New PC Build - help please

hj2k_x

hj2k_x

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Hello all,

My current PC is over 5 years old and it really is upgrade time.

Work commitments and other excuses have meant that I haven't properly kept up to speed with tech trends over the past couple of years; as such, I turn to the best place I know to ask for help with my new build. :)

For those of you who take the time to read my post and respond to my quite specific requirements, I really appreciate it!

My current build:

Case: CoolerMaster Aero with a 25cm side fan and 12cm in and out fans.
Mobo: A cheap one; I think it might be Asus (Age: 1 year)
CPU: AMD X2 5200+ 2.6GHz (Age: 5 years)
RAM: 4GB DDR800 Transcend (Age: 3 years)
GFX: ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO 256MB (Age: Bought second hand 2 years ago)
PSU: Huntkey 700W (Age 1 year)
HDD: 20GB IDE (Age: 15 years - for some reason, the mobo refuses to pick up SATA HDDs. At all) + 3 x 500GB extranals.
Monitors: Samsung T260 26" 1920x1200 x 2 (Age: 2-3 years)
OS: Windows7 32-bit


I also have a 32" Samsung LCD which I use as my TV (model LA32C450E1) which looks exactly like the T260s, which is why I bought it.

My plan is to replace the 32" with a larger Samsung to use as the TV (40"+; budget: R5000-R6000) and then run the 32" as a third monitor off the PC for watching movies and the like. At this stage. gaming from the PC is quite unlikely. I would use it for browsing, Facebook, watching movies etc. If I ever get back into gaming, I would get a console and hook it up to the TV in the lounge. I will also then use the current PC as a media hub attached to the TV in the lounge.

So, my budget for the PC (excluding the new TV) is R10 000 max. I would prefer to hand-pick each part but it would be great if I can then buy the majority or all of the parts from the same place. My preference is for Prophecy - got the last PC there and have got nothing but great service from them.

Here is what I have in mind so far:

Case: The Bitfenix Colossus, if it is possible to turn those lights off completely when I want to sleep @R1499
or
The Antec 1100 from Prophecy @R1271
or even
The Antec Skeleton open air chassis if it does not get full of dust and doesn't make too much noise. Both of which it probably does.

I am not going to have to move the case ever, so it can be big and heavy. It is not as if I am going to be carting it to LANs or anything. I do want it to be functional, big enough for expansion and proper cable management and airflow and it will also be prominent in the room, so I want it to look nice. Black brushed metal and blue LEDs are my preference.

PSU: I am thinking of getting a small cheap 430W power supply for the media centre and using the 700W Huntkey I already have for the new build @R338

Mobo: (A lot of guidance needed here)

This Asus one from Prophecy @R1146
or
this Intel one which seems better value for money @R1720

CPU: This i5 2500 quad-core Intel from Prophecy @R1853
or the cheapest i7 I could find from Prophecy for R2891


RAM: Two of these Kingston 4GB sticks @R300 each


GPU: Radeon HD6850 GDDR5 256bit from Prophecy for R1860. It has two DVI outs and HDMI.
I need three separate desktops on the three monitors, preferably running at 1920x1200 My current humble GPU has managed to run my two T260s at 1920x1200 for ages.

HDD: Kingston 64GB SSD for R1094

Storage HDD: 2TB Seagate 5900rpm for R1233

That brings the total to R10210 for the i5 build with the more expensive case and the better mobo, which is my preference.

All comments welcome :)
 
hj2k_x said:
Hello all,

My current PC is over 5 years old and it really is upgrade time.

Work commitments and other excuses have meant that I haven't properly kept up to speed with tech trends over the past couple of years; as such, I turn to the best place I know to ask for help with my new build. :)

For those of you who take the time to read my post and respond to my quite specific requirements, I really appreciate it!

My current build:

Case: CoolerMaster Aero with a 25cm side fan and 12cm in and out fans.
Mobo: A cheap one; I think it might be Asus (Age: 1 year)
CPU: AMD X2 5200+ 2.6GHz (Age: 5 years)
RAM: 4GB DDR800 Transcend (Age: 3 years)
GFX: ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO 256MB (Age: Bought second hand 2 years ago)
PSU: Huntkey 700W (Age 1 year)
HDD: 20GB IDE (Age: 15 years - for some reason, the mobo refuses to pick up SATA HDDs. At all) + 3 x 500GB extranals.
Monitors: Samsung T260 26" 1920x1200 x 2 (Age: 2-3 years)
OS: Windows7 32-bit


I also have a 32" Samsung LCD which I use as my TV (model LA32C450E1) which looks exactly like the T260s, which is why I bought it.

My plan is to replace the 32" with a larger Samsung to use as the TV (40"+; budget: R5000-R6000) and then run the 32" as a third monitor off the PC for watching movies and the like. At this stage. gaming from the PC is quite unlikely. I would use it for browsing, Facebook, watching movies etc. If I ever get back into gaming, I would get a console and hook it up to the TV in the lounge. I will also then use the current PC as a media hub attached to the TV in the lounge.

So, my budget for the PC (excluding the new TV) is R10 000 max. I would prefer to hand-pick each part but it would be great if I can then buy the majority or all of the parts from the same place. My preference is for Prophecy - got the last PC there and have got nothing but great service from them.

Here is what I have in mind so far:

Case: The Bitfenix Colossus, if it is possible to turn those lights off completely when I want to sleep @R1499
or
The Antec 1100 from Prophecy @R1271
or even
The Antec Skeleton open air chassis if it does not get full of dust and doesn't make too much noise. Both of which it probably does.

I am not going to have to move the case ever, so it can be big and heavy. It is not as if I am going to be carting it to LANs or anything. I do want it to be functional, big enough for expansion and proper cable management and airflow and it will also be prominent in the room, so I want it to look nice. Black brushed metal and blue LEDs are my preference.

PSU: I am thinking of getting a small cheap 430W power supply for the media centre and using the 700W Huntkey I already have for the new build @R338

Mobo: (A lot of guidance needed here)

This Asus one from Prophecy @R1146
or
this Intel one which seems better value for money @R1720

CPU: This i5 2500 quad-core Intel from Prophecy @R1853
or the cheapest i7 I could find from Prophecy for R2891


RAM: Two of these Kingston 4GB sticks @R300 each


GPU: Radeon HD6850 GDDR5 256bit from Prophecy for R1860. It has two DVI outs and HDMI.
I need three separate desktops on the three monitors, preferably running at 1920x1200 My current humble GPU has managed to run my two T260s at 1920x1200 for ages.

HDD: Kingston 64GB SSD for R1094

Storage HDD: 2TB Seagate 5900rpm for R1233

That brings the total to R10210 for the i5 build with the more expensive case and the better mobo, which is my preference.

All comments welcome :)
Click to expand...

What do you plan to use this computer for? Motherboard I would suggest Z68 above all, if not P67, if possible made by ASUS, they're no.1 currently for mobo's. When do you need this build by? If you could wait an extra 1 or 2 months you could grab an Ivy Bridge CPU with a Z77 board : http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z77V_DELUXE/, Ivy Bridge will also work fine on Z68 boards which support 22nm CPU's.
 
Last edited:
Duff-Man said:
What do you plan to use this computer for? Motherboard I would suggest Z68 above all, if not P67, if possible made by ASUS, they're no.1 currently for mobo's. When do you need this build by? If you could wait an extra 1 or 2 months you could grab an Ivy Bridge CPU with a Z77 board : http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z77V_DELUXE/, Ivy Bridge will also work fine on Z68 boards which support 22nm CPU's.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply.

Sorry if I did not make it clear. I will be using it essentially for browsing and multitasking. Music, movies and maybe some light gaming (Starcraft, Red Alert and the like). I mainly need to replace my current machine which is running off a 15 year old IDE hdd which seriously needs replacing. Just need it to be fairly future proof and then what I said above about functionality and looks :)

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
 
Okay here's my suggestion, note Wootware is used as the price reference

Case : Thermaltake Level 10GT Snow Edition - $289.99/R 2 203 (Will have to be ordered online from amazon.com)

CPU : i5 2500K - R2 083 (Bought from Landmark Computers)

Motherboard : ASUS P8Z68 - R 2 354

RAM : 2x 4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3 - R700

HDD :WD Caviar Green 2TB - R 1 351

PSU: CoolerMaster Extreme Power Plus 460W - R 451

SSD: OCZ Agility 3 - R 1455

Total = R 10 597

__________________________________________________________________________________

With this build here you don't need a discrete GPU, since the Z68 mobo allows you to use the Intel HD 3000 graphics embedded with the CPU, this should be fine for you since you've stated that you would use a consol for gaming, however I would highly recommend that for gaming you scrap the console and put that money into a decent discrete graphics card, the graphics on your PC will be much better than that on your console.

The case I've recommended is the one that I'm also going to be getting for my next build, designed by Thermaltake in conjunction with BMW, yes BMW, for me its the best looking case currently available : http://thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?S=1341&ID=2052#Tab2 .

Kingston SSD's based on cunsumer reviews perform badly compared to other SSD's. OCZ is probably the leading brand for SSD's, which is why Esquire have just signed a contract to distribute these, and with the OCZ you get double the storage for roughly the same price.

If you are willing to wait you could do one of two things, : Upgrade your CPU and mobo to an i5 3570K, with a Z77 board, both will cost the same at time of release as the CPU and mobo listed above. Or you could wait for the new CPU and mobo's to come out and then get an i5 2500K and Z68 mobo at a reduced price. If you upgrade, you will get Intel HD 4000 graphics which offers a 200% graphics boost over Intel HD 3000, and the CPU should be around 10%-15% faster than current i5 2500K's. So in general you will see around a 30% overall boost in performance.
 
Duff-Man said:
Okay here's my suggestion, note Wootware is used as the price reference

Case : Thermaltake Level 10GT Snow Edition - $289.99/R 2 203 (Will have to be ordered online from amazon.com)

CPU : i5 2500K - R2 083 (Bought from Landmark Computers)

Motherboard : ASUS P8Z68 - R 2 354

RAM : 2x 4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3 - R700

HDD :WD Caviar Green 2TB - R 1 351

PSU: CoolerMaster Extreme Power Plus 460W - R 451

SSD: OCZ Agility 3 - R 1455

Total = R 10 597

__________________________________________________________________________________

With this build here you don't need a discrete GPU, since the Z68 mobo allows you to use the Intel HD 3000 graphics embedded with the CPU, this should be fine for you since you've stated that you would use a consol for gaming, however I would highly recommend that for gaming you scrap the console and put that money into a decent discrete graphics card, the graphics on your PC will be much better than that on your console.

The case I've recommended is the one that I'm also going to be getting for my next build, designed by Thermaltake in conjunction with BMW, yes BMW, for me its the best looking case currently available : http://thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?S=1341&ID=2052#Tab2 .

Kingston SSD's based on cunsumer reviews perform badly compared to other SSD's. OCZ is probably the leading brand for SSD's, which is why Esquire have just signed a contract to distribute these, and with the OCZ you get double the storage for roughly the same price.

If you are willing to wait you could do one of two things, : Upgrade your CPU and mobo to an i5 3570K, with a Z77 board, both will cost the same at time of release as the CPU and mobo listed above. Or you could wait for the new CPU and mobo's to come out and then get an i5 2500K and Z68 mobo at a reduced price. If you upgrade, you will get Intel HD 4000 graphics which offers a 200% graphics boost over Intel HD 3000, and the CPU should be around 10%-15% faster than current i5 2500K's. So in general you will see around a 30% overall boost in performance.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the links -

That case is a bit racy for my taste - but I guess a case is going to be the easiest thing to pick of the lot.

That mobo looks awesome. I didnt realise onboard gfx had reached that stage. Would I be able to run all three monitors off the onboard GFX? One DVI, one analog and one HDMI? Would that give me three desktops? If so, I cannot see the need for a fancy discrete GPU at this stage.

Will the SSD improve my performance noticeably? I have done some Googling on the subject, but can't really decide either way.
 
hj2k_x said:
Thanks for all the links -

That case is a bit racy for my taste - but I guess a case is going to be the easiest thing to pick of the lot.

That mobo looks awesome. I didnt realise onboard gfx had reached that stage. Would I be able to run all three monitors off the onboard GFX? One DVI, one analog and one HDMI? Would that give me three desktops? If so, I cannot see the need for a fancy discrete GPU at this stage.

Will the SSD improve my performance noticeably? I have done some Googling on the subject, but can't really decide either way.
Click to expand...

Intel HD 3000 is capable of running 2 monitors without 3rd party software, if you want it to run 3 monitors you will have to find 3rd party software that will configure it over 3 monitors. Intel HD 4000 should handle 3 monitors without any 3rd party software just fine.

It won't be a major difference in performance, maybe 2-3 seconds at the most if I'm correct, on boot times. But you would get double the space with the OCZ.
 
Duff-Man said:
Intel HD 3000 is capable of running 2 monitors without 3rd party software, if you want it to run 3 monitors you will have to find 3rd party software that will configure it over 3 monitors. Intel HD 4000 should handle 3 monitors without any 3rd party software just fine.

It won't be a major difference in performance, maybe 2-3 seconds at the most if I'm correct, on boot times. But you would get double the space with the OCZ.
Click to expand...
Would adding a discrete GPU mean I could run a third monitor or is it a case of onboard or discrete GPU but not both? I really want the third monitor...
 
This is my build, i recieved it last week and very happy with it.


ANTEC CASE - NINE HUNDRED TWO - R1024
Asus P8Z68-VPRO/GEN3 - R2221
INTEL CORE I5 2500K-3.30GHZ-SO - R1879
Corsair GS700 Gaming Series 700w Power Supply - R935
Corsair CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9 / CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9B , Vengeance with heatsink , 4Gb - s - R283

Total:R6342

Next month i will get another 12GB of RAM and an SSD hard drive (so totel of about R8700).
I am currently using my 5770 graphics card.
 
Last edited:
bar1 said:
This is my build, i recieved it last week and very happy with it.


ANTEC CASE - NINE HUNDRED TWO - R1024
Asus P8Z68-VPRO/GEN3 - R2221
INTEL CORE I5 2500K-3.30GHZ-SO - R1879
Corsair GS700 Gaming Series 700w Power Supply - R935
Corsair CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9 / CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9B , Vengeance with heatsink , 4Gb - s - R283

Total:R6342

Next month i will get another 12GB of RAM and an SSD hard drive (so totel of about R8700).
I am currently using my 5770 graphics card.
Click to expand...

How many screens you running?

What do you think is the easiest solution to me wanting to run 3 screens with 3 desktops? The same set-up as you (or as suggested above) with a software solution to multiple monitor setup?
 
hj2k_x said:
How many screens you running?

What do you think is the easiest solution to me wanting to run 3 screens with 3 desktops? The same set-up as you (or as suggested above) with a software solution to multiple monitor setup?
Click to expand...

I am only running one screen.
but my graphics card have:
ATI Eyefinity multi-display technology

google it...might be what you need.
 
bar1 said:
I am only running one screen.
but my graphics card have:
ATI Eyefinity multi-display technology

google it...might be what you need.
Click to expand...
That is what the GPU I linked at the start has as well methinks.

Presumably there is something similar I could get for the onboard GFX on the Z68. :)
 
I am a little bit confused though...you said you don't want a gaming machine but it looks like you building one?
 
Regarding the RAM
There is very little price difference between a 1600Mhz and 1866Mhz with XMP. I would rather go for the latter.


Mobo
That board is fine.
This is very trivial and quite possibly not necessary but if your budget allows it also look into getting a Pci-3 motherboard.
The cheapest one currently is the MSI MB-Z68A-GD65 (G3) motherboard (If it is in stock at suppliers)

And with a Z68 you can use that Kingston as a cache drive.

You could also upgrade to Pci-3 graphics card in a few years time. (If you intend in keeping the system that long)
 
bar1 said:
I am a little bit confused though...you said you don't want a gaming machine but it looks like you building one?
Click to expand...
No no. Minimal gaming if any. I just need it to support the three monitors, otherwise there is no point.


Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
 
droid said:
Regarding the RAM
There is very little price difference between a 1600Mhz and 1866Mhz with XMP. I would rather go for the latter.


Mobo
That board is fine.
This is very trivial and quite possibly not necessary but if your budget allows it also look into getting a Pci-3 motherboard.
The cheapest one currently is the MSI MB-Z68A-GD65 (G3) motherboard (If it is in stock at suppliers)

And with a Z68 you can use that Kingston as a cache drive.

You could also upgrade to Pci-3 graphics card in a few years time. (If you intend in keeping the system that long)
Click to expand...

Noted, thanks.

Not sure I'd need to go PCI-3 as I don't think I'm going to be looking to game anytime soon. But it is worth considering.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
 
Hi ok.
If you can wait till June, I would, and I am since that's when Ivy Bridge looks to being release. Ivy Bridge is only about 10% faster than the current Sandy Bridge chips.

Assuming you can't wait, the i5 2500K is the best bang for buck at the moment (if you consider gaming) and provides you with the ability to easily over-clock the chip should you need the extra speed. This can only be done if you buy the Z68 or P67 chipset boards, with Z77 being the latest and designed for Ivy Bridge.

A couple Z68 boards now offer support for PCI-e 3.0 but you can only use this if you have an Ivy Bridge chip. The new AMD cards, the 7xxx series support PCI-e 3.0. If i remember correctly you can only run 3 monitors off an AMD card unless you SLI Nvidia cards.

With that all covered, We look at RAM. To lazy to link now, but there have been benchmarks run on RAM considering price/performance, where the 1600MHz RAM chips come out tops. You will not even notice the difference between 1333MHz and 2133MHz unless you running benchies. 8GB should be more than enough. I'm sure you would cope with 4GB no hassles.

Hard Drives. I wouldn't go and spend to much on a HDD right now, as by June I Expect the price to be back to pre-flood levels.
So unless you need more space, I'd recommend you use a 120GB SSD as your main and maybe get a 500GB as a secondary. I'd wait before buying a 2TB unless you really must. (You already have enough external space it looks like it :) )

PSU wise, I'm sure that huntkey will be fine for your uses, no use spending money unnecessarily. If you want a new PSU just go read up on the PSU thread, it's been discussed to death lol.

Case wise, just choose one you really like.

You could even get a cheaper GPU. But if you do plan on gaming, even minimal, you don't want it to look too crappy right?

PS - As a media box I would recommend this if you want to set up a NAS: http://www.wootware.co.za/hp-proliant-n40l-amd-turion-ii-2gb-ram-250gb-hdd-micro-server.html Really love it. So small and compact with three spare bays. I've got 3 x 2TB in mine :D

So finally, what do I recommend (prices from takealot and wootware):
CPU: i5 2500k @ R2049
MOBO: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 (PCIe - 3.0) @ R1483
RAM: G.Skill Ares 8GB 1600MHz 1.5v @ R 525
GPU: MSI Radeon 6850 1024MB Cyclone Power Edition @ R1803
SSD: OCZ Agility 3 120GB @ R1445
CASE: Coolermaster RC-550 Silencio Chassis R860 <- really a classy looking case and has some sound proofing.
HDD: 500GB @ R840

Total: R9035

You can pick up some things cheap here and there. But that's a pretty balanced build.
I don't really see you needing the 'k' version but why not :p
You could also add like R350 for a nice CPU cooler.
 
Last edited:
nakedpeanut said:
Hi ok.
If you can wait till June, I would, and I am since that's when Ivy Bridge looks to being release. Ivy Bridge is only about 10% faster than the current Sandy Bridge chips.

Assuming you can't wait, the i5 2500K is the best bang for buck at the moment (if you consider gaming) and provides you with the ability to easily over-clock the chip should you need the extra speed. This can only be done if you buy the Z68 or P67 chipset boards, with Z77 being the latest and designed for Ivy Bridge.

A couple Z68 boards now offer support for PCI-e 3.0 but you can only use this if you have an Ivy Bridge chip. The new AMD cards, the 7xxx series support PCI-e 3.0. If i remember correctly you can only run 3 monitors off an AMD card unless you SLI Nvidia cards.

With that all covered, We look at RAM. To lazy to link now, but there have been benchmarks run on RAM considering price/performance, where the 1600MHz RAM chips come out tops. You will not even notice the difference between 1333MHz and 2133MHz unless you running benchies. 8GB should be more than enough. I'm sure you would cope with 4GB no hassles.

Hard Drives. I wouldn't go and spend to much on a HDD right now, as by June I Expect the price to be back to pre-flood levels.
So unless you need more space, I'd recommend you use a 120GB SSD as your main and maybe get a 500GB as a secondary. I'd wait before buying a 2TB unless you really must. (You already have enough external space it looks like it :) )

PSU wise, I'm sure that huntkey will be fine for your uses, no use spending money unnecessarily. If you want a new PSU just go read up on the PSU thread, it's been discussed to death lol.

Case wise, just choose one you really like.

You could even get a cheaper GPU. But if you do plan on gaming, even minimal, you don't want it to look too crappy right?

PS - As a media box I would recommend this if you want to set up a NAS: http://www.wootware.co.za/hp-proliant-n40l-amd-turion-ii-2gb-ram-250gb-hdd-micro-server.html Really love it. So small and compact with three spare bays. I've got 3 x 2TB in mine :D

So finally, what do I recommend (prices from takealot and wootware):
CPU: i5 2500k @ R2049
MOBO: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 (PCIe - 3.0) @ R1483
RAM: G.Skill Ares 8GB 1600MHz 1.5v @ R 525
GPU: MSI Radeon 6850 1024MB Cyclone Power Edition @ R1803
SSD: OCZ Agility 3 120GB @ R1445
CASE: Coolermaster RC-550 Silencio Chassis R860 <- really a classy looking case and has some sound proofing.
HDD: 500GB @ R840

Total: R9035

You can pick up some things cheap here and there. But that's a pretty balanced build.
I don't really see you needing the 'k' version but why not :p
You could also add like R350 for a nice CPU cooler.
Click to expand...

That case looks nice and clean.

I hear what you (and others) are saying about waiting until June when prices will be lower and new tech will be released.

My main concern remains the ability to run the three screens off the one GPU or off the onboard GFX of the Z68 - I'll do a bit of Googling to see what this entails. I just assumed that if there are three video outs on a card/board, there must be a way to have them all work at the same time and give me three separate desktops.
 
Ya as far as I know you need a 5xxx series or later AMD card or 2 x Nvidia cards to run 3 or more screens.
 
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