Hi, im looking at getting a new PC as my laptop only ever gets 30fps with the lowest settings and takes forever to do anything. I really don't have much money to blow, idealy id like to spend between £300-400 or less if possible. I don't know loads about PC's so im not sure weather i could build it myself. I probably could manage it though . Just need the computer for lfs, maybe a few other games and for collage work and music etc. Ive got a 15" monitor and our main TV allows you to plug the pc into that as well so i don't need a monitor just the tower. Any help would be great

Maybe something like this. It's 583 Euros = 425.003028 British pounds (if your prices are not to different)

Antec NSK4480B € 64,75 € 64,75
Club3D Geforce 8600 GTS 256MB DDR3 (PCI-e, 2x DVI) CGNX-GT... € 129,95 € 129,95
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R € 94,- € 94,-
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 € 149,- € 149,-
Kingston KVR800D2N5K2/2G € 37,96 € 37,96
Samsung SH-203N € 25,88 € 25,88
Samsung SpinPoint T166, 500GB (7200rpm, SATA II, 16MB, NCQ) € 82,- € 82,-

Right ive decided to have a crack at building my own pc. Just wondering if theres any key advice you can give? im looking to spend around £400-500. I need everything includng a case. I have a monitor though. What do you guys recommend i look at getting as im not really in the know.

any help would be apreciated

Dual Core, or Quad Core CPU, and a fast video card... For LFS the most important is the fast CPU... And a mid-category videocard (Nvidia 8xxx series) would give you more than 100FPS

Yeah - you're looking for a Core2Duo chip - over 2.0 Ghz...

Quote from Scottyj12 :

Right ive decided to have a crack at building my own pc. Just wondering if theres any key advice you can give? im looking to spend around £400-500. I need everything includng a case. I have a monitor though. What do you guys recommend i look at getting as im not really in the know.

any help would be apreciated

If you want RAID it'll be a little more, not suited for overclocking but imo not a bad build...

Heres what i threw together...
Cart in BBCode

£60.34 - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium x64Bit OEM 1PK DVD (1 @ 60.34ea.) [123067]
£42.99 - Coolermaster Elite 330 Black C ... 460W PSU *SPECIAL OFFER* (1 @ 42.99ea.) [135101]
£35.00 - OCZ 2GB Kit (2x1GB) DDR2 800MH ... TC with LIFETIME WARRANTY (1 @ 35.00ea.) [116755]
£50.94 - Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L iP31 Sock ... nel audio ATX Motherboard (1 @ 50.94ea.) [140061]
£17.28 - LiteOn DH-20A1S 20X DVD�RW/DLRAM Black Bare Drive - OEM (1 @ 17.28ea.) [131151]
£43.84 - Seagate ST3250410AS 250GB Hard ... 7200rpm 16MB Cache - OEM (1 @ 43.84ea.) [131301]
£134.99 - Gigabyte HD 3870 XT 512MB 256b ... l DVI PCI-E Graphics Card (1 @ 134.99ea.) [139556]
£118.92 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz ... he Retail Boxed Processor (1 @ 118.92ea.) [130484]

Net Total: £429.15
VAT: £75.15
Gross Total: £504.30

Looks like a great build Jakq, but it's his first build and he said he doesn't know much right now so I wouldn't worry about RAID or overlocking just yet.

Scotty, you can learn about all that stuff in time when you've built the PC.

Thats actually a cracking little build for 500 notes there Jakg, even more so if he already has an OS

cheers for the input guys, i have a problem though. My mum has offered to give me more money if i want a laptop as i can use it for collage as she thiks ill use it more. I have a laptop now and would really prefer one but i still want to play lfs and a few other games. Is there any laptops worth buying under £800? or should i stick to a build like the one above?
sorry for all the questions, mum keeps changing her mind!

Well if you already have a laptop I say get the desktop. A deskstop can do everything a laptop can, but a laptop can't do everything a desktop can. Thats a nice build for 500. You could probably even 'downgrade' and save money, as it doesn't sound like you'll need some of the stuff jakg picked out.
~Bryan~

Depends on what kind of laptop you have now - and also what field you are going into in college. For example, if you have a 3-4 year old laptop, and are going into engineering, you're likely going to want a newer laptop.

Then again - you can just get the desktop, and do anything that needs a faster processor in your dorm. Though, to be honest, were I given a choice between a high-end laptop or a high-end desktop for college, I'd take the lappie. It's so much more useful. I do 3D CAD and stuff, so I need a more powerful computer - and we do it in class so it HAS to be a laptop.

£800 is going to get you a laptop that can barely max LFS with no AA or anything.

If you need a laptop then get a cheap £300 laptop and the £500 PC i specced up.

I (...well my Dad...) just spent £600 on a laptop, 2 GHz C2D, Intel GMA Onboard graphics - LFS on low. That build costs £100 less and will totally max LFS with lots of AA.

Frankly if i was in your position i'd get a £200 Asus EEE PC and a good PC.

BTW - i'd replace the CPU (E6750) with a new E8200/E8400 in my build, shame they aren't in stock just yet.

why not get the 8800gt over the 3870. it cost 10 more and will out perform it by an ok margin.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/134393

just take a look at the scores and other games it was tested on between the 2 cards.
http://www23.tomshardware.com/ ... model2=1057&chart=318