Member Avatar for jbennet

Okay im going to build a new PC. I want it for programming/college/games (nothing too fancy, guild wars, battlefield 2 and c &c generals mainly)

what do you all think of this?

AMD X2 AM2 Dual Core 4200 (2ghz, 512 cache - per core)
1024Mb 667Mhz PC5400 240pin DDR2 RAM
400W PSU
PCI Express x16 slot
nVidia 6100-based integrated Graphics
XP Pro SP2

£230 inc VAT .

I aim to stick in a ATI radeon x600 card from my current PC which runs most of the games I want. I will also stick in my current 160gb hard disk drive and DVD/R

Think thats good value? I currently have a dell and thats the whole point I want to build my own

Is the PSU too small? Im only gonna be running my crappy x600 though.

My current system is

Pentium 4 HT 3ghz with 1 or 2 mb cache dont know
XP Home SP2
ATI Radeon x600
2gb RAM
350w PSU

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Dani AI

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Given 's plan to build rather than buy, a few practical checks to consider before finalizing the purchase: confirm the motherboard BIOS will support the chosen CPU out of the box or can be updated without having the new chip already installed; make sure the board exposes the power and SATA/IDE connectors needed for any reused drives and expansion cards; and verify physical GPU clearance and a sensible case airflow path. As noted, Intel-based alternatives are a reasonable trade-off, and 's caution about ATI driver quirks on some Linux stacks is worth validating with a live distro image.

Power: a quality PSU with headroom matters far more than the absolute lowest rating. A quick estimation method is: CPU TDP + GPU TDP + ~50W per drive + ~50W for motherboard/RAM/fans, then multiply the sum by ~1.25–1.5 to pick a safe capacity. Check the +12V rail amperage and that the unit includes the required connectors (ATX main, CPU power, and any PCIe power for future GPUs). Prefer a known-brand unit with solid reviews over an anonymous cheap “rated” supply.

Memory & cooling: run matched DIMMs so the board can use dual-channel mode—two identical sticks typically outperform a single module of equal total size. For multi-boot and general development work, a modest amount of RAM is a wise baseline; add more if virtualization or heavy compiling is expected. Use a proper CPU cooler and maintain case airflow—modern dual-core chips usually run cooler than older P4 designs, but case layout and fan placement make a big difference.

OS/drivers & testing: check mass-storage/controller driver support for any OS to be installed; older installers may require supplying controller drivers or temporarily using a compatibility/IDE mode. On Linux, test 3D/compositing with a live image before committing. After assembly run memtest86+, monitor idle/load temperatures, and perform a CPU/GPU stress run to validate stability before regular use.

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Member Avatar for Member #127113

I hate AMD :|

Member Avatar for jbennet

yeah, i prefer a Core2Duo but thats like £40 more

Member Avatar for Member #127113

Why not you try with Pentium Dual Core (Its not Pentium D) with Intel 945 GCNL Mainboard

Member Avatar for jbennet

they are meant to get insanely hot, my P4HT gets hot enough as it is...

if i was gonna get an intel one id get a core2 for heat + power benefits

Member Avatar for Sturm

You dual booting *nix? ATI cards suck (though drivers are getting better) on linux...

Member Avatar for jbennet

I use the opensource one, not the ATI one.

The GNU one even lets me do compiz

and yeah, ubuntu and centOS alongsde XP.

I might spend the extra cash and get this one:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750
2048MB DDR2 800MHz
Black ATX Midi Tower 400W PSU
Gigabit LAN
Intel G33 PCI Express Chipset

£260 and then another £50 for a 550w psu, i suppose

Member Avatar for Member #127113

Be assure the G33 edition may be doesn't support Windows XP. Please confirm first about it.

Member Avatar for jbennet

you can hit F6 and provide a driver disk

my dad has a new dell based on this i think (Its entirely SATA and USB, no legacy whatsoever, even SATA dvd drive)

worked for his, as did ubuntu

ill research some more...

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