Another "Advise me on my build please" thread

The Oggmonster

Hi, I’d like some advice on this build please. I presume I can just use my Dell dvd drive for now?

This is my first attempt at putting something together. It will mainly be used for internet, listening to music, watching films, using photoshop etc. I want this pc to be fairly fast and fairly futureproof for a few years. I may also start playing games as this system will be more powerful than my current system.

I’ve kept the cost under €600 and that’s including Windows 7.

http://www.komplett.ie/k/shoplist.aspx?mode=receive&si=777750&su=0D208D01-9A17-4C12-8C4F-3AF56C462F7C

Is there anywhere I can cut costs? I didn’t include a GPU as the i3 has a GPU built in, although I might upgrade at a later date.

I was also considering this case which includes a PSU. Would 380w be enough to power that system?
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=342784

Any thoughts? Would this build be much faster than my current Pentium 4, 3GHZ Dell Dimension 5000 from around 5 years ago?

Solitaire

The Oggmonster wrote: »

I presume I can just use my Dell dvd drive for now?

Yup, but bear in mind if its old it'll be IDE and you'll have gurt great big ribbon cables hanging about in there :P

I want this pc to be fairly fast and fairly futureproof for a few years.

Ick! Don't say the forbidden word!! :eek: Now you've gone and done it! Expect many people here trying to sell you i5-750s now :P

I may also start playing games as this system will be more powerful than my current system.

Not without a discrete graphics card you won't!

Is there anywhere I can cut costs? I didn’t include a GPU as the i3 has a GPU built in, although I might upgrade at a later date.

You can drop the CPU down to an i3-530, and the PSU down to a Corsair CX400 - even with a decent graphics card 30A on the 12V rail should be more than enough for the time being. You could also drop another €20 by shifting to a non-USB3 mobo but that hurts your vaunted futureproofing doesn't it? On the other hand are you sure 320GB is enough long-term storage? And if you want to play 3D games you'll need some kind of graphics card dependent on the resolution of the monitor you're using at that point. You could have dropped the case down to an Antec 200 if Komplett stocked them, which they don't seem to any longer :mad:

Oh, and you made a whoopsie. LGA1156 needs dual-channel DDR3 kits, you've selected a triple-channel kit specifically for LGA1366 Changing that back to a 4GB kit should wipe out any saving from the CX400

I was also considering this case which includes a PSU. Would 380w be enough to power that system?
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=342784

Probably (depends on the 12V output of said PSU) but an Antec 300 and CX400 will probably come to less money. While still being better :P

Would this build be much faster than my current Pentium 4, 3GHZ Dell Dimension 5000 from around 5 years ago?

Meh. Only by a factor of, mmm, let's say, eleventy-seven

The Oggmonster

Is this build better?

http://www.komplett.ie/k/shoplist.aspx?mode=receive&si=777821&su=59F80B23-F917-4752-8B2F-5AC1EB88478F

I changed the PSU and the RAM. I left the CPU because it's only €10 more than the 530.

I also left the motherboard as I read on here that you should try and get a good mother board. Is it a good model?

Also I left the hard drive as I have a 750GB drive in this pc which I could format when I have moved my files over. I also have a 1TB external for backing up my files.

Oh, and I haven't included a GPU yet as I was thinking I could get one when I decide to upgrade my monitor which would be another few months away.

massy086

i would go with the http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=576804 and then buy this http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=494649 as you will need it for overclocking to get the best out of the i3 chip

Solitaire

Thanks - 'twas just about to go and hunt down something like that. Shame there's no Arctic Freezer 7 Pro R2 there - the 212 Plus is almost overkill for a 73W CPU!

HDDs are fine then, no need for another one yet. And that mobo is decent, most LGA1156 mobos are good TBH particularly MSI and Gigabyte models. The only reason I didn't recommend something else is because that mobo you have is one of the very few current units to have USB3 and SATA3 support so odds are you shouldn't have to replace it in five minutes

The Oggmonster

Is there much of a difference between the 530 and the 540? It's only €10 price difference so I don't mind paying it for the 540.

If I got that fan would I just replace the fan that comes with the CPU? Is there a heatsink in the box? Do I need a heatsink?

Sorry for all the questions but this would be my first build so I want to get these nooby questions answered.

Fanny Cradock

BTW, if you do go for the 530 it's about €20 cheaper on Pixmania even after P&P is included.

massy086

you only need the after market heatsink if u plan to overclock the cpu and i would if i was you the 530 will overclock to 4ghz easy if not overclocking go the i3 540

C.D.

Lots of excellent advice, though I would second Solitaire's recommendation that you get a new hard drive. The HDD is going to be the bottlneck in the vast majority of systems and is the single biggest contributing factor to long boot times and long application loading times.

To give you a feel for throughput difference, this is aquick comparison of my current 1TB Samsung F3 and my 4 year old 160GB Hitachi Deskstar. Read speeds have doubled and I'd presume writes are the same too. I have a 64GB Kingston V+ 2nd gen SSD, but I've been too busy set it up as my OS drive. I'll post some results of that when I do.

Solitaire

Ogg's getting a new HDD, its the DVD drive we were talking about up there ^ :P

C.D.

Solitaire wrote: »

Ogg's getting a new HDD, its the DVD drive we were talking about up there ^ :P

That's what I get for not reading the OP closely enough!

The Oggmonster

I'm going to order the i3 530 from Pixmania. Is there anywhere else I can save money? Is Windows 7 available cheaper elsewhere?

vestanpance

The Oggmonster wrote: »

I'm going to order the i3 530 from Pixmania. Is there anywhere else I can save money? Is Windows 7 available cheaper elsewhere?

You should have a look at hardwareversand, generally the cheapest around, Windows 7 64bit is €84.86.

http://www3.hardwareversand.de

The Oggmonster

vestanpance wrote: »

You should have a look at hardwareversand, generally the cheapest around, Windows 7 64bit is €84.86.

http://www3.hardwareversand.de

Will do.

The Oggmonster

What's the difference between the retail and the OEM version? I thoght they both just have 1 licence anyway?

dun79

Retail is 32bit and 64bit, OEM is 32bit or 64bit.
they both just have 1 licence,
with the retail you can install 32bit or 64bit.
with OEM your stuck with the one you buy.

The Oggmonster

Sorry, I seem to have deleted the shopping list I linked to in the OP.

Anyway, I had a mess around on hardwareversand.de and put together the same system. What do you think of this build?



Do I need that trustedshops thing at the end? Also I know the motherboard is out of stock so I was having a look at this one: http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=576878

It's €94.88 on hardwareversand.de. If I get that motherboard and removed the trustedshops yoke then the total price is €531.70.

Getting the CPU on pixmania and the rest on Komplett was working out at €572.02.

Also I'm not getting the CPU on pixmania if I go with hardwareversand as it only works out as a saving of less than a Euro when you add in delivery.

The Oggmonster

I keep changing my mind

I've ordered the i3 from Pixmania. I've heard bad things about hardwareversand.de. Now I have the CPU ordered I'll wait until all my components are in stock from Komplett and order them.

Thinking of going to amazon for Windows 7 though since they now do free delivery to Ireland.

The Oggmonster

Ok, I got the i3-530 and Windows 7 elsewhere.

This is the rest of my build. What do you think of it?

http://www.komplett.ie/k/shoplist.aspx?mode=receive&si=779175&su=33B17A91-C51E-4044-9D19-A6F2AF1420AC


Is this RAM any use? It'd be cheaper getting 2 of them than the RAM I have in my shopping list.

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=408727

Solitaire

That module you linked to is only 1GB - you'd need four of them. And a mobo with 4 DIMM slots! :eek:

Still surprised there aren't cheaper 4GB kits or 2GB single modules...

The Oggmonster

Solitaire wrote: »

That module you linked to is only 1GB - you'd need four of them. And a mobo with 4 DIMM slots! :eek:

Still surprised there aren't cheaper 4GB kits or 2GB single modules...

I misread that. Thought it was 2GB.

Is 4 DIMM slots a good thing?

Solitaire

Not vital. You could throw in two more DIMMs at a later date, but its not always that useful as faster RAM or ones with higher capacity per DIMM may be a better idea. Or you might have a new mobo by then anyway! :P

The Oggmonster

Ha Ha. I've had my Dell Dimension 5000 for around 5 years now. I think this pc will do me for a while.

Unless I get the bug from building it my self and want to keep upgrading :eek: