New build: unusual situation

K

Keljian

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Nov 7, 2006
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Hi all,

I'm looking to build a machine as I'm making a trip to the USA next week, and prices are somewhat cheaper. I'll be staying in IL and can potentially make it out to Microcenter (hoping so anyhow). I want to go for a mini-itx system as storage is not a concern and space, as in physical volume, is.

My preference runs towards Intel + ATI (AMD whatever they are these days). VT-D support is preferable. That said I am willing to consider AMD as a processor as this machine won't be an "always on" machine. More cores/virtual cores = better.

If someone can give me a compelling reason however to go for more power (2 chip boards etc) I might consider it as I do love the idea of having 16+ virtual/real cpus, that said I don't think it is necessary at all for what I do


Here's my answers to the FAQ

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Study (Physics/maths), Light-medium gaming, Web browsing, document work, Virtual machines - for use with some specific software

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Approx 1k, yes. That said, I am ok with an upgrade of $2-300 in the short term, ie. 2-3 months bearing in mind that that will be done in Australia and it is cheaper to get the core system parts from the USA, on the whole.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

Australia, but will be spending time in Chicago where I will pick up CPU, Mobo, Graphics card.

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.

USA:
CPU
Graphics card
Mobo

Australia:
Monitor
Case/psu

Note: would prefer to spend more on parts that could be used through upgrades (with higher longevity) than parts that would need to be replaced more often. That said, all of these parts with the exception of the graphics card, I expect to last a long while (2-3 years minimum) as my day to day use is not heavy - mostly web browsing/office work, with the very occasional game, and to that end my c2d macbook pro has been my daily driver for the last 4 years and is still going strong. Heavy lifting that is not time constrained is taken care of by my i5-2320 based server.


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

Ram (16 G Gskill 1333, 2x8gig ), OCZ vertex 2 240g hdd, possibly another laptop drive
Keyboard
Mouse

6) Will you be overclocking?

Unlikely, but if I do it will only be minor (Up to 10%) - I would rather spend more on the chip than spend money on the cooling gear

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
TBA, Monitor wise I want to go for pixel density/colour/picture quality over size

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Next week (WC 14th~ May)

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)? UEFI? etc.

Sata 3, UEFI (preferably), as many memory slots as possible, M-ITX formfactor.

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

Yes, will predominantly be using linux as working OS, with vms/dual boot for specific software
 
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How long will you be in the U.S for?
How long of a drive will you be from Microcenter?
 
I'll be in the US for a week, but have 2.5 days in Chicago to find my way around, I am not too fussed about the distance to Microcenter as it will be one of my only stops.

Cheers
 
A week is a bit too dicey for online purchases. So MC is definitely the main option.

Ok, grab the Core i5 2400 from MC as that CPU has VT-D. If you feel like splurging, the Core i7 2600 is an option. Motherboard wise, your planned mITX setup might be a problem as I'm not entirely sure if MC stocks mITX motherboards. If they do, see if they have one of these mITX mobos:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...eValue=3880:27174&PropertyCodeValue=757:20949

Asus and AsRock are the only ones who use UEFI in their mITX mobos IIRC. Do note that one of the Asus and AsRock are of fairly lowly quality/reliability so watch out for those (the ones with only three eggs)

Since you want mITX, AMD really isn't an option since, of the 5 mITX AMD mobos available on Newegg, 3 are Zotac, 1 Jetway, and 1 Asrock. None of them are good.
 
any sense in going for an i7-3770? and any suggestions on graphics card? - thinking 7850..
 
Stick with boards with UEFI if you ever intend to use a HDD >= 3 TB.
 
Considering I am not intending to do much gaming, and really don't need a whole heap of speed for fps type games (rarely play fpses, ME3 was the last game I played, diablo 3 is on the cards)... is there any reason why I would need to go a 7850, or would I be better pocketing the cash and just going a 7770?
 
Really dependent on what other games you're planning on playing and what level of settings you want (low, medium, high, ultra). If games like Battlfield 3 or Skyrim or even Metro 2033 are in the plans, the HD 7850 would be a solid choice. But if Diablo 3 is going to be the only "high-end" game you're playing for the next three years, the HD 7770 should be ok.
 
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