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10-16-2009, 12:25 PM
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#1 |
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Member (3 bit)
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 6
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Looking to buy new PC, seek input
My computer of 3 years recently died of hardware failure and I am looking to buy/build a new PC.
I am looking for a pc that is not a hassle to upgrade parts in the future, as well as being durable. I will be using it for schoolwork, and the occasional gaming(nothing too intense). Budget: ~$500 over or under I am thinking of buying a barebone, such as the one listed here: http://cgi.ebay.com/INTEL-E2220-DUAL...item5635e16e2d I can make adjustments to the kind of parts I want, by scrolling down. Question: Are barebones a good buy? Are they a hassle to install? I have an extra hard drive lying around, so can I just plug it into the new motherboard and be good to go? Also, I am a little worried about the barebone power supply? If I were to go barebones, do you think I should get a better quality power supply? Also, how much power (W) do you think will be sufficient to run the system? Question: Intel or AMD? From what I have browsed, it seems like AMD quad-cores are much cheaper than the Intel ones. Can I go wrong by choosing either Intel or AMD? Also, I have read somewhere that the AMD stock cooler is much better compared to the Intel, so if that is the case, I would much rather have AMD, as I dont plan on overclocking or would I be better of getting another cooler like cooler master? Question: Motherboard I really do not have any knowledge on what the good motherboards are, but I am looking for one that is durable and easy to upgrade for the future. I've been told that Gigabyte motherboards are decent. Question: Videocard My friend told me that if I went AMD, I should go with ATI and Intel -> nVidia. What do you guys recommend? Memory: Looking for maybe 2x2G = 4G DDR2 So in conclusion, parts i need: ~$500 Case, case fans are a plus! Power Supply Motherboard CPU (+ new cooler?) Quad-core would be nice, but dual-core will suffice Videocard Memory - 2x2GB = 4GB DDR2 Parts I have: Hard drive CD-ROM Windows XP (yeah XP will do until 7 comes out!) That's about it, sorry for the long post. Any and all feedback/advice is welcomed and thanks for reading! -QW Last edited by qw111; 10-16-2009 at 12:27 PM. |
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10-16-2009, 03:39 PM
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#2 |
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Forum Administrator
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Premium Member
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Joplin MO
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That barebones on Ebay is junk. Asrock motherboards are low end and Okia power supplies are garbage.
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10-17-2009, 01:33 AM
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#3 |
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Member (11 bit)
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Columbus, OH
Posts: 1,388
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Most of the time(not always) a barebones build is not a great choice. They tend to cost a little more than if you bought comparable parts seperately. Also what seems to happen is: if you get a good MB, the cpu isn't so great, or vice versa. All the ones I ever looked at were just way to much money if you wantd any kind of quality from each part included.
An AMD build is usually a little less expensive to it's Intel counter. But depending on what you want to do ie.(video processing) Intel's processors will most of the time stay on par with AMD's next level up line of processsors. This is just a very general concept. For the most part though, any new build using either Intel or AMD will do for most people. Both have the ability to knock your socks off. If your not overclocking, don't sweat the cooler. Yes, get a top brand power supply. Look here: http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.p...143#brand_list and here: http://educations.newegg.com/tool/psucalc/index.html I like gigabyte for a motherboard, but Asus and Intel are the prefered brands. For a video card; yep currently it is preffered to use an ATI card in an AMD build, but not neccesary. It's got something to do with ATI being affiliated with AMD, One bought the other, or something like that. 4gigs of memory is getting pretty much standard here recently, but it's not a definite have to. Last I heard though, DDR3 is getting cheaper than DDR2. Watch prices close.
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Gigabyte 880GA-ud3h / 3.1 Phenom II x2 550 BE Callisto(4 cores and OC to 3.4) / Corsair Vengence 2x4gb DDR3 1600 / 640gb WD Black 2ea./HIS 6870/ 650 EarthWatts / Win 7 64bit |
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10-19-2009, 05:15 PM
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#4 |
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Member (3 bit)
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 6
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Thanks for the feedback. Here are some stuff that I am considering:
OpticalLITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW SATA CD/DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106289 $28.99 VideocardSAPPHIRE 100245HDMI Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102824 $109.99 - $10.00MIR = $99.99 Motherboard/CPU I was thinking about the ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard plus an AMD processor TBD. Which quad-core processor do you think will be sufficient to last into the next couple of years? (Of course it will be the X4 965, but I am not looking for the top of the top, just something good for its price) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...Size=10&page=1 was also looking at this motherboard: ASUS M4A77TD Pro AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131397 PSUCORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139008 $49.99 Do you think 400W will provide sufficient enough power? MemoryI am looking at DDR3 1333 but I am confused about PC3 10600, 10660, 10666 variations. Any significant difference? Looking for 2x2G = 4G. Yeah.. those are what I have in mind for now. Please share your opinions on whether I the parts are good/bad/compatible etc. I also need input on a good case that provides optimal airflow and also a good CPU cooler for the AMD3, as I do not trust retail stock coolers. -QW |
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10-19-2009, 05:44 PM
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#5 |
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Join Date: May 2000
Location: Joplin MO
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Corsairs are very high quality, but ATI recommends 450 watts minimum with that video card.
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10-19-2009, 06:43 PM
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#6 | |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,358
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Quote:
A good processor that will last a decent amount of time is the athlon ii x4: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103706. I would also look at a higher wattage power supply; the antec basiq 500W sells for only $5 more than the corsair: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371004. I usually use Coolermaster or Antec cases for most of my builds since they provide good airflow and can be found at various price ranges, here is a good inexpensive one with good airflow: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129066, if you need something a little less expensive, this one will also work well: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119115 The stock heatsinks that come with AMD processors are usually quite good (better than the stock intel ones in my opinion) and usually have heatpipes. If you plan on doing any overclocking, or want to reduce noise, the ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro is a good, quiet cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835185125 AMD processors currently don't officially support DDR3 faster than DDR3-1333 if not overclocking, so either DDR3-1333, DDR3-1066 or DDR3-1600 (this would probably work at DDR3-1333 speeds) would work, the performance difference between them is pretty small, here is a good 2x2GB ram kit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231188
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Core i7 2600K @ 4.2GHz | Corsair H100 w/ Scythe S-FLEX 120mm Med. Flow & AC MX4 | 4 x 4GB Corsair Vengeance PC3-12800 | HIS 1GB HD6870/ HIS IceQ X Turbo 1GB CF | Asus P67 Sabertooth | OCZ Vertex 3, WD Velociraptor 150GB & Seagate 1.5TB in Tt iCage | LG 22X DVD+/-RW | D-Link DWA-556 | Corsair TX 750W | Coolermaster Cosmos 1000 | Windows 7 HP 64-Bit | LG Flatron L246WH-BN 3D Mark11: P8491| 3D Mark Vantage: P30840| 3D Mark06: 29912 |
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10-20-2009, 12:50 PM
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#7 |
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Member (3 bit)
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 6
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appreciate all the feedback! here's how my rough draft #2 is looking like:
Case COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - I hear this case is very reputable Hard Drive Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Combo Case+Hard Drive = $99.98 - Especially with this price for both, I find it really hard to pass up! http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.273732 Optical LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW SATA CD/DVD Burner $28.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106289 Videocard SAPPHIRE 100245HDMI Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card $109.99 - $10.00MIR = $99.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102824 Motherboard ASUS M4A77TD Pro AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard $89.99 - $10.00MIR = $79.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131397 CPU AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor $99.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103706 CPU Cooler ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler $31.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835185125 I have been recommended this cooling unit, but I do not see AM3 compatibility on the specs. Could anyone clarify? If it is really incompatible, what is a good cooler for the AM3 socket? Power Supply CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply $79.99 - $20.00MIR = $59.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139004 Memory G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBHK $84.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231189 Also need a good suggestion for an internal card reader. Let me know what you guys think in terms of stability/compatibility/price! -QW |
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10-20-2009, 03:24 PM
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#8 |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,358
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Looks good; the cooler has compatibility for socket AM2 and AM2+ which has the same mounting mechanism as AM3.
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10-20-2009, 07:52 PM
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#9 |
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Member (3 bit)
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 6
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would i need to purchase any thermal compound with the cooler?
edit: another quick question, if i were to upgrade to a phenom ii x4, would the 550w psu still be sufficient with the hd4850? Last edited by qw111; 10-20-2009 at 08:54 PM. |
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10-20-2009, 08:54 PM
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#10 | |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 346
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Quote:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-007-_-Product While the 550W should be enough, I personally would go with a 600 or higher with your system. It will give you a bit of room in the future if you plan to upgrade too, I think Corsair makes some 620 or 640 models pretty cheap. Last edited by barch 88; 10-20-2009 at 08:58 PM. |
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10-21-2009, 12:07 AM
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#11 | |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,358
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Quote:
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10-21-2009, 10:57 AM
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#12 | |
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Member (1 bit)
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 1
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first off Intel is 3 technologies ahead of ADM so you get allot more speed and stability for a few $ more This Motherboard will take a Dcore Core2Duo or a Core2Quad
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...&Sku=P450-9124 you can buy a quad core for around $100 and 4 GB of 800MHz memory for around $60 I build custom PCs and and for the quality and price of gaming hardware you cant go wrong. the first PC I sold was core2duo based 3 years ago and PC Pitstop still rates it in the top 25% in its class and it is still running great today all I can say BRO is update your old box for approx $350 or build a whole tower for approx $600 as far as coolers Iv tried a number of after market coolers and they don't do any better than stock I have a coolermaster heat pipe on My quad core and stock on my wifes and they both run 80F at the CPU Quote:
http://www.utcache.com/power.asp this is mine Coolermaster wavemaster case Core2Quad Q8200 2.66 GHZ processor EVGA 780i Motherboard 8Gb OCZ Reaper 1066 mhz memory 2 X EVGA 9500GT 1024 memory Video card Segate raptor 320GB Harddrive windows XP Pro Segate raptor 320GB Harddrive Windows 7 Ultra X3 ULT40073 800-Watt Power Supply Blueray ROM,DVD Bruner, and a ROM wireless keyboard and mouse 26in sanyo LCDHDTV monitor 5.1 surround speakers with 3way Yamaha home speakers as the mains http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...orVideo006.jpg http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...8_edited-1.jpg http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...s/100_0544.jpg Last edited by glc; 10-21-2009 at 11:13 AM. |
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10-21-2009, 11:17 AM
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#13 |
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Forum Administrator
Staff
Premium Member
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Joplin MO
Posts: 37,766
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NTGOG:
1. Please do not post large inline images. I have converted yours to links. 2. Please do not make 5 posts in a row in a short period of time, please use the EDIT button if you wish to add to a post. I have merged the 5 posts. 3. When a person is settled on either an AMD or Intel build and is at the point where we are just refining the final component choices, we do not throw a completely different build into the equation. Thank you. - Admin - |
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10-27-2009, 04:40 PM
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#14 |
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Member (3 bit)
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 6
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Final parts list:
AMD Phenom II x4 3.0ghz Cooler Master 690 Case WD 640GB Black LITE-ON Black Optical Drive SAPPHIRE 100245HDMI Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Motherboard M4A79XTD EVO 790X ATX AMD Motherboard ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Built it yesterday, and I am pleased to say it was a success! Thanks to everyone for all the advice and recommendations! |
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