Looking to Buy a new Desktop Build Required

Irish Gunner · 11-01-2011 10:21pm #1

Ok in the market for a new Desktop PC as I am getting the blue screen and its time to get a new one

I am looking for very good processor and plenty of memory as I have downloads galore from movies to music to pictures. Also want a blu ray burner and a dvd burner. Last PC I got was from Ankermann are they still the best ?

Looking at a budget of max €650-€750 but depending on the spec could go more. Wont be doing any gaming on this

Can anyone recommend one for me build as well

Cheers

Jonny7 · 11-01-2011 11:46pm

ankermann are like russian roulette.. if the ultra crappy cheapest psu doesn't explode, or they've remembered to use thermal paste between the cpu and fan or you even manage to get them to reply to you after not receiving your pc for 2 months.. then you are one of the lucky ones...

www.hardwareversand.de are good, use the pc configurator to do up a system and post it up here to see if its all compatible

Irish Gunner · 12-01-2011 9:08am

Thanks

Are Ankermann really that bad?PC I got off them was ok but remember they where not the best in replying to mails.Had a look at the hardwareversand site first impressions not that user friendly for a noobie but will see cannot see blu ray burner drive? Also is it that you can pay only via bank transfer?

If anyone wants to build one for me to recommend not that I am lazy just unsure what cpu to get etc

Cheers

the_syco · 12-01-2011 10:05am

I picked the "Suggestion 2" at hardwareversand.de PC Configurator and clicked next to to most of the options. Selected "2" next tot he RAM, and selected a different graphics car, and a different hard-drive. Not usre about the PSU, though. May need a better one than 420W?

AMD Phenom II X2 560 Black Edition Box, Sockel AM3
91,42 €

ASUS M4A88T-M/USB3 - motherboard - micro ATX - AMD 880G
81,46 €

Corsair memory - 2 GB - DIMM 240-pin - DDR3 (x2)
18,58 €

HKC Case 7046GD, ATX, 420Watt
41,85 €

Sapphire HD5670 512M GDDR5 PCI-E HDMI / DVI-I / VGA *
66,84 €

Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB, Western Digital2001FASS 8,9 cm (3,5)
148,41 €

LG BH10LS30 Blu-Ray Brenner bulk
86,42 €

TOTAL 573,56 €

*I randomly picked this as it's better then my current card, and has HDMI output.

Irish Gunner · 12-01-2011 11:24am

Thanks for that.

Is there a blu ray burner drive along with dvd player burner drive? Also do they assemble Pc or is that extra?

Anyone got any other suggetions?

Monotype · 12-01-2011 1:45pm

I think they assemble it for €20, but it's not difficult to do yourself.

That blu-ray drive will read/write to DVD.
I would up the board slightly to M4A88TD-M/USB3
http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=35705
or something similar (better sound card, SB850, SATA 6Gbps, more USB ports).

If your not gaming at all, I'd save money and not bother with a dedicated GPU.

With your spare money, you could get an X4 athlon 2, 4GB ram and you should get a better PSU. If I have time later, I'll try and look up some examples, or anyone else is welcome to try.

the_syco · 12-01-2011 6:05pm

Monotype wrote: »

If your not gaming at all, I'd save money and not bother with a dedicated GPU.

Even though he won't be playing games, IMO he'll need a dect GFX card, and one with a HDMI port in it if he's outputting the videos to a larger TV? He's looking for one with a BluRay burner, so I'd say he'd be playing big movies...

deconduo · 12-01-2011 7:08pm

the_syco wrote: »

Even though he won't be playing games, IMO he'll need a dect GFX card, and one with a HDMI port in it if he's outputting the videos to a larger TV? He's looking for one with a BluRay burner, so I'd say he'd be playing big movies...

Onboard graphics these days are enough for 1080p video. The only problem is to make sure theres a HDMI port (which that one does have.)

Monotype · 12-01-2011 9:30pm

Something like...

attachment.php?attachmentid=143038&stc=1&d=1294867649

You need a case on top of that and delivery is €30. Build fee is €20 too. Probably end up being over €500 with that much.
Hardwareversand have good prices but if you want to pay by credit card, you need to do it through paypal and they charge an extra 3%. Alternative is bank transfer.

Do you need an OS/keyboard/mouse/screen?

Monotype · 12-01-2011 9:45pm

Looking at that drive, it's a 5400 RPM drive and doesn't look great. Maybe two 1TB drives or alternatively a faster 1TB drive for OS and a green 2TB for further storage.
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=28152
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=30369

Irish Gunner · 12-01-2011 9:48pm

Thanks for that

Will look at the casing. Dont need Mouse keyboard or screen. Have windows 7 pro on my existing desktop is there a way of adding this to new pc or is the licence just for the one

Are you saying remove the drive and get a Western Digital Caviar GreenPower 2TB SATA II?

Will look at payment methods

Cheers

Monotype · 13-01-2011 7:47am

No, the license generally won't cover that, you'd have to get another copy.

I was suggesting to remove the drive and get a fast 1TB drive (the samsung F3 linked) and a slightly slower WD green 2TB if you need more storage.

Irish Gunner · 13-01-2011 8:23pm

Cheers thanks for that

You can buy an extra licence rather than buying windows 7 disc again correct? Have not got the blue screen dump on pc so in 2 minds to hold off but if I do will go with your suggestion

Ta

Monotype · 13-01-2011 9:59pm

If you decide to wait, make sure you see what the latest tech is, even if it's only two months. You should post before you buy too in case there's any opinions on cases etc.

I think you can get keys from some places but it's probably not any cheaper... unless there's dodgy dealings. Hardwareversand sell W7 or if you're a student, you can get cheap upgrades versions.

jimogr · 14-01-2011 7:05pm

Monotype wrote: »

if you're a student, you can get cheap upgrades versions.

Those student editions seem to be all upgrade versions - can you use those for doing a fresh install on a newly built PC?

Monotype · 14-01-2011 9:16pm

Not unless you install it without a key first on a trial and launch the installer inside windows. This would be outside the license agreement though. They're useful to buy if you have any old copies of XP/vista hanging around.

Irish Gunner · 14-01-2011 11:22pm

ok first attempt whats crap that I should take out and what should I add.

Not sure about Sound Card and if there is a N Wireless adapter in the below as I say first time so can add more if need be just need guidance on what

Monotype · 15-01-2011 9:46am

I don't think that those phenom X2s are very good value - 3.3GHz and the 3GHz Athlon 2 640 cheaper at €89 and double the cores from 2 to 4, it seems a better deal to me. The phenoms are only slightly better at similar speeds and cores, but IMO the extra cores are a far bigger advantage here.

If you can sqeeze in 4GB or RAM (2x2GB), I think you'd have a more rounded system.

The board I recommended earlier really is worth the extra €5. Newer technology, better sound chip.
Here's a similar MSI board.
Sound would be good enough on these unless you're an audiophile or doing professional work.

Choose a better quality, more reliable PSU - e.g., the one I said above.
Choose a case without a PSU (as you won't need it).

You'll need a wireless card. Very few motherboards come with them. You might want to think about homeplugs. These use your powerlines as a network and will be more stable and consistent than wireless. I wouldn't get them from hardwareversand as you'd be needing plug adapters.

Do you need a second DVD drive?

Irish Gunner · 15-01-2011 10:40am

Cheers thanks for that

Their website not user friendly for a noobie techie like me so you may have to point out which is the PSU and where are the wireless cards. Best place to get homeplugs? Will remove the second dvd drive as all I want is the blu ray burner but will this burn and play regular dvds? From my spec below which is the other dvd drive..:o

Sorry just not that techie savvy so its like dummys guide to PC assembly required

Thanks

Monotype · 15-01-2011 6:56pm

Yes the Blu ray drive will burn those. Check out the list on the lower half of the item page for a list of all the kinds and speeds.

Homeplugs can be got any tech site but it's best to get the from Ireland or the UK for the three pin plugs. I haven't got time to check around, but I remember some were fairly cheap on ebuyer.com a while back.

Re: HWV site, use the search bar, click on the type of item you want to browse and look at the trail left on the left hand side. Type in "amazon" into the search bar for the PSU.

marco_polo · 15-01-2011 7:38pm

Irish Gunner wrote: »

ok first attempt whats crap that I should take out and what should I add.

Not sure about Sound Card and if there is a N Wireless adapter in the below as I say first time so can add more if need be just need guidance on what

<<Image Snip>>

Would suggest pairing the 450W Superflower Monotype mentioned previously with either of these instead of a Case PSU combo.

Xigmatek Asgard

Thermaltake V4

An do eveything else he said as well

, especially replacing the Phenom X2 with the Athlon X4 and upping the Ram to 4Gb.

Monotype · 16-01-2011 11:56am

The xigmatek asgard is a very nice case for the price with a good screwless design on the drives.
Link for PSU:
http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=30074

I don't see any good prices on homeplugs at the moment. Ebuyer don't have any deals, komplett don't stock any (despite having a section), scan's prices aren't too bad for homeplugs, starting at £36 for the cheapest 85Mb twin pack. There's a pair on elara for €66 which I'm not even going to link to as they were a sickeningly poor 12Mbps. Not any great offers, especially when you add postage. If money is tight, maybe the wireless would be the better option, but you should consider the homeplugs if you're ordering from a suitable site in the future.
I spotted these for £42. I thought that they would get free delivery as they're shipped from amazon, but they charge £5... anyone know why? Here's some options for wireless-n cards.

http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=28575
http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=42568
http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=28576
http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=39518

Irish Gunner · 17-01-2011 8:31pm

Ok had time to shop and looking at this. I have a 100bb with Upc and I do download a lot. Also did not put in card reader but 2 usb ports at front presume there is more at back but 2 is ok.Don't watch movies on them but do burn them and copy them across to usb sticks. Blu ray burner will be used for burning blu ray discs and regular dvd's Looking for plenty of storage is 4 gb enough and are the ram, processor, graphics card etc all techie stuff included in this that should do the job? Looked at homeplugs but currently use the cat5 cable to link into router but want the option of wireless card, thanks for the suggestion Monotype

Opinions please ? What to remove and replace with or just remove

Cheers

Moon54 · 17-01-2011 8:54pm

I think you have 2 mainboards on that list now, Irish Gunner ??:eek:

Also, I'd go with Monotype's suggestion about using a faster system drive- a 7,200 rpm one as well as the greener, energy-efficient 2TB one for storage.

This Samsung F3 is 250GB, 7200rpm and only €32.
http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=33739&agid=689
Ideal for system drive and doesn't drive up the budget too much.

Irish Gunner · 17-01-2011 9:49pm

Moon54 wrote: »

I think you have 2 mainboards on that list now, Irish Gunner ??:eek:
.

Damn which are the duplicates and which is the best to keep ? Keep the rest but just add the This Samsung F3 is 250GB, 7200rpm?

Anything else missing or anything I should remove

Ta

Moon54 · 17-01-2011 10:13pm

They both look like they have the exact same specs,
so I'd drop the more expensive ASUS one, and keep the MSI one.

Yeah, add the Hard Drive, too.
A big benefit of having Win 7 Pro is that it has Backup software included, but it doesn't let you do system backups to the same drive as OS is installed in. So having that Samsung F3 as system drive is worth it.

Post up the latest build for everyone else to have a look,

Irish Gunner · 17-01-2011 10:36pm

Thanks

ok have gone with your suggestion spec below. Anyone else got opinions on what to add/ remove etc

Monotype · 18-01-2011 12:45pm

Moon54 wrote: »

A big benefit of having Win 7 Pro is that it has Backup software included, but it doesn't let you do system backups to the same drive as OS is installed in.

That backup software is terrible is terrible. I was trying it the other day. Very limited options. It wouldn't let me choose a folder for backup, only a drive itself. Also after several hours, it was hardly anywhere through the process. Backing it up and compressing it myself took a fraction of the time.

Irish Gunner · 18-01-2011 2:14pm

So better to have the option to back up on other drive?

Other than that does it look ok? Looking to order this week as current pc is almost on its way out.

Cheers

Moon54 · 18-01-2011 3:22pm

Don't forget the Operating System software.
If you don't need the Backup features of Win 7 Pro, then the Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit will be cheaper @€;86;
http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=29181&agid=185
(that's the english version)

I only use the Backup feature of Pro to system image my machine after installing everything. Just means I can restore my machine easily, without having to re-activate windows, re-install software, etc. Only handy really if you do a lot of fooling around with the PC.

That build looks good to me.

Monotype · 18-01-2011 3:32pm

I was a bit worried about the 250GB drive being a bit slower than the 500GB or 1TBs, but although the reviews are sparse, they look fine, but you should probably partition the first 80/100GB for your OS to get the fastest part of it.

Re: Homeplugs - If you've got 100Mb broadband the the lower homeplugs are definitely no good to you then.

Looks like a good solid system. One point that I should draw attention to is that you'll be using up the only PCI and PCI-E x16 slots on the board so that doesn't leave much for expansion.

Moon54 wrote: »

Don't forget the Operating System software.
If you don't need the Backup features of Win 7 Pro, then the Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit will be cheaper @€;86;
http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=29181&agid=185
(that's the english version)

I only use the Backup feature of Pro to system image my machine after installing everything. Just means I can restore my machine easily, without having to re-activate windows, re-install software, etc. Only handy really if you do a lot of fooling around with the PC.

That build looks good to me.

Despite my earlier moanings, Pro is still good for things such as XP mode. But if you can save a couple of €...

Irish Gunner · 18-01-2011 4:47pm

Thanks for that

What do you mean to partition the first 80/100gb this something I do when I get PC? Not sure what PCI & PCI-Ex16 slots are for but what would you suggest as I am the noobie here

Cheers

Monotype · 18-01-2011 7:59pm

Oops, my mistake. I'm half asleep. You're not using your PCI-E x16 slot at all because you're using the onboard graphics. The PCI slot is what your wireless card will be using. That number of slots is as many as people need, but it just depends on the person. The 890GX boards, which would be the next set you'd be looking at are about €20-30 dearer. I think that the MSI looks like a good one for your needs.

PCI cards are things like wireless cards, sound cards, extra USB ports, network cards.
PCI-E are things that need higher bandwidth - Graphics cards, those PCI-E SSDs, some RAID cards.

Partitions - you know the way you can split a hard disk drive so that it appears as multiple drives in My Computer? Hard drives are fastest near the start of the disk, so it is best that you reserve this space for the operating system by partitioning. When installing windows, if you pick advanced, configuration or options or whatever it is, it gives you the option to select the size of the partitions. You can also alter them to some extent later on.

Irish Gunner · 18-01-2011 8:22pm

Thanks for the explanation and all the advice

Broaden my mind now

Should be ordering this soon but now the joys of trying to pay :P

Thanks to everyone who posted their views much appreciated:D

Irish Gunner · 21-01-2011 5:24pm

Paid by cr trf and they are shipping it today.Problem is its not going to be pre assembled so bit of a boffer for me

Not confident doing this myself in case motherboard bios gets fubarred up

anyone help....

Morf3h · 23-01-2011 11:55am

what's cr and trf??

Irish Gunner · 23-01-2011 12:36pm

You get your bank to set up a credit transfer payment. When you order they give you their payment details and then you pay via this. Takes 3 days to deliver

Monotype · 23-01-2011 12:47pm

Irish Gunner wrote: »

Not confident doing this myself in case motherboard bios gets fubarred up

The bios is the last thing you need to worry about. Make sure that you don't fry anything with static electricity. Most of the details you need will be in the motherboard manual. You can usually find this online for a preview while you're waiting. There's plenty of videos on youtube and tutorials online.

This guide isn't bad for a quick overview.
http://www.buildyourown-computer.com/Build.html

You might need a bit more detail in some parts. Your board is matx so you might only need about about six mounting screws (AKA standoffs) in the case for the motherboard. Don't use more than your motherboard needs.

Here's another one with a lot of pictures.
http://www.cybergooch.com/tutorials/pages/systembuild_3.htm

Both of those guides are for intel systems, but the AMD installation is very straightforward (although sometimes those clipping things don't want to clip on both sides) and will be illustrated in the sheet that comes with the processor.
Also, with the Asgard case, you don't need to screw in the drives, just clip them in on both sides with the orange holders.

Edit: I just realised an area that you might run into trouble. Many motherboards these days are shipping with only a single SATA cable. You'll be needing three. Your blu-ray drive might come with one although it's doubtful since its a bulk item. Have you got another computer that you can recycle them from?

Monotype · 23-01-2011 1:09pm

They're €3.50 in peats which actually isn't too bad.
http://www.peats.com/cgi-bin/catalog_v2.cgi?id=8250&type=product

Irish Gunner · 23-01-2011 1:22pm

Thanks would not be confident about assembling it myself. Mates brother is PC expert so may ask him as knowing my luck will bugger it up. Have PC which I am currently thinking of selling bits below. Posted on computers & tech to see how much its worth May get the extra sata cable in Peats if necessary

Cheers

Intel Core 2 Duo 3.0 | GeForce 8600GT 1024MB | 4GB RAM 800MHz 500GB SATA2 | ASUS P5KPL/G31 | SecurDisc DVD-RW | 600Watt | 52 in 1 Cardreader
ATI Radeon HD3850 1024MB
DVD-RW Samsung 18x/18x/4,0x RAM DL SH-S182A/BEBE
WL-PCI PCI WITH AntennA 108 MBit
Intel Core 2 Duo
E8400 3.0GHz
Intel Model E8400 Wolfdale
FSB 1333 | 6MB L2 cache
NVidia GeForce 8600GT 1024MB
4GB RAM DDR2 800MHz KINGSTON
Mainboard ASUS P5KPL Intel G31
Western Digital 500GB SATA-2 HDD
LG GH20LS 20x DVD-RW SecurDisc
7.1 Channel Superior Quality Audio
DSL Ready Gigabit Ethernet LAN
52in1 Cardreader | Apevia X-Cruiser
Coolermaster CPU cooler | 600Watt
Windows 6 pro installed
Dell MINI PCI EXPRESS CARD WLAN RU297 MX846 TK208 WX492

Morf3h · 23-01-2011 4:18pm

Eh what's wrong with that pc!?

Irish Gunner · 23-01-2011 7:45pm

Morf3h wrote: »

Eh what's wrong with that pc!?

Not much but wanted Blu ray burner and getting blue screen so want to sell it. If no buyers may well keep it

Morf3h · 23-01-2011 8:03pm

how much you looking for it? Have you tried re-installing windows? Got a link to the adverts listing?

Irish Gunner · 24-01-2011 8:48pm

Morf3h wrote: »

how much you looking for it? Have you tried re-installing windows? Got a link to the adverts listing?

No value on it yet but unsure if to sell may just install windows again and keep both pcs....?

Looking to Buy a new Desktop Build Required

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