Spec and Part Source Advice for Mid-Range?

[consultant]

I've got a Dell Studio desktop. Q8200 Quad CPU 2.33Ghz, 6GB Ram. Recently I started backing up my Blu-Ray collection so bought a 2TB HDD. To save space I've been re-encoding most of them to high-quality MKVs (cRF=18 on encoder). It encodes at about 4-5 fps, which means a typical encode takes about 8-10 hours. I've been living with that as I've got a lot of initial encoding but once I get through my collection then I won't need to encode that much. Still, my patience is wearing thin. The PC is otherwise very fast. I stream High-Def movies to our PS3, not a problem.

I need a second PC for another room and if I can increase my encoding speed by swapping CPU's I'd do that. Issue is money is very tight right now. Unfortunately from what I understand there isn't an easy/reliable way to overclock the Dell. At one point you could get a Q9550 2.83 Ghz CPU as an option on my Dell model so I assume any L775 CPU should work? On the second PC I'm thinking of getting a Q9550 or Q9650 and then just swapping CPU's to get better encoding speed. But will it make THAT much of a diffference is what I'm wondering because on both PCs, they are otherwise used only for E-mail, Word Processing, no gaming. The biggest requirement would be the ability to transcode MKV on the fly via PS3MediaServer but even a Q8200 is probably overkill for that.

I'm looking for some recommendations on best bang for the buck. I want to spend as little as possible. If the Q9550 will make a huge difference on encoding speed from the Q8200 (at least twice the encoding speed) I have no problem spending extra for the fastest L775 CPU that I can swap with the Q8200 in the Dell. It is a Studio 540 and has a 350W Power Supply. If the fast processor won't make a huge diff on encoding speed then I just would get the best bang for the buck CPU that could handle transcoding requirements for PS3MediaServer. My guess would be of course an LGA1156 based CPU. Looks like best bang for the buck for mid-range LGA1156 CPU would be like an i3-540 (which is just below the Q8200 in performance I think) but almost half the price.

Another option is to just replace the current PC with something like i7-920 (looks like great bang for the buck) again, assuming it will speed up encoding from Q8200 at least 2X. Then just use the Q8200 Dell for the second PC, but then that creates more work of me having to transfer files and install apps from the Q8200.

I've replaced components in all my PCs but never built one from scratch so I have no clue on best value for motherboard, power supply, and graphics card. REMEMBER THIS WILL NOT BE A GAMING PC - so decent onboard graphics is probably fine?

I have bought HP and Dell mostly because I want the least hassle if I run into problems. But honestly, I can replace a bad HDD myself easily and just restore the drive image. Don't need a Dell warranty for that. I suppose the most pain in the hiny would be a motherboard failure.

So any recommendations on specs and most reliable place to buy from with good price would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long-winded post.

[consultant]

I'm going to take a stab at answering my own question. Looking at this chart:

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

You see that a Q9550 gets a PassMark score that is 32% higher than the Q8200. So I would guess that would translate to 32% faster encoding speed. So a 10 hour rip becomes a 7-hour rip. Not anywhere near a night-and-day difference. So I'm guessing I should live with my Q8200 and be patient.

Assuming that is true, then if you consider time is money as far as sourcing, assembling, locating drivers, for a mid-range value machine my guess is that some Dell/HP deal is going to be close to as cheap as building my own. It seems it is when you want a gaming machine for cheaper when it makes more sense to build your own? So maybe the answer is just shop around for some NewEgg bundle deal or some refurb blow out on HP or Dell, or, heaven forbid EBAY!!

[consultant]

Curious what people think is currently the best bang for the buck for CPU for a non-gaming PC?

I took a quick look at PassMark scores and compared them with a few of the i series Intel CPU prices on Amazon and the i3-540 sort of jumped out as what looks to be a great value?

I need something that the most demanding app will be transcoding video on the fly via PS3MediaServer and my Q8200 does that right now with plenty of headroom.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

[glc]

I would build a new one, and here is what I'd recommend for that use:

Antec NSK 4482B Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 380W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129072

ASUS P7P55 LX LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131604

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115215

****OR****

Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I7860 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115214 (This gets you hyperthreading)

SAPPHIRE 100252HDMI Radeon HD 4550 512MB 64-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Low Profile Ready ... - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102819

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231193

LG DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS50 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136167

Get a WD Black hard drive of desired capacity, and you will need an operating system. I'd probably go with Windows 7 Home Premium OEM or XP Home OEM.

[consultant]

So depending on HDD size this comes out to a mid $600 machine with i5-750. Actually I think that spec is a bit overkill for my usage (assuming I wouldn't use it for gaming or video encoding.) I think I would best to just get a decent LGA 1156 socket motherboard and then go the cheapest route on everything else so I could upgrade the CPU and Video Card later if in the rare chance it was necessary.

[consultant]

How about this:

Same case

ASUS P7P55-M LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX ($90 after rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...SUS-_-13131605

i3-540
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-221-_-Product

BFG Tech BFGR73256GSOCE GeForce 7300GS 512MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814143050

Same everything else. That will come in $105 cheaper. But looking at the specs and not being an expert I think I can tell your spec is a better bang for the buck.

[consultant]

This at $489 looks to be a great value. Maybe upgrade the motherboard? I don't know how good this company is though.

[glc]

I've merged your threads, please keep it all in this thread. Thank you.

I'd recommend the full size motherboard for expandability, and stick with a quad core for encoding. The ATI card is better for display accuracy. If you really have to cheap out, a 4350 will work as will the micro board. For your work, the CPU and amount of ram is the most important.

[consultant]

I changed my mind from building a mid-range machine to building a machine specifically for video encoding, no gaming whatsoever. Based on what I saw it appears the i7-920 or the Phenom II 955 Black Edition are the current best bang for the buck in the respective Intel and AMD camps. The 955 would need to be overclocked to get it up near the i7-920. I'm leaning towards the i7-920 as it seems to have better video encoding performance period. But it is $125 more expensive than the 955.

Remember this isn't going to be used for gaming. Only everyday stuff and video editing/encoding.

Right now I have a Blu-Ray Drive and a 1TB WD Caviar Black HDD. So I need case, mobo, power, CPU, memory, and graphics if not built-in. I would like to build the cheapest platform possible without significantly hampering the encoding performance and I want something stable/reliable. I'd prefer a barebones bundle either with or without the CPU so all I do is have to pop in the memory, Blu-Ray, and HDD. From what I understand the i7 has the graphics processing on the chip now so the fact that I won't be gaming leads me to believe a mobo with built-in graphics would be fine?? There are so many mobo's that I have no idea which one is the best bang for the buck for my application - for the i7 I would assume the cheapest 1366 socket mobo from Gigabyte, BFG, or Foxconn? What about MSI? I also know nothing about power supply quality.

I probably won't overclock so water cooling isn't necessary but a plus. Again, trying to keep this as cheap as possible without falling apart.

Can anyone recommend either individual components or a barebones system?

[consultant]

This looks like a screamin deal for an X58 mobo, $145 after rebate:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-170-_-Product

I'm having a hard time finding a case with 2 eSata ports (that is a must for me) - should I just get an eSata card?

[consultant]

I know this is MSI which isn't as good as ASUS or Foxconn, but this seems like a good deal assuming it has 2 eSata ports.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=263602_263622

http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/...s/1920_16.html

[Khalil]

You get any of the "screaming" deals you listed in your multiple inline posts and you will be running around screaming and pulling your hair out.
Please edit your posts instead of resposting inline.
If you want us to help you give us a budget and we will advise on what components to buy.

[consultant]

Originally Posted by Khalil You get any of the "screaming" deals you listed in your multiple inline posts and you will be running around screaming and pulling your hair out. Please edit your posts instead of resposting inline. If you want us to help you give us a budget and we will advise on what components to buy.

I've seen barebones system (case, psu, mobo) with quality ASUS mobo for $345. I've seen open box i7 920 go for $240 on E-bay. So let's say max $300 for case, psu, and mobo as I'm sure other mobo's are better bang for the buck than ASUS??? Case needs min. 2 eSata and media card reader. Or $550 max for barebones with CPU, either i7 or Phenom II platform. I've got HDD, BD drive and can easily source the memory myself. If $300/$550 is too stringent and I'll end up with a headache, let me know.

[Khalil]

Please don't take offense to what I am going to say.
You can't drink french Champagne on Budweiser budget!
Here is what I recommend, that will work for you without sacrificing quality.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103656
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131402
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129024
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-108-_-Product (only product I use from Rosewill)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-088-_-Product I have used a ton of these without a problem
$415 plus shipping

[Iamjosh]

Not sure if you can stick this into the above budget of Khalil.

[glc]

Threads merged AGAIN, please keep everything in one thread for continuity. Thank you.

On your budget, get either what Khalil recommended or something on the socket 1156 platform, not 1366. Something like an Asus P7P55D LX and an i5-750 would do. Get a discrete video card either way, the 4650 that Josh recommended is a good choice.