Potential build question

[archiecstll]

I am a first-time computer builder, although I am familiar with all the components of a computer. What I am not familiar with are some of the requirements of cooling, power, and matching a motherboard and case.

First, my potential build:
Newegg.com - Once You Know, You Newegg

I have three questions.

1) Will 300W be enough to power everything here?

2) Will I need to invest in some additional cooling?

3) Does that case work with that motherboard?

For the third question, I have compared the form factors (they match, micro atx), but the placement of the holes in the back of the tower don't seem to line up with all the ports on the motherboard. Is there a way I can be sure that these two parts will work together, or is there some other factor I must take into consideration when choosing a case?

Any recommendations on a different case should it not work with that motherboard would be appreciated, but please keep the cost less than $60.

Thank you.

Edit: Additionally, if you see anything in the build that is incompatible, by all means please let me know.

[Sourtop]

You seem to be missing a video card. Without that its hard to tell you what PSU is required.

Aside from that everything seems compatible. I would recommend going with a Western Digital Caviar black HDD and an Asus motherboard though.

EDIT: Sorry didn't see that the MOBO has built in graphics. I wasn't aware something like that existed on the motherboard. 300 W seems like enough at least. Look at one of the Antec Earthwatts.

[archiecstll]

From what I gather, there is an integrated card in the motherboard. I am not looking for graphical performance, just the basics.

Edit: The 300W power supply is built into the case as far as I can tell, so I don't think I'd need a second one.

[David M]

How do you plan on using the computer and is $450 your budget?

There are a number of sketchy or not the best choice parts for the money in this build so don't order it just yet. Not until you answer the first question.

[archiecstll]

This computer is planned to be a data cruncher/analyzer. I'm trying to stay as close to $400 as I can, but some leeway is allowed.

Wanted minimums:

8Gb Ram expandable to at least 16Gb on the MOBO

1TB+, 6Gb/s SATA HD and compatible MOBO

4 usb 2.0 ports

1 usb 3.0 port

Gigabit ethernet

1 pci-e x16

Integrated graphics w/ HDMI


Any recommendations around these would be fantastic. In the first post is my attempt at such a build.

[Sourtop]

How about this? You can up the HDD to 2 TB if you want or choose one of the more expensive CPUs if you want a more powerful GPU.

http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/Sh...px?Submit=view

[archiecstll]

That case (with included PSU) currently has 4 eggs with 318 reviews. Do you have any alternative suggestions?

Edit: You linked to the shopping cart, not the product. I can't see the suggestion.

[Sourtop]

Oh, sorry.

DRIVE - Newegg.com - ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - CD / DVD Burners
CASE - Newegg.com - Rosewill R102-P-BK 120mm Fan MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case
HDD - Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
MOBO - Newegg.com - ASUS F1A75-M FM1 AMD A75 (Hudson D3) HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
PSU - Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W Continuous power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
RAM - Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9
CPU - Newegg.com - AMD A4-3400 Llano 2.7GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket FM1 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor AD3400OJGXBOX

That's $406.93 before shipping and taxes.

[archiecstll]

I like that MOBO!

Other than the change in the size of the HD and the choice CPU, your build definitely seems superior to mine while lowering the cost. As for the CPU, how does it compare to the one in my build?

[Sourtop]

The CPU you chose is much better which is understandable because the Llano CPUs are made for the integrated graphics.

Newegg.com - AMD A6-3650 Llano 2.6GHz 4MB L2 Cache Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core Desktop APU AD3650WNGXBOX

or

Newegg.com - AMD A8-3850 Llano 2.9GHz 4MB L2 Cache Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core Desktop APU AD3850WNGXBOX

would be more comparable.

If you're looking for more CPU and less GPU it might be worth going with Intel instead of AMD.

[glc]

The question is - how many cores can your data crunching use?

The reliability of Hitachi hard drives is a bit questionable, the WD Black is proven and has a 5 year warranty.

I do prefer the Asus motherboard to the Biostar. Sourtop chose a very good case and power supply. I also agree with his ram choice. Graphics should not be an issue, anything with integrated video should be fine. Intel is going to be more costly to get a quad core.

[Sourtop]

Yeah that's what I was thinking. If you don't need the quad core you could just get one of the slightly more expensive Llano CPUs I listed. Otherwise you're looking at ~$350-400 for Intel integrated graphics and quad core (instead of ~$200-250 for AMD).

EDIT: I was including the CPU+MOBO for the cost.

[glc]

Nah, we can get considerably under $300 for an Intel quad.

[Sourtop]

Going with the cheapest LGA 1155 Quad core:

Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-2300 Sandy Bridge 2.8GHz (3.1GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52300

and a quality MOBO:

Newegg.com - ASUS P8H67-M PRO/CSM (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

is $300. I guess if you went with Gigabyte or Biostar you could make that $250-280.

[archiecstll]

So far, I'm definitely sold on the alternative ram and dvd drive. However, these aren't really the meat of the build.

I'm still on the fence about the case, PSU, and HD.

As far as the number of cores is concerned, I am looking for at least a quad-core. Unfortunately, I don't think that the i-series is going to be within my price range. I'm hesitant to switch to an APU as graphics are the least of my concerns.

For the MOBO of my current CPU selection, I cannot seem to find an Asus which meets my needs. The Biostar I have selected seems to match my requirements. However if a good i- CPU and Asus MOBO come up with a decent price to match my build, I would certainly consider them.

[glc]

Newegg.com - ASUS P8H67-M LE (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

[Masaki 7-11]

At the moment I think there are 3 choices for quad cores with integrated graphics:
-Core i5/i7 with H61/H67 motherboard (probably most expensive or at least tied with Llano, best CPU performance, mediocre graphics)
-Llano A6/A8 with A75 motherboard (mediocre expense, worst cpu performance out of the bunch, best graphics performance which is equal to some $50 discrete cards)
-Phenom II X4 with 880G or 890GX (least expensive, mediocre cpu performance, worst graphics performance)

For the most part any of the combinations above would work.

[glc]

I wouldn't call the Sandy Bridge integrated graphics "mediocre" - especially the ones with the 3000 graphics instead of 2000. Those are supposed to perform like a Radeon 4550, which is more than 50 bucks.

Bottom line - I think graphics performance is going to be meaningless in a system for this use. I do not want to start an AMD/Intel war, but for pure CPU power, the Sandy Bridge is where it's at. The only reason to get an AMD, other than cost, would be if your crunching can utilize 6 cores, but the Phenom X6 is slower than a Sandy Bridge, core for core.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by glc I wouldn't call the Sandy Bridge integrated graphics "mediocre" - especially the ones with the 3000 graphics instead of 2000. Those are supposed to perform like a Radeon 4550, which is more than 50 bucks. Bottom line - I think graphics performance is going to be meaningless in a system for this use. I do not want to start an AMD/Intel war, but for pure CPU power, the Sandy Bridge is where it's at. The only reason to get an AMD, other than cost, would be if your crunching can utilize 6 cores, but the Phenom X6 is slower than a Sandy Bridge, core for core.

I meant mediocre in the context of the 3 possible combinations I posted, as fast as the 3000 graphics are they're nowhere near as fast as the graphics in the A6/A8 processors, those are closer in performance to a HD5770, so about 4x faster than the Intel integrated HD3000 graphics.

Regarding CPU performance, from what I've read, a Sandy Bridge quadcore still beats a Phenom II hexacore even in highly multithreaded apps, so I'd only go with Phenom II quadcore as they are very inexpensive at the moment (around $110, you can actually find an oem version for $90, but you need to buy a heatsink for it) have pretty good cpu performance and can be paired with an inexpensive 880G motherboard.

A Phenom II quadcore / 880G motherboard with 4 DIMM slots would cost $180:
Phenom II x4: Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor HDX945WFGMBOX
880G motherboard: Newegg.com - MSI 880GM-E41 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

[archiecstll]

So I have taken the suggested changes to my initial build and started from scratch. This is what I've come up with:

Newegg.com - Once You Know, You Newegg

The only thing missing from the list is a hard drive. Working with an ~$500 budget, are there any improvements that you might suggest to this build?

Edit: I saw this hard drive in one of the other topics on this forum.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136891

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by archiecstll So I have taken the suggested changes to my initial build and started from scratch. This is what I've come up with: Newegg.com - Once You Know, You Newegg The only thing missing from the list is a hard drive. Working with an ~$500 budget, are there any improvements that you might suggest to this build? Edit: I saw this hard drive in one of the other topics on this forum. Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EARX 2TB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Looks good, not too sure about the case since I've never used APEX before, but everything else looks good.

Caviar green drives aren't too bad, but they're performance isn't that good, in my opinion they're best as external storage and secondary drives since they run pretty cool and quiet. For your primary drive, you'll want a 7200rpm drive, preferably something like the caviar black since they have increased cache and are among the fastest 7200rpm drives.

[glc]

Your wish list won't load, would you please list the components?

[archiecstll]

Originally Posted by glc Your wish list won't load, would you please list the components?

I think newegg is just being slow tonight.

ASUS P8H67-M PRO/CSM (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

CORSAIR 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model CMV8GX3M2A1333C9

APEX TX-381-C Black Steel Micro ATX Tower Computer Case

Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W Continuous power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power ...

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

And a hard drive which is TBD

Originally Posted by Masaki 7-11 Looks good, not too sure about the case since I've never used APEX before, but everything else looks good. Caviar green drives aren't too bad, but they're performance isn't that good, in my opinion they're best as external storage and secondary drives since they run pretty cool and quiet. For your primary drive, you'll want a 7200rpm drive, preferably something like the caviar black since they have increased cache and are among the fastest 7200rpm drives.

How about the caviar blue series? I was looking at this one earlier as well.

Western Digital WD10EALX Caviar Blue Hard Drive - 1TB, 3.5, SATA 6Gbps, 7200 RPM, 32MB at TigerDirect.com

Edit: I have found a caviar black with a larger cache but at a higher price.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...939&CatId=2459

[glc]

The Black is worth the higher price. Newegg has it at the same price with free shipping.

If 750gb is enough, this one is also on sale:

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD7502AAEX 750GB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Apex cases are okay - nothing special.

[archiecstll]

Thank you all for the feedback. I'm quite pleased by the result and have learned a few brands to recommend to others in the future.