Advice in getting a new pc

Eddieb

1. What is your budget? 1000

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Gaming/Video editing/3D Modelling/Internet] (EQ2/ VQ / RIFT and upcoming new games)

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [Yes] at the moment im on xp

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? Dont know might need advise on this "posted some specs"

5. Do you need a monitor? [No] i use a Toshiba regza 32"

5a. If yes, what size do you need.

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? 1440x900

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? have all peripherals

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? No as i dont know how to

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser]

9. When are you purchasing? [In a week]

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? westmeath but would like one pre built if possible

Hey All,

so i have come here looking for help i have a pc thats 6 years old and recently the Graphics card started to Crash it. so ive decided time for a new one. i want one that is great for Photoshop and also playing games, Dont want to go to pc world as ive been done by the in the past.

a fried of mine suggested i go for something with
i5 processor, 8gb ram and a 660ti gfx card

so any help and thoughts would be great.




dont know what you guys need to know so here is some specs

OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name EDDIE
System Manufacturer Compaq Presario 061
System Model RF785AA-ABU SR2029UK GB680
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 15 Stepping 6 GenuineIntel ~2133 Mhz
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 15 Stepping 6 GenuineIntel ~2133 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Phoenix Technologies, LTD 3.06, 11/08/2006
SMBIOS Version 2.4
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale Ireland
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)"
User Name EDDIE\Compaq_Administrator
Time Zone GMT Standard Time
Total Physical Memory 2,048.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 1.40 GB
Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.96 GB
Page File Space 3.85 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys


sound card
Name Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio
Manufacturer Creative Technology Ltd.
Status OK
PNP Device ID PCI\VEN_1102&DEV_0007&SUBSYS_10121102&REV_00\4&11B6166B&0&00F0
I/O Port 0x0000CF00-0x0000CF1F
IRQ Channel IRQ 17
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\p17xfi.sys (5.12.01.618, 1.12 MB (1,173,504 bytes), 14/06/2012 14:49)


Name Radeon X1650 Series
PNP Device ID PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_71C1&SUBSYS_0840174B&REV_9E\4&1DA2E718&0&0008
Adapter Type ATI Radeon Graphics Processor (0x71C1), ATI Technologies Inc. compatible
Adapter Description Radeon X1650 Series
Adapter RAM 512.00 MB (536,870,912 bytes)
Installed Drivers ati2dvag.dll
Driver Version 6.14.10.6925
INF File oem13.inf (ati2mtag_RV535 section)
Color Planes 1
Color Table Entries 65536
Resolution 1440 x 900 x 60 hertz
Bits/Pixel 16
Memory Address 0xE0000000-0xEFFFFFFF
Memory Address 0xFDDF0000-0xFDDFFFFF
I/O Port 0x0000DE00-0x0000DEFF
IRQ Channel IRQ 16
I/O Port 0x000003B0-0x000003BB
I/O Port 0x000003C0-0x000003DF
Memory Address 0xA0000-0xBFFFF
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\ati2mtag.sys (6.14.10.6925, 3.40 MB (3,565,056 bytes), 27/06/2007 02:58)

Name Radeon X1650 Series Secondary
PNP Device ID PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_71E1&SUBSYS_0841174B&REV_9E\4&1DA2E718&0&0108
Adapter Type ATI Radeon Graphics Processor (0x71E1), ATI Technologies Inc. compatible
Adapter Description Radeon X1650 Series Secondary
Adapter RAM 512.00 MB (536,870,912 bytes)
Installed Drivers ati2dvag.dll
Driver Version 6.14.10.6925
INF File oem13.inf (ati2mtag_RV535 section)
Color Planes Not Available
Color Table Entries Not Available
Resolution Not Available
Bits/Pixel Not Available
Memory Address 0xFDDE0000-0xFDDEFFFF
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\ati2mtag.sys (6.14.10.6925, 3.40 MB (3,565,056 bytes), 27/06/2007 02:58)

IrishMetalhead

here's a i5/660ti setup on budget, I also included the assembly service in the shopping basket so it will come pre-built:

Item|Price
Intel Core i5-2320 Box, LGA1155|€168.00
MSI Z77A-G41, Intel Z77, ATX, DDR3|€90.29
8GB-Kit Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 MHz CL9|€40.91
EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti, 2048MB DDR5, PCI-Express|€285.48
Samsung SH-222BB schwarz|€16.59
Samsung SSD 830 128GB SATA 6GB's Paper Box|€99.74
Toshiba DT01ACA Series 1TB, SATA 6Gb/s|€69.29
Antec One, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€55.11
Thermaltake Smart Power 530W|€42.99
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit SB-Version Englisch|€91.74
Rechner - Zusammenbau|€20.00
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€999.13

Monotype

I'd go for something more like this:

Item|Price
ASUS DRW-24B5ST bare|€18.36
8GB-Kit G-Skill RipJaws PC3-12800U CL9|€39.30
BitFenix Merc Beta|€31.92
LogiLink USB 2.0 all-in-one Card Reader, für 3,5" Einbauchschacht|€3.92
WD Caviar Blue 1TB 6Gb's|€75.39
Intel Core i5-3570K Box, LGA1155|€216.29
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 13 Pro(Sockel 775/1155/1156/1366/754/939/AM2/AM2 +/AM3/AM3+/FM1)|€27.49
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 550W|€54.38
ASRock Z77 Pro4, Sockel 1155, ATX|€101.84
Sapphire HD 7870 2GB GDDR5 PCI-Express|€228.89
Crucial M4 128GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5")|€99.74
LogiLink SATA 0.3m Kabel mit Sicherungslasche|€0.64
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit (SB-Version)|€83.71
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€1000.86

Main thing is the overclockable CPU. Even if you don't know how to overclock now, it's well worth looking into it later when you want to get more out of your system.
You could add the build option for the extra €20 if you wanted it too.
By the way, that's a German windows, but you can download an English disc to use it with the that you get.

Edit: If you're not upgrading your monitor, you might be as well off getting a GTX 650 or 660 which come out next week. They should provide enough power for a while at that resolution.

Eddieb

Thanks guys, will look at both options and decide. i just want to add i made a mistake with the size of the monitor its 26in if that makes a difference.

spix

send me a pm when you decide on what your getting and i'll check for discounts for you

Monotype

The resolution is what makes a difference - not the size.
That's lowish enough resolution for a 26'' monitor.

@spix I know you hinted at this before but I was wondering what kind of discounts are we talking about? Is this through an aggregation site (referral) or have you got a business affiliation with them or are you directly linked to them or even a supplier?

spix

It's nothing sinister at all (but I don't want to say how as if everyone from ireland starts doing it then hwvs might notice and take action:D), I've already re-done 3 baskets for people here and saved them a few euro.

pcadvice

when you say a few how much are we talking about?

spix

pcadvice wrote: »

when you say a few how much are we talking about?

depends on the items, its usually 10 percent ish

pcadvice

nothing to be sniffed at:)

Monotype

OK, I know what you're doing now. This was posted a long time ago on the forums but it wasn't worthwhile at the time because the products weren't discounted enough but I do see a couple of euro savings. Do you think it's a legitimate concern that it would be abused and that it shouldn't be publicised on the forums?

spix

Monotype wrote: »

OK, I know what you're doing now. This was posted a long time ago on the forums but it wasn't worthwhile at the time because the products weren't discounted enough but I do see a couple of euro savings. Do you think it's a legitimate concern that it would be abused and that it shouldn't be publicised on the forums?

Send me a pm and I'll let you know if its correct. I do think so tbh as if everyone from Ireland ordering suddenly started doing this on every item I think they would notice and do something about it such as increased postage perhaps.

spix

Over budget but has a full hd IPS monitor, nice case and power supply.


78 euro for the german windows instead, as mentioned above it can be english as well (i think)

Monotype

I'd still go for the overclockable CPU ahead of getting a monitor, if the monitor isn't high priority. Also, I think the superflower PSU is worth the additional €5.
I'm not sure about Toshiba's HDDs. I used to hear bad things about them but that was a long time ago. I wonder if they're up to the speed of the WDs and Seagate.

Technically, you'll have a better experience with the upgraded monitor. You'd be able to appreciate the power of the system more. However, the overclockable CPU will extend the usefulness of the system quite a bit.

Eddieb

Guys thanks a mill, going to order tomorrow, just a question if i may, my mate was saying to spend some extra cash on i7 is this worth it for and i5, also i have no clue about overclocking ive heard some of the guys i play online with talking about it but id leave it to the professionals id be afraid id over heat the CPU. Thanks Monotype for suggesting it tho. very grateful

Monotype

Overclocking is dead easy on these systems. It's literally going into the BIOS/UEFI before it boots, changing a number and then running a stability program for a few hours to see if it's okay. It might require some effort for high overclocks, but 3.4GHz -> 4GHz requires little attention.

i7 isn't worth the cash for gaming. You get hyperthreading which is near useless for games. For 3D modelling or video editing ... possibly. If you're doing a lot of encoding and rendering and the programs support it then yes. But just a bit of chopping and changing, no.

spix

You'd be looking at an extra 140ish for an i7, I wouldn't say its worth it tbh.

About overclocking.. these cpu's are lightning fast at stock speeds as it is. The new ivybridge cpu's ( 3570k ) run notoriously hotter than the older 2500k when overclocking so being a complete noobie if you wanted to dabble in overclocking I'd go for a 2500k instead. It is easy like monotype said however some people just don't like the idea of changing settings! Without overclocking the i5 3450 is the best choice or you could spend an extra 10 and get the slightly faster i5 3550.

His current monitor is actually a TV so I'd definitely recommend going for a new monitor, especially with photoshop etc. 1440 resolution on a 26 inch screen is a waste as a monitor.

About the psu, either one is fine but he's not going to need more than 500w, even that's too much. Personally I'd go for a corsair as they're known to be very reliable but the super flower is probably just as good.

Monotype

Fair points but I'm going to pick holes in your sweeping corsair statement - that PSU only has 34A on the 12V rail which is no better than most good 450W PSUs and not much more than 400W. The efficiency of the amazon is rated as bronze although the corsair looks like it could be nearly capable of that. Don't blindly buy a brand without checking the individual product.

Edit: You are right that it would be a sufficient PSU and it's not particularly bad, but what it offers is equivalent only to something like the 450W amazon which is €42.

spix

I checked its spec's beforehand and some reviews. I know its a pretty cheap psu but it's still plenty for his system. Neither would be suitable should he want to add another graphics card in the future so there's not really any benefit to either. Personally I'd get the corsair but either are fine.

Edit -I didn't notice the 450w amazon, must have skipped past it as it's out of stock. All the other psu's which are cheaper than the corsair which are in stock either don't have enough pci-e connectors or seem a bit dodgy.

Eddieb

Guys thanks a mill with the help from Spix/mono i have chosen my pc build and look forward to getting it, just waiting on money to clear my bank and then ill order the parts and pray to god i can build it. i like a challenge. Guys thanks again when i have it built ill post a pic.


Ed.

Final build
LG Monitor - 154.15
i5 3450 - 168.53
samsung 128gb SSD - 94.86
Gigabyte 7870 ghz edition - 219.09
8gb corsair ram - 37.37
samsung dvd drive - 16.59
coolermaster 690 lite case - 65.86
corsair 500w power supply - 51.52
asrock z77 pro3 motherboard - 83.21
windows 7 home premium 64 english (out of stock) -85.18
western digital caviar blue 1TB - 71.99

Tea_Bag

post up the final build spec before you hit buy. I'm a little confused as to what you ended up with.

Monotype

450W amazon is due back tomorrow:
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/400+-+500+Watts/30074/Super-Flower+Amazon+80Plus+450W.article

Cheaper than the CX500, can provide equivalent power (regardless of "500" label) and is more efficient.

Eddieb

So money all cleared and in back just a question before i pay is it better to do Bank transfer, Paypal or Credit card for Hardwareversand. also on top of that whats a best way to get all my files from this pc to the new one do i need a portable HDD ? Thanks guys

Ed

Monotype

If your old hard drive is SATA, you could plug it into the new computer after you've set it up and copy any stuff that you want to keep over. You'd have to back up somethings like browser bookmarks on the old PC first as they can be difficult to dig out.

Bank transfer is probably the best since there's no charges... although that depends on your own bank given the recent surge in money grasping by banks.

Eddieb

Thanks Mono, also do i need a sound card ?

Monotype

Modern onboard sound is pretty good so you don't need a sound card unless you're doing professional work or are fussy.

pcadvice

bank transfer with AIB i was told was €30 for urgent if you go into the branch, €22.50 as normal in the branch & €15 online. i ended up using my online banking with AIB for a charge of €12.70 as urgent but you need a card reader to use online banking which takes 2 working days to get if you dont have one

Monotype

That's a rip off. :eek:

I think you should switch banks!

spix

Monotype wrote: »

That's a rip off. :eek:

I think you should switch banks!

AIB is fine for me.. standard bank transfers are free and I've done loads.. always go through pretty fast.

pcadvice, when did hwvs confirm payment? wondering how fast the urgent ones are.

pcadvice

spix wrote: »

AIB is fine for me.. standard bank transfers are free and I've done loads.. always go through pretty fast.

pcadvice, when did hwvs confirm payment? wondering how fast the urgent ones are.

HWVS in my order history current status is Online-Order
AIB status complete

i have not received an update to status email from HWVS, i was guessing i wont until tuesday as the gpu is not supposed to be available until tuesday

spix

Did you add the intended purpose to the transfer?


Remittee: hardwareversand.de GmbH
Amount:

---

Intended purpose: 'whatever yours is'
for international payment:
B.I.C. S.W.I.F.T.: PBNKDEFF
IBAN No: DE73440100460731239469

Monotype

Oh right, those are only rushed payment fees, then? I thought that they started charging ridiculous amounts for the international transfers.

pcadvice

spix wrote: »

Did you add the intended purpose to the transfer?


Remittee: hardwareversand.de GmbH
Amount:

---

Intended purpose: 'whatever yours is'
for international payment:
B.I.C. S.W.I.F.T.: PBNKDEFF
IBAN No: DE73440100460731239469

i filled everything out including that yes

spix

Monotype wrote: »

Oh right, those are only rushed payment fees, then? I thought that they started charging ridiculous amounts for the international transfers.

Yeah they charge a fee for urgent ones (although I don't see how it could get any faster). I do non-urgent so its free and hwvs confirm the payment next morning if I do the transfer before 4pm.

pcadvice

Monotype wrote: »

Oh right, those are only rushed payment fees, then? I thought that they started charging ridiculous amounts for the international transfers.

when i first phoned AIB i was told cheapest bank transfer i could do was €15 online standard (he might have been wrong), i used my online banking and urgent cost €12.70

pcadvice

spix wrote: »

Yeah they charge a fee for urgent ones (although I don't see how it could get any faster). I do non-urgent so its free and hwvs confirm the payment next morning if I do the transfer before 4pm.

how exactly do hwvs confirm the payment? by email or update your order status on hwvs? normal upto 5 working days and urgent max of 2 i was told

spix

pcadvice wrote: »

i filled everything out including that yes

Could you pm me what it says under 'view more detail' on your transfer

A few people here had issues with the payment taking longer than expected to go through and they had to call them to sort it out.

I've never had an issue though but I enter the 'intended purpose' twice.... on the 'Senders message for receiver' and the 'Senders reference' when you click next after filling in payment details.

spix

pcadvice wrote: »

how exactly do hwvs confirm the payment? by email or update your order status on hwvs? normal upto 5 working days and urgent max of 2 i was told

I get an email, it never takes 5 days for normal transfer for me. Next day or 2 days max if you do it after 4pm.

pcadvice

spix wrote: »

Could you pm me what it says under 'view more detail' on your transfer

A few people here had issues with the payment taking longer than expected to go through and they had to call them to sort it out.

I've never had an issue though but I enter the 'intended purpose' twice.... on the 'Senders message for receiver' and the 'Senders reference' when you click next after filling in payment details.

done

Monotype

They'll change the status on your order page if they get the payment to 'payment received'. I think it always takes a bit longer the first time you send them a payment from your account.

pcadvice

Monotype wrote: »

They'll change the status on your order page if they get the payment to 'payment received'. I think it always takes a bit longer the first time you send them a payment from your account.

im sure the fact that they wont be posting until tuesday at the earliest is also a factor? gpu wont be in stock until tuesday

Monotype

Nah, they'll usually update the page anyway. What day did you send it off? Yesterday? Yes, it could easily be Monday by the time they'd have it. Probably early money and if they have stock set aside and you're lucky, they might ship before the end of the day.

spix

He pm'd me the transfer details and looks like he forgot to add the 'Intended purpose' and put his order number/customer number instead.

I've seen at least 2 other threads where people have done this and asked why their payment hasn't gone through yet... they had to phone them to sort it out.

I'll make a thread about it so nobody else forgets

pcadvice

third time calling go through to a guy that could speak english, his boss is gone until monday but he will sort it monday and send confimation email

Eddieb

Did transfer today with Aib cost me noting and had a card reader. so now just waiting on my new rig to be sent WIN 7 is still not in stock so have to wait for that. again guys cheers for all the help and advice. if your ever in westmeath i owe you all a beer.

Ed.

spix

I saw the english windows 7 in stock yesterday so they might have one set aside for your order.

Oh just noticed you ordered today..they should have it back in stock soon

Eddieb

Hey guys the pc came today and im in the middle of building not doing to bad i must admit but ive hit a wall the Samsung ssd i got ive no clue where i mount it on the case, any vids i watch says i need an adapter thing for it but i didnt get one i only got the card any clues on what i need to do ?

Monotype

Just leave it at the bottom of the case. There's no moving parts so it won't be vibrating or get damaged if you're not vigorously moving the case around.

Eddieb

Monotype wrote: »

Just leave it at the bottom of the case. There's no moving parts so it won't be vibrating or get damaged if you're not vigorously moving the case around.

Awesome thanks Mono.

Eddieb

Well Pc all built and working like a dream "cant belive i was able to build it" was some what tricky with some things but google is great for info. anyways am waiting to get my copy of GW 2 to see what this baby can do, again guys thanks for the help from all of you and a big woop for spix and Mono. You guys rule