Can someone, provide me with a basic 'list' of components, including the box, to build a fairly decent computer.

I already have a good monitor, mouse, printer, keyboard etc. I just need the main box and its contents.

Realistically, what I want from you or someone is something I can printoff and take with me to a computer shop and say "please provide me with the following".

I have a budget of £300, however, if I have to go over this, then I suppose, subject to the system, I will exceed.

Many thanks.

Oh and, anyone out there build em and how much do you charge?

Matt

Depends what you call "decent" and what you'd use it for... I suppose these days stuff like RAM is cheap as chips (pardon the pun), but stuff like processors, motherboards etc are a bit more expensive and your £300 could be mostly eaten up by those alone.

Case (Most likely including power supply)
Motherboard
Processor - P4 3.2Ghz
RAM (Memory) 1Gb Min
Graphics Card - Depends if you want to play 3D games
Sound Card - As above, and depends if you want surround sound
Network Card (?)
Wireless Card (?)
Opitcal Drives (CD Drive, CD Burner, DVD Burner etc)
Floppy Drive
Hard Drive - 160Gb is pretty standrad these days
Expansion Cards (E.g. Extra USB ports, firewire etc)
Monitor
Keyboard
Mouse
Speakers
O/S (Windows/Linux)
Software (Office, Antivirus, Firewall, etc)

Depends what you call "decent" and what you'd use it for... I suppose these days stuff like RAM is cheap as chips (pardon the pun), but stuff like processors, motherboards etc are a bit more expensive and your £300 could be mostly eaten up by those alone.

Mainly surfing and burning. Certainly not used for gaming. So just something adequently fast and upto date with a fairly large capacity - ie. I curently use a 7-year old system with 20gb HDD, 256mb ram and a basic 2:1 sound card and crap grafix card - bought from PC World.

So I thought, to be honest, £300 would get me a system that is 'decent' when compared to what I currently have.

windows xp - £50 ish
processor - £50 minimum
case - £30 minimum
psu - £20
motherboard - £50 minimum
1GB - £60ish
250GB HDD - £60
DVD-RW - £30

thats £350 alone. Without paying someone to build it up. If you really want to stick to a low budget then im sure you will find someone to supply you, but i would recommend the following:

BUY the windows software.
Get a DECENT motherboard, not just the cheapest one going.
Get a DECENT PSU, if you go cheap, it will stop working.

these are the things that you must consider, even though they will tip you over your budget.

and DONT automatically head for the website with the cheapest prices, or the guy out the ads who will build it for £20.

And for those of you who are about to dispute my APPROXIMATE pricing above, take heed:

the cheapo websites are normally rubbish.

like ebuyer.com - AVOID. And if you need someone to build it, head to a local pc shop. they know what they are doing.

Budget is not as important as reliability. fact.

Best of luck!

How about this ?

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/116052/rb/23707346664

windows xp - £50 ish

[B]the cheapo websites are normally rubbish.

like ebuyer.com - AVOID. And if you need someone to build it, head to a local pc shop. they know what they are doing.

Budget is not as important as reliability. fact.

Best of luck!


In what way are cheapo websites rubbish ?

And what makes you think local pc shops are better .. I recently purchased a second hand P4 chip from a local shop . Nicely wrapped in toilet roll and sellotape.. That doesn't exactly scream out professionals to me ;)

I don't think building PCs is that cost effective at the moment, given the prices Dell are charging for full systems. If you were just upgrading the mobo and chip, yes, but starting from scratch I would say don't bother.

Keep your printer, put your mouse and keyboard in the loft for spares and ebay your monitor.

Very true - the big PC builders can put a system together that cheap now that unless you want something very specific there isn't much point in building your own anymore. You used to be able to make a saving a few years ago but now off the shelf stuff is very cheap.

Very true - the big PC builders can put a system together that cheap now that unless you want something very specific there isn't much point in building your own anymore. You used to be able to make a saving a few years ago but now off the shelf stuff is very cheap.

Yes but what alot of people don't understand ( Im not saying you dont) is that yes they build it cheaper...how ever;

1gb ram in dell might only be for example PC3200 @ 400mhz
wheras you build your own and it can be PC6400 @ 800mhz

FSB (Front side bus on your motherboard)
Dell probally offer about 533mhz on most of their motherboards
You can get a cheap decent one at 2000mhz now.

Processor.
Yes it might be 3.0ghz but if you have a slow FSB and slow ram then your system will become bottle necked and run slow. Alot of dell 3ghz processors only have a 256kb cache.. which quite frankly is crap.

My advice would be to build one yourself and if you cant do it yourself have someone put the components together for you.

And don't forget the sucky integrated G/card borrowing some of your memory :confused:

Yes but what alot of people don't understand ( Im not saying you dont) is that yes they build it cheaper...how ever;

1gb ram in dell might only be for example PC3200 @ 400mhz
wheras you build your own and it can be PC6400 @ 800mhz

FSB (Front side bus on your motherboard)
Dell probally offer about 533mhz on most of their motherboards
You can get a cheap decent one at 2000mhz now.

Processor.
Yes it might be 3.0ghz but if you have a slow FSB and slow ram then your system will become bottle necked and run slow. Alot of dell 3ghz processors only have a 256kb cache.. which quite frankly is crap.

My advice would be to build one yourself and if you cant do it yourself have someone put the components together for you.

Which is exactly why I put "unless you want something very specific" :)

To the majority of home users who just want to do a bit of surfing , burning, office app work such as the thread starter then an off the shelf machine is going to be more than enough. They also have the peace of mind that it's all covered by 1 warranty which makes it easier for them if something goes wrong.

I've built shed loads of computers over the years but even I'd consider a pre-built PC as I don't bother with games anymore - most of my work is networking stuff, office stuff and browsing. I'm typing this on a cheapo Dell laptop that to be fair is absolutely spot on for the price (about £300).

Yes you can put a PC together and get a much more powerful system but many people have no need for it.......... and no Vista isn't a valid reason :hihi:

I always build my own, although I agree you will not be able to match the big companies price wise by doing so.
For people that don't need a powerful PC and just use it for office and for browsing the Internet then most standard PC's will suffice....no need to spend lots of money, have a look at Mesh Computers (http://www.meshcomputers.com/)...excellent service, prices and guarantee.

I always build my own, although I agree you will not be able to match the big companies price wise by doing so.
For people that don't need a powerful PC and just use it for office and for browsing the Internet then most standard PC's will suffice....no need to spend lots of money, have a look at Mesh Computers (http://www.meshcomputers.com/)...excellent service, prices and guarantee.

Another good example. Mrs Chumley's been using a MESH for surfing and burning for the last 8 years.

The latest processors/graphics chips/FSBs etc etc are mainly developed for faster 3D and AI.

If you don't play games you don't really need it.

Mainly surfing and burning. Certainly not used for gaming. So just something adequently fast and upto date with a fairly large capacity - ie. I curently use a 7-year old system with 20gb HDD, 256mb ram and a basic 2:1 sound card and crap grafix card - bought from PC World.

So I thought, to be honest, £300 would get me a system that is 'decent' when compared to what I currently have.


Fiery Satsuma, I have a better way to save you money, get a base unit built to your spec and re-use your Monitor, keyboard and Mouse. All this can be done for under £300. I have details for you to look at, I have dealt with this company and they really are very good. Cant recommend them enough. See link below, you only need to ask them to put in a Hard disk, graphics card and load XP Home and test to see it works! They can then send you a complete system that all you need to do is plug the keyboard, mouse and Monitor in and press the start button!

I hope this helps TT Man
http://www.autdirect.co.uk/cgi-bin/

If that link doesn't work try this one http://www.autdirect.co.uk/

I agree, I always built my own PCs, but this is now the expensive option, basic PCs are cheaper out of the paper/computer magazine/local computer shop.

I always build my own, although I agree you will not be able to match the big companies price wise by doing so.
For people that don't need a powerful PC and just use it for office and for browsing the Internet then most standard PC's will suffice....no need to spend lots of money, have a look at Mesh Computers (http://www.meshcomputers.com/)...excellent service, prices and guarantee.

Definitely bear Mesh in mind, they've been getting awards for years and it's not very often, if ever that you see a bad word about them.

Try Icon Computers on Sheffield Rd .. just outside Barnsley Town Centre .. they will sort you out with a good machine :thumbsup:

Col ..

Heres their Website .. http://www.iconuk.co.uk/

the cheapo websites are normally rubbish.

like ebuyer.com - AVOID.


Any reason? I know the customer service is a bit poor, but branded parts are branded parts and the prices are reasonable.

Which websites aren't 'cheapo'?


.

Have to agree that off-the-shelf PCs are good value these days for the average home and office user. I only built my current system because I wanted something small and quiet, - an AOpen XCcube which I fitted with a suspended laptop HDD instead of a standard 3.5" drive.

Have to agree that off-the-shelf PCs are good value these days for the average home and office user. I only built my current system because I wanted something small and quiet

But even then it's quite difficult to beat something like the Mac Mini (http://www.apple.com/uk/macmini/)... :D



.

In what way are cheapo websites rubbish ?

And what makes you think local pc shops are better .. I recently purchased a second hand P4 chip from a local shop . Nicely wrapped in toilet roll and sellotape.. That doesn't exactly scream out professionals to me ;)


Any reason? I know the customer service is a bit poor, but branded parts are branded parts and the prices are reasonable.

Which websites aren't 'cheapo'?


ebuyer has probably the worst reputation out of any pc website. Branded parts are indeed branded parts but what happens if:

they have misled you about availability?

they deliver the wrong item?

you are having technical difficulties?

the item is faulty?

first case - you can be waiting a fair whack longer than the listed delivery time...from a few days, to longer...

second case - happens occasionally, bit of a bummer, this one. and you have been itching to slot that extra memory in for ages...pity its the wrong sort fella!

third case - nice one. cue an awkward phone call to a foreign call centre, where the bloke hasnt really got the foggiest what you are on about...and thinks you are all tw*ts anyway

last case - it happens to the best of em, they deliver an item which turns out to be faulty. ah well, its just a simple procedure...just fill out the online returns form, wait a few weeks, dig deep to actually find their number...call em up, get referred back to the online return form...and so on:)

this isnt heresay. i actually work in a pc shop, and over the last three years have managed to piece together a pretty conclusive picture. The above things HAPPEN. fact.

im not saying that these websites dont have a place. im saying that in my own experience, and the experience of hundreds of customers, websites have a tendency towards letting you down.

if you are one of the lucky few who have had a good experience with 'cheapo' sites - GREAT STUFF. Im pleased for you, enjoy your cheap purchase. nice one:)

im nor trying to drum up business for the shop i work in - dont really need to, we treat people well, offer good advice, and dont try and bite their arm off for the sale. the fact that its a bit more expensive isnt as important as getting the right thing, with the right support afterwards.

but to the OP - i hope you find what you are looking for;)

oh dear... (http://www.ebuyersucks.com/other_stories.phtml?story=157)

Oh and as for building cheaper...

ask for OEM. Do you really need a glossy box and a sticker for the front of the case reminding you what processor it has?

Only thing to watch is, retail processors often come boxed with heatsink and fan. OEM you get the chip and need to buy the fan seperately.

But even then it's quite difficult to beat something like the Mac Mini (http://www.apple.com/uk/macmini/)... :D

.

The price is easy to beat ;)

if you are one of the lucky few who have had a good experience with 'cheapo' sites - GREAT STUFF.

Well, so far, i must've been quite lucky with ebuyer then... and all the other online stores i use...


The price is easy to beat

Yes. For a normal desktop computer.
Try building something with a similar spec to- and that is as small as the mac mini for £399. :)



.

I can't belive that no one has actually fulfilled the op request.

Well, so far, i must've been quite lucky with ebuyer then... and all the other online stores i use...



Same here , And returning things has never been an issue , Fill out an Rma get a number and post back , how hard can it be ? . I've been using them for over 4 years without any problems . John Bradley must be one unlucky guy :(

^ well, we all have our own way of doing things, and if it works for you, im happy. Keep stroking the beard.