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hawkeye_wx
Weaksauce
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2008
- Messages
- 70
It is long past time I upgraded my ancient athlon xp, geforce 3, 1 gb ram system. It's useable, but one busy browser window/tab can hog all the system's resources and slow everything down.
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Pretty much just a general use/browsing computer. I have some old games like civ 4 and half life 2 I wouldn't mind playing again, but I don't see myself buying any new games. I have a wrist nerve issue (like carpal tunnel, but the other nerve) that flares up if I do too much typing or hardcore mouse-clicking, so I haven't even played a first-person-shooter type game in many years. I do want to be able to have several browser windows/tabs open at once, including some with active weather radar and satellite loops(flash and java). With my current computer I can't even let most flash/java loops continue in the background because the entire system slows down. I'd even like to be able to run other stuff, like watch high quality(hd) youtube videos, etc, while there are several flash/java loops running in the background. I just want my new computer to be able to continue to run smoothly with all that stuff running at once.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Don't have a specific budget. The less, the better, with perhaps $500 a level I don't want to exceed. I'll get what I have to get.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Iowa, USA
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, mobo, RAM, dvd drive, ssd/hdd, power supply
CPU - Perhaps I could get away with a low end modern dual-core cpu(which is what I was looking at the last couple years), but I'm fortunate to now have access to some Intel discounts. I have a choice among several core i5 and i7 quad cores. Even though I could get an i7-4770 for about $150, some(or a lot) of that power would likely go to waste given what I'd use it for. The two cpus I'm looking at are the i5-4670k for $130 and the i5-4570S for $100. There is no option for i5 cpus in between those two, unfortunately. I'm leaning toward the 4570S. I'm assuming that will be plenty of power for me, and it would be very low power and heat as well. That would also leave me with a few extra $ to put toward other components I need. Would I notice the higher clock speed of the 4670(3.4 GHz) vs the 4570S(2.9 GHz)?
mobo-
Not sure what I need here. I'm not familiar with the different chipsets and their features. I just need a solid board with the basic features this system would require, made by a reputable company. I can get a Gigabyte Q87 mobo together with an Intel 530 180GB ssd and a 4570S in a combo deal, but that might be a bit of a higher end mobo and the majority of the discount would be in the cpu.
graphics -
I wasn't planning on getting a discrete video card considering I am not planning on buying any new games. I read that the Intel 4600 integrated graphics are about equivalent to the old radeon x800 or x1800, which should be enough power to play my old games. I used to use a radeon 9800 pro and that was good enough for those old games(civ 4, half life 2).
In addition to playing older games, I just need to be able to smoothly play HD videos. I don't know if HD video playback has more to do with gfx or cpu.
ram -
I've been assuming 8 GB(2 x 4 GB) of ddr3 1600 would be the ideal ram to get. It sounds like 4 GB would be pretty good as well, but I'm likely going to be using this system for the next ten years and it can't hurt to have 8 GB. When I bought my current athlon xp system back in 2001/02 I only got 1 GB ram because that was sufficient then, but obviously now it's a major bottleneck and I wish I had gotten 2 GB. I know there are some good ram discounts for black friday(~$50 for 8 GB ddr3 1600). I wish I had figured out which computer parts to get earlier in the week, or last week, or a month ago.
storage - I don't need much storage space. I currently have my windows partition on a ~190 GB hdd and I have another 40 GB hdd as well that I have kept in my system to backup photos and stuff. Any terabyte hdd would be a huge waste of space for me. I don't even use most of the space on my current hdd. It sound like ssd's are all the rage now. Would a 240(or less) GB ssd be my best option?
dvd drive - I likely won't need a dvd drive for much, but I would have to install windows, and I do have old software(office xp, photoshop) on cd's.
power supply - This should be a pretty low power system, so I just want a good quality, but modestly-priced psu. I currently use an old antec 350W psu, but I'm guessing it might be wise to buy a new, modern psu for a new system. I certainly don't want an old psu to screw up a new component. The last couple years I was considering a ~400W corsair.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Well, I could certainly use new parts entirely, but I can get away with continuing to use a few oldies for a while. I'll continue using my Dell 19" CRT for now. I need a new mouse and mousepad(I'll welcome any suggestions) because one mouse button no longer works well and the mousepad gets sticky. I can keep using my keyboard. I have gone back and forth on the computer case. It's an old Antec SLK3700 mid tower. The main thing I don't like about it is the moving parts inside the case cause vibration and the case gives off an annoying hum sound. It does have a filter in front, which does a decent job of keeping dust out of the case. It can be a pain trying to get the front panel to open so I can remove the filter. Anyway, I could probably get away with reusing this case. I suppose I can upgrade to a new case at any point in the future.
I can continue to use my old antec case fan as well, although in recent weeks it has been showing its age by emitting noise. I've put lubricant into the fan guts a couple times, but it's only a temporary fix. I wouldn't mind suggestions for a new quiet 120mm case fan. I don't need total silence, but I do want my computer to be as quiet as possible.
6) Will you be overclocking?
No
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
It's an old Dell 19" CRT, currently running at 1280x960. At some point I'll upgrade to an LCD, but probably not until this thing starts dying.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Whenever I figure out what to get. I go through this process once or twice a year, but so far haven't pulled the trigger.
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.
Just the usual stuff, I guess... nothing fancy. Obviously I'll need SATA for the new drives.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I am still using Windows XP, but obviously that needs to end. It appears I need to get an oem version(I'll likely be using this system for many years) of either Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. I'm not sure which one to get. So far I'm not a big fan of the change from windows xp to windows 8 when I use a new laptop, but then I haven't spent much time trying to get used to it. Everyone says windows 7 is great, but then some people say it is now getting a little old and windows 8.1 is what should be bought. *shrug*
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Pretty much just a general use/browsing computer. I have some old games like civ 4 and half life 2 I wouldn't mind playing again, but I don't see myself buying any new games. I have a wrist nerve issue (like carpal tunnel, but the other nerve) that flares up if I do too much typing or hardcore mouse-clicking, so I haven't even played a first-person-shooter type game in many years. I do want to be able to have several browser windows/tabs open at once, including some with active weather radar and satellite loops(flash and java). With my current computer I can't even let most flash/java loops continue in the background because the entire system slows down. I'd even like to be able to run other stuff, like watch high quality(hd) youtube videos, etc, while there are several flash/java loops running in the background. I just want my new computer to be able to continue to run smoothly with all that stuff running at once.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Don't have a specific budget. The less, the better, with perhaps $500 a level I don't want to exceed. I'll get what I have to get.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Iowa, USA
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, mobo, RAM, dvd drive, ssd/hdd, power supply
CPU - Perhaps I could get away with a low end modern dual-core cpu(which is what I was looking at the last couple years), but I'm fortunate to now have access to some Intel discounts. I have a choice among several core i5 and i7 quad cores. Even though I could get an i7-4770 for about $150, some(or a lot) of that power would likely go to waste given what I'd use it for. The two cpus I'm looking at are the i5-4670k for $130 and the i5-4570S for $100. There is no option for i5 cpus in between those two, unfortunately. I'm leaning toward the 4570S. I'm assuming that will be plenty of power for me, and it would be very low power and heat as well. That would also leave me with a few extra $ to put toward other components I need. Would I notice the higher clock speed of the 4670(3.4 GHz) vs the 4570S(2.9 GHz)?
mobo-
Not sure what I need here. I'm not familiar with the different chipsets and their features. I just need a solid board with the basic features this system would require, made by a reputable company. I can get a Gigabyte Q87 mobo together with an Intel 530 180GB ssd and a 4570S in a combo deal, but that might be a bit of a higher end mobo and the majority of the discount would be in the cpu.
graphics -
I wasn't planning on getting a discrete video card considering I am not planning on buying any new games. I read that the Intel 4600 integrated graphics are about equivalent to the old radeon x800 or x1800, which should be enough power to play my old games. I used to use a radeon 9800 pro and that was good enough for those old games(civ 4, half life 2).
In addition to playing older games, I just need to be able to smoothly play HD videos. I don't know if HD video playback has more to do with gfx or cpu.
ram -
I've been assuming 8 GB(2 x 4 GB) of ddr3 1600 would be the ideal ram to get. It sounds like 4 GB would be pretty good as well, but I'm likely going to be using this system for the next ten years and it can't hurt to have 8 GB. When I bought my current athlon xp system back in 2001/02 I only got 1 GB ram because that was sufficient then, but obviously now it's a major bottleneck and I wish I had gotten 2 GB. I know there are some good ram discounts for black friday(~$50 for 8 GB ddr3 1600). I wish I had figured out which computer parts to get earlier in the week, or last week, or a month ago.
storage - I don't need much storage space. I currently have my windows partition on a ~190 GB hdd and I have another 40 GB hdd as well that I have kept in my system to backup photos and stuff. Any terabyte hdd would be a huge waste of space for me. I don't even use most of the space on my current hdd. It sound like ssd's are all the rage now. Would a 240(or less) GB ssd be my best option?
dvd drive - I likely won't need a dvd drive for much, but I would have to install windows, and I do have old software(office xp, photoshop) on cd's.
power supply - This should be a pretty low power system, so I just want a good quality, but modestly-priced psu. I currently use an old antec 350W psu, but I'm guessing it might be wise to buy a new, modern psu for a new system. I certainly don't want an old psu to screw up a new component. The last couple years I was considering a ~400W corsair.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Well, I could certainly use new parts entirely, but I can get away with continuing to use a few oldies for a while. I'll continue using my Dell 19" CRT for now. I need a new mouse and mousepad(I'll welcome any suggestions) because one mouse button no longer works well and the mousepad gets sticky. I can keep using my keyboard. I have gone back and forth on the computer case. It's an old Antec SLK3700 mid tower. The main thing I don't like about it is the moving parts inside the case cause vibration and the case gives off an annoying hum sound. It does have a filter in front, which does a decent job of keeping dust out of the case. It can be a pain trying to get the front panel to open so I can remove the filter. Anyway, I could probably get away with reusing this case. I suppose I can upgrade to a new case at any point in the future.
I can continue to use my old antec case fan as well, although in recent weeks it has been showing its age by emitting noise. I've put lubricant into the fan guts a couple times, but it's only a temporary fix. I wouldn't mind suggestions for a new quiet 120mm case fan. I don't need total silence, but I do want my computer to be as quiet as possible.
6) Will you be overclocking?
No
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
It's an old Dell 19" CRT, currently running at 1280x960. At some point I'll upgrade to an LCD, but probably not until this thing starts dying.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Whenever I figure out what to get. I go through this process once or twice a year, but so far haven't pulled the trigger.
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.
Just the usual stuff, I guess... nothing fancy. Obviously I'll need SATA for the new drives.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I am still using Windows XP, but obviously that needs to end. It appears I need to get an oem version(I'll likely be using this system for many years) of either Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. I'm not sure which one to get. So far I'm not a big fan of the change from windows xp to windows 8 when I use a new laptop, but then I haven't spent much time trying to get used to it. Everyone says windows 7 is great, but then some people say it is now getting a little old and windows 8.1 is what should be bought. *shrug*
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