Advice on Computer Build
 

In September, I'll be building me a new computer, as some of you may know. I've thrown together a build, based on past builds I've thrown together, with the following things in mind: I do a lot of 3D Modelling which takes up a lot of resources, and I do a fair bit of graphical work too. I game, also, which needs a powerful system these days, and I'd like to have space to upgrade (processor and graphics card, mainly).

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Mobo: Asus Striker II Extreme NF790i, S775 (1600MHz FSB), DDR3
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Extreme QX9650 3.0ghz (Yorkfield, 45nm, 1333MHz)
RAM: 8gb Corsair TwinX XMS3 DDR3 PC3-12800 (1600mhz)
Graphics Card: 1gb XFX GTX280 XXX
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 250gb x2, Seagate Barracuda 1000gb x1
PSU: 1000W Xclio

Monitor: HyundaiIT W241D 24" Widescreen
Optical Drives: Samsung DVD Drive

Case: Coolermaster Stacker 830 Evolution 'nVidia' Special Edition

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97...882/Rejig1.jpg

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Altogether, that's £2,892.83. I know I can shave more off (different PSU, different graphics card, lower spec CPU), but unless I get the same spec for cheaper, I don't really want to.

That's not to say that I don't want advice, though.

For example, I know I can get the processor for £55 cheaper if I buy the OEM version, but do I really get it cheaper? Can I get a good CPU fan for less than £55 which is also better than the retail fan?

I'd also like advice on cooling - my room gets very hot and stuffy, and my computer(s) is usually on for 7+ hours on a weekday, and more than 12 on each weekend day. The case is chosen partly because of its cooling capabilities (it can house a total of nine 120mm fans, and is big to boot so the airflow is good), but it's useless if I buy a handful of fans that need me to hand crank them. Advice on thermal paste will be welcome, too.

Anyway, the link below the specs is the price list, which also shows LN##### numbers next to each component - if you enter these in the search box on www.scan.co.uk you can view the product in question.

So there you have it. Pick away, oh tweedler buzzards! Gnaw at the bones of my prospective build lay bare, and tell the cook how he can prepare it better.

Thankee.

Oh, and I'll also be buying Vista 64-bit and XP 64-bit with the system (to accommodate the RAM, if anyone wants to know. I can get away with using my current 32-bit versions of each OS, but then I only get 3gb of my 8gb RAM), which knocks it just over three grand, but you don't need to worry about those.

Like I said before, can you buy the components in the U.S. and have them shipped?

I don't see why not. Give me a mo to check newegg, and I'll tell you if it's worth it.

EDIT: $3210.93, without the monitor as Newegg doesn't have it. In English monies that £1615.40. :x Tiny bit cheaper, yeah, and I haven't even bothered to look at shippping (it won't be £1400, put it that way!).

It's a damned shame that Newegg doesn't deliver internationally.

Any other good US sites that might deliver to little old me?

I'm really not sure man.

Find someone you trust in the US, have Newegg ship to them, have them ship to you. It would be tons cheaper that way, assuming you know someone in the US that you trust enough to do that.

lenny why are you buying so much worthless shit

Obviously because I'll have the money... :rolleyes:

What would you advise, then? Bearing in mind I want something that has enough power to do what I want (my current PC has 3gb RAM, a 2.4ghz dual core, and the 8800GTS, and you can hear it struggling to keep up with some of my models), something that still has room to be upgraded, and something that will last me well for three or four years at the least. I would like to see what you'd build, as you're one of the few that gives the impression of knowing what he's talking about.

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I know a few people in the US who might receive the parts that for me and then ship them... hmmm... possibility.

I was going to mention that you needed a 64-bit OS to use all of that ram. However, you knew ahead to state something about that.

Hey Lenny, that computer isn't quite as powerful as my brothers computer and his was $1000 before we added the ATI HD 3870 X2 graphics card and some other junk.

We're using

Motherboard: MSI (Forgot) Crossfire Ready
CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9850 BE
RAM: 4GB DD4
Graphics Cards: ATI HD 3870 and a ATI HD 3870 X2 (+$400)
HDD: 500GB x 300GB (External | +$200) x 200GB (External | +$150)
Internal Power: 1300w

Monitor: 22' (Energy Star Approved ^_^)
Drives: Sony DVD Drive :: Diskette Drive
Plugs: 10usb ports :: 2 FireWire

Fans: (Case) 8 :: (Internal) 1 - Coolermaster with OD support
Case: Full tower NXZT

OS: Windows XP 64-bit

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I also need to state that 8GB of RAM is really unnecessary. The most you'll ever really need is 4GB. 8GB just seems like a waste.

I've had awful experiences with MSI motherboards in the past (including this one), and the same goes for AMD processors (which mine also is), so I'd like to stay away from both for a few years, tbh.

I have had thoughts about ATI graphics cards, indeed, I put them in computers I've built for friends, but personally I prefer nVidia - plus an nVidia card will go well with the case! :p When I get the money, I'll eventually go up to tri-SLi.

The reason for my two 250gb's and one 1000gb HDD configuration is because I want one XP drive, one Vista drive, and one drive with all my files on (partitions are akin to the devil in my book). An external drive might be easier than the 1000gb internal to have, as I'll probably be swapping it in and out of the new PC and this one whenever I come home from Uni, which is something I'll think about. And I'd love a beefy PSU, though I'm not sure if I really need it.

24". :)

The advice has been noted, regardless of how the post reads! If I don't use it myself, then I may instead incorporate it into builds for other people who might not trust Intel, say, or have a hatred for nVidia. I find it interesting how the latest Crossfire doesn't require identical cards, I must admit.

Just for fun, here's a computer Mantra put together for me. I'll be getting everything on tuesday and getting her running. This has little relevance to the thread, really, but I'm posting it anyway.


New computer:

1 x LIAN LI PC-65B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112040

4 x HIPER HFF-1G08N Green LED 80mm Transparent Case Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835224015

1 x Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136218

1 x G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231122

1 x SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151154

1 x SAPPHIRE 100242L Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102747

1 x GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128337

1 x Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115037

1 x CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V V2.2 Power Supply 90 - 264 V UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TUV, CCC, C-tick
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139003

All of that came out to be $850.84, plus $38.35 S&H. $889.19 total.


Here's what I'm currently using:

Dell Dimension 2400, self-upgraded a bit

Intel Celeron 2.4 GHz processor
1 GB RAM (I think it came with 256 MB)
NVidia Geforce FX5500 256 MB (The computer came with onboard video, which was complete rubbish. The card in it right now isn't a ton better, but it was the best I could get since my computer only has PCI slots.)
80 GB HDD (Came with a 40 GB HDD)



I'm not going to know what to do with myself with this new computer. It's infinitely better than my current one, and the price was very nice. I was expecting to have to spend a lot more on a good gaming PC, but Mantra did well picking all of this stuff out. Obviously it's not quite on the same level as what you're looking for, Lenny, but it's going to do me just fine. I'm excited as hell for it.

don't try to futureproof your computer, pretty much the only things that will be up to date 4 years from now are the monitor, peripherals, and the case and possibly the psu

only spend like $1000 of that 3000 now, and save the rest...then you can upgrade twice in the future

If you were building me a PC, then what would you go for over the mobo, RAM, CPU and graphics card that I've chosen?

One of my reasons for trying to futureproof it is that I'm off to Uni in October, and I'm not going to have £3000 to call my own for years after this one. If I don't build my computer now then the three grand will end up going towards things at Uni, and I'll be stuck with my current PC. Any cash left over from building the PC will also go towards things at Uni - which is why I'm going all out now on high spec components that probably won't need upgrading for two, maybe three years. If I do find the odd £250 here and there then I will add things, but big upgrades aren't too feasible... unless I starve myself each term. :p

Also, quick question - the Western Digital Raptor hard drives. The case has a slot specifically built for one, I'm wondering what the fuss is about them. Any idea?

You have a decent amount of spending money.

me = jealous

Me = exhausted, and I've only earnt £600 of it so far. Another ten or so weeks, and then I'll have enough to build it... last time I'll probably have this type of money, too. I'm going to miss my days of Summer Jobs and no taxes. :(

just get a dell laptop

That's the worst advice I've ever heard..

In my opinion, getting a laptop of any kind is a bad idea unless you're using it for a business or for school or something. There's this guy here at work who swears by his "gaming laptop." While it's cool that he can play games when he's on-the-go, the computer cost way too much to be worth it for what he's got.

Basically, in my opinion, if you need a computer for school or business or something, you don't need a GREAT one, so you can get a laptop pretty cheap. If you need a computer for gaming and shit like that, you can build a desktop PC that is customized just how you want it and easily upgradeable for a fraction of the cost of a laptop.

My other brother (who never came here) is purchasing a new computer even more powerful than my brother who came here.

$2000! (x_x)

Motherboard: MSI 790FX K9A2 Platinum (^_^)
Processor: AMD Phenom X4 9950 BE
Power Source: Thermaltake Toughpower 1500 watt
Graphics: 2 ATI HD 3870 X2 (0_0)
RAM: 4GB DD2 Kingston (4 1GB)
HDD: 500GB (same as other brother)
DHD:160GB

Monitor: 22' (Same as other brother)
Drives: Sony DVD Drive
Plugs: 6 USB Ports :: ? FireWire

Fans: (Case) 8 :: (Internal) 1 - Asetek Liquid Cooling
Case: Full tower NXZT (Same as brother)

OS: Windows XP 64-bit (Going to be)

AW!

Lenny, in reality, you should be able to get what you're trying to get for less than you think it will cost. I mean, gezz, look at all of that. That's killer, Crisis will play likes it's an NES game back in olden days.


You kill me just a little inside saying something so wrong as that.

what my laptop is

As Evil Santa said, there is nothing wrong with having a Dell laptop, or any kind for that matter... unless you plan on creating graphics that make FF:SW look like crap!

I have no idea what half those specs mean, but just the fact that it is going to cost you 3000 (british dollars)* must mean that it's damn near the best out there. With what Lenny plans on doing, I'm amazed he isn't tapping into the city's powergrid to power all his supre computer-ness he has planned!