New computer!

Jokke

Hi guys!

I'm thinking about buying a new comuter soon, and I want to build myself. Is it still cheaper than buying prebuilt?

I'm not really updated on the hardware front, and need advice to what components to buy. I will need everything except case, sound card, network card and mouse/keyboard. I want it to be a gaming computer and cost doesn't really matter. I want it to last for a while after all.

BuddyJ

Remember guys that Jokke is in Norway. He shops from komplett.no or netshop.no.

Thrax

What's your budget? I know you said that money isn't a huge concern, but is there some value you'd like to be under?

Jokke

Under 11.000 NOK preferrably, but I don't want to have to upgrade in just a few months. Ad yes, as Buddy J mentions, I'd like if it was from somewhere in Norway, as shipping and customs from abroad will get very expensive.

Jokke

I talked to a mate who is a bit more updated on components and shit, annd he would recommend:

Asus P5Q Pro
Corsair Tx 650W
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
Mushkin Xp2-8000 (4gig)

What do you guys think? Any good, and will it last? Any reccomandations for Graphics?

Snarkasm

Personally, if we're futureproofing for a little bit, I'd say go with a quad instead of a dual, but that's just me. Dual will probably be fine.

For graphics, 4850/4870 from ATI or 8800/9800/GTX260/GTX280 from nVidia. The 260's supposed to be the bang/buck leader at the moment, I believe.

NiGHTS

Snarkasm wrote:

For graphics, 4850/4870 from ATI or 8800/9800/GTX260/GTX280 from nVidia. The 260's supposed to be the bang/buck leader at the moment, I believe.

I was going to suggest this, too, but I'm not entirely sure bang for the buck applies directly to other countries...

Snarkasm

Ah yes, quite right.

BuddyJ

Sounds good to me. I'm with Snark on the video cards too.

Jokke

Ok, so after I've found all components i want from komplett.no. Buying everything from one supplier makes shipping and handling cheaper. My list now looks like this:

Mob : Asus P5Q Pro http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku=352394
PSU : Corsair Tx 650W http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku=340676&cks=ASS&assoc=20ACC316-0E63-43E2-9BBE-D2583A1CB52E
CPU : Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku=344757
GPU : Asus GeForce GTX 260 896MB PhysX CUDA http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku=355539
RAM : OCZ Platinum DDR2 PC6400 4096MB KIT http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku=339129
HD : Samsung SpinPoint F1 750GB SATA2 http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku=343054

It all adds up to just over 9000 NOK, which is under my maximum price.
What do you guys think? Any good? Any suggestions for changes, additions, warnings? I will buy a new case and a monitor at a later time, and I have other components (audio, network, mouse, keyboard) that works good for me at the moment, but will probably be replaced in the future.

Leonardo

That's the makings of a very, very capable computer! I like it.

Have you considered 2 X 500MB hard drive instead of 1 X 750? It might be very close to the same price and you could use the second drive for data or system backup.

Jokke

Jolly good! You mean two harddrives, like in RAID? Would it be faster? Will the two harddrives merge as one, or will they show up like two separate harddrives?

Leonardo

No, not RAID. Use one hard drive as an internal hard drive and the second drive as an external, dedicated backup drive. You can get an inexpensive enclosure for the external drive or run it via e-SATA if your motherboard has that capability. Or, if you want to spend a little more money, you could get a hard drive cradle for the external drive.

Every hard drive will eventually fail, it's just a matter of when. If you don't have a backup routine, you are just rolling the dice over your data.

Jokke

Oh, right. Yeah, that is easy. I do have an enclosure, I just need the harddrive. I'll look into it. Thanks for the tip.

Jokke

Ok, time passed, something came up and I never got to ordering the parts (silly, silly me), and before I knew it I was back out at sea. However, I AM getting a new computer. Since I didn't order last time, my budget is now even bigger. I was wondering about updating my list a little.

* How much better is the i7 compared to Q9650, and is it worth getting ATM?
* What is the diff. between GTX280, 285 and 295? (except more RAM on the 295)
* Is it worth getting a 64 bit OS and buy more RAM? What's the difference between 32b and 64b?
* I just invested in a 1.5TB external HD. Would it be sufficient for me to get a (maybe two?) WD VelociRaptor 10000RPM 300GB HD, for internal storage?

I probably have more questions, but I can't really think of anything else right now.
Thanks for all replies. Really appreciate it.

Snarkasm

Yes yes yes get i7 yes.

Not sure on the graphics, somebody else will help you with that.

Go x64 and get 6GB of RAM go to with your bandwidth-hungry i7. 300GB internal should be plenty with a 1.5TB external.

Leonardo

The 280 will handle any game you wish to play at high settings. The 295 will do better, but would you even notice? Don't know. If you are into Folding@Home, the 295 is your best choice - two GPUs for dual GPU clients. Not sure about the 285.

If you aren't interested Folding, then in my opinion, the 295 is overkill.

Khaos

I built my system with a single 10K RPM VelociRaptor and am quite happy with it. No plan to RAID any time soon. The single VRaptor is faster than most 7200 RPM RAID 0 setups in synthetic I/O tests. It peaks around 130 MB/s and its trail off is actually superior to the 7200 RPM RAID arrays because of the 2.5" form factor / physically smaller platters. It maintains peak performance across more of its surface area. I love the drive.

It's also silent and runs very cool.

Jokke

Thanks for the input, guys. I'll go with single Velociraptor and GTX280.

Now, how about OS? What is the difference between OEM and non-OEM. Is Vista good enough now, or should I go with good ol' XP?

I'm also gonna need some hints and tips on monitor and case. I'm totally blank on the monitor part, and dunno what I'll be looking for.

Snarkasm

Vista's fine with the specs you'll have, and OEM is just fine; all you need is the DVD and the key.

Monitors, look for Samsung widescreens; cases - Antec 900.

Jokke

Hmm, yes, Antec 900... I'm not really too keen on side windows and lots of lights and fancy stuff... I just want a nice looking, stylish, clean case...
I would also like to buy a new network card. Anything changed in that department the last two years?

Ryder

Jokke wrote:

I would also like to buy a new network card. Anything changed in that department the last two years?

Onboard is fine these days. They use Marvell, Realtek, etc.

Jokke

What I've got so far, what do you think:

MOB : Asus P6T Deluxe (2555,-)
CPU : Intel Core i7 965 Quad Extreme 3.2GHz (9675,-)
RAM : OCZ Gold XTC 6GB DDR3 Triple-Channel KIT (1665,-)
HDD : WD VelociRaptor 10000RPM 300GB (2928,-)
PSU : Corsair Tx 750w (1089,-)
GPU : XFX GeForce GTX 280 602M 1GB /W Far Cry 2 (4789,-)
DISP: Samsung 24" Wide LCD skjerm, T240 1920x1200, 20000:1, 5ms, VGA/DVI/HDMI (2989,-)
OS : Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit (Norsk) (1885,-)
NETW: ???
CASE: Antec 900-2?
DISC: LG GGW-H20L Blu-Ray Burner (1836,-)
PASTE: OCZ Freeze Extreme (59,-)

TOT: 29411 NOK.

And by network card, I do mean wireless, which I notice the P6T doesn't have onboard.

Leonardo

I just want a nice looking, stylish, clean case...

Be warned, in its size class, the 900 is about as good as it gets. But if you have multiple cards and a power supply with lots of fixed cables, the Antech 900 is a pain for cable management. if you are good with cable management, don't hesitate to acquire the Antec 900. It's excellent.

Jokke

Jokke wrote:

What I've got so far, what do you think:

MOB : Asus P6T Deluxe (2555,-)
CPU : Intel Core i7 965 Quad Extreme 3.2GHz (9675,-)
RAM : OCZ Gold XTC 6GB DDR3 Triple-Channel KIT (1665,-)
HDD : WD VelociRaptor 10000RPM 300GB (2928,-)
PSU : Corsair Tx 750w (1089,-)
GPU : XFX GeForce GTX 280 602M 1GB /W Far Cry 2 (4789,-)
DISP: Samsung 24" Wide LCD skjerm, T240 1920x1200, 20000:1, 5ms, VGA/DVI/HDMI (2989,-)
OS : Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit (Norsk) (1885,-)
NETW: ???
CASE: Antec 900 (939,-)
DISC: LG GGW-H20L Blu-Ray Burner (1836,-)
PASTE: OCZ Freeze Extreme (59,-)

TOT: 30409 NOK.

And by network card, I do mean wireless, which I notice the P6T doesn't have onboard.

If you say so! I wouldn't spend all this money to get a lower-class case. 900 it is!

Jokke

Ok, my order will be placed tomorrow. Does anyone have any comments to this rig? Is everything compatible? Are there any components that needs to be replaced? I can't WAIT to get this rig together (hopefully in working condition) and start gaming sometime next weekend..

Thrax

I think you should hold off on Blu-Ray and go with XP-64, but that's just me.

Jokke

Ah, yes, my bad. Didn't upgrade my list. I decided to drop the Blu-ray for now, and rather wait for the market to pick up. As for the OS, I'm not sure myself. This rig will probably handle Vista quite well, but I don't know how it is nowadays. Must've been some upgrades since I stopped using Vista. I see XP is still preferred among experts.. I'm also quite excited about 32bit and 64bit. I've heard drivers for 64 can be a hassle, but I could benefit from the extra RAM.. Ah, choices, choices..

Snarkasm

Drivers aren't a problem for 64 anymore, and Vista's just fine with that rig. Thrax is just a stalwart.

Thrax

And by stalwart, he means I can read benchmarks.

Leonardo

Vista will work great with your proposed system. As to whether you want it or not, that's just a preference. I'm using both now and think they're both good OSes. Not sure how keen I would be to buy Vista now though, when Windows 7 isn't that far off into the future. You might also consider installing the Windows 7 beta and purchasing an OS later.