Author Topic: new computer tower  (Read 7324 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline KyadCK

  • 29
  • Getting better with every game
    • Minecraft
    • Steam
what do you think of AMD processors?  are they about the same as Intel or lesser?

Depends. On a budget like this where you can afford a reasonable GPU, Intel is normaly the way to go. I can spec out a FX-4170 build, but it won't last as long as a i5 will.


EDIT: To be fair, AMD recently said the AM3+ socket is staying around for atleast 2 more years, so AMD will have an easier upgrade path.
« Last Edit: October 09, 2012, 10:21:48 pm by KyadCK »
Freespace Wallpapers     BluePlanet Multi     Minecraft Deimos Build Log
Need help setting up Multi? Then join us on the Multi-Setup IRC channel!
Computers only fear those who know how to use them

 

Offline KyadCK

  • 29
  • Getting better with every game
    • Minecraft
    • Steam
AMD:
CPU: AMD FX-4170
GPU: Radeon 7870
RAM: G.Skill 2x4GB 1600
MB: Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3
Case: NZXT Source 210
PSU: Corsair CX600
SSD: Samsung 830
DVD: Samsung DVD Drive

Subtotal: $771.92
MIR: $50
SemiTotal: $721.92
Promo (CPU): $15 (ends Oct 10)
Promo (PSU): $12 (ends Oct 10)
Total: $694.92

AMD has the largest upgrade path in the future, with both more cores, and future CPUs available to it. AMD has said that the AM3+ socket will live for a long time, ensuring this. In addition, the motherboard has 2 full x16 PCI-e 2.0 slots, allowing you to drop in another 7870 for crossfire whenever you wish. The 600w power supply will be up to the task as well. You have open RAM slots if you need them. If you decide to overclock in the future, all you would need is cooling for the CPU.

However, the AMD will also start off with the weakest CPU. Odds that you will notice are slim, but thats what it is.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Intel:
CPU: Intel i3-3220
GPU: Radeon 7870
RAM: G.Skill 2x4GB 1600
MB: ASRock Z77 Extreme3
Case: NZXT Source 210
PSU: Corsair CX600
SSD: Samsung 830
DVD: Samsung DVD Drive

SubTotal: $776.92
MIR: $40
Total: $736.92

The first Intel rig keeps the same GPU as the AMD rig, and also allows you to drop in a second whenever you desire, with 2 PCI-e 3.0 x8 slots. The power supply will again be able to handle it. You again have 2 open slots for RAM. This socket is dead after this CPU generation, however, Should you wish for a CPU upgrade, there is always the i5-3570k waiting.

This CPU can not overclock at all and does not have turbo. Second weakest CPU, although again you probably won't notice for a few years.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Intel 2:
CPU: Intel i5-2500k
GPU: Radeon 6870
RAM: G.Skill 2x4GB 1600
MB: Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3
Case: NZXT Source 210
PSU: Corsair TX650
SSD: Samsung 830
DVD: Samsung DVD Drive

SubTotal: $816.92
MIR: $70
Total: $746.92

The second Intel rig drops significantly in GPU power to trade off for CPU power. This will be the fastest CPU option of the 3 by a good margin. 2 PCI-e x8 slots means you can drop in another of the same card for crossfire later. Again, the PSU will be strong enough to do so. Again, you have 2 open RAM slots if you need them. If you wish to overclock this CPU in the future, all you would need is a cooler for it.

There is no CPU upgrade for this setup. You could go Z77 and Ivybridge, but it is not worth the cost to do so against just buying the latest CPU and MB. There are fair odds that by the time you want to upgrade, this GPU may no longer be available since AMD has since discontinued the 6000 line.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyway, theres pros and cons to each option. If you want help deciding, I'd need to know:

What types of programs do you plan on running?
Would you upgrade parts over time, or just buy a whole new computer when you need it?

Any of the 3 will work well, it's just a matter of what would be best for the future.
« Last Edit: October 09, 2012, 11:09:27 pm by KyadCK »
Freespace Wallpapers     BluePlanet Multi     Minecraft Deimos Build Log
Need help setting up Multi? Then join us on the Multi-Setup IRC channel!
Computers only fear those who know how to use them

 

Offline Venicius

  • 27
  • Be gone, ruffian!
    • Minecraft
    • Skype
    • Steam
It'd be mostly for gaming...and I"d rather upgrade parts than get a whole new computer.

 

Offline KyadCK

  • 29
  • Getting better with every game
    • Minecraft
    • Steam
It'd be mostly for gaming...and I"d rather upgrade parts than get a whole new computer.

Then ya, the AMD will net you the farthest upgrade path and still keep a strong GPU.
Freespace Wallpapers     BluePlanet Multi     Minecraft Deimos Build Log
Need help setting up Multi? Then join us on the Multi-Setup IRC channel!
Computers only fear those who know how to use them

 

Offline MatthTheGeek

  • Captain Obvious
  • 212
  • Frenchie McFrenchface
And give you a lot of trouble with FSO, as a side note.
People are stupid, therefore anything popular is at best suspicious.

Mod management tools     -     Wiki stuff!     -     Help us help you

666maslo666: Releasing a finished product is not a good thing! It is a modern fad.

SpardaSon21: it seems like you exist in a permanent state of half-joking misanthropy

Axem: when you put it like that, i sound like an insane person

bigchunk1: it's not retarded it's american!
bigchunk1: ...

batwota: steele's maneuvering for the coup de gras
MatthTheGeek: you mispelled grâce
Awaesaar: grace
batwota: oh right :P
Darius: ah!
Darius: yes, i like that
MatthTheGeek: the way you just spelled it it means fat
Awaesaar: +accent I forgot how to keyboard
MatthTheGeek: or grease
Darius: the killing fat!
Axem: jabba does the coup de gras
MatthTheGeek: XD
Axem: bring me solo and a cookie

 

Offline KyadCK

  • 29
  • Getting better with every game
    • Minecraft
    • Steam
And give you a lot of trouble with FSO, as a side note.

Granted Bulldozer is not the fastest arch on the market, but at 4.2Ghz stock it'll be about on par with even a Ph II 980, which can run even DE just fine.

Unless you are refering to a problem with the Arch itself that makes it hard to run FSO, or perhaps the GPU has some driver issue with the game that is.
Freespace Wallpapers     BluePlanet Multi     Minecraft Deimos Build Log
Need help setting up Multi? Then join us on the Multi-Setup IRC channel!
Computers only fear those who know how to use them

 

Offline MatthTheGeek

  • Captain Obvious
  • 212
  • Frenchie McFrenchface
I meant AMD/ATI couple. Stuff like Valathil's shadows and deferred lighting were developed on NVidia and have had serious compatibilities issues with ATI in the past.
People are stupid, therefore anything popular is at best suspicious.

Mod management tools     -     Wiki stuff!     -     Help us help you

666maslo666: Releasing a finished product is not a good thing! It is a modern fad.

SpardaSon21: it seems like you exist in a permanent state of half-joking misanthropy

Axem: when you put it like that, i sound like an insane person

bigchunk1: it's not retarded it's american!
bigchunk1: ...

batwota: steele's maneuvering for the coup de gras
MatthTheGeek: you mispelled grâce
Awaesaar: grace
batwota: oh right :P
Darius: ah!
Darius: yes, i like that
MatthTheGeek: the way you just spelled it it means fat
Awaesaar: +accent I forgot how to keyboard
MatthTheGeek: or grease
Darius: the killing fat!
Axem: jabba does the coup de gras
MatthTheGeek: XD
Axem: bring me solo and a cookie

 
I 'hot off the fingers of Valathil' tested some of those builds on ATI, nevermind throughout their testing periods, never had a problem. :I
And I sincerely doubt CPU-Brand will effect FSO at all..
"Neutrality means that you don't really care, cuz the struggle goes on even when you're not there: Blind and unaware."

"We still believe in all the things that we stood by before,
and after everything we've seen here maybe even more.
I know we're not the only ones, and we were not the first,
and unapologetically we'll stand behind each word."

 

Offline KyadCK

  • 29
  • Getting better with every game
    • Minecraft
    • Steam
Ya, I can safely say my Ph II/2x6970 combo has no problems with shadows.

Also, the CPU should have nothing to do with this, that is purely a GPU problem.
Freespace Wallpapers     BluePlanet Multi     Minecraft Deimos Build Log
Need help setting up Multi? Then join us on the Multi-Setup IRC channel!
Computers only fear those who know how to use them

 

Offline Venicius

  • 27
  • Be gone, ruffian!
    • Minecraft
    • Skype
    • Steam
about the ssd...if I was to use my laptop hard drive for now, how simple would it be to transfer from the hard drive to an ssd when I finally did get one?

 

Offline Klaustrophobia

  • 210
  • the REAL Nuke of HLP
    • North Carolina Tigers
you will need a sata dock or external enclosure to do it, and do a little hunting around the internet for a decent program for the transfer.  if you have western digital's, you might be alright, but Seagate's was a bad joke when i tried to use it.  hell, it took me almost an hour to even find it, because it didn't come with the HDD.  sorry, i don't remember what i used, and i already deleted it.   if your laptop has two HDD bays or you have a desktop with two spare SATA ports, you won't need the dock/enclosure.
I like to stare at the sun.

 

Offline KyadCK

  • 29
  • Getting better with every game
    • Minecraft
    • Steam
about the ssd...if I was to use my laptop hard drive for now, how simple would it be to transfer from the hard drive to an ssd when I finally did get one?

You reinstall windows on the SSD and reinstall everything/copy the Users folder (which is fine, Windows can be reinstalled using the same key*), or you use something like Symantic Ghost to get a drive/drive copy.

Whatever is installed on the laptop drive now will not work on the computer you build. You will have to reinstall windows for at least the first use.

*:
XP: twice every 6 months
Vista: once a year
7: once every 6 months
If you need to do it again before that time is up, call MS via a toll free number they give and tell them what's up if it isn't just automated anyway. They really don't care.
Freespace Wallpapers     BluePlanet Multi     Minecraft Deimos Build Log
Need help setting up Multi? Then join us on the Multi-Setup IRC channel!
Computers only fear those who know how to use them

 

Offline TwentyPercentCooler

  • Operates at 375 kelvin
  • 28
That's pretty much what I did - I used an old laptop HDD in tandem with my SSHD, before I got a new HDD. Just install Windows on the SSHD and make sure the BIOS knows to boot to it first.

Some stuff on the old hard drive might be unusable due to missing registry entries and whatnot, but most programs have "repair" options in the setup that'll fix it up. It's much less hassle than the other options, IMO, one of which would be reinstalling everything from scratch. I wouldn't suggest just mirroring the old HDD onto the SSHD - if you get a SSHD as a system drive only, which is still the only cost-effective use of one at the moment, you're not going to want much of anything on the SSHD. Just your OS of choice, browser of choice, and maybe a few programs that you want to be extra fast, but only IF you have plenty of room to spare.

There are a few important things to know about SSHDs if you get one, so if you wind up with one, let us know.

 

Offline KyadCK

  • 29
  • Getting better with every game
    • Minecraft
    • Steam
That's pretty much what I did - I used an old laptop HDD in tandem with my SSHD, before I got a new HDD. Just install Windows on the SSHD and make sure the BIOS knows to boot to it first.

Some stuff on the old hard drive might be unusable due to missing registry entries and whatnot, but most programs have "repair" options in the setup that'll fix it up. It's much less hassle than the other options, IMO, one of which would be reinstalling everything from scratch. I wouldn't suggest just mirroring the old HDD onto the SSHD - if you get a SSHD as a system drive only, which is still the only cost-effective use of one at the moment, you're not going to want much of anything on the SSHD. Just your OS of choice, browser of choice, and maybe a few programs that you want to be extra fast, but only IF you have plenty of room to spare.

There are a few important things to know about SSHDs if you get one, so if you wind up with one, let us know.

IOPS, warrenty, brand, price.     Samsung 830 or Crucial M4. We were over this.

SSHD really is a thing, it's a hybrid SSD/HDD that uses the SSD half as cache. There is no "harddrisk" in an SSD, It's a Solid State Drive.  :sigh:

Keep in mind, a 128GB was suggested in the price. If you are not running things like games, photoshop, or other larger programs off it, you're losing out. OS-only is for 64GB and smaller drives.

Anyway ya, if you drop the laptop HDD into the computer, Most of the programs should work the same as always. My D drive has survived 5 installs. I even have EXEs on my server's drive that I run.

Something else to keep in mind with SSDs... Do. Not. Defrag. It doesn't need it, and it in fact hurts the drive.
Freespace Wallpapers     BluePlanet Multi     Minecraft Deimos Build Log
Need help setting up Multi? Then join us on the Multi-Setup IRC channel!
Computers only fear those who know how to use them

 

Offline MatthTheGeek

  • Captain Obvious
  • 212
  • Frenchie McFrenchface
Might be interested in this for SSDs.
People are stupid, therefore anything popular is at best suspicious.

Mod management tools     -     Wiki stuff!     -     Help us help you

666maslo666: Releasing a finished product is not a good thing! It is a modern fad.

SpardaSon21: it seems like you exist in a permanent state of half-joking misanthropy

Axem: when you put it like that, i sound like an insane person

bigchunk1: it's not retarded it's american!
bigchunk1: ...

batwota: steele's maneuvering for the coup de gras
MatthTheGeek: you mispelled grâce
Awaesaar: grace
batwota: oh right :P
Darius: ah!
Darius: yes, i like that
MatthTheGeek: the way you just spelled it it means fat
Awaesaar: +accent I forgot how to keyboard
MatthTheGeek: or grease
Darius: the killing fat!
Axem: jabba does the coup de gras
MatthTheGeek: XD
Axem: bring me solo and a cookie

 

Offline KyadCK

  • 29
  • Getting better with every game
    • Minecraft
    • Steam
Might be interested in this for SSDs.

Thats actually pretty thorough, nice find, but 2 things to keep in mind:

1: Don't actually kill the recycle bin... just remember to empty it. CCleaner or something. There's always Shift-Delete for things you know you want to get rid of.
2: Don't fully disable pagefile, you need a boatload of RAM to pull that off safely. Disable it for the SSD, enable it for the HDD. Keep in mind that doing so will slow down your general user experiance at times, but pagefile is the backburner, so it won't be too often.
Freespace Wallpapers     BluePlanet Multi     Minecraft Deimos Build Log
Need help setting up Multi? Then join us on the Multi-Setup IRC channel!
Computers only fear those who know how to use them

 

Offline newman

  • 211
The intel stock cooler on my i7 920 sucked some serious ass. The CPU would idle at around 60C with that thing. Replaced with some huge Zalman's monstrosity of a cooler which finally keeps the thing cool under full load. Info may not be relevant since the op is going to get a more modern line of CPU, though. I know I'm not going with a stock cooler again, though :)
You know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I go get and beat you with 'til ya understand who's in ruttin' command here! - Jayne Cobb