Would like advice on what i should do?

blainj2

Hi,

I'm contemplating doing my first self build as I'm interested to learn how its done and i think I would enjoy it. This is the machine i currently have which was bought back in April 2009. Its giving me major problems at the minute with freezing. I re-installed windows vista again and it fixed the problem for a few weeks but its back again now.

My question is am i mad to be doing this or should i just try a bit harder to get to the bottom of the problem i have. The machine still has ok specs even though its 4 years old, i mainly use it for gaming.


Item Description
Intel® Core™ i7 Processor 920 (2.66GHz, 8MB cache, 4.8GT/sec)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium SP1 64Bit - English
1 TB (2x 500 GB) Serial ATA (7200 Rpm) Dual HDD Config Raid 0 Stripe
8192MB (4x1024,2x2048) 1067MHz DDR3 Dual Channel
512MB ATI® Radeon® 4850 Graphics card
16X DVD+/- RW Optical Drive (DVD & CD read and write)
Logitech MX3200 Cordless Keyboard and Laser Mouse
Integrated HDA 7.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Internal Enhanced Wireless 802.11n PCIe Card - Europe


I could spend up to 1k on a really good set up but would it give much better performance than what i have now? I can re-use the 24" dual monitors that i have now and have keyboard, speakers. The new set up would need to be wireless as i cant connected it wired. Also i have the concern that everything is powered from one socket and extension lead, should i worry about this for a new more powerful machine?

What would people recommend for that kind of money?

smileyj1987

blainj2 wrote: »

Hi,

I'm contemplating doing my first self build as I'm interested to learn how its done and i think I would enjoy it. This is the machine i currently have which was bought back in April 2009. Its giving me major problems at the minute with freezing. I re-installed windows vista again and it fixed the problem for a few weeks but its back again now.

My question is am i mad to be doing this or should i just try a bit harder to get to the bottom of the problem i have. The machine still has ok specs even though its 4 years old, i mainly use it for gaming.


Item Description
Intel® Core™ i7 Processor 920 (2.66GHz, 8MB cache, 4.8GT/sec)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium SP1 64Bit - English
1 TB (2x 500 GB) Serial ATA (7200 Rpm) Dual HDD Config Raid 0 Stripe
8192MB (4x1024,2x2048) 1067MHz DDR3 Dual Channel
512MB ATI® Radeon® 4850 Graphics card
16X DVD+/- RW Optical Drive (DVD & CD read and write)
Logitech MX3200 Cordless Keyboard and Laser Mouse
Integrated HDA 7.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Internal Enhanced Wireless 802.11n PCIe Card - Europe

I could spend up to 1k on a really good set up but would it give much better performance than what i have now? I can re-use the 24" dual monitors that i have now and have keyboard, speakers. The new set up would need to be wireless as i cant connected it wired. Also i have the concern that everything is powered from one socket and extension lead, should i worry about this for a new more powerful machine?

What would people recommend for that kind of money?

I would tell you buy an SSD and a new GPU . That is a fairly solid pc and should last another 2 years .

paulmclaughlin

blainj2 wrote: »

This is the machine i currently have which was bought back in April 2009. Its giving me major problems at the minute with freezing. I re-installed windows vista again and it fixed the problem for a few weeks but its back again now.

Well there's your problem.

tuxy

I agree with the other 2 guys that's still a solid system it just needs a bit of a update.
New ssd for about €100 and graphics card €200-€300 if you are into games.
Replacing vista with windows 7 or 8 would also help.
You could also get a good CPU cooler for €30-€40 and overclock the CPU if your motherboard allows it.

BloodBath

+1 for ssd, g-card and windows 7 or 8 upgrade.

blainj2

Think ill upgrade to windows 7 and take it from there. Been meaning to do it for a while.

Thanks

blainj2

Just on that where is the best and cheapest place to upgrade online. Microsoft shop doesn't seem to sell WIN7 for download anymore?

Serephucus

If you're going to be buying parts as well, hardwareversand.de is the best place. Cheap prices, and €19 flat delivery rate.

blainj2

Serephucus wrote: »

If you're going to be buying parts as well, hardwareversand.de is the best place. Cheap prices, and €19 flat delivery rate.

Just opened my machine an there doesn't look to be space for a ssd. There is already 2 x hdds installed. Also there is only one free power that is daisy chained on from the DVD drive. Not 100% sure it work but both hdd's are done the same way.

Would it be a case of having to remove one of the hdd's?

smileyj1987

blainj2 wrote: »

Just opened my machine an there doesn't look to be space for a ssd. There is already 2 x hdds installed. Also there is only one free power that is daisy chained on from the DVD drive. Not 100% sure it work but both hdd's are done the same way.

Would it be a case of having to remove one of the hdd's?

Take a picture of it so we can get a better look at it . You might be able to use a molex adapter they are only a few quid .

tuxy

If you have a molex connection you just need one of these

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Power-cable-4-pin-Molex-Male-to-SATA-15-pin-female-12-cm-convert-ATX-to-SATA-/150951423961?pt=UK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL&hash=item232567efd9#ht_1002wt_1163

The ssd will fit somewhere for sure. They are small,light and no moving parts.
You could use double sided tape to stick it anywhere there is room.

blainj2

Ok, change of plan i'm gonna give this computer to my brother as he kinda has nothing at the minute and i want to build my own set up from scratch.

1. What is your budget? 1200

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer?Gaming

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? Yes

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? No

5. Do you need a monitor? No

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? 1920x1080

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? Keyboard

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? Yes, but not straight away

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

9. When are you purchasing? This week hopefully

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? Planning to do it myself

I think i want to get a GTX660Ti. I dont really know much in detail about anything else. I want the machine to have the potential to upgrade in a couple of years so want to take CPU, Case and power supply into consideration for that. Also id like it to be quiet.

This is what i roughly picked out .


The case is very basic might upgrade that but im worried as the computer desk i have has closed sides for the tower so it might restrick air flow if its too big? Would that matter alot or is it mainly the front and back that needs ventilation. Its about 25cm wide by 55cm high.

Also can someone tell me the difference in these as i dont understand it. Thanks in advance.

http://www.hardwareversand.de/DDR3/59322/ASRock+Z77+Pro3%2C+Sockel+1155%2C+ATX.article?basket.changed=1
and
http://www.hardwareversand.de/DDR3/57456/ASUS+P8Z77-V%2C+Sockel+1155%2C+ATX%2C+DDR3.article

also
http://www.hardwareversand.de/Solid-State-Disk/67799/Samsung+SSD+840+Pro+256GB+SATA+6Gb+s.article
and
http://www.hardwareversand.de/Solid-State-Disk/67797/Samsung+SSD+840+250GB+SATA+6Gb+s.article

tuxy

Up until recently the i7 made no difference in games over the i5. I'm not sure if that has changed or not. Someone one here will know and can advise you on it. But if you were to get an i5 and a more expensive GPU you should end up with a better gaming system.

You don't need a 700 watt psu a 500 watt would do the job no problem.

Everything else looks good to me

blainj2

Hi, I've looked into this a bit more over the last few day and have finally come to this setup below.

Id appreciate it very much if a couple of people could go through it and make sure its alright before i order in the next few days.

I'm not 100% sure if i will i need to order any extra cables?
Or brackets for the SSD?

Item|Price
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit (SB-Version)|€83.98
8GB-Kit Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 MHz CL9|€57.66
Seagate Barracuda 7200 2000GB, SATA 6Gb/s|€82.94
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660Ti OC, 2GB GDDR5, 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort|€267.58
Samsung SH-224BB bare schwarz|€16.89
LogiLink Wireless LAN 300 Mbps PCI Karte 802.11n 2T2R|€14.64
be quiet! Pure Power L8 CM|€67.97
Intel Core i7-3770K Box, LGA1155|€297.66
ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP, Sockel 1155, ATX|€75.59
Corsair Carbide Series 500R White, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€97.75
Samsung SSD 840 250GB SATA 6Gb/s|€148.03
Thermalright HR-02 Macho Rev.A (BW)|€40.54
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€1270.22

Serephucus

You want the Z77 Pro4 from ASRock, and the 3570K processor.
(Z77 allows you to overclock, 3570K is a 3770K just without Hyperthreading, which isn't used in games anyway)

Just to check, do you ever think you'll run dual graphics cards, or are you more likely to upgrade to a faster model single card later on?

blainj2

Thanks for that. Motherboards are definitely my weak point. I doubt ill go with dual graphic cards in the future.

Still undecided on the processor. Maybe ill go for the i5 if its going to be the same for a saving of €90 odd euro.

Updated is below now. Will PSU and cpu cooler be ok? Do i need any additional case fans or cables?

Item|Price
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit (SB-Version)|€83.98
8GB-Kit Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 MHz CL9|€57.66
Seagate Barracuda 7200 2000GB, SATA 6Gb/s|€82.94
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660Ti OC, 2GB GDDR5, 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort|€267.58
Samsung SH-224BB bare schwarz|€16.89
LogiLink Wireless LAN 300 Mbps PCI Karte 802.11n 2T2R|€14.64
be quiet! Pure Power L8 CM|€67.97
Corsair Carbide Series 500R White, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€97.75
Samsung SSD 840 250GB SATA 6Gb/s|€148.03
Thermalright HR-02 Macho Rev.A (BW)|€40.54
Intel Core i5-3570K Box, LGA1155|€207.02
ASRock Z77 Pro4, Sockel 1155, ATX|€98.69
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€1202.68

Serephucus

If you're not going dual GPU, go with this PSU instead. It's much more efficient, for about the same money. Everything else looks pretty good.

Edit: Woops, just noticed. You want the 840 Pro SSD. The regular 840 isn't that great.

blainj2

Serephucus wrote: »

Edit: Woops, just noticed. You want the 840 Pro SSD. The regular 840 isn't that great.

I read in a couple of places that the difference in the 840 and 840 pro was negligible in regular use and would only be noticed at bench marking performance standards. Should i really get the pro for €50 more?

Serephucus

Hmmm... I'll eat my words. It's actually not as far behind as I'd thought. I'd looked at a review or two when it came out, but I'll admit I didn't give it much thought.

It loses out in sequential writes by about 25%, though sequential numbers are what you're least likely to notice in real-world usage. It's access times are slightly slower, but they're still ahead of something like a Crucial M4, which is a very respectable drive.

smileyj1987

http://www.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?adp=0&aid=66982&agid=1942&apop=605

What about Changing the GPU to a Club 3D 7950 Royal King ?

Serephucus

The 7950 is a good card, and the RoyalKing version overclocks like a boss. The thing is that at the moment at least, NVIDIA's cards are quite a bit more consistent than AMD's. While the average framerate will be higher with an AMD card, and NVIDIA card will be smoother. Personally, I'd go with an NVIDIA card, but it's something you should probably read up on yourself and decide. Have a look at PC Perspective and Anandtech, and their articles on frametimes, and latency.

Serephucus

The 7950 is a good card, and the RoyalKing version overclocks like a boss. The thing is that at the moment at least, NVIDIA's cards are quite a bit more consistent than AMD's. While the average framerate will be higher with an AMD card, and NVIDIA card will be smoother. Personally, I'd go with an NVIDIA card, but it's something you should probably read up on yourself and decide. Have a look at PC Perspective and Anandtech, and their articles on frametimes, and latency.

blainj2

Thanks, think i have my mind made up on this now.

Just have to transfer money to paypal and then to HWVS. Is that the easiest way?

Serephucus

Nope. If you go through PayPal you'll pay an extra 3% fee. The easiest way is by bank transfer. Easy to do online, but if you don't want to do that, you can print off the details in the email they'll send you when you place your order, and bring it to you bank. They can do it for you there.

http://imgur.com/a/BlC7k#0

blainj2

Got the parts and assembled this with little hassle. Id do it in 1/4 of the time next time as was just being extra careful. It was a very enjoyable experience.

Thanks to everyone for the help with deciding on the parts.

A couple of things to take into consideration for people going for a similar build would be

1. The CPU cooler is big. It is almost against my back fan and covers two of the closest dimm / ram slots on the other side. If i had low profile ram i would probable be able to use all 4 slots but with the one i got only slots 3 & 4 are available. That's fine as i only have 8GB of ram.

2. I had to get another sata cable for the optical drive as only 2 came with the motherboard. I would have saved a bit on this if i had got it from hwvs.

3. The CPU power was tight to reach so i bought a extension to allow the cables to be run tidier. I would have saved a bit on this if i had got it from hwvs.

4. Also on the cpu cooler it is quiet close to the graphics card so i installed it in the lower PCI express slot. It would probably be alright in the higher one but didn't want to chance it.

5. I didn't realise the windows version that came with the install was in German so had to download another version and install from disc / flash.

I've optimized the windows install and my shutdown and stat up times are about 3 seconds from pressing the power button to the desktop being ready for use which is pretty cool.

The CPU temp is idling at 28C. Under full heat stress test in prime95 for 30 minutes the max temp reached 45C which is a lot better than what i was expecting.

Overall i'm very happy and this will be a super gaming PC. I might even consider selling this one to do another one.