Computer build help

well, mostly beacuse its my parents gift to me for my 21st next week, and my mother really wanted me to have something on my birthday. I said "I know I can do better", but she had a fixation on buying somehting from a physical location. I guess she doesn't trust the internet.
 
Sometimes it is easier to buy one than make one, it also applys to warranty.

You call Asus and they come and fix it, rather than you sending back the part waiting for replacement and installing.
 
Grayfox
Sometimes it is easier to buy one than make one, it also applys to warranty.

You call Asus and they come and fix it, rather than you sending back the part waiting for replacement and installing.
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You do realize that if something should go awry, and is necessary, he'll still have to return it, and not just a single peripheral but the entire system?

That point is moot.

Also, in my experience I've found it's never easier to buy a system as opposed to building your own, per se...it's just more convenient. Whether you've built it yourself or not isn't going to change the possible multitude of problems one can run into.
 
Yes with your old 1K budget you could of gotten an entirely better computer. It's also the old LGA 1156 socket! You just forced yourself into a corner of very expensive cpu's if you even wanted to upgrade! With that extra money you can also have a dual monitor setup too.

Edit: Tell her she can be proud of you when you make your own computer. :sly:
 
Also dedicated graphics at that price has gotta hurt. :P

But yeah I can understand the whole buying from a dedicated location thing. It can make things a bit easier to deal with if something goes wrong.
 
nick09
It's also the old LGA 1156 socket!
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LGA 1156 isn't exactly old...

nick09
You just forced yourself into a corner of very expensive cpu's if you even wanted to upgrade!
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... and if you're going to upgrade in the future you should get a completely new motherboard anyway, to make the most of new and improved features. Wouldn't want to be using an old-socket/old-tech motherboard now would you?

Also what T-12 says is the truth, and some of the very sparse good advice I've read in this forum lately. It is much easier to have a system you built yourself when something goes wrong because 1) you know exactly what is in it so know exactly what may need replacing and 2) don't have to send the whole thing back under a warranty and wait a month for it to return just as broken as when you sent it for "repairs". I have never heard of a major-name PC company sending people out to repair computers directly, they always require sending the machine away to their repair branches.
 
Well the problem is that you have to get a new motherboard(up to $150 AU for a 1155 motherboard with a Z68 chipset) plus the cpu(i5-2500K = $220 plus $150= $370 = a lot of money to go down the drain, replace with an i7 and that's an additional ~$100). Not to mention you have to reinstall windows since it's an entirely a new computer(Another hurt would be if it's OEM software. You can't reinstall it on a "new" computer since OEM windows is tied to the old hardware - read the legal text on OEM windows. This is another potential money drain). It would be like throwing money on top of the old computer when your old machine is made from almost nonupgradble last gen socket! It's half of his old budget and that's without updating the graphics and maybe a PSU upgrade since it's most likely only made for what it powers right now. It's understandable if the socket is 5-10 years old but it's not understandable if its less than 5 years old to upgrade.

That was my point in the first place.
 
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You're assuming that someone would go with Lynnfield on a P55 and then replace it with Z68/Sandy Bridge two weeks later. I guarantee the non-hardcore guys only upgrade their systems when it is no longer capable of fulfilling their needs (as opposed to the hardcore ones who upgrade the instant a new socket/CPU architecture comes out), and even on P55 that will be a long time coming. My i5 750 is still chugging away merrily, doing exactly what I ask of it with aplomb... no it's not as fast as Sandy Bridge but I've never found it wanting of power. Unless you NEED - which is different to WANT - the extra power of the 1155-based CPUs, Lynnfields are excellent processors.

Buying retail instead of OEM makes your second point redundant. When building a computer you should always plan ahead, and for that reason if you're going to upgrade again down the track you should buy the retail version of an OS, not OEM. Win 7 Home Premium retail = NZ$201, Win 7 Home Premium x64 OEM = NZ$133 and non-transferable licence... it's cheaper to buy retail and not OEM if you know you'll be changing hardware later on. If you're building a computer for your grandma, say, then by all means install an OEM version on it. Knowingly installing OEM when you're planning on upgrading later is plain stupid.

It would be like throwing money on top of the old computer when your old machine is made from almost nonupgradble last gen socket!
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And replacing the video card in a Dell 8400 with a terrible 30 quid DDR3 card isn't?
 
I'm not assuming that. That's your interpretation of what you think I am assuming. I am assuming a few years down the line he would be thinking of an upgrade and then realize it's redundant to upgrade the cpu since they are expensive(i7-960= $311 USD when the i7-2600K 1155 chip = $314). Forget a motherboard and cpu upgrade if he does not have the money to spare. I'm talking about future-proofing as much as he can even if there is no such thing as future proofing his machine. I'm sure he'd rather wait ten years to upgrade rather than in 1-2 years if he needs it.
 
Like every other computer component, processors get cheaper over time... here in NZ an i5 2500K costs the same as my i5 750 did just over a year ago. The 750 has dropped $60 in that timeframe and $150 since launch; i7 960s released at $1k and are now just under $400. The 990X was $1700, now $1400.

In 2-3 years, Intel will be up to "Golden Gate" Bridge and a 2500K will cost a tenner, making upgrading to Sandy Bridge at that point a lot cheaper compared to today.
 
$1400????? That still expensive as hell if you ask me. Tell me why a Core 2 Duo E7500 costs $20 more than when I bought it 3 years ago???? It used to cost $120 and now they charge $140 for it. I don't believe that bull.
 
CPU: i5-860
GPU Nividia GeForce 430 GT

It's a bit low spec and outdated for the $1.1K AU price if you ask me.
 
Oh, my god. For gaming, I would say its QUITE low spec, as a GT 430 is quite a bit slower than the 6770, and extremely slower than the 6850. For $1K? Man, return it ASAP.
 
Sharky.
LGA 1156 isn't exactly old...


... and if you're going to upgrade in the future you should get a completely new motherboard anyway, to make the most of new and improved features. Wouldn't want to be using an old-socket/old-tech motherboard now would you?
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Why not? But there isn't much improvement to be had CPU-wise anyway. It would be a bit different if it was dual core.


As said "casual" builders usually don't replace CPUs. That's why I recommend going for a better CPU in builds.
 
NissanSkylineN1
Oh, my god. For gaming, I would say its QUITE low spec, as a GT 430 is quite a bit slower than the 6770, and extremely slower than the 6850. For $1K? Man, return it ASAP.
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By the way, The link that gran posted for his computer is back online. I read it wrong, it has a i7-870 cpu in it but still is the 1156 socket and as you would know it's a first generation i7 cpu. It's up to gran if he wants to get a more up to date and more upgradable solution from the links I posted or stick with the computer he bought.

Edit: Cancel that. Seems like the website had the wrong information listed. This is the model page for the desktop. I think Gran can be happy about that it's 2nd generation supported(95watt TDP i7/i5/i3 support in motherboard). Gran you can check to see if it has an second generation cpu by looking up the information by using a program called CPU-Z. Though Gran should be aware that it comes with a 350watt PSU and will need to upgrade the power supply a little(one med-high end graphics card will work on 500-600 watts alone with the other parts in the computer just make sure the 12V rail can power the whole system) if he wants to upgrade to more powerful graphics cards in the future.
 
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I don't think an Asus AS-870 pro = V9-P8H67E. Different model names. Also, isn't there a possibility it is out of production?
 
Check the Q&A tab on the link from Gran, click the "usb ports" question, then scroll down for the "What is the correct ASUS model number?" question.

That's where I got the model number from. It's a barebones system from ASUS if the answer is true.
 
Terronium-12
You do realize that if something should go awry, and is necessary, he'll still have to return it, and not just a single peripheral but the entire system?

That point is moot.

Also, in my experience I've found it's never easier to buy a system as opposed to building your own, per se...it's just more convenient. Whether you've built it yourself or not isn't going to change the possible multitude of problems one can run into.
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In australia Asus will normally come out to the home and repair the unit, i dont knowwhere you got the idea of returing the unit.

I work as a PC techie and i tell customers over the phone call HP/Compaq, Acer, Asus and get an onsite repair booked.

And those Asus machines are very good i have yet to see one come back and we sell them.

Most of the time they take less than a week to come and it is free.

Sending parts back over the mail then waiting for them to come back cost you money for postage of the part and that is assuming it is the right faulty part you sent back.
 
Grayfox
In australia Asus will normally come out to the home and repair the unit, i dont knowwhere you got the idea of returing the unit.

I work as a PC techie and i tell customers over the phone call HP/Compaq, Acer, Asus and get an onsite repair booked.
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Here in America, no one does that. You send it into the company you buy it from.

If Australia is different, then go you.

America, it's definitely better to go buy your own parts and build your own computer. RMA Procedure > Waiting weeks, if not months to get a computer back from the company you bought it from.
 
Grayfox
In australia Asus will normally come out to the home and repair the unit, i dont knowwhere you got the idea of returing the unit.

I work as a PC techie and i tell customers over the phone call HP/Compaq, Acer, Asus and get an onsite repair booked.

And those Asus machines are very good i have yet to see one come back and we sell them.

Most of the time they take less than a week to come and it is free.

Sending parts back over the mail then waiting for them to come back cost you money for postage of the part and that is assuming it is the right faulty part you sent back.
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At Enterprise level yeah, companies may come out and fix the machine on-site. But at consumer level, by default, no OEM does this as standard with any PC ever. You have to send back the machine for RMA.
 
Grayfox
In australia Asus will normally come out to the home and repair the unit, i dont knowwhere you got the idea of returing the unit.
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The Asus site has no mention of them sending people out, but it does say about returning to the nearest Asus service centre... I wonder why that is?

A hint: no manufacturer does what you're saying they do, at least not at consumer level like Casio said.
 
bevo
I have a question and didn't want to start a new thread just for it. Would a 1000 watt power supply be enough for dual gtx 570s. It says one needs a 550 watt min.
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Yes.

And why does this one http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.asp?pn=025-P3-1579-AR&family=GeForce 500 Series Family&sw= Have twice as much memory as the rest of the 570s?
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My guess would be EVGA wanted to bridge the gap between the 570 and 580 even more.


Wouldn't it be worth an extra 70$ to get that one over the 320$ versions?
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Only if you have a monitor larger than 24".
 
Sharky.
The Asus site has no mention of them sending people out, but it does say about returning to the nearest Asus service centre... I wonder why that is?

A hint: no manufacturer does what you're saying they do, at least not at consumer level like Casio said.
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Asus machines we sell someone comes and fixes them from what i remember, it has been a while since i have seen an asus get a fault.

Casio
no OEM does this as standard with any PC ever. You have to send back the machine for RMA.
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HP come to your house and repair the issue.
 
Most do only ones that i know of that do not do this are Acer/Gateway/Emachines, Sony.
Their is another one but i can't remember the name
 
Yeah in America you bring it back to the retailer if you have warranty there, warranty from manufacturer, or have a tech guy come and check it out for a fee.
 

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