I'm thinking about getting a new computer - now DIY desktops. No rush.

[Dean]

I tried putting in your system, and it's actually just over my limit, with the assembly, but I'm willing to pay the extra 8 kroner (≈$1 USD) ! I'm still thinking about the i5, but if there really is so little difference, I'll go for the i3. It seems like it can run ETS 2, on high as well, which is what I would like. And, I'm still only thinking, and I'm welcoming any ideas that can save me some money, but has enough power to play games, edit music/video etc...

Just to sort of sum it up for now;
Motherboard: Asrock 960GM-GS3 FX AM3+ DDR3 mATX (319,-)
CPU: i3 3220 3.3 GHz 3 MB Box S1155 HD2500 (879,-) - is there an integrated HD2500 in this?
RAM: Crucial DDR3 PC1333 8GB CL9 (379,-)
Hard drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB SATA6 64MB 7200RPM (499,-)
SSD: None
GPU: Club 3D Radeon PCI-E HD7870 2GB DP/DVI/HDMI (1559,-)
Cooler: Arctic Alpine 11 Plus 775/1150/1155/1156 (89,-)
Case: Linkworld Mini 7271-18U 550W (319,-)
Power supply: Corsair CX Series 600W 600CX V2 80+ Bronze (509,-) - I could save some money here, but I'm going with TB's choice, since he (you all do ) knows more about it than I do.
DVD-drive: Asus DRW-24B5ST DVD-RW SATA black (139,-)
Operating system: Windows 8 64-bit OEM DK DVD (729,-)
Network card: TRENDnet TEW-643PI Wireless N 300mbit PCI Adapter (179,-) - Just another question; does that adapter allow me to use WiFi?

Total cost: 5599,- DKK
With assembly: 6008,- DKK (8 kroner over my limit, but payable !)

 

[sesselpupser]

Is it me or have you specified an AMD motherboard for an Intel CPU?

 

[Sharky.]

It appears he has.

 

[Dean]

Well, I have no clue on what I chose, but thanks for letting me know .

It should really says if it was for AMD or Intel, so dummies like me, could know . I'll try finding another motherboard.

 

[sesselpupser]

Well, I have no clue on what I chose, but thanks for letting me know .

It should really says if it was for AMD or Intel, so dummies like me, could know . I'll try finding another motherboard.

You have to look at the socket type of the CPU and find a motherboard that supports that same socket, I think a high-end i3 is LGA 1155 but don't take my word for that. I think the AM3+ part of the name is the socket type of the motherboard you've chosen, but I know nothing about AMD hardware so again I might be wrong, but in any case you've definitely got a motherboard for an AMD CPU in that list above.

The problem is they can't just say 'this is for Intel' and 'this is for AMD' because there are different socket types for different processors; a low-end i3 uses a different socket to a Xeon or enthusiast i7... But at the same time, a low-end i3 uses a different socket to a high-end i3 and a high-end i3 uses the same socket as a low-end i5, possibly even all i5s (I only actually know for sure that the i5 2500K was LGA 1155), so they can't even say 'this is for i3' and 'this is for i5'. It's not a big problem though as they make the socket type very clear when you're buying both the CPU and motherboard so you just have to know that you have to match them.

But that's what we're here for, so it's all good!

 

[Dean]

CPU: i3 3220 3.3 GHz 3 MB Box S1155 HD2500 (879,-) - is there an integrated HD2500 in this?

I think it's an 1155, but I'm not sure if that's what the S stands for... It seems like there's a lot of compatible motherboards available. Now I believe it should have HDMI in order to use it (without an adapter that is) - am I correct?

 

[NissanSkylineN1]

It is a socket 1155. The S stands for socket. For the on board graphics, yes you need an HDMI port. However it may vary with the motherboard. Some chipsets don't even support it at all (P67).

 

[Dean]

That's one of the reasons I would prefer a pre-build one, there's really much to worry about here... but it seems like a better deal to choose the internal parts "myself".

I found a MSI H61MA-35 (B3) DVI/HDMI/VGA USB3, which is an 1155, and should have HDMI. Now, I believe I need to find a case with HDMI (or not?).

One more question: How do they connect the outer USB/other things to the motherboard, via wires (included)? I'm sorry for all the questions, but I do not know that much (anything) about this.

 

[Joel]

There will be some sort of wiring from the USB ports in your case that can be hooked up to the motherboard.

 

[Dean]

I guess the wires will be included...

Well, it seems like I'll be better off getting a prebuild one, and then upgrade some bits. As for that, I've just found a Packard Bell Imedia S2870 with Intel® Core i3-3220 - 3.30GHz, 6GB (1x4GB + 1x2GB) DDRIII-1600 RAM, 1000GB drive 7.200rpm SATA hard drive, Nvidia GT620-2GB (DVI, HDMI), DVD SuperMulti 16x drive SATA and Windows 8 for 4499,-. I would like to ask if I'll have the possibility of upgrading the GT620 myself, after the purchase to an HD 7870, or should I go for (another) one where the 7870 is already "build-in"?

 

[Sureboss]

You want to be ensuring that for a later GPU upgrade you have:

A case big enough to support it, so you just need to google "does 7870 fit in <case name>" and you'll get the answer.

Can the motherboard support it?

Is the PSU powerful enough and does it have the right connections?

Though, if you're going for a pre-built PC anyway, I'd definitely be looking at getting one with a 7870 already in.

 

[djinline]

I have this budget system plan here for you, Dean. You would have to assemble it though.

 

[Dean]

Though, if you're going for a pre-built PC anyway, I'd definitely be looking at getting one with a 7870 already in.

Hm... I think you're right, by going for a system with a 7870 built-in, which I think I will...

I have this budget system plan here for you, Dean. You would have to assemble it though.

Thanks! I would probably go for that one, if neither of these pre-build ones are better:
"- AMD QUAD CORE (4x3.6GHZ) FX4100
- ASUS QUALITY Motherboard, M5A78
- 1GB XFX HD7850 GRAPHICS (DVI, HDMI)
- 500GB HDD, 7200RPM
- 8GB DDR3 KINGSTON QUALITY RAM
- 24X DUAL LAYER DVDBURNER, + / -
- Coolermaster ELITE CABINET - 450W XFX PRO SERIES, 80 + CERTIFIED QUALITY.
- 8 CHANNEL SOUND CARD, SURROUND SOUND
- 6 USB PORTS (2 IN FRONT)
- 10/100/1000Mbit (GIGABIT SPEED) - TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED CPUCOOLER."

I'm not really sure about that AMD processor, but that one is 4798,- kroner including Windows. But there's also this for an extra 1000 kroner; (still inside my budget!)

- INTEL i5 3470, 3.2GHZ CPU, IVY BRIDGE (TURBO 3.6GHZ)
- ASUS Motherboard, B75 (USB3, SATA6G, PCI-E-3.0)
- 1GB HD7850 XFX (w/ HDMI OG DVI)
- 500GB HARDDRIVE, 7200RPM, SATA6G
- 8GB DDR3 KINGSTON RAM
- 24X DUALLAYER DVDBURNER , +/- (ASUS)
- GAMER-CABINET COOLERMASTER w/ window, ELITE430 w/ blue light
- * OPTIMAL AIRFLOW, UP TO 6 FANS, PSU IN THE BOTTOM ETC.*
- 450W XFX 80+ CERTIFIED Quality PSU (by SEASONIC)
- 4 DIMM SOCKETS [what's that?] (UP TO 32GB RAM) - 8 CHANNEL SOUND CARD, SURROUND SOUND
- 6 USB PORTS (2 IN FRONT) BOTH USB 3.0 on the FRONT AND the REAR
- Network card 10/100/1000Mbit (GIGABIT SPEED)
- TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED CPUCOOLER"
For both, I'll buy a WiFi adapter-usb-plug-in-thing, which is ~ 250 kroner.
Which is better?

 

[djinline]

Oh I just noticed, if you change the GTX 650 Ti Boost to this, you'll get better performance for little extra money, still within your 6000 DKK budget. I thought GTX 660 was a lot more expensive than GTX 650 Ti Boost, so I didn't check them.

Neither of those pre-built computers are overclockable and XFX's GPU coolers are said to be noisy, same goes for stock CPU coolers. Small hard drives fill up fast and while Cooler Master's cases are good for tight budgets, they usually lack decent cable management. But anyway both of those setups are just OK.

 

[Dean]

I got them 👍. I made two changes, as I found a Cooler Master CM Force 500 Miditower ATX case, which was cheaper than the Enermax - not much, but still - and a Club 3D Radeon PCI-E HD7870 2GB DP/DVI/HDMI to exchange the 660 Ti, which make my total cost 5898,- kroner (5828,- with the 660 Ti) - I can change both back, if needed.

- And, as you know, I don't know if what I'm doing is going "well" but, is the 7870 any better than the 660 Ti - and worth the extra 70 kroner - in the above system? And will it work?

 

[djinline]

So you got the cheaper Club3D model instead of the 7870XT Joker Limited Edition? I'm not saying it's bad, it will run quieter and cooler but it's not as powerful. But it trades blows with 660 Ti (sometimes equal) and it runs ETS2 just fine, so there's nothing to worry about here.

CM Force 500 is nice too, I guess you didn't like the looks and price of the Ostrog, though it has good value for the features it offers.

That setup should be good for a few years or more. 👍


EDIT: Now I'm just wondering here, but should we replace the motherboard with M5A97 EVO 2.0? Any back-up on this thought as it has 6+2 power phase compared to the 4+1 on Extreme4 (that one is still recommended by overclock.net)? I try to make good decisions but always see something that might be better.

 

[Dean]

Well, I can add the JokerCard, and still just be under my limit by... 2 kroner !

I searched for it's "performance" and got to an article which featured this image:

Looks like it's those 100 kroner better, to me . I'm not even sure if my TV'll run 1920*1200, but lower values are always better, I suppose.
And according to 3D Clubs website it has HDMI too !

I think this'll be the most I've put into a computer, so it should be as "up-to-date" as possible for the next ~5 years. I'm not sure if this can be answered for this particular system, but is similar types of computers fast in starting up, and loading?

Oh, I will I be able to have multiple programs open at the same time, without "lagging" and will it be "okay fast" (well, anything faster than my current laptop, is acceptable) to render videos/music?

EDIT: Now I'm just wondering here, but should we replace the motherboard with M5A97 EVO 2.0? Any back-up on this thought as it has 6+2 power phase compared to the 4+1 on Extreme4 (that one is still recommended by overclock.net)? I try to make good decisions but always see something that might be better.

Well, it would burst my budget, but I'm pretty sure you'll come up with something. I don't know if it's possible to use any of the Arctic Alpine fans, but they are very cheap, and would possibly bring down the budget .

 

[djinline]

Well, I can add the JokerCard, and still just be under my limit by... 2 kroner !

I searched for it's "performance" and got to an article which featured this image:
http://tpucdn.com/reviews/Club_3D/HD_7870_jokerCard_Tahiti_LE/images/f12012_1920_1200.gif
Looks like it's those 100 kroner better, to me . I'm not even sure if my TV'll run 1920*1200, but lower values are always better, I suppose.
And according to 3D Clubs website it has HDMI too !

I think this'll be the most I've put into a computer, so it should be as "up-to-date" as possible for the next ~5 years. I'm not sure if this can be answered for this particular system, but is similar types of computers fast in starting up, and loading?

Oh, I will I be able to have multiple programs open at the same time, without "lagging" and will it be "okay fast" (well, anything faster than my current laptop, is acceptable) to render videos/music?

Okay, since you want the 7870XT, going with M5A97 EVO 2.0 goes a bit over the budget but not by much. However if it's important for you to stay within budget, stick with Extreme4.

That system is not as up-to-date as possible but in terms of computing power and cost it's very good nowadays, much ahead of your laptop. Should be good for gaming, music, video editing etc.

EDIT:

Well, it would burst my budget, but I'm pretty sure you'll come up with something. I don't know if it's possible to use any of the Arctic Alpine fans, but they are very cheap, and would possibly bring down the budget .

It's better to stick with that Enermax cooler, it's well ahead Arctic's coolers.

 

[Dean]

Well, I don't know what the difference between the two is, really... But if the Asus is faster or better than the Asrock, I could stretch the budget and add those 108 kroner.

 

[djinline]

Well, I don't know what the difference between the two is, really... But if the Asus is faster or better than the Asrock, I could stretch the budget and add those 108 kroner.

First of all, it has a 6+2 digital power phase which may help you achieve higher and more stable overclock when needed. Then it has more ports at the back I/O and 1 extra S-ATA port. I'm sure it will be more futureproof, I don't know why I didn't notice it before Extreme4.

Simply put, it's better for little extra. Better VRM structure and cooling too, from what I've read.

 

[nick09]

But if you have absolutely no plans for upgrading then the feature is not worth the upgrade. From what I read so far, you would not need the extra performance from a slight overclock. What you got so far will easily bash through games in a HD resolution.

- 4 DIMM SOCKETS [what's that?]

That means four slots for memory. So if the 8GB of RAM is two 4GB sticks then two slots are left empty.

 

[djinline]

But if you have absolutely no plans for upgrading then the feature is not worth the upgrade. From what I read so far, you would not need the extra performance from a slight overclock. What you got so far will easily bash through games in a HD resolution.

Well, he wants future-proof with a somewhat tight budget. He could gain more lifetime in gaming with a good motherboard and some overclocking when needed, so why not.

 

[nick09]

Good reason. Dean, what website are you using for those two pre-built systems? Right now I'm going through a denmark website that sells hardware to build a list of parts.

Edit: I did the best I could going through a language that I do not know. I don't know what language you want the OS in so I just set it as a Win 7 English DVD(Easy to search for the other language types). Here is the list of hardware that I made from http://butik.dk.

I did the best I could with only one website which seems to have rather slightly high prices but the hardware is good. I know so far that the CPU is faster than the AMD system. Though sadly you lose a bit of performance in the GPU part but it won't matter since you will be playing on a smaller resolution.

I will have to add this, those pre-built systems may not come with a windows OS installed unless they tell you.

 

[Dean]

I got the two pre-built ones from "topdata.dk". They do have customizable gamer systems, but their prices gets way too high in my opinion. And, I would prefer the Danish version of either Windows 8 or 7, but I don't care about which one, of those, really. The custom-build one(s) djinline posted, was from "pc-lager.dk", which I actually think is the nearest store to me (~70 km), - well, that sells all the things for a custom computer.

And, I know both of the prebuild ones didn't come with Windows, but I added that myself. Normally, it says "nul (- or uden -) operativsystem" (translated, it would be no/without "OS"), so, it's pretty easy to know - well, if you understand Danish .

A question for the custom build: When I get all the components, and fit them together, will then I have a fully working system? (I think you know what I mean.)

 

[djinline]

Okay here's plan updated, I think I didn't miss anything:

I just noticed that 2TB HDD is a B-stock item meaning it has been used before and put on sale again. Here's an unused version which is of course more expensive but still a good deal compared to 1TB: [link]

Total price being 6.278 DKK which isn't horribly overbudget considering what you're getting.

But anyway, put them together with care and it'll start.

 

[NissanSkylineN1]

Isn't an i3 faster than a 965?

 

[djinline]

Isn't an i3 faster than a 965?

Not necessarily if you give the 965BE a good GHz boost, also future games will take advantage of the 4 true cores. AMD has greater bang for the buck and it's quicker at video rendering, h.264 encoding and editing.

Paired with a 7870XT, I'm sure it will deliver enjoyable performance even on today's games. With the i3 prices in Denmark, he would have to go with a weaker GPU.

 

[Dean]

Just to be sure, it isn't possible to pair the i3 and the 7870 JC, right?

 

[djinline]

Just to be sure, it isn't possible to pair the i3 and the 7870 JC, right?

Yes that is possible, I can't see why that couldn't be done (with pairing I didn't mean they physically fit together as that's not how it's done, I meant that they work fine together, installed in their own slots). I would rather suggest AMD Phenom II since it's good enough for games and usual tasks, especially working with videos is something where 4 cores start to shine, less time waiting. Cheap and raw power.

 

[Dean]

Well, I'll be happy if it's "fast" (especially startup), can run ETS2-like-games at my TV's top resolution (I think it's 1080p), without any "lagging" at medium-high quality, plus run multiple windows (like ETS2, Internet, some sort of screen recorder - in record mode, etc.) without problems, and be able to render video/music. If it'll do that just fine with the AMD, it's perfectly okay with me .