Hey, my family needs a new desktop for the family, the desktop needs to be for all family stuff e.g casual gaming and for work. My price limit is £500-£600, i am not looking into building my own and these two were the best i could find bearing in mind im english:

 

Option one:HP Pavilion Slimline s5-1015uk Desktop PC £579

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/hp-pavilion-slimline-s5-1015uk-desktop-pc-10452173-pdt.html

 

Option two: XPS 8300 £539

http://s1094.photobucket.com/albums/i451/Panda-Chef/?action=view&current=pcdell.png

 

Which one is better or do you guys have any other better suggestions

What do you mean by casual gaming? The 6450 isn't going to play much.

The Dell has better specs but I would try to find something similar to the Dell but from another brand since Dell isn't a good brand.

Please.. consider building

 

[hide=Build]Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£89.86 @ Scan.co.uk)

Motherboard: MSI 870-G45 ATX AM3 Motherboard (£50.24 @ Scan.co.uk)

Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory (£24.89 @ Ebuyer)

Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£44.87 @ Scan.co.uk)

Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 6770 1GB Video Card (£79.55 @ Ebuyer)

Case: Cooler Master Elite 335 ATX Mid Tower Case (£28.65 @ Ebuyer)

Power Supply: Corsair 500W ATX12V Power Supply (£44.80 @ Ebuyer)

Optical Drive: Sony AD-7261S-0B DVD/CD Writer (£15.99 @ Amazon UK)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) (£71.05 @ Ebuyer)

Total: £449.90

(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)

(Generated 2011-10-09 22:14 BST+0100)[/hide]

 

If not, I've actually seen some builds by smaller companies selling computers on amazon, and they're actually pretty good value for money (they're built then sold to you). I can't vouch for the companies, but their prices are 100% more competitive than dells, or any other large PC manufacturer.

Please.. consider building

 

[hide=Build]Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£89.86 @ Scan.co.uk)

Motherboard: MSI 870-G45 ATX AM3 Motherboard (£50.24 @ Scan.co.uk)

Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory (£24.89 @ Ebuyer)

Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£44.87 @ Scan.co.uk)

Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 6770 1GB Video Card (£79.55 @ Ebuyer)

Case: Cooler Master Elite 335 ATX Mid Tower Case (£28.65 @ Ebuyer)

Power Supply: Corsair 500W ATX12V Power Supply (£44.80 @ Ebuyer)

Optical Drive: Sony AD-7261S-0B DVD/CD Writer (£15.99 @ Amazon UK)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) (£71.05 @ Ebuyer)

Total: £449.90

(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)

(Generated 2011-10-09 22:14 BST+0100)[/hide]

 

If not, I've actually seen some builds by smaller companies selling computers on amazon, and they're actually pretty good value for money (they're built then sold to you). I can't vouch for the companies, but their prices are 100% more competitive than dells, or any other large PC manufacturer.

Ok, but how hard is it to put it together correctly? And does that include everything, like the case

Please.. consider building

 

[hide=Build]Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£89.86 @ Scan.co.uk)

Motherboard: MSI 870-G45 ATX AM3 Motherboard (£50.24 @ Scan.co.uk)

Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory (£24.89 @ Ebuyer)

Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£44.87 @ Scan.co.uk)

Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 6770 1GB Video Card (£79.55 @ Ebuyer)

Case: Cooler Master Elite 335 ATX Mid Tower Case (£28.65 @ Ebuyer)

Power Supply: Corsair 500W ATX12V Power Supply (£44.80 @ Ebuyer)

Optical Drive: Sony AD-7261S-0B DVD/CD Writer (£15.99 @ Amazon UK)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) (£71.05 @ Ebuyer)

Total: £449.90

(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)

(Generated 2011-10-09 22:14 BST+0100)[/hide]

 

If not, I've actually seen some builds by smaller companies selling computers on amazon, and they're actually pretty good value for money (they're built then sold to you). I can't vouch for the companies, but their prices are 100% more competitive than dells, or any other large PC manufacturer.

Ok, but how hard is it to put it together correctly? And does that include everything, like the case

It's very easy to put a PC togethor, and there are plenty of guides on the internet such as these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_56kyib-Ls&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxaVBsXEiok&feature=relmfu

Guy's build does include everything, but you can probably squeeze an i5 2400 into your budget.

 

-Edit-

Here you go:

2400 vs Phenom x4 Comparison.

 

Or an i5 2500k if you want a bit more future proofing in the form of overclocking when you start to notice a slow down.

 

Depends on how close to your max budget you want to get.

2500k vs Phenom x4 Comparison.

Ok, does those links you posted contain all the parts? Also i dont just want it for gaming will it be able to be a family pc as well?

Please.. consider building

 

[hide=Build]Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£89.86 @ Scan.co.uk)

Motherboard: MSI 870-G45 ATX AM3 Motherboard (£50.24 @ Scan.co.uk)

Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory (£24.89 @ Ebuyer)

Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£44.87 @ Scan.co.uk)

Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 6770 1GB Video Card (£79.55 @ Ebuyer)

Case: Cooler Master Elite 335 ATX Mid Tower Case (£28.65 @ Ebuyer)

Power Supply: Corsair 500W ATX12V Power Supply (£44.80 @ Ebuyer)

Optical Drive: Sony AD-7261S-0B DVD/CD Writer (£15.99 @ Amazon UK)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) (£71.05 @ Ebuyer)

Total: £449.90

(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)

(Generated 2011-10-09 22:14 BST+0100)[/hide]

Guy's build does include everything, but you can probably squeeze an i5 2400 into your budget.

-£140 for current CPU/Motherboard. +£150 for i5 2400, setting total to £460~. That leaves you £140 for motherboard, which is easily doable (you can get good ones for under £100). Up to you if you want the upgrade, I wouldn't bother unless you're doing quite a bit of gaming (BF3-esque)

If it helps, I can play BF3 on High, Ultra textures and 2xAA fine with my 460.

Ok, does those links you posted contain all the parts? Also i dont just want it for gaming will it be able to be a family pc as well?

 

Is that directed at me? The links I posted are just comparisons of the 2 CPUs. If you want I can post you the links for the parts, just tell me which build you're wanting.

Ok, does those links you posted contain all the parts? Also i dont just want it for gaming will it be able to be a family pc as well?

 

Is that directed at me? The links I posted are just comparisons of the 2 CPUs. If you want I can post you the links for the parts, just tell me which build you're wanting.

Both

Ok, does those links you posted contain all the parts? Also i dont just want it for gaming will it be able to be a family pc as well?

 

Is that directed at me? The links I posted are just comparisons of the 2 CPUs. If you want I can post you the links for the parts, just tell me which build you're wanting.

Both

• 
   
  
• i5 2500k / i5 2400
  
• GPU
  
• Motherboard
  
• W7 & HDD bundle
  
• PSU
  
• Case
  
• RAM
  
• CD drive
  

 

The RAM is a 'This week only offer' that expires on Wednesday so if you order afterwards it may go up in price but there is almost always a 2x2GB DDR3 1333Mhz set on offer so you can swap them out. If you're unsure update your topic or PM me for help.

Ok, does those links you posted contain all the parts? Also i dont just want it for gaming will it be able to be a family pc as well?

 

Is that directed at me? The links I posted are just comparisons of the 2 CPUs. If you want I can post you the links for the parts, just tell me which build you're wanting.

Both

• 
   
  
• i5 2500k / i5 2400
  
• GPU
  
• Motherboard
  
• W7 & HDD bundle
  
• PSU
  
• Case
  
• RAM
  
• CD drive
  

 

The RAM is a 'This week only offer' that expires on Wednesday so if you order afterwards it may go up in price but there is almost always a 2x2GB DDR3 1333Mhz set on offer so you can swap them out. If you're unsure update your topic or PM me for help.

Thanks alot for your help both you and guy, is that everything i will need to build it?

Just some advice: If this is your first build take your time with it. You may get a part that is DOA, but many of the times you just plugged in something wrong. I've worked on computers forever and every build I have done has had one random problem or another. They are all fixable, and you can ask for help. If you want to game you are definitely going to want to build one, unless you like throwing money away.

Go for the 1gb GTX 460. Most modern games are starting to use at least 1gb of VRAM at 1920x1080.

 

EDIT: Grab this 550ti. It preforms about the same as the 1gb 460, but is 30 pounds less.

I got recommended these parts by a friend, which is the best out of all the parts posted on these topics? And how likely is it to break if i build it?

That build looks very nice. I'd replace the Coolermaster PSU though. Get something by Corsair, Antec or Seasonic.

That build looks very nice. I'd replace the Coolermaster PSU though. Get something by Corsair, Antec or Seasonic.

Ok i am going to buy the parts soon, is this one better?

Corsair 500W CX V2 PSU

And the picture above apart from tools is that all the components i will need?

That build looks very nice. I'd replace the Coolermaster PSU though. Get something by Corsair, Antec or Seasonic.

Ok i am going to buy the parts soon, is this one better?

Corsair 500W CX V2 PSU

And the picture above apart from tools is that all the components i will need?

Yes, that corsair one is good. You'll only need a screwdriver when it comes to tools. Looking good.

So i wont need any cable ties or anything like that? Ok i will order it today off ebuyer, how much memory on the hard drive will it have?

You don't >need< cable ties, but they're nice. You can get 100 for like 2 pounds on ebay. The harddrive is 1TB, or 1000GB.

One last thing to make my pc neater i will use cable ties, any idea on the length and width, the options are

120mm x2.5m

200m x 2.5mm

300m x3.6m

From this link http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CABLE-TIES-HIGH-QUALITY-FAST-FREE-DELIVERY-/280723810540?pt=UK_Packaging_Materials&var=&hash=item870d119202

I personally like the 2.5mm ones, and 120mm will be good for length (you'll be cutting the majority of it off anyway, no point in 200mm)

Im bulidng the pc now, i have just done the cpu and im now installing the fan that goes with it, it comes with silica gel. Is that the same as thermal paste, do i put it on the same areas? And how do i apply it on the surface?

Silica gel? The AMD cooler comes preapplied with thermal paste, which is gray.