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| Thread ID: 102914 | 2009-09-06 11:25:00 | Building a new PC - some clues? | Lizard (2409) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 807307 | 2009-09-07 10:56:00 | Thanks for the comments guys. Yep - Digicam is firewire, so firewire onboard is a must. I've been doing a lot of thinking about all this today, and it seems to me that the first choice to make is the CPU, and from that will flow the motherboard choices. I won't be doing hardcore video editing everyday. It's just home videos, but I don't want something that takes forever to do something simple. From what I've read online, Core i7 seems to have bragging rights, and while then Phenom II X4 BE seems to have the price advantage, it also sounds like it's gasping and struggling to keep up with Intel. I went with an Athlon 64 about 4 years ago when I built my current system, and it never really wowed me from the start. I always vowed that the next system would be Intel, but there seems to be a substantial price difference. Is it really worth it? Also, what's the deal with "latest CPUs out this week"? Are we talking a radical shakeup of the product lines, or just incremental revisions? Leaving the CPU to one side for the moment, it seems there are also some relatively standalone choices, like the graphics card and the hard drive. I like the idea of SSD (Solid State Disk) drives, particularly for the performance boost in Windows and in startup. It seems that most people going for this option are using an SSD for the OS and programs, and then using a standard HDD for storage. I have two questions about this. 1. Is the performance boost worth the extra cost? A decent 64Gb SSD seems to cost about $400. Would a WD VelociRaptor compare favourably? 2. Does using a standard drive for storage slow things down for things like video/image editing, seeing as how they'll have to be pulled off a standard platter drive? Re: graphics, I like the 2 x graphics cards in Crossfire idea. I'd pegged about $500 for graphics, so I'm looking at either 2xHD4770 or 2xHD4870 1GB. Are there any issues to be aware of in this area? Obviously the mobo needs to support Crossfire, but what other things do I need to look out for? Also, looking at Pricespy, there doesn't seem to be a lot of choice in brands - Palit, Powercolor, Hightech and Saphhire. Any suggestions here? |
Lizard (2409) | ||
| 807308 | 2009-09-07 10:58:00 | CPU: $439.00 Intel Core i5 750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1156 Mobo: $224.00 Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3 Intel P55 ATX motherboard RAM: $160.00 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3-1600 CL9 MEMORY GFX: $569.00 Nvidia GeForce GTX 285 1GB Case: $199.00 Case PSU: $209.00 Corsair HX620 620W Modular Power Supply DVD: $55.00 SATA 22x DVD-RW Drive (brand varies) HDD: $143.00 Samsung Spinpoint F1 Series HD753LJ 750GB 7200rpm HDD If your not a heavy gamer you could save some $$$ by downgrading to a 4870/90 |
whellington (15030) | ||
| 807309 | 2009-09-08 02:06:00 | Thanks for the comments guys . Yep - Digicam is firewire, so firewire onboard is a must . Also, what's the deal with "latest CPUs out this week"? Are we talking a radical shakeup of the product lines, or just incremental revisions? Leaving the CPU to one side for the moment, it seems there are also some relatively standalone choices, like the graphics card and the hard drive . I like the idea of SSD (Solid State Disk) drives, particularly for the performance boost in Windows and in startup . It seems that most people going for this option are using an SSD for the OS and programs, and then using a standard HDD for storage . I have two questions about this . 1 . Is the performance boost worth the extra cost? A decent 64Gb SSD seems to cost about $400 . Would a WD VelociRaptor compare favourably? 2 . Does using a standard drive for storage slow things down for things like video/image editing, seeing as how they'll have to be pulled off a standard platter drive? Re: graphics, I like the 2 x graphics cards in Crossfire idea . I'd pegged about $500 for graphics, so I'm looking at either 2xHD4770 or 2xHD4870 1GB . Are there any issues to be aware of in this area? Obviously the mobo needs to support Crossfire, but what other things do I need to look out for? Also, looking at Pricespy, there doesn't seem to be a lot of choice in brands - Palit, Powercolor, Hightech and Saphhire . Any suggestions here? The new Lynnfields, i5, are the budget version of i7 in regards they use dual channel rather than triple channel memory . They also use the new P55 chipset so PCIe controller is part of that chipset and there is no northbridge chip anymore . They also have 3rd gen turbo mode for when only 1 or 2 cores are in use . Basically they make i7 affordable . As to SSD's, not all are equal, stay away from samsung controller, or in other words any OEM manufacturer SSD . Intel G2 are the best, although sequential writes are not as good as the indilinx controller, but has the best random . . . either way, any SSd is 10x faster than Raptors . . . or SAS Read this review ( . com/storage/showdoc . aspx?i=3631" target="_blank">anandtech . com) As for dual graphics, I would buy just 1 for now and see how you go . . . you can always add another a month of 2 down the track . . . . The MSI P55 i5 mainboard actually has the Hydra chip for alleged linear scaling in SLI\CF |
SolMiester (139) | ||
| 807310 | 2009-09-08 08:37:00 | I wanted something similar but with Photoshop bias. This was the recomendation OC to 3.6Ghz plus building ,no OS but will run 64 bit Win 7. Extra HD for PS Scratch file and better heat sink for OC ASUS P6T X58 (Socket LGA1366) Core i7 PCI-E DDR3 Patriot Viper 3x2GB DDR3-1333 7-7-7-20 (6GB Kit) LG GH-22LS30 22X LightScribe Black SATA DVD Writer CoolerMaster CM Storm Sniper Gaming Case Gigabyte ATI HD4890 1GB GDDR5 CrossFireX PCI-E (Better design, aftermarket heatsink and 3 year warranty) Western Digital Caviar Green 500GB 32MB Cache SATAII Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200.12 32MB SATA II Prolimatech Megahalems CPU Cooler LGA1366 LGA775 Corsair HX520 520W Modular Power Supply Apacer Card Reader 16 in 1 Internal Standard Hardware installation and configuration Total = $2695 Incl GST |
Nalla (6795) | ||
| 807311 | 2009-09-08 21:15:00 | No, no ,no Best processor of 2009 is here (anandtech.com) Wahoo...oh for some money.... |
SolMiester (139) | ||
| 807312 | 2009-09-08 22:31:00 | No, no ,no Best processor of 2009 is here (anandtech.com) Wahoo...oh for some money.... :drool |
Blam (54) | ||
| 807313 | 2009-09-09 01:30:00 | Forgot CPU with that quote Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 8MB 1333MHz LGA1366 Which I was told was the "best bang for the buck" |
Nalla (6795) | ||
| 807314 | 2009-09-09 09:34:00 | No, no ,no Best processor of 2009 is here (anandtech.com) Wahoo...oh for some money.... Thanks for the link, Sol - great article. Looks like an incredible processor. Any thoughts on a motherboard to sink that baby into? |
Lizard (2409) | ||
| 807315 | 2009-09-09 22:22:00 | MSI has a board with Hydra chip for liniar GPU scaling....allegedly.. MSI Big Bang (www.techpowerup.com dra.html) |
SolMiester (139) | ||
| 807316 | 2009-09-16 11:35:00 | I've spent the last week trawling websites and looking at different combinations of parts. Someone mentioned Computer Lounge was a good store, and so I've been basing my choices from their stock. I also like their combo builder. I won't be buying for a month, so hopefully the prices will come down by then. Here's what I've come up with so far: Core bundle - $999, includes Core i7 Lynnfield 860 2.8Ghz Kingston HyperX 2x2GB DDR3 1600 CL9 Gigabyte P55 UD4 LG GH-22LS30 Lightscribe DVDRW - $75 Intel X25M 80GB SSD - $499 Cooler Master Silent Pro 500W Modular PSU - $175 Cooler Master HAF 922 case - $209 Sapphire ATI Radeon 4890 1GB - $369 Win7 ~ $269 (Pricing not available, so basing this on the cost of Vista with "free" upgrade to Win7.) Total cost = $2595 Comments on this setup? I decided to go with a single GPU, on the basis that an identical card will likely drop in price, and if it is still available in 6-12 months time, it seems like it would be a good future upgrade, and would save cash now. I like the idea of a flash case, and plan to add flashy lights and the like (some say tacky, I say I don't care! :) ) Cooler Master seems like a good brand, and the HAF looks solidly built with good airflow. I've been sold on the SSD since I first read about them, and the Intel X25M drives sound pretty solid. I've got a 1TB external drive and a 320GB internal drive for storage, so 80GB should be plenty for OS and programs, I'm guessing? Anandtech's review mentioned that the Lynnfield didn't perform as well as Nehalem with high-end multi-GPUs. But what is classed as "high-end"? At some stage I *might* add another HD4890, but would the performance difference be so significant as to warrant using the 1366 Nehalem? The Gigabyte motherboard and Kingston RAM are part of Computer Lounge's bundle. I'd prefer ASUS and either Corsair or Crucial RAM, but that pushes the price up. Is $999 a good price for that bundle? What do people think of the Gigabyte mobo and Kingston RAM? Finally, I'm not sure if the Core i7 comes with a heatsink/cooler, or whether it would be sufficient? Does anyone know? And if it doesn't, can anyone recommend one that works with the 1156 CPU? Or does someone have a similar, but better, config to offer, for the same price or less (bearing in mind I've sourced this all from one place)? Cheers Lizard |
Lizard (2409) | ||
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