Help a newbie.

Craigus · 18 Sep 2012 at 14:34

Hi all, I'm new so go easy.

I am looking to get a new system. Budget is ideally £500 maximum, but could possibly go more if need be. I am fairly clueless when it comes to spec'ing my own machine so looking for some help really. I only need the tower as I already have Monitor, K&M etc.

It needs to be able to run ArchiCAD 16 which is some 3D Architectural design software. Some requirements are below:

Intel® Core or higher required.
64-bit processor required.
Multicore processor is recommended to exploit ArchiCAD 16 performance capabilities.
With 64-bit system: 3 GB RAM is required, 6 GB RAM or more is recommended.

Not too demanding but with all these things the better the spec the better it will run. Not sure what to look for in terms of graphic cards and the like though.

I would also like to be able to upgrade the system too so that it will last me a while.

It would also be cool if it were capable of running FPS games such as Battlefield 3, although this is not a must (I'll stick to the xbox) it would be a bonus if I could get a machine that is capable within my budget.

Any suggestions on bundles, helping spec my own system, links or otherwise will be appreciated.

Thanks very much
Craig

Idleman · 18 Sep 2012 at 14:40

Do you have any components you can reuse, sata hdd, etc,. Just means more to spend in other areas.

dunn2010 · 18 Sep 2012 at 14:42

I've spec'd lower in other areas to squeeze a 7850 in, if you like you could drop this to the likes of a nvidia 650 or radeon 7750 which would save 50-60 quid to spent elsewhere but will still play games like bf3 (just not on as high settings)

YOUR BASKET
1 x HIS HD 7850 IceQ X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H785QN2G2M) w/ Nexuiz, Sleeping Dogs & Dirt Showdown PC Games £149.99
1 x Intel Core i3-3220 3.30GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £95.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £84.98
1 x OCZ ZS Series 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £49.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (ST500DM002) £49.99
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £34.99
1 x GeIL Black Dragon 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (GD38GB1600C11DC) £31.99
1 x Samsung SH-S222BB/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £526.92 (includes shipping : £12.50).

Craigus · 18 Sep 2012 at 14:59

Idleman said:
Do you have any components you can reuse, sata hdd, etc,. Just means more to spend in other areas.

I don't think so, my current computer is about 3 1/2 years old and is a mini desktop.

Idleman · 18 Sep 2012 at 15:04

Craigus said:
I don't think so, my current computer is about 3 1/2 years old and is a mini desktop.

You might still have some parts you can use. Assuming its a prebuilt machine can you post the make and model.

Craigus · 18 Sep 2012 at 15:15

Not on that machine atm but I think it is as follows:

HP Pavillion Slimline s3150 Core 2 Duo 1.86GHz, 2GB RAM, 160GB HD, not sure on graphics card.

Craigus · 18 Sep 2012 at 15:41

dunn2010 said:
I've spec'd lower in other areas to squeeze a 7850 in, if you like you could drop this to the likes of a nvidia 650 or radeon 7750 which would save 50-60 quid to spent elsewhere but will still play games like bf3 (just not on as high settings)

YOUR BASKET
1 x HIS HD 7850 IceQ X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H785QN2G2M) w/ Nexuiz, Sleeping Dogs & Dirt Showdown PC Games £149.99
1 x Intel Core i3-3220 3.30GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £95.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £84.98
1 x OCZ ZS Series 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £49.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (ST500DM002) £49.99
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £34.99
1 x GeIL Black Dragon 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (GD38GB1600C11DC) £31.99
1 x Samsung SH-S222BB/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £526.92 (includes shipping : £12.50).

Stupid question then. Is that all I would need and would I be able to assemble all that myself?

dunn2010 · 18 Sep 2012 at 15:43

Craigus said:
Stupid question then. Is that all I would need and would I be able to assemble all that myself?

Yes. and that all depends on if you know how to. its easy enough if you done it before. if not take your time. you cant really go wrong. look up some tuts on internet and if you get stuck building postpics and questions here and we will help

alternatively you could ring ocuk, and ask if they would build for you. obviously paying for labour involved.

Craigus · 18 Sep 2012 at 15:48

To be honest I could probably manage it if I took my time. I am pretty methodical with everything I do anyway. I have taken my computer apart before to clean the fans out and things with no real problems so can't imagine it to be too hard.

I take it that it's cheaper buying bits separately than buying a ready made machine?

dunn2010 · 18 Sep 2012 at 15:54

much cheaper.

Also only thing to be really careful on is ensuring you put the pins under the motherboard. place motherboard onto pins then screw it in. (there are small hectagon shaped pins which screw into case then mboard sits on them. then mboard screws into theses pons)

a friend of mine refused my help to build his pc when he bought parts "as he knew what he was doing" screwed mboard to side of case. mboard blew. toke few other parts with it.

ensure to read the mboard manual to make sure you put the front panel power and reset switches into right pins on mboard.

same with usb and audio.

processor will only fit one way into the slot, so dont force the lever close if it feels it is not securly in processor slot.

ram simple slot in,

gfx card simple slot in.

put psu unit in after mboard and keep cables tidy as you go. ensuring you place all the power cables in correct slots. again cant go wrong really. there all different shapes so you can see what goes where.

but as i said. need any help. let us know.

Craigus · 19 Sep 2012 at 00:28

I have another question, I am undecided whether I should be going for an i5 over an i3 processor and spending the extra on that, or stick with an i3 and get something like the 7850 2048MB graphics card as opposed to a cheaper one?

Any thoughts on that? I am getting there with the rest of the build though.

Idleman · 19 Sep 2012 at 09:14

The i3 with "B" grade hdd. Or just use your 160gb hdd and save towards future upgrades.

YOUR BASKET
1 x HIS HD 7850 IceQ X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H785QN2G2M) w/ Nexuiz, Sleeping Dogs & Dirt Showdown PC Games £149.99
1 x Intel Core i3-3220 3.30GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £95.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £84.98
1 x OCZ ZS Series 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £49.99
1 x **B Grade** Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-252-SE) £40.00
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £34.99
1 x TeamGroup Elite 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TED38192M1600HC11DC) £29.99
Total : £500.93 (includes shipping : £12.50).

Or the i5 no hdd reuse the the 160gb. But this is £50 over budget.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £184.99
1 x HIS HD 7850 IceQ X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H785QN2G2M) w/ Nexuiz, Sleeping Dogs & Dirt Showdown PC Games £149.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £84.98
1 x OCZ ZS Series 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £49.99
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £34.99
1 x TeamGroup Elite 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TED38192M1600HC11DC) £29.99
Total : £549.94 (includes shipping : £12.50).

I5 with lower budget card.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £184.99
1 x MSI HD 7770 Power Edition Transthermal OC 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £99.95
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £84.98
1 x OCZ ZS Series 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £49.99
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £34.99
1 x TeamGroup Elite 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TED38192M1600HC11DC) £29.99
Total : £499.90 (includes shipping : £12.50).

Comparison between the 2 cards.

dunn2010 · 19 Sep 2012 at 09:42

It needs to be able to run ArchiCAD 16 which is some 3D Architectural design software

As this is your main priority i would do what ever will help the above programs more fluently. and then game on the side.

you may need to do some resaerch into which CPU's are best for the above programs or how CPU intense they actually are. as the I3 with its hyperthreading technology might be more than enough or just the raw power of the I5's quad core might be miles better.

i cant say for sure though.