Shoutbox

EDIT: Slightly revised spec [revisions in bold]

I've been asked by a customer in my shop to build his son a comp for xmas.

Based on his quoted budget (£500 - £550) and a rough idea of the kinds of games he may be playing, I came up with the following shopping list.

Logitech Cordless Desktop EX110 Black

Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 160GB S150

Sapphire Technology Radeon 9600 Advan Pro 256MB AGP DVI-I VO

DabsValue Gaming case 400W - Black

Kingston ValueRAM 2x512MB 184Pin DIMM PC3200 DDRRAM Non-Parity CL3

Gigabyte GA K8NSC 939 Socket 939 nForce3 250 AGP ATX

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Socket 939 512KB Inc Fan

LiteOn DVD+-R/RW Double Layer 16x Beige + Black Bezel

Sony 1.44MB Internal 3.5" Black

DabsValue 17" 0.27 MPRII

£500.02 [Excluding Delivery]
£517.63 [Including Delivery]

Considering the budget, and the fact that I would rather have just 1 point of contact if a problem developed instead of doing the computer fair circuit [all of the above is from one online retailer], is there anything on here that you would change yet still stay within the budget?

I'd buy it, its better than my computer but then again, i know nothing about them

Forgetting sound card? Also, ethernet card?

Onboard sound (allows 8 channel if you get the additional hook up cable) and onboard network.

I'm using the onboard sound on my board and for general music playing I can't tell the difference between this and my old SB Live 1024.

To be honest, unless this kid is going to be doing huge amount of audio sampling and remixing (he won't be, already found out from dad about that) I don't see what benefit a soundcard will offer.

quote:

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Originally posted by ShawnZ
Forgetting sound card?

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these days Most people are now reverting to onboard sound than a soundcard,

erm what about an Operating System and software etc...

Supplied using my own discs.

Legit versions before someone screams software piracy.  One of the useful things a former employer actually gave me when I left.

the parents akka father may have bought one seperatly?  or using an existing one he has already 

quote:

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Originally posted by bmtaylor
Supplied using my own discs.

Legit versions before someone screams software piracy.  One of the useful things a former employer actually gave me when I left.

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i wasnt gonna imply but just thought if you didnt have OP disks etc then its gonna add another £70 or whatever etc. You seem pretty completed but just speak with the customer again before you order but as you work in a shop i imagine you know to do that

Actually, I just checked the cost of XP Pro SP2 and it's an extra £100 for an OEM from the same site.

I've gotta hope this custy comes into the shop soon so I can show him this spec, as well as find out when he's gonna hand over the cash so I can order the parts.

Two reasons I want the money up front:

1: I don't want to end up with a system that I don't need (didn't say, however that I didn't want it )

2: I just don't have the cash to hand to order £500 worth of bits in lieu of getting paid by the custy.