New build help

M

MaxLOL

Weaksauce
Joined
Dec 2, 2008
Messages
85
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
A lot of multi-media. I would like to be able to record TV. Video encoding obviously. Mult-tasking ALOT. I use my computer for everything and don't really watch TV. I spend a lot of time on the net. Gaming will be secondary because all of the high end computers I have owned have been Macs so I am not used to gaming on my computer.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included? 2500

3) Where do you live?

61822
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
I will buy a HD TV which is not included in the limit above.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I will not be re-using anything. I am sellin g my POS Apple computer and building my first REAL computer.
6) Will you be overclocking?
I am interested in overclocking.

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

I will be buying a 32" Panasonic Viera S1

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

Within the next 3 months tops.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
I am very new to hardware and am here to learn. Not sure.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? 32bit or 64bit? I will use Wiin 7 64 bit


I plan on using this computer for many years to come. As the time comes I will upgrade parts when necessary. I would like to build for 'longevity' if thats possible.

I am here to LEARN and am reading now. I just would like suggestions. I have a friend that is good with computers and he has suggested this list form newegg...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150476
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226117
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103849
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118046
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167016
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.383456

Thoughts suggestions and help is much appreciated.
 
I've been reading more and I have decided that I am willing to pay the 'extra' for an Intel processor. I am not on a budget really and from what I have read AMD is a great 'budget' processor. Thanks in advance for help once again.
 
Several problems with your planned build:

1. The Antec 1200 case is a poor choice for the money. Its airflow and usable interior space is not as good as many much cheaper cases.

2. As I mentioned in another thread, the AMD processors have only a dual-channel memory controller. AMD does not officially support the use of three sticks of memory with any of its CPUs. (This means it supports the use of one, two or four sticks - but not three sticks.) And there is no guarantee at all whatsoever that your planned system would even boot with three sticks installed. Moreover, that triple-channel memory kit is way overpriced (on a per-2GB-stick basis), especially since the AMD memory controller can't really run at speeds faster than 1600. Get the 4GB G.Skill DDR3-1600 kit instead.

3. You don't need the 1090T, especially since you can buy the 1055T (which is only slightly slower than the 1090T) for $100 less.

4. The 850W Corsair PSU is a little overkill for the parts that you picked out. In fact, you can get away with a 600 to 650W unit (from the known good brands such as Corsair) with that setup.

5. That Zalman cooler is way overpriced for the performance that it delivers. In fact, its design is nowhere near as efficient at removing heat from the CPU as a true tower cooler design.

6. The Blu-Ray burner is nice to have if you want to burn high-definition videos at relatively high bitrates. Unfortunately, that combo also includes a motherboard that's way overkill for your intended use. In fact, I would not pay more than about $125 for an AMD motherboard.

I listed only the substitute components that I know would offer better value than what you originally picked out. As for the others for which I either don't know the recommended substitute or that there are numberous choices that are better values, I will let others chime in.
 
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I'm having problems viewing all of the links. Please list out the parts (alongside the links) that you're considering.

From what I was able to see, you should swap out the RAM and case for something different. In short, the Antec Twelve Hundred case isn't the best choice for that price range, and you shouldn't pay nearly $300 for a 6GB DDR3 1600 tri-channel kit.

As for learning how to build and troubleshoot the computer, check out the other stickies at the top of the first page here.
 
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E4g1e said:
Several problems with your planned build:

1. The Antec 1200 case is a poor choice for the money. Its airflow and usable interior space is not as good as many much cheaper cases.

2. As I mentioned in another thread, the AMD processors have only a dual-channel memory controller. AMD does not officially support the use of three sticks of memory with any of its CPUs. (This means it supports the use of one, two or four sticks - but not three sticks.) And there is no guarantee at all whatsoever that your planned system would even boot with three sticks installed. Moreover, that triple-channel memory kit is way overpriced (on a per-2GB-stick basis), especially since the AMD memory controller can't really run at speeds faster than 1600. Get the 4GB G.Skill DDR3-1600 kit instead.

3. You don't need the 1090T, especially since you can buy the 1055T (which is only slightly slower than the 1090T) for $100 less.

4. The 850W Corsair PSU is a little overkill for the parts that you picked out. In fact, you can get away with a 600 to 650W unit (from the known good brands such as Corsair) with that setup.

5. That Zalman cooler is way overpriced for the performance that it delivers. In fact, its design is nowhere near as efficient at removing heat from the CPU as a true tower cooler design.

6. The Blu-Ray burner is nice to have if you want to burn high-definition videos at relatively high bitrates. Unfortunately, that combo also includes a motherboard that's way overkill for your intended use. In fact, I would not pay more than about $125 for an AMD motherboard.

I listed only the substitute components that I know would offer better value than what you originally picked out. As for the others for which I either don't know the recommended substitute or that there are numberous choices that are better values, I will let others chime in.
Click to expand...

tiraides said:
I'm having problems viewing all of the links. Please list out the parts (alongside the links) that you're considering.

From what I was able to see, you should swap out the RAM and case for something different. In short, the Antec Twelve Hundred case isn't the best choice for that price range, and you shouldn't pay nearly $300 for a 6GB DDR3 1600 tri-channel kit.

As for learning how to build and troubleshoot the computer, check out the other stickies at the top of the first page here.
Click to expand...
Thank you. The proposed build was from a friend of mine that was trying to help.

The more I've read the more I don't think that he really knows what he is talking about.

I have decided that I don't want to get an AMD processor at all actually. The more and more I read Intel is the way to go.

Although this will sound like I am not trying to help myself I am just overwhelmed by the amount of options that I have. I would really like it if someone could propose a build for me. I am not in a hurry to build this... three months will most likely be the time frame. Thanks for the responses. I am going to continue to lurk the boards.
 
Just rehasing what tiraides and E4g1e said:

Three months is too far away to start planning a build. Two months tops but that's stretching it. Within three months, parts can easily be outdated, outpeformed, out of stock, or overpriced. So in other words, it's a waste of time IMO to start planning a build that's gonna be bought/built three or even two months from now.

However the following critique should still help:

- The AMD Phenom 1090T does outperform the Core i7 930 in video encoding tasks at stock speeds. However, once you start overclocking, it becomes a very different story. Even with the AMD Phenom 1090T OC'd to 3.9Ghz, it's still outperformed in video encoding tasks by a Core i7 930 OC'd to 3.6Ghz. Considering that 4.2Ghz isn't out of the question for a Core i7 930, if overclocking is even a choice/factor, the Core i7 930 is the better buy.

- If you do stick with the AMD setup, don't spend that much cash (more than $160) on an AMD mobo. It defeats the very advantage to get an AMD setup: Best bang for the buck value. If you do go with the Core i7 setup, I recommend this mobo:
$210 - Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R Intel X58 ATX Motherboard

- You will not notice an iota of real world difference between DDR3 2000 RAM and ANY DDR3 1333 RAM. As such, there's very little reason to get that set unless you love synthetic benchmarks that much. In addition, you can get 8GB of RAM (if going AMD Phenom route) for $220:
$220 - 2 x G.Skill Ripjaw Series F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL 2 x 2GB DDR3 1600 RAM

If going the Core i7 route, for just $50 more than the Mushkin setup, you can get 12GB of RAM:
$340 - 2 x G.Skill F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ 3 x 2GB DDR3 1600 RAM

So no matter what CPU route you go for, the Mushkin RAM is not worth it.

- HSF wise, that Zalman is not that good of a choice. For that much cash, these HSF are significantly better cooling:
$65 - Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B CPU Cooler
$80 - Corsair Hydro H50 CPU Cooler

- While the Corsair 850TX is overkill for the AMD Phenom setup, I'd recommend it for an Intel setup since an OC'd Core i7 930 will use quite a bit of power. Plus, at $130, that's one of the best bang for the buck deal now for a 850W PSU.

- The Antec 1200 is not a good case for $160. There are significantly roomier and easier to cable manage cases out there for the same or lesser price. Some case recommedations:
$50 - Cooler Master Elite 335 RC-335-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$50 - Thermaltake WingRS 201 VJ60001N2Z ATX Case
$60 - Antec 300 ATX Case
$70 - Cooler Master RC-590-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$80 - Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$80 - Cooler Master CM690 II ATX Case
$90 - Cooler Master HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K7B ATX Case
$100 - Cooler Master HAF 922M RC-922M-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$110 - Lian Li PC-E8B ATX Case
$110 - Lian Li PC-7FN ATX Case
$120 - Velocity Micro GX2-W Silver Classic Aluminum Case with Side Window
$120 - Thermaltake ElementS VK60001N2Z ATX Case
$130 - Cooler Master Storm Sniper ATX Case
$150 - Antec P183 ATX Case
$160 - Cooler Master HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$170 - Cooler Master Cosmos S 1000 RC-1100-KSN1-GP Full Tower ATX Case
$180 - Cooler Master ATCS 840 RC-840-KKN1-GP Full Tower ATX Case
$180 - Lian Li PC-B25F ATX Case
$210 - Silverstone FT01-B ATX Case
$240 - Lian Li PC-V1200A Plus II ATX Case
$300 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW Full Tower ATX Case
$330 - Silverstone Temjin SST-TJ07B Full Tower ATX Case
Cases (ATX w/PSU):

Any of the above cases would be a better buy than the Antec 1200.
 
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MaxLOL said:
Thank you. The proposed build was from a friend of mine that was trying to help.

The more I've read the more I don't think that he really knows what he is talking about.

I have decided that I don't want to get an AMD processor at all actually. The more and more I read Intel is the way to go.

Although this will sound like I am not trying to help myself I am just overwhelmed by the amount of options that I have. I would really like it if someone could propose a build for me. I am not in a hurry to build this... three months will most likely be the time frame. Thanks for the responses. I am going to continue to lurk the boards.
Click to expand...

If you choose Intel, you might as well go higher up in the line. This is because most of Intel's lower-end processors deliver relatively poor bang for the buck and/or are older designs that are soon to be phased out of production.

And with that said, don't pay $300 on a 6GB triple-channel kit especially since you can get nearly the same level of real-world performance for $125 less. Add that to the i7-930 processor and a $200 X58 chipset-based motherboard, and your ready to add whatever else you fancy.
 
MaxLOL said:
Thank you. The proposed build was from a friend of mine that was trying to help.

The more I've read the more I don't think that he really knows what he is talking about.

I have decided that I don't want to get an AMD processor at all actually. The more and more I read Intel is the way to go.

Although this will sound like I am not trying to help myself I am just overwhelmed by the amount of options that I have. I would really like it if someone could propose a build for me. I am not in a hurry to build this... three months will most likely be the time frame. Thanks for the responses. I am going to continue to lurk the boards.
Click to expand...

Danny Bui and E4g1e said everything that I would have said earlier (I don't know why NewEgg's giving me trouble... though it may be a sign that I need to go to bed), so I'll focus on your above comments.

It's not that your friend wasn't helpful, but he chose parts that some of us wouldn't recommend. Danny and I, among others, believe in picking parts that give you the best bang for the buck. You were fine with the HDD and SDD, and the PSU isn't really bad (though it may be a bit overkill for a single video card). But rather than beat a dead horse any further, I have a few more questions that would help us further:

Which games, if any, do you plan on playing? At which level(s) of visual quality?

Which (types of) programs do you usually run simultaneously?

How do you watch TV/movies? Via cable? On Hulu? Using Netflix?

Do you have a Blu-ray collection? Do you plan on watching Blu-ray movies? Do you have any Blu-ray media playback software on hand?

Though you have a $2500 budget, would you rather spend as little as possible (while still obtaining excellent performance)? Or would you rather have the best performance possible with that budget amount?
 
I don't want to quote posts to save space but thank you all so much. I don't remember how I came across this forum a few years ago but it has proven to be a beacon of knowledge.

The reason why I gave the 3 month time frame was because a 'source' of mine said that intel would probably be releasing a 'budget' six-core chip within that time and referenced some other hardware that would drop in price. Realistically I can begin buying everything now.

The i7-930 seems to be the most referenced and highly regarded processor. If I understand correctly RAM speed<more ram.

Do you guys think that SSD are a waste? Will having my OS on this drive really make my computer that much faster?

You guys have been very helpful so far.
 
Danny Bui said:
- HSF wise, that Zalman is not that good of a choice. For that much cash, these HSF are significantly better cooling:
$65 - Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B CPU Cooler
$80 - Corsair Hydro H50 CPU Cooler
Click to expand...

I agree. The problem with the Zalman is that it's either too noisy or too feeble, depending on the selected fan speed. And this is because the heatsink is too small to do an effective job of cooling the CPU.

MaxLOL said:
Do you guys think that SSD are a waste? Will having my OS on this drive really make my computer that much faster?
Click to expand...

Yes, the SSD will speed up booting into Windows as well as application start-ups. You will still need a high-capacity drive (in addition to the SSD) as a storage drive for all the videos you plan to do.
 
tiraides said:
Danny Bui and E4g1e said everything that I would have said earlier (I don't know why NewEgg's giving me trouble... though it may be a sign that I need to go to bed), so I'll focus on your above comments.

It's not that your friend wasn't helpful, but he chose parts that some of us wouldn't recommend. Danny and I, among others, believe in picking parts that give you the best bang for the buck. You were fine with the HDD and SDD, and the PSU isn't really bad (though it may be a bit overkill for a single video card). But rather than beat a dead horse any further, I have a few more questions that would help us further:

Which games, if any, do you plan on playing? At which level(s) of visual quality?

Which (types of) programs do you usually run simultaneously?

How do you watch TV/movies? Via cable? On Hulu? Using Netflix?

Do you have a Blu-ray collection? Do you plan on watching Blu-ray movies? Do you have any Blu-ray media playback software on hand?
Click to expand...



I have not played any games on the computer really because I have been a Mac user for a good portion of my computer days. That being said I would like to begin playing them. I was reading this review and this ghost busters game looks incredible!
I want to be able to watch TV and movies. I do not have a blu-ray collection but I would like to start one. I do not have blu-ray media playback software. I am coming form OSX. I use netflix and hulu. I spend most of my free time on the computer reading/surfing the net. EVERYTHING I do is on the computer its how I have fun.

Though you have a $2500 budget, would you rather spend as little as possible (while still obtaining excellent performance)? Or would you rather have the best performance possible with that budget amount?
Click to expand...

I think the easy answer to this would be spend as little as possible while still obtaining excellent performance. I won't be playing any of these games at a professional level. I just want to be able to 'grow' into this computer and have it be fast. I don't want there to be any limitation for myself; but, I do know that my usage is moderate at best. I like to have nice things and don't mind paying for them but I am not a fool. The reason I am asking for help.

It is getting late for me thanks for all of the replies I'll keep looking and post back sometime tomorrow.

Cheers.
 
MaxLOL said:
The reason why I gave the 3 month time frame was because a 'source' of mine said that intel would probably be releasing a 'budget' six-core chip within that time and referenced some other hardware that would drop in price. Realistically I can begin buying everything now.
Click to expand...
Some hardware will drop in prices 3 months from now. That's always been the case since computer hardware began to be sold to consumers. Yes there is $562 six-core Core i7 970 being released in Q3 2010. However, there's no solid date for that release.
MaxLOL said:
The i7-930 seems to be the most referenced and highly regarded processor. If I understand correctly RAM speed<more ram.
Click to expand...
Yes you understood correctly.
MaxLOL said:
Do you guys think that SSD are a waste? Will having my OS on this drive really make my computer that much faster?
Click to expand...
Nope, a SSD is not a waste. Having your OS on the SSD will make a world of difference.
 
As far as 'bang for the buck' goes it looks like the i7-930 is a better 'deal' then the 920; thoughts?

Danny Bui your first post has helped me alot as far as beginning to piece everything together I really appreciate it.

edit: looks like the 930 would be the way to go found a nice combo deal actually. Aparently you can't delte posts here :rolleyes:
 
Which combo deal did you find exactly?

And yes the i7 930 is the better deal.
 
Just a FYI: I can't see what's in YOUR shopping cart. That's never made public for obvious reasons.

Is this the CPU + mobo combo you were talking about:
$474 - Intel Core i7-930 CPU + Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R X58 ATX Motherboard Combo

For light gaming, pick up the HD 5770. For medium to heavy gaming, pick up the HD 5850.

The cooling will suffice for overclocking.
 
I am getting ready to pull the trigger guys.

This is what I have in my cart now suggestions and comments are strongly encouraged.

-$473.98 Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz+GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
-$309.99 XFX HD-585X-ZNFV Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit
-(x2)$339.98 G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
-$139.99 CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2
-$79.99 CORSAIR Cooling Hydro Series CWCH50
-$209.95 Intel X25-M
-$109.99 Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb
-$139.99 LG WH10LS30K 10X Blu-ray Burner

Subtotal: $1,803.86
I still need a case. I would love some personal suggestions there. My concern is getting everything situated and having enough room. Also I'd like to have bluetooth capability as well as a TV tuner if you guys have suggestions there. Thanks alot I am real excited!
 
Like the build so far. As for cases, that's a personal choice kind of thing. Just go through the list of cases I chose earlier and pick one that you like.
 
I have had people telling me that 'i am retarded' for wating to get 12GB of RAM and it would be better spent on a better vid. card/an additional vid card. Also saying I shouldn't fill up all of the slots on the mobo as this will be stressful... Thoughts?

This is my frist setup just want to make sure that I get it right I appreciate all of the help.

Decided on the this case
-$199.99 COOLER MASTER ATCS 840 RC

Reviews said its great for liquid cooling and has a ton of room.
 
MaxLOL said:
I have had people telling me that 'i am retarded' for wating to get 12GB of RAM and it would be better spent on a better vid. card/an additional vid card. Also saying I shouldn't fill up all of the slots on the mobo as this will be stressful... Thoughts?
Click to expand...

The extra RAM will certainly help video editing apps, especially the higher-end "prosumer", semi-pro and professional apps. In fact, I have seen a few instances where such apps actually choked on systems equipped with even 6GB of RAM that got "fixed" once those same systems were upgraded to 12GB. But when those same apps were run on otherwise identical systems with single and dual graphics cards, the systems with dual graphics cards did not show any performance improvement at all whatsoever over the systems with single graphics cards.

On the other hand, if your video editing app is of the el-cheapo $100 consumer variety, there is no advantage at all whatsoever going with 12GB versus 6GB. This is because all of the currently available consumer video editing apps are strictly 32-bit and thus cannot use more than 2~3 GB of RAM. And once again, those same consumer video editing apps cannot use the second graphics card at all.

On the other hand, some of the games (but not all of them) did show improvement with dual GPUs.
 
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MaxLOL said:
I have had people telling me that 'i am retarded' for wating to get 12GB of RAM and it would be better spent on a better vid. card/an additional vid card. Also saying I shouldn't fill up all of the slots on the mobo as this will be stressful... Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Who's telling you that? Did you post that build list on another forum somewhere? Just curious :)

Unless you're doing some heavy duty overclocking, having all the slots filled on the mobo isn't that much more stressfull than with 3 of those slots filled.
 
E4g1e said:
The extra RAM will certainly help video editing apps, especially the higher-end "prosumer", semi-pro and professional apps. In fact, I have seen a few such apps which actually choked on systems equipped with even 6GB of RAM that got "fixed" when those same systems were upgraded to 12GB. But when those same apps were run on otherwise identical systems with single and dual graphics cards, the systems with dual graphics cards did not show any performance improvement at all whatsoever over the systems with single graphics cards.

On the other hand, if your video editing app is of the el-cheapo $100 consumer variety, there is no advantage at all whatsoever going with 12GB versus 6GB. This is because all of the consumer video editing apps are strictly 32-bit and thus cannot use more than 2~3 GB of RAM. And once again, those same consumer video editing apps cannot use the second graphics card at all.

On the other hand, some of the games (but not all of them) did show improvement with dual GPUs.
Click to expand...
Ponderous. I don't think that I will be uising 'prosumer' vid. editing software so I may not NEED this. Dual GPUs sounds intriguing. I suppose its easier to add ram then another vid card...
Danny Bui said:
Who's telling you that? Did you post that build list on another forum somewhere? Just curious :)

Unless you're doing some heavy duty overclocking, having all the slots filled on the mobo isn't that much more stressfull than with 3 of those slots filled.
Click to expand...
I did post it on the forum I normally frequent... has nothing to do with comp. hardware lol IMO most people were jealous that I was spending so much money on a computer while other seemed like they had half a brain. I have a habit of obsessing over things before I make a decision I attribute it to the fact that I am a gemini.

I would like to overclock and 3.8Ghz sounds like the 'sweet' spot for the processor I have chosen. I am not sure if that is 'heavy-duty' over clocking.
Side note. I am having trouble finding an internal bluetooth adapter compatible with win 7. Know of any?
 
For the money, the 950TX is the better choice. It's only $10 more. Both are based on the same platform so their quality are the almost the same.
 
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