Buyer's Guide II: Extreme, High-End, Mid-Range, Budget, and Entry Level Systems - Part 2

[zhix]

Folks, need advice and all comments welcomed. my current motherboard just died (no BIOS display, PS is okay), anyway it's a old Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 1.86GHz so I figure time to upgrade.

I primarily use my PC for

* photo (sometimes video) editing
* video conversion
* web surfing
* watching 1080p videos (hooked up to a DVI monitor and HDMI 32" LCD TV)
* listening to a lot of music (need PC to be quiet)

PC will be placed on the floor (tends to attract dust).
Not Intending to Overclock
Do not do gaming. (yes, shocking i know)


This is what I came up with after doing research.

Cpu & Mobo: i5-3470 & ASUS P8Z77-V DELUXE
Ram: G.Skill 1600mhz value ram 2x4GB @ $54
ODD: HP DVD RW @ $25
GPU: Powercolor 7970 V2 @ $549
Case: CoolerMaster HAF 912 Advanced USB3.0 @ $139

PSU: Existing (Coolermaster GX-450w Bronze)
HDD: Existing
SSD: Existing
OS: Existing (Win 8)
SoundCard: Existing (Asus Xonar Essence STX)


need advice and all comments welcomed.

 

[nipp0n]

Folks, need advice and all comments welcomed. my current motherboard just died (no BIOS display, PS is okay), anyway it's a old Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 1.86GHz so I figure time to upgrade.

I primarily use my PC for

* photo (sometimes video) editing
* video conversion
* web surfing
* watching 1080p videos (hooked up to a DVI monitor and HDMI 32" LCD TV)
* listening to a lot of music (need PC to be quiet)

PC will be placed on the floor (tends to attract dust).
Not Intending to Overclock
Do not do gaming. (yes, shocking i know)


This is what I came up with after doing research.

Cpu & Mobo: i5-3470 & ASUS P8Z77-V DELUXE
Ram: G.Skill 1600mhz value ram 2x4GB @ $54
ODD: HP DVD RW @ $25
GPU: Powercolor 7970 V2 @ $549
Case: CoolerMaster HAF 912 Advanced USB3.0 @ $139

PSU: Existing (Coolermaster GX-450w Bronze)
HDD: Existing
SSD: Existing
OS: Existing (Win 8)
SoundCard: Existing (Asus Xonar Essence STX)


need advice and all comments welcomed.

What software do you use for video and photo editing? I strongly encourage you to buy a new PSU. CM PSU is not very reliable.

What is your budget? Since you don't game, you don't need such a high end gpu.

 

[zhix]

What software do you use for video and photo editing? I strongly encourage you to buy a new PSU. CM PSU is not very reliable.

What is your budget? Since you don't game, you don't need such a high end gpu.

Photoshop CS for photo editing. Microsoft Video Maker for video editing.

Noted on the PS. Budget around 1 to 1.5k ?

 

[nipp0n]

Photoshop CS for photo editing. Microsoft Video Maker for video editing.

Noted on the PS. Budget around 1 to 1.5k ?

Cpu & Mobo: i5-3470 & Asrock B75 Pro 3M @ $347
Ram: G.Skill 1600mhz value ram 2x4GB @ $54
ODD: HP DVD RW @ $25
GPU: Powercolor 7750 @ $140
Case: Fractal Design R4 @ $149
PSU: Seasonic X 560W @ $148
HDD: Existing
SSD: Existing
OS: Existing (Win 8)
SoundCard: Existing (Asus Xonar Essence STX)
Assembly cost: $10

Total: $873
Buy and build at PC Themes.

Get a basic entry level gpu for gpu acceleration for your adobe photoshop. You don't need a high end gpu for adobe photoshop.

You don't need a Z mobo if you don't intend to oc. B75 or H77 mobo is good enough.

Fractal Design R4 is made of sound dampening material which helps to minimize noise. Seasonic X 560W is a fully modular psu, with 7 years warranty and is quiet as well. When you are buying psu, always go for more reputable brands that make quality psu (eg. Seasonic, Corsair or FSP). CM PSU quality is not there yet..

 

[zhix]

Cpu & Mobo: i5-3470 & Asrock B75 Pro 3M @ $347
Ram: G.Skill 1600mhz value ram 2x4GB @ $54
ODD: HP DVD RW @ $25
GPU: Powercolor 7750 @ $140
Case: Fractal Design R4 @ $149
PSU: Seasonic X 560W @ $148
HDD: Existing
SSD: Existing
OS: Existing (Win 8)
SoundCard: Existing (Asus Xonar Essence STX)
Assembly cost: $10

Total: $873
Buy and build at PC Themes.

Get a basic entry level gpu for gpu acceleration for your adobe photoshop. You don't need a high end gpu for adobe photoshop.

You don't need a Z mobo if you don't intend to oc. B75 or H77 mobo is good enough.

Fractal Design R4 is made of sound dampening material which helps to minimize noise. Seasonic X 560W is a fully modular psu, with 7 years warranty and is quiet as well. When you are buying psu, always go for more reputable brands that make quality psu (eg. Seasonic, Corsair or FSP). CM PSU quality is not there yet..

Thanks nippon .. appreciate the advise .. will look through these specs

 

[zhix]

Cpu & Mobo: i5-3470 & Asrock B75 Pro 3M @ $347
Ram: G.Skill 1600mhz value ram 2x4GB @ $54
ODD: HP DVD RW @ $25
GPU: Powercolor 7750 @ $140
Case: Fractal Design R4 @ $149
PSU: Seasonic X 560W @ $148
HDD: Existing
SSD: Existing
OS: Existing (Win 8)
SoundCard: Existing (Asus Xonar Essence STX)
Assembly cost: $10

Total: $873
Buy and build at PC Themes.

Get a basic entry level gpu for gpu acceleration for your adobe photoshop. You don't need a high end gpu for adobe photoshop.

You don't need a Z mobo if you don't intend to oc. B75 or H77 mobo is good enough.

Fractal Design R4 is made of sound dampening material which helps to minimize noise. Seasonic X 560W is a fully modular psu, with 7 years warranty and is quiet as well. When you are buying psu, always go for more reputable brands that make quality psu (eg. Seasonic, Corsair or FSP). CM PSU quality is not there yet..

Hi nippon,

another quick question, if i want a higher end mb (one with integrated WIFI and Bluetooth, 8 SATA ports), is there any other mb you would recommend?

 

[nipp0n]

Hi nippon,

another quick question, if i want a higher end mb (one with integrated WIFI and Bluetooth, 8 SATA ports), is there any other mb you would recommend?

Most of the mobos with integrated wifi and bluetooth come with 6 sata ports.

GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket 1155 - GA-Z77X-UD3H-WB WIFI (rev. 1.0)

MSI Global ? Mainboard - Z77 MPOWER

Actually Asrock B75 Pro 3M comes with 8 sata connectors. If you need wifi and bluetooth, you can always buy USB dongle for these 2. It will be much cheaper compared to getting a higher end mobo just for the wifi and bluetooth feature.

 

[zhix]

Most of the mobos with integrated wifi and bluetooth come with 6 sata ports.

GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket 1155 - GA-Z77X-UD3H-WB WIFI (rev. 1.0)

MSI Global ? Mainboard - Z77 MPOWER

Actually Asrock B75 Pro 3M comes with 8 sata connectors. If you need wifi and bluetooth, you can always buy USB dongle for these 2. It will be much cheaper compared to getting a higher end mobo just for the wifi and bluetooth feature.

thanks nippon .. don't know why I always have this impression that WIFI/bluetooth Dongles performance are a bit unstable .. i thought that if it's integrated the performance will be much better .. but no data to backup it up .. just personal impression

 

[[T]oo[P]ro[L]an[L]iao]

Why not consider Intel upgrade? I think intel Pentium G860 will be a better option compared to the one you stated.

I will suggest you get this,
CPU & Mobo: G860 & Asrock B75M-DGS @ $148
Ram: G.Skill 1333mhz 4GB @ $26

Total: $174
Buy from Tradepac.

So if I buy those 2, will I got help from the services to put in + install inside my CPU?? Or must I bring my CPU there and pay extra charge? And my window is 32 bit, 4Gb Ram can run fully at my com? Thanks nipp0n for replying

 

[nipp0n]

So if I buy those 2, will I got help from the services to put in + install inside my CPU?? Or must I bring my CPU there and pay extra charge? And my window is 32 bit, 4Gb Ram can run fully at my com? Thanks nipp0n for replying

What os are you using?

I'm not sure if Tradepac will help you to assemble the cpu and mobo into your rig. You can ask them if it is possible to do that. If they don't, you can go to PC Themes. But the prices is slightly more expensive for the cpu & mobo bundle and there might be a $10 assembly fee.

If not, you can consider buying it from Nigel shop and ask him to help you to assemble.

You can ask him for help in his thread here. You can ask him for price quote on the 2 items i listed.
http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/h...corner-all-diy-hardwarezoner-^-^-3581022.html

 

[[T]oo[P]ro[L]an[L]iao]

What os are you using?

I'm not sure if Tradepac will help you to assemble the cpu and mobo into your rig. You can ask them if it is possible to do that. If they don't, you can go to PC Themes. But the prices is slightly more expensive for the cpu & mobo bundle and there might be a $10 assembly fee.

If not, you can consider buying it from Nigel shop and ask him to help you to assemble.

You can ask him for help in his thread here. You can ask him for price quote on the 2 items i listed.
http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/h...corner-all-diy-hardwarezoner-^-^-3581022.html

i using Windows 7 .. okay i will look into that thread~

 

[nipp0n]

i using Windows 7 .. okay i will look into that thread~

If you have the windows 7 installation disc, i think you can do a clean installation and install 64bit windows 7.

 

[duuckie]

Noob needs advice with PC build please

Hi all, noob here wanting to get my first DIY gaming rig, hoping to get some advice from the pros here. It will be used for gaming only (Skyrim, Farcry 3, Borderlands 2 etc).
I am not aiming for a godly PC, but one that will allow me to play any game at high - max settings at 1920x1080 on a 60hz monitor @ 50-60 FPS for the next 2-3 years. I don't plan to OC either.

Budget is capped at $1.8k for the CPU alone (include OS). I don't think I require SSD, can live with longer start up times.
My current build is:

i5-3570 Asrock Z77 Extreme 4 -M
Gigabyte GTC 670 2GB OC
G Skill Ripjaw 1600 2x8 GB
HDD Toshiba 1TB
Samsung DVD RW
FSP 550W 80+ Bronze Raider
Fractal Define R4 case
CM Hyper 212
Windows 7 64bit

I am also having trouble deciding on GPU because I read online that alot of ppl have issues with GTX 670s and the Z77 mobo (something about PCI 2.0 and 3.0 incompatible, abit too chim to understand..) Is that still a problem or already fixed in bios update or something?
Not sure if I have too high hopes for this build. Any suggestions on what to change/if some parts are overkill? I hope to fully utilise my budget and get the best performance out of this rig for the next few years.
Any feedback is appreciatedt thanks!

 

[yojunhao]

Looking to make a computer soon
I've listed some of the items detail i'm looking for.
where should i do it?

CPU+MOBO ~ i5 3.2ghz 3470+Asrock B75pro 3M $347
Ram~Kingston DDR3 1600 2x4Gb $58
Graphic card~ Powercolor 7950HD $399
Storage~ Internal 1TB WD blue 64m $93
Power Supply~ 550w
Dvd Writer~ Hp DVD Rw $25
Casing~ Not too sure yet, looking for bundles with psu if possible.

 

[noinimod]

Budget is capped at $1.8k for the CPU alone (include OS). I don't think I require SSD, can live with longer start up times.

Swap out for cheaper mobo. Get a cheaper 670 model. Specific model doesn't matter if you don't overclock (i'm assuming you don't). Just make sure it's covered by the usual good distros.

And get a SSD. No one buying a 1.8k rig should be without an SSD. Are you sure that current setup is maxing out the 1.8k budget already? Seems like there's still a good portion left for SSD

 

[nipp0n]

Hi all, noob here wanting to get my first DIY gaming rig, hoping to get some advice from the pros here. It will be used for gaming only (Skyrim, Farcry 3, Borderlands 2 etc).
I am not aiming for a godly PC, but one that will allow me to play any game at high - max settings at 1920x1080 on a 60hz monitor @ 50-60 FPS for the next 2-3 years. I don't plan to OC either.

Budget is capped at $1.8k for the CPU alone (include OS). I don't think I require SSD, can live with longer start up times.
My current build is:

i5-3570 Asrock Z77 Extreme 4 -M
Gigabyte GTC 670 2GB OC
G Skill Ripjaw 1600 2x8 GB
HDD Toshiba 1TB
Samsung DVD RW
FSP 550W 80+ Bronze Raider
Fractal Define R4 case
CM Hyper 212
Windows 7 64bit

I am also having trouble deciding on GPU because I read online that alot of ppl have issues with GTX 670s and the Z77 mobo (something about PCI 2.0 and 3.0 incompatible, abit too chim to understand..) Is that still a problem or already fixed in bios update or something?
Not sure if I have too high hopes for this build. Any suggestions on what to change/if some parts are overkill? I hope to fully utilise my budget and get the best performance out of this rig for the next few years.
Any feedback is appreciatedt thanks!

CPU & Mobo: i5-3470 & Asrock B75 Pro 3M @ $347
Ram: G.Skill 1600mhz value ram 2x4GB @ $54
ODD: HP DVD RW @ $25
HDD: Western Digital Blue 1TB @ $90
SSD: Plextor M5P 128GB @ $155
GPU: Powercolor 7970 V2 @ $529
Case & PSU: NZXT Phantom 410 & FSP 550W Gold Modular @ $265 (Bell)
OS: Windows 7 Home @ $103 (Tradepac)

Total: $1568
Buy and build at PC Themes unless otherwise stated.

• For cpu and mobo, if you don't intend to oc, B75 or H77 mobo is good enough. Z77 mobo is more for overclocking purpose. The difference between i5-3470 and i5-3570 is not significant enough to justify for the $17 increase. If you don't mind paying that extra $17 for minimum increase, i5-3570 is good to go.
  
• For ram, 8GB is more than enough for gaming and normal usage. 16GB is recommended if you are doing intensive graphic rendering.
  
• For HDD, Hitachi or Western Digital is more reliable and comes with 3 years warranty while Toshiba comes with 2 years warranty.
  
• For GPU, 7970 is better than GTX670 when it comes to price to performance ratio. With oc, 7970 is able to hit GTX680 stock performance.

• You don't need a after market cpu cooler since you don't intend to oc. Intel stock cpu cooler is good enough.
  
• Since you have a good budget, go for at least Gold efficiency psu. The case & psu bundle i recommended is pretty attractive. However, if you want a silent case, Fractal Design R4 will be a better choice as it is made of sound dampening material to minimize noise.

 

[nipp0n]

Looking to make a computer soon
I've listed some of the items detail i'm looking for.

CPU+MOBO ~ i5 3.2ghz 3470+Asrock B75m-DGS
Ram~8Gb
Graphic card~ 7950HD
Storage~ Internal 1TB
Power Supply~ 550w
Dvd Writer~ looking for $25
Casing~ Not too sure yet, looking for bundles with psu if possible.

How much will it cost for the mention specs.

what is your budget? Do you need os?

 

[yojunhao]

@nipp0n i've edited my post. I will be using my 32bit Windows7 Os. Ard $1.1k? is there any casing+psu bundle deal going on?

 

[nipp0n]

@nipp0n i've edited my post. I will be using my 32bit Windows7 Os. Ard $1.1k? is there any casing+psu bundle deal going on?

I will suggest you upgrade your os to 64 bit as 32 bit will limit you to 4GB ram.

CPU & Mobo: i5-3470 & Asrock B75M-DGS @ $324
Ram: G.Skill 1600mhz value ram 2x4GB @ $54
ODD: HP DVD RW @ $25
HDD: Western Digital 1TB @ $90
GPU: Powercolor 7950 PCS @ $409
Case: Sharkoon T28 @ $89
PSU: FSP Raider 550W @ $89
Assembly cost: $10

Total: $1090
Buy and build at PC Themes.

 

[yojunhao]

I will suggest you upgrade your os to 64 bit as 32 bit will limit you to 4GB ram.

CPU & Mobo: i5-3470 & Asrock B75M-DGS @ $324
Ram: G.Skill 1600mhz value ram 2x4GB @ $54
ODD: HP DVD RW @ $25
HDD: Western Digital 1TB @ $90
GPU: Powercolor 7950 PCS @ $409
Case: Sharkoon T28 @ $89
PSU: FSP Raider 550W @ $89
Assembly cost: $10

Total: $1090
Buy and build at PC Themes.

4gb ram is enough for gaming right? I'm quite tight atm.
Previously some guy posted powercolor 7950pcs is out of stock, any idea when will the stock come in again?