Simple but effective PC build

Kage

Golden Master
Messages
13,873
Right, I'm wanting to build a PC to play mostly Stepmania on:

www.stepmania.com

I know it doesn't need the best specs, so I want a PC that'll run it well, with ample room for maybe a bit of extra work here and there. So that, its at least better than it needs and up to date in terms of technology.

So, I don't want a Pentium 2 for example :p

I want it to be cost effective though, so rather cheap, run very cool (since it has to be in a living room on the floor, so can't be loud), and has to have ample room for songs/data, and a DVD drive.

So basically a whole PC (Motherboard, RAM, Processor). I don't need a monitor though, or speakers, since it'll run through the TV

www.microdirect.co.uk

I'm searching too, but if you can maybe help with the decision making :)
I'm not very confident when it comes to picking stuff out.
 
The game itself isn't too demanding on system resources so you can get away with pretty much any configuration these days. I haven't done this in awhile so I may be outdated on parts, but for cost effectiveness and sort of up to date--this is ok:

Asus P5B Skt 775 Intel P965 Core2 Extreme / Core2 Duo 1066FSB PCI-E x16 SATA Giga LAN 8 ch. Audio ATX Motherboard
http://www.microdirect.co.uk/(14561)Asus-P5B-Skt-775-Intel-P965-Core2-Extreme.aspx
£54.95 Ex VAT
£64.57 Inc VAT

OCZ 1GB Kit (2x512) Special Operation Edition DDR2 PC2-6400 800MHz 5-5-5-12 Dual Channel Memory Spec Ops Camouflage Heatspreader
http://www.microdirect.co.uk/(14384)OCZ-1GB-Kit-2x512-Special-Operation-Edition.aspx
£24.40 Ex VAT
£28.67 Inc VAT

(I didn't pick that for the special heatspreader. It just happen to come with it :p)


Intel CPU Core 2 Duo E6400 2.13GHz 1066FSB LGA775 2MB cache Retail inc.Fan (3yr Manufacturers Warranty)
http://www.microdirect.co.uk/(14433)Intel-CPU-Core-2-Duo-E6400-213GHz-1066FSB.aspx
£105.73 Ex VAT
£124.23 Inc VAT

For the video card, might as well go with something a little bit better and more current since they change so much. At least now you're flexible with playing the latest and greatest stuff:

EVGA e-GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB PCI-E, DVI Video Graphics Card
http://www.microdirect.co.uk/(17652)EVGA-eGeForce-8800-GTS-320MB-PCIE-DVI-Video.aspx
£172.00 Ex VAT
£202.10 Inc VAT
 
Well how much are you looking to spend?

I don't think you need top of the line, I'm sure the computer in your sig might run it w. more memory and a better video card.
 
I included the price so you can take a quick glance on your budget. I'm not use to British Pounds since I'm using USD here in America. Hope those are what you're looking for budget wise. If not, there are other configs. You could get a 7000 series GPU if you wish or even use cheaper Core Duo CPU.
 
Hey thanks :)

I think the video card may be slightly overkill mind... I'm not much of a gamer, and definietly won't be playing much up to date games on this rig. It'll probably be just for Stepmania, and a few emulator sessions here and there.

I probably will go for a Core 2 Duo since they're cost effective, but a cheaper one would suffice.

Memory, around 1GB would probably do fine.

A dedicated sound card would also be needed, since on-board won't do this kind of game justice, and may just lag.

My system in my sig runs it very very well, with no hiccups. Its what I run it on at the moment, but its upstairs. I need one downstairs now, so I can play without having to have the floorboards breaking :p

Hmm... I'm guessing around £350 to be around my maximum I'd spend. May not seem like a lot, but we'll see what we can come up with.

EDIT:

Thanks muz too :)

I think I am looking for a Core 2 though for the moment since its the most up to date, if I want to do some rendering, etc with the PC overnight for example.

As for picking it up, I think I'll have it all delivered :p Microdirect are great for that, and haven't had anything go wrong.

PROCESSOR:

If I got for example this, which is the cheapest Core 2 available:
Intel CPU Core 2 Duo E4300 1.8GHz

Would that be faster than what I have on this rig?
 
Well it would be a good idea to get the best graphics card with what ever you do would it be better off to buy a computer with everything just in case you may have other needs for a secound computer later on?
 
Lol you guys are overpowering it by far. This game needs nothing, a PII with 64MB RAM is the minimum. DirectX7 graphics card, lol.

A 7600GT would be more than sufficient.

The E4300 is a pretty good processor for the price I'd say. Much better than your current one.

1 GB of DDR2-667 would be fine. You probably only need DDR2-800 for higher end processors.

The Asus P5B is a pretty good value motherboard. Also look at the Abit IB9.

Get a nice soundcard though, AuzenTech is good, the bluegears b-Enspirer is a nice relatively cheap one.
 
Hehe, I'll check them out :D

Video card and CPU sounds good to me.

I'll need a case too, but a simple ATX one with 2x 120mm fans would probably do fine, and I could probably pick one like that up for around £20-£30 from somewhere.

As for the PSU, what do you reckon? A 450 watt?
 
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