Advice on building low-spec Sandy Bridge build.

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Leo123

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Jul 27, 2009
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Hello,

I am just about to build a new low spec sandy bridge build to replace my old desktop computer.

I plan on eventually putting the proposed CPU/RAM/Motherboard in a server and buying a more powerful Ivy Bridge CPU and Motherboard to put in the desktop later next year (this is why I have chosen the I3-2100T – might not be the best processor for a desktop at the moment but would be ideal in a server. In any event it will be many times better thatn the AMD Athlon 2500+ I have currently got.

Proposed specs are:

* Antec High Current Gamer 620W Power Supply
* Cooler Master CM-690 II Advanced Dominator Case
* i3-2100T
* 4GB Cheap Ram
* Asus P8H67-M Evo Intel H67
* Samsung F3 1TB
* Samsung F1 1TB - I already have this, to be used as a secondary drive.

I am not planning on doing any gaming but just some basic video/photo editing and music recording.

1. Is the i3-2100T really worth it over, say the i3-2100? I have read mixed reviews and some say that it is lower power but takes longer do the same thing, thus is it really more power efficient overall? Are TDPs really accurate for looking at the efficiency of CPUs?
2. I have read that the PSU is a great buy, but I am worried that perhaps it is too large a wattage. It is difficult to know what eventual Ivy Bridge set up I go with (I’ll probably get an average graphics card, but am not really a gamer), but I know that it is not a good idea to get PSU that is massively overpowered compared to the components as it then becomes inefficient running at say 20%.
3. Any proposed changes to the specs?

Thanks very much.
 
Is noise or power consumption a concern? What will your server be serving?

The PSU is more than adequate for the parts you've listed, however they may not be large enough for later on. I would buy a smaller PSU now for the parts that will power your server and buy another PSU when it comes time to build your Ivy Bridge desktop. The answers to the above question will allow for better recommendations.

If you would like a detailed evaluation for your proposed specs rather than general advice, please fill out the sticky.
 
1) Unless your electricity rates are really high and your computer usage on the rather low-end scale, the 2100T isn't worth it over the i3 2100 IMO
2) The PSU is a good PSU but not a good choice for the price. I'd go with this:
$90 - Corsair 650TX V2 650W PSU

And yes it is ridiculously overkill for your current setup. However if you are indeed planning on adding a new and moderate range video card, then yes stick with it. However if a low-end card is all that you're gonna go with, you could easily make do with a 520W to 550W PSU.

3) Can't make any propsosals till you answer that sticky.
 
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
* Basic video/photo editing, web browsing, recording music
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
* About £400 ($650), inclusive of tax but not shipping.
3) Where do you live?
*UK
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
*Motherboard, Case, PSU, RAM, CPU, HDD
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
*Samsung F1 1TB HDD
6) Will you be overclocking?
*No
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
*22" Widescreen - Samsung "Pebble"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within next month
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
*Onboard Graphics, USB 3.0, efficient, DVI, at least 3 PCI-E slots (1x, 4x or 8x)
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
*I plan on running Ubuntu 11.04 (32-bit) for the time being but shall put a copy of Windows 7 64-bit on later on.

Sorry this might take a little while to explain but here goes:

My current Desktop has these bits:

*AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2500+
*MS-6570 K7N2 AMD Motherboard
*HDD 3 Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB - Connected via VT6421A SATA to PCI card
*Advance MPT-300 300W PSU
*Generic Armada Case - room for 5 hard drive ports,and 4 optical drive ports
*Pioneer DVD-RW DVR 116-D
*80-mm case fan
*2 x 512 DDR 400 RAM (Crucial)
*Windows XP

and I have the following computer in my living room, acting as both an HTPC and Server (running Mediaportal):
*Athlon II X2 240e
*Asus M4A785TD-M Evo
*Antec NSK2480 - with the 380w PSU
*4GB Corsair Ram
*1.5TB AV-GP Hard Drive (Recording), 2TB F4 Sasmung (Storage), Samsung F7 Laptop Drive 500GB(Time Shifting and OS)
*Windows 7 64-Bit
*Hauppauge HVR-2200
*Haupauge Nova-S2

Now, my problem is that the Desktop computer has almost become unusable with its ageing parts and need replacing. I really wanted to replace it with a brand new Ivy Bridge build at the end of next year (I would leave six months after it comes out for the dust to settle).

However, I need a new computer now - my other half has got into photography recently and needs a better computer to deal with the photos and I need to start editing some of the videos I have on my HTPC. Furthermore, my brother gave me some USB recording equipment but my current computer is too slow to do any decent recording (requires a dual core).

I cannot wait 18 months or so using my current desktop, and it seems pointless to build a full-blown Sandy Bridge build when I am holding off for Ivy Bridge. Ultimately, I was hoping to try and buy parts now that I can use now and swap around later.

The plan therefore was to buy the Case, PSU, RAM, HDD now that I plan to use for the Ivy Bridge Build.

I would then buy a cheap and efficient Sandy Bridge motherboard and CPU and use it with the above components for the next 18 months (will still be a massive increase from my current old AthlonXP+ desktop.

When Ivy Bridge comes in - add a new motherboard and CPU (possibly a discrete graphics card) and then put the existing Sandybridge Mobo/CPU into my server.

Sell the AMD Motherboard/CPU that was in the server.

Sorry for the really long query - hope I am not over analysing things too much.

Ultimately, my question is what low cost and efficient rig can I use now but then migrate into a server later?

Another question of course is whether I should build a sandy bridge rig at all - would a cheap AMD replacement as my desktop do?

Please feel free to ask anymore questions - sorry again for all the information, I know it helps to be really specific on what exactly you are looking for.

Thanks.
 
Honestly, I don't have a solid answer for you in regards to the CPU upgrade plan

Here's the deal: If you do a brand new AMD AMD3+ build now, there's a chance that it'll be compatible with AMD's new Bulldozer CPUs supposedly coming in a month or two. However no one knows for sure just how fast those new Bulldozer CPUs are. At the very least, they're gonna be faster than AMD's current Phenom II CPUs.

As for the Ivy Bridge CPU upgrade path, again, there's no 100% guarantee that whatever LGA 1155 mobo you choose will actually work with the Ivy Bridge CPUs. A lot can change within the next six months.

As for the moving whatever CPU you get for your desktop into the server, my question to that is why? Is the 240e not meeting your needs anymore?

As for the other parts, you'll be fine buying the case, PSU, RAM, and HDD ahead of time. The RAM will of course remain unused until your new CPU + mobo is chosen
 
Thanks for that - I agree that it is probably not worth trying to try and buy anything to use it as something else later as there is always something better round the corner - the nature of the beast that is computing.

I am tempted just to get a really cheap AMD Motherboard/CPU (will still be leaps and bounds over my current setup) which will probably still handle what I want to do and stick in it, the rest of the equipment that I am going to use for my Ivy Bridge build in the future.

I think you are right about sticking with the 240e (probably ideal for a server - low power) - if it ain't broker, don't try and fix it. The only slight problem is that the motherboard I have with it is great but will need upgrading at some point - it only has 2 PCI-E express slots (I will probably need three at some point as I want to add some more tuner cards) and I also will want some USB 3.0 ports for faster backing up.

Here is an idea - perhaps swap the server's existing motherboard with a new AMD board that has the extra PCI-E slots and USB 3.0 ports and then use the existing motherboard in the new desktop with something like a regular Athlon II x2 250 - should then be enough for what I am hoping to do with the HD4200 graphics?
 
Leo123 said:
Here is an idea - perhaps swap the server's existing motherboard with a new AMD board that has the extra PCI-E slots and USB 3.0 ports and then use the existing motherboard in the new desktop with something like a regular Athlon II x2 250 - should then be enough for what I am hoping to do with the HD4200 graphics?
Click to expand...

That might work.
 
I think you should consider upgrading to Sandy Bridge. It will be an enormous performance jump compared to what you have now, and Ivy Bridge is still about 9 months away (could be more, could be less.) If you're finding that your current computer is not performing the tasks you want to do right now, it's probably time to upgrade.

Consider splitting the difference between Ivy Bridge and the Core i3-2100 and get a Core i5-2400. You'll have a very solid quad-core processor to hold you over until it no longer meets your needs (probably post-Ivy Bridge.)

The Athlon X2-250 idea will be a cheaper alternative, but won't provide the same performance as the Intel. It should do what you want it to do thoguh.
 
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