Building A Custom Desktop

[R3P0]

Originally Posted by silversnake

No RAM fan and it's 1333.

yeah so buy a ram fan there like 25 dollars take that 1333 to 1600 you'll notice a nice increase

[BohemianGraham]

I have no idea what happened, but my WEI is finally reflecting the correct reading for Aero performance for my laptop's card. It's now at a 5.3. Gaming graphics are still at 6.4.

[JonD7]

Having a tough time deciding on which case to buy...

Originally I wanted the HAF X but if it has no dust filters and the CPU cut out isn't big enough to replace CPU coolers, it's a turn off... I need a good high air flow case but it gets dusty as hell in my room, so it would make things easier for me.

[devils_syndicate]

Originally Posted by PS3-Playb3yond

I'm looking to build a super computer that will last me a while. I'm hoping to keep it below $1000.

good luck with that.

[madlost1]

I want to build a PC not necessarily for gaming but for more general use like browsing the web and such. Also need to be able to do video capturing either by an external peripheral or an on-board option. Need to keep it under $600. The problem is I have no idea what the heck to use (never built a pc before) If anyone can give me a hand with the components needed it would be greatly appreciated. I can't really wrap my head around what components should go with what other components in the machine while avoiding compatibility issues. Shoot me a PM if you can help.

Here's my shot at it if anyone could tell me if this is all compatible it would be greatly appreciated:
Rosewill Blackbone Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EARX 1TB IntelliPower SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Hauppauge Colossus
SAPPHIRE 100323L Radeon HD 6570 1GB DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
Rosewill Stallion Series RD400-2-SB 400W ATX V2.2 Power Supply
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
ASRock P67 PRO3 SE LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Pentium G850 Sandy Bridge 2.9GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1
LG Blu Ray Burner
LG DVD Burner

Comes out to just over $800 with shipping included. Is there anything I can do to cut costs a little bit, anything I missed, or something that needs to be replaced. Please let me know.

[Offender_Mullet]

Originally Posted by devils_syndicate

good luck with that.

Minus a monitor, it's doable.

[devils_syndicate]

Originally Posted by madlost1

I want to build a PC not necessarily for gaming but for more general use like browsing the web and such. Also need to be able to do video capturing either by an external peripheral or an on-board option. Need to keep it under $600. The problem is I have no idea what the heck to use (never built a pc before) If anyone can give me a hand with the components needed it would be greatly appreciated. I can't really wrap my head around what components should go with what other components in the machine while avoiding compatibility issues. Shoot me a PM if you can help.

Here's my shot at it if anyone could tell me if this is all compatible it would be greatly appreciated:
Rosewill Blackbone Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EARX 1TB IntelliPower SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Hauppauge Colossus
SAPPHIRE 100323L Radeon HD 6570 1GB DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
Rosewill Stallion Series RD400-2-SB 400W ATX V2.2 Power Supply
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
ASRock P67 PRO3 SE LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Pentium G850 Sandy Bridge 2.9GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1
LG Blu Ray Burner
LG DVD Burner

Comes out to just over $800 with shipping included. Is there anything I can do to cut costs a little bit, anything I missed, or something that needs to be replaced. Please let me know.

I'd ditch that Western Digital drive. i've had numerous WD drives fail on me. many of them within 30 days of installing them and going through the break in test process (some people do this, some don't).

I've either used Maxtor (pretty sure they got bought out by Seagate), Seagate.

I'd also swap out one of those internal burners for an external. nice to have a portable you can take anywhere with you if needed, and still have disc to disc burning ability.

[Offender_Mullet]

madlost1,

That LG blu-ray burner also burns cd/dvd media, so you can nix the "LG dvd burner" drive.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by madlost1

I want to build a PC not necessarily for gaming but for more general use like browsing the web and such. Also need to be able to do video capturing either by an external peripheral or an on-board option. Need to keep it under $600. The problem is I have no idea what the heck to use (never built a pc before) If anyone can give me a hand with the components needed it would be greatly appreciated. I can't really wrap my head around what components should go with what other components in the machine while avoiding compatibility issues. Shoot me a PM if you can help.

Here's my shot at it if anyone could tell me if this is all compatible it would be greatly appreciated:
Rosewill Blackbone Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EARX 1TB IntelliPower SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Hauppauge Colossus
SAPPHIRE 100323L Radeon HD 6570 1GB DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
Rosewill Stallion Series RD400-2-SB 400W ATX V2.2 Power Supply
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
ASRock P67 PRO3 SE LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Pentium G850 Sandy Bridge 2.9GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1
LG Blu Ray Burner
LG DVD Burner

Comes out to just over $800 with shipping included. Is there anything I can do to cut costs a little bit, anything I missed, or something that needs to be replaced. Please let me know.

Contrary to what some say, I'd stick with WD. Do you have any computers now? Download Speccy and check out your HDD. There's a good chance you have WD. I've yet to have a WD drive fail on me, and I've had at least 5, possibly more, WD HDDs in the past few years: one in a 5 year old Acer laptop, one in a 4 year old Compaq laptop, one in a 2.5 year old Acer Netbook, an external plug and play that's just over 2 years old, and the one currently in my desktop that was built back in April.

No HDD Brand is 100% infalible.

[madlost1]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Contrary to what some say, I'd stick with WD. Do you have any computers now? Download Speccy and check out your HDD. There's a good chance you have WD. I've yet to have a WD drive fail on me, and I've had at least 5, possibly more, WD HDDs in the past few years: one in a 5 year old Acer laptop, one in a 4 year old Compaq laptop, one in a 2.5 year old Acer Netbook, an external plug and play that's just over 2 years old, and the one currently in my desktop that was built back in April.

No HDD Brand is 100% infalible.

I have a WD in my laptop I'm using now and I'll have to check my desktop when I can get to it. This laptop has lasted 5 years now with no HDD problems at all.

Originally Posted by Offender_Mullet

madlost1,
That LG blu-ray burner also burns cd/dvd media, so you can nix the "LG dvd burner" drive.

Yeah it was just a last minute throw in to the list. On my current desktop my main burner died and wont even read a disc anymore and I've been using the secondary drive on it. Guess I am just a little sketchy about only having one drive.



Now the big question will all those parts up there mesh together correctly and if so did I select a big enough PSU?

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by madlost1

I have a WD in my laptop I'm using now and I'll have to check my desktop when I can get to it. This laptop has lasted 5 years now with no HDD problems at all.



Yeah it was just a last minute throw in to the list. On my current desktop my main burner died and wont even read a disc anymore and I've been using the secondary drive on it. Guess I am just a little sketchy about only having one drive.



Now the big question will all those parts up there mesh together correctly and if so did I select a big enough PSU?

To check on the PSU - http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

it gives you a rough estimate of what you'll need for a PSU. I went with a minimum of 700 to be on the safe side: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16817152036 and I'm thinking of potentially buying a better one. it's working great so far, since it's on pretty much 24/7

[Offender_Mullet]

Originally Posted by madlost1

Yeah it was just a last minute throw in to the list. On my current desktop my main burner died and wont even read a disc anymore and I've been using the secondary drive on it. Guess I am just a little sketchy about only having one drive.

Totally understandable. Plus, it's not like dvd-rw drives break the bank anymore.

Also, using that WD Green drive as your primary one isn't a great idea from what I've read. Those are mainly used for storage. Buying a small say 64GB ssd, loading the os/programs on that and using that WD har drive to store everything else would be the way to go.

NewEgg always have sales. Corsair psu's on sale right now: http://www.newegg.com/Store/BrandSub...pg&Pagesize=50 All have either %/$ off. The psu you chose is a bit low, even though you won't be gaming on the computer. I would search for at least a 550W-600W psu.

I would say go to your local Micro Center store because they do have killer cpu/motherboard combo prices (better than NewEgg), but I'm not sure how far you are from their store in PA.

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by devils_syndicate

I'd ditch that Western Digital drive. i've had numerous WD drives fail on me. many of them within 30 days of installing them and going through the break in test process (some people do this, some don't).

I've either used Maxtor (pretty sure they got bought out by Seagate), Seagate.

Apparently, someone forgot about the firmware fiasco that plagued the Barracuda 7200.11 drives back in 2009. My brother-in-law was one of the unfortunate customers during that time, i.e. lasted just over a year before it gave out.

I've been using WD drives for over 16 years without a failure. One of my first builds (using an IDE drive) is still running to this day.

I'd also swap out one of those internal burners for an external. nice to have a portable you can take anywhere with you if needed, and still have disc to disc burning ability.

External burners may have the portability factor, but they're also 4-5x more than a typical internal DVD±RW or Blu-ray burner. At this point, pretty much every desktop PC sold nowadays comes with a DVD±RW burner; they're inexpensive and generally reliable.

[madlost1]

Originally Posted by Offender_Mullet

Totally understandable. Plus, it's not like dvd-rw drives break the bank anymore.

Also, using that WD Green drive as your primary one isn't a great idea from what I've read. Those are mainly used for storage. Buying a small say 64GB ssd, loading the os/programs on that and using that WD har drive to store everything else would be the way to go.

NewEgg always have sales. Corsair psu's on sale right now: http://www.newegg.com/Store/BrandSub...pg&Pagesize=50 All have either %/$ off. The psu you chose is a bit low, even though you won't be gaming on the computer. I would search for at least a 550W-600W psu.

I would say go to your local Micro Center store because they do have killer cpu/motherboard combo prices (better than NewEgg), but I'm not sure how far you are from their store in PA.

I'm about 2 hours from the closest Micro Center in PA so thats not really an option. I do have a little store inside our mall that I could check out though. I actually made some changes to the initial list because I discovered a compatibility issue with the video card (at least I think I did). I also did a little bit of changing around with the HDD's. I also upped the PSU to 500w. Upped the cost a little but not too much so I guess I can be a little flexible.

Rosewill Blackbone Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Rosewill Stallion Series RD500-2SB 500W ATX12V v2.2 Power Supply
ASRock P67 PRO3 SE LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Pentium G850 Sandy Bridge 2.9GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623G850
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7
ASUS ENGT430/DI/1GD3(LP) GeForce GT 430 (Fermi) 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9Q-16GBXL
Mushkin Enhanced Callisto Deluxe MKNSSDCL60GB-DX 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Seagate Barracuda Green ST1500DL003 1.5TB 5900 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
AVerMedia AVerTV HD DVR MTVHDDVRR PCI-Express x1 Interface
LG Black Blu-ray Disc Rewriter WH12LS38 LightScribe Support - OEM
LG DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH24NS70 - OEM

Went with the 1.5TB Seagate over the 1TB WD. For only $10 more the extra storage is too good to pass up.
Hopefully it's good now.

[Offender_Mullet]

Good changes.

[PrivatePixel]

madlost1:

Pretty good choices with the component selections. The one thing I would swap is the PSU though. I would opt for something that was, at the very least, 80 PLUS Certified and a high, sustained ampere rating on the 12V line, even if components such as your video card don't need that much juice. Here are two alternatives I would recommend over the Rosewill:

CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W 80 PLUS Certified - $59.99
(apply the promo code EMCNHJF26 to receive $10 off at checkout; code expires today though. There's also a $20 rebate available, so you may end up paying ~$30)

SILVERSTONE ST50F-ES 500W 80 PLUS Certified - $59.99
(there is a $10 rebate available)

My first choice would be the Corsair (mostly because I'm a Corsair user , but also, its reputation as a PSU manufacturer is established).

[silversnake]

Originally Posted by PrivatePixel

Totally agree with Pixel. Power Supply is one of the things you definitely don't want to overlook and get quality.

[madlost1]

Originally Posted by PrivatePixel

madlost1:

Pretty good choices with the component selections. The one thing I would swap is the PSU though. I would opt for something that was, at the very least, 80 PLUS Certified and a high, sustained ampere rating on the 12V line, even if components such as your video card don't need that much juice. Here are two alternatives I would recommend over the Rosewill:

CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W 80 PLUS Certified - $59.99
(apply the promo code EMCNHJF26 to receive $10 off at checkout; code expires today though. There's also a $20 rebate available, so you may end up paying ~$30)

SILVERSTONE ST50F-ES 500W 80 PLUS Certified - $59.99
(there is a $10 rebate available)

My first choice would be the Corsair (mostly because I'm a Corsair user , but also, its reputation as a PSU manufacturer is established).

Sounds good Now just to wait for that rebate check to come in and I'll be golden. Thanks for all the help guys.

[Offender_Mullet]

Sold my two Mushkin Chronos 120GB ssd's for $300 (and the buyer claimed one was "fake" wtf hilarious!) and bought one Crucial M4 128GB. No real reason, just wanted to try a non-SandForce controlled ssd out.



Just to give a general idea on performance (although I couldn't tell the difference in real-world usage), here's the benchmark from my 2 Mushkin's (asynchronous):


And here's the single M4 (synchronous):

[JonD7]

I just got this case today buying 7 blue case fans and a Noctua D14 to replace my liquid CPU cooler.