First Time Build

Morf

1. What is your budget? [~€800]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [General use/Audiophile PC]

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [Was hoping to pick up a copy of Windows 7, can't stand Windows 8. ]

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [Not planning to. ]

5. Do you need a monitor? [Plan to buy monitor at a later date.]

5a. If yes, what size do you need. [<23"]

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? [Resolution isn't really an issue]

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [No peripherals needed]

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [No]

8. How can you pay? [Debit credit card, Visa Debit ]

9. When are you purchasing? [I'll probably buy parts as I can afford them, week to week. I'm crap at saving to do it all in one go]

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [I'm confident enough to have a go myself, based in Carlow]

The processor/gfx isn't a huge concern as long as they are decent enough and reliable, I would be hoping to get a few years of good performance out of it.

I'm looking for a good soundcard for music listening.

I'm looking for a SSD to have windows on/boot from with my music (possibly in FLAC on a much larger HDD.

I'd probably need 6+ USB ports with USB 3.

I rip lots of cds to the hard drive so a rugged enough optical drive that won't start giving errors on rips after a few hundred times would be great. Wouldn't be averse to two optical drives.

BloodBath

What sound system do you have? Might help narrow down sound card options.

Any gaming? Any music production? Do you have windows 8 already?

Morf

BloodBath wrote: »

What sound system do you have? Might help narrow down sound card options.

Any gaming? Any music production? Do you have windows 8 already?

I'll be listening to music on the PC through headphones, possibly adding a DAC at some point. No music production. No, I'm currently using Vista.

BloodBath

It's hard to see you needing anymore power than this. Threw in a monitor as well as it's in budget. If you turn down the fans through the BIOS or BIOS software it should be virtually silent as well.

No need for a dedicated graphics card. An apu would suit you perfectly. You would probably get away with 4gb of ram as well.


Item|Price
AMD A8-5600K Accelerated Processor mit AMD Radeon HD 7560D Grafik Box|€84.40
ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M, FM2, mATX|€58.13
8GB-Kit G-Skill RipJaws PC3-12800U CL9|€58.47
Samsung SSD 840 120GB SATA 6Gb/s|€81.99
Seagate Barracuda 7200 2000GB, SATA 6Gb/s|€79.79
Zalman T2 Mini Tower - schwarz, ohne Netzteil|€18.61
Corsair VS Serie VS350, Non-Modular, 80+|€28.72
LiteOn iHAS124-04 schwarz SATA|€16.44
LG 22EA53VQ-P|€127.91
ASUS Xonar DX 7.1, PCIe x1|€64.99
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit SB-Version Englisch|€84.78
ARCTIC COOLING ARCTIC F12|€3.28
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€726.50

Morf

That's everything I'll need?

Thank you kindly! Much appreciated!

Morf

Is the Hardwareversand price €18.99 flat fee for all shipping?

Could you suggest some other sites that I could try to buy the components individually?

I found the processor cheaper on Amazon.

Thanks a million!

Gumbi

Morf wrote: »

Is the Hardwareversand price €18.99 flat fee for all shipping?

Could you suggest some other sites that I could try to buy the components individually?

I found the processor cheaper on Amazon.

Thanks a million!

Yep.

U_Fig

Morf wrote: »

Is the Hardwareversand price €18.99 flat fee for all shipping?

Could you suggest some other sites that I could try to buy the components individually?

I found the processor cheaper on Amazon.

Thanks a million!

It's best to buy all parts at once.. There's nothing worse than waiting on components to come.. Also buying multiple places means more shipping cost which will cancel out cheaper prices in most cases.

Morf

U_Fig wrote: »

It's best to buy all parts at once.. There's nothing worse than waiting on components to come.. Also buying multiple places means more shipping cost which will cancel out cheaper prices in most cases.

I'm starting to realise that this may be the best course of action alright.

HWVS seems to be cheapest for a lot of the components anyway.

Cheers.

Morf

BloodBath wrote: »

It's hard to see you needing anymore power than this. Threw in a monitor as well as it's in budget. If you turn down the fans through the BIOS or BIOS software it should be virtually silent as well.

No need for a dedicated graphics card. An apu would suit you perfectly. You would probably get away with 4gb of ram as well.


Item|Price
AMD A8-5600K Accelerated Processor mit AMD Radeon HD 7560D Grafik Box|€84.40
ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M, FM2, mATX|€58.13
8GB-Kit G-Skill RipJaws PC3-12800U CL9|€58.47
Samsung SSD 840 120GB SATA 6Gb/s|€81.99
Seagate Barracuda 7200 2000GB, SATA 6Gb/s|€79.79
Zalman T2 Mini Tower - schwarz, ohne Netzteil|€18.61
Corsair VS Serie VS350, Non-Modular, 80+|€28.72
LiteOn iHAS124-04 schwarz SATA|€16.44
LG 22EA53VQ-P|€127.91
ASUS Xonar DX 7.1, PCIe x1|€64.99
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit SB-Version Englisch|€84.78
ARCTIC COOLING ARCTIC F12|€3.28
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€726.50

Looks like I'll be ordering this very soon.

I've decided to go with Win 8 and use classic shell.

My budget will be about €900. Is there any worthwhile upgrades I could make within that budget? Like I said GFX performance isn't a huge issue but would a MoBo/processor upgrade be worthwhile. It could be a while before I upgrade/build again so I'm just hoping for the best/most reliable system for the next few years.

I'll need a keyboard and mouse. I'm better off getting the keyboard from Amazon, yeah? Nothing gaming needs for the mouse.

Thanks a lot, much appreciated.

Edit: Noticed it was a mini-tower with mATX MoBo. Size isn't an issue for me really if that changes anything.

Edit 2: I added a second optical drive and changed the monitor to LG 24EA53VQ. It adds about €40 to the build.

BloodBath

You could change to a bigger atx case if you wanted. How important is silence? How good are the headphones you have?

Maybe grab a pair of these.

http://www.hardwareversand.de/Wired/57398/Plantronics+Headset+GameCom+780.article

You can get the keyboard and mouse wherever. Just not the keyboard on hwvs as the German layout is different.

You might want a better quality optical drive if your gonna be ripping a lot of cd's. I'm not sure in that area to be honest. Add a second even if you think you will need it.

Morf

BloodBath wrote: »

You could change to a bigger atx case if you wanted. How important is silence? How good are the headphones you have?

Maybe grab a pair of these.

http://www.hardwareversand.de/Wired/57398/Plantronics+Headset+GameCom+780.article

You can get the keyboard and mouse wherever. Just not the keyboard on hwvs as the German layout is different.

You might want a better quality optical drive if your gonna be ripping a lot of cd's. I'm not sure in that area to be honest. Add a second even if you think you will need it.

It's not a big deal really regarding case size. Silence isn't a huge issue as it's usually pretty noisy where the pc is sadly. I have Audio Technica ATH-M50s, about €160 worth of headphones.

I might sort the mouse and keyboard locally.

Is there anyone I could ask about optical drives? I was planning to get the second in case I wear out the first ripping 600+ cds.

There's not any other upgrades you would suggest within €900?

Thanks.

Morf

Is the Bloodbath build with Win 8, the 24" LG monitor and second optical drive the best system I'd get for ~€900?

Would the upgrade to Samsung 840 pro be worthwhile?

I'm happy with RAM, HDD and the case seems to be fine (I have no objection to Mini Tower really).

Any upgrades I could make between CPU, GPU and Mobo? I might as well make the most of the budget while I have it.

I've asked here about the audio card as a I plan to get a headphone amp and DAC down the line.

Thanks again for your help.

Morf

After asking on the headphones forum I don't need a dedicated audio card so that frees up €65~ more of the budget as I plan to pick up a DAC at a later date.

I have the RAM, SSD, HDD, Optical drive x 2, Win 8, Monitor for €500.

Could someone please suggest processor, Mobo, GPU (middle of the road will do), case, power supply and any fans or anything else needed within a €400 budget? Thanks.

I have the funds and I'd like to order ASAP.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Gumbi

Morf wrote: »

After asking on the headphones forum I don't need a dedicated audio card so that frees up €65~ more of the budget as I plan to pick up a DAC at a later date.

I have the RAM, SSD, HDD, Optical drive x 2, Win 8, Monitor for €500.

Could someone please suggest processor, Mobo, GPU (middle of the road will do), case, power supply and any fans or anything else needed within a €400 budget? Thanks.

I have the funds and I'd like to order ASAP.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Do you already have those components, or have you just chosen them? 500 is a lot to spend from a 900 budget on that.

Morf

Gumbi wrote: »

Do you already have those components, or have you just chosen them? 500 is a lot to spend from a 900 budget on that.

GFX isn't a big concern so I'm happy spending a bigger % on a large HDD and an SSD etc..

The stuff I've listen is what I'm happy with right now.

Thanks

BloodBath

If it's for general use as you say then you don't need to upgrade the cpu/gpu or board. If all you're going to be doing is web / music listening and some programs then the one's I listed are fine.

You only need more power if gaming or using cpu intensive programs.

Morf

BloodBath wrote: »

If it's for general use as you say then you don't need to upgrade the cpu/gpu or board. If all you're going to be doing is web / music listening and some programs then the one's I listed are fine.

You only need more power if gaming or using cpu intensive programs.

Ok, I don't need extra SATA cables or anything else? Everything I need is included? Thanks

BloodBath

You will actually need 1 additional sata cable. I forgot to include it.

Morf

BloodBath wrote: »

You will actually need 1 additional sata cable. I forgot to include it.

Great, thank you. Sorry to be annoying you so much. Your help is much appreciated!

Morf

Ordered that there and sent the bank transfer.

Hopefully hear back from them tomorrow.

Morf

Stuff came today.

Build went mostly ok. Missing a stand off. The case was very difficult to build in and generally awkward. Got everything in though. Don't even ask about case management.

Two problems. One the HDD isn't being seen by windows. I'm not able to assign it a drive letter in disc management either. Secondly the audio port at the front is giving static when I move the mouse or the display is changing.

Any ideas? Thanks.

BloodBath

Small case builds are always a little awkward. I wouldn't worry about cable management either. Thermals shouldn't be a problem.

If the fans are loud you can adjust the case fans speed through the bios or board software in windows.

The hdd will need to be formatted in disk management before it shows up. Just use the default settings.

Are you sure the connection for the sound port to the mainboard is secure?

Morf

BloodBath wrote: »

Small case builds are always a little awkward. I wouldn't worry about cable management either. Thermals shouldn't be a problem.

If the fans are loud you can adjust the case fans speed through the bios or board software in windows.

The hdd will need to be formatted in disk management before it shows up. Just use the default settings.

Are you sure the connection for the sound port to the mainboard is secure?

I removed the Arctic F12 because a) I wasn't sure where to put it and facing which way b) it was vibrating and giving quite a loud noise. I tried tightening the screws but it didn't work.

I'm formatting the HDD now. Chose "slow" format and it's still going about 3 hours later.

I'll check the connections for the audio ports on the front when the formatting finishes and I can turn off the pc. I am getting audio fine just with "interference" like I mentioned.

Also there's an issue with the resolution. I have about an inch around the screen of a black line outside the desktop. Is this the limits of my onboard graphics on a 24" monitor?

Gumbi

Reduce the fan speed. They are very loud at max speed (~1500RPM) drop 'em to 800 or less and you'll be golden.

Morf

Gumbi wrote: »

Reduce the fan speed. They are very loud at max speed (~1500RPM) drop 'em to 800 or less and you'll be golden.

It seemed like it wasn't attached properly to the case as when I touched the top of the case it stopped vibrating.

Could you tell me specifically how to do this and what would be a good placement for the fan?

I plugged my headphones into one of the audio ports on the MoBo and the sound is fine. Still getting the interference noise when I move the mouse from the front audio port despite re-seating the cable to the Mobo.

Formatting the HDD seems to have done the trick, thanks Bloobath.

BloodBath

Put your fan in the front. There should be mounting holes there for a 120mm fan. Make it an intake so it's sucking air in from the front and blowing it into the case.

You can go into the bios to reduce the fan speed. There will be an option there for it somewhere. If you got software with your motherboard you should be able to control it from there as well. It depends on the boards though.

Is the mouse connected to the front usb beside the audio port? There could be some sort of cross channel interference going on between the wires. You could try moving to different ports or checking to see if there are any exposed wires which might be hard.

You can do quick formats in future. They only take a couple of minutes.

Did you sort the screen? Have you installed all your motherboard and graphics drivers?

You should go and the latest versions from their website rather than using the ones on the disk.

Mainboard drivers

Graphics driver for W8

Morf

BloodBath wrote: »

Put your fan in the front. There should be mounting holes there for a 120mm fan. Make it an intake so it's sucking air in from the front and blowing it into the case.

There is a solid plastic facia on the front. Can I install a fan behind it? I have the SSD attached to the side of the case beside when the fan would go. I haven't checked but not sure it'd fit.

You can go into the bios to reduce the fan speed. There will be an option there for it somewhere. If you got software with your motherboard you should be able to control it from there as well. It depends on the boards though.

If I'm able to sort the fan I'll have a look at this.

Is the mouse connected to the front usb beside the audio port? There could be some sort of cross channel interference going on between the wires. You could try moving to different ports or checking to see if there are any exposed wires which might be hard.

The mouse is connected to a USB 2 port at the rear. There isn't anything connected at the front apart from the headphone (which I've given up using for the moment because of the problem). Are you suggesting I take off the facia at the front that the cable from the MoBo feed into? It's a pain but I guess I can try it.

You can do quick formats in future. They only take a couple of minutes.

For some reason I thought turning off quick format would give a better result, I'll know in future. Only took about 4 hours.

Did you sort the screen? Have you installed all your motherboard and graphics drivers?

You should go and the latest versions from their website rather than using the ones on the disk.

Mainboard drivers

Graphics driver for W8

No I still have the 1" margin around the screen.

I downloaded the drivers/software off the disk but I only really looked online at BIOS updates but the one I tried failed anyway.

Thank you so much for your help. Hugely appreciated.

I spent hours today at it. Wrecked now but quite satisfied that it's mostly sorted.

Morf

I sorted the screen issue with a scaling fix in AMD catalyst control centre.

BloodBath

Good stuff. The sound issue is strange since you say you have the mouse connected at the rear. Try it in different ports.

I don't see how it's interfering with your sound.

Morf

BloodBath wrote: »

Good stuff. The sound issue is strange since you say you have the mouse connected at the rear. Try it in different ports.

I don't see how it's interfering with your sound.

The audio issue is there with the onboard jack at the rear just far less so. I wouldn't notice with music playing where as it's very noticeable and annoying with the front port.

BloodBath

That is annoying especially considering the pc is mainly for audio.

Do you have anything near the pc that may cause interference? Large speakers maybe?

Hopefully it's not a faulty mainboard.

Morf

I've just installed the fan at the front.

I tried to guess which was suck and which side was blow but I'm not sure.

I have 2.1 speakers near the case, they are plugged in but turned off. I'll give it a try with them plugged out.

I'd like to try the BIOS fan control but could you talk me through it a bit please? I've never really done anything with BIOS before.

Thank you.

BloodBath

Install the "Asrock extreme tuning utility" if it's on your motherboard cd or download it from their site. I assume the board supports it.

You will be able to change the fan speeds from inside windows then.

Morf

BloodBath wrote: »

Install the "Asrock extreme tuning utility" if it's on your motherboard cd or download it from their site. I assume the board supports it.

You will be able to change the fan speeds from inside windows then.

Great, thank you!

Morf

I changed the mouse to one of the USB 3 ports and plugged out the speakers but no change.

Is there anything I should try inside the PC?

BloodBath

I would have put the case at fault but you say it's happening at the rear sound ports as well. Have you installed the audio drivers for the board yet?

Morf

BloodBath wrote: »

I would have put the case at fault but you say it's happening at the rear sound ports as well. Have you installed the audio drivers for the board yet?

I have yes. I haven't googled the problem yet, I'll do that now.

Morf

I changed mouse, no change. I had the mouse plugged out and no change. It's a constant noise now (in the front port) as I have data transferring from a USB stick onto the pc. It seemed to be on screen activity that caused it now I'm not sure.

BloodBath

It's a strange one. I've read some power saving modes can cause this problem.

It's either that or some ground loop problem.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/302716-31-weird-buzzing-noise-moving-mouse

Morf

BloodBath wrote: »

It's a strange one. I've read some power saving modes can cause this problem.

It's either that or some ground loop problem.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/302716-31-weird-buzzing-noise-moving-mouse

I'll shoot off a message to AsRock technical support to see what they say. It wasn't just mouse buzz. I was getting it constantly as I transferred data from my USB to this PC too.

Morf

Would the fact that the Zalman T2 case came with only 6 stand offs instead of 7 mean the MoBo isn't grounded properly causing the audio buzz?

I went into a local PC repair shop looking for a spare but they couldn't find one the exact same and the guy warned me that the MoBo might not work at all because of the grounding.

Just ruling that out.

BloodBath

It's a possibility. I'd make sure that there isn't 1 misplaced one somewhere it shouldn't be.

Morf

BloodBath wrote: »

It's a possibility. I'd make sure that there isn't 1 misplaced one somewhere it shouldn't be.

I was pretty certain I checked all of the case for it and I'm not that keen to take the guts out of the case now. I will check the box the case came in originally just to be sure.

BloodBath

It's a huge pain in the arse I know but you need to find the source of the problem.

Morf

I called into a local PC repair shop and they suggested I might have the front USB and audio headers mixed up but they were fine.

The rear audio jack is pretty ok. I only notice it when the house is dead quiet at night and if I'm listening to music it is quite loud in comparison so I don't hear it at all.

The front jack is unusable really.

I got all the MoBo stuff sorted in case I had to return it. Someone threw it all in the bin and the box is wrecked and dirty. What condition is it possible to return a MoBo to HWVS in just in case?

Thanks

BloodBath

I don't know really. If it is the case I'd say cut your loses and replace it at some stage if you want to use the front jack.

I really don't know what it is. Your best bet is to isolate it completely away from your sound system and any other electronics that might be causing interference and testing it further.

As for the box, I don't know, it can't be that bad can it?

Morf

BloodBath wrote: »

I don't know really. If it is the case I'd say cut your loses and replace it at some stage if you want to use the front jack.

I really don't know what it is. Your best bet is to isolate it completely away from your sound system and any other electronics that might be causing interference and testing it further.

As for the box, I don't know, it can't be that bad can it?

I saw that mATX case you were quite fond of in another thread. That might be an option. The one for €33, I forget the model name.

I have it in the MoBo jack and although having the cable there is a bit of a pain it's not too bad. I'm trying to remember on my previous pc if there was a hint of hiss and buzz but I'm not certain. The DAC/headphone amp will plug in at the back anyway and sit beside the monitor where I can plug in the headphones so it'll be less of an issue then.

The box is crushed, ripped on several sides and covered in what I could only describe as "gunk" in one spot. I'd be very surprised if I could send it back in that state.

BloodBath

Yes it's a new case. It wasn't available when I did your build but it's far superior and still cheap.

It would be a bit cheaper from Amazon with free delivery. They don't have it in stock yet though.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BTQD40W/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

It may not be the case at all though if you are still getting interference in the rear port. I'm stumped to what is causing the problem.

Morf

I'm having a problem with my monitor.

It's an LG 24ea53.

It keeps flicking to a blank black screen. It was doing this occasionally for a second. Then twice and back to normal. It got a bit more regular and then it was flicking blank really fast. I had to shut off the pc.

The monitor is connected with an HDMI cable. I checked the cable on the xbox 360 and it was fine. It doesn't seem to be the connections.

I thought the back of the desk might be putting pressure on the cable (the desk is on wheels and it rocks around a bit). I changed the path of the cable so it was coming up sideways and behind the desk and it has flicked off once today.

Any ideas? Thanks.

BloodBath

I've never heard of problems like these to be honest. I'm confused here. Is this happening with the xbox or pc or both?

Do you have them connected at the same time? Maybe it's confused by the 2 signals and keeps changing between them?