Good spec?

sdanseo

Did a spec for a fella on another forum:



Before he buys it, would he be better off with 1366 rated mobo/proc? The 1156 range of i7's seem to be better specced re speed vs price and the motherboards are about the same but has anyone first hand experience/reccommendations?

Cheers folks

Anti

Main question is, what does he want it for, and whats his plans with it ?

TW Mr Tayto

You beat me to it :P
Thanks a million Mr. Stephan !

Leman_Russ

Where do I start!

Case: Antec 900 is a God Awful Case. Anything but this is an improvement.

PSU: Far too high for what is being shown here. A Corsair HX650 will be more than enough.

GPU: Seriously, get a new ATi One. A 58xx might be hard to find, but will be well worth it.

CPU: Does he really need Hyperthreading? If he does, Ok, fine. If he doesn't (or is gaming) Ditch it for a i5 750

Hard Drive: No Excuse to not get a 1TB drive nowadays.

Mobo: Asus are currently the poorest "Top teir" P55 Motherboard maker. Get a Gigabyte or MSI board.

TW Mr Tayto

Leman_Russ wrote: »

Where do I start!

Case: Antec 900 is a God Awful Case. Anything but this is an improvement.

PSU: Far too high for what is being shown here. A Corsair HX650 will be more than enough.

GPU: Seriously, get a new ATi One. A 58xx might be hard to find, but will be well worth it.

CPU: Does he really need Hyperthreading? If he does, Ok, fine. If he doesn't (or is gaming) Ditch it for a i5 750

Hard Drive: No Excuse to not get a 1TB drive nowadays.

Mobo: Asus are currently the poorest "Top teir" P55 Motherboard maker. Get a Gigabyte or MSI board.

Is the twelve hundred any good? Or am I being drawn in because it looks pretty?

(He's kindly put it together for me btw )

Anti

TW Mr Tayto wrote: »

Is the twelve hundred any good? Or am I being drawn in because it looks pretty?

(He's kindly put it together for me btw )

Slap him now to save the pain. Also tell him to rsearch his parts.... Then come back next week.

sdanseo

*cough splutter*

Asking you lot is part of research, that's why I'm here. In specific response to the GPU comment above I've personally had both ATi and NV cards and can oly reccommend NV tbh.

Reccommended an ASUS mobo cos I have one and it's been rock solid.

CPU: he wants to game so yes it's high rated but that's for futureproofing I would have though, rather than having the hassle of a new PSU if he decides a second card is in order.

Got a personal reccomendation of the 900 case off a mate who swears by it.

Reason I posted this is to get Tayto a decent PC for sub-€1400 so feel free to continue tearing me apart, it's doing him good

Solitaire

sdonn wrote: »

In specific response to the GPU comment above I've personally had both ATi and NV cards and can oly reccommend NV tbh.

There's nothing we can really do about the dreaded scourge of fanboyism sadly :P Don't let outdated personal experiences affect your judgement or you're gonna end up making Tayto pay over the odds for a card with dubious future driver support; it's nVidia and its not new and shiny: bad combination.

HD58x0 heavily advised for premium builds if they can be sourced for non-la-la-land prices; given the limited stock and crazy prices a €150 HD4890 is a very strong fallback position. The GTX260 can't hope to keep pace with any of them, even the card priced lower than it :rolleyes:

Reccommended an ASUS mobo cos I have one and it's been rock solid.

Times change. Asus have been up their own arses for a while and performance has become one of the victims. MSI and Gigabyte have improved significantly over the years so previous experiences are largely invalid. P55 is a different country

There's another reason not to get these, and that is...

CPU: he wants to game so yes it's high rated but that's for futureproofing I would have though, rather than having the hassle of a new PSU if he decides a second card is in order.

First: HT no likey games. Second: Given you seem to be a bit off the current form you might not have heard of the ongoing LGA1156 horror story saga... Suffice to say there's issues with the pin pads on LGA1156 CPUs. And maybe their sockets. In any case the CPUs have an unfortunate habit of detonating Its not so bad with mild OCs and pretty rare for stock-clocked systems, but it can still happen. LGA1366 is once again becoming popular as for some reason the CPUs don't blow up very often But they all have HT, and while they're all very powerful it would mean switching HT on and off...

Got a personal reccomendation of the 900 case off a mate who swears by it.

Again, old. Its a nice case but very lacking in features for its price range; no fan filters, minimal cable routing, no CPU backplate cutout... etc. etc. Not good considering you can get HAF922s and the like around the same price or less!

Other random complaints: Surely you can find some cheaper compatible DDR3? We've recently had some good successes with Kigston ValueRam! [/running gag] Expensive DVD-RWs too. Poor choice of HDD, that's a slow model and just 500GB is pretty poor for a €1400 build! Don't get the keyboard there, it'll be the German layout! And that's the German Win7 you have there too :P

Leman_Russ

sdonn wrote: »

Asking you lot is part of research, that's why I'm here. In specific response to the GPU comment above I've personally had both ATi and NV cards and can oly reccommend NV tbh.

Have you used the ATi 58xx? They are miles ahead of anything nVidia have/had/will make in the next 5 years.

Reccommended an ASUS mobo cos I have one and it's been rock solid.

Do you have THAT Asus mobo? Specifically a P55 Chipset ASUS mobo? Not all Mobo manufacturers are equal on chipsets. While ASUS might have made excelent P45 or X58 or whatever (I don't know for sure), but their P55 boards are "poor" quality when compared to Gigabyte and MSI's offerings. (and ASRock are even worse!)

CPU: he wants to game so yes it's high rated but that's for futureproofing I would have though, rather than having the hassle of a new PSU if he decides a second card is in order.

What I mean is Hyperthreading ****s up gaming. Like, big time. If he is doing things like mathematical stuff that can use the Hyperthreading properly, get it. Otherwise, save your money and get the i5 750 which is just as good but doesn't mess up games. As for the PSU, I am planning a 5850 Crossfire rig with a Corsair HX650. You really do not need a 750W PSU (especial a corsair one, because it is actually a 800W one :pac: ) unless your friend has a few RAID arrays hidden there or 73 DVD Burners going at once.

Got a personal reccomendation of the 900 case off a mate who swears by it.

Your mate needs to send whatever he is smoking to me please. The Antec 900 (and Antec Cases in General) are terrible build quality, have shoddy cable management and are just awful!

Solitaire wrote: »

Other random complaints: Surely you can find some cheaper compatible DDR3? We've recently had some good successes with Kigston ValueRam! [/running gag]

Damn right we have! And the story is spreading too, in the last 3 Weeks Kingston valueram 2GB stick have shot up by £5! :P And I though the Running Gag was Antec being so incredibly "awesome"? :pac:

sdanseo

When I said continue to tear me to shreds I was joking! :pac:

Ok, lads sort this fella out with a decent spec will ye, and teach me a thing or two while you're at it please!

basically his budget was 2k but he was about to waste his folks' money (lucky prick) on a Dell until I stopped him and directed him to here. So that's my good deed done anyway no matter how out of touch I am....god I remember the days I used to dole out advice on here

Leman_Russ

sdonn wrote: »

When I said continue to tear me to shreds I was joking! :pac:

Ok, lads sort this fella out with a decent spec will ye, and teach me a thing or two while you're at it please!

basically his budget was 2k but he was about to waste his folks' money (lucky prick) on a Dell until I stopped him and directed him to here. So that's my good deed done anyway no matter how out of touch I am....god I remember the days I used to dole out advice on here

Always glad to help! For 2k you can get a LOT better than what you posted up there

-Goes off to ramble about i5 and ValuRam while tinkering about on eBuyer-

leninbenjamin

sdonn wrote: »

Asking you lot is part of research, that's why I'm here. In specific response to the GPU comment above I've personally had both ATi and NV cards and can oly reccommend NV tbh.

I have an Nvidia 200 series. Great cards, but seriously over priced, I regret paying that amount in hindsight (although I did want CUDA at the time for dev purposes). 5850 is the one to go for if you can get it in stock, else stick with a 4890 (or even get a 4770 to keep him ticking over til after Christmas when the 58xx should be more available and prices normalised).

sdonn wrote: »

CPU: he wants to game so yes it's high rated but that's for futureproofing I would have though, rather than having the hassle of a new PSU if he decides a second card is in order.

By the time the games industry are in a position to make use of parallelisation tech like Hyperthreading the i7 920 will be old hat. I'm saying this as an i7 owner, they are utterly wasted for games. The only time i've been able to utilise the HT in this thing was when i developed the app myself.

Personally, i wouldn't even bother with i5. Phenom II x4 are looking seriously good value for money at the moment, and the newer iterations are allowing for better overclocking capability bringing them close to the i5 all the time.

sdonn wrote: »

Got a personal reccomendation of the 900 case off a mate who swears by it.

Grand case when it came out. Seriously outdated now. HAF 922/932 is the way to go if you want a performance case, in terms of features and temperature nothing beats them in their price range (and even those more expensive fall short). We can forgive your mate though if he wants something a little more aesthetically pleasing.

Solitaire

Leman_Russ wrote: »

Have you used the ATi 58xx? They are miles ahead of anything nVidia have/had/will make in the next 5 years.

Er, slight exaggeration I see thar :P But they'll be the best there is until nVidia finally gets Fermi going... at which point they'll pretty much curtail driver support for the G200 :rolleyes:

and ASRock are even worse!

ASRock and Foxconn make very cheap mobos with excellent performance and good chipsets. Shame they have terrible featuresets beyond what is gifted to them by the chipset itself. And naff ergonomics (you put the 24pin connector where?! :P) And terrible reliability...

The Antec 900 (and Antec Cases in General) are terrible build quality, have shoddy cable management and are just awful!

Hateboi :P The 900 was a milestone for the case industry when it came out. Its just entering retirement at this stage though...

And I though the Running Gag was Antec being so incredibly "awesome"? :pac:

Don't attack all of Antec's products just because the 900 should have been put to pasture! If you had a 1200 or a Signature PSU you wouldn't be moaning about them The Earthwatts are very good budget units and the Sigs are among the best units on the market, period. The 300 was the first sub-€100 case with a modern layout (PSU on the bottom, much-needed exhaust fans at the top). Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater! :cool:

Jonathan

Herr Tayto,

Kannst du spricht Deutsch?

If not, you might want to leave out the German keyboards.

EDIT: 8GB RAM??:eek:

TW Mr Tayto

Jonathan wrote: »

Herr Tayto,

Kannst du spricht Deutsch?

If not, you might want to leave out the German keyboards.

EDIT: 8GB RAM??:eek:

I got an A in higher JC German - don't ask me how, because I don't have a word of the language :P

I've been looking at custompc.ie, anyone have any opinions on them ? :P

jonny72

TW Mr Tayto wrote: »

I got an A in higher JC German - don't ask me how, because I don't have a word of the language :P

I've been looking at custompc.ie, anyone have any opinions on them ? :P

CustomPC are overpriced at the moment.

Stick with the lads here they will sort you out with a proper PC.

If you want lower prices go hardwareversand, if you want more safety go with komplett.ie

A word of advice, most of the guys here are enthusiasts and will spend copious amounts of money on bits that will yield them only a slight percentage increase in performance.. they also know that their PC will depreciate faster than just about anything else.. on the other hand, if you aren't an enthusiast, then a 2000 euro machine will not seem much different from a 1000 euro machine.. so maybe you can save a bit of money, or your parents money.

Leman_Russ

Solitaire wrote: »

Don't attack all of Antec's products just because the 900 should have been put to pasture! If you had a 1200 or a Signature PSU you wouldn't be moaning about them The Earthwatts are very good budget units and the Sigs are among the best units on the market, period. The 300 was the first sub-€100 case with a modern layout (PSU on the bottom, much-needed exhaust fans at the top). Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater! :cool:

Yes, but the Corsair HX and TX series, along with Seasonics own Brand are much, much better And don't think I am hating for no reason, I have used my fare share of Antec Products and other brands, I have just found them to always be sub par.

TW Mr Tayto wrote: »

I've been looking at custompc.ie, anyone have any opinions on them ? :P

Yes, plenty. However giving said opinions contravenes several strategic arms limitations treaties, thus I am unable to give said opinions. :pac:

jonny72 wrote: »

If you want lower prices go hardwareversand, if you want more safety go with komplett.ie

And if you want both, go to eBuyer.

leninbenjamin

jonny72 wrote: »

A word of advice, most of the guys here are enthusiasts and will spend copious amounts of money on bits that will yield them only a slight percentage increase in performance.. they also know that their PC will depreciate faster than just about anything else.. on the other hand, if you aren't an enthusiast, then a 2000 euro machine will not seem much different from a 1000 euro machine.. so maybe you can save a bit of money, or your parents money.

lolwut? most of the guys here have been telling the OP how much a waste of money the i7 is for games. have you read the thread?

sdanseo

jonny72 wrote: »

CustomPC are overpriced at the moment.

Stick with the lads here they will sort you out with a proper PC.

If you want lower prices go hardwareversand, if you want more safety go with komplett.ie

A word of advice, most of the guys here are enthusiasts and will spend copious amounts of money on bits that will yield them only a slight percentage increase in performance.. they also know that their PC will depreciate faster than just about anything else.. on the other hand, if you aren't an enthusiast, then a 2000 euro machine will not seem much different from a 1000 euro machine.. so maybe you can save a bit of money, or your parents money.

Which is why I directed him here. He had a waste of money €2k machine specced himself but it wasn't worth the paper it was written on.

A €1200-1500 machine will do him for what he wants, all-in, I can tell. Put the other €600 towards a laptop or second monitor if his folks let him:P

TW Mr Tayto

I understand many of you guys are knocking the i7 processors - but I've noticed many sites (custompc, alienware, overclockers etc) promoting them. Are they just trying to get them off their shelves ? ?

leninbenjamin

TW Mr Tayto wrote: »

I understand many of you guys are knocking the i7 processors - but I've noticed many sites (custompc, alienware, overclockers etc) promoting them. Are they just trying to get them off their shelves ? ?

They are promoting them because they are new and shiney and they can charge a higher mark-up for them and thus make more profits.

Don't get me wrong, the i7s are great processors but the features that make them so great are largely limited in scope to academic and enterprise purposes. In terms of personal use, only people who do a serious amount of encoding will see a benefit from them.

Leman_Russ

TW Mr Tayto wrote: »

I understand many of you guys are knocking the i7 processors - but I've noticed many sites (custompc, alienware, overclockers etc) promoting them. Are they just trying to get them off their shelves ? ?

Pretty much. i7 is new and shiny, but i5 is where the Price/Performance Sweet spot is atm.

leninbenjamin

Leman_Russ wrote: »

but i5 is where the Price/Performance Sweet spot is atm.

the Phenom II's have come down a bit in price though since the i5 launch. Benches are a pretty close match tbh, the difference is the overclocking potential, but then the i5 isn't a platform that should be recommended for overclocking.

Solitaire

Leman_Russ wrote: »

Yes, but the Corsair HX and TX series, along with Seasonics own Brand are much, much better

I think you should go here and stay there until you've been properly reeducated and are no longer a danger to society. I received my treatment there

Leman_Russ

Solitaire wrote: »

I think you should go here and stay there until you've been properly reeducated and are no longer a danger to society. I received my treatment there

You sir, shock me!

The Most Holy Jonny hath decreed about the Seasonic Seasonic X-650

"If all you care about is efficiency, you can pretty much stop reading right here and go buy one of these right now."

"In looking at the low load test results, I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't have put a big red warning logo above it to warn you to sit down first. I heard crashing noises - I hope you guys are ok. Personally, I was already sitting down when I did the math for this table, else I'd be in the hospital right now. There just isn't room for a six and a half foot tall guy to fall safely in this room and not take serious injury.

88.8% at a below 10% load level. Good golly. Maybe I should go lie down for a while... I'm getting light headed again just looking at that number. This here Seasonic platform seems hell bent on breaking records today."

Avert your eyes! The above shots are too awesome for human eyesight to tolerate! Yes, folks, this here Seasonic platform has decided to out-awesome just about everything I've tested to date.

Antec can go stick it where the sun don't shine :P

BeansBeans

Solitaire wrote: »

I think you should go here and stay there until you've been properly reeducated and are no longer a danger to society. I received my treatment there

Very handy site that one.

jonny72

leninbenjamin wrote: »

lolwut? most of the guys here have been telling the OP how much a waste of money the i7 is for games. have you read the thread?

relax, I was poking a bit of fun at ourselves in general, before suggesting a cheap amd tricore and 4870.. which I never got around to.

Lets not forget how many people we have saved from the Komplett gamer PC with SLI 8500 gts and those 'top of the range' compustore PC's

Effluo

No one has asked the op what resolution monitor he'll be playing the games on or if there will be a dual monitor setup or more.

And op
If i were you, I wouldn't get an i5, I wouldn't get one even if the issue with them blowing up didn't exist.
For gaming, it's simple! Nearly every game today and for most in the coming year+ will only use 2 cores. An AMD phenom II quad core is all you need to game for years to come. I know it's mildly debatable, but it's just very very unlikely that there will be a giant step all of a sudden in the requirements of games.
IMO there is just no point in getting anything more expensive!

Lemon_Russ ebuyer have terrible CS, you really have to check these things out b4 you give advice on them

Leman_Russ

Effluo wrote: »

Lemon_Russ ebuyer have terrible CS, you really have to check these things out b4 you give advice on them

Yeah, because it's not like I have ever used eBuyer before.

Oh wait, I have.

Well, I obviously have never used their Customer Service tools.

Oh wait, I have.

But then, I can't have spent much with them.

Oh wait, I have.

I do know what I am talking about mkay?

Effluo

Leman_Russ wrote: »

I do know what I am talking about mkay?

There's an Army of people that would disagree with you on that one.
Lets try not to get this thread off topic though

sdanseo

`Wow just saw my 8GB RAM fauxpas - that maks this pc well under €1300 with 4GB. Might buy it myself with a few of the corrections listed, of course :P