Building a PC in S America :P

[MelvilleGF]

Hey all. First, this is a great forum with a wealth of information and tips. I get even more pumped to build a computer reading through all the posts.

Now, to ask some pointers. First a little background. I switched to OSX about five years ago now and haven't had any desire to go back to Windows... though now with Windows 7 switching back doesn't seem TOO horrible.

I do web design but nothing too intensive on the computer. My trust Macbook and photoshop handles what I throw at it, mind you the fan is kicking on often. I want to expand and build a strong computer that can also serve as a gaming center, though. I also want something that can use 2 monitors for work purposes. Since I'm in Santiago, Chile the price of iMacs are about x1.5 or more. Mac Pros? Forget it!

So I found some quality suppliers in the area, and they have a decent selection. I can find most things from one store or another. My budget is around 1000, and thats where this sits currently:

#128 1 CPU INTEL CORE I5 750 2.66 GHZ QUAD CORE CACHE L3 8MB LGA1156 BO (Stock bajo)

#236 1 GIGABYTE P55M-UD2 INTEL P55 LGA1156 CI5 4DDR3 PCIe (Stock normal)

#334 (2x) MEMORY DDR3 KINGSTON 2GB 1333MHZ PC3 10600 (Stock reservado(s))

#498 (1x) HARD DRIVE SEAGATE 500 GB SATA II 7200.12 RPM 16MB BUFFER (Stock normal)

#561 (1x) DVD LG GH22NS50 FORMATO ± DVD+R 22X SATA BOX (Stock bajo)

#12025 (1x) FAN LOGISYS CF120BL FAN 120MM 4 LED AZUL (Stock agotado)

#10056 (1x) EVGA GEFORCE GTX260 216P SUPERCLOCKED 896MB (Stock reservado(s))


The case isnt included on this list. It has a 500w power source.

I want something that can be upgraded in the future (if needed). Powerful enough to play most modern games very well. Able to to do a good amount of graphics work in Adobe suite (in the case that my graphics work expands in the future), etc...

This set up plus the case runs me about 1,000 USD here, which yes is more than in the US but is much cheaper than any alternative that isn't just buying another laptop in the USA and bringing down here. I can write this off on my taxes in Chile as well

What do you think? I might add a Solid State hard drive in the near future as well, but this is like the starter, able to be expanded in the near future.

[glc]

You are very much on the right track. Some comments:

1. I'd recommend an Asus P7P55D motherboard if possible. However, the Gigabyte is not a bad choice.
2. I would recommend a Western Digital Caviar Black hard drive. Seagate has had some nasty issues recently, and the Black has twice the cache and a longer warranty.
3. What is the brand and model of the power supply in that case? This is very important.
4. Look at the ATI video card alternatives. They are better for web design and other non-gaming uses, and hold their own in games. The new 5000 series cards also support DirectX 11.

[MelvilleGF]

Thanks

These are the stats on that power source... looks generic

Model: PX-550ATX
Maximum Total: 550W
AC INPUT (115v 60hz): 15A
AC INPUT (220v 50hz): 7A
AC OUTPUT:
+3.3v: 25A
+5v: 17A
+12v: 16A
-5v:2.5A
-12v:0.8A
+5vsb:2.5A
Connectors:
1 x 8 pines
1 x 6 pines
6 x molex
2 x floppy
2 x Sata
1 x 4 pines
1 x 20+4 pines



Thanks for the heads up on the HDD, I know I can find one of those down here. As for the motherboard I'll have to poke my nose around and see - - Why is the Asus better than the Gigabyte?

Also thanks for the heads up on the ATI cards. The main reason I was leaning towards a NIvidia chipset was because I plan on dual booting it with Ubuntu or possibly Open SuSe - - only working in the windows boot for graphics work and gaming. From what I've skimmed from various boards, Nividia seems to be a bit less of a hassle than ATI cards.

[MelvilleGF]

i found the:

ASUS P7P55-M INTEL P55 LGA1156 CI7/CI5 4DDR3 PCIe

But it is the "M" not "D" model - - not sure if there is huge difference or not. I will check some other suppliers to see if I can hunt down the D.

[flanzig1]

That PSU looks to be an old ATX1 type PSU. And to say it's 550w is stretching the truth a bit. For quality PSU brands, look to Corsair/Antec/FSP/Sparkle.

[MelvilleGF]

So shoot for a case with no power supply and buy one separate is the recommendation? Thanks!

[glc]

Exactly. That is a low quality generic power supply. See what name brands you can find in the 500 too 600 watt range.

The P7P55-M is a micro ATX board, as is the Gigabyte. I think you would be better off with a full size board.

The GTX260 is a strong gamer, if you prefer Nvidia it's a good choice.

[MelvilleGF]

Ok I ran down the P7P55D... BUT, this is the scoop: P7P55D-E Premium is the board and it runs for about $420 USD here :P That blows budget up a bit. If it has significant upgrade value vs the gigabyte board that is about $300 USD cheaper I'd go with it though

[MelvilleGF]

I've considered picking one up while in the US visiting family in June -- I'm just afraid of getting back here with hardware, putting it together and finding out it is a dud and having a task trying to return it.

[The Other Steve]

Originally Posted by MelvilleGF I've considered picking one up while in the US visiting family in June -- I'm just afraid of getting back here with hardware, putting it together and finding out it is a dud and having a task trying to return it.

Hello.

I believe some retailers offer the option of component "testing", though not for free. For example, mwave, I believe, used to charge something like USD10- for test/assembly of a motherboard. I've never used the service, so I don't know all the details (or the value), but maybe it's an option for you. I think they offer the same sort of thing at FRY'S.

[glc]

Wow - nothing between those 2 Asus boards? I'd take the -M, it *WILL* work, as long as it has enough fetatures for you.

[MelvilleGF]

Okay. Did some nosing around. Any full-size ATX board is running about double what the Asus microATX board costs. From what I'm reading the gigabyte/asus mATX board should be all right. Seems that the full-size boards would give me many more PCIe slots and the like, but I don't really need them. I'm not planning on plugging in hundreds of cards. Just the GPU card and up to 2 or 3 SATA II HDDs, which I believe those cards can handle. So this is where I'm at:

1. All parts the same as above, accept as follows.
2. HDD swapped to a Black Cavier series Western Digital 500gb.
3. Case w/o power source and buying a Cooler Master 600w power source apart.

I still believe with this set up the tower would perform very well for gaming, Photoshop work and should have great compatibility with linux distros, specifically Ubuntu and/or OpenSuSe. I also believe it should be a system that can be upgraded and useable in some form for a good number of years (well, the gaming might need updating in the future). The board can handle a better faster processor, up to 16gb Ram, etc.

Anything I'm missing?

[glc]

Coolermaster is "okay" but are there any other options?

Can you find memory sold as a dual channel kit - 2x2gb?

[MelvilleGF]

Yes and yes. I believe the other branded power source was Toppower or something like that. I saw some dual-kit Corsair. Is there a difference between the kits and just buying sticks?

[glc]

The kits are guaranteed matched pairs. Anything else besides Topower?

[MelvilleGF]

Topower, Acbel, Logisys... ill have to check out sources. Any of those decent?

[MelvilleGF]

While hunting around for various parts i've done some further reading and feel that a quad-core may not really be necessary. For my price range i'll have a slower 2.1ghz processor so really I'll actually get POORER performance for almost all of my daily useage.

I'm thinking of switching to AMD Athlon X2 550 Black Edition 3.1ghz processor (dual core) and putting it on the GIGABYTE MA770T-UD3P AMD770 motherboard, which is price effective and full-sized.

I've been having trouble finding any 4GB ram kits here . I might pick those up in the USA when I visit in June but again, worried they may be DOA.

Geesh building down here is a pain with such limited options

[The Other Steve]

Originally Posted by MelvilleGF I'm in Santiago, Chile

Hope you are okay!

So sorry to read about the earthquake.

[MelvilleGF]

Yes we made it out all right. Our region of the capital didn't suffer much damage, but 7.5 shake up was pretty intense. Unfortunately folks in the city center and moreso to the south of santiago weren't so lucky. Communications really got hammered so there are small towns all along the coast that probably were hit by a rather significant tsunami after the first big one hit but we have no contact or access to them, at least not all areas yet. Not to mention some cities sustained significant structural damage. Some bridges and access ramps collapsed entirely in Santiago as well, but in general the construction here post-1985 (which is most outside the center) withstood the earthquake very well.

[MelvilleGF]

Here's where I'm at, post earthquake.

* AMD Phenom II X2 550 3.1 Ghz Dualcore Black Box
* Gigabyte MA770T-UD3P motherboard
* Super Talent DDR3-1600 4GB (2x2GB) [kit]
* SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON HD5750 PCIE16X DX11 1GB
* WesternDigital Black Cavier 500gb HD
* Sony DVD-R drive (SATA)
* Thermaltake EVO Blue 550W power source Gaming
* Coolermaster Centurion 5 case

... that seems to be the best + cost effective situation I can put together on this continent. Assuming the shaking earth stops, i'd like to do this in the next six months.

Does this look pretty solid? This will run me about $800 USD down here, picking pieces at the cheapest from various suppliers.

Thanks guys

[glc]

I don't do AMD so I can't comment on the motherboard and CPU, but Super Talent is a ram brand to stay away from.