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Questions about new Computer

T

TechStuey05

Gawd
Joined
Aug 5, 2005
Messages
902
Hi, I am about to purchase a new computer. I would like to customize my computer but first I have a couple of questions. I would like to spend less than 2000 for the computer but would pay more if it's worth it.

Is the HP as good a brand as the other brands to customize a computer from? I was thinking of getting a 6 core,

Is there a big difference in speed with a 6 Core vs a 4 Core. I customized an HP Desktop with Intel Core i7-970 six-core [3.2GHz, 1.5MB L2 + 12MB shared L3 cache].

Is there a big difference between this 6 Core and the Intel Core i7-930 quad-core [2.8GHz, 1MB L2 + 8MB shared L3 cache?

I will customize the HP Desktop to have atleast two 2TB internal Hard Drives. The OS will be Windows 7

Would I be able to add more hard drives to the computer in the future or are there no slots left?

Which is a better hard drive 7200 rpm or 5400rpm?

Is the ATI Radeon HD 5570 a good video card?

Any help is greatly appreciated
 
Any chance of you just using that 2k & building one. It will make your money stretch much farther.
 
I would never buy a prebuild PC im sorry but you are wasting your money. You can build a pretty massive PC with high class parts compared to what your getting in a prebuilt junk system

to answer your questions about the 5570. no its not a good video card at all. especially is your gaming. If you do decide to build please answer the questions in the sticky. Trust me building will give you the most out of your money. Prebuilts tend to be more about Labor costs rather then quality
 
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Hi, I appreciate the advice. I don't plan on building my own PC as I've never done it before nor do I have the patience. What would be a better computer brand that I could customize?
 
TechStuey05 said:
Hi, I appreciate the advice. I don't plan on building my own PC as I've never done it before nor do I have the patience. What would be a better computer brand that I could customize?
Click to expand...

If you have the patience research before you buy, then you have the patience to build one.

There are no Prebuilt systems are I would call good from any major OEM. They always try to skimp on one thing or another & in the end it always bites back.
 
If you really have to go pre-built try to find a local shop that sells parts.
 
TechStuey05 said:
Is the HP as good a brand as the other brands to customize a computer from? I was thinking of getting a 6 core,
Click to expand...
For high-end, I wouldn't really recommend HP. Dell, Velocity Micro, or Puget Systems would be better choices. They don't skimp as much as HP does on the PSU.

TechStuey05 said:
Is there a big difference in speed with a 6 Core vs a 4 Core. I customized an HP Desktop with Intel Core i7-970 six-core [3.2GHz, 1.5MB L2 + 12MB shared L3 cache].
Click to expand...
Depends on what exactly you're using the PC for.
TechStuey05 said:
Is there a big difference between this 6 Core and the Intel Core i7-930 quad-core [2.8GHz, 1MB L2 + 8MB shared L3 cache?
Click to expand...
Depends on what exactly you're using the PC for.
TechStuey05 said:
Would I be able to add more hard drives to the computer in the future or are there no slots left?
Click to expand...
Depends on the PC you're buying.

TechStuey05 said:
Which is a better hard drive 7200 rpm or 5400rpm?
Click to expand...
Depends on which drives you're talking about. And depends on what exactly you're using the PC for. Some 5400RPM drives are just as fast as some 7200 RPM drives out there.

TechStuey05 said:
Is the ATI Radeon HD 5570 a good video card?
Click to expand...
Depends on what exactly you're using the PC for.
 
Danny Bui said:
For high-end, I wouldn't really recommend HP. Dell, Velocity Micro, or Puget Systems would be better choices. They don't skimp as much as HP does on the PSU.


Depends on what exactly you're using the PC for.

Depends on what exactly you're using the PC for.

Depends on the PC you're buying.


Depends on which drives you're talking about. And depends on what exactly you're using the PC for. Some 5400RPM drives are just as fast as some 7200 RPM drives out there.


Depends on what exactly you're using the PC for.
Click to expand...

Or to Summarize what Danny Said


Depends...
Click to expand...
 
Heavy multitasking and/or using resource-heavy programs like Photoshop or Maya are the best uses for a hex-core. (I take it that you're looking at AMD's X6 processors, right? Intel's cheapest hex-core costs at least $800.)

What are the primary functions of this machine? If gaming will be one of those tasks, you're better off with a build-your-own system, as most of the vendors we recommend would charge you at least $2500 for a decent gaming machine.
 
I have personally used Puget systems and velocity micro in the past. I prefer Puget & they are better then Velocity as for price for performance.

If you go Prebuild go Puget systems ive never been done dirty by them at all. I dont recommend Dell at all Terrible in my opinion.

Edit: I dont personally like Velocity for one reason They make you buy There brand PSU where as Puget lets you pick from name brand.
 
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Even though I don't own a mac myself, I would still say that the iMac 27" may be a good choice too.
 
if he is considering a gaming Rig then an iMac will just not fit. iMac's are not made for gaming at all. I wouldnt buy an iMac for every day use. Over priced & under powered
 
Thanks guys, I will check out Puget Systems. I own a 2.66 ghz Quad Core Mac Pro running Snow Leopard which this new Windows 7 Desktop will be replacing. My Mac will be moved to another room. I'm not a heavy gamer anymore, I will basically use the WIndows computer for light gaming, watching 1080p movies, internet browsing, cd burning, photo editing, etc.
 
TechStuey05 said:
I will basically use the WIndows computer for light gaming, watching 1080p movies, internet browsing, cd burning, photo editing, etc.
Click to expand...

If that's all, you really don't need a Core i7 970 CPU at all. No need for that particular hex-core CPU at all. For gaming, I would recommend the HD 5770 as a minimum. Maybe the HD 5750 if available.
 
Danny Bui said:
If that's all, you really don't need a Core i7 970 CPU at all. No need for that particular hex-core CPU at all. For gaming, I would recommend the HD 5770 as a minimum. Maybe the HD 5750 if available.
Click to expand...

QFT. Only go heavy on the CPU if you're going to frequently run CPU-intensive programs such as prosumer video editing programs.

In addition, I would wait until the Sandy Bridge-based i5-2xxx series CPUs actually ship to resellers before making a final decision (unless the OP really needs a new Windows build before Christmas). This is because that architecture is set to completely replace the current LGA 1156 "mainstream" platform as soon as the CPUs and motherboards ship in significant volume. And going with an AMD quad-core platform is not worth it right now because it would not have provided a significant enough increase over an older-generation Intel quad-core platform (that the OP already owns) to justify the total system cost.
 
Ok, I'm now considering building my computer. How much cheaper is it to build your own computer vs a prebuilt one?

Is it difficult for someone who's never done it before? Do all the parts just fit into the slots of the case?

I don't know what parts to get, if you guys could help me I'd greatly appreciate. I'll post what specs that I would like
 
Danny Bui said:
If that's all, you really don't need a Core i7 970 CPU at all. No need for that particular hex-core CPU at all. For gaming, I would recommend the HD 5770 as a minimum. Maybe the HD 5750 if available.
Click to expand...

I appreciate the help. Then Would 4 Core be more suitable for me?
 
TechStuey05 said:
Ok, I'm now considering building my computer. How much cheaper is it to build your own computer vs a prebuilt one?

Is it difficult for someone who's never done it before? Do all the parts just fit into the slots of the case?

I don't know what parts to get, if you guys could help me I'd greatly appreciate. I'll post what specs that I would like
Click to expand...

1. It's not that hard to do without experience. If you're unsure about what you're doing, there are videos about that walk you through all the steps. The computer in my signature was the first one I've ever built, and I didn't feel it was hard. It did take awhile though, so if you build leave yourself an hour or two.

2. There's a questionnaire/faq you can fill out and post here to get parts/build recommendations, and they're usually pretty good. However, you might be told to wait a month for sandy bridge etc (already been said in this thread).

3. Price....I don't really know off the top of my head. However, you'll usually get better quality parts for the same price, though the advantage of building decreases as you go towards the lower end due to operating system costs.
 
TechStuey05 said:
Ok, I'm now considering building my computer. How much cheaper is it to build your own computer vs a prebuilt one?

Is it difficult for someone who's never done it before? Do all the parts just fit into the slots of the case?

I don't know what parts to get, if you guys could help me I'd greatly appreciate. I'll post what specs that I would like
Click to expand...

I strongly encourage you to build your own, thousand of average joes like me do it regularly, so it's definitely nothing hard, and really does not take a lot of time (you mentioned your lack of patience earlier ;-), just a minimum of organization. It's also a lot of fun, use the opportunity to do it with family or friends.
Create a spreadsheet template with columns for category, brand, model, quantity, and several colums for price to track different providers such as newegg. My last PC was 100% newegg, so I didn't even bother. Use different templates to compare different brand/models of components. A template makes you list all the components, so you don't risk forgetting one when ordering. Newegg also sells computer toolkits with lots of spare screws, etc. Always handy...

Select recent components from reputable brands, that will help the parts fit together, or rather limit the risk of incompatibilities. Plus that's the whole point of building your own rig vs a computer brand, where some parts can be high quality, but others may be proprietary or lower quality, and definitely limited regarding expandability. Start with the CPU you want, that will limit the number of motherboards to choose from, the mobo will tell you in turn which kind of RAM it supports, etc.

With your budget, I would go with a SSD just for the OS and apps, instead maybe of getting an expensive and overkill 6 cores CPU. Use the HDDs for storage only, include one for external backup, well, as many externals as internals anyway, in a eSATA DAS box.

I haven't bought a computer for over 15 years. It's a bit of a challenge each time because I keep my computers for about 5 years, and technology evolves rapidly, but it's really easy to catch up online with the new designs or get help like on [H].

I am waiting until early next year to build my new PC: USB 3.0, SATA 6 Gb/s and UEFI haven't still been adopted broadly, so the choice of scalable motherboards is rather limited. Plus I hope there will be cheaper and bigger SSDs by then too. Sandy Bridge has already been mentioned as another reason to wait. The new RADEON cards will be out next week, so there will be full comparative data about NVIDIA vs. RADEON performance and reliability by then.
 
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Proxy said:
Whatever you do just make sure to NOT get a 5400rpm HDD.
Click to expand...

Well not for your OS/programs drive anyways. For storage, 5.4k is more than adequate, and I actually prefer them for that purpose because they're cheaper etc
 
TechStuey05 said:
Ok, I'm now considering building my computer. How much cheaper is it to build your own computer vs a prebuilt one?

Is it difficult for someone who's never done it before? Do all the parts just fit into the slots of the case?

I don't know what parts to get, if you guys could help me I'd greatly appreciate. I'll post what specs that I would like
Click to expand...

There are a series of links in the GenHard FAQ sticky that are available to aid first-time builders. Plus, any questions you have after viewing those links can be answered here.

If you're really serious about building your own computer, answering the questions in the "Asking for Build Help?" sticky will really help us help you out.
 
Hey guys, I'm going to post what I would like in my new computer by answering the questionnaire. Feel free to post you suggestions and ideas.

Note: I like to purchase a new computer every 2-3 years

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

Light Gaming, Web Browsing, Bit Torrent, Watching 1080p Movies, basic editing of my photos, listening to Music and Burning CD's.

I always tend to have several programs open at the same time so I would like the Computer to not slow down when multitasking.

I don't plan on using Photoshop or any professional applications

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

I would like to spend $2000 (more or less) including the HP 27" Display I plan on getting. I don't mind spending as much as $2500 including the 27" Display if I'll get a much better system. If I could get a powerful system for $1600 including the monitor then that would be good too.

3) Where do you live?

Long Island, New York

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc.

I would like at least a Quad Core System (as powerful or more powerful than my 2.66 ghz Quad Core Mac Pro) I would like atleast 8 gigs of memory, I would prefer 12 though. I would like to start with three 2 TB Internal Hard Drives.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing?

My Logitech mouse and Keyboard

6) Will you be overclocking?

No

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

I plan on purchasing the HP 2710m 27-Inch Display

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

A soon as possible/When I feel that I have the right parts (Maybe 2 weeks, a month)?

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? etc.

I would like to have at least 4 free Hard Drive slots.

I'm not sure what Raid is. I would like the computer to have a firewire port, I would like a USB 3.0 Port. I'm not sure what SATA 6GB/s is but is it worth it?

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

No, I will need to purchase Windows 7. Is it worth it going with 64 bit over 32 bit, what are the benefits and negatives?

Thanks
 
$338 - Intel Core i5 750 CPU + Asus P7P55D-E Intel P55 ATX Motherboard Combo
$200 - 2 x G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$215 - XFX HD-583X-ZAFV Radeon HD 5830 1GB PCI-E Video Card + XFX P1-650X-CAH9 650W PSU Combo
$145 - Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SSD
$375 - Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 HDS722020ALA330 2TB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$100 - Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM
---------
Total: $1373 plus tax and shipping

Choose your own case. I recommend these:
$60 - Cooler Master HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 ATX Case
$70 - Cooler Master RC-590-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$80 - Cooler Master CM690 II Basic 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
$90 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$105 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black ATX Case (Fill in the ++++ with "N C I X" without the spaces)
$105 - Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium ATX Case (Fill in the ++++ with "N C I X" without the spaces)
$105 - Fractal Design Define R3 Silver ATX Case (Fill in the ++++ with "N C I X" without the spaces)
$100 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K7B ATX Case
$110 - Lian Li PC-7FN ATX 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-001WT Black Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - Cooler Master HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$135 - Antec P183 ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$180 - Cooler Master Cosmos S 1000 RC-1100-KSN1-GP Full Tower ATX Case
$200 - Cooler Master ATCS 840 RC-840-KKN1-GP Full Tower ATX Case
$200 - Lian Li PC-B25F ATX Case
$240 - Silverstone FT02B-W ATX Case
$220 - Lian Li PC-A71F Black ATX Case
$270 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW Full Tower ATX Case
$330 - Silverstone Temjin SST-TJ07B Full Tower ATX Case
Cases (ATX w/PSU):

Some notes:
- Since you want to use more than 4GB of RAM, you have to go with Windows 7 64bit. No question about it.
- That SSD will do more to speed up your PC than getting the fastest CPU out now.
- As you can see, that's 16GB of RAM right there.
- All those combo deals expire at the end of the month.
 
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I agree with Danny's choices. The cheapest i7-9xx/1366/X58 system is barely faster than an i5-750/1156/P55 system in everyday tasks, to the point that it just isn't worth it unless you get the CPU from Micro Center.

And yes, at your budget you get a full 16GB of RAM with that i5-750 system. Had you gone with your original choice of a low-end i7-9xx, you would have gotten only 12GB of RAM and still pay more money overall with lesser components.
 
Danny Bui said:
Choose your own case. I recommend these:
$60 - Cooler Master HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 ATX Case
$70 - Cooler Master RC-590-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$80 - Cooler Master CM690 II Basic 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
$90 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$105 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black ATX Case (Fill in the ++++ with "N C I X" without the spaces)
$105 - Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium ATX Case (Fill in the ++++ with "N C I X" without the spaces)
$105 - Fractal Design Define R3 Silver ATX Case (Fill in the ++++ with "N C I X" without the spaces)
$100 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K7B ATX Case
$110 - Lian Li PC-7FN ATX Case
$120 - Velocity Micro GX2-W Silver Classic Aluminum Case with Side Window
$135 - Antec P183 ATX Case
$140 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT Black Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - Cooler Master HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$180 - Cooler Master Cosmos S 1000 RC-1100-KSN1-GP Full Tower ATX Case
$200 - Cooler Master ATCS 840 RC-840-KKN1-GP Full Tower ATX Case
$200 - Lian Li PC-B25F ATX Case
$240 - Silverstone FT02B-W ATX Case
$220 - Lian Li PC-A71F Black ATX Case
$270 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW Full Tower ATX Case
$330 - Silverstone Temjin SST-TJ07B Full Tower ATX Case
Cases (ATX w/PSU):
Click to expand...

Fixed. :D
 
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Assuming that you're going the DIY route, are you willing to wait until after January 5 for Intel's Sandy Bridge to arrive? It's expected to offer better performance than the current Socket 1156 Core i5/i7 processors for around the same price.
 
Thanks for the help guys! I don't mind waiting till after January 5. When will it be released?

When I mentioned how many hard drives slots that I wanted I meant 5-6 slots in total. I would like to purchase three 2 TB Internal Drives right away and have the option to add 2 or 3 more drives in the future. I apologize if I wasn't clear.
 
TechStuey05 said:
Thanks for the help guys! I don't mind waiting till after January 5. When will it be released?

When I mentioned how many hard drives slots that I wanted I meant 5-6 slots in total. I would like to purchase three 2 TB Internal Drives right away and have the option to add 2 or 3 more drives in the future. I apologize if I wasn't clear.
Click to expand...

Those new CPUs will be released on January 5th. :)

The motherboard I recommended can support up to 7 SATA drives. Most of the cases I recommended can hold up to 6 hard drives. So now it's really up to you which case to get.
 
Although I am not the OP, thanks for all the info. Definitely gives me confidence to start my 1st build.
 
Hi, I appreciate the advice. I have a couple questions.

What is the Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SSD?

Do I need to purchase an Anti Static wrist band when I'm ready to build the computer?

Also what's the difference between a full and a mid tower? is it just the size?

thanks
 
Here's the NewEgg product page for the Crucial SSD. If you want more information about SSDs in general, take some time to read the following:

[Anandtech] The SSD Anthology: Understanding SSDs and New Drives from OCZ
[Anandtech] The SSD Update: Vertex Gets Faster, New Indilinx Drives and Intel/MacBook Problems Resolved
[Anandtech] The SSD Relapse: Understanding and Choosing the Best SSD
[Hard|OCP] SSD RAID scaling under Windows 7

You don't need an anti-static wrist strap, but we recommend that you discharge yourself from having any static electricity by touching a piece of metal for a few seconds before you start to assemble the computer. You should also take the time to minimize any possibility that you could generate static electricity, like not assembling the computer on top of carpet or by rolling up your sleeves (or wear a short-sleeve shirt).

The difference between a full tower and a mid-tower case is that the full tower is generally taller and has larger overall dimensions. However, both terms are rather loosely defined, as I've seen a few mid-towers that are closer to the full tower category.
 
Thanks for the help. I read some info about it but I'm still confused about the SSD. Is it a hard drive? Does it make my 2 TB hard drives and Computer faster?
 
an SSD is basically a new type of hard drive.. They are generally VERY fast. It will not make your 2tb drives any faster. Generally most people use an SSD for the OS as well as basic comonly used applications & then install everything else to a mechanical drive. The reason this is done is SSD's are very expensive per gb compared to mechanical drives so larger capacity SSD's cost a small fortune.
 
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