Help For Spooky... And His Beloved Computer..

[Spooky Mouse]

Hello all..

I've done somthing very foolish and require some help.. I went and bought a Compaq PC for £999 its a Compaq Presario SR1460UK and the specifications can be found here http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...cname=c00374260&product=472225&dlc=en&lang=en This PC really Bugs me now.. infact i cant stand the Damned thing and have resorted to the Ancient P2 Win98SE that is Upstairs Which is what im using now


When I first bought it and switched it on... The system asked me the useual setup information and then the Hard drive got stuck.. Click Click..... for an hour and a half....The power button would not work and I had to pull the plug........ although the system works fine now without faults I will still use this as my excuse too take it back and ask for a refund as the drive is intermitantly sticking (well it did when I first switched it on)

(Other things that really really annoy me about this Rip off system is the fact that they advertise that it comes with Windows XP home.... Hummm Nope what it does have is a Compaq infested Image of Windows XP Complete with a really annoying Infestation of the "itunes" Subscription iPod Rubbush and Norton Crap on a Recovory section of the drive so if I want to completly recover my OS I will get the Companies propoganda and there Subscription Crap all over the fresh install... (I ask myself why am I paying for these adverts and not even getting an OS Disk.. an OS that I have paid for... (What if I wanted to Completly Wipe the Drives and reorganise the Drives.. nope cant do must keep Compaqs recovory Partition... This Theiving Company makes my blood boil)
Not a chance if I want to use Lynux (not that I could..lol) then switch back.. I paid for the Windows OS .. not a Try out once version of it..

Another Damned peice of cheek is that they advertised a 320GB hard drive (2x160 GB)... Well this is infact another Lie... because Compaq and there stupid Recovory partition have taken up a Portion of that 320GB

Compaq should not be allowed by law to sell PCs... lol

Well thats my moan over with.... Sorry about that

I phoned PC World and they said I had 28 days to take the System back that was from the 17/5/05 and that they would check the system before proceeding.... Well there system is going back... Either through the front Door.... or the Front Window.. the Choice is theres....

Well back to the point... I wonder if anyone can give me some help to do a system from scratch... what would you build for £1000 approx.. the points i need to consider is..

1. Good Sound.... As the system will be used to play music while eating and relaxing

2. Quietness....... no point having some nice romantic music on while the PC is sounding like a Vacum Cleaner (Ha Ha...that's if there is such a thing as romantic Punk..lol)

3. Display... a good monitor is very important... I tried watching a DVD on the TFT that came with the compaq and all it made me want to do was switch of the PC and insert the DVD into the DVD player in the front room.. all to do with response time i guess.. would 8MS be like watching TV?.. the peice of junk that came with the system is 16Ms Response Time..

4. A small depth case.. as it needs to fit in a wierd space..... ( not too keen on the Small Form Factor type.. i like the tower just tying to find one with a small depth which unfortunatly seems to only be made by Rouges like Compaq... I really love the P160 Case Alliminium and Cool but unfortunatly a little too deep...

Unfortunatly I know nothing of Motherboards.. and the whole PC front is getting complex now.. Should one go for SLI.. buy a proccesor that is 64 bit and wait for the 64 bit version of windows.. blah.. blah.. blahh




Well the point of this very long post (Sorry)... is that if I dont sort out a decent PC before my time is up.. I may as well keep this pile of junk that I have sitting downstairs now... So any help at all would be apprecated.. So I put it to you for ideas...

if you were going to build a Home media PC what components would you use and how would you do it?

Please Help..

 

[Me__2001]

i would use the following

AMD 2800 XP
Asus A7N8X-E
512MB Geil Value
Samsung 160GB SATA Drive
Plextor dual layer SATA DVDRW
a floppy drive
HIS 128MB 9800 Pro with TV out
Windows XP home
Creative soundblaster live sound card
Hyundai IimageQuest 19" LCD

all bundled into an arctic cooling T1 silent midi case

that from overclockers comes in at about £860

with a set of speakers recommended by Quad

or the "Titan Vantage" from overclockers for just over £1000

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/full_systems.html

 

[Belloni]

I'd go for the "Titan Vantage" ... very good price it seems and pretty awesome system ! lol

Soz to hear about your troubles with Compac aswell ... doubt i will be using them in the near future !!!

 

[psd99]

what did learn from this trauma spooky mouse?

u learnt that u should have come here on pcr and asked us all our opinons and openly discussed this be4 u folked out £999
lets hope u get your money back

and definetly make your own pc
for that much money u can do so much better!

okay so im bored ive decided to help u out a bit:

your budget £1000

motherboard: http://www.kotech.co.uk/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=336 = £70
im not with the latest motherboard stuff nemore but im sure this is still a good board!
Asuz Motherboard springdale

CPU: pentium4 3.06 ghz http://www.kotech.co.uk/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=849 £110
i think 3ghz is enough even for romantic music

Memory: http://www.kotech.co.uk/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=1065 £65
Kingston Memory 1024MB PC3200


thats your barebones sorted for around £250


and also that was my system before it all went tits up! and that setup cost me £380
i think thas enough power for you.

now carrying on:
Harddrive: Maxtor 200GB 8MB 7200RPM SATA Hard Disk Drive (00518) = £70
http://www.kotech.co.uk/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=120


Case: ull have to look hard for yourself

u mentioned that u want a silent system
look in two directions
CPU fan:


PSU Fan:
http://www.quietpc.com/uk/p4cooling.php
take your pic i have a zalman fan here for my xp1800 must say one of my best buys ever!
so silent and good peformance.


http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=35345&doy=31m5D
£20
i got one of these myself, if you are not gona have more than 4 devices this is the one for you!
very silent and good value for money



well hope this gets u into the correct direction
the initial place kotech, they have aprice match
in that if u can find the same item cheaper they will beat that price!

obviously my system here isnt the latest but do ask yourself why pay £1000 if u can pay £500?

psd99

 

[Quadophile]

Comcrap, that is what Mucks would call the PC

Jokes aside, I am sorry to hear all that you posted, but, I do not think you consulted anyone here before you bought the system did you? I am not saying every one here is a Computer God but surely they know their stuff well and have enough experience to tell you what you should stay away from.

As for speakers I think you already know my choices and what I would recommend so you can get going in that direction. However, you need assistance I am always here to help you , just ask

As for Monitors I think I know why you are not satisfied. Sometime back I came across a report on a Swedish website where a number of monitors (LCD) were tested for refresh rate and half of the lot did not come up to the expectations of the testers as they were wrongly categorised. Some which had the specifications stating 16ms were way above that figure and into 20's This means that some manufacturers do false advertising. This is when I was doing some research for myself when I was in the market for an LCD monitor. I finally picked up a Philips 17inch one which I also reviewed on this site and am sure you must have come across. Nevertheless, I would go for a Philips if I was again in the market today to get one. Their service and quality I found to be excellent. They are other also which are good but I can only talk about my personal experience. Samsung is another brand which is very good.

Visiting various forums can give you a very good idea of what is good out there and what is not based on feedback from users. Of course, one needs to filter the information and not take every information for granted.

Mucks, Ian and Flops will I am sure have a good proposal for you to consider based on your budget.

I have said what I had to say as far as speakers and monitor is concerned and will leave the rest to others.

 

[Quadophile]

I am glad psd99 said almost the same thing that I did We actually were posting at the same time without knowing who is posting what.

By the way, I do not think anyone here is knowledable enough to guide you as to which mouse you should buy for yourself, right Spooky Mouse?

 

[psd99]

I am glad psd99 said almost the same thing that I did We actually were posting at the same time without knowing who is posting what.

By the way, I do not think anyone here is knowledable enough to guide you as to which mouse you should buy for yourself, right Spooky Mouse?

yes I agree we agree


im gona make myself a really fast pc this autumn so ill be bothering everyone here bigtime then!

 

[psd99]

oh yer spooky mouse u wanted good speakers?

dependent on how keen you are check these out:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Logitech_166.html

the bottom two

the ones at the very bottom are the ones i got
must say well pleased they are as loud as a boeing 747 and good sound quality


the ones second from the bottom
my mate has
they are really good too
but you are looking at £200- £250 for these beauties!

 

[Quadophile]

im gona make myself a really fast pc this autumn so ill be bothering everyone here bigtime then!

....and you will not be disappointed I can assure you, we all will chip in, that is what we are here for

 

[1nteger]

For £1000 u can get build a very good system.

I'd suggest an Antec case with Amntec PSU - Antec Sonata is easy to build, solid, good vfm. 120mm fan holes, quiet and cool

An nForce 4 64bit skt.939 motherboard - supports PCI-E (wouldn't bother with SLi) - Asus, Gigabyte, Abit brands all good. Onboard sound is fine - wouldn't worry about a seperate soundcard yet.

Depending on the games u wat to play, a nVidia GeForce 6600 or 6800 GT (PCI-E of course)

2x256 MB sticks of PC3200 Corsir value select ram (bought as a 1Mb kit). RAM is very cheap at the moment.

I wouldn't gey anything less than an Athlon 64 3500 (Winchester core) as prices have just dropped. Get retail and try the stock heatsink before jumping at a seperate one. Alternatively, grab an OEM chip and use the savings to buy something like the Gigabyte 3D rocket pro cooler.

A couple of Western Digital Caviar hard disks - 120 or 200 Gb each.

NEC 3540a DVD burner and any other 52x CD burner (Aopen Chameleon have interchangeable faceplates)

Iiyama 17" E435S display - excellent value, quality, and response times for games, with great warranty.
(Or a Philips - i think they offer no dead pixel guarantee)

Loads of good speakers out there - I always pay more for a top end 2.1 system (lack of space wherei I have my PC), but for half what i paid for mine, you can get good 5.1 setup. I'd ask to hear them in the shop before jumping at specific ones.)

Recently, i've been getting stuff off PC World's site and selecting 'collect from store' as I'm only 20 mins away. Worth checking their prices on this as they are very competitive. However, I'd NEVER buy a full system from them!

Anyway, that's my suggestions...hope it helps.

 

[Alf]

An nForce 4 64bit skt.939 motherboard -

Skip the plain Nforce 4 and get the nForce 4 Ultra

 

[psd99]

Recently, i've been getting stuff off PC World's site and selecting 'collect from store' as I'm only 20 mins away. Worth checking their prices on this as they are very competitive. However, I'd NEVER buy a full system from them!

:

i like the way u think!!!


i woulndt buy a system from them either!
sometimes they do have good deals for components!

 

[Raje]

I agree

Skip the plain Nforce 4 and get the nForce 4 Ultra

I second that-- and a very small price difference if any, well worth preformance difference.

 

[Spooky Mouse]

Some absolutly fantastic pointers, advice and suggestions.. some good links too.. Im going to give the whole lot a good scan.. .. and see what's what!...and then ill post again with my ideas

Thanks to all... This computer building or even systen choosing thing can be a Minefield.... Escpecially to me...So all your above help is very very very and very again.. much appreciated indeed

 

[Spooky Mouse]

what did learn from this trauma spooky mouse?

I learnt that I should have come here on PC Review and asked you all your opinions before I threw my money away!

u learnt that u should have come here on pcr and asked us all our opinons and openly discussed this be4 u folked out £999

LOL... Absolutly sir... no doubt about it!..

motherboard: http://www.kotech.co.uk/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=336 = £70
im not with the latest motherboard stuff nemore but im sure this is still a good board!
Asuz Motherboard springdale

CPU: pentium4 3.06 ghz http://www.kotech.co.uk/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=849 £110
i think 3ghz is enough even for romantic music

Memory: http://www.kotech.co.uk/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=1065 £65
Kingston Memory 1024MB PC3200

thats your barebones sorted for around £250

Harddrive: Maxtor 200GB 8MB 7200RPM SATA Hard Disk Drive (00518) = £70
http://www.kotech.co.uk/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=120

Psd I looked at the Board.. and it looks really good infact.. I really liked this feature about it..

Q-Fan Technology... This unique technology intelligently and automatically adjusts CPU fan speeds according to system load and temperature, enabling users to work in a distraction-free environment with minimal noise.

But another closer look Revealed that the Board is an AGP type.. would a PCI-E be a better choice do you think?
The CPU, Memory and Drives all Look like a very Good Choice and fantastic value too and have placed them high on my list

Case: ull have to look hard for yourself

Yep.. I've found this to be one of the hardest parts... there are plenty of cases I really love (and still tempted by them).. its just the Depth that seems to be a problem.. all the cases I really like, like the Antec P160 are Really Deep... not to worry i'll just have a hard look.. or adjust somehow to a deeper case

well hope this gets u into the correct direction
the initial place kotech, they have aprice match
in that if u can find the same item cheaper they will beat that price!

It certanly has.. Cheers Psd Mate.. Kotech looks good too... Plenty there and easy to browse.. best of all the prices seem good.. a good starting platform

Comcrap, that is what Mucks would call the PC

And he would be Right... This link confirms it.. http://compaqsucks.com/

I am sorry to hear all that you posted, but, I do not think you consulted anyone here before you bought the system did you?

Yeah I know.. it was one of those mad moments when.... .. Well.. Ermmm .. Satan made me do it!
I just thought that it would be the one..all my PC problems solved........ Stupidity.. Impatiantce and Pushey Salsemen are the root of this Evil.... Ohh and Satan... Perhaps I should be looking at Demonite PCs? (I already have and they seem fairly expensive)..lol

The Compaq PC wouldnt seem half as bad... if it wasnt for the Rip off way they went about the OS and Recovory Partition...

Quad .. Monitors... Phillips and Samsung.. i'll certanly give then a look.... what do you think of this one its a little expensive I know.. http://www.overclock.co.uk/customer/product.php?productid=18206 can you remember the Sony black glass monitors.. dont know the exact name for them but they were highly reflective and the quality and colour of the screen display was fantastic.... do you think that this may be due to the fact that they Used Glass?... if so then this is the direction i need to be going for a monitor.. as display is one of the most important things i think....

As for the Mouse Quad.. lol yep thats my Domain hehee.. I reccomend a Squeaky one!.. lol, I like the Logitech Trackball.. Saves Space and Movement .. and No pushing your brew off the table with your hand..

1nteger... those Specs look good too... and thats another question AMD or Intel... lol not that one again I here all say.. the System there is a AMD64 bit CPU and MB... PCI-E Too.. looking Good... Very Good.. so far its just the pentium chip ive looked at seriously.. dont know why.. perhaps just force of habbit and scared to go into the unknown... however AMD seem to be getting more popular by the Month...
Is the Athlon 64 3500 (Winchester core) a good CPU.. For Video? does anyone know the Pentium Equivalent?
Another Good point about this system I think is the 64bit technology... You just know that Mr Gates will incorperate into the new OS somthing that everyone will want or need... making everyone wanting to upgrade to the 64bit version... (Perhaps not.. I Dont Know, lol)

Thanks for that Input 1nteger.. .. much appreciated

Skip the plain Nforce 4 and get the nForce 4 Ultra

This is noted Alf... and thanks for helping...

Me__2001.. the system you have there seems a little underpowered to me but a good choice for the Budget and price some nice componants too ....(I hate having a Budget)

Mucks, Ian and Flops will I am sure have a good proposal for you to consider based on your budget.

And i really look forward to hearing there opinion.. I like the Specs of Flopps main system... It Makes one green with Envy..lol.. Come on Flopps .. Hand it Over!... lol
Im not to worried about Speakers yet as I have a Videologic Digitheatre 5.1 Dolby Digital Decoder System (Old Style) connected to the DVD player in the front room.. this i might transfer to the PC if i upgrade the DVD player into a DVD/HI-FI system.. I have my eye on one....but thats another Story.. and another thread...

Questions..
1. Is the Realtek ALC 880 chipset that is incorperated into the compaq's MB alright for sound (this question is just with the view that i end up with this machine)

2. The Radeon X600? ... just numbers prefixed with an X to me!... is this card any good? .. The nVidia GeForce 6600 and 6800 GT seem to be a popular choice. what is the difference between the X600 and the these cards?.. this is just so i can try to fathom the difference..

Sorry that was another Long One Again!!.. Thanks for your Patiance.. Just trying to get this Issue sorted..

 

[psd99]

I learnt that I should have come here on PC Review and asked you all your opinions before I threw my money away!



LOL... Absolutly sir... no doubt about it!..





Psd I looked at the Board.. and it looks really good infact.. I really liked this feature about it..



But another closer look Revealed that the Board is an AGP type.. would a PCI-E be a better choice do you think?
The CPU, Memory and Drives all Look like a very Good Choice and fantastic value too and have placed them high on my list



Yep.. I've found this to be one of the hardest parts... there are plenty of cases I really love (and still tempted by them).. its just the Depth that seems to be a problem.. all the cases I really like, like the Antec P160 are Really Deep... not to worry i'll just have a hard look.. or adjust somehow to a deeper case



It certanly has.. Cheers Psd Mate.. Kotech looks good too... Plenty there and easy to browse.. best of all the prices seem good.. a good starting platform



sorted..

yes sir ull remember for next time

i ddint quite get the question about agp and the board really didnt understand mate
prehaps another member can give an asnwer for this

if u mean the graphics card slot
AGP IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN A STANDARD PCI GRAPHICS CARD!!
im sure of this much if thats what u mean!


spooky mouse there is this big issue i think u need to tackle athtlon 64 vs pentium 4
with a budget of £1000 im v sure if u research and ask ppl here u could develop a much more pwoerful system incorporated with a athlon 64 cpu!

 

[Spooky Mouse]

Psd.. yep the Graphics card slot.. I thought that PCI-E (Express) was the Newer Slot compared to AGP.. there was the old Standard PCI and then came along AGP... Then PCI-E..

Yep the AMD is looking promosing for value....

This component searching stuff is Thursty work .. lol

 

[Me__2001]

Me__2001.. the system you have there seems a little underpowered to me but a good choice for the Budget and price some nice componants too ....(I hate having a Budget)

i was trying to avoid it sounding like a hairdryer, i've got a new system for you

Asus A8N-SLI
Atlon 64 3500
1GB Geil RAM
200GB Maxtor
Lite-on SOHW-1639S Dual layer DVD-RW
Leadtek 256MB 6800 (SLI compatible)
Logitech cordless mouse and keyboard
Hyundai imageQuest 19" LCD
and a floppy drive

£975 from overclockers

im afraid you'll have to find the case though

 

[Quadophile]

Quad .. Monitors... Phillips and Samsung.. i'll certanly give then a look.... what do you think of this one its a little expensive I know.. http://www.overclock.co.uk/customer/product.php?productid=18206 can you remember the Sony black glass monitors.. dont know the exact name for them but they were highly reflective and the quality and colour of the screen display was fantastic.... do you think that this may be due to the fact that they Used Glass?... if so then this is the direction i need to be going for a monitor.. as display is one of the most important things i think....

To be honest I think Xerox makes the best copiers but that does not mean you can take it for granted when they come out with products other than copiers that they would have the same quality and support. In the past Xerox ventured into printers, I bought one and to tell you the truth that was THE worst computer product I ever bought and I have been buying computers since last 25 years!
Even though it looks good on paper I would not trust that product, it may be a risk. On the other hand makers like Philips and Samsung are really established in this field and have a great track record of coming up with excellent products but also with excellent support. You just cannot go wrong. Philips Professional line of LCD's are very high quality products and have ZERO DEFECT POLICY coverage. I don't think any other maker offers that.

If you are interested in high end LCD's there is Lacie LCD monitors geared towards the pros and are very highly rated as wel as award winning, expensive but if you need the frills attached you can check them out. I doubt they are good for gaming applications though as they do not have fast response times. Anyway I am providing the link for reference only so you know where the high end LCD monitor technology stands, as of today

Lacie

 

[Spooky Mouse]

i was trying to avoid it sounding like a hairdryer

LOL.. that did make make me giggle..

Me__2001.. those Specs Demand Respect... Cool.... Im going to have a look at the bits on the web... Cheers Matey..



Me__2001 the Hyundai imageQuest 19" LCD have you tried this model?.. would it be easy on the eyes for playback of DVDs?