Computer Build Resource Thread - Page 104

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When using this resource, please read FragKrag's opening post. The Tech Support forum regulars have helped create countless of desktop systems without any compensation. The least you can do is provide all of the information required for them to help you properly.

LambtrOn

United States671 Posts

November 16 2010 01:47 GMT

#2061

On November 16 2010 10:15 a176 wrote:

Show nested quote +

If you want to get an idea on how to build a computer, read this guide: http://techreport.com/articles.x/13671 (ignore the part with the blue screens at the end), Its a very simple process.

For a build, try this: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=14293705

Since you have a microcenter nearby, fire up a spreadsheet and jot down the prices and do a comparison between the two to find the best prices for yourself.

You're awesome! Thanks a lot! I let you know how it is once it's up and running.

Saturnize

United States2473 Posts

November 16 2010 03:38 GMT

#2062

Hello TL,

I am a complete newb when it comes to computer builds and computer hardware, but I hope to change all of that in the next couple of months when doing research. Currently I have a budget of about $500-$850. Here is my current build is so far. I am hoping that someone here can enlighten me as to if I can get a better deal for less or equal performance, and also tell me about any glaring mistakes I may have made.

Thanks!

COOLERMASTER Centurion 5 II Computer Case $59.99

Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB 5400 SATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive $69.99

Acer P235 HBmid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor $179.99

MSI 870A-G54 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard $99.99

Radeon 5770 1GB Video Card $149.99

SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W Power Supply $59.99

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240 Pin DDR3 RAM $59.99

AMD Phenom II X2 Black Edition 3.2Ghz CPU $91.99

ASUS X24 DVD Burner $19.99

Total: ~ $791

Picture of shopping cart also available.

+ Show Spoiler +

Myrmidon

United States9452 Posts

November 16 2010 04:49 GMT

#2063

No glaring mistakes to report, but there some small things to consider:

1. A dual core is good for SC2, but other games (especially future ones) and some other applications may make a quad core a better buy. It depends on what you want to run.
2. A 5400 rpm drive may be a little slow for a primary HDD used as the boot/application drive--granted, a modern 1 TB Caviar Green is probably higher-performing than some old 7200 rpm drives.
3. For $60 there are better cases, such as the HAF 912 (if you can stand the looks)
4. A 520W PSU is super overkill, since that build probably won't draw over half that at full benchmarking load; granted, that's a high-performing reliable unit for not that much money.
5. $150 is just a little bit high for a HD 5770 I think?
6. Likewise, there may be a slightly better deal for a monitor.

Saturnize

United States2473 Posts

November 16 2010 05:06 GMT

#2064

Thanks for the feedback.

Disregard

China10252 Posts

November 16 2010 05:19 GMT

#2065

Just get the Spinpoint F3 instead, its only a few more dollars.

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

a176

Canada6688 Posts

November 16 2010 05:21 GMT

#2066

On November 16 2010 14:19 Disregard wrote:
Just get the Spinpoint F3 instead, its only a few more dollars.

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

yup, also make sure to check for combos at the bottom of the product's page, like this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.543371

a176

Canada6688 Posts

November 16 2010 05:56 GMT

#2067

On November 16 2010 12:38 Saturnize wrote:
Hello TL,

I am a complete newb when it comes to computer builds and computer hardware, but I hope to change all of that in the next couple of months when doing research. Currently I have a budget of about $500-$850. Here is my current build is so far. I am hoping that someone here can enlighten me as to if I can get a better deal for less or equal performance, and also tell me about any glaring mistakes I may have made.

Thanks!

COOLERMASTER Centurion 5 II Computer Case $59.99

Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB 5400 SATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive $69.99

Acer P235 HBmid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor $179.99

MSI 870A-G54 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard $99.99

Radeon 5770 1GB Video Card $149.99

SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W Power Supply $59.99

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240 Pin DDR3 RAM $59.99

AMD Phenom II X2 Black Edition 3.2Ghz CPU $91.99

ASUS X24 DVD Burner $19.99

Total: ~ $791

Picture of shopping cart also available.

+ Show Spoiler +

this is actually a very competent build. the things i would personally change:

samsung f3+case, see above post
gtx 460: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125333
asus lcd: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236052
gskill memory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231190

comes out to $835.91

haduken

Australia8267 Posts

November 16 2010 07:48 GMT

#2068

Ditch the acer screen. You will thank me later.

Mindcrime

United States6899 Posts

November 16 2010 07:57 GMT

#2069

On November 16 2010 12:38 Saturnize wrote:
MSI 870A-G54 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard $99.99

That's a great choice if you suspect you'll be able to utilize SATA-600 or USB 3.0 transfer rates at some point, and a very good choice even if not.

But if you're pretty sure that you won't be able to utilize those transfer rates, then It might be worth it to consider something like MSI 870-G45 which is, otherwise, an almost identical board.

douglashv

Venezuela73 Posts

November 16 2010 11:22 GMT

#2070

Let me start by saying that I'm such a newb about hardware!

I want to buy this graphic card:
Gigabyte GeForce GTX460-1 GB GDDR5 PCIE2 256B 2DVI-I/HDMI/FAN RTL from amazon.com at 189.99$

I want to buy it because I'd like to improve performance in Starcraft II (Acer Monitor 22" running at 1680x1050) and to be able to plug my hdtv 42" to my pc directly through a hdmi cable to watch 1080p movies.

But I don't know if I'm going to be able to install it on my computer, or if I have upgrade my Power Supply.

This is what I have (I used SI Software Sandra to get this information):
+ Show Spoiler +

Processor
Model : Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q8200 @ 2.33GHz

Computer
Mainboard : ECS G31T-M7
BIOS : AMI 080014 07/31/2008
Bus(es) : ISA X-Bus PCI PCIe IMB USB i2c/SMBus
Multi-Processor Advanced PIC (APIC) : Yes
Total Memory : 4GB DIMM DDR2

Chipset
Model : ECS P35/G33/G31 Processor to I/O Controller
Front Side Bus Speed : 4x 333MHz (1.33GHz)
Total Memory : 4GB DIMM DDR2
Channels : 2
Memory Bus Speed : 2x 400MHz (800MHz)

Memory Module(s)
Memory Module : Kingston 2GB DIMM DDR2 PC2-6400U DDR2-800 (5-6-6-18 3-24-6-3)
Memory Module : Kingston 2GB DIMM DDR2 PC2-6400U DDR2-800 (5-6-6-18 3-24-6-3)

Video System
Video Adapter : ATI Radeon HD 4600 Series (320 SM4.1 750MHz, 512MB DDR3 2x873MHz, PCIe 2.00 x16)

Graphics Processor
OpenCL Processor : ATI RV730 (640SP 8C 750MHz, 256MB)

Storage Devices
SAMSUNG HD502HJ (500.1GB, SATA300, 3.5", 7200rpm, NCQ, 16MB Cache) : 466GB (C

Seagate FreeAgentDesktop 500.1GB (USB) : 466GB (E

HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GH22NS40 (SATA150, DVD+-RW, CD-RW, 2MB Cache) : N/A (D

LIXU J01U785QZO (SCSI, BD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R) : N/A (F

Logical Storage Devices
System Reserved : 100MB (NTFS)
FreeAgent Drive (E

: 466GB (NTFS) @ Seagate FreeAgentDesktop 500.1GB (USB)
Hard Disk (C

: 466GB (NTFS) @ SAMSUNG HD502HJ (500.1GB, SATA300, 3.5", 7200rpm, NCQ, 16MB Cache)
Optical Drive (D

: N/A @ HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GH22NS40 (SATA150, DVD+-RW, CD-RW, 2MB Cache)
Optical Drive (F

: N/A @ LIXU J01U785QZO (SCSI, BD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R)

Peripherals
LPC Hub Controller 1 : ECS 82801GB/GR (ICH7) LPC Interface Controller
LPC Legacy Controller 1 : ITE IT8718F
Audio Device : ECS 82801G (ICH7) High Definition Audio
Audio Codec : VIA VT1708B 8-channel High Definition Audio CODEC
Audio Device : Hightech Information System RV730XT Audio device [Radeon HD 4670]
Audio Codec : ATI (AMD) HDMI Audio
Serial Port(s) : 3
Parallel Port(s) : 1
Disk Controller : ECS 82801G (ICH7) Ultra ATA Storage Controller
Disk Controller : ECS 82801GB/GR/GH (ICH7) Serial ATA Storage Controller
USB Controller 1 : ECS 82801G (ICH7) USB Universal Host Controller
USB Controller 2 : ECS 82801G (ICH7) USB Universal Host Controller
USB Controller 3 : ECS 82801G (ICH7) USB Universal Host Controller
USB Controller 4 : ECS 82801G (ICH7) USB Universal Host Controller
USB Controller 5 : ECS 82801G (ICH7) USB 2.0 Enhanced Host Controller
SMBus/i2c Controller 1 : Intel 801xx/63xx SMBus

Printers and Faxes
Printer : Send To Microsoft OneNote 2010 Driver (1200x1200, Colour)
Printer : Microsoft XPS Document Writer (600x600, Colour)
Fax : Microsoft Shared Fax Driver (200x200)
Printer : Bullzip PDF Printer (4000x4000, Colour)

Network Services
Network Adapter : Atheros L2 Fast Ethernet 10/100Base-T Controller (Ethernet, 100Mbps)

Power Management
Mains (AC) Line Status : On-Line

Operating System
Windows System : Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 6.01.7600
Platform Compliance : x64

Windows Experience Index
Current System : 5.9

Performance Enhancing Tips
Tip 2546 : Large memory modules should be ECC/Parity.
Tip 2 : Double-click tip or press Enter while a tip is selected for more information about the tip.

PD: I'm going to open the pc to know what kind of power supply I have, I'll edit this post later on.

I opened the case and on the power supply it only say this:
Model LPE 2
550W
Ser No. E09042215

Myrmidon

United States9452 Posts

November 16 2010 14:49 GMT

#2071

A modern 550W power supply should be able to power what you have plus a GTX 460 with lots of room to spare. However, if the power supply is dying, if it's a junker that's not accurately rated, and/or it's a very old model with only 50-60% of total capacity on +12V, you may have problems.

Another thing to check is if you have 2 PCI-E 6-pin power connectors coming out of the PSU. The GTX 460 takes two of these in addition to power from the PCI-E slot on the mobo itself:
[image loading]

If you only have 1, you could probably use that plus a 2 molex -> 1 PCI-E 6-pin adapter (it usually comes with a GTX 460 and would be cheap anyway), if you have 2 of those straight 4-pin molex power plugs unused out of the PSU:
[image loading]

douglashv

Venezuela73 Posts

November 16 2010 15:38 GMT

#2072

I couldn't see that PCI-E 6-pin connectors coming from the PSU, but I saw that there were 2 cables that head from the PSU to the HDD and to the DVD Drive respectively, that have in the middle those 4-pin molex connectors, see the pictures:

I think that I can use that connector to have one PCI-E 6-pin connector. But I'm still going to need another one, so I think that I have to buy a new PSU.

On the other hand, there isn't anything wrong with the mainboard, right?

Will this PSU work with my configuration?
Coolmax 700watts, Cu700-b, Modular
[image loading]

a176

Canada6688 Posts

November 16 2010 18:15 GMT

#2073

On November 17 2010 00:38 douglashv wrote:
I couldn't see that PCI-E 6-pin connectors coming from the PSU, but I saw that there were 2 cables that head from the PSU to the HDD and to the DVD Drive respectively, that have in the middle those 4-pin molex connectors, see the pictures:

where [country] are you buying from?

conboy31

United States11 Posts

November 16 2010 19:29 GMT

#2074

Hey guys, I bought this computer for 1200 USD (see below), now the question is when do I get a 2nd 470gtx.
What caught my eye is that I can get one for 195 shipped from newegg (MSI N470GTX-M2D12-B GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card)
The card is 260 -> sale for 255 -> 10 percent off -> rebate of 35 dollars -> total shipped 195
It seems that it would be quite some time for the 470 to be cheaper than this, let alone by a meaningful amount.

+ Show Spoiler +

CASE: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case:
Specs: Type: ATX: Mid Tower/Color: Black/Case Material: Steel

MOTHERBOARD: EVGA 141-BL-E757-TR LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX X58 SLI LE Intel Motherboard:
Specs: CPU Socket Type: LGA 1366/CPU

GRAPHICS/VIDEO CARD: EVGA 012-P3-1470-AR GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Specs: Interface- PCI Express 2.0 x16/ Chipset- GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi)-Core Clock 607 MHz-

MEMORY/RAM: OCZ Gold 12GB (6x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory:
Specs: Gold Series/240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM/ Triple Channel

PROCESSOR: Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor

HARDDRIVE: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
Specs: 1.5TB/7200 RPM/32MB

POWER SUPPLY: KINGWIN ABT-1050MM 1050W ATX 12V v2.2
ISpecs: Maximum Power 1050W/140mm Black Silent Cooling Fan

COOLING SYSTEM: CORSAIR Cooling Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Specs: 1700 RPM/Hydro Series/120MM Fan Size

DVD BURNER/READER: LG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW-LIGHTSCRIBE SUPPORT!!!

MONITOR: ACER 23 Inch LCD Monitor
Specs: 23" Widescreen (non-glare) LCD/1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz Resolution/40000:1 (ACM) Contrast

MOUSE: LOGITECH G9X GAMING MOUSE
KEYBOARD: RAZER RZ03-00181400-R3U1 Black USB Wired Lycosa Mirror Special Edition Gaming Keyboard

Operating system: Windows 7

Zorkmid

4410 Posts

November 16 2010 19:40 GMT

#2075

On November 16 2010 14:56 a176 wrote:
[
gtx 460: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125333

comes out to $835.91

If you're going to playing FPS games, I'd warn that this card isn't great. Seems to have stuttering issues in Fallout NV and the New CoD game. THey may be worked with a new driver release, but just a word to the wise. Find out about it before you decide between Nvidia and ATI chipsets

douglashv

Venezuela73 Posts

November 16 2010 21:04 GMT

#2076

On November 17 2010 03:15 a176 wrote:

Show nested quote +

where [country] are you buying from?

Venezuela :/

Myrmidon

United States9452 Posts

November 16 2010 23:24 GMT

#2077

On November 17 2010 06:04 douglashv wrote:

Show nested quote +

Venezuela :/

Do you know where you're buying? Website/store? If you let us know the brands, models, and prices, we can maybe figure out what's worth the money.

But the general rule for PSUs is that if it has "max" in the name, it is bad.

The exception is Enermax PSUs, though they are overpriced in addition to being solid.

Disregard

China10252 Posts

November 17 2010 05:42 GMT

#2078

Just a reminder, MS still offers the $65.00 Windows 7 Pro upgrade for college students. Or if you're in the CS/CIS department its much lower, my uni charges $23.00. That is if you want to spend $140 retail for the Pro edition.

edit: Might even get it for free, depends... And I meant MSDNAA.

Saturnize

United States2473 Posts

November 17 2010 05:56 GMT

#2079

On November 16 2010 14:56 a176 wrote:

Show nested quote +

Hmmm, thanks for the suggestions I just might go with this...

Salv

Canada3083 Posts

November 17 2010 22:52 GMT

#2080

OK, so I did some thinking and I've decided to listen to the advice in this thread and build my own computer. I trust others when they say that it's really not that difficult. I do have a few questions however:

I live in Canada. Considering newegg.com is the place seemingly where every one orders their parts, am I going to get boned when it comes to shipping and paying duty to send it to Canada?
I have a $1100.00 budget, give or take a hundred or so. Is this enough to build a gaming computer to be proud of? Obviously it wouldn't be top of the line, but can I build a powerful computer with this budget, or should I save more before investing?

Thanks in advance for addressing my questions. Hopefully ordering, receiving, and building my first custom computer is as easy as every one says.

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