Time to upgrade...or rather, build.

Discussion in 'Tech Talk' started by Terand, Feb 10, 2011.

  1. Terand
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    Well after crunching some numbers and figuring out what I need to pay as far as my bills go and the fact that I will be getting a job within the next week or so I have enough money to buy all the parts I need to make a brand new computer! YAY ME! Anyway, since I have never done this before and I know there are so many helpful tech heads around, I could really use the help with getting coponents for this new machine. Here is what I am generally looking for.

    1.) I have about $800 to spend on the tower alone, this does not include the OS and other stuff.

    2.) I want to make sure that I have a decent machine where I can run most of the newer games without a problem due to system requirements. I want something fast but not over kill.

    3.) Looking for an ATI chipset that is decent. If can think of a reason why I should go with this than I am all ears and am willing to switch but I would like to have the capability to run two graphics cards if I want to purchase another one in the future.

    4.) I want to run Windows 7 on it.

    That is basicly it any and all help will be GREATLY appreciated and I can return favor some how.
     
  2. EniGmA1987
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    Well here is the problem right now. As I said in the PM I sent earlier you cannot get Intel's new stuff as it has a design problem and is not being sold right now and wont be sold for 3-4 months. Which means AMD, no problem there as AMD makes great stuff too and that fits more in your budget.

    The problem is that AMD is about to release a new processor architecture, a new motherboard chipset, and a new motherboar socket in just 1 month. Which means that if you buy this month, then your new processor and motherboard will already be almost EOL. So no future upgrades to your motherboard or processor, and with DDR4 being released later this year that means no RAM upgrades either. You will be limited to a graphics card upgrade or buying more SSDs to upgrade your computer with.

    Really, if you buy now it will still be very fast and you will be really happy with it. The only thing is that it will not have upgrade potential and wont be the "latest and greatest" in a VERY short time.



    Estimates are that AMD's new processor will be 10-15% faster than current latest gen speeds. And will have upgrade potential to a 16-core processor down the road if desired.
    So its up to you if you want to get a new computer now, or wait till next month. I cant recommend anything for the next gen stuff yet and I cant tell you prices on the new stuff either since AMD has been keeping a tight lid on things like that.
     
  3. Alavander
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    I just recently build mine in January, and happened to spend 800$ exactly on the tower and all the parts from Newegg.

    AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition
    ASUS M4A87TD EVO AM3 AMD 870
    G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
    HIS H685F1GD Radeon HD 6850 1GB
    Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
    SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V
    Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM
    LG Black DVD Burner
    Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler

    Runs everything ive thrown at it at max settings easy.

    Scores a 7.5 score on the Windows 7 system ratings 7.8 if you are comfortable OC'ing it a little(except the hard drive that gets a 6.0 score, you could purchase a SSD if you wanted faster load times, I would recommend this one)

    My idle temps are 24°C or 32°C Overclocked
    Max temp is 40°C or 52°C Overclocked
    Boots from cold to windows7 in about 30 seconds

    humm wut else.... took me about 1 hour to assemble which isnt bad, only difficult part is installing the heat sink cause its a beast and overlaps the RAM slots a little, if you arent comforable Overclocking you may just go without the heatsink(use the stock heatsink that comes with the processor) as it contributes almost nothing unless you plan to Overclock, and it really is a pain in the nuts to install.

    If I was going to add anything to my build I would most likely get 8 gigs of ram (4x2) the 6950 ATI card, and the SSD hard drive. The only reason I didnt was because all of those parts are out of my price range and are totally unnecessary for the games/software that are out right now and going to be released this year.

    And Engima has a good point, if you comforable waiting, I would probaly wait it out for the new hardware, of course plan to spend a bit more money for the new stuff, and 1 month I would say is pretty optimisic, you would be lucky if all the parts are out by the summer.
     
    Last edited: Feb 10, 2011
  4. Terand
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    Both of you bring up good points. Right now I just want something to run TOR on a decent setting and not get stuck behind lagging my ass off like I did in WAR. I'm not looking for the best of the best right now just something that is slightly above par. Something that will get me comfortably through the new games being released without much of a hicup on my end due to low specs. Also ty for the input it is really appreciated and it is being taken to heart.
     
  5. EniGmA1987
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  6. Vandiego
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    TOR? TOR isn't coming out for months. So there is no need to buy right now.
     
  7. Terand
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    Well at the moment I am running on an 8 year old computer. It wouldn't be so bad if say, my computer was 1-2 years old but its EIGHT and I really would like a new one. By the way Enigma, what OS does the computer you're selling run on?
     
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2011
  8. EniGmA1987
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    Windows 7 Service Pack 1
    drivers integrated for OCZ RevoDrive onto install disk
     
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2011
  9. Terand
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    It is a good possiblity that I may just buy your PC then. A good computer for $650 with the OS that I already want so I don't have to buy it. The only thing that is deturning me is the cost of shipping. For CA to MD is going to a lot :p. I am going to talk to my father and my 2nd cousin shortly and then i'll let you know. give it a week at most. Also, what bit of windows? 32 or 64?


    Hey since the power supply you suggested is out of stock what about replacing it with this one?

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371021
     
  10. EniGmA1987
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    ya, cost to Maryland might be a lot. From Southern CA to Chicago is about $55. So it might cost $100 for shipping to you. Which brings the price to almost the same. And then my computer is not brand new either.

    OS is Windows 7 x64. I only use 64-bit operating systems ever since Windows XP x64 came out like 7 or 8 years ago. You NEED a 64-bit OS. This computer cannot use a 32-bit OS as a 32-bit OS will only allow a small portion of the RAM to be used. All new computers should be using a 64-bit operating systems except for things like netbooks and thin-clients.
    I made a custom install disk for this computer that integrates the drivers for the SSD to make a Windows re-install much easier. I also have a lot of the settings pre-set so you dont have to tweak Windows post-install like normal.



    No that is not a good power supply. Too many 12v rails. It is *fine* if you know how to use it. But for ease of use I would stick with just a single 12v rail. Having more than 1 rail means you balance the power yourself.
    So like you have a graphics card, the card takes power from the slot it is in and it has 2 PCI-E power plugs on it. Now on a multi rail PSU, that means you need to use the plug on rail 3 to go to 1 plug on the graphics card, and a PCI-E connector from rail 4 to go to the other PCI-E power input on the graphics card. It needs to be rails 3 and 4 because those rails have a little more power on them. Hopefully the CPU 12v power is on rail 1 or 2.
    You will need to find which rail the CPU power comes off of because if it is actually rail 4 then you dont want to use rail 4 for the GPU, you will want to use rails 2 and 3 instead.


    So you can get it if you want, but single rail is much easier. I would get this one:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182191

    Rosewill isnt a name brand in the CPU world, but I am pretty sure the PSu is made by the exact same company as other major brands. Most power supplies are made by someone else. And the ratings are really good and can be believed as Rosewill simply copies the specs from the maker and doesnt actually test the PSUs themselves. the actual max wattages are on the specs page.
     
  11. Terand
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    I am looking for easy right now since this is my first build. That power supply seems to look good. Lots of good reviews.

    Ok When I was looking around at the MOBO that you suggested I was getting a little worried. Read some of the reviews on it and A LOT of people said it caught fire. They were not sure why but I don't find that to my liking. What this be a suitiable replacement? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131647 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131402 What do you all think?
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2011
  12. EniGmA1987
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  13. Terand
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    Awesome thanks you much Enigma. I'm putting in the order now.

    **EDIT**

    Just put in the order. It was $1,114.88 total and should be here in 3 days (once processed) being shipped from TN
     
    Last edited: Feb 14, 2011
  14. EniGmA1987
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    Why so much? Did you order other stuff on top of what I suggested?


    I will PM you with some stuff to do once you get Windows installed and running. performance tweak stuff
     
  15. Terand
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    Yes I did order some other stuff. a new monitor and the OS. Here is what I got all together.

    Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

    Hard Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

    Disc Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

    Graphics Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150506

    MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150506

    RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

    Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236100
    (bought for specs and size not the speakers)

    OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

    Power Supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182191

    Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808

    I picked a different case. This one has the audio/mic in onthe front with two usb and the look. Plus the ammount of fans on it means I wouldn't have to worry about overheating.

    With all this I get around $70 worth of M.I.R. and a $10 gift card. Also got two USB flash drives that hold 10 GB total for free.

    Just got an e-mail that the monitor has been shipped. That should be here shortly. I am getting really excited to get all the parts and put them together.
     
    Last edited: Feb 14, 2011
  16. Vandiego
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    Worried about a small pc fire? Geez, kids these days. Stop being a sissy and watch that mobo roast up!

    -------------

    Hope the new build turns out great! But then again, after playing on the same box for 8 years, you could probably run things better on your cell phone. :)
     
  17. Terand
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    If I had the spare cash I would Van but I want this build to last lol. Thanks for the good wishes. It seems everything has shipped minus the CD-Rom Drive and the HD. That stuff is coming from CA, the rest is being shipped from NJ.


    **EDIT**

    everything has been shipped. Waiting for delivery.

    Well all the parts that I ordered yesterday that was coming from NJ just got here. Less than 24 hours. That is fucking fantastic.
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2011
  18. Terand
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    Ok Here is an updated. "Big Blue" is up and running. I have most of the drivers installed, Ethernet, sound, chipset and video. I am going to run some stress test on it per Enigmas suggestion.
     
  19. Vandiego
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    Let's see a picture, plus a second of your cable management skills.
     
  20. Terand
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    A picture is coming soon. Cable management is a bit sloppy. The Power supply is at the bottom of the case so that makes things hard to reach at the top of the MOBO.

    here is a link to the pics Van. They are also on my album under my profile.

    http://www.xoohq.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22257
     
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2011