Critique First New Build

C

Cardinalduke

n00b
Joined
Apr 14, 2008
Messages
53
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Watching HD movies, minor video editing. Using multiple applications simultaneously including both office work and multiple video applications. Internet, web surfing. Minimal gaming. Analysis using Chessbase and related chess engines.

2) Budget? $800 should include taxes and shipping

3) Where do you live? Texas. Close to Microcenter and Fry's. Prefer to order from Newegg.

4) Parts needed? Case, Processor, PSU, GPU, CD/DVD Drive, Mobo

5) Reusing parts? Have 8GB RAM, four sticks total in the form of CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066
Peripherals: Monitor (see below), Logitech Dinovo Edge keyboard, MX Revolution mouse, Logitech speakers

6) Will you be overclocking? Yes. Will be my first attempt.

7) What size monitors do you have? Dual Monitors 2 x Acer X233H 23" 1920x1080

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Within the next week or two if I can get my act together.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? Crossfire or SLI capability would be nice but not completely necessary. Idiot proof motherboard for a first time builder if such a thing exists.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? Have Windows 7 Professional 64 bit. No need to purchase.

Already Have/Ordered:

A. Intel X25-M 80GB SSD Plan to use this as a system drive in new build.

B. Extra 500 GB HD with docking station and external drive enclosure. Currently used for drive imaging and extra storage space.

Proposed build:

Processor: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8GHz $199.99

Motherboard: MSI 790XT-G45 AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD $89.99 + $4.99 shipping = $94.98

Power: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W $79.99

Graphics: MSI R5770 Hawk Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 $179.99 + $7.56 Shipping

CD Drive: ASUS Black CD/DVD $22.99

Case: COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN3 CM690 II Basic BS Mid Tower $79.99

Total cost including shipping (excluding MIR): $665.49
Less $15 Newegg gift card.

What do you guys think of the above? Is there anything you would change or reconsider? Can I get a slightly cheaper deal on the same graphics card by picking a different brand (based on today's Newegg prices). MSI gets highest rating, but is also not on sale.

Is this a good overall plan for a first time builder?

Thanks in advance for your help,

-Cardinal
 
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Cardinalduke said:
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Watching HD movies, minor video editing. Using multiple applications simultaneously including both office work and multiple video applications. Internet, web surfing. Minimal gaming. Analysis using Chessbase and related chess engines.

2) Budget? $800 should include taxes and shipping

3) Where do you live? Texas. Close to Microcenter and Fry's. Prefer to order from Newegg.

4) Parts needed? Case, Processor, PSU, GPU, CD/DVD Drive, Mobo

5) Reusing parts: Have 8GB RAM, four sticks total in the form of CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066
Peripherals: Monitor (see below), Logitech Dinovo Edge keyboard, MX Revolution mouse, Logitech speakers

6) Will you be overclocking? Yes. Will be my first attempt.

7) What size monitors do you have? Dual Monitors 2 x Acer X233H 23" 1920x1080

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Within the next week or two if I can get my act together.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? Crossfire or SLI capability would be nice but not completely necessary. Idiot proof motherboard for a first time builder if such a thing exists.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? Have Windows 7 Professional 64 bit. No need to purchase.

Already Have/Ordered:

A. Intel X25-M 80GB SSD Plan to use this as a system drive in new build.

B. Extra 500 GB HD with docking station and external drive enclosure. Currently used for drive imaging and extra storage space.

Proposed build:

Processor: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8GHz $199.99

Motherboard: MSI 790XT-G45 AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD $89.99 + $4.99 shipping = $94.98

Power: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W $79.99

Graphics: MSI R5770 Hawk Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 $179.99 + $7.56 Shipping

CD Drive: ASUS Black CD/DVD $22.99

Case: COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN3 CM690 II Basic BS Mid Tower $79.99

Total cost including shipping (excluding MIR): $665.49
Less $15 Newegg gift card.

What do you guys think of the above? Is there anything you would change or reconsider? Can I get a slightly cheaper deal on the same graphics card by picking a different brand (based on today's Newegg prices). MSI gets highest rating, but is also not on sale.

Is this a good overall plan for a first time builder?

Thanks in advance for your help,

-Cardinal
Click to expand...

Three problems here:

1. Slightly overpriced motherboard. I would not spend $95 these days on a motherboard that still uses DDR2 memory especially since some DDR3 motherboards cost less.
2. Overpriced graphics card. Most of those reviews at Newegg are from people who don't have much if any experience with the product or who don't have any less-expensive alternatives to compare against.
3. PSU rebate in the form of a prepaid debit card (this is exactly the form of rebate which we have been warning against anyone accepting in the other forums here at the [H]) which is very difficult, if not impossible, to cancel - and there is no protection at all whatsoever against fraudulent or unathorized charges. This means that if anyone rips off the personal information off of the prepaid card and charges as much as $999 trillion ($999,000,000,000,000.00) on that card, you are responsible for the ENTIRE amount plus extremely hefty surcharges. And what makes this a bad deal is that once you activated the prepaid debit card, that card remains active for life - and you cannot deposit any funds at all whatsoever onto that card. And once you receive the prepaid debit card, Newegg is no longer responsible for any charges incurred on that card. As a result, I consider that TX650 PSU as costing $89.99, not $79.99.
 
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Thanks for the quick reply.

1. Can live with slightly overpriced MOBO unless there is better option substantially cheaper.
2. Do you have a suggestion for improvement on the GPU? How about a 5750 for about $140? Do you think I can do better or am I just paying too much for the correct card (5770)? Point taken on the newegg GPU reviews.
3. Thank you for the warning. I will not bother with the MIR via prepaid debit card. Doesn't sound like it is worth the risk. MIR are not included in my calculation to begin with since I am not sure I will ever get them. Safer that way. The PSU listed has a promotional code attached. Hence how I got the $79.99 figure.
 
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Cardinalduke said:
Thanks for the quick reply.

1. Can live with slightly overpriced MOBO unless there is better option substantially cheaper.
Click to expand...

Actually, it is $20 too much. I would not spend more than about $75 shipped for a DDR2 motherboard these days.

Cardinalduke said:
2. Do you have a suggestion for improvement on the GPU? How about a 5750 for about $140? Do you think I can do better or am I just paying too much for the correct card (5770)? Point taken on the newegg GPU reviews. Makes sense since many are just updating. Easy install.
Click to expand...

At a whopping $188 shipped, you're just paying way too much for the correct card, especially since the XFX-branded ones cost $20 to $30 less. A 20% factory overclock is definitely not worth the extra $20~$30 over a reference-clocked 5770.
 
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For the card, this option is currently more than $20 cheaper. Good call. Price may change in the morning, but I understand that I can pretty much just pick whichever major brand is offering the best deal on the day of purchase.

SAPPHIRE 100283L Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 Current Price = $159.99

Nice cost savings, thanks. Cheap XFX brand currently reading out of stock.

Will look at MOBOs more carefully tomorrow morning.
 
Cardinalduke said:
For the card, this option is currently more than $20 cheaper. Good call. Price may change in the morning, but I understand that I can pretty much just pick whichever major brand is offering the best deal on the day of purchase.

SAPPHIRE 100283L Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 Current Price = $159.99

Nice cost savings, thanks. Cheap XFX brand currently reading out of stock.

Will look at MOBOs more carefully tomorrow morning.
Click to expand...

The biggest difference between brands of AMD-based graphics cards is the warranty and support. Most GFX cards have only a two- or three-year warranty with (relatively) indifferent human support (many of those sometimes reject RMAs even though the card is clearly broken). Sapphire's warranty and technical support are both undistinguished, with only a two-year warranty and only modest technical support.
 
For just a few dollars more I would get this Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 instead. It supports DDR3, SATA 6Gb/s, and USB 3.0, with all your other basic features.

Nevermind, it looks like you're set on reusing DDR2 for now. DDR3 is another $100 if you want to make the move to a newer mobo.
 
E4g1e: Thanks for the info on brands. Will come in handy.
SOS Trooper: Yep, and knowing myself I would likely splurge and go for 8GB DDR3 and spend more than $200 extra. Benefits don't seem worth the money to me at this point. With my old unit, I will still have a working computer since I happen to have an old unused 3GB of DDR2 sitting around collecting dust. That would make the entire old unit marketable (Q6600, 9600GT GPU, Dell Foxconn MOBO, Liteon 350W PSU, 3GB RAM, 2 years old).

For comparison purposes, here is the build with more reasonable graphics card price (saving $27.56 so far).

Proposed build:

Processor: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8GHz $199.99
Motherboard: MSI 790XT-G45 AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD $89.99 + $4.99 shipping = $94.98
Power: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W $79.99
Graphics: SAPPHIRE 100283L Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 Current Price = $159.99
CD Drive: ASUS Black CD/DVD $22.99
Case: COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN3 CM690 II Basic BS Mid Tower $79.99

Total cost including shipping (excluding MIR): $637.93
Less $15 Newegg gift card.

Edit: This is close to my final product. May place order soonish. After reading more about the MOBO, I still can't shake that the one I have selected has such excellent reviews. Seems like it would be a good option for a first time builder to try out. Easy instructions and not much troubleshooting. I could live knowing I overpaid about $20 or so for it as long as everything else is reasonable.
 
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Cardinalduke said:
E4g1e: Thanks for the info on brands. Will come in handy.
SOS Trooper: Yep, and knowing myself I would likely splurge and go for 8GB DDR3 and spend more than $200 extra. Benefits don't seem worth the money to me at this point. With my old unit, I will still have a working computer since I happen to have an old unused 3GB of DDR2 sitting around collecting dust. That would make the entire old unit marketable (Q6600, 9600GT GPU, Dell Foxconn MOBO, Liteon 350W PSU, 3GB RAM, 2 years old).

For comparison purposes, here is the build with more reasonable graphics card price (saving $27.56 so far).

Proposed build:

Processor: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8GHz $199.99
Motherboard: MSI 790XT-G45 AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD $89.99 + $4.99 shipping = $94.98
Power: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W $79.99
Graphics: SAPPHIRE 100283L Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 Current Price = $159.99
CD Drive: ASUS Black CD/DVD $22.99
Case: COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN3 CM690 II Basic BS Mid Tower $79.99

Total cost including shipping (excluding MIR): $637.93
Less $15 Newegg gift card.

Edit: This is close to my final product. May place order soonish. After reading more about the MOBO, I still can't shake that the one I have selected has such excellent reviews. Seems like it would be a good option for a first time builder to try out. Easy instructions and not much troubleshooting. I could live knowing I overpaid about $20 or so for it as long as everything else is reasonable.
Click to expand...

Seems like a good build to me, MSI makes solid motherboards. I would say something about the DDR2 board but since you have 8gb of decent DDR2 I think it would be a good buy. IMO Splurge for the XFX 5770 instead of the Sapphire, longer warranty and better support.
 
Good deal. I'll go XFX. Lifetime limited warranty does look better to me. I think that should pretty much do it for this build. Plan to order later today.
 
Will do. Ordered everything from Newegg. Suspect it will arrive no later than Friday with the speed of their shipments.
 
Update:

System is up and running with one hitch so far. I am getting two short beeps right after post. Indicates possible parity error based on beep code chart. Maybe I can start by trying swapping out some RAM to see if it still generates the error. May be due to something else though.

I ended up having to purchase a second processor (cheap single core) to update the BIOS with before it would post. Then reinstalled new processor with new thermal paste. MSI was helpful immediately troubleshooting the no post problem. System appears stable upon analysis with Prime 95 and reading temperatures with core temp and speedfan programs. Currently running memtest86. Windows 7 professional installed without a hitch. SSD really speeds up boot time, but I have a lot of work ahead of me to get the system is optimally fast working order.
 
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