Justin's Desktop thread:Building One

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Because I don't want to hijack Masi's thread I decided to make my own.

I have a budget of around $600-$800(with $800 being a little bit of a stretch). I will mostly just use it for the internet and music but wouldn't mind doing a little gaming.

Edit: scroll to post 7 for more info.
 
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@ nick - The Gateway he outlined for $600 has the same specs as the Asus you suggested for $650.

To be honest, i'd probably agree - the Gateway is worth going for, but you won't be doing any gaming on it (integrated graphics cards never manage well with new games).
 
The only game I would probably play on it is Toca 3, do you think the Gateway could handle it?
 
Well according to these specs you should be fine with the gateway.

One advantage the Asus has over the gateway is that it's lighter and easier to carry. I'm just letting you know that.
 
It will mostly be sitting on my makeshift desk so weight isn't so much an issue.
 
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After a little ordeal with my bank at Bestbuy I didn't get a laptop. I have done some thinking and a desktop may be a better option. This is what I've come up with thus far. The budget still is in the $600-$800 zone.

emachines CPU

Gateway LCD Monitor

I would like to be able to play my PS3 on the monitor as well.
 
I think this Acer would be a better buy for the better CPU and graphics card: Not to mention you can easily get a better graphics card later on.

Personally I don't like the stand that comes with the gateway. It looks like it could topple over. I would buy this monitor because it seems to have better reviews.
 
As it doesn't have an OS installed, if you happen to have an XP disc laying around... otherwise it's a complete waste as you'd be better off getting more more gear and having Dell throw in a copy of 7 for what essentially equates to free.

Code: 
PowerEdge T100
	Dual Core Intel® Pentium®E5400, 2.70GHz, 2MB Cache, 800MHz FSB	
Memory
	1GB, DDR2, 800MHz, 1x1G, Single Ranked DIMM	
Operating System
	No Operating System	
Operating System Addition
	None	
O/S Partition
	None	
Hard Drive Controllers
	Onboard SATA, 1-2 Drives connected to onboard SATA controller - No RAID	
Primary Hard Drive
	160GB 7.2K RPM SATA 3Gbps 3.5-in Cabled Hard Drive	
2nd Hard Drive
	160GB 7.2K RPM SATA 3Gbps 3.5-in Cabled Hard Drive		
CD/DVD Drive
	16X DVD+/-RW Drive, Internal	
Floppy Drive
	No Floppy Drive
Network Adapter
	On-Board Single Gigabit Network Adapter

All for $299 and there ar plenty of things to upgrade like 8Gb of ram, quad Xenons and an $870 DAT Tape backup! :dopey:
 
nick09
Personally I don't like the stand that comes with the gateway. It looks like it could topple over. I would buy this monitor because it seems to have better reviews.
Click to expand...

^I can vouch for that ASUS monitor. I got it back in October, and I use it as a monitor for my PC as well as a PS3 monitor. The picture is great. It's full HD/1080p. You can use the HDMI input for your PS3, and the DVI input for your PC--the image quality is exactly the same. I got this monitor mainly because of the size and 2ms response time that's advertised. I think for the price, you really can't beat it. And ASUS makes quality products period--whether it's their motherboards, graphics cards or monitors.

The only cons to this monitor--and they're very minor--are the buttons, the lack of a built in TV tuner, and only 1 HDMI port. The buttons just feel kind of cheap, and they're not back lit. But otherwise it's great 👍 It's HUGE too :D

Also, I would really strongly urge you to think about building your own PC.
I recently sold my old HP desktop--which was very good, no complaints--and built a Core i5 based PC. I'll never go back to buying "tagged" PC's like HP, Dell, etc. If you can stretch your budget to $800 (including monitor), you can build a very nice multi-purpose PC that will provide you much better performance than a store bought brand. You'd probably need to do it with an AMD CPU/Mobo with your budget, but I'd have no reservations whatsoever about using AMD. I really struggled deciding on AMD vs. Intel, and I actually kinda wish I'd gone AMD and saved an extra $80--$100.
The Core i5 is great, but AMD makes great products as well.

EDIT: Here's a pretty nice AMD build for $603.71 including shipping, that would destroy a similarly priced Dell, HP, etc.

CD/DVD drive
500 GB HDD
Motherboard
RAM (the price of RAM is ridiculous right now :rolleyes: )
Windows 7 64 bit
Nice Antec Case and 620 Watt Antec power supply
Athlon IIx3 Triple core CPU + XFX 4670 graphics card, good enough to play most games at medium/high settings (not max at 1920x1080)

Or, this Gateway is $530 including shipping, and it's got a quad core intel, DDR3 RAM and Windows 7. It would be a really nice computer and a little cheaper than the build above, but the graphics
for gaming would be very weak. Also, if you don't mind the thought of buying a refurbished or open box item, you can usually find some really good deals like this HP for $420 including shipping. But again, the graphics would be weak for gaming. That's usually the weak spot of retail computers in this price range, and the reason you'd want to do your own build.
 
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I have never built a computer before, however I would consider giving it a shot as long as it's not extremely difficult.
 
If you know someone that's good with computers, you could just ask them if they would put it together for you--just put all the components in the case.
All you would have to do is install Windows, and install the drivers that come with the motherboard.
I'll bet you could find someone to do it for maybe $20? I don't know, maybe somebody at a PC repair shop.
 
I know a couple people that would do it for free(or a case of beer). However it kind of sounds like something I might want to take on myself. It doesn't sound too difficult and the only way to learn is to do it I guess.
 
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Oh I was a bit quick in posting that combo. Since it has no graphics onboard the motherboard so you will need to buy a graphics card. By the reviews of this graphics card seems to have a nice balance of performance and value. What's also nice is that it supports DirectX 11 and OpenGL 3.1. So you can make good use of your graphics. You will also need a DVD drive and this one will work completely fine.

EDIT: With your price range it would be better to build a computer and building one is not too hard at all(at least for me). All you have to do is install the standoffs(they are screws with a hole for another screw) in the case for the motherboard. Then place the motherboard over those standoffs and use the provided screws to secure it. Then install the DVD drive in the 5.25" bay and the Hard drive in the 3.5" bay. Then install the power supply unit and the graphics card. After that just hook up the connectors from the front panel(look at the motherboard manual for this) and from the power supply. Take a second to look everything over to make sure you are organized and everything is hooked up. Now you can insert your OS CD/DVD and install your OS.
 
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Just a quick list I threw together:
Case and PSU
Mobo
Video card
CPU
RAM
HDD
DVD drive, if you want one.
ASUS Monitor

Grand total of 730.92 Plus whatever tax and shipping is to you. You should be able to play a lot of today's game at a somewhat decent frame rate.

As far as putting everything together, you can either take your time and learn it yourself, or have one of your friends do it. I would do it yourself. Just in case you have to troubleshoot something. But then again, you may have trouble with that too. I dont know, its your call.
 
The only thing I would change there is to get this ram. It's the same price as the ram you posted but the clock speed is faster and the sticks can do some good overclocking if you needed it to. I would also get a WD drive since it has a 5 year warranty over Hitachi's 3 year warranty. Other than that you got a very good list of parts.
 
I agree with Nick's suggestions, but I would also urge you to get
a 5770 Video Card. This XFX 5770 is only $3.00 more than the 5750 you have listed, and it will perform much better, especially for gaming. Also, XFX has double lifetime warranties on their products, so if something goes wrong with the card, you're covered, or if you decide to sell it, the person who buys it is covered 👍 Also, the 5770 will game much better at higher resolutions than the 5750. Even if gaming is not your main concern, it'll be a much better all around card.

Here are a couple of benchmarks that show the performance of the 5750 vs. 5770:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5770,2446-7.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5770,2446-13.html
Here's the full article: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5770,2446.html

Also, if you want to try it, you can usually unlock the other two cores on that processor to turn it into a quad core. Here is a youtube video that describes how to do it:


It's really not too complicated. You just change a couple of BIOS settings, and try to boot up. If everything's good, you just got yourself a quad core processor for $90. If not, you just change the settings back and use it as a dual core. The only downside is, if it works, you void the warranty, and you can no longer monitor your CPU temps as easily. That's just something to consider if you want to try it. Lot's of people buy this particular processor with the intention of unlocking the cores. Apparently the success rate is pretty high too, somewhere around 75%. I think that ASRock mobo has unleashing mode (or ACC, whichever mode you need to unlock the cores).
It's up to you though. It's a great processor even if you don't want to unlock the cores--especially for gaming.

Also, you can save $5.00 on the Windows 7 OS with this code on Newegg--EMCYNZN56--Just enter that at checkout, and it'll take $5.00 off the price.
But you have to select EggSaver 4-7 day as the shipping option to get the free shipping. Otherwise, if you use UPS 3 day shipping, it charges you $5.99 for shipping. Here is a link to NewEggs' email promotions: http://promotions.newegg.com/NEemail/latest/index-landing.aspx They usually have a lot of good items with promo codes you can use to get some extra money off.

Also, while the case you've picked should be fine, if you want to overclock in the future, you might want to think about getting one of these other two Cooler Master cases: RC-690 for $79+free shipping+$10.00 mail in rebate or the Cooler Master Storm Scout for $89+free shipping. I know these are a little higher than the case you have selected, but it's $67.50 including shipping, and the RC-690 is only $12 more, and it comes with 2 extra fans for improved cooling, and it's a little bigger than the one you selected which means it will offer: better cable management, better cooling, more room for components, more room for future upgrades.

Also, these bigger cases will better accomodate aftermarket heatsinks for your processor if you want overclock it.
I'd recommend one of the following CPU coolers if you want to overclock (or if you unlock the cores on the 550):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103064--This one is $19.99+free shipping, and will cool that CPU
well enough at stock speeds, with unlocked cores, or with a very mild overclock, but not much more.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065--This one is $29.99+$7.56 shipping, it's the Hyper 212 by Cooler Master,
and I use it on my core i5. It does a great job, and you can't beat it for the price. I have my i5 overclocked to 3.5ghz, and it keeps it idling between 32--37 celcius, and doesn't get higher than 63c under 100% load with prime 95.
But, it's HUGE, and it may be a tight fit, even in the RC-690 case, but it should fit. I have a Cooler Master Storm Sniper, and it fits, but there's only about .25 inch between it's edge and the side cooling fan.

This one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134 would also be good, and it's a little bit smaller than the Hyper 212, so it should fit most cases no problem, but it's about $43 including shipping, and is not much better than the $20 one I linked above. But if you don't plan on overclocking that processor, you really don't have to get one of the coolers. But I would if you have the extra money, because both AMD and Intel's stock coolers are just garbage. But, you have to keep the original cooler that comes with the processor in case you have to RMA/return the processor for any reason. You have to include it with the processor when you return it, or they won't take it back.
 
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I'm hoping to start buying things withing the next couple weeks.

Final Build:
Cooler Master Storm Scout Case
Antec Power Supply
ASRock Motherboard
AMD Processor(I would rather spend $60 more than voiding the warranty, call me lame)
XFX Graphics Card
G.Skill Ram
Western Digital 1TB HD
Sony CD/DVD Drive
Windows 7
Lite-On Keyboard
Microsoft Mouse
Logitech Speakers

Total=942.88

It's over budget but since I don't have to buy it all at once it's not that big of a deal.

Thanks for all your help thus far.
 
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Well the things I would change there is to get a 2.1 sound system since a regular 2.0 sound system will be missing most of the low rand mid range and just grab a keyboard and mouse for free since you can use the PS/2 ports. Though the keyboard you selected is a good cheapo keyboard.

Also are you interested into a blu-ray drive? You can get a good LG dive like this one. I personally use a LG blu-ray drive in my custom made computer and it's great on a 34" HDTV. What's nice is that the included software gives you about everything that you would need.
 
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Considering I have a PS3 a few inches from my monitor it would really just be a waste of money.

Edit: I did consider a 2.1 setup, but subs aren't exactly apartment friendly.
 
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Man, that build will be awesome :cheers:

Glad to see you decided to get the 955 Phenom quad core. I don't blame you a bit for not wanting to void the warranty
trying to unlock a dual core processor. It's definitely worth it to just get the quad now. That processor should perform well for several years.
And you don't really need to overclock it either. For anyone buying a new system, I'd definitely recommend a quad core over a dual core.

And that case is really nice too. I really like the handles on top so you can carry it with you easily if you need to. You've got a really good case and a really good power supply, I've found that those are two items you definitely want to get right the first time, cause if you pick them right, they'll last you a long time. Enjoy your rig 👍
 
Got the monitor today.

Amazing difference going to a 23" 1080P screen from a 15" SD one.

Edit: Just hooked my PS3 up yo it.:drool:

Can't beleive I ever played it on an SDTV.
 
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I would get this Asus motherboard if you can't spend much more money because that Geforce 7050 graphics won't do you any good with today's games. That's about good as you can get without getting a good graphics card. Without spending more than $100 I would suggest this graphics card.
 
I would just go for the 955 instead of a 965. Save the $22 and if you need the 200MHz, it'll be an easy overclock.

I wouldn't trust the power supply. If you get it, plan to replace it within 2 years max. And be aware of the case space issues in the reviews.
 
Also you should buy this version of windows 7 instead of the one you are linking to. The one you linked to is a 32-bit installer of Windows 7 and the 64-bit version is wroth as much as the 32-bit.

You can also cut a bit on your case cost and get this one. Then grab this power supply.

So will you be buying all of these parts at once or eventually throughout the upcoming weeks?
 
nick09
Also you should buy this version of windows 7 instead of the one you are linking to. The one you linked to is a 32-bit installer of Windows 7 and the 64-bit version is wroth as much as the 32-bit.
Click to expand...

Yep, you'll want that to make full use of the RAM.

nick09
Then grab this power supply.
Click to expand...

Woah... I wouldn't bet on that thing. They're claiming 65% efficiency at full load, which is pretty much garbage. This or this as well as the others in XStream range would be better.
 

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