Review this spec

O'Doodle

Hi there

I was wondering if someone could review this spec for me please. I need it for a bit of gaming (mainly simulator gaming), graphic design, video editing and some 3D design/rendering using SketchUp.

Processor: Intel i7 950 3.06 Ghz 4 Cores
CPU Cooling: Intel i7 Original Cooling System
Memory: 8GB DDR3 1333Mhz Economy
Motherboard: Asus P6TSE X58
Sound Card: 8 Chanel OnBoard Sound
Hard Disk 1: 250 Gigabyte 3.5" HDD
Optical Drive: Sony 24X DVDRW
Video Card: 1GB Nvidia Geforce GT220
Networking: Gigabit Ethernet On Board
Power Supply: Antec Gamer 400 Watt

Total Price: €950

The case is already included in that price and no operating.

I was just wondering what everyone thinks?

Jonny7

Processor: Intel i7 950 3.06 Ghz 4 Cores (new Sandy Core chips out which are better performance, e.g. i5 2500K 175 euros)CPU Cooling: Intel i7 Original Cooling System
Memory: 8GB DDR3 1333Mhz Economy (ram is cheap now, good)Motherboard: Asus P6TSE X58 (Sandy core motherboard)Sound Card: 8 Chanel OnBoard Sound
Hard Disk 1: 250 Gigabyte 3.5" HDD (too small, 1 tb samsungF3 costs 50 euros)Optical Drive: Sony 24X DVDRW
Video Card: 1GB Nvidia Geforce GT220 (rubbish card, if you are gaming you need a better card, e.g. Nvidia GTX 460 1gb - 160ish euros)Networking: Gigabit Ethernet On Board
Power Supply: Antec Gamer 400 Watt (with quad cores and big graphics card you need a stronger power supply, 550 watt minimum with good efficiency)
Total Price: €950

Cost will be 750 euros about

Monotype

Is it bought? You could do better if it isn't, as outlined by Jonny7.
Some simulators will eat resources, so a 560 could be more appropriate, if it fits the final budget.

seyeM

These are new components from Hardwareversand.de, assuming you'll use the i7's hyperthreading:

Intel Core i7-2600K Box, LGA1155
MSI P67A-GD55 (B3), Intel P67, ATX, DDR3
HIS HD 6870 Fan GDDR5 1024MB Native HDMI 2x Display Port Dual-DVI
8GB-Kit Corsair XMS3 DDR3-1333 CL9
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 550W
Antec Three Hundred, ATX, ohne Netzteil
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1000GB, SATA II (HD103SJ)
LiteOn iHAS124-19 schwarz SATA
Xigmatek Gaia SD1283 Heatpipe Cooler 120mm
Arctic Cooling Wärmeleitpaste MX-2 Tube 4g

Comes in at €840 incl delivery and will perform well. You can throw in a copy of windows 7 64 bit if you need an OS. I'd recommend that you drop the i7 2600k to an i5 2500k if your software doesn't take advantage of intel's hyperthreading.

O'Doodle

I haven't bought it yet. When I saw the price of the GFX card I sort of wondered wether the rest of it was any good. Thanks for that rundown.

My budget is 1000 Euro excluding screen and operating system.

I hate to be a pain, but could someone throw together a few decent specs that would be easily upgraded in the future. If I were to go the self build option (looking likely) I would hate to buy parts that weren't compatible and didn't work or blew the damm thing up.

I'm a complete n00b when it comes to this but I would like something that could run my simulator games at fairly high level and also do a bit of graphic/video/3D editing too. Hard-drive space isn't really an issue because I have alot of external drives!

Jonny7

O'Doodle wrote: »

I haven't bought it yet. When I saw the price of the GFX card I sort of wondered wether the rest of it was any good. Thanks for that rundown.

My budget is 1000 Euro excluding screen and operating system.

I hate to be a pain, but could someone throw together a few decent specs that would be easily upgraded in the future. If I were to go the self build option (looking likely) I would hate to buy parts that weren't compatible and didn't work or blew the damm thing up.

I'm a complete n00b when it comes to this but I would like something that could run my simulator games at fairly high level and also do a bit of graphic/video/3D editing too. Hard-drive space isn't really an issue because I have alot of external drives!

Best get the 1tb internal drive as its only 15 euros more than the 320, plus its a bit faster.

The processor is one of the fastest you can get at the moment
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPU/2
(yes that is a 900 dollar processor below it in that benchmark)

The ATI 6870 graphics card should be more than enough power
(compare it to the GT220 in this chart)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/Radeon_HD_6870/29.html


The site we use is hardwareversand.de, very reliable german site, excellent prices, and they will build the machine for you (20) and ship it to ireland (30)

O'Doodle

Thanks a million for that.

What do you guys really think of this spec?

seyeM

That's a strange mix of components:

The socket 1156 CPU + motherboard you have chosen are obsolete. With your budget you should be looking at a 2500K or 2600K (2500K imo is far better value) and a P67 motherboard. You have 2 (?) old and quite expensive cases that include PSUs. You should go for a decent case and a seperate high efficiency PSU from a reputable company.

See my previous post in this thread for a better build.

sink

You don't need two cases and two PSU's. Rule of thumb is never to go for a case with preinstalled PSU's they're usually garbage. Look out for PSU's that are 80 plus certified.

Also why go for a beige DVD drive with a black case, it will just look awful?

Your CPU is an older model, better can be had for similar money e.g. i7-2600k, i5-2500k. (required different (P67) motherboard)

Your Graphics card is an older model, better can be had for similar money e.g. Radeon HD 6950, GeForce GTX 560 Ti.

You don't need the sound card, modern motherboards have decent integrated sound. If you want better than integrated sound you really need to be spending €80 or more on a decent sound card and not a cheap budget one that's pushing a decade old.

You don't need the network card, modern motherboards have integrated gigabit network controllers which are better than the card you have selected.

Aside from that you're good.

Jonny7

I strongly recommend sticking with what the lads recommend or you might end up with some kind of blind stab in the dark frankenstein machine, or worse yet, some "extreme gaming 14 ghz!!!!" off ebay.

O'Doodle

Bollox!!!! I went ahead and ordered it. Can I cancel my order with hardwareversand.de?

I really didn't know it was that bad?

Should I order your spec list seyeM?

O'Doodle

I just want a good machine for about 900-1000 euro that can play the simulator games (F1, Flight Sim etc) and also do graphic/video/3D editing!

sink

seyeM list is good. Only thing I would change is the i7-2600k for the i5-2500k as the performance difference isn't worth the extra price. I would spend the extra saved on a HD6950 1gb instead if the HD 6870

Intel Core i5-2500K - €176.60
http://www2.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=41224&agid=1617

HIS HD 6950 1024MB - €195.70
http://www2.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=43021&agid=1004

jme2010

Oh dear lord did you order your posted spec for €950?

Dont pay it, just let HWVS cancel and order one of the excellent rigs stated by the lads above. Remember...SandyBridge + P67 (B3) mobo = WIN

Monotype

Yikes that system is all over the place.

If €1K is the budget, my recommendations would be to
-increase the graphics card to a 6950 or 560
-have a look at high efficiency or modular PSUs.
-maybe a better heatsink since you have the money (e.g., the scythe mugen 2 as you have above, although you'd probably have to install it yourself)
-consider an SSD (we're waiting for new drives to come out any day now)

sink

Looking a the specifications of that case, it actually has a decent enough PSU. It's and antec and it's 80 plus certified, so I would be happy enough with it.

O'Doodle

Thanks for all the advise guys, especially after the mess up of yesterday...

Ok so based on @seyeM spec list I have come up with this..



Is the PSU and CPU fan ok? Is there anyway I could improve the performance of this? More RAM, better motherboard?

I really appreciate any advice please.

Thanks

sink

Looks good. The CPU cooler you've selected will work fine but you could get a better one either of these are pretty good for value and performance. Over clocking that CPU is a cinch and it pays to have good cooling.

Scythe Mugen 2 Rev. B - €33.99
http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=25731&agid=669

Corsair A70 - €30.99
http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=38536&agid=669

Only other thing I would think about adding is an SSD. There are new ones being released very soon such as the OCZ Vertex 3 and Crucial M4 that are a bit faster than the current crop. But even a Vertex 2 or C300 will be of huge benefit.

O'Doodle

Thanks a million for that. I don't have the budget at the moment for an SSD. It is something I would love having a friend who has one on their laptop, it's pretty awesome! Maybe in the next few months.

I think I've got this sussed now. Getting the lads to build it for me. Anybody know how long this usually takes?

jme2010

All the parts I've h'ordered have come in less than a week.

Tea_Bag

not sure the 6950 will fit in your case.
i have to mod my storm scout to fit in for me...

sink

Tea_Bag wrote: »

not sure the 6950 will fit in your case.
i have to mod my storm scout to fit in for me...

It will fit, but not with any room to spare.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-sandy-bridge-build-a-pc-overclocking,2876-7.html

seyeM

For the €15 difference between them, I'd go for a 6950 2GB just in case that extra video memory becomes more relevant in the next few years, or you move up in resolution.
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?agid=1165&aid=41640&lid=2

As for the case, this Coolermaster HAF 912 has more space, and the central hard drive cage can be removed if needs be to allow extra long GPUs like the 5970 and 6990.
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?adp=0&aid=41084&agid=631&apop=4

You still haven't indicated whether or not your software will take advantage of the 2600K's hyperthreading. If not, I strongly recommend getting a 2500K instead, the €80 saved could be put towards an SSD, a modular PSU etc.

O'Doodle

Ok. So I have bumped up the GFX card and case. Is the PSU ok?



Is this a good price? What sort of performance should I be expecting with Windows 7? I'm using the Adobe CS Studio mostly.

Monotype

You should expect excellent performance - unless you are referring to the windows experience index - you will get high scores apart from the Hard Drive.

+1 about switching from the 2600K to the 2500K, that money is better allocated elsewhere.

sink

Adobe premier uses hyper threading and photoshop does too to a limited extent, so he will at least see some benefit to the 2600k. I don't know about other applications in Adobe CS.