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Technology Thread: Building a Desktop Computer

OblongPickle said:
Thoughts on this deal:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Combo...-_-EMC-111011-Index-_-Combo-_-Combo765928-L0D


- Core i5-2500L 3.3 GHz Processor
- Intel Z68 Express Chipset
- G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB DDR3 1600 Memory Kit
- Seagate Barracude 1TB 7200RPM SATA III Hard Drive
- Rosewill Blackbone ATX Mid Tower Case
- Cooler Master 550W NVIDIA SLI-ready Power Supply

$509.99 (499.99 MIR)
Click to expand...
that is a micro-atx board, I have the same one in my HTPC except it is the USB 3.0 verison. It is great for my needs but it is a little more limited in expansion ports especially if you are going to run a big graphics card. Just something to keep in mind. 2 sticks of 2gb ram is kind of weak too, at this point 2 sticks of 4gb are only about $10-15 more. At least you already have a HDD since they have nearly doubles in price due to all the SE Asia floods.
 
okay, I need to buy or build a new desktop this week because my macbook pro got fried...by me...and water. Looking for some guidance.

Some details

  • I will be using this primarily for gaming and posting on ogboards.
  • I either want to go i5 or i7 (probably i5 because there doesn't seem to be much lift for games going i7).
  • Would prefer a nasty graphics card
  • I don't need a TON of HD space, as I don't have a lot of pictures/movies/whatever (most of my laptops HD space was WoW installation).
  • 8GB+ of ram, with possibility to expand would be nice
  • Needs to have VGA and HDMI outputs so I can connect it to my TV for streaming.
  • Prefer nVidia over AMD, but can be convinced either way
  • I am a fucking moron and it should be easy for me to put together :p

What do you guys think of this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229283?

looking to spend <$1200, probably around $1k
 
Last edited:
Juice said:
okay, I need to buy or build a new desktop this week because my macbook pro got fried...by me...and water. Looking for some guidance.

Some details

  • I will be using this primarily for gaming and posting on ogboards.
  • I either want to go i5 or i7 (probably i5 because there doesn't seem to be much lift for games going i7).
  • Would prefer a nasty graphics card
  • I don't need a TON of HD space, as I don't have a lot of pictures/movies/whatever (most of my laptops HD space was WoW installation).
  • 8GB+ of ram, with possibility to expand would be nice
  • Needs to have VGA and HDMI outputs so I can connect it to my TV for streaming.
  • Prefer nVidia over AMD, but can be convinced either way
  • I am a fucking moron and it should be easy for me to put together :p

What do you guys think of this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229283?

looking to spend <$1200, probably around $1k
Click to expand...

You're a smart dude, unless you get an unbelievable deal with a prebuilt PC in that link, you'd be better off buying the individual components and putting them together yourself.

I'd go with i5-2400, 8gb of ram, Nvidia GTX 560 TI, <=750w (at least bronze rated) power supply, a ssd for os and games (if budget allows) and regular 1-2tb hdd for regular storage.

I'd imagine you'd be well within $1000 after these things, but I'll double check in a second.
 
2gyapsj.png


Lots of flexibility here. If you don't want an SSD, you can shave off $200 and when HDD prices go down, you can shave off another $200. That 2TB HDD would normally cost about $100.

I also forgot to add in a DVD-RW drive. Those are cheap. You can get a blu-ray burner for about $100 if you want as well.
 
TWDeac said:
Holy fucking god, HDD's are so expensive right now.
Click to expand...
yeah if you can help it, do not buy a HDD right now, a great time to re-purpose old ones. The same 2TB drive I paid $79.99 for the end of September is now $199
 
Last edited:
TWDeac said:
2gyapsj.png


Lots of flexibility here. If you don't want an SSD, you can shave off $200 and when HDD prices go down, you can shave off another $200. That 2TB HDD would normally cost about $100.

I also forgot to add in a DVD-RW drive. Those are cheap. You can get a blu-ray burner for about $100 if you want as well.
Click to expand...

you are a p1mp
 
With TWDeac's link I'd recommend springing for a Z68 board, adding a better CPU cooler, and hold off like he says on the HDD for now. I run Windows, Steam and maybe a dozen games off this SSD and have 20GB to spare.

My current system:
Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.95 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master RR-910-HTX3-G1 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($17.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($97.00 @ Amazon)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($205.95 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 1GB Video Card ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec One Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Antec 750W ATX12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7260S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ CompUSA)
Total: $1013.34
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2011-11-11 16:08 EST-0500)
 
dot com said:
With TWDeac's link I'd recommend springing for a Z68 board, adding a better CPU cooler, and hold off like he says on the HDD for now. I run Windows, Steam and maybe a dozen games off this SSD and have 20GB to spare.

My current system:
Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.95 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master RR-910-HTX3-G1 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($17.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($97.00 @ Amazon)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($205.95 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 1GB Video Card ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec One Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Antec 750W ATX12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7260S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ CompUSA)
Total: $1013.34
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2011-11-11 16:08 EST-0500)
Click to expand...

I agree with you. Listen to this man, juice.
 
Talk to me about LCD vs. LED monitors. Thinking of springing for a sweet 27'' monitor for my christmas present to me. Anybody here using an LED? What do you think?
 
I use an LED monitor. Uses way less energy, puts off less heat. Colors are sharp. Had to turn the brightness down to like 35%.
 
Anybody heard anything about when the hard disk drive plants might get back into production and get prices back down?

Solid state drives are looking more and more price competitive.
 
If you are willing to go into costco black friday, crazy Saturday, or asstastic Sunday, they have a 2 TB drive for about 70 bucks. Very tempting but that place will be CRAZY.
 
OK, I'm sick of Time Warner and I want to cut the cord. I'm going to put up an antenna so I can get over the air HD and hook up a HTPC system so I can watch internet TV on my big screen. I have come up with 2 options:

1. Current system plus XBox 360 as Windows Media Extender

Current system has a Core 2 CPU 6600 @2.4GHz. 4GB RAM. Running Vista 32 Bit. I have a 1TB external USB disk drive with plenty of space. I would:
- add a Hauppage tuner card $100
- wipe the drives and install Windows 7 Home Premium $100
- buy an XBox 360 $120-$290
- get a new wireless router plus the Powerline AV adapters to network the XBox to the computer - $100

Total $420-$590.

If I do this, should I get the baseline 4GB Xbox, or should I spend the extra money for a 20GB or 250GB XBox? Keep in mind I have 800GB free on the external drive which I would use for recording TV shows.

2. Build a new HTPC and keep the existing system as is. Instead of buying the XBox, build a new system that looks something like this (courtesy of Tom's Hardware):
Processor Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge-based 3.3 GHz CPU $220
Motherboard ASRock Z68 PRO3-M LGA 1155 Motherboard $115
RAM Corsair Vengeance 8 GB DDR3-1600 Kit (2 x 4 GB) $58
Graphics Card Something around $80
Hard Drive Samsung SpinPoint F3 HD103SJ 1 TB 7200 RPM 3.5" Hard Drive $60
Case Lian-Li PC-V351B Black Aluminum MicroATX $110
Power Supply Cooler Master Silent Pro M600 600 W Power Supply $100
DVD Burner Asus 24x DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD+/-R Burner $20
Hauppage tuner card (I have to check and make sure there is room in the Micro-ATX but I think there is) $100
Ethernet Card $20
Networking stuff $100
Windows 7 $100

Total $1,083.

I dumbed down Tom's Micro-ATX Gaming build because I wouldn't need all that graphics horsepower just to run TV. I could probably shave down some more cost on components and make this less expensive, but even then it looks like Option 2 is still going to be significantly more expensive than option 1 (although Option 1 starts to catch up if I need to get the big HD on the Xbox).

If I go with option 2 I now have 2 computers to maintain, buy virus software, upgrade, etc. So that's more expensive.

So, almighty techheads of the Pit, what would you do? Is there a compelling reason to build out option 2 or should I just go with option 1? If the opinion of the Pit is to go with option 1, what size Xbox do I get - if I can get by with the small Xbox it's really cheaper.

Any other ideas?
 
Deacon923 said:
OK, I'm sick of Time Warner and I want to cut the cord. I'm going to put up an antenna so I can get over the air HD and hook up a HTPC system so I can watch internet TV on my big screen. I have come up with 2 options:

1. Current system plus XBox 360 as Windows Media Extender

Current system has a Core 2 CPU 6600 @2.4GHz. 4GB RAM. Running Vista 32 Bit. I have a 1TB external USB disk drive with plenty of space. I would:
- add a Hauppage tuner card $100
- wipe the drives and install Windows 7 Home Premium $100
- buy an XBox 360 $120-$290
- get a new wireless router plus the Powerline AV adapters to network the XBox to the computer - $100

Total $420-$590.

If I do this, should I get the baseline 4GB Xbox, or should I spend the extra money for a 20GB or 250GB XBox? Keep in mind I have 800GB free on the external drive which I would use for recording TV shows.

2. Build a new HTPC and keep the existing system as is. Instead of buying the XBox, build a new system that looks something like this (courtesy of Tom's Hardware):
Processor Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge-based 3.3 GHz CPU $220
Motherboard ASRock Z68 PRO3-M LGA 1155 Motherboard $115
RAM Corsair Vengeance 8 GB DDR3-1600 Kit (2 x 4 GB) $58
Graphics Card Something around $80
Hard Drive Samsung SpinPoint F3 HD103SJ 1 TB 7200 RPM 3.5" Hard Drive $60
Case Lian-Li PC-V351B Black Aluminum MicroATX $110
Power Supply Cooler Master Silent Pro M600 600 W Power Supply $100
DVD Burner Asus 24x DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD+/-R Burner $20
Hauppage tuner card (I have to check and make sure there is room in the Micro-ATX but I think there is) $100
Ethernet Card $20
Networking stuff $100
Windows 7 $100

Total $1,083.

I dumbed down Tom's Micro-ATX Gaming build because I wouldn't need all that graphics horsepower just to run TV. I could probably shave down some more cost on components and make this less expensive, but even then it looks like Option 2 is still going to be significantly more expensive than option 1 (although Option 1 starts to catch up if I need to get the big HD on the Xbox).

If I go with option 2 I now have 2 computers to maintain, buy virus software, upgrade, etc. So that's more expensive.

So, almighty techheads of the Pit, what would you do? Is there a compelling reason to build out option 2 or should I just go with option 1? If the opinion of the Pit is to go with option 1, what size Xbox do I get - if I can get by with the small Xbox it's really cheaper.

Any other ideas?
Click to expand...
option 2 is way more powerful than you need if it is only an HTPC, a core i3 is plenty and you can use its integrated graphics. AVSForum actually has a pretty comprehensive guide for building an HTPC at lots of different price levels. I think I would probably go for option 1 though and maybe look at the Ceton tuners that can record 4 HD streams at a time that you can then access from the XBox as a Media Center extender. I would just get the cheap xbox too since you would be streaming everything to the xbox anyway.
 
The first machine is plenty powerful to do what you need, but the question is whether it's a good htpc machine? Is it quiet? Does it have HDMI out? Does it have 5.1 surround?

Assuming it's all good, I'd stick with that and be sure to get the 2250 card so you can record one thing and watch another live in HD. I only have the dual tuner card in my system because the 2250 wasn't out yet. I feel like I remember some people saying that getting two single-thread cards was better for some reason, maybe for the on-chip encoding, but not sure.

I'd get the 4gb 360 and only but the drive if you end up needing it (you prob won't unless you game a lot). You can get generic hard drives for the new 360 slim for cheap.

I'd download a copy of Windows 7 because based on how shitty Vista was it's morally ok. Or you can get the student version for cheaper.

I wouldn't want to maintain 2 computers - especially not two Windows HTPC's. Dealing with one of them will be annoying enough.
 
OblongPickle said:
Pretty sure I've finalized everything...does this all work?
30mtoqo.jpg
Click to expand...

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-2400 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($188.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68M-D2H Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout ATX Mid Tower Case ($46.07 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $465.03
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2011-11-22 08:48 EST-0500)

Why the micro board? Could be an issue if you get a CPU cooler with it getting in the way of your RAM.
 
DCDeac said:
The first machine is plenty powerful to do what you need, but the question is whether it's a good htpc machine? Is it quiet? Does it have HDMI out? Does it have 5.1 surround?

Assuming it's all good, I'd stick with that and be sure to get the 2250 card so you can record one thing and watch another live in HD. I only have the dual tuner card in my system because the 2250 wasn't out yet. I feel like I remember some people saying that getting two single-thread cards was better for some reason, maybe for the on-chip encoding, but not sure.

I'd get the 4gb 360 and only but the drive if you end up needing it (you prob won't unless you game a lot). You can get generic hard drives for the new 360 slim for cheap.

I'd download a copy of Windows 7 because based on how shitty Vista was it's morally ok. Or you can get the student version for cheaper.

I wouldn't want to maintain 2 computers - especially not two Windows HTPC's. Dealing with one of them will be annoying enough.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I think this is the direction I'm going to go. It just seems a lot easier.

What do you think about this device: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815345007 instead an internal tuner card? I like that I would have fewer wires running into my already crowded PC and less internal heat, plus I could locate it in my basement (where the HD antenna wire will come in) and network it up the router.
 
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