UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions.

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  #1   Report Post  
al
 
Posts: n/a
Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

Very tenuous DIY link here in that I'm looking to DIY myself a new PC ....!
I know there's no dearth of opinions in here though about most matters from
politics to cement ...

I've been looking around recently for a one around about the £2k mark. As I
already have a monitor, I just want to buy a box with top end bits in it.
Panrix have always come out good in the past in magazine benchmarks, but I
found their website to be thoroughly crap and the choice very poor. Dell
are starting to look more towards gaming with their top end systems, but
they ruin it by not letting you customise it enough. Also, their prices for
upgrading RAM are enough to make the average person faint!

VoodooPC in Canada (www.voodoopc.com) have caught my interest however.
Their machines look the business, can be fully customised exactly the way I
want (and without monitor!!) and North American currencies are pretty weak.
My only worrys are faults and returns.

Any thoughts?



a


  #2   Report Post  
Grunff
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

al wrote:
Very tenuous DIY link here in that I'm looking to DIY myself a new PC ....!
I know there's no dearth of opinions in here though about most matters from
politics to cement ...

I've been looking around recently for a one around about the £2k mark. As I
already have a monitor, I just want to buy a box with top end bits in it.
Panrix have always come out good in the past in magazine benchmarks, but I
found their website to be thoroughly crap and the choice very poor. Dell
are starting to look more towards gaming with their top end systems, but
they ruin it by not letting you customise it enough. Also, their prices for
upgrading RAM are enough to make the average person faint!

VoodooPC in Canada (www.voodoopc.com) have caught my interest however.
Their machines look the business, can be fully customised exactly the way I
want (and without monitor!!) and North American currencies are pretty weak.
My only worrys are faults and returns.



For top end stuff I usually use http://www.overclockers.co.uk/ - good
selection of great components, good service, and good prices. £2k will
get you something *amazing*.

--
Grunff
  #3   Report Post  
Bob Eager
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 22:40:10 UTC, Grunff wrote:

For top end stuff I usually use http://www.overclockers.co.uk/ - good
selection of great components, good service, and good prices. £2k will
get you something *amazing*.


They don't have a very good reputation in uk.comp.vendors (actually,
that's probably a better place to ask the original question). There's
stuff in there right now about them, and the URL of an article too.

--
Bob Eager
rde at tavi.co.uk
PC Server 325*4; PS/2s 9585, 8595, 9595*2, 8580*3,
P70...

  #4   Report Post  
Chris Oates
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...


"al" wrote in message
...
Very tenuous DIY link here in that I'm looking to DIY myself a new PC

.....!
I know there's no dearth of opinions in here though about most matters

from
politics to cement ...

I've been looking around recently for a one around about the £2k mark. As

I
already have a monitor, I just want to buy a box with top end bits in it.
Panrix have always come out good in the past in magazine benchmarks, but I
found their website to be thoroughly crap and the choice very poor. Dell
are starting to look more towards gaming with their top end systems, but
they ruin it by not letting you customise it enough. Also, their prices

for
upgrading RAM are enough to make the average person faint!


£2000 - crikey I'd want a Laptop bunged in as well.

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/PCS.html



  #5   Report Post  
Peter Crosland
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

Unless you are into gaming in a big way you don't need to spend even £1k let
alone 2!







  #6   Report Post  
Bob Minchin
 
Posts: n/a
Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

al wrote:
Very tenuous DIY link here in that I'm looking to DIY myself a new PC ....!
I know there's no dearth of opinions in here though about most matters from
politics to cement ...

I've been looking around recently for a one around about the £2k mark. As I
already have a monitor, I just want to buy a box with top end bits in it.
Panrix have always come out good in the past in magazine benchmarks, but I
found their website to be thoroughly crap and the choice very poor. Dell
are starting to look more towards gaming with their top end systems, but
they ruin it by not letting you customise it enough. Also, their prices for
upgrading RAM are enough to make the average person faint!

VoodooPC in Canada (www.voodoopc.com) have caught my interest however.
Their machines look the business, can be fully customised exactly the way I
want (and without monitor!!) and North American currencies are pretty weak.
My only worrys are faults and returns.

Any thoughts?



a



Don't forget the cost of delivery and excise duty (and VAT I think)
which is helpfully levied on the goods value plus the insurance plus the
carriage.
The tax is collected by the carrier on behalf of HMCE who allow them to
charge a extra admin/commission fee on top. There is little chance of
escaping this tax. Personal experience!!

Bob

--
To Reply directly to my mailbox, change myisp to ntlworld

  #7   Report Post  
Grunff
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

Bob Eager wrote:

For top end stuff I usually use http://www.overclockers.co.uk/ - good
selection of great components, good service, and good prices. £2k will
get you something *amazing*.



They don't have a very good reputation in uk.comp.vendors (actually,
that's probably a better place to ask the original question). There's
stuff in there right now about them, and the URL of an article too.



I don't follow that NG, but that really surprises me. They are just
about the one supplier who's never let me down.

--
Grunff
  #8   Report Post  
Hadenman
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

"al" wrote in message

Very tenuous DIY link here in that I'm looking to DIY myself a new PC
....! I know there's no dearth of opinions in here though about most
matters from politics to cement ...

I've been looking around recently for a one around about the £2k
mark. As I already have a monitor, I just want to buy a box with top
end bits in it. Panrix have always come out good in the past in
magazine benchmarks, but I found their website to be thoroughly crap
and the choice very poor. Dell are starting to look more towards
gaming with their top end systems, but they ruin it by not letting
you customise it enough. Also, their prices for upgrading RAM are
enough to make the average person faint!

VoodooPC in Canada (www.voodoopc.com) have caught my interest however.
Their machines look the business, can be fully customised exactly the
way I want (and without monitor!!) and North American currencies are
pretty weak. My only worrys are faults and returns.


If you want to properly DIY it, you could just make the PC from parts you've bought
yourself. That way you could customise it to your hearts content.


  #9   Report Post  
al
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

"Bob Eager" wrote in message news:176uZD2KcidF-pn2-
They don't have a very good reputation in uk.comp.vendors (actually,
that's probably a better place to ask the original question). There's
stuff in there right now about them, and the URL of an article too.


Just read that ... it doesn't speak too highly of them! Thanks for the
pointer.



a


  #10   Report Post  
Colin Wilson
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

They don't have a very good reputation in uk.comp.vendors (actually,=20
that's probably a better place to ask the original question). There's=20
stuff in there right now about them, and the URL of an article too.


I think there`s been a report on one of the computer news sites as well=20
as mentioned earlier in uk.comp.vendors ( overclockers)

=A32k is a LOT of money to spend on a machine that will be worth maybe =A34=
00=20
in 6 months time. Buying mid-range now you`ll probably only spend=20
~=A3400 to =A3600 which will allow you to buy a whole new computer in 6=20
months time at a higher spec compared to what you`d likely spend =A32k on=
=20
now for no additional outlay above your original estimates.

As you`re only looking for a box, just build what you want at a fraction=20
of the cost by sourcing decent quality components yourself :-p

Do you know what platform you want to aspire to ? 32bit ? 64bit ?

Bear in mind that the shape of computing WILL change markedly in the next=
=20
6 months given the introduction of 64bit chips (which are already=20
available).

Six months old is probably a good age at which to buy into this "new"=20
technology, because the initial teething problems should have been ironed=
=20
out. Cutting edge technology has rough corners.

--=20
Please add "[newsgroup]" in the subject of any personal replies via email
* old email address "btiruseless" abandoned due to worm-generated spam *
--- My new email address has "ngspamtrap" & @btinternet.com in it ;-) ---


  #11   Report Post  
al
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

"Chris Oates" none wrote in message news:400c5ec1$0$13345$cc9e4d1f@news-
£2000 - crikey I'd want a Laptop bunged in as well.

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/PCS.html


Had a look there ... they look a bit budget to be honest. I'm looking for a
quality PC builder who puts time & love into the models they spec - not a
big warehouse that stuffs things together and sells them on the speed specs
alone.

Testament to that is my last PC, the one I'm using now, that I bought 5.5
years ago. It's a PII 400 with 448MB of RAM in it, top end sound & video
cards from a few year back. Go out and buy a £500 machine now which on
paper has all the figures you think count and this one will still kick its
arse in many areas. Motherboard and drives are where the main speed is lost
now on this old machine.




a


  #12   Report Post  
al
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

"Peter Crosland" wrote in message
...
Unless you are into gaming in a big way you don't need to spend even £1k

let
alone 2!


I very much beg to differ!!! If you want to even look at any new games in a
year's time, such a machine won't even run them. I'm not looking for some
cheap heap that surfs the web and loads MS Office quickly!

Perhaps I should lay out some of my bare minimum requirements:

Intel or AMD - don't mind, but no more than one down from current fastest
CPU
At least 2GB of *FAST* RAM (not cheap no-brand crap ... really Corsair are
my favourite here)
2 HDDs - one about 60GB, the other about 160GB - both SATA, min 7200rpm
Optical - one reader (all formats), one writer (all formats - including both
DVD!)
ATi Radeon 9800XT 256 graphics card
Sound Blaster Audigy 2ZS sound card
Decent speakers - at least 5.1 sound

However, banging the bits together in a warehouse does not make a good PC
necessarily! High end manufacturers spend a lot of time testing and working
with the OEMs to produce stuff that works really well together. VoodooPC
win tonnes of awards in the US - I'm trying to find a UK equivalent to
compare with.



a


  #13   Report Post  
al
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

"Bob Minchin" wrote in message
...
Don't forget the cost of delivery and excise duty (and VAT I think)
which is helpfully levied on the goods value plus the insurance plus the
carriage.
The tax is collected by the carrier on behalf of HMCE who allow them to
charge a extra admin/commission fee on top. There is little chance of
escaping this tax. Personal experience!!


Delivery is $235, which sounds a lot, but with the current exchange rates
still works out damn cheap! The VAT and/or excise duty however I'd be
interested to hear more about. Do I just have to pay 17.5% when it arrives?
Who do I pay? How does it work? If they charge admin, can you pre-pay this
to avoid it if there is no chance of it "slipping through"?



a


  #14   Report Post  
al
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

"Grunff" wrote in message
-

I don't follow that NG, but that really surprises me. They are just
about the one supplier who's never let me down.


May just be a bad review ... just had a look at their RAM prices - they be
daaaamn cheap!!



a


  #15   Report Post  
Grunff
 
Posts: n/a
Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

al wrote:

Intel or AMD - don't mind, but no more than one down from current fastest
CPU
At least 2GB of *FAST* RAM (not cheap no-brand crap ... really Corsair are
my favourite here)
2 HDDs - one about 60GB, the other about 160GB - both SATA, min 7200rpm
Optical - one reader (all formats), one writer (all formats - including both
DVD!)
ATi Radeon 9800XT 256 graphics card
Sound Blaster Audigy 2ZS sound card
Decent speakers - at least 5.1 sound

However, banging the bits together in a warehouse does not make a good PC
necessarily! High end manufacturers spend a lot of time testing and working
with the OEMs to produce stuff that works really well together. VoodooPC
win tonnes of awards in the US - I'm trying to find a UK equivalent to
compare with.



While I'm in full agreement with you re. the spec, I don't agree with
the "manufacturers spend a lot of time" bit.

You've listed your components. All you need to add to that is a really
good motherboard, and you can't go wrong. There is very little tweaking
to be done.

The things that high end manufacturers have normally won out on is using
well designed cases with proper airflow around *all* the components,
including the drives, and using good quality PSUs.

Good cooling and good PSUs are easy off the shelf items these days.

--
Grunff


  #16   Report Post  
Grunff
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

al wrote:

May just be a bad review ... just had a look at their RAM prices - they be
daaaamn cheap!!


Not just the RAM - they're pretty cometitive on CPUs and motherboards too.

--
Grunff
  #17   Report Post  
al
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

"Hadenman" wrote in message

If you want to properly DIY it, you could just make the PC from parts

you've bought
yourself. That way you could customise it to your hearts content.


Very true, but there is somewhat of a black art to performance tuning parts
that work well together. Also, some companies (such as VoodooPC) work with
ATi and nVidia to make some customisations to the cards.



a


  #18   Report Post  
al
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

"Colin Wilson" wrote in message
t...
£2k is a LOT of money to spend on a machine that will be worth maybe £400
in 6 months time. Buying mid-range now you`ll probably only spend
~£400 to £600 which will allow you to buy a whole new computer in 6
months time at a higher spec compared to what you`d likely spend £2k on
now for no additional outlay above your original estimates.

I'm not planning on selling it while it has any value (like my current 5.5
year old system!) so it doesn't matter what it will be worth in a few months
time.

As you`re only looking for a box, just build what you want at a fraction
of the cost by sourcing decent quality components yourself :-p

Again, see my previous comments in other posting regarding this. I could
build a good enough system I'm sure ... but I want a great one

Do you know what platform you want to aspire to ? 32bit ? 64bit ?

Bear in mind that the shape of computing WILL change markedly in the next
6 months given the introduction of 64bit chips (which are already
available).

Clearly 32bit ... XP is going to be around for a LONG time, as will all the
32bit apps that go with it. 64bit will start on the server and IMHO take a
while to settle down. I think more like 3 years before it makes any inroad
into the home PC market - that is with the 64bit OS's and apps to make any
benifit from it!

Six months old is probably a good age at which to buy into this "new"
technology, because the initial teething problems should have been ironed
out. Cutting edge technology has rough corners.


In 6 months time, there will be more new tech "just round the corner". I
appreciate that 64bit is the future and a big step. I just don't think it
will make that much of an inroad during the expected lifetime of my new
system.


a


  #19   Report Post  
Michael McNeil
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

"al" wrote in message


I very much beg to differ!!! If you want to even look at any new games in a
year's time, such a machine won't even run them. I'm not looking for some
cheap heap that surfs the web and loads MS Office quickly!


With all due respect you preternaturally stupid tosser, what the "FAQ"
are you posting in here for?


--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG
  #20   Report Post  
Jet
 
Posts: n/a
Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...


"al" wrote in message
...
Very tenuous DIY link here in that I'm looking to DIY myself a new PC

.....!
I know there's no dearth of opinions in here though about most matters

from
politics to cement ...

snip
Most politicians should *BE* in cement, but most cement has too high a
self-image to be involved n politic(ian)s

--
flippant Jet

(Q: What politician would you most like to see in a cement overcoat?)
(A: Like... erm, anyone *gives* a f***???)




  #21   Report Post  
al
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

"Grunff" wrote in message
-

While I'm in full agreement with you re. the spec, I don't agree with
the "manufacturers spend a lot of time" bit.

You've listed your components. All you need to add to that is a really
good motherboard, and you can't go wrong. There is very little tweaking
to be done.

It's a fair comment - I couldn't go too far wrong.

The things that high end manufacturers have normally won out on is using
well designed cases with proper airflow around *all* the components,
including the drives, and using good quality PSUs.

Good cooling and good PSUs are easy off the shelf items these days.


Or liquid cooled - probably getting a bit too expensive for me though!
There's a lot to be said for good design though. Hard to judge just how it
will work out space wise when looking at a plastic case and a motherboard
separately ....


a


  #22   Report Post  
Bob Eager
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 23:35:41 UTC, "al"
wrote:

"Grunff" wrote in message
-

I don't follow that NG, but that really surprises me. They are just
about the one supplier who's never let me down.


May just be a bad review ... just had a look at their RAM prices - they be
daaaamn cheap!!


Look back in uk.comp.vendors, on Google Groups...


--
Bob Eager
rde at tavi.co.uk
PC Server 325*4; PS/2s 9585, 8595, 9595*2, 8580*3,
P70...

  #23   Report Post  
al
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

"Michael McNeil" wrote in message
With all due respect you preternaturally stupid tosser, what the "FAQ"
are you posting in here for?


And with no due respect back ... FAQ off! With that kinda language and
attitude ... do your parents know you're up using their PC at this time of
night?

The topic says "O/T". This doesn't give me license to abuse a newsgroup,
but I don't feel I am as I haven't just breezed in here and randomly posted.
I know from the regulars here that PCs quite often come up in conversation
and there is knowledge among them. Much more refreshing knowledge than your
average nerdy PC builder's NG. As I quite regularly post here and have had
many entertaining and lengthy debates on all sorts of topics (even with IMM
no less!!), I respect many of the opinions voiced here on many different
topics.

If you want to vent your pent up aggression, scroll down a bit and have a
look at the massively cross-posted flame-war rubbish that's being going on
for the last few days. They'd like you there - full of your type!



a


  #24   Report Post  
al
 
Posts: n/a
Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

"Bob Eager" wrote in message news:176uZD2KcidF-pn2-
Look back in uk.comp.vendors, on Google Groups...


Good point ... *dumb grin* ... Telewest don't cache a great deal of postings
.....



a


  #25   Report Post  
No-one
 
Posts: n/a
Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 23:33:23 -0000, "al"
wrote:

The VAT and/or excise duty however I'd be
interested to hear more about. Do I just have to pay 17.5% when it arrives?
Who do I pay? How does it work? If they charge admin, can you pre-pay this
to avoid it if there is no chance of it "slipping through"?


You would be liable to excise duty on the PC, plus VAT on top i.e.
you pay VAT on the cost plus duty total. Then an admin charge by the
carriers.

IMHO it isn't worth the hassle and potential problems with goods
damaged in transit.

Build your own from quality components, making sure you go for a top
quality case and PSU. Look at cases from Supermicro amd PSUs from
Enermax. With some, if not all, motherboards, the amount of RAM you
can slot in decreases with speed. e.g. one I saw let you have 3Gb at
DDR266 but only 1Gb at DDR400.

Regards.


  #26   Report Post  
al
 
Posts: n/a
Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

"Jet" wrote in message news:VYZOb.4336
I know there's no dearth of opinions in here though about most matters

from
politics to cement ...

snip
Most politicians should *BE* in cement, but most cement has too high a
self-image to be involved n politic(ian)s


I wonder would they do as a good lime substitute? I mean they do kinda ooze
when you squeeze them ...! Prescott of course already has the sharp sand in
his cheeks ready to go ...



a


  #27   Report Post  
Andy Hall
 
Posts: n/a
Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 23:33:23 -0000, "al"
wrote:

"Bob Minchin" wrote in message
...
Don't forget the cost of delivery and excise duty (and VAT I think)
which is helpfully levied on the goods value plus the insurance plus the
carriage.
The tax is collected by the carrier on behalf of HMCE who allow them to
charge a extra admin/commission fee on top. There is little chance of
escaping this tax. Personal experience!!


Delivery is $235, which sounds a lot, but with the current exchange rates
still works out damn cheap! The VAT and/or excise duty however I'd be
interested to hear more about. Do I just have to pay 17.5% when it arrives?
Who do I pay? How does it work? If they charge admin, can you pre-pay this
to avoid it if there is no chance of it "slipping through"?


That's expensive for shipment.

I would consider buying the more expensive and lighter weight
components in the U.S. and cheaper, heavier stuff locally.

Regarding importation costs, there is certainly 17.5% VAT, but there
is no duty.

If the supplier uses somebody like DHL or Fedex, they will generally
contact you when the goods arrive in the UK and ask you for a credit
card number before clearing and delivering the goods. If you use
them more than a couple of times, they will set up and account for you
and you will simply receive an invoice for the VAT some time after the
goods are delivered.

On anything coming via a courier firm, items will not escape VAT.

In terms of on-line suppliers in the U.S., I have had good success
with www.provantage.com. In many, but not all cases if a reasonable
sized order is placed, the pricing is quite a bit less even with
shipping taken into account.

Another thing that you could consider is to make a shopping trip to
the U.S. Airfares are currently very cheap - for example, I had
an email from Virgin today offering a promotional fare to New York or
Washington for £179 and San Francisco for £219.

If you were to do that, you can bring back goods personally and on
entry to the UK, you have a duty and VAT free allowance of £145.
One note is that you can't put this towards a more expensive item - it
has to be smaller items or item coming together to this figure.
So for the purposes of a PC you would need to buy it as bits.
Over and above that you pay VAT. In practice, I have found that if
you have not gone hugely over the figure and haven't brought booze or
tobacco then they will let it all go.

If you do the sums on that, you can actually do a trip, take in some
tourist stuff if you want and buy computer pieces and pay the same or
less than having it shipped.

One thing to bear in mind is that you don't get all the consumer
protection legislation and returns are going to be harder. On the
other hand, you can take a view on that on the argument that no one
single item in the machine is likely to cost more than £100-150 and
take a risk. I've done that for a few years and have not had
significant problems. I had a dud motherboard once, value about
$80, so am not too concerned. Obviously it pays to buy well known
products.





a


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl
  #28   Report Post  
Andy Hall
 
Posts: n/a
Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 00:17:57 +0000, No-one
wrote:

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 23:33:23 -0000, "al"
wrote:

The VAT and/or excise duty however I'd be
interested to hear more about. Do I just have to pay 17.5% when it arrives?
Who do I pay? How does it work? If they charge admin, can you pre-pay this
to avoid it if there is no chance of it "slipping through"?


You would be liable to excise duty on the PC, plus VAT on top i.e.
you pay VAT on the cost plus duty total. Then an admin charge by the
carriers.


There shouldn't be duty from the U.S. to the EU on computers IME.

IMHO it isn't worth the hassle and potential problems with goods
damaged in transit.

Build your own from quality components, making sure you go for a top
quality case and PSU. Look at cases from Supermicro amd PSUs from
Enermax. With some, if not all, motherboards, the amount of RAM you
can slot in decreases with speed. e.g. one I saw let you have 3Gb at
DDR266 but only 1Gb at DDR400.

Regards.


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl
  #29   Report Post  
The Natural Philosopher
 
Posts: n/a
Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

Grunff wrote:

al wrote:

Very tenuous DIY link here in that I'm looking to DIY myself a new PC
....!
I know there's no dearth of opinions in here though about most matters
from
politics to cement ...

I've been looking around recently for a one around about the £2k
mark. As I
already have a monitor, I just want to buy a box with top end bits in it.
Panrix have always come out good in the past in magazine benchmarks,
but I
found their website to be thoroughly crap and the choice very poor. Dell
are starting to look more towards gaming with their top end systems, but
they ruin it by not letting you customise it enough. Also, their
prices for
upgrading RAM are enough to make the average person faint!

VoodooPC in Canada (www.voodoopc.com) have caught my interest however.
Their machines look the business, can be fully customised exactly the
way I
want (and without monitor!!) and North American currencies are pretty
weak.
My only worrys are faults and returns.




For top end stuff I usually use http://www.overclockers.co.uk/ - good
selection of great components, good service, and good prices. £2k will
get you something *amazing*.


My local company is www.woc.co.uk.

I am sure they will shp whatever you want assembled, tested and OS
installed at a lot less than 2k.

  #30   Report Post  
The Natural Philosopher
 
Posts: n/a
Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

al wrote:

"Hadenman" wrote in message

If you want to properly DIY it, you could just make the PC from parts

you've bought

yourself. That way you could customise it to your hearts content.



Very true, but there is somewhat of a black art to performance tuning parts
that work well together. Also, some companies (such as VoodooPC) work with
ATi and nVidia to make some customisations to the cards.




Look at www.woc.co.uk. They will put all the parts together, test it,
and guarantee it. Always 15% more expensive than the cheapest, worth
every penny. Bought literally hundreds of machines off them for various
companies over the years. Tried cheaper places. always end up going back
for teh service...



a







  #31   Report Post  
Colin Wilson
 
Posts: n/a
Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

Clearly 32bit ... snip

The Athlon64 is already available, and runs 32bit code quite happily from
what i`ve read. When 64bit code becomes more widely available, it will
probably start to cut a wider path from the 32bit field.

Try www.theinquirer.net for more info - it seems to carry quite a few
articles, and also check the link below - a Pentium IV vs Athlon64
shootout

http://www6.tomshardware.com/cpu/20040106/index.html

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  #32   Report Post  
Grunff
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

al wrote:
"Michael McNeil" wrote in message

With all due respect you preternaturally stupid tosser, what the "FAQ"
are you posting in here for?



And with no due respect back ... FAQ off! With that kinda language and
attitude ... do your parents know you're up using their PC at this time of
night?



He's always like this al - ignore him.

--
Grunff
  #33   Report Post  
al
 
Posts: n/a
Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
Look at www.woc.co.uk. They will put all the parts together, test it,
and guarantee it. Always 15% more expensive than the cheapest, worth
every penny. Bought literally hundreds of machines off them for various
companies over the years. Tried cheaper places. always end up going back
for teh service...

Thanks for the link - they look quite good, but they don't seem to allow you
to choose very high spec components or to drop the monitor. Might try
emailing them later. Their cases look a little plain too

If you're putting PCs into businesses, then good service and cheap prices
for reliable machines is invaluable. They look like this is their main
market though, rather than the high end.



a


  #34   Report Post  
al
 
Posts: n/a
Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

"Colin Wilson" wrote in message
t...
The Athlon64 is already available, and runs 32bit code quite happily from
what i`ve read. When 64bit code becomes more widely available, it will
probably start to cut a wider path from the 32bit field.


Yes, just saw that while browsing around. http://www.alienware.co.uk/ are a
UK company that do the type of machine I'm interested in. Trouble is, the
spec I put down (almost identical to the VoodooPC one) came to £2800!! A
little rich for my blood ...

Try www.theinquirer.net for more info - it seems to carry quite a few
articles, and also check the link below - a Pentium IV vs Athlon64
shootout

http://www6.tomshardware.com/cpu/20040106/index.html

Thanks for the links, will have a read.



a


  #35   Report Post  
Andrew Gabriel
 
Posts: n/a
Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

In article ,
Andy Hall writes:
On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 00:17:57 +0000, No-one
wrote:

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 23:33:23 -0000, "al"
wrote:

The VAT and/or excise duty however I'd be
interested to hear more about. Do I just have to pay 17.5% when it arrives?
Who do I pay? How does it work? If they charge admin, can you pre-pay this
to avoid it if there is no chance of it "slipping through"?


You would be liable to excise duty on the PC, plus VAT on top i.e.
you pay VAT on the cost plus duty total. Then an admin charge by the
carriers.


There shouldn't be duty from the U.S. to the EU on computers IME.


That's true for complete systems.
Incomplete systems and parts attracted 20% last time I looked.

--
Andrew Gabriel


  #36   Report Post  
The Natural Philosopher
 
Posts: n/a
Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

al wrote:

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...

Look at www.woc.co.uk. They will put all the parts together, test it,
and guarantee it. Always 15% more expensive than the cheapest, worth
every penny. Bought literally hundreds of machines off them for various
companies over the years. Tried cheaper places. always end up going back
for teh service...


Thanks for the link - they look quite good, but they don't seem to allow you
to choose very high spec components or to drop the monitor. Might try
emailing them later. Their cases look a little plain too



Look at the price list. You can pick'n'mix anything you want. I agree
cases are plain, but they last teh course. I have a 7 year old rack
mount case here under my feet...its so extraordinary if I ever get
burgeld, chances are it will get left behind.




If you're putting PCs into businesses, then good service and cheap prices
for reliable machines is invaluable. They look like this is their main
market though, rather than the high end.




Not sure what the highest spec motherboard is - as I said, check the
price list.



a





  #37   Report Post  
Andy Hall
 
Posts: n/a
Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

On 20 Jan 2004 10:50:55 GMT, (Andrew
Gabriel) wrote:

In article ,
Andy Hall writes:
On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 00:17:57 +0000, No-one
wrote:

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 23:33:23 -0000, "al"
wrote:

The VAT and/or excise duty however I'd be
interested to hear more about. Do I just have to pay 17.5% when it arrives?
Who do I pay? How does it work? If they charge admin, can you pre-pay this
to avoid it if there is no chance of it "slipping through"?

You would be liable to excise duty on the PC, plus VAT on top i.e.
you pay VAT on the cost plus duty total. Then an admin charge by the
carriers.


There shouldn't be duty from the U.S. to the EU on computers IME.


That's true for complete systems.
Incomplete systems and parts attracted 20% last time I looked.


You mean a combined rate including VAT?

I've brought in parts quite regularly, personally and have always
declared them as such. Sometimes I'm asked if they are for personal
use. Either way, I've never paid other than the VAT.

With tools, sometimes I've had to pay about 1.7% duty and then VAT...

On one occasion, I had some computer items for business purposes.
Theoretically you are supposed to do a Merchandise in Baggage
declaration and procedure for that, but I simply told them what I had
and what it was for. The customs person asked if the business was VAT
registered (it is) and then just let the whole thing go saying that
there was no point in creating paperwork - had I had to pay, VAT would
have been reclaimed as input tax anyway.



..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl
  #38   Report Post  
nightjar
 
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Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...


"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 22:40:10 UTC, Grunff wrote:

For top end stuff I usually use http://www.overclockers.co.uk/ - good
selection of great components, good service, and good prices. £2k will
get you something *amazing*.


They don't have a very good reputation in uk.comp.vendors (actually,
that's probably a better place to ask the original question). There's
stuff in there right now about them, and the URL of an article too.


Interesting, as I have bought a lot of stuff from them over the past year
and always found them to be fast, reliable and good value.

Colin Bignell


  #39   Report Post  
nightjar
 
Posts: n/a
Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...


"al" wrote in message
...
"Peter Crosland" wrote in message
...
Unless you are into gaming in a big way you don't need to spend even £1k

let
alone 2!


I very much beg to differ!!! If you want to even look at any new games in

a
year's time, such a machine won't even run them.


The most expensive bit is usually buying the latest chip. If you go the true
d-i-y route and use a good motherboard, you can get quite a lot of life out
of a build by replacing the CPU once in a while. Few games need the very
latest chip to work and, by the time most games need that chip, it will have
dropped a lot in price. For example, the P4 3.2GHz 800FSB chip has dropped
from over £400 + VAT to about £250 +VAT since the P4 EE chip (£590 + VAT)
has come onto the market, but I don't have any games that won't work happily
with a £175 + VAT 3.0GHz 800 FSB P4.

Colin Bignell


  #40   Report Post  
David Hearn
 
Posts: n/a
Default A bit O/T ... UK PC vendors ...

"al" wrote in message
...
"Peter Crosland" wrote in message
...
Unless you are into gaming in a big way you don't need to spend
even £1k let alone 2!


I very much beg to differ!!! If you want to even look at any new
games in a year's time, such a machine won't even run them.


The most expensive bit is usually buying the latest chip. If you go
the true d-i-y route and use a good motherboard, you can get quite a
lot of life out of a build by replacing the CPU once in a while. Few
games need the very latest chip to work and, by the time most games
need that chip, it will have dropped a lot in price. For example, the
P4 3.2GHz 800FSB chip has dropped from over £400 + VAT to about £250
+VAT since the P4 EE chip (£590 + VAT) has come onto the market, but
I don't have any games that won't work happily with a £175 + VAT
3.0GHz 800 FSB P4.


Even going for the latest chip but the 2nd fastest speed can give a huge
drop.

Years ago I wanted to get an AMD K6 233MHz which was the fastest K6 chip at
the time. It was priced at about £250 at the time but in short supply. I
ended up getting the 200MHz one for just over £150 I think.

The same principle was there when I got my 1.13GHz Athlon (which I'm still
using!).

D


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