bit-tech.net | What Hardware Should I Buy? - April 2009

*mat-ster* 4th April 2009, 12:26

Nice selection

Optical Drive
First Choice: LG GGGC H2OL Blu-ray, HD DVD DVD-RW combo drive

Should that not be LG GGC - one extra G.

Also what about the "V2" P6T Mobo...

DXR_13KE 4th April 2009, 12:54

intel Pentium?

Buzzons 4th April 2009, 13:01

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2009/04/04/what-hardware-should-i-buy-april-2009/6 <-- using $ not £ in the UK price list.

Also - have you done a "how to overclock the board" section on the "Enthusiast Overclocker" motherboards - would be nice to see.

wuyanxu 4th April 2009, 13:02

not p182 for primary case choice anymore! have you guys gone the tacky route?

gamer workhorse UK price has a dollar sign ;)

and for premium selection, i thought your group test showed TRUE to be the best performing, is it because of the mounted wiggle?

MiNiMaL_FuSS 4th April 2009, 13:45

good to still still still see the q6600 going strong.

Bindibadgi 4th April 2009, 14:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by DXR_13KE
intel Pentium?

It's a brand only, it's Core 2 architecture underneath.

RE: Q6600 - I wanted to drop it, but Baz found a price we literally cannot ignore in the UK so it stays in. I did want the Phenom II X4 940 or Q9550.

aron311 4th April 2009, 16:35

You've left a bit of a price gap here in the displays, at £320 i think the BenQ FP241W still deserves a mention, as theres nothing between £165 and £425...

Star*Dagger 4th April 2009, 16:42

amazing what 1000 pounds will buy in pc equipment these days. Thanks for the article

mauvecloud 4th April 2009, 17:02

I notice the 30inch monitor you're listing is still ridiculously expensive. If you want 2560x1600, I know of two such monitors available in the US that are now available for less than half the price of the NEC model you list (I live in the US, so I don't know how much they are in the UK):
Samsung SyncMaster 305T
Gateway XHD3000
Is the NEC model really enough better than those to justify the $2000+ price?

¦Cold¦ 4th April 2009, 17:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bindibadgi
It's a brand only, it's Core 2 architecture underneath.

I'm pretty sure the E7x00 series is branded Core 2 Duo; the E5x00 is branded Pentium Dual-Core.

I also agree that there should be another monitor in the ~£250-£300 range, maybe a budget 24-incher.

karsh 4th April 2009, 17:14

yea, finaly the HP LP2475W in the list ;-)

Bindibadgi 4th April 2009, 17:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by mauvecloud
I notice the 30inch monitor you're listing is still ridiculously expensive. If you want 2560x1600, I know of two such monitors available in the US that are now available for less than half the price of the NEC model you list (I live in the US, so I don't know how much they are in the UK):
Samsung SyncMaster 305T
Gateway XHD3000
Is the NEC model really enough better than those to justify the $2000+ price?

Of course, because it is THE BEST 30" you can buy. It's phenomenal if you have a lot of money to spend on a lot of real estate. Just like if you want THE BEST pc you have to pay through the nos for it.

I havent seen the Samsung and have no idea what the Gateway uses sorry.

GoodBytes 4th April 2009, 17:28

How can you get 2x Geforce 260 GTX for such LOW PRICE!!!!
I think there is a price error, especially that the U.S link leads to an ATI card.

This is the price in Canada.. you get 1 for that price.
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=33327&vpn=896-P3-1265-AR&manufacture=eVGA

Bindibadgi 4th April 2009, 17:30

The UK has a much more aggressive price for Nvidia cards, but the US gets better prices for ATI - that's why so many American sites are recommending 4890s right now.

Your GTX 260 prices are crackers - DO NOT buy that.

Denis_iii 4th April 2009, 20:19

Scythe Kama Angle looks sweet, especially in a Antec 300 or similiar cases with top and rear exhaust fans
any upcoming review?

GoodBytes 4th April 2009, 20:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bindibadgi

Your GTX 260 prices are crackers - DO NOT buy that.

I know.. when I got my GTX 260, I paid~ 300$ after taxes and shipping.. now it's high price where ever you look (same for other Nvidia cards)

MiNiMaL_FuSS 4th April 2009, 20:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bindibadgi
RE: Q6600 - I wanted to drop it, but Baz found a price we literally cannot ignore in the UK so it stays in. I did want the Phenom II X4 940 or Q9550.

a nice clocked q6600 can't be beat bang for buck :)

mauvecloud 4th April 2009, 21:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bindibadgi
Of course, because it is THE BEST 30" you can buy. It's phenomenal if you have a lot of money to spend on a lot of real estate. Just like if you want THE BEST pc you have to pay through the nos for it.

I havent seen the Samsung and have no idea what the Gateway uses sorry.

The Gateway is better for me because of the extra inputs - I have 5 gaming consoles (SNES, N64, GC, PS2, X360) hooked up to it through a Pelican System Selector Pro. As far as what panels the monitors use, I've read that the Samsung 305T and Gateway XHD3000 use the exact same model of S-PVA panel internally, but the Gateway adds extra inputs, speakers, menu options, and a remote control.

Dreaming 4th April 2009, 21:55

A friend showed me a 22" dell with a 1920 x 1600 resolution and it was about £150. I don't know where it's gone now, mind.

Found eet:

http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1&sku=189447

Ok so the resolution is different but still it's quite a good buy.

Xir 4th April 2009, 22:35

Hurray for the Display section!

Missing an entry/mid level 24" though...instead of the fullHD 22"

Also...the Q6600 is (as you write) an overclockers CPU...and therefore maybe in the wrong section.

wuyanxu 4th April 2009, 22:56

how about Sammy T240 for entry-level 24inch? fantastic TN panel my Samsung, HDMI with all the bells and whistles (audio out, HDCP) and stylish exterior, very cheap for 24inch at £230 over on Novatech.

GoodBytes 4th April 2009, 22:58

I realized that all the Samsung computer monitor I saw (from stores, computer stores, friends), have something in common... they all have backlit bleeding. I don't get what's Samsung problem to not fix this issue even on their more professional screen line (I don't know about the LED and high-end models).

notatoad 4th April 2009, 23:24

goodbytes, your ncix skills are weak. here's that card with a proper price: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=33329&promoid=1033

Bindibadgi 5th April 2009, 00:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denis_iii
Scythe Kama Angle looks sweet, especially in a Antec 300 or similiar cases with top and rear exhaust fans
any upcoming review?

We've wanted to do the Kama Angle for a while but we misplaced it :(

mauvecloud - We'll look at getting the Samsung if poss ;)

Xir - Q6600 in a Max II Form - just set the BIOS to "crazy" and watch it fly. The "Gaming Workhorse" is meant to be a powerful multi-tasking gaming machine, sort of "sub-workstation".

GoodBytes 5th April 2009, 01:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by supertoad
goodbytes, your ncix skills are weak. here's that card with a proper price: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=33329&promoid=1033

Ah! thanks, but it has no accessories (no PCI-E pin converter, no DVI to HDMI, and no digital audio cable for HDMI). It's like selling a miss boxed product. Well it is 100$ less, I guess it's good.

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What Hardware Should I Buy? - April 2009

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