Computer purchasing advice

Spike88 · 02-13-13, 10:39 PM

After my girlfriend dropped my laptop and I had to do some percussive maintenance to get the fan running again, I decided it's time to finally get a new computer. Ideally I'd like a laptop for portability, but the price is too damn high. So I've decided on finally putting together a desktop.

I've had a Cooler Master HAF932 for about two years now, without actually putting anything inside of it(save dust). So the case is settled, but I don't know what else to get. I'm looking at a budget of about $600(including monitor) although could probably go up a tad more depending on how much tax money I have left over after buying essentials. I already have speakers, a mouse and a keyboard. If push comes to shove I might be able to buy a screen off a friend for cheap.

Ideally I'd like something with 2.0ghz or higher 4 core processor, with 8 gigs of ram, DVD+RW drive, 1TB HDD, decent graphics card, and an HDMI port.

I need recommendations for:
CPU+ Heat sink
GPU
RAM
Sound Card
Network Card
Mother Board
PSU
Monitor
HDD
DVD drive

So basically everything.

As for cooling, the case comes with several fans. I'll have to check tomorrow exactly how many actually came with mine.

Herr-Berbunch · 02-14-13, 02:53 AM

Percussive maintenance - brilliant

antikristuseke · 02-14-13, 03:33 AM

I am a bit too lazy to look into prices myself at the moment, but you can get a good rough idea here
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...uter,3364.html

Spike88 · 02-14-13, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by antikristuseke

I am a bit too lazy to look into prices myself at the moment, but you can get a good rough idea here
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...uter,3364.html

Thanks for the article.

I made a hypothetical Intel wishlist to get a general idea on price.
It has:
LG 24X DVD Burner - Bare Drive Black SATA Model GH24NS95

Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Acer G205HVbd Black 20" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor

EVGA 01G-P4-2650-KR GeForce GTX 650 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power Plus RS500-PCARD3-US 500W ATX12V v2.3 Power Supply

Kingston HyperX XMP Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

ASUS P8B75-V LGA 1155 Intel B75 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core i5-3350P Ivy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.3GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 69W Quad-Core

For a total of $682.92.

Any thoughts or comments?

Also, Is it better to get 4x2GB or 2x4GB's for ram? The Mobo I selected has 4 ram slots.

Arclight · 02-14-13, 02:27 PM

I prefer only using 2 RAM modules, less strain on the memory controller but nowadays it's a pointless thing. No practical difference. As long as the modules match it's all good.

Bump the card to a x60. Twice the price for more then twice the performance.

Spike88 · 02-14-13, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arclight

Bump the card to a x60. Twice the price for more then twice the performance.

It's already $82 over the budget I set, If I bump to a x60 it'll push it farther. Plus I still need to buy a table to put it on and a chair.

the_tyrant · 02-16-13, 11:57 AM

What is your budget?

I have a stupidly overpowered configuration here: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=198851

GT182 · 03-02-13, 10:19 AM

Spike, if you have a Tiger Direct store near you head ove there. The guys on the floor will give you an hand on putting together a really good desktop.

I have the same case as you and it's the best I've ever bought.... even better than the Thermaltake XaserIII I bought a few years ago.

V13dweller · 04-22-13, 11:43 PM

Try the AMD Phenom II, they are much more powerfull than an i5, and they are just as effective as a. I7.
Like everything intel makes, they charge way to much for it.
My Phenom II x6 3.4 ghz plays games like sh5 without breaking a sweat (not literally)
And you can pick one up for around 100-250 Australian dollars.

Arclight · 04-23-13, 01:23 AM

Sandy or Ivy Bridge i5 absolutely crushes Phenom II. Generally that won't make much difference since most games are limited by the GPU, but where the CPU is the bottleneck it isn't even a contest.

V13dweller · 04-23-13, 11:43 PM

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/25...rmance-account This page can help Intel fanbois. Just saying. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/272094-28-hate-guys We also have to take into account the price range, and the fact the Phenom II is three years old now. And AMD has newer processors to take on Intel's new ones. http://media.bestofmicro.com/W/M/369...leneck2013.png Look at these figures, the difference is marginal. This is what most people want to see, in Battlefield 3 http://media.bestofmicro.com/W/U/369...leneck2013.png

V13dweller · 04-24-13, 05:27 AM

From all reviews I have read, Multi threaded applications (Like Sh5) run better on the AMD Phenom II x6, because they utilise all six cores.

This one from CPU-World.com shows that the Un-overclocked Phenom II runs Slightly better. http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/372...5_i5-2400.html

My AMD Phenom II X6 runs at 4 Ghz like a breeze, no problems, the doesn't even need to spin up for more demanding games, like Sh5, Crysis 3.

The Phenom II (Tested by me) can run Crysis 3 at 90-150 FPS solid and they core's ave not even got over 50%.

02-13-13, 10:39 PM	#1
Spike88 Ocean Warrior Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 3,052 Downloads: 36 Uploads: 0	Computer purchasing advice After my girlfriend dropped my laptop and I had to do some percussive maintenance to get the fan running again, I decided it's time to finally get a new computer. Ideally I'd like a laptop for portability, but the price is too damn high. So I've decided on finally putting together a desktop. I've had a Cooler Master HAF932 for about two years now, without actually putting anything inside of it(save dust). So the case is settled, but I don't know what else to get. I'm looking at a budget of about $600(including monitor) although could probably go up a tad more depending on how much tax money I have left over after buying essentials. I already have speakers, a mouse and a keyboard. If push comes to shove I might be able to buy a screen off a friend for cheap. Ideally I'd like something with 2.0ghz or higher 4 core processor, with 8 gigs of ram, DVD+RW drive, 1TB HDD, decent graphics card, and an HDMI port. I need recommendations for: CPU+ Heat sink GPU RAM Sound Card Network Card Mother Board PSU Monitor HDD DVD drive So basically everything. As for cooling, the case comes with several fans. I'll have to check tomorrow exactly how many actually came with mine. __________________

02-14-13, 02:53 AM	#2
Herr-Berbunch Kaiser Bill's batman Join Date: May 2010 Location: AN72 Posts: 13,203 Downloads: 76 Uploads: 0	Percussive maintenance - brilliant __________________

02-14-13, 02:27 PM	#5
Arclight Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Land of windmills, tulips, wooden shoes and cheese. Lots of cheese. Posts: 8,467 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 10	I prefer only using 2 RAM modules, less strain on the memory controller but nowadays it's a pointless thing. No practical difference. As long as the modules match it's all good. Bump the card to a x60. Twice the price for more then twice the performance. __________________ Contritium praecedit superbia.

02-16-13, 11:57 AM	#7
the_tyrant Admiral Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Canada Posts: 2,272 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 0	What is your budget? I have a stupidly overpowered configuration here: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=198851 __________________ My own open source project on Sourceforge OTP.net KGB grade encryption for the rest of us

03-02-13, 10:19 AM	#8
GT182 Ocean Warrior Join Date: May 2005 Location: New Castle of Delaware Posts: 3,231 Downloads: 658 Uploads: 0	Spike, if you have a Tiger Direct store near you head ove there. The guys on the floor will give you an hand on putting together a really good desktop. I have the same case as you and it's the best I've ever bought.... even better than the Thermaltake XaserIII I bought a few years ago. __________________ Gary No Borders, No Language, No Culture =s No Country I'm a Deplorable, and proud of it.

02-14-13, 03:33 AM	#3
antikristuseke Silent Hunter Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Estland Posts: 4,330 Downloads: 3 Uploads: 0	I am a bit too lazy to look into prices myself at the moment, but you can get a good rough idea here http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...uter,3364.html

04-22-13, 11:43 PM	#9
V13dweller Grey Wolf Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 768 Downloads: 101 Uploads: 2	Try the AMD Phenom II, they are much more powerfull than an i5, and they are just as effective as a. I7. Like everything intel makes, they charge way to much for it. My Phenom II x6 3.4 ghz plays games like sh5 without breaking a sweat (not literally) And you can pick one up for around 100-250 Australian dollars.

04-23-13, 01:23 AM	#10
Arclight Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Land of windmills, tulips, wooden shoes and cheese. Lots of cheese. Posts: 8,467 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 10	Sandy or Ivy Bridge i5 absolutely crushes Phenom II. Generally that won't make much difference since most games are limited by the GPU, but where the CPU is the bottleneck it isn't even a contest. __________________ Contritium praecedit superbia.

04-23-13, 11:43 PM	#11
V13dweller Grey Wolf Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 768 Downloads: 101 Uploads: 2	http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/25...rmance-account This page can help Intel fanbois. Just saying. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/272094-28-hate-guys We also have to take into account the price range, and the fact the Phenom II is three years old now. And AMD has newer processors to take on Intel's new ones. http://media.bestofmicro.com/W/M/369...leneck2013.png Look at these figures, the difference is marginal. This is what most people want to see, in Battlefield 3 http://media.bestofmicro.com/W/U/369...leneck2013.png Last edited by V13dweller; 04-24-13 at 12:00 AM.

04-24-13, 05:27 AM	#12
V13dweller Grey Wolf Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 768 Downloads: 101 Uploads: 2	From all reviews I have read, Multi threaded applications (Like Sh5) run better on the AMD Phenom II x6, because they utilise all six cores. This one from CPU-World.com shows that the Un-overclocked Phenom II runs Slightly better. http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/372...5_i5-2400.html My AMD Phenom II X6 runs at 4 Ghz like a breeze, no problems, the doesn't even need to spin up for more demanding games, like Sh5, Crysis 3. The Phenom II (Tested by me) can run Crysis 3 at 90-150 FPS solid and they core's ave not even got over 50%. Last edited by V13dweller; 04-24-13 at 05:39 AM.