New Rig

[Nick R]

Asustek Radeon HD3650 256MB DDR3 PCIE Dual DVI 725/1.6GHz

OCZ Technology 2x1GB 240DIMM PC2-6400 DDR2 Platinum

Zalman Heatpipe CPU cooler with 92mm blue LED fan

Asustek S775 Intel P35 ATX GLAN

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz OEM

OR

A C2D (2 core) socket 775 processor

Anyone know if there will be any issues?

 

[Barry]

I'd get a better GPU and CPU Cooler.

You can get awesome 8800 GT's for ~ £120/130 and I'd go for an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 pro minimum, and a Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme with a Yate Loon fan if you can afford it.

Whats the name of the motherboard? I assume its some sort of a P5K?

 

[Toxcity]

Yeah, As Barry said really. Grab yourself a better GPU.

And get a better cooler if you are wanting to OC.

 

[Nick R]

I was working to a £350 budget, all I need it to do is run The Sims for my daughter.

 

[Nick R]

How about a BFG Graphics GeForce 9600GT OC 512MB GDDR3 PCIE DVI 675/1.8GHz?

That Zalman CPU Cooler actually costs £38, so I'm looking at your suggestions. If I don't OC anything would the Zalman be adequate.

 

[Barry]

I was working to a £350 budget, all I need it to do is run The Sims for my daughter.

In that case, an e2160/2180 would surfice nicely, a Q6660 seems like overkill, and an Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro is MUCH cheaper, and a good cooler. If you can get an 8800 GT for ~ £130 then get that over the 9600 GT .

 

[Toxcity]

Its for your duaghter? Quad core is sooo overkill.

Give her a nice C2D.

 

[nepas]

yep have to agree a q66 is toooo much for just playing the sims(the whole rig is a bit over the top for just that)but if she wants to play more advanced stuff the rest of the kit is a good starting point

 

[Nick R]

I don't suppose I could persuade anyone would like to spec one up for me? I've never touched the sims and don't have a clue what it needs.

Another thing that does come into the equation is a bit of future proofing though, I'm hoping it will last 4 years.

EDIT: another question; Is a 400W power supply adequate for the specs above (with the updated graphics card).

 

[Bungral]

Its for your duaghter? Quad core is sooo overkill.

Give her a nice C2D.

Or a nice PIII

(ignore me)!

 

[nepas]

Or a nice PIII

(ignore me)!

yep.ignore him

 

[Toxcity]

Or a nice PIII

(ignore me)!

lol, but lets be honest with ourselves. A PIII could easily play the Sims.

 

[Newbieclocker]

I don't suppose I could persuade anyone would like to spec one up for me? I've never touched the sims and don't have a clue what it needs.

Another thing that does come into the equation is a bit of future proofing though, I'm hoping it will last 4 years.

EDIT: another question; Is a 400W power supply adequate for the specs above (with the updated graphics card).

Hi! :hello:

If I wanted to build a decent PC that would play the Sims well while sticking to a budget of under 350 pounds, I would go with the following. This is all in US $ but if my math is right it should cost about 285 pounds initially, and 240 pounds after the rebates. I don’t know if it costs more to ship over seas or what (or if Newegg ships there), but this is the rig I would buy/ build on that budget and I'm sure these parts are available from somehwere else. You’d still need to get a case and an optical drive, but those aren’t too expensive and you could easily get them for less than the 60 pounds that you'd have left over. If you wanted to step it up a little bit, I'd look for a PCI 2.0 mobo and get a 512 MB (PCI 2.0) GPU. They would put you a bit over your 350 pound limit though I think.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 Allendale 2.4GHz LGA 775 65W $140 US

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115032

MOBO: ABIT IP35-E LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $90 ($60 US after rebate)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127031

RAM: Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 $54 ($29 US after rebate)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146565

GPU: EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 $145 ($115 US after rebate)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130082

HD: Western Digital Caviar 160GB 7200 RPM 16MB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $60 US

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136062

PSU: Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC ATX 430W Power Supply 115/ 230 V - Retail $40 ($30 after rebate)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153023

CPU FAN: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail $32 US

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

TOTAL $561 before rebates

$477 after