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Looking for Some Input On Two General Purpose Builds

R

Rabid Sloth

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 2, 2012
Messages
169
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
General internet activities, light photo and video editing, watching 1080 video. Near zero gaming

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I'm looking at around $1,000 to $1,300. I am not worried about tax or shipping.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Hanover, Maryland so Microcenter is an option.

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.
CPU, RAM, motherboard, case, hdd's, ssd's, PSU, optical drive, monitor

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
The only part I'm considering using is a EVGA 8800GTS 640MB

6) Will you be overclocking?
Mildly

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
To be decided, but it will be a single monitor.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
This 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 (as a backup or main GPU)? etc.
I'm looking for max connectivity so preferably firewire, USB 3.0, eSATA. I'd like the eSATA to be powered, but not a deal breaker. I'm interested in using the Intel onboard graphics, but I'd like input.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes. Windows 7 Home 64bit.


I've been lurking around here for years, but I finally got around to registering to get some input on a couple builds I'll be starting up this month. This computer will be for my parents. I have built numerous computers for myself and others over the years, but in this case I'm looking for bang for the buck and problem free as the focus.

The biggest point I'm looking for input on is will the 'Intel HD Graphics 3000' be sufficient for general computing (looking at a 2600k) or do I need to find a $100'ish card? Although my father is computer literate, he doesn't enjoy tinkering with things like most of us enthusiasts. That being said I don't want any situations that would have hiccups under normal use (stuttering while watching HD content, general sluggishness, etc). As I mentioned I have a 8800GTS 640MB sitting in my current rig that could easily be used as well.

Any suggestions for a solid value monitor would be appreciated as well. It would just be one and I'm looking for something over 20".

I'm looking for a quiet, simple looking case like the Antec Sonota
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129177
but I'm looking for alternatives.

I'm just looking for a durable, lower power PSU. I was thinking about something Corsair
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020
but again I'm open to suggestions.

I'm thinking a i7 2600k because I'd like the computer to feel perky for the next 2 to 3 years and I feel like it's worth the extra change.
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354587

I feel like Asus makes a solid board and was considering the P8Z68 Deluxe
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131791

I'd like to do 16GB of memory as it's dirt cheep currently and for the problem free aspect. I know I clear 8GB of used memory from time to time now, so even my parents could be there eventually. Cheap insurance imho. I was thinking Corsaid Vengeance as I've heard good things.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233143

I'm going to pick up a SSD as there OS drive because even my wife noticed when I put one in our main computer. I had the BSOD problem with my OWC drive, so I'm just looking for solid performance over the last 1% of speed. I think I read the Crucial M4 would fit the bill.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442

I'm way out of the monitor loop, but looking at an ASUS 21.5".
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236051

I will be adding a 2tb drive for storage, optical drive, and input devices.
 
Define "mildly" overclocking, because if you don't plan to hit high speeds with that 2600k, then the vanilla 2600 will be just fine for you. It's possibly to overclock it to around 3.8Ghz, where as the 2600k can go as high or higher than 4.5Ghz.

That motherboard seems to be overkill for your needs. Go with the ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 motherboard as it has all the features you need.

RAM is a bit over priced, should find RAM in the $80 or less price range for 16GB.

Good drive, I'd spring for the 256GB but that's just me.

ASUS makes good monitors, I have one myself but it's a 23".
 
I wouldn't spend the extra for the Deluxe unless you feel you need the extra ethernet port or the extra SATA and 1394 support. The P8Z68-V and P8Z68-V Pro both use the same components, and feature the same power phases as the Deluxe at a significant cost reduction. The Pro has the extra 2 SATA ports and the 1394 as well as the Deluxe, the vanilla -V lacks all three things.

Edit: If you want Firewire, then get the Pro, and the Deluxe doesn't support video out so that kills the use of the IGP (although I think you can still use Quick Sync with it, but I'm not positive). I'd also add that the 2500K should still be plenty perky for the things you mention using it for for the next 2-3 years at a $100 discount from the 2600K.
 
I have said this in many a thread, and I will repeat here because I think its pertinent.

On my system I use a stand alone SSD for my OS and frequently used apps, like swtor. I have to manage my space on the drive, even though its a 120 GB drive, it still fills up when I am not watching it, and yes I have moved my user folders to the mechanical drive. If the SSD dies I would lose quite a bit and have to reinstall, which isn't a big deal for me, because I enjoy it on certain days of the week.

On my son's system, I put in a 64 GB vertex 3 on his Z68 and use it as read cache. His system smokes. Most everything is cached on his system, and he isn't bound by what apps are on the SSD. No management really either, just plug in an go, although slightly more complex than my wifes rig. If the SSD dies, his system still works fine, just has to use his mechanical drive, but no installation.

On my wifes rig, I was concerned with using any SSD as she doesn't tinker at all, and she is one of those people that if it doesn't work once, its a piece of shit in her mind. So for her I bought a 750 GB seagate hybrid drive and installed it into her desktop. It works great for her and is actually really damn fast. It requires absolutely no management, and even if the SSD part of the drive dies, her system still runs.
 
The Sonata SOLO II is a good case. But not at the $146 shipped price that Newegg is charging for it. If it had free shipping, then that case would have been an ok choice for the money. If you're looking for a quiet case, I recommend the following cases:
$120 - Fractal Design Define R3 Arctic White ATX Case
$125 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl ATX Case
$130 - Fractal Design Define R3 Silver Arrow ATX Case
$140 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW ATX case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B ATX Case

Motherboard wise, I concur with the others in that the Asus P8Z68 Deluxe is overkill and a poor choice for the money. The two motherboards recommended so far, the Asus P8Z68-V/GEN3 and Asus P8Z68-V Pro/GEN3, are solid choices. However note that that you should definitely buy the motherboard from Microcenter as they are knocking off $50 off the cost of select motherboards, of which both Asus mobos are part of, if you buy them with the 2600K or 2500K:
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/57e09b6d#/57e09b6d/27

RAM wise, go with this:
$80 - Corsair XMS3 CMX16GX3M4A1333C9 4 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

If you still insist on DDR3 1600 RAM for a miniscule performance incrase or Vengeance RAM in general, I recommend getting this Vengeance RAM instaed since the heatsinks aren't that tall which means less of a chance of interference with any 3rd party HSF you may want to add to the system later on:
$95 - Corsair Vengeance CML16GX3M4A1600C9B 4 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM

For the system you're planning, you don't need anywhere near a 650W PSU even with the 8800GTS card added. With that said, you can save $20 here on the PSU:
$70 - Seasonic S121II 620 620W PSU

Speaking of video cards, the onboard video should suffice for general computing. The SSD you slected is a fine choice.
 
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Skillz said:
Define "mildly" overclocking, because if you don't plan to hit high speeds with that 2600k, then the vanilla 2600 will be just fine for you. It's possibly to overclock it to around 3.8Ghz, where as the 2600k can go as high or higher than 4.5Ghz.

That motherboard seems to be overkill for your needs. Go with the ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 motherboard as it has all the features you need.

RAM is a bit over priced, should find RAM in the $80 or less price range for 16GB.

Good drive, I'd spring for the 256GB but that's just me.

ASUS makes good monitors, I have one myself but it's a 23".
Click to expand...

I guess I hadn't even looked at the locked chips. I can't come up with any real reason to overclock it, so that is probably the direction I will go. Thanks

On the motherboard side of things, I swore there was more to the differences than that, but I can't seem to find anything I would care about losing. It looks like the Pro is the way to go.

I still need to shop around for actual pricing, but I believe that RAM is high enough quality I'm not worried about the $20.

I'll have to dig into the monitors forum and see what they can recommend for me specifically I think.
 
Forceman said:
I wouldn't spend the extra for the Deluxe unless you feel you need the extra ethernet port or the extra SATA and 1394 support. The P8Z68-V and P8Z68-V Pro both use the same components, and feature the same power phases as the Deluxe at a significant cost reduction. The Pro has the extra 2 SATA ports and the 1394 as well as the Deluxe, the vanilla -V lacks all three things.

Edit: If you want Firewire, then get the Pro, and the Deluxe doesn't support video out so that kills the use of the IGP (although I think you can still use Quick Sync with it, but I'm not positive). I'd also add that the 2500K should still be plenty perky for the things you mention using it for for the next 2-3 years at a $100 discount from the 2600K.
Click to expand...

Thanks for pointing the Pro out as well. It definitely looks like that's the way I'll go.
 
ob1 said:
I have said this in many a thread, and I will repeat here because I think its pertinent.

On my system I use a stand alone SSD for my OS and frequently used apps, like swtor. I have to manage my space on the drive, even though its a 120 GB drive, it still fills up when I am not watching it, and yes I have moved my user folders to the mechanical drive. If the SSD dies I would lose quite a bit and have to reinstall, which isn't a big deal for me, because I enjoy it on certain days of the week.

On my son's system, I put in a 64 GB vertex 3 on his Z68 and use it as read cache. His system smokes. Most everything is cached on his system, and he isn't bound by what apps are on the SSD. No management really either, just plug in an go, although slightly more complex than my wifes rig. If the SSD dies, his system still works fine, just has to use his mechanical drive, but no installation.

On my wifes rig, I was concerned with using any SSD as she doesn't tinker at all, and she is one of those people that if it doesn't work once, its a piece of shit in her mind. So for her I bought a 750 GB seagate hybrid drive and installed it into her desktop. It works great for her and is actually really damn fast. It requires absolutely no management, and even if the SSD part of the drive dies, her system still runs.
Click to expand...

I'll have to test out the SSD cache feature of Z68. I have a 120 in my main rig and after doing some setup tweaking I haven't had to worry about it at all, but I don't really game at all these days.
 
Rabid Sloth said:
I guess I hadn't even looked at the locked chips. I can't come up with any real reason to overclock it, so that is probably the direction I will go. Thanks
Click to expand...

If you are thinking of going with a non-K chip, look at the i5-2400 as well. It is only 100 MHz slower than the 2500, but is sometimes up to $40 cheaper.
 
Danny Bui said:
The Sonata SOLO II is a good case. But not at the $146 shipped price that Newegg is charging for it. If it had free shipping, then that case would have been an ok choice for the money. If you're looking for a quiet case, I recommend the following cases:
$120 - Fractal Design Define R3 Arctic White ATX Case
$125 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl ATX Case
$130 - Fractal Design Define R3 Silver Arrow ATX Case
$140 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW ATX case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B ATX Case

Motherboard wise, I concur with the others in that the Asus P8Z68 Deluxe is overkill and a poor choice for the money. The two motherboards recommended so far, the Asus P8Z68-V/GEN3 and Asus P8Z68-V Pro/GEN3, are solid choices. However note that that you should definitely buy the motherboard from Microcenter as they are knocking off $50 off the cost of select motherboards, of which both Asus mobos are part of, if you buy them with the 2600K or 2500K:
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/57e09b6d#/57e09b6d/27

RAM wise, go with this:
$80 - Corsair XMS3 CMX16GX3M4A1333C9 4 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

If you still insist on DDR3 1600 RAM for a miniscule performance incrase or Vengeance RAM in general, I recommend getting this Vengeance RAM instaed since the heatsinks aren't that tall which means less of a chance of interference with any 3rd party HSF you may want to add to the system later on:
$95 - Corsair Vengeance CML16GX3M4A1600C9B 4 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM

For the system you're planning, you don't need anywhere near a 650W PSU even with the 8800GTS card added. With that said, you can save $20 here on the PSU:
$70 - Seasonic S121II 620 620W PSU

Speaking of video cards, the onboard video should suffice for general computing. The SSD you slected is a fine choice.
Click to expand...

Those cases you suggested were just what I was looking for. Thank you

It looks like I'll be going the Pro route and it should be worth the 40 minute drive the Microcenter. I didn't even know the place existed before I started looking into this build.

I'll have to dig more into the various RAM options I guess. I had read that RAM speed and latency isn't really important anymore (after going the 2133 route), but I was under the assumption $15 more for the upper middle range was a safe bet.

On the PSU front- are there quality sub 500W options? Power supplies are really the only thing I've had repeated trouble with in my experience. Ever since I had a supposedly 'enthusiast' PSU start blowing up components I've really just looked for a universally accepted rock solid option.
This Corsair unit caught my attention. Any thoughts?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Corsair-CX430-V2-Power-Supply-Review/1284

The onboard video is really the area I'm sketchy on. I had a low middle end card years ago and even that would somewhat frequently give me problems with just common internet type multitasking activities. It is as simple as just adding a card if there are issues, but my parents are about 2,000 miles away in ND so popping in for a quick tweak isn't an option. I'm going to spend some time running it through its paces, but you never know. Again my budget isn't set in stone, so if I can get a solid card for under $200 it might be worth it in the long run. I just don't know what kind of performance a cheap card gives vs the new onboard stuff.
 
Last edited:
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If you aren't gaming, then the integrated graphics on SB are just fine for everyday use.
 
Rabid Sloth said:
I'll have to dig more into the various RAM options I guess. I had read that RAM speed and latency isn't really important anymore (after going the 2133 route), but I was under the assumption $15 more for the upper middle range was a safe bet.
Click to expand...
To me, $10 more is a safe bet IMO. But meh, up to you if $15 is worth something that you may not notice.

Rabid Sloth said:
On the PSU front- are there quality sub 500W options? Power supplies are really the only thing I've had repeated trouble with in my experience. Ever since I had a supposedly 'enthusiast' PSU start blowing up components I've really just looked for a universally accepted rock solid option.
This Corsair unit caught my attention. Any thoughts?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Corsair-CX430-V2-Power-Supply-Review/1284
Click to expand...
That Corsair is a solid choice and would be enough for your setup actually.

Rabid Sloth said:
The onboard video is really the area I'm sketchy on. I had a low middle end card years ago and even that would somewhat frequently give me problems with just common internet type multitasking activities. It is as simple as just adding a card if there are issues, but my parents are about 2,000 miles away in ND so popping in for a quick tweak isn't an option. I'm going to spend some time running it through its paces, but you never know. Again my budget isn't set in stone, so if I can get a solid card for under $200 it might be worth it in the long run. I just don't know what kind of performance a cheap card gives vs the new onboard stuff.
Click to expand...

A cheap card would provide a decent enough performance over the onboard Intel GPUs but not in the scenarios you've described. Onboard video will be enough especially if you stick with the "K" series CPUs since they actually have faster onboard video than their non "K" brethren. Also note that the $50 off mobo deal at Microcenter only applies if you buy the 2500K or 2600K. Yes you are paying more for the Ks but the $50 off should balance it out.

Anyway if you're that worried, a seperate GPU isn't that much:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121444
 
Forceman said:
If you are thinking of going with a non-K chip, look at the i5-2400 as well. It is only 100 MHz slower than the 2500, but is sometimes up to $40 cheaper.
Click to expand...

You can definitely save some serious money by going down a couple steps. I just saw Microcenter was doing the 2500 for $150. It's worth looking at least.
 
Danny Bui said:
To me, $10 more is a safe bet IMO. But meh, up to you if $15 is worth something that you may not notice.
Click to expand...

The CML16GX3M4A1600C9B is probably what I'll end up with.

Danny Bui said:
That Corsair is a solid choice and would be enough for your setup actually.
Click to expand...

That's good to hear. I don't know what sites actually properly review PSU's outside of this one anymore.

Danny Bui said:
A cheap card would provide a decent enough performance over the onboard Intel GPUs but not in the scenarios you've described. Onboard video will be enough especially if you stick with the "K" series CPUs since they actually have faster onboard video than their non "K" brethren. Also note that the $50 off mobo deal at Microcenter only applies if you buy the 2500K or 2600K. Yes you are paying more for the Ks but the $50 off should balance it out.

Anyway if you're that worried, a seperate GPU isn't that much:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121444
Click to expand...

I was trying to figure out models got the HD 3000 vs the HD 2000. That makes a lot of sense. I think I'll try the onboard and if it's not great for the week or whatever I play with it, I'll slap a $50-$100 card in there and be done with it. Intel is pushing it hard enough, I keep telling myself it can't be That bad.

Thanks again for the input. It is appreciated.
 
Here's a quick follow up. Thanks to everyone for their input. This is the hardware I ended up with the addition of a Dell U2412M. It's running like a champ and I'm very happy with how everything came together.

dsc00934ep.jpg
 
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