Advice for new machine

[mike911]

Hi, Have cleaned up the post to have lesser text and clearer goal.

Know what you Need
- Reason
-- Notebook HDD appears to be failing with slow reads and solid HDD light 50% of the time during load
-- Taking opportunity to build personal machine
-- Allows management of multiple SATA drives without external drive bays
- Usage
-- Couple of hours during Weekdays
-- Mostly Full-time during Weekends
-- Time Spent (20% Web/Updates, 50% Live Stream/Cartoon Viewing, -% Gaming (My notebook is not able to game, Usually T-Loan my bro's rig to game once in a while))
- Games
-- Simulator Driving Games
-- Generally Single Player FPS, yes unfortunately. If budget allows, I'll go paid.
- Monitor Resolution
-- 1200p (Strictly u2412m)
- Budget and follow it
-- 1.6k - 2.2k (Inclusive of Monitor)
- Hardware Required
-- CPU+mobo
-- Ram
-- int./ext. GPU
-- SSD
-- PSU
-- Casing

Know what you Want
- Go with a 'need' 1st. If within budget, den try put in some 'wants'. [In-Order]
-- Decent Filtered Airflow
-- 1440p (Strictly u2713hm)
-- Mechanical Keyboard
-- 2nd rig for NAS
-- Not power hungry
-- Mild OC (For Joy only)
- Upgrade Schedule
-- Not likely unless hardware failure or desperately need to

What you dont need
-- Full ATX
-- Water Cooling
-- SLI/CrossFire
-- ODD/OS
-- Bling Bling

Build Plan
MSI B85m-G43 + i5 4570 ~ $380
Kingston hyperx 2x4GB ~ $104
Intel SSD 530 250GB / Crucial m500 120gb / Plextor m5p 128gb ~ $230/$160
Fractal Design Define R4 / Define Mini / Arc Mini R2 ~ $169/$129/$129
MSI R9 280x 3GB ~ $479
SuperFlower Golden Green HX-600 ~ $109 (mnc)


==========================================================

Hi, I need some advice and recommendation to setup a new machine. Below are my thoughts that I have now and will update my needs accordingly should it be necessary. Regards to budget I am flexible for readjustment or if over-budgeted so i can save for another setup. Also I am open to either get the parts as a whole or separately from IT Shows/Online/In-Store bundles as long I know the items to look out for. Hoping to design for long term without upgrades, unless due to hardware failure. Would appreciate very much of your great assistance.

Use :
Daily stuff
- watching videos, anime, etc. (Generally 720p)
- internet (Mainly Surf net, Streaming videos)
- File management
Light Casual Gaming
- Mainly FPS, RPG, MMO
- Driving Simulators

Need :
Hardware
- CPU + M/B (Ok with either AMD or Intel)
- Ram
- GPU (Optional if onboard is sufficient for 1200p or 1440p, or if GPU required possible smaller form factor)
- SSD
- PSU
- Case (Ok with mATX/ITX, preferably with 1-2x 5.25 bay for HDD hot-swap)

Wants :
Monitor - Dell u2412m or u2713hm only ~ approx $369 to $769
Speaker - Creative T30 or T40 II ~ approx $150
Keyboard - Ducky or equivalent clean look (preferably tenkeyless) ~ approx $105

Budget for PC only :
1k to 1.4k (Total max budget $2.2k for u2713hm and $2.0k for u2412m)

Draft Design Plan :
(Total $1354 - PCT)
i5-4570 + MSI b85m g43 or Asrock B85m-Pro4 ~ $382
Kingston value ram 8gb ~ $96
Plextor m5s 128gb ~ $149
MSI gtx660 2gb + Seasonic 620w ~ $445 (Bundle) / MSI gtx760 4gb + FSP 550w Platinum ~ $560 (Bundle) / MSI R9 280x 3GB ~ $479 + Super Flower Golden Green HX 500W [80 Plus Gold] @ $89
Corsair 350D ~ $139 / Fractal Design Define Mini ~ $129 / Fractal design R4 ~ $159


Edit Notes
-Removed "extra wants"
-Removed ATX Case Choice
-Increase Max Budget for u2713hm
-Updated Speaker Budget
-Archived Old Post to smaller fonts

 

[Jian19]

i5-4570 + Msi b85m g43 ~ $356
Kingston 16gb ddr3 value ram ~ $180
Plextor m5s 128gb ssd ~ $145
Gigabyte 280x ~ $445
Seasonic m12ii 650w ~ $125
Corsair 350d ~ $140

Total ~ $1391 buy and DIY @ tradepac ~ ask for discount..should be able to handle gaming @ 1440p pretty well

 

[royfrosty]

Msi b85m g43 + i5 - 4570 ~ $ 356
Kingston value ram 8gb ~ $ 93
WD blue 1tb ~ $ 80
Adata premier pro sp900 128gb ssd ~ $ 125 (tradepac in house promo)
Gigabyte r9 28XOC 3gb ~ $449
Superflower hx500 golden green 80+ gold ~ $89 (mynextcom)
Corsair Obsidian 350D ~ $ 139
Dell u2412M ~ $ 359
Swans m10 2.1 speakers ~ $122 (mynextcom)
Keyboard $120 budget

Total $1932 buy at tradepac unless stated.

 

[mike911]

Thanks for the suggested setup. Do give me awhile to take a look.

 

[mike911]

sorry for the late reply. didn't had time to readup on the reco components.

i thought through further and think that I may not be using the rig so much and intensive. it just happen that I want it to be the best out of the budget.

1. a question to ask. does asynchronous memory for the adata ssd has a significant difference from the sync. memory like plextor and crucial?

2. it would seem to be tough to squeeze in a 1440p panel unless taking more budget from the rig itself.
maybe I should stick with 1200p and use the remaining budget for accessories.

3. if I'm going for a basic use with light casual gaming ITX mobo/case along with a shorter GPU. Will there be a huge difference in cost price?

 

[royfrosty]

sorry for the late reply. didn't had time to readup on the reco components.

i thought through further and think that I may not be using the rig so much and intensive. it just happen that I want it to be the best out of the budget.

1. a question to ask. does asynchronous memory for the adata ssd has a significant difference from the sync. memory like plextor and crucial?

2. it would seem to be tough to squeeze in a 1440p panel unless taking more budget from the rig itself.
maybe I should stick with 1200p and use the remaining budget for accessories.

3. if I'm going for a basic use with light casual gaming ITX mobo/case along with a shorter GPU. Will there be a huge difference in cost price?

So far im using the adata. Have to say its a solid ssd. But if you wanna know the 2 differences you can go to this link HARDOCP - Introduction - NAND Flash Faces Off - Synchronous vs. Asynchronous

Itx is expensive. And not worth it. The price over performance not worth it.

 

[Lippyt]

3. if I'm going for a basic use with light casual gaming ITX mobo/case along with a shorter GPU. Will there be a huge difference in cost price?

R9 280X is a long card, usually 27cm-31cm depending on the brand. The coolermaster elite 130 is probably the smallest and cheapest case that can fit the 280X inside. So you don't have to sacrifice performance for a smaller footprint.

An equivalent motherboard will run you $80 more while the case is $50 cheaper than the 350D.

 

[Lippyt]

2. it would seem to be tough to squeeze in a 1440p panel unless taking more budget from the rig itself.
maybe I should stick with 1200p and use the remaining budget for accessories.

If you are willing to take the risk and buy a korean panel on ebay look for "catleap" and "achieva shimian" 27 inch monitors.

 

[mike911]

So far im using the adata. Have to say its a solid ssd. But if you wanna know the 2 differences you can go to this link HARDOCP - Introduction - NAND Flash Faces Off - Synchronous vs. Asynchronous

Itx is expensive. And not worth it. The price over performance not worth it.

Thanks bro, I will go take alook at it. I understood from some of the bros here that they dont really "differ" much too. Other than benchmark values. Anyways, it will still be faster than mechanical drives.

R9 280X is a long card, usually 27cm-31cm depending on the brand. The coolermaster elite 130 is probably the smallest and cheapest case that can fit the 280X inside. So you don't have to sacrifice performance for a smaller footprint.

An equivalent motherboard will run you $80 more while the case is $50 cheaper than the 350D.

Yes, hence I was looking for deviation alternatives with smaller footprint and weight such as
asus gtx670 Direct-CU mini
msi gtx760
or R7 260/270 etc.

If you are willing to take the risk and buy a korean panel on ebay look for "catleap" and "achieva shimian" 27 inch monitors.

Sorry bro, I do not wish to offend the community, but I'm kind of stubborn at certain stuff. For me display wise its 20% about the risk, but 80% about the design (although u2713hm changed to a curvy design which i dont quite like). I always wanted 16:10 panels, which came u2411h. Then seeing u2711h too, i liked it too, but was 16:9, hence i hesitated due to price. Then with the newer budget model. It became to be a possible candidate to me although it wasn't 16:10. but at that size its forgiveable.

 

[mike911]

Regards to GPU choice, any recommendations for 1 step below R9 280x? gtx760/660 or 7950/7850?

 

[royfrosty]

Regards to GPU choice, any recommendations for 1 step below R9 280x? gtx760/660 or 7950/7850?

R9 280x is equivalent to the gtx770. One grade lower would be as per follows.

R9 280x > gtx770 > 7970 > r9 280 > gtx760 > 7950

 

[mike911]

R9 280x is equivalent to the gtx770. One grade lower would be as per follows.

R9 280x > gtx770 > 7970 > r9 280 > gtx760 > 7950

So I guess would be gtx760 or 7950 (~$400 range) to take some budget out.

 

[Lippyt]

Yes, hence I was looking for deviation alternatives with smaller footprint and weight such as
asus gtx670 Direct-CU mini
msi gtx760
or R7 260/270 etc.



Sorry bro, I do not wish to offend the community, but I'm kind of stubborn at certain stuff. For me display wise its 20% about the risk, but 80% about the design (although u2713hm changed to a curvy design which i dont quite like). I always wanted 16:10 panels, which came u2411h. Then seeing u2711h too, i liked it too, but was 16:9, hence i hesitated due to price. Then with the newer budget model. It became to be a possible candidate to me although it wasn't 16:10. but at that size its forgiveable.

You can add the Zotac GTX 760 to that list too... it's pretty short.

I have had desired a 16:10 screen for very long, but the price premium last time was pretty extreme. One of my dream 16:10 screens was the 30" cinema display that Apple used to make in aluminum, but alas, it was replaced by a glossy migraine inducing wonder.

 

[mike911]

it seems that I need to sit down and get my thoughts straight of my needs.

or maybe come out with designs for different builds.

You can add the Zotac GTX 760 to that list too... it's pretty short.

I have had desired a 16:10 screen for very long, but the price premium last time was pretty extreme. One of my dream 16:10 screens was the 30" cinema display that Apple used to make in aluminum, but alas, it was replaced by a glossy migraine inducing wonder.

okays will do so, thanks. if I recall correctly, apple display are strictly quality controlled and very expensive. even till now?

 

[_nivla]

sorry to hijack your thread ts!

just wanna ask what is a decent graphic card now i can buy with preferrably less than 250??

can play games at recommended/ optimal settings.


Thanks! Would love to have some advice!

 

[AS1]

Got consider those gaming laptops from MSI or Aftershock?

With that budget, can get a pretty nice setup now especially since got another show coming.

 

[royfrosty]

sorry to hijack your thread ts!

just wanna ask what is a decent graphic card now i can buy with preferrably less than 250??

can play games at recommended/ optimal settings.


Thanks! Would love to have some advice!

Depends on what games you are playing.

But a $250 card wont do much.

Here are some cards you may consider.

Red camp
Powercolor 7850 2gb ~ $233

Green Camp
Leadtek GtX650ti boost 2gb ~ $227

Bot are on par with each other. But do take note that the gtx650ti boost is already on its limit.

 

[mike911]

Got consider those gaming laptops from MSI or Aftershock?

With that budget, can get a pretty nice setup now especially since got another show coming.

hey as1, however I'm not looking at notebook now. although true that they do have the capability now of some gaming and portability options

 

[mike911]

Alright to not spend too much time and forcing myself to requestion my thoughts, I'll try to plan 3 separate designs and pick 1. Will plan for matx first, as itx will bump price up and have to find smaller psu (The sf hx500 seems to have a larger footprint for bitfenix prodigy matx/itx.

- 1200p rig - $1.6k Budget (Reuse brother's u2412m and get another 23' u2312hm/s2340l for replacement)
- 1200p rig - $2.0k Budget (Get a new u2412m for self)
- u2713hm rig - $2.0-2.2k Budget (have to underpower rig)

Reason for budget removal - To offset for possible BYONas build.

 

[mike911]

Here's what I've come up. Any kind advice is appreciated. Prices are rounded off to the most ex choice for a better estimation.

1440p $2.277k
Asrock/MSI B85m + i5 4570 ~ $370
KVR 2x4GB ~ $100
crucial m500 120gb / plextor m5p 128gb ~ 160
superflower hx500 / fsp 550 silver raiden / seasonic 520w m12ii ~ $90
Corsair 350D / Fractal Design Define mini ~ $139
AMD R9 270x ~ $370

matx 1200p $1.907k
Asrock/MSI B85m + i5 4570 ~ $370
KVR 2x4GB ~ $100
crucial m500 120gb / plextor m5p 128gb ~ 160
fsp 550 silver raiden / seasonic 520w m12ii ~ $100
Corsair 350D / Fractal Design Define mini / Bitfenix Prodigy M ~ $149
MSI GTX760 / AMD R9 270x ~ $400 (might not fit for Prodigy M)

itx 1200p $1.990k
MSI H87I / Asus H87I-PLUS + i5 4570 ~ $443/$431
KVR 2x4GB ~ $100
crucial m500 120gb / plextor m5p 128gb ~ 160
fsp 550 silver raiden / seasonic 520w m12ii ~ $100
CM 130 $99 / Bitfenix Prodigy M ~ $149
MSI GTX760 / AMD R9 270x ~ $400 (might not fit for Prodigy M)

Accessories
u2713hm ~ $769
u2412m ~ $359
Swans D1010-IV ~ $179 / Creative T40 II ~ $99
KB - $100


Also a few concerns came up.
Corsair 350D - May have quality problems with front panels not being able to click back properly. and the 5.25" bays will look awkward if items are added i.e. hotswap bay. I'm not too sure about the airflow intake from the front too.
Define Mini - Same concern about the airflow intake. But this however is debatable due to silent and airflow complementing each other
Prodigy M/itx - Space and cable management issues and uses another air-flow concept for matx version