Newegg i5 combo

[ExitLeft]

Hi everyone,
Just curious what peoples thoughts are on this combo deal from Newegg. I'm looking to build my first pc and thought this may be a good deal. I'll be doing a lot of email, word, powerpoint, web surfing, minor gaming, etc. I know this needs a video card and am open to suggestions. I'll also propably be adding a TV tuner and Blu-Ray player eventually.
Any thoughts?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD..._-LM0-_-278230

Thanks,
WES

[glc]

1. The cooler is unnecessary.
2. Decent case.
3. Good processor.
4. Questionable hard drive, there are better in the same price range. Look at WD Black.
5. Good ram, but faster than you need, DDR3-1333 is all you need.
6. Asus P7P55D boards are better.
7. Lousy power supply, look at Corsair, Seasonic, Antec.

[Jdorty]

I think the point is its a 'decent' combo, but with the money you can save on a few things, and the fact that several of the components aren't as high quality as you would want, makes the combo less preferable to just finding separate parts.

[glc]

I wouldn't even call it "decent" with that junk power supply, sorry.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by glc I wouldn't even call it "decent" with that junk power supply, sorry.

Do you know of any reviews for that power supply? It looks like Rosewill is improving their power supplies; they are now 80 Plus certified and have active PFC; Maximum PC even used one in one of their Dream Machines.

[Khalil]

guys like me and glc don't rely on reviews Masaki we rely on our experience and Rosewill is refuse!

[glc]

Did a little research - the UL number reports this as the manufacturer:

MAGNELL ASSOCIATE INC, DBA ABS
COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES INC

Funny thing, ABS has the exact same address as Rosewill, which is a Newegg house brand. I see Newegg is selling ABS cases and PSU's now - and those are far from low end. Still, without knowing the REAL OEM on that PSU, I can't recommend it.

Masaki, if you come across any reviews of Rosewill PSU's that identify the OEM, please let us know. In the past, they have always been lower tier manufacturers.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by Khalil guys like me and glc don't rely on reviews Masaki we rely on our experience and Rosewill is refuse!

Experience is helpful, but it's not everything, for one thing you are very dependent on the particular batch of products you get and the shipping associated with it (for example you can have parts damaged in the process), and you don't always have access to the latest parts and/or don't have the time to properly look and analyze the parts (like taking apart a PSU to determine it's build quality and where components are).

I was looking through Rosewill's site and their about statement is "Rosewill is dedicated to our mission to compete and win on price, quality, and service", so if they follow that mission statement and improve as they go along (some of their other parts so far such as wireless cards and peripherals are pretty good), they should be able to get something good out.

Looking at their PSUs over time, they have gotten better in both components and reviews (newegg and otherwise). I'm not saying that Rosewill power supplies are reliable right now (haven't read many reviews on new power supplies from them or used any of them), but they look like they are heading in the right direction. Ignoring them may not be the best idea if they can succeed on getting a product with good price, quality and service - after all that's what determines if it's a good part.

I'll keep looking up reviews on Rosewill power supplies and post anything of quality and interest.
EDIT: From what I've been reading it seems that ATNG is the manufacturer of the PSUs, I've read this in a hardforum thread about the PSU in the newegg list: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1034391921, and johnnyguru also has a review of a higher end model rosewill which also says that it's manufactured by ATNGL http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php...Story2&reid=60. Will try to post more if I find anything else.
EDIT 2: Found this older review by johnnyguru about an older rosewill power supply (has no PCF), but also confirms that the manufacturer is ATNG: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php...Story4&reid=32

[Khalil]

The first 6 months I started my business I couldn't afford much and I experimented with cheap brands like Rosewill and ECS and the results were a disaster! I don't need reviews to form an opinion, I can't wait for a company to get better nor will I make my recomends based on the chances they maybe better, I give the review myself!!

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by Khalil The first 6 months I started my business I couldn't afford much and I experimented with cheap brands like Rosewill and ECS and the results were a disaster! I don't need reviews to form an opinion, I can't wait for a company to get better nor will I make my recomends based on the chances they maybe better, I give the review myself!!

If what you say is true, then you wouldn't be using AMD chips; as I recall their earlier processors weren't anywhere near as good as Intel's. Companies who are dedicated to quality will produce better products over time, sometimes that can take years.

[Camelion]

Easy Boys, Easy!

[ExitLeft]

After consideration, I've decided not to go with the combo. By the time I added and deleted what I wanted it got pricey fast. Thanks for taking a look and sharing your thoughts

[glc]

Originally Posted by Masaki 7-11 If what you say is true, then you wouldn't be using AMD chips; as I recall their earlier processors weren't anywhere near as good as Intel's. Companies who are dedicated to quality will produce better products over time, sometimes that can take years.

AMD chips have never been UNRELIABLE. When we critique hardware, there are 2 reasons for favoring or disfavoring something - reliability and performance. In my critique of that combo, I noted that in my opinion, the Rosewill PSU may have a reliability issue.

[Panama Red]

I've bought and sold several Rosewill power supplies without any issues. Some were made by lower tier manufacturers but a couple of the ones I had were made by Delta. They may not be the first choice for someone building a custom machine who intends to use all the psu capacity available but as a replacement for standard 250-350 watt atx, the Rosewill 400 watt and larger units work great for me.

I've recently replaced 4 Antec 250 and 350 watt psu's (Smart Power) that were all 1.5 - 3 years old. At the time I bought them, Antec was the top name recommended here at PCM. Everyone of them crapped out on the +5 volt circuit. I'm not even going to tell you what brand I replaced them with because you'd laugh at my "lower tier" selection.

[glc]

The Smartpowers had issues because Channel Well cut corners on their caps. That's why Antec changed OEM's and started using FSP for the budget units and Seasonic for the high end units.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by glc AMD chips have never been UNRELIABLE. When we critique hardware, there are 2 reasons for favoring or disfavoring something - reliability and performance. In my critique of that combo, I noted that in my opinion, the Rosewill PSU may have a reliability issue.

I never said there was a problem with the reliability of the older AMD chips, but they couldn't match the performance of Intel chips, especially when Intel came out with MMX and SSE instruction sets for their processors which gave them a large boost in performance; AMD didn't add SSE to their processor until they came out with the Athlon XP which was many years after Intel had their first SSE compatible processor.

Regarding the power supply, I don't have any experience with Rosewill, but if things keep improving (or at least don't get worse) for their power supplies, I would definitely be looking at some of their budget PSUs for some lower end builds (at least for myself).

I think a lot of the power supply problems stem from the lack of cooling and/or airflow in computers; for most power supplies, the cooler they run, the more power they can output and the more efficient they are; the lower end caps also seem to have problems with high heat, so having good airflow and cooling reduces the risk of any power supply going bad.

[KilluminatiStyle]

I've been using Rosewill PSU's for years now. I can honestly say that the quality has done nothing but improved. I would never buy their lowest of the low end but I would never think twice about buying anything $50 and up from them. I don't think the OP has anything to worry about.

The same can be said about their Mid Size cases on the egg. I've done several builds, including my current gaming machine, with a Rosewill case and it's an excellent design. Great airflow, no sharp edges, and very solid. No flimsy metal here.