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

[nick09]

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.)

Ah. All I knew so far before is that pris means price. And yes, when you get all of the components and assemble it, it will be a fully working system.

I would rather suggest AMD Phenom II since it's good enough for games and usual tasks,

Why get good enough when you could get better performance from a i5 processor? It would mean to better future proof the hardware.

 

[djinline]

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 .

According to a Hardwareluxx test it takes around 48 seconds for ST2000DM001 to startup Windows 7, which I think is about average time for mechanical HDDs. But after booting up they are fast enough for gaming and offer good storage size for the money.

ETS2 @ 1080p on high settings should be possible and I suppose it does well with screen recorders, may depend on the game and its graphics settings. Music and video rendering performance should be quite acceptable for the price.

Why get good enough when you could get better performance from a i5 processor? It would mean to better future proof the hardware.

I think even the cheapest i5 would break the budget unless he gets a 1000 DKK GPU, which would get replaced sooner.

Modern games are getting more and more GPU-hungry so I wouldn't cut away from graphics. Also AM3+ has an upgrade route to Steamroller, if newer technology is wanted.

 

[nick09]

This is what I got so far with a Intel i5 overclockable system. 3.4GHz i5 Quad CPU, a factory overclocked GTX 660, 8GB of DDR3 1600 RAM, and a 1TB 7200RPM HDD.

Please do note that you can reduce the budget by removing the extra fan and optional heatsink down to 6,251. Personally I think the extra cost is worth it for the whole system compared to AMD. You could cut the extra fan out of the budget and upgrade the HDD to 2TB if you wanted to(Since it's such a small jump in price).

 

[djinline]

That's a good plan you got there despite the negligibly cheaper PSU compared to XFX Core Edition (30 DKK difference), I know GTX 660 is a great GPU but it's still behind 7870XT when comparing $/FPS. Now if you put 7870XT and XFX 550W to that setup, it would be very nice though well over Dean's budget..

 

[Dean]

Well, it is a bit over my budget; more than I want to pay, to be honest, but is it possible to use an i3 3220? I think that would get it under my budget, if the AMD, isn't better (than the i3).

 

[djinline]

Good?

 

[Dean]

Well, if it'll be working, and is better than the AMD - yes ... I think.

 

[djinline]

Everything seems to be compatible with eath other in that setup, so I guess that'll be it.

I think the power consumption and older structure of AMD Phenom are the things that made me turn direction towards Intel, though AMD is a choice too. But you can upgrade to an Ivy Bridge i5 later on, if you want 2 extra cores.

 

[nick09]

Good but change the memory to this. An 8GB set(2x4GB) will always perform better than a single 8GB memory stick. Better performance and no price change. BTW the 550W Antec PSU I posted is a great unit according to this review.

So yes, Dean, It's a very worthwhile purchase. The Antec PSU will do the same job as the XFX if you want to save a little bit of money. Later down the road you can upgrade to a K series processor(Such as the i5 3570K I posted), a better PSU(as the 550W units will not be enough when you overclock the system), and you will be able to overclock the CPU and GPU for extra performance.

 

[djinline]

Oh sorry about that, I didn't realise I selected 1 stick of 8GB.

I still would recommend XFX Core Edition 550W over that Antec, it has 80+ Bronze, 5 years of warranty and a single 12V rail. 30 DKK is very little money for those.

If you want to have an overclock-capable motherboard for i5-3570K, you could get it right away if you want! Just make it sure it has a PCI slot for the wireless...

This should do it... or this.

 

[nick09]

I see your point. The extra money is worth the 5 year warranty. Though I still think he should get the Z77 motherboard I posted instead of the B75 motherboard. To help even the budget he should downgrade to the 1TB HDD I selected. That should keep the budget as it is right now.

 

[Dean]

May I ask, what is overclocking? I've seen it on Game Debate, but I've never known what it meant. - Is it just a way to get some extra power (sort of like putting a turbo on a car)?

I also saw an Intenso Harddisk 1 TB intern harddrive 3.5" SATA-300 5400 rpm, at 469 kroner - meaning this;

- will be under my limit, if it'll work(?).

 

[nick09]

Get the WD Blue 1TB for an extra 30 and change the memory to this(You selected the single 8GB stick instead of the 2x4GB combo. It's good for the performance and no price change there). It's worth it if you want the system to boot up fast. The 7200RPM HDD speed is a must have for a gaming system. After you've done all of that it's good to go.

This is what overclocking means:

Overclocking is the process of making a computer or component operate faster than the clock frequency specified by the manufacturer by modifying system parameters.

So it is like adding a turbo but it's just adding more power to the part to get more performance. There is plenty of tutorials out there to tell you how to do this. If you want this ability then you should get the motherboard I suggested in my list or any of the two djinline suggested in his last post. If you are worried about the budget then remove the 2TB HDD from the list and add the 1TB WD Blue HDD. That should keep the price just above your limit.

The bad part about overclocking is that most of the time the parts are not covered by a warranty when you overclock(Unless the warranty says otherwise) and there is the possibility of reducing the life of the hardware(As long as you take proper research then this won't be a problem).

 

[Dean]

So, this;

?

Thanks for the info about overclocking, but I don't think I would try it if it breaks warranty and/or damage/reducing the life of any parts.

 

[djinline]

WD and Seagate are both good brands, WD Blue is a solid and good choice and Seagate 7200.14 models such as ST1000DM003 are said to be very fast and have good reviews.

If you want a good and cheap motherboard, I found this. 5930 6069 DKK total with this (I forgot DVD drive from basket, sorry). It shouldn't be bad for a slight overclock and it has PCI for your wireless card. Pro4-M doesn't have a PCI slot and TP-Link is the cheapest 300Mpbs card with two antennas.

 

[nick09]

A slight overclock will not hurt your system. It only hurts your system when a overclock is unstable or too hot. Go with djinline's motherboard suggestion as it's a good board to overclock with and it will get the list back into your budget. Of course having a motherboard that can overclock your CPU does not mean you need to do it. When you feel the need upgrade to a K series CPU(You need a K series intel CPU to overclock such as the i5 3570K) and then you can overclock to get additional performance on top of the upgrade.

 

[djinline]

Alright, I think the setup planning is just about done. I can guarantee when you get all that stuff assembled, you'll be laughing at your old netbook.

 

[Dean]

Oh, so I will be able to do a slight overclock, if I ever intend to, with the Z75 Motherboard?

(Sorry for another 'noob' question), but what exactly is PCI?

Alright, I think the setup planning is just about done. I can guarantee when you get all that stuff assembled, you'll be laughing at your old netbook.

Good, good ! It is also really bad, but I haven't had high demands before now, so it has been alright. I had it turned on yesterday, and it took ~5 minutes before I was able to do anything. I hope this will be much, much faster.

 

[djinline]

Oh, so I will be able to do a slight overclock, if I ever intend to, with the Z75 Motherboard?

(Sorry for another 'noob' question), but what exactly is PCI?

Yes you should be able give it a good bump of extra speed with that board, but it pretty much depends on the CPU and temperatures how much you can overclock from it, not all units overclock the same. But I wouldn't try to break any overclocking records with that board.

Simply put, PCI slot is used to connect hardware sound, controller and wireless cards and devices to the motherboard, just like PCI-E x1. PCI-E is a modern slot for gaming graphics cards and AGP is older technology for graphics cards, you won't see it on any new motherboards.

 

[nick09]

Oh, so I will be able to do a slight overclock, if I ever intend to, with the Z75 Motherboard?

(Sorry for another 'noob' question), but what exactly is PCI?



Good, good ! It is also really bad, but I haven't had high demands before now, so it has been alright. I had it turned on yesterday, and it took ~5 minutes before I was able to do anything. I hope this will be much, much faster.

Not for the current CPU but you can do overclocks on the GPU if you would like to. Though you should only do it if you need the extra performance. By that time I'm sure you might change the GPU and CPU(Remember only the K series can be overclocked) and then eventually upgrade to a better PSU to handle the overclocking.

PCI is a local computer bus(Basically a expansion port) for attaching hardware devices in a computer. For an example the wireless card is a PCI device while the GPU is a PCI-E device. If you look at this picture you can tell the different types based on the interface at the bottom of the card.

As for boot times you will be looking at 30-45 seconds at the most to the login screen.

 

[djinline]

Not for the current CPU but you can do overclocks on the GPU if you would like to.

I wouldn't recommend trying to overclock a 7870XT as it runs a bit warm already (still within reasonable temps though) and is very powerful in stock condition. Just enjoy the setup as it is until it's time to buy an i5-3570K, Dean.

 

[LaBounti]

Dean the I3-3220 is great, It's not as powerful as the I5-3350p but not significantly more you can save money and not notice a difference. Get the cheapest that will grant you good performance. the 7870 works great with the I3.

Also you can save on the HDD, You will not need 2TB unless its purpose built. You can get away with a cheaper 500GB Sata III.

You do not need a CPU cooler either. Overclocking is unnecessary for your needs and the I3 is locked. Do not overdo it if you do not need to.

 

[nick09]

That's all covered. I believe he's getting the aftermarket CPU cooler encase he upgrades to a better processor down the line.

 

[Dean]

I wouldn't recommend trying to overclock a 7870XT as it runs a bit warm already (still within reasonable temps though) and is very powerful in stock condition. Just enjoy the setup as it is until it's time to buy an i5-3570K, Dean.

I wouldn't have any idea how to, and I wouldn't even dare! It's powerful enough in "stock-mode" .

Dean the I3-3220 is great, It's not as powerful as the I5-3350p but not significantly more you can save money and not notice a difference. Get the cheapest that will grant you good performance. the 7870 works great with the I3.

Also you can save on the HDD, You will not need 2TB unless its purpose built. You can get away with a cheaper 500GB Sata III.

You do not need a CPU cooler either. Overclocking is unnecessary for your needs and the I3 is locked. Do not overdo it if you do not need to.

I think I chose the 3210, as it was a bit cheaper, but if you're sure I don't need the Cooler Master, I'll drop it, and upgrade to the 3220... But I'm not sure there's a fan build in, so I thought I needed a fan of some sort, to cool it all down. (That should answer your "question" too, Nick ).

 

[djinline]

I think I chose the 3210, as it was a bit cheaper, but if you're sure I don't need the Cooler Master, I'll drop it, and upgrade to the 3220... But I'm not sure there's a fan build in, so I thought I needed a fan of some sort, to cool it all down. (That should answer your "question" too, Nick ).

You'll need that Hyper 212 EVO cooler, it's much quieter and offers better cooling than the stock Intel buzzsaw bundled with boxed processors and there's hardly any difference between i3-3210 and i3-3220 so it's wiser to go with the cheaper model.

...and then eventually upgrade to a better PSU to handle the overclocking.

I missed this one. I'm very sure XFX Core Edition 550W will deliver enough power for a slightly overclocked i5-3570K, a 7870XT and all the peripherals connected.

 

[nick09]

Keep the 3210 and the 212 cooler and add the Arctic F12 fan(To the front) so you have case two fans moving air inside from the front to the back.

 

[TB]

I believe he's getting the aftermarket CPU cooler encase he upgrades to a better processor down the line.

Then get the cooler when (if?) you upgrade processors. The stock one will be more than sufficient as the i3 can't be overclocked anyway.

You're already struggling to come in under a budget cap. No sense whatsoever buying additional parts for something you MIGHT do in the future. Skip the aftermarket cooler. Better yet, apply the cost of the cooler to something else.

 

[nick09]

You know what? That is a good idea. That way he can make use of the money towards a 2TB HDD.

 

[Dean]

Keep the 3210

Okay. The 3220 is only another 30 kroner, but is it worth that?

No sense whatsoever buying additional parts for something you MIGHT do in the future. Skip the aftermarket cooler. Better yet, apply the cost of the cooler to something else.

That, I will do.

That way he can make use of the money towards a 2TB HDD.

This, too... My total cost is 5980, with the 3210 and 6010 with the 3220. 10 kroner is okay, if it's worth it .

 

[nick09]

Okay. The 3220 is only another 30 kroner, but is it worth that?

This, too... My total cost is 5980, with the 3210 and 6010 with the 3220. 10 kroner is okay, if it's worth it .

OK. Both are worth it.