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

[djinline]

Your plans seem a bit wiser than what I can come up with. 👍

Good thing we're making progress post after post.

 

[Dean]

OK. Both are worth it.

Okay... I'll go with the 3220, then 👍.

Good thing we're making progress post after post.

Yes 👍.

My list - so far:

- ASRock Z75 Pro3 Motherboard ATX LGA1155 Socket Z75 USB 3.0 Gigabit LAN (579,-)
- Asus DRW 24B5ST DVD Drive (139,-)
- XFX Core Edition PRO550W Power supply (469,-) (Should be changed to modular)
- Aerocool PGS Value Series Vs-3 case (309,-)
- TP-LINK TL-WN851ND 300Mbps Wireless N (129,-) 
- Club 3D Radeon PokerSeries HD7870 jokerCard XT Limited Edition (1659,-) 
- Windows 7 Home Premium DVD OEM* DK (709,-) 
- Kingston HyperX blu Black Series 2x4GB RAM (479,-) 
- Intel Core i3 3220 3.3 GHz (879,-) 
- WD Blue WD10EZEX Harddisk 1 TB intern harddisk 3.5" SATA-600 7200 rpm (499,-)
(- Seagate ST9160314AS (5400 rpm) 160GB (0,-) [Old laptop HDD])
- SATA 150/300 cabel - 0.3 m (22,-)
------------
Total: 5872,- DKK

I put in some stars, because I have some (more) questions; First what is OEM? Second, will that 2 TB drive work?

Plus, I have an HDD in my old laptop, (320 GB, I think) - would I be able to use it (as a secondary HDD) after I've deleted everything on it, on the new system?

 

[djinline]

I put in some stars, because I have some (more) questions; First what is OEM? Second, will that 2 TB drive work?

Plus, I have an HDD in my old laptop, (320 GB, I think) - would I be able to use it (as a secondary HDD) after I've deleted everything on it, on the new system?

OEM is probably explained here: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/O/OEM.html. On operating systems, it means you can only use it on one setup.

I would get the ST2000DM001, I'm certain it's one of the fastest mechanical 7200RPM HDDs today. I have bad feeling about Toshiba's HDDs as they might be slower or unreliable (or am I confusing Toshiba with Hitachi?). I wouldn't recommend either of those brands anyway. Here's a roundup with the ST2000DM001 and DT01ACA200 included. Note the extra 1 year warranty on the Seagate for just 10 DKK more.

Yes you can use the 320GB as a secondary HDD, VS-3 supports both 3.5" and 2.5" HDDs so it shouldn't be a problem to install it.

 

[Eks]

Looking good, Dean. 👍

You're building this, right?

 

[nick09]

Yes he is. In fact I think the parts are finalized. He better keep us up to date on the building of his system!

 

[Eks]

Yes, post pics of your progress or the final build please.

 

[Dean]

I think I'll be building it, if I can't get someone, who knows what their doing, to do it for me.

As for the HDD, I'm thinking about changing it to a 1 - maybe 1.5 TB instead, since I do have the extra 320 GB-HDD, to save some money. I'll much rather pay for 1 (or 1.5) TB, since I know I won't ever fill up 2 TBs. I'm not even using 100 GB (220 GB+ left) on my current HDD. Would that be an idea?

 

[nick09]

I'd keep the 2TB just encase you'll really need it. Heck you can use the 320GB Drive as a backup drive for important documents.

 

[djinline]

Even you wouldn't use all the space, dropping off measly 40 DKK from the price for 500GB less doesn't look like a good deal at all. Here's a 1,5TB HDD for comparison purposes: http://www.pc-lager.dk/vare-oversigt.php?varenummer=18153&type=0

 

[Dean]

Oh, then it'll probably be either the 2 TB or the 1 TB, - whichever is the best deal . But, since I'll only have less than 7 games, I probably won't need more than 1.5 TB.

 

[TB]

But, since I'll only have less than 7 games, I probably won't need more than 1.5 TB.

I thought there was no chance in hell I was ever going to fill my 7Gb hard drive on my Compaq from 1999, either. Now I'm chucking around 8Gb+ files and 400Gb folders...

As long as you have one hard drive now for the OS, more drives can be added very easily at any point in the future.

 

[djinline]

Oh, then it'll probably be either the 2 TB or the 1 TB, - whichever is the best deal . But, since I'll only have less than 7 games, I probably won't need more than 1.5 TB.

2TB is still a better deal (lower price per GB than 1TB). If you get the 1TB HDD, getting another 1TB HDD would be more expensive (2x 1TB = 998 DKK) than going straight to a 2TB HDD (669 DKK). Do you see my point here?

 

[Dean]

I thought there was no chance in hell I was ever going to fill my 7Gb hard drive on my Compaq from 1999, either. Now I'm chucking around 8Gb+ files and 400Gb folders...

As long as you have one hard drive now for the OS, more drives can be added very easily at any point in the future.

2TB is still a better deal (lower price per GB than 1TB). If you get the 1TB HDD, getting another 1TB HDD would be more expensive (2x 1TB = 998 DKK) than going straight to a 2TB HDD (669 DKK). Do you see my point here?

I think I get both of your points - I'll go for the 2 TB :tup: - I can always upgrade after that, if I need to. As for my old HDD, I can now say it's a Seagate ST9160314AS (5400 rpm) with 160GB (122GB unused). Will it still be "re-"usable?

 

[nick09]

Yes. Just hook up the connections(Uses the same cables) as you would on the 2TB HDD and format it after you install windows. You just need to buy an extra SATA cable for it since the motherboard only comes with two of them.

 

[Dean]

Do you know if I can use the old wires, from my laptop? They work perfectly (well, now) .

Is there even more I can use from my laptop? - Maybe the USB-ports?

 

[nick09]

Nope. You can however see if there is resale value for your laptop. Some people(like me) look for spare parts for their clients.

 

[Dean]

I'll will try that... There is an Intel Atom, and a 10.1" screen, but I'm not sure if it's worth anything at all.

 

[nick09]

Just sell it as is for parts. Someone will pick it up just for the screen(Usually $50 USD here). Check the completed sales on ebay to see if it's worth selling.

 

[LaBounti]

Either way, you are paying more. Why stop at 2TB if 4TB has a better "ratio". For your needs you are throwing away money. I have a 500GB, I know I won't need more than that. But for your usage it may not be used.

Just giving another perspective. You've made it clear on what your PC's purpose is. 2GB is over doing in my opinion. save $20 here save there. the saving add up on each part you buy. Just don't go cheap with the power supply.

 

[djinline]

Here's a review on that XFX 550W power supply. It's both cheap and good. I understand your point of view about HDD space vs. usage and I would like to see Dean's thoughts about that, though I'm still recommending 2TB. 👍

 

[Sharky.]

That power supply isn't modular. I'd steer well clear of it on that basis alone...

 

[Dean]

Either way, you are paying more. Why stop at 2TB if 4TB has a better "ratio". For your needs you are throwing away money. I have a 500GB, I know I won't need more than that. But for your usage it may not be used.

Just giving another perspective. You've made it clear on what your PC's purpose is. 2GB is over doing in my opinion. save $20 here save there. the saving add up on each part you buy. Just don't go cheap with the power supply.

I personally thought about only going with the 1 TB (+ my old 160 GB), but since I'm not 100% sure about what I would install/make, I'm having a little issue on calculating the space I need. I use 38 GB (20.5 GB without XP) on my current HDD (XP's apparently 1.5 GB), but it'll be more on the new computer. I read Windows 7 was 20 GB, plus various programs/files (well, let's say 40 GB personal files, (music/videos/documents) and the the various must-have programs (Adobe Reader, Java, Internet, ETS 2 , drivers etc.), which I don't know the size of (- ETS 2 is also 20 GB), so around another 40 GB? So, 20 (Windows 7) + 40 + 40 GB = 100 GB. It'll then leave me with 1084 GB... But, I'd rather be sure I have the space, in stead of having to buy a new HDD later on. The 1TB is a better deal than the 750 GB, but I'm not so sure about the 500 GB (409,- against 499,- for the 1 TB).

Here's a review on that XFX 550W power supply. It's both cheap and good. I understand your point of view about HDD space vs. usage and I would like to see Dean's thoughts about that, though I'm still recommending 2TB. 👍

:tup:.

That power supply isn't modular. I'd steer well clear of it on that basis alone...

I'm not sure what it means, to be honest, but I'll see what I can do 👍.

 

[Sharky.]

Modular power supplies only have one cable permanently wired into the unit, the 24+4pin motherboard power cable. Every other cable (PCI-Express, SATA, plain molex) can be removed and only plugged into the power supply if it is required. Non-modular power supplies, like that XFX one, have every cable permanently wired into the unit which means that any cables you don't need will end up floating around the bottom of your case.

Linus of NCIXTechTips/LinusTechTips fame can explain the difference between modular and non-modular much better than I can:


Given the option, I would take a modular power supply (even if it's only semi-modular) over a non-modular one any day.

 

[Dean]

Oh, I see the difference ! If a normal power supply comes with all that, I probably won't have space enough to the rest.

I found a 520W Seasonic M12II-520 ("semi modular") at 629,- but I don't know if it's got enough power to "my" system and they don't know when they'll get it in stock . - Same for the Corsair Enthusiast TX550M.

 

[nick09]

That PSU has enough wattage for your system. So I would go for it. Don't forget that the computer case also has some cable management features.

 

[djinline]

Oh, I see the difference ! If a normal power supply comes with all that, I probably won't have space enough to the rest.

Non-modular PSU cables will fit just alright in a mid-tower case with some cable routing solutions but modular PSU makes cable management much easier as you can customize the cable selection to match your hardware. 👍

Also, you should now go for the 1TB HDD to slightly compensate the extra price from the modular PSU.

 

[Dean]

The 1 TB, is now on my list.

I also thought about going a tad (or many) down in the GPU to save some money. I'm thinking about going to an (almost) half prices GPU; the HD 7770. I could go lower, but I wanted to ask here, before I decided something.

 

[RX-7_FD3S]

For the GPU it all depends on what you're expecting. If you want to play games nearly maxed each times, get the 7870, if it doesnt bother you to use custom settings in your game (medium to high) then go for the 7770. However in the long run, from my experience it's better to pay a bit more for your GPU, it usually last much longuer than an open price GPU. But again it's more a matter of what you're expecting and what price you want to pay.

 

[djinline]

The 1 TB, is now on my list.

I also thought about going a tad (or many) down in the GPU to save some money. I'm thinking about going to an (almost) half prices GPU; the HD 7770. I could go lower, but I wanted to ask here, before I decided something.

Keep the 7870XT on the list and you won't have to upgrade GPU anytime soon. Simple as that, you might regret getting the HD 7770 if your games need more grunt.

I mean, just look at these reviews and bear in mind that HD 7950 costs over 2000 DKK and GTX 670 is around 2700 DKK. [link] [link]

That's a no-brainer choice, in my opinion.

 

[Dean]

For the GPU it all depends on what you're expecting. If you want to play games nearly maxed each times, get the 7870, if it doesnt bother you to use custom settings in your game (medium to high) then go for the 7770. However in the long run, from my experience it's better to pay a bit more for your GPU, it usually last much longuer than an open price GPU. But again it's more a matter of what you're expecting and what price you want to pay.

Well, I think I can justify it, if it'll last many years (~5). But since ETS 2 only needs a GTS 450 (HD 6670), I should be able to play at high setting "smoothly" with the 7770.

Keep the 7870XT on the list and you won't have to upgrade GPU anytime soon. Simple as that, you might regret getting the HD 7770 if your games need more grunt.

That's what I'm thinking... I guess you're right about paying the extra bit. Here, money equals power .