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New build advice

P

penelope

Weaksauce
Joined
Jan 9, 2003
Messages
84
Hey folks. I'm WAY out of touch on the hardware side these days. Any help on the below would be appreciated. And thanks in advance y'all! :)

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming primarily -- anything that can run the games I want to run, can do anything else I need to do.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
not to exceed 2500, ignore shipping and tax

3) Where do you live?
NYC

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, CPU, Heatsink/Fan, Solid State HD (128GB min), Video Card, case fans (if necessary), DVDR (blu ray player, don't care what it writes as long as it's at least single layer DVD write), Sound Card (unless motherboard model has hardware sound, not software), 24" flat screen, 8GB RAM min

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

Some external storage hard drives, Speakers

6) Will you be overclocking?
No

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
24 Inch flatscreen

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Month or two, build personally

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? etc.
USB 3.0, DirectX 11, SATA 6Gb/s, Wireless N, hardware sound

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

I have a tiny damn apartment. My computer is 2 inches from my bed and it gets HOT in here in the summer. I need a quiet, cool, computer that will let me abuse the hell out of it when it's 98 degrees in my room and let me sleep at night. Case size is a HUGE concern as well.

The computer will probably be with me only 3 years or so. Would like the ability to upgrade video card, easily replace PSU to possibly extend that to 5 years.

Thanks all!
 
Can you narrow down when you're planning on building the PC any further?

If you can't, you're better off waiting until 2-3 weeks before your actual buy date and asking for advice then. You'll get better up to date advice as well as knowledge of the latest deals at that time.
 
Did you want a SFF case on account of your apartment?

EDIT: Oh and do you actually have a decent speaker setup where a hardware sound card would actually be worthwhile?
 
Last edited:
Yeah, I do have a decent speaker setup. My current speakers are larger than my computer! :p

I don't care one way or the other about SFF, but I was definitely concerned about cooling a good CPU and video card in an SFF case -- also, kind of probably should stay with a standard PSU for upgradeability and I think SFFs make that hard?
 
penelope said:
kind of probably should stay with a standard PSU for upgradeability and I think SFFs make that hard?
Click to expand...

Not necessarily.

Prelim build:
$385 - Intel Core i5-2500K CPU + MSI P67A-GD65 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard Combo
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
$78 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$600 - 2 x Gigabyte GV-R695D5-2GD-B Radeon HD 6950 2GB PCI-E Video Card
$265 - Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC0128MAG-1G1 2.5" 128GB SSD
$65 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$105 - LG WH10LS30K 10X Blu-ray Burner
$190 - Silverstone ST1000-P 1000W Modular PSU
$90 - Asus Xonar DX 7.1 Channels PCI-E x1 Sound Card
$190 - Acer V243HAJbd 24" LCD Monitor
----
Total: $1998 plus tax and shipping

Choose your own case. I recommend these:
$80 - Cooler Master CM690 II Basic ATX Case
$80 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K58 ATX Case
$90 - NZXT Tempest Evo TEVO-001BK ATX Case
$90 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K56 ATX Case
$90 - Cooler Master CM690 II Advance ATX Case
$90 - Cooler Master HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-60FN ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K7B ATX Case
$110 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$110 - NZXT Whisper WHI - 001BK ATX Full Tower Case
$120 - Velocity Micro GX2-W Silver Classic Aluminum Case with Side Window
$140 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - Cooler Master HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$160 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black ATX Case (US Shipping Factored in) (Fill in the ++++ with "N C I X" without the spaces)
$160 - Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium ATX Case (US Shipping Factored in) (Fill in the ++++ with "N C I X" without the spaces)
$160 - Fractal Design Define R3 Silver ATX Case (US Shipping Factored in) (Fill in the ++++ with "N C I X" without the spaces)
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$200 - Cooler Master ATCS 840 RC-840-KKN1-GP Full Tower ATX Case
$200 - Lian Li PC-B25F ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B ATX Case
$240 - Lian Li PC-A71F Black ATX Case
$300 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW Full Tower ATX Case
$330 - Silverstone Temjin SST-TJ07B Full Tower ATX Case
 
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Thank you for the suggestions. I will research these and come back with any questions I may have. You are very kind Danny. :)
 
OK. I've read through a lot of this.

I think I'd like to go with a single video card solution -- the most demanding game I'm going to have in the next few years is probably going to be something like Diablo 3 or the next Elder Scrolls thing. I'm not really a twitch gamer. I like pretty screens and fast loads/no lag/stutter in texture processing. More than that is kind of overkill for me.

Any suggestions? And if I do do that, would it let me get into SFF safely?
 
penelope said:
Any suggestions? And if I do do that, would it let me get into SFF safely?
Click to expand...
Single GPU it is then. A single HD 6950 is still more than enough. Yes a single GPU should allow for a SFF setup.
 
Damn Danny. Only 25 choices for a case? Thats barely over 2 dozen, this person asked for help, lets give some options here! :D
 
Thank you. I will try to put together an SFF config based on your parts and whatnot and maybe you could help me make sure everything will fit?

Thanks much :)
 
Since you're looking at SFF now, I recommend these cases:
$50 - Cooler Master Elite 341 RC-341C-KKN1-GP mATX Tower Case
$120 - Lian Li PC-V351B Black mATX Case

And this mobo:
$106 - Asus P8H67-M LE Intel H67 mATX Motherboard

Oh and if you're looking at other SFF cases: If it comes with a PSU, don't get it as more than likely that PSU is a piece of shit.
 
will those cases fit the psu, and heatsink you originally recommended? i like the cooler master one.
 
Well, thanks to all, but the government is apparently not accepting tax returns for a few weeks since I have to itemize. (FYI, if you itemize, don't bother getting your taxes done until Feb 14. Apparently the lawmakers sat on their laurels so long in December the IRS doesn't have all the computers programmed yet for itemizers.)

So, I will revisit this then. Also, seeing the Sandy Bridge news -- I'm kind of glad I'm holding off.

Thanks all! :)
 
OK. I have cash ready. Here is what I am considering. Any thoughts to improve performance or ways to save money, appreciated? Thanks in advance [HF]!

SILVERSTONE Fortress Series FT03S Case -- $169.99
ViewSonic VA2702w Black 27" Full HD WideScreen LCD Monitor -- $289.99
Rosewill RNX-N180UBE USB 2.0 External 5dBi Antenna Wireless Adapter -- $24.99
SAPPHIRE 100282XTREME Radeon HD 5850 Xtreme -- $149.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V v2.2 -- $109.99
D-Link DIR-655 802.11b/g/n Xtreme N Gigabit Wireless Broadband Router -- $70.54
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL - $84.99
ASUS P8P67-M PRO (REV 3.0) Micro ATX Intel Motherboard -- $149.99
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz BX80623I52500K - $224.99
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit -- $99.99
Sony Optiarc Black Blu-ray COMBO SATA Model BC-5500H-01 -- $89.99
Intel 510 Series (Elm Crest) SSDSC2MH250A2K5 2.5" 250GB SATA III MLC SSD -- $614.99
 
Do you really need a 250GB SSD? If you get a smaller SSD you can get a better GPU, which will future proof your build for games you might want to play in the future. Then you can always buy another SSD as the price drops.
 
I don't know. I don't want any other drives. Just a single drive. I thought this was pretty much top of the line GPU? Make suggestions. I'm willing to drop to a 120GB drive, I think I can get away with that. :)
 
The GPU that Danny suggested is a very nice step up over the 5850. Not to mention that the 6950 can unlock as a 6970. I'd choose that over the massive SSD.

Here's the link again.
 
Just as an fyi, since you've been out of building for awhile, SSDs are usually used for just large programs. Typically the OS and other large games are the only things that populate the SSD. This is because SSDs have stupidly fast read times which can allow your computer to boot in well under a minute.

It's common for people to then buy a HDD, usually a 7200 RPM, for anything else. Small applications, pictures, video, etc. are all examples.

In summary, there's really little to no advantage to using your SSD for general storage.
 
I'm with you. That's why I wanted a big one. I have some external USB 3.0 drives that I use for holding stuff like my iTunes library, documents, etc that I mirror to each other. It's just apps, games, OS.

What's the verdict on your paging file living on the SSD these days? Run without one?
 
Thank you. I think this link is going to be my final build. I looked at my disc usage for day to day stuff and 120GB is just a touch too small.

Any last thoughts?
 
penelope said:
Any last thoughts?
Click to expand...

Ditch that Crucial RAM as it offers little to no real world performance increase over this G.Skill set:
$85 - G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

I personally wouldn't go with the OCZ SSD due to OCZ's past track records with SSDs. I would stick with Crucial's C300 SSDs or Intel's 310 and 510 series SSDs due to their company's better track record with SSDs.

For $8 more, you can get a HD 6950 2GB with a lifetime warranty and better customer support:
$283 - XFX HD-695X-CNFC Radeon HD 6950 2GB PCI-E Video Card
 
This OCZ is supposed to have a new controller. The specs on it are SO far superiour to the other brands that I thought it would be a good idea. Also, I looked at the XFX card, but there were reports of it running very hot. This box has to run on stock cooling, in no air conditioning. You still think it's a good deal?

Switched the RAM. I originally had that RAM, but I preferred the faster speed of the Crucial. If there's no real world performance, I'm more comfortable with the G.Skill too. Thank you.
 
drop the 24" measly flatscreen, get a nice sony 1080p 32" lcd off craigslist for about 300
 
penelope said:
This OCZ is supposed to have a new controller. The specs on it are SO far superiour to the other brands that I thought it would be a good idea.
Click to expand...
I don't doubt the performance at all with that new OCZ SSD. But OCZ's past track record with SSDs has left me doubting their quality and level of customer support.
penelope said:
Also, I looked at the XFX card, but there were reports of it running very hot. This box has to run on stock cooling, in no air conditioning. You still think it's a good deal?
Click to expand...
Yes. But if the reports of overheating are such a huge concern to you, then check out this video card:
$270 - MSI R6950-2PM2D2GD5 Radeon HD 6950 2GB PCI-E Video Card
 
OK, if you guys think it will be ok air cooled in 100 degree summers, I'm down for the XFX. Y'all know more than I do.

I get what y'all are saying about the OCZ too, but this isn't my only computer, it's just my primary one. Maybe if I buy the extra warranty from NewEgg I won't have to deal with OCZ if it goes bang?
 
penelope said:
I get what y'all are saying about the OCZ too, but this isn't my only computer, it's just my primary one. Maybe if I buy the extra warranty from NewEgg I won't have to deal with OCZ if it goes bang?
Click to expand...

No because it still doesn't eliminate the quality doubt IMO since Newegg can't force OCZ to update their designs.

In any case, do your own research on OCZ"s track record. If it isn't that bad to you, then go for it.
 
I'm sorry for being confusing. :-(

I was aware of OCZ's technical shortfalls in the past and had decided that that risk was acceptable. I have not heard that they are a bad company for customer support though, that is new. So thank you for that.

So I was just wondering if I got NewEgg's extended warranty would help me avoid OCZ support if it becomes necessary. I certainly don't expect them to have any influence over OCZ's technical development.

Thank you all again! :)
 
penelope said:
So I was just wondering if I got NewEgg's extended warranty would help me avoid OCZ support if it becomes necessary.
Click to expand...
At that point, it's simply too costly. Not to mention there's still a chance that Newegg might refer you to OCZ.

Though do note that I generally don't recommend extended warranties for anything besides a laptop or moderate to high-end HDTV. In most other situations, the extra cost for the extended warranty isn't justified IMO.
 
Reeallllyyyy think you should reconsider going with one huge SSD and then nothing else. For less, I'd reccomend you get: 120GB SSD + 2TB 7200 RPM HDD...
 
As I said, I can't fit my OS and apps on 120GB, so it's a moot point. Also, I am not concerned about cost (within reason) as the benefit is worth the cost to me and I have already made that decision. I already have external drives to hold files, data, media files, etc even in my current setup with standard internal HDD.

Thanks for the heads up Danny, I didn't know NewEgg would refer me. I guess I'll go with the Intel SSD.

Cheers all!
 
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