Solved Best computer for a value of £600 to £650

[badger906]

i think you should stick with the rig i posted in one of my original posts! its well under budget, meaning you can treat yourself to a new monitor or keyboard and mouse ect

 

[essenbe]

Not all i5 or i7 CPUs are socket 1155. If it is a sandybridge it is socket 1155. You will be able to tell by the numbers after the i5. If it is 4 numbers such as i5-2500 or i7-2600 it is socket 1155, if it is a number like i5-750 it is not 1155. If you are thinking of replacing the ram, Graphics card, PSU and CPU, you are almost talking about building your own computer. Financially it is not wise to buy a computer that you are going to pour that much more money in. Why not build your own where you get to pick the kind and quality of components you want. Also to be considered is Dell like many other mass produced computers, use propiatary connectors for components so that you cannot just buy another PSU and hook it up.

 

[Faceofjoe421]

i3-2120 Processor (3.30GHz, 3MB)

Is this i7 Compatible?

 

[Faceofjoe421]

So my plan is a cheap computer for now with

1. 4-6 GB of Ram
2. Lowest HDD space (not important to me)
3. i3 Processor (upgradable to i7)
4. Good graphics card (also upgradable)
5. No monitor, mouse, or keyboard (will get seperate)
6. Included with Win7 Home Premium+
7. Within £600-£650 budget

Upgradable to SSD HDD, better Graphics Card, more Ram and also upgradable processor.

Also please post links to the SSD, Graphics Card, Ram and Processor recommended for the future.

SSD - £100-£150
Graphics Card - £200
Ram - £130
Processor - £250

 

[ignatzatsonic]

That i-3 2120 is a "Sandy Bridge" socket 1155 processor.

It requires a compatible "Sandy Bridge' socket 1155 motherboard.

Some i-7 processors are socket 1155 and so would work on that same motherboard, such as the 2600 and 2700.

Other i-7 processors have another socket, such as 1156, and would not fit on that same motherboard, such as the i7-870.

Other i-7 processors, such as the i-7 990X, are socket 1366 and would not work on the same motherboard either.

You need to pay attention to the socket.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

If you plan to upgrade the processor, RAM, graphics card, and SSD in the near future, you are probably better off buying the original machine with those upgraded parts after you save the additional money--rather than buying now and upgrading soon.

Otherwise, you will have some slightly used parts (HD, processor, and graphics card) on your hands. You'd have to hope you could sell them.

Intel, Crucial, and OCZ generally make good SSDs.

Crucial, G Skill, and Corsair make good RAM. Which you would need depends on which PC you buy originally.

If you buy a socket 1155 motherboard and want to upgrade to an i-7, it looks like you would be limited to the 2600 or 2700.

You may find that none of these upgrades make as much difference as you thought they might.

The SSD would make a noticeable difference in some areas, like booting and opening applications.

 

[Faceofjoe421]

By buying them soon, I meant that I would have to wait and save up the money.

So if I got badgers original system for £469, it would be best for me to upgrade that instead?

Crucial has 8GB (4x2) Ram sticks for my system, I'll get 2 of those.

The only SSD compatible is 512GB (£500) according to Crucial

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I think your best move is to wait as long as you can, save as much as you can, and then buy and don't upgrade a bunch of parts. You'll just end up spending more money.

Maybe upgrade a piece once a year or so.

Dell is high priced on some items, but if you buy from Dell and then soon replace the original parts with other parts, the net overall price is even higher.

RAM is one thing you should buy a minimum of from Dell--and then upgrade it on your own. But I don't think it would be cost-efficient to do that with drives, CPUs, or graphics cards. You end up with wasted parts and wasted money.

 

[Faceofjoe421]

I think your best move is to wait as long as you can, save as much as you can, and then buy and don't upgrade a bunch of parts. You'll just end up spending more money.

Maybe upgrade a piece once a year or so.

Dell is high priced on some items, but if you buy from Dell and then soon replace the original parts with other parts, the net overall price is even higher.

RAM is one thing you should buy a minimum of from Dell--and then upgrade it on your own. But I don't think it would be cost-efficient to do that with drives, CPUs, or graphics cards. You end up with wasted parts and wasted money.

I'm 15, and the computer will be a Christmas present, it would be a boring christmas to do nothing on Christmas.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

If it is a Christmas present using somebody else's money, then knock yourself out and go crazy with whatever you want.

My comments were on the assumption you wanted to do something sensible with your own money.

 

[Faceofjoe421]

If it is a Christmas present using somebody else's money, then knock yourself out and go crazy with whatever you want.

My comments were on the assumption you wanted to do something sensible with your own money.

Well I would prefer to, but I do not have a rich family

 

[Faceofjoe421]

What if I were to get this.

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

With the i7 Processor.

Then go to Crucial after I have gathered £70 and buy 16GB worth of RAM?

And then later on save up for a £500 SSD Drive?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

If you like PCs and think you might like to upgrade as a hobby type thing, you should have a local shop build one.

Use a standard ATX case.

Use a standard ATX power supply

Get 4 GB of RAM

Use your own Windows 7 Ultimate.

Use a standard Intel, Gigabyte, or Asus ATX motherboard. Mid-priced; doesn't have to be fancy.

Get a mid-level graphics card or maybe just an entry level one to start.

Use either an AMD or Intel CPU.

That way you will have industry standard parts that can be upgraded over time as you acquire more money---a piece at a time.

Dell is probably the best bet if you want to buy and stick with what you have for 2, 3, or 4 years. But it sounds like you don't want to stick with a given set of parts.

At least shop around for a local builder and get a list of parts that they can put together for 650 pounds. Post that list of parts here and we can pick it apart and comment on it.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

What if I were to get this.

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

With the i7 Processor.

Then go to Crucial after I have gathered £70 and buy 16GB worth of RAM?

And then later on save up for a £500 SSD Drive?

You can fiddle around with putting together a Dell if you want.

But it's the same story--it isn't cost-efficient if you are going to upgrade the major components within 6 months or a year.

There is very little chance you would benefit from 16 GB of RAM. I have 4 and have little use for even 8.

SSDs are very expensive and are best used as a boot drive only. Something around 60 or 80 GB. Price SSDs in that size. It should not be anywhere near 500 pounds.

You would then also have a regular hard drive to store your data on. The SSD would be for Windows and programs only.

 

[Faceofjoe421]

What if I were to get this.

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

With the i7 Processor.

Then go to Crucial after I have gathered £70 and buy 16GB worth of RAM?

And then later on save up for a £500 SSD Drive?

You can fiddle around with putting together a Dell if you want.

But it's the same story--it isn't cost-efficient if you are going to upgrade the major components within 6 months or a year.

There is very little chance you would benefit from 16 GB of RAM. I have 4 and have little use for even 8.

SSDs are very expensive and are best used as a boot drive only. Something around 60 or 80 GB. Price SSDs in that size. It should not be anywhere near 500 pounds.

You would then also have a regular hard drive to store your data on. The SSD would be for Windows and programs only.

So do you think there are cheaper SSD's compatible Crucial doesn't own?

If so where shall I look?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Look at UK suppliers.

It doesn't matter what is available in the USA, where I am. You have to deal with your own sources.

If you just want to window shop, here is a list of SSDs that sell for between 100 and 200 US dollars in the US.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&N=100011693 4017&IsNodeId=1&name=$100 - $200

Intel, OCZ, and Crucial are good brands.

You don't need more than 60 or 80 GB for a Windows drive.

Price those brands and models in the UK to get an idea.

 

[Faceofjoe421]

Look at UK suppliers.

It doesn't matter what is available in the USA, where I am. You have to deal with your own sources.

If you just want to window shop, here is a list of SSDs that sell for between 100 and 200 US dollars in the US.

Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, SSD, Internal SSD, $100 - $200

Intel, OCZ, and Crucial are good brands.

You don't need more than 60 or 80 GB for a Windows drive.

Price those brands and models in the UK to get an idea.

So no matter what SDD it is, it will be compatible?

 

[Faceofjoe421]

I found this from the Crucial.com website:
http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=197A16CAA5CA7304

64GB Crucial m4 2.5" SSD with 3.5" Adapter Bracket

But it is not in the UK version of the Crucial site.

Could you look online for another UK Source of this SSD for me please?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Yes, it will be compatible as long as you stick with ordinary SATA 2 or SATA 3 drives. Nearly all of them are one or the other. They connect to your motherboard just like a regular hard drive.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Could you look online for another UK Source of this SSD for me please?

No.

I know nothing about UK computer parts sources.