New Build, would love some tips...

Diamond7

Hi all. I have a few things I can't decide on... any help would be great.

1. What is your budget? As tight as possible but will spend whatever needeed
2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? Studying and internet, maybe some scientific apps or coding/algorithms in the future
3. Do you need a copy of Windows? I have a copy of Win7, not sure wheither to move to 8?
4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? No
5. Do you need a monitor? Yes
5a. If yes, what size do you need. 22/24"
6. Do you need any of these peripherals? Keyboard, Wireless Card
7. Are you willing to try overclocking? Yes
8. How can you pay? Bank Transfer, Credit Card, Laser, PayPal
9. When are you purchasing? June/July
10. If you need help building it, where are you based? This is my second build, shouldn't need help. I'm in Co. Galway

This machine really only needs the basics, no gaming or heavy media involved. I would like it to to have a bit of power none the less, in case I use some heavily resources software in the future, and reliability is important. Should I go with an I5 with integrated graphics, or can I do better/cheaper?

Is there any functional advantage to getting Win8 and a touchscreen, or is it as bad as some say and a total waste of extra money?

I would like a 120GB SDD and after that 250 GB HDD and 8GB RAM should be loads.

I can shop HWVS and similar myself, but would really appreciate some expert tips from your fine selves...

CptPlanet

This
1. What is your budget? As tight as possible
Kinda Answers
3. Do you need a copy of Windows? I have a copy of Win7, not sure wheither to move to 8?
Nothing stopping you moving to 8 at a later date if more cash becomes available and you feel its worth it, I would not call 8 an upgrade right now, maybe it will be when it matures.

Diamond7

Yes CptPlanet, I think you might be right there. And at least I know Win7 and know it works.

Anyone any ideas on processors or what budget I am looking at for a build like this?

marco_polo

Just to give you a rough idea, lets say with this LG 22EA53VQ-P monitor (and 120GB SSD, 1TB HDD, 8GB RAM etc), you'd be looking at anywhere from a little under 500 in total for a G2020 CPU combined with a H61 mATX board, that will meet your current needs but probably need a CPU upgrade at some point in the future.

The absolute upper limit would be around 750 for an i5-4670k with a z87 motherboard and a good cooler for some some sunstantial overclocking (Which is almost certainly way overkill for you right now TBH).

Either way the integrated graphics should be all you need.

It would be easier if ther was at least a ballpark budget figure to aim at though .

Diamond7

That stuff looks good Mr. Polo...
I guess my budget is €500-600

If I upgraded the CPU at a later date would the board also need replacing?

Is it suitable to use second hand parts like case, cooler, PSU, even HDD?

I dont need much storage, The space left on the SDD might even be enough, would there be a problem doing this? Can an SDD be partitioned like a normal HDD?

If I cut some corners like this, I might be able to strech to a 24" and even an upgraded board or CPU?

marco_polo

Diamond7 wrote: »

That stuff looks good Mr. Polo...
I guess my budget is €500-600

If I upgraded the CPU at a later date would the board also need replacing?

Is it suitable to use second hand parts like case, cooler, PSU, even HDD?

I dont need much storage, The space left on the SDD might even be enough, would there be a problem doing this? Can an SDD be partitioned like a normal HDD?

If I cut some corners like this, I might be able to strech to a 24" and even an upgraded board or CPU?

Something like this would be decent for 600 euro, for an upgrade down the road you could simply stick in an overclockable i5-3570K and a decent cooler. A build like this isn't really possible with Haswell because the dual cores are not out for a while yet and the boards are a little on the expensive side.

Item|Price
LG 24EA53VQ|€159.00
Cooler Master Force 500 Midi-Tower - schwarz, ohne Netzteil|€34.31
be quiet! SYSTEM POWER 7 400W|€39.05
2 x 4GB Kingston HyperX PC3-12800U CL9-9-9-27|€57.86
ASRock Z77 Pro3, Sockel 1155, ATX|€82.94
Intel Core i3-3220 Box, LGA1155|€105.05
Samsung SSD 840 120GB SATA 6Gb/s|€81.99
ASUS PCE-N10|€14.90
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€594.09

If you view it as an interim CPU, with a view to upgrading in a year or two, you could even you could knock another 50 off with the G2020, it is clocked a bit lower than the i3-3220 and lacks hyperthreading but would be nearly as good for day to day computing tasks, and you'd barely notice the difference.

Diamond7

Thanks Marco...
You've given me a nice bit to think about there. If I was going to upgrade in the future the G2020 would probably be fine for now.

Any opinions on using second hand stuff, cases coolers etc? Is it risky? or have people had good experiences buying second hand?

BloodBath

Why bother with all that hassle when you can just get a good cpu now for the same price. This build is virtually the same but with an i5 which can be overclocked to 4ghz on that board.


Item|Price
ASRock ZH77 Pro3, Sockel 1155, ATX|€69.68
Intel Core i5-3470 Box, LGA1155|€172.00
8GB-Kit G.Skill RipJaws PC3-10667U CL9|€55.00
Samsung SSD 840 120GB SATA 6Gb/s|€81.99
Cooler Master Force 500 Midi-Tower - schwarz, ohne Netzteil|€34.31
Corsair VS Serie VS350, Non-Modular, 80+|€29.56
LG 22EA53VQ-P|€129.56
TP-Link TL-WN781N, 150Mbps, PCIe x1|€9.44
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€600.53

Diamond7

Okey, more options... Thanks BloodBath
Been doing a bit of compairing. The cheaper PSU seems fine, might it be louder?
The mainboard: Whats the difference between Z77 and H77? apart from €13
I'd loose 2" on the screen,
My first build has an I5 and, so far, it rocks! but the difference in price is substansial. I know I don't need much punch out of this machine but its always nice to have it and be more future proof too. I really don't know...

Gumbi

Diamond7 wrote: »

Okey, more options... Thanks BloodBath
Been doing a bit of compairing. The cheaper PSU seems fine, might it be louder?
The mainboard: Whats the difference between Z77 and H77? apart from €13
I'd loose 2" on the screen,
My first build has an I5 and, so far, it rocks! but the difference in price is substansial. I know I don't need much punch out of this machine but its always nice to have it and be more future proof too. I really don't know...

The main difference is the Z77 allows you to overclock the CPU to 4.4ghz or higher. However, you'd have to get a 30 euro cooler. The best option is to go for a H77 which allows you up to 4ghz across all cores, which is nothing to sniff at.

marco_polo

There is a definite price premium for z77/K series so you'll have to think about whether it is worth it or not, and whether you want to go to the hassle of upgrading later etc.

The best performance immediately for about 600 now is definitely the H77/3470 type build, and probably the best option overall, if you'll never need to squeeze every last drop of performance out of the machine.

Decisions decisions decisions :pac:

Diamond7

H77-3470 it is so, thanks guys, Like you said Gumbi, 4ghz is not bad at all.

Any difference in quality/noise between corsair and be-quiet? does the name mean anything? 350w is enough right?

marco_polo

Diamond7 wrote: »

H77-3470 it is so, thanks guys, Like you said Gumbi, 4ghz is not bad at all.

Any difference in quality/noise between corsair and be-quiet? does the name mean anything? 350w is enough right?

350W is loads, especially with no GPU. The Corsair is not 80 plus certified because it doesn't have 110~220 switchable voltage and so doesn't qualify to even apply for the certification, but I believe that it is up to 85% efficient which would put it at about the standard of 80 plus bronze.

Not sure about noise but as this is a CPU only build it will be putting very little strain on the PSU, so both should be operate fairly quietly, although the budget PSUs rarely interest reviewers so I don't have the data to say for certain.

Diamond7

I'll chance the corsair so. I reckon I'm pretty sorted...
Price comming in around €610 or €640 if I get the 24" (might lock myself in and save like mad).

Thanks for the support guys.