£300 Computer System Build: SEPTEMBER 2008
Round and round we go! Back to the beginning of the budget range for September, starting with the £300 pound computer, not much movement in the way of prices, but you know I like to keep you updated ;).
Full Computer Specification:
| Component Type | Component Name | Price(£) |
| Processor | AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 6000+ | 59.72 |
| Motherboard | MSI K9A2 CF-F AMD 790X | 57.92 |
| Graphics Card | Radeon HD 3850 512MB | 52.87 |
| RAM | OCZ Technology 2×1GB 240DIMM PC2-6400 DDR2 | 28.91 |
| Hard Disk Drive | 500Gb Samsung Spinpoint | 42.05 |
| Power Supply | Gigabyte SUPERB 460W PSU | 26.84 |
| Case | Asustek BLACK/SILVER MIDI CASE | 16.79 |
| DVD Drive | Optiarc (Sony/NEC) 20X DVD+/RW/12X | 13.54 |
| CPU Cooler | Stock Cooler | 0.00 |
| Total Price (£): | £298.91 |
Component Specification:
Processor - AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 6000+:
This dual core processor is rated at 3.0Ghz stock, and has 2mb of cache. It can definately keep up with the Intel CPU’s, with this processor being a comparable standard to an Intel E6600. Whilst this AMD chip may not have a similar amount of headroom as an intel chip for overclocking, there is still some breathing room for overclocking.
Motherboard - MSI K9A2 CF-F AMD 790X:
Middle of the range AM2 motherboard, contains all standard features: 6USB ports, front audio, PCI-E x16. Also supports up to 1066Mhz RAM, with correct BIOS.
Graphics Card - Radeon HD 3850 512MB:
With the introduction of the new range of graphics cards, the older generations prices have been cut drastically. So in this build we can see that the 8600GT has been swapped out for a ATI 3850, which is in my opinion is a much better card.
RAM - OCZ Technology 2×1GB 240DIMM PC2-6400 DDR2:
An upgrade from last month value RAM, to full spec 800Mhz DDR2 RAM. Timings are 4-4-4-15 and coming from OCZ’s Platinum range we can be sure of it’s stability, reliability and overclocking potential.
HDD - 500Gb Samsung Spinpoint:
A complete step up from last month, a dip in the processor price has meant that a 500Gb HDD can be used, so that is an extra 140Gb this month! 500Gb is alot of space, that is many thousands of songs and documents aswell as some movies and games. Comes with standard 16MB of cache.
Power Supply - Gigabyte SUPERB 460W PSU:
Gigabyte are generally known for their Motherboards, however this PSU from them is not a bad choice. The 460W is definately going to be sufficient to run the components in this case.
Case - Asustek BLACK/SILVER MIDI CASE:
Redicously cheap case, also has a small footprint with it being a midi case. Also has a tool-less design for easy installation. You get what you pay for though, as the build quality is not the best. However a case for just over £15 you can’t really complain.
DVD Drive - Optiarc (Sony/NEC) 20X DVD+/RW/12X:
Fairly cheap DVD drive, though will write DVD’s at a 20x speed.
Cpu Cooler - Stock Cooler:
The stock cooler, is well the stock cooler. Not the best in the world but will keep your CPU cool, if the need for any overclocking arises expect your CPU to get hot, or buy a new cooler!
Conclusion:
A cheaper processor has meant that high spec system memory can be added rather than using the value RAM from before. The hard drive has also been upgraded from 320Gb to 500Gb.
