM me and we'll sort the details - I need something to play overclocking with and that sounds 'just right'   :D

TL.  8)
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: TeaLeaf on March 18, 2003, 10:21:46 PM
Smite - PM me your details and we'll sort out the HDD sale to you  :D

TL.  8)
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: marsvolta on March 18, 2003, 10:55:10 PM
Quote~£80 - XP 2200
~£80 - 80Gb HDD

which is ~£160 leaving you 40-90 for a gfx card.
~£50 is a GF3, GF4MX, radeon 9000
not sure after that...
~£90 is GF3ti500, or 2nd hand 4200/9500pro
~£120-150 is a GF4200 to 9500 pro territory

why spend that fricking much on gi, 20 is fine, 80 its just a waster no1 can fill 80 gig with porn, i suggest new mothermoard no idea whcih 1 but idealy costing bout 80 -100
then spend 30 - 60 on a graphix card u can get 85- 100 fps on quite shittys ones u jsut gotta do some adjust that leaves about80 left
then u get a new sound card, shitty 1 mkaes no differnce, and i suggest gettin xp cracked from some1, and if u get all that and ur fps still aint hight get a new comp mate cuz urs must be prehistoric
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: marsvolta on March 18, 2003, 10:59:07 PM
crap forgot to read the second page, hes bought it o well

if any 1 has xp and it wandering why the fps nevers leaves 60 well i have the answer, go on ur groahix settings browse around and find a thing ma bob called vertical sync put all ways off tehn go on some site and download ReForce 4 this disables teh stupid shitty fps thingy on xp that stops u rusing above a designated level, then voila u get 100 fps, or not in twigs case u might get about 2.5 well any improvemnets better than none ery twig :pimp:
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: smilodon on March 18, 2003, 11:02:45 PM
sheepy has competition
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: TeaLeaf on March 19, 2003, 07:46:56 AM
QuoteSmiley - as it appears from his posts that Twiggy has not bought your CPU, can I take it off your hands please? For a price of course.....

PM me and we'll sort the details - I need something to play overclocking with and that sounds 'just right'  :D
Smiley - did you see my post?

TL.  8)
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: Doorman on March 19, 2003, 08:18:39 AM
Quotesheepy has competition

Might just have the edge on him.  :D
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: Gh0st Face Killah on March 19, 2003, 04:05:21 PM
Quote no1 can fill 80 gig with porn

Have you not met Benny then?

 :twisted:  :twisted:
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: marsvolta on March 19, 2003, 04:39:20 PM
obviastly not  8)
Title: nah
Post by: A Twig on March 19, 2003, 08:27:16 PM
Im still on Win 98, did have XP but then me radio link for me aDSL didnt work, so I had to downgrade!!! lol i really have no luck do I!
Title: Help!!!!! My PC sucks!
Post by: smilodon on March 20, 2003, 09:45:56 PM
Quote
QuoteSmiley - as it appears from his posts that Twiggy has not bought your CPU, can I take it off your hands please? For a price of course.....

PM me and we'll sort the details - I need something to play overclocking with and that sounds 'just right'  :D
Smiley - did you see my post?

TL.  8)[/b]

Yep..but what I'm not seeing is my bleedin CPU :x

I'm still hunting through my PC spares mess for it. I'll get back to you.