I’ve got a new Home PC!
Every couple of years I upgrade my PC. With the exception of my very first PC (a 486DX2 66MHz with 4MB’s RAM) I have upgraded/built the PC myself. It doesn’t work out any cheaper, it just means that I can custom pick every component that goes into it.
A couple of weeks ago I upgraded to:
| Item | Description | Price | Shop URL |
| Motherboard | GA-EP45T-EXTREME | £ 227.00 | http://www.lambda-tek.com/componentshop/index.pl?searchString=GA-EP45T-EXTREME&level1_uid=0&go=go |
| CPU | Intel E8600 Dual Core | £ 205.00 | http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=56ZF&SearchType=1&SearchTerms=e8600&PageMode=3&SearchKey=All&SearchMode=All&NavigationKey=0 |
| 3d card | HD4870 1GB ATI | £ 205.00 | http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?SAP-48701 |
| 2GBx2 RAM | OCZ3RPR16004GK | £ 171.00 | http://www.lambda-tek.com/componentshop/index.pl?searchString=OCZ3RPR16004GK&level1_uid=0&go=go |
| 300GB 10,000rpm Hard Drive | WD3000GLFS | £ 179.00 | http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=53K4&SearchType=1&SearchTerms=WD3000GLFS&PageMode=3&SearchKey=All&SearchMode=All&NavigationKey=0 |
| CPU Fan | Thermalright IFX-14 | £ 35.00 | http://www.tekheads.co.uk/s/product?product=608658 |
| £ 1,022.00 |
and I can confirm that it is pretty speedy! 
It is also very quiet as there is no CPU fan, just a big heat sink (as you can see in the photo below):
Some info on some of the components:
| http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/desktop-cpu-charts-q3-2008/benchmarks,31.html | Shows the cpu is the best |
| http://www.guru3d.com/article/far-cry-2-pc-vga-graphics-performance-review/5 | 3rd chart is our res. Its only 5fps slower than the cards that cost twice the price |
| http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/HD_4850_X2/25.html | The 4870 is quiet |