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Now that I have a job, I can finally buy whatever components I feel are worth it. I want to build myself a solid computer. I don't know much about hardware and although I've tried to educate myself in the past 2 weeks or so, there's a lot I'm clueless about.
My budget is 900-1000 Euros, but I guess I can spend more, if the parts are really worth it. Here's what I'm looking for:
- no peripherals, I'm already very happy with my monitor, speakers, etc.
- "future-proof" - I'm not the type that upgrades too often, with the exception of additional RAM memory, optical drives or an extra hard drive or two. I want my core configuration to last (that also means durability)
- space. I’m so tired of having my 80 Gigs hard drive always full
- mid to high specifications, good quality parts, maybe somewhere a little more expensive than the best price for value on the market
- although I'm not an avid 3D gamer, I want SC2 to be easy for this computer and I want to mess around with some other games (Fallout 3 sounds nice)
- I'm not that interested in separate audio or network cards, I'm happy with what the integrated ones seem to offer
- I am not at all interested in overcloaking and I'm not willing to pay extra for overcloaking features (seems there's and extreme overcloaker’s edition of everything)
- not too loud
This is what I've chosen so far and why:
Video Card: Sapphire HD 4890 Vapor-X €190
- great performance according to reviews
- automatic undercloaking when no 3D is being used, saving power and lowering noise level
- the vapor-x is apparently very well cooled and quite silent
I'm pretty much sold on this card, the only changes I'm willing to make here is a slightly older or newer model of the same family.
Case: Lian Li Mid Tower PC-V1110B €215
- silent case, rubber everything, foam to dampen sound, big and slow fans
- love the design
Cheaper choice: Lian Li PC A10B €140
Processor: I was thinking of getting the i7, but at €240 I'm not sure if I'm getting my money's worth. Is the i5 a better deal? Will the i5 be any good a few years down the road? Is it too slow for the 4890?
Motherboard: I guess anything that can hold whatever processor I end up getting and that has space for lots of RAM is good enough for me. Are there recommended motherboards for the video card I want?
Hard drive, RAM - I haven't looked that much into these yet, I guess I'd like to know your recommendations.
Power Supply: I'm really lost here. Wikipedia warns that manufacturers intentionally mis-state power requirements for their components and that a PSU can be damaged if it is underloaded, not just overloaded.
What power source do I need to support the comp, considering I might add a couple of hard drives, ram, etc in the future (I'd feel better if it could hold an extra video card too)? What makes a good PSU? Are protections against power failures any good?
Any tips are appreciated!
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Can't help you with that, but it's overclock, not cloak.
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Jesus, 1000 euros or more? Think of the stuff you could buy in the states, build a damn uber-gaming PC.
edit: Too bad, I have to finish my damn paper that is due in 2 hours, with 1000 euros there is gonna be some nice-setups.
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You don't need to spend that much on a case, I bought my case for like...$40 or something and it's lasted 4+ years with no problems at all.
Power supply is where you should put the money you save on the case, a high quality power supply from well-trusted company is very important for a good, lasting computer
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On November 06 2009 03:53 Ry-Masta-T wrote:
Can't help you with that, but it's overclock, not cloak.
Oh.. 
On November 06 2009 03:55 Disregard wrote:
Jesus, 1000 euros or more? Think of the stuff you could buy in the states, build a damn uber-gaming PC.
edit: Too bad, I have to finish my damn paper that is due in 2 hours, with 1000 euros there is gonna be some nice-setups.
I provided some if the prices so you can get a rough idea of the differences from wherever you usually buy.
On November 06 2009 04:10 Ganfei wrote:
You don't need to spend that much on a case, I bought my case for like...$40 or something and it's lasted 4+ years with no problems at all.
Power supply is where you should put the money you save on the case, a high quality power supply from well-trusted company is very important for a good, lasting computer
Which companies do you consider well-trusted and what do you think is the ballpark of the watts I'm going to need?
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1000€ isn't as much as it sounds. Dollars and Euros can more or less be converted 1:1 in regard to hardware. Anyway, 1000€ is plenty.
For the sound damped tower: I have a NZXT HU-001, which goes around 80€. Watch out though, my 4870 is huge and almost touches the hard disks, and the 4890 probably isn't any shorter.
I'd go for a power supply with 550-650W to be on the safe side. No specific company recommendation here, every company makes good and bad PSUs, and with bad luck you can always get a defective one. Make sure to read lots of field reports.
If you have money left, you may want to invest in a fast hard disk for your operating system, programs and games. Maybe a RAID0 or a SSD. Reduces loading times noticeably. The data drive(s) can be large but slow.
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Over.. 9000.. should be enough. More like 600 W nowadays: use this calculator to accurately estimate the wattage you will need, then add at least 50 to it.
And SC2 in the bin along with Fallout 3? My puter is nearing on 2 years, isn't worth more than 300 anymore, and still runs Fallout 3 at uberfull settings. Really, cut back a little and get two 24-inchers instead, or a good armchair.
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Don't buy a 40 dollars case, Lian Li alumium are awesome. Light, silent and modular.
A good case is well worth the money because it is one of the few things that you won't need to change between upgrades.
I own a basic coolermaster and a mid-range soprano and the difference really shows, the coolermaster is loud and always buzzing while the soprano give out minium noise.
They both suck when compared against Lian Li cases.
550W, 600W for power is more than enough but you do get people telling you to get 750W+ PSU, don't dismiss them, the reasoning is too detailed to go into, do your research.
This is the rig that I recommended in another TLer's blog.
Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise; i7 920 is the most future-proof system that you can buy.
I would change the antec PSU with a seasonic S12 550W.
For motherboard, I personally don't believe in getting the triple SLI premiums like EVGA or DFI kinds. ASUS and Gigabyte are all decent value and don't fluffy you with extra features.
However, some of them more 'upmarket' ones have better layouts with the benefit of more room to fit cables and fans and they seem to give you better overclocking abilities.
Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R Motherboard
Good starting point for i7 9*** socket 1366. Good reviews, decent overclock.
G.Skill Falcon 64GB SSD or the more premium:
I don't know if you can source Intel SSD in europe as easy as in north america. Amazon used to ship them internationally.
SSD are awesome, but I wouldn't get them just for games, for games, the only significant improvement is loading times. It is however an all-round upgrade.
However, SSD haven't fully matured as a technology and some people recommend against getting them NOW.
The rules of thumb for building are:
1. i5, Phenom II, i7 all offer similiar performance for games, the real bottleneck is the graphic card.
2. SSD are the future, the only doubt is getting them now or later.
3. A good power supply is VERY IMPORTANT. Get a modular one if you can.
4. A good power supply is VERY IMPORTANT. Get a modular one if you can.
5. A good power supply is VERY IMPORTANT. Get a modular one if you can.
6. Deciding on a case is a personal choice but if you are thinking on getting a non-basic rig, having a good case is well worth it. Not just for looks, noise and rooms are also important.
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If you decide to go with either the i5 OR i7, i recommend that you overcloak them both. And also overclocking would be useful as well.
DDR3 ~2000 would probably be a good way to go considering the price for it is starting to come down
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Mobo - Find a cheap whatever cheap X58 mobo you like. Personally I would go for GIGABYTE or ASUS. Socket 1366 is what you want in case you decide to upgrade to i9 later.
CPU - i7 920 no doubt.
Memory - 3x2GB kit of DDR3-1333. Any brand will work, I'm partial to OCZ myself. Go with a 3x1 kit if you want to save money now, and add sticks later, because more than 6GB is not necessary.
Video Card: Radeon 5870. DX11 is a must for future proofing. Make sure your case has enough clearance to house this beast as its LONG.
PSU - You're looking at around the 500-600W range. Don't skimp here or your build could end up in flames. I strongly recommend the CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX 520W.
Hard Drives - For a combination of speed and capacity, you can't go wrong with WD Caviar blacks.
Case: Lian Li makes excellent cases and you will be happy with any of their models.
Aftermarket CPU cooling shouldn't be necessary with a LIAN LI case and no overclocking.
If you need to reduce costs, skimp on ram or hard drives since you can always add more. One powerful card is always better than 2 weaker cards, even if they have better performance for the price as you can later add another card if you want more power. (you would need to upgrade the PSU with it)
General Building Tips:
Read the motherboard manual.
Put stuff in in this order. PSU, motherboard, DVD drives, hard drives, ram, video card. Then wire everything.
Make sure you spend a fair amount of time with cable management. This will help airflow.
No force is required at all to seat the CPU in its socket. Just drop it in.
Be gentle when seating the RAM and your video card.
Oh and don't get an SSD now. They're likely the future but for now they barely have implemented trim and the price per gigabyte is NOWHERE near reasonable.
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On November 06 2009 03:41 Doctorasul wrote:
Now that I have a job, I can finally buy whatever components I feel are worth it. I want to build myself a solid computer. I don't know much about hardware and although I've tried to educate myself in the past 2 weeks or so, there's a lot I'm clueless about.
My budget is 900-1000 Euros, but I guess I can spend more, if the parts are really worth it. Here's what I'm looking for:
- no peripherals, I'm already very happy with my monitor, speakers, etc.
- "future-proof" - I'm not the type that upgrades too often, with the exception of additional RAM memory, optical drives or an extra hard drive or two. I want my core configuration to last (that also means durability)
- space. I’m so tired of having my 80 Gigs hard drive always full
- mid to high specifications, good quality parts, maybe somewhere a little more expensive than the best price for value on the market
- although I'm not an avid 3D gamer, I want SC2 to be easy for this computer and I want to mess around with some other games (Fallout 3 sounds nice)
- I'm not that interested in separate audio or network cards, I'm happy with what the integrated ones seem to offer
- I am not at all interested in overcloaking and I'm not willing to pay extra for overcloaking features (seems there's and extreme overcloaker’s edition of everything)
- not too loud
This is what I've chosen so far and why:
Video Card: Sapphire HD 4890 Vapor-X €190
- great performance according to reviews
- automatic undercloaking when no 3D is being used, saving power and lowering noise level
- the vapor-x is apparently very well cooled and quite silent
I'm pretty much sold on this card, the only changes I'm willing to make here is a slightly older or newer model of the same family.
Case: Lian Li Mid Tower PC-V1110B €215
- silent case, rubber everything, foam to dampen sound, big and slow fans
- love the design
Cheaper choice: Lian Li PC A10B €140
Processor: I was thinking of getting the i7, but at €240 I'm not sure if I'm getting my money's worth. Is the i5 a better deal? Will the i5 be any good a few years down the road? Is it too slow for the 4890?
Motherboard: I guess anything that can hold whatever processor I end up getting and that has space for lots of RAM is good enough for me. Are there recommended motherboards for the video card I want?
Hard drive, RAM - I haven't looked that much into these yet, I guess I'd like to know your recommendations.
Power Supply: I'm really lost here. Wikipedia warns that manufacturers intentionally mis-state power requirements for their components and that a PSU can be damaged if it is underloaded, not just overloaded.
What power source do I need to support the comp, considering I might add a couple of hard drives, ram, etc in the future (I'd feel better if it could hold an extra video card too)? What makes a good PSU? Are protections against power failures any good?
Any tips are appreciated!
With a budget of 1000 euros you must buy a 5850 seriously.
4890 should be for 700-800 euros computers. Yea i know the 4890 is great and has a good price/power ratio but the 5850 is just sick + it has lower consumption and Dx11. The 5870 is a bit overkill imo and also overpriced compared to the gain of performance vs the 5850.
Also i know that lian li case are awesome but seriously 215 euros for a case ?
You are not building a 2000 euros config ...
For the PSU, Corsair makes some really good products ( and not too expensive ). Also they have 5 years warranty ( or even 7 for some models ) and they also make modular PSU.
http://www.corsair.com/products/hx/default.aspx
http://www.corsair.com/products/hx650/default.aspx
I suggest a 520W modular or maybe a 620W modular or 650W modular ( 7 years warranty for this one ) if you want to make a crossfire.
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For 1000 euros i can get that in France ( with 20% VAT LOL ):
130E - Antec Three Hundred + Corsair VX550W
or
130E - Xigmatec Midgard + Corsair VX550W
110E - Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3
260E - Core i7 860
60E - Noctua NH-U12P SE2
80E - 4Gb DDR3 PC12800 Corsair/Kingston/OCZ/…
50E - WD Caviar Blue 640GB (AAKS)
250E - HD5850 1Gb
30E - Graveur DVD
970E - TOTAL
You might be able to get the same kind of config cheaper in Romania ( lower taxes i guess ).
edit: also 190 euros for a 4890 Vapor X seems to be a bit expensive. It starts at 165 euros with 20% VAT here.
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I'd pretty much agree with everything xmShake and haduken said. No point going with anything but an i7 920 if you want to be futureproof.
As for ssd, well, it depends on your tastes and tolerance to price.
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i5 is a better deal if you're not going to replacing your CPU. if you are, however, i'd actually suggest going AMD as the am3 socket is expected to live till at least 2011.
to clarify the i5 is basically the i7 without HT and a more aggressive turbo. currently, in the US, the price difference is $80 which can very easily be used to move to a better graphics card such as a 5850. in terms of games, i dont see HT being very relevant anytime soon.
you might even want to look at a phenom ii 955 BE which performs just as well as any i7 in most gaming benches, in addition, the am3 socket is planned to receive a revision in 2011 which probably also means backwards compatibility so you're looking at 2+ years of life at least.
in all honesty though if you're not much a gamer and you don't really list anything else that's high demanding, why do you want to future proof so badly? you'd be better off spending $600 on a computer now and upgrading 2 years later for another $600 instead of spending $1200 now.
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I don't see any value in i5 other than the 750 (which compets well against Phenom II)
If you are going for 810, you might as well spend a little more and get the i7 920 (Some prices even have 920 cheaper go figure :/)
Backward compatibility is a fluf point for me. Assuming that AMD push out something extraodinary in the next few years (Doesn't look like it.), are you really going to put that new awesome CPU in your old crappy mobo? I mean you are really riding on the prospects of firmware updates.
I don't believe in future proofing but I do believe in buying for YOUR needs and SPEND AS MUCH AS YOU CAN NOW so you have hardwares that give you maximum enjoyment for your money.
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yeah i meant the 750 and it's not like amd is that far behind in terms of gaming. either way youre better off not going 1366 because there's not much benefit over i5 750 and no upgrade path besides i9 and that's going to be expensive as fuck (most likely). or maybe that amd 6 core will help drive it down who knows.
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