The best places for PC components...

[Ads_172]

Just wondering where everyone shops online for PC components?

Overclockers is great but I understand, from the forums, that more established members know where to go to get parts cheaper (they tend not to say, seeing as OC is a retailer as well as the forum). Looking around I've seen ebuyer is pretty competitive, dabs, CCL and Novatech are more expensive on the whole...

Anywhere else who may be cheaper than OC?

 

[Munson]

Tekheads have been known to be very cheap at times. I've bought a lot of stuff from them in the past.

 

[ViolentJ]

Bear in mind with Overclockers that if you're a forum member and fall into the loyalty category that you get free next day shipping.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/sh...&posted=1&utm_source=forums&utm_medium=banner

 

[18tooo]

have bought loads of stuff from ebuyer in the past, used to near enough always be cheapest, prices not bad now, but not as good as they used to be. other places I have bought from in the past (just off the head):

www.scan.co.uk
www.microdirect.co.uk
www.pyramid.com
www.aria.co.uk

 

[Greeny.]

I use Scan alot as ive used them for years and never had problems, also use Aria, ebuyer and Overclocks.

 

[Adam]

+1 on all of the ones above. I ordered from all of them in the past.

 

[Michael172]

How the feck do i get into their forums ?

Ive spent £1000's there and im banned , but ive never been on the forums/

 

[Homer-Simpson]

How do you know you are banned?

 

[Munson]

I've never used their forums before, and don't have an account, but I'm browsing them now in the interests of science.

 

[Michael172]

Roy i think your the only person who knows the difference between their and there.

 

[Munson]

Roy i think your the only person who knows the difference between their and there.

WTF? Random

What can I say, I listened at school

 

[MetaliX]

Scan have fecked me about twice; the first being about a genuinly faulty item and the second being sending me a cpu the model down from the one I ordered and paid for! Bunch of plebs, Overclockers and ebuyer all the way.

 

[Munson]

There's nothing better than the smell of a £2,000 box of high-end PC parts in the morning. No matter who you buy them from. Personally, although I've used Tekheads with no issues in the past, I'll stick with the tried and tested OCUK until I have a reason not to.

 

[iain187]

overclockers fooked me around with a crappy motherboard. It was pants so they just bent the pins and I couldn't prove it was them so I lost.

 

[Ads_172]

Comparing prices between (so far) OC, Ebuyer and a few Dabs bits, OC are a fair bit more expensive on most things. I wouldn't qualify for free delivery as I've only posted a few times in the forums, but I don't think £18-ish for a lot of stuff next day is too bad tbh.

Cheers for the help chaps, I'll keep browsing the other sites and adding them to my comparison list... so far I'm decided on:

Antec 300 Case
Intel Quad Q6600 Processor
Asus P5Q Plus iP45 Mobo
ATi 4850 Graphics (probably Asus)
4GB DDR2 emmory (at least 1066MHz)
Samsung Spinpoint F1 HDD (Would love 1TB, but really not needed...)
and a 20" monitor - leaning towards LG...

If I can get all that plus Vista 64bit, PSU and a DVD RW drive for under £700, I'll be a happy man...

 

[Ads_172]

Righty - after much soul searching and price comparing, I can get the below for £730 (assuming that OC delivery is approx £15: I can't access their site in work)...

Antec 300 Three Hundred - No PSU (Overclockers)..............£52.89
Kingston HyperX 4GB DDR2 1066MHz memory (OC)...........£45.99
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Energy Efficient (OC)....................£149.49
Asus P5Q SE iP45 Motherboard (EBuyer)..........................£80.67
PC Power & Cooling Silencer (OC).....................................£43.69
Samsung spinpoint F1 500GB HDD (OC)............................£44.84
LG W2042S-SF 20" Monitor - 1680x1050, 8000:1 (EBuyer)..£100.79
Asus HD4850 512MB Graphics Card (EBuyer)....................£113.66
Windows Vista Home Basic 64bit (EBuyer)........................£68.53

TOTAL.............................................................................£731.16

Now, two questions...

1 - Does all the spec look alright? I've heard mixed reviews about the Spinpoint F1 HDD's, but custompc seem to like them and reckon they're very fast.

2 - I can get all the above (or similar) from EBuyer for just under £750. Is it worth getting all from one place to avoid any potential delivery hassles? I'd be looking to order it next day delivery, so would be taking a day off and would need it all to turn up...

3 - Anything 'essential' I've forgotten!?! Assuming there will be sufficient cables within the components that I will not need to order anymore. I may need an extra couple fans, but I may as well get these from Maplin once I know what I need...

 

[Galzzly]

Personally I'd try to get stuff from one place, but that's just so that I know that I can get everything delivered at the same time, and can crack on, instead of waiting for multiple deliveries.

I have that exact same HDD in the computer that I just built, and it works really well for me.

If you wanna save a bit of cash, and are willing to give it a shot, you could stick Linux on there instead of Vista and save yourself ~£70.

 

[Ads_172]

Thanks mate, that's my thinking behind paying the extra. But then, is that just me being impatient!?! There would be nothing more annoying than expecting it all on the Friday to build on Saturday, only for one of the retailers to not deliver (would rather not get any of it than most...).

I'd be more than up for giving Linux a go, or one of the alternative OS's, but this will be used as much by me as the missus, so needs to stay as Windows unfortunately. I may try Linux on our old Laptop once the new PC is up and running, however...

 

[Galzzly]

Ahhh no worries then.

Linux should run pretty well on the laptop, once the original config is done.

I'd do some research before you install though, and check for any known errors with the laptop and Linux (if that's what you go for), as I have heard about some laptop manufacturers setting the hardware temperature incorrectly (due to the way that Windows reads the temp), and makes Linux think that it's too hot, and doesn't turn on. Also if the laptop has inbuilt wifi... apparently a sod to set up.

This is what I have heard though, tbh, so I wouldn't take it as gospel.

 

[Ads_172]

Cheers for the advice, I've not looked into it at all yet but will definitely bear it in mind.

A laptop without the wifi working is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard.

 

[Galzzly]

Oh you can get it to work, and if it's an older laptop -- it more than likely already has a solution that just needs to be applied. (tbh I've just had the same with the PC I built, the WiFi card was a b**ch to get working).

 

[Galzzly]

How did you get on with getting your stuff mate?

 

[Ads_172]

Yeah getting there I think mate. I'm now looking at:

Antec 300 Three Hundred
Corsair 4GB DDR2 800MHz memory (may get x2)
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
Asus P5Q iP45 Motherboard
Hiper 460W PSU
Western Digital Caviar 500GB HDD
LG 20" Monitor - 1680x1050, 8000:1
Asus HD4850 512MB Graphics Card
Windows Vista Home Basic 64bit

Which comes in at just over £700...

 

[Galzzly]

Hey that's not bad, tbh.

Good luck with the build.