Buyer's Guide II: Extreme, High-End, Mid-Range, Budget, and Entry Level Systems

[Polto7]

hi, i am planning to build a sff rig mainly for surfing the internet however i'm unsure of which parts to buy so any suggestions would be appreciated. my budget is $500-$600 and the casing i have in mind is silverstone sg-02f. no need OS and monitor.

 

[kaixax555]

hi, i am planning to build a sff rig mainly for surfing the internet. my budget is $500-$600 and the casing i have in mind is silverstone sg-02f. no need OS and monitor.

wow that is overkill casing
What I think:
AMD Athlon II x2 240 $90
Biostar A780L3 $84
2x2GB DDR3 Kingston $152
500GB WD Blue $73
Andyson F500M $95
Ikonik EN2 $69
Total: $563
The relatively large casing of the Ikonik EN2 and the large power supply allows you to add on a graphics card in the future when you want to game.

 

[batuchka]

hi, i am planning to build a sff rig mainly for surfing the internet however i'm unsure of which parts to buy so any suggestions would be appreciated. my budget is $500-$600 and the casing i have in mind is silverstone sg-02f. no need OS and monitor.

A2X3 425 $110 Video Pro
Andyson G480 $59
2 x 2 GB KVR 1333 $150 Tradepac
Seagate 7200.12 500 $72
Samsung DVDRW $30
Biostar A780L3 $84 Classic Dynasty
Silverstone SG-02F $99 Chamoxna
$604

 

[kaixax555]

A2X3 425 $110 Video Pro
Andyson G480 $59
2 x 2 GB KVR 1333 $150 Tradepac
Seagate 7200.12 500 $72
Samsung DVDRW $30
Biostar A780L3 $84 Classic Dynasty
Silverstone SG-02F $99 Chamoxna
$604

opps couldn't quite get the sff thing. But I thought small form factor need itx?

 

[quekghi]

opps couldn't quite get the sff thing. But I thought small form factor need itx?

small form factor range from pico-ITX to micro-ATX. in polto7's case, it's micro-ATX casing SG02F.

 

[boomslang_20117]

hi i intend to build a hackintosh with a budget of 2k. need recommendation for parts compatible with min. fuss.

 

[Polto7]

thanks for the suggestions. i was just thinking if is it okay if i just buy ddr2 2gb rams as rams prices are quite expensive now.

 

[quekghi]

thanks for the suggestions. i was just thinking if is it okay if i just buy ddr2 2gb rams as rams prices are quite expensive now.

prices of ddr2 and ddr3 isn't a great difference atm. so if you're building a new system. just hop on the ddr3 bandwagon.

 

[d901971]

Advise for a Rig for gaming & photoshop-ing

Hi,
My current PC is a 7-yrs old DELL machine die on me and I am looking for a machine that can last me for at least 3 yrs for gaming and doing photoshop-ing. I am new new to this space and from the threads I read here, my draft config as below. BTW budget is $2K.

1. Intel Core i7-930 & ECS E58B-A2
2. Team Elite DDR3-1333MHz 6GB Kit (3X2GB)
3. MSI HD 5870
4. Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 32MB
5. HP dvd1270i SATA 24X DVD Rewriter
6. Seasonic X-750 PSU (or Seasonic M12II-520Bronze 520W?)
7. Cooler Master CM690
8. 24' monitor (any recommendation?)
9. Reusing existing speakers

What's "SSD 160GB - 320GB"?

Thanks for the help.

 

[quekghi]

Hi,
My current PC is a 7-yrs old DELL machine die on me and I am looking for a machine that can last me for at least 3 yrs for gaming and doing photoshop-ing. I am new new to this space and from the threads I read here, my draft config as below. BTW budget is $2K.

1. Intel Core i7-930 & ECS E58B-A2
2. Team Elite DDR3-1333MHz 6GB Kit (3X2GB)
3. MSI HD 5870
4. Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 32MB
5. HP dvd1270i SATA 24X DVD Rewriter
6. Seasonic X-750 PSU (or Seasonic M12II-520Bronze 520W?)
7. Cooler Master CM690
8. 24' monitor (any recommendation?)
9. Reusing existing speakers

What's "SSD 160GB - 320GB"?

Thanks for the help.

if you don't intend to crossfire or sli in future. skip the seasonic 750w, go for 520/620w.

go for HD5850, most bang for buck high end graphics card out there atm.

ssd is mechanical-less based storage drive. it's alot faster than 7200rpm or even 15000rpm drives. can consider getting a 64gb ssd for os drive if you have the extra cash.

 

[Zeltos]

hi guys

i'm new to hardwarezone and the whole DIY pc building scene but so far i've just been so interested in everything! stumbled onto this sticky and it's so detailed and regularly updated i'm very impressed.

anyway i'm going to get myself a new computer this holiday season as a treat after my exams and i'm pretty darn excited. hopefully anyone would be kind enough to help me out as this is my first ever DIY PC.

alright so my budget first of all is under $2000. main use for this computer is to play games at relatively high resolutions (tired of playing with every setting at low) and watching HD movies. games i'm thinking of is Crysis, Modern Warfare 2, GTA IV, Mass Effect 2, etc. i already have a dvd drive, the monitor shouldn't be less than 23" and i'm not planning to overclock but would like a PC with a bit of future-proofing.

well here's what i have so far! (prices are based on this sticky and other pricelists)

AMD Phenom II X4 965 & Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H..$482
Team Elite DDR3-1333MHz 6GB Kit (3X2GB).................$182
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 32MB........................$149
Sapphire/MSI Radeon HD 5850....................................$419
Seasonic M12ii 620w....................................................$135
CoolerMaster V8...........................................................$85
CM CM690 RC-690K Pure (Black Edition)......................$129
Samsung P2350 23" Wide............................................$308
Microsoft Sidewinder X4 Keyboard................................$79

Grand total: $1968

Any opinions on this config would be greatly appreciated. thanks so much guys!

For that price, as well get an i5-750 with gigabyte ga-p55a-ud3 for $485. Get asus evo board if u wanna true usb3.0!

 

[d901971]

Thanks quekghi!

Anyone recommending a model for 23' or 24' monitor? Is it ok to use a wireless keyboard and mouse? Want to keep everything neat and tidy.

 

[quekghi]

Thanks quekghi!

Anyone recommending a model for 23' or 24' monitor? Is it ok to use a wireless keyboard and mouse? Want to keep everything neat and tidy.

can take a look at LG/Samsung 23"~24" monitor. some of them are LED and shows really bright colors. good for gaming imo. yes, it's perfectly fine to use wireless keyboard and mouse.

 

[d901971]

Out of curiousity. Is there a equivalent AMD version of Intel Core i7-930 or anything near to it? If there is, what'd a suitable motherboard be? Trying to see if I can get the same performance at lower cost. Beside AMD being hotter, any cons?

Thanks again.

 

[quekghi]

Out of curiousity. Is there a equivalent AMD version of Intel Core i7-930 or anything near to it? If there is, what'd a suitable motherboard be? Trying to see if I can get the same performance at lower cost. Beside AMD being hotter, any cons?

Thanks again.

amd is not hot. please don't listen to rumours. maybe you can wait for phenom ii x6 1090?

 

[DeathSLaw]

amd is not hot. please don't listen to rumours. maybe you can wait for phenom ii x6 1090?

But 6 cores not that good for gaming? Should boost the photoshopping stuff though. right?

 

[batuchka]

Err i would say pre NDA dun take 'benches' too seriously - and most i see are from ulu sites and/or synthetic bennches oso but yes the sweet spot for a purely gaming rig is triple cores but if one needs mucho more CPU horsepower for CPU intensive task actually the guys at Xtremesystems have shown the locked multi 1055T is pretty clockable

 

[quekghi]

hmmm. anyone know where can buy NZXT Sentry 2 Fan Controller ma?

 

[melvin_singapore]

Multi tasking dun need i7-930, an i5-750 will do the job just the same.
i5-750 + Gigabyte P55-UD6 + Megahalems $561 + $95
The board I reco is a high end mobo, good for overclocking
2x2 GB Kingston DDR3 $152
Unless you run super intensive programs like virtual client, no need for 6GB. And I think there is no noticeable impact with increased clock speed
WD Black 1TB $149
+1 for 3 years warranty and fast speed
Samsung DVD drive $30
MSI HD5850 $425
No change here. 3 years warranty is a plus here.
Seasonic 620W modular $130
Seasonic is trusted brand and has five years warranty just like the Andyson F600M, and it has 20W more as well.
Lancool K62 $169
good casing with good airflow and large space, enough to fit a 5870 in nicely.
Total here: $1711

Thanks but shouldnt i7 would be a better choice?

yes, some rich gfx gaming would be involved, virtual servers etc as well.

 

[kaixax555]

Thanks but shouldnt i7 would be a better choice?

yes, some rich gfx gaming would be involved, virtual servers etc as well.

i7 if you do a lot of encoding, heavy stuff etc
i5 for multitasking, gaming
i3 for basic setup