Help Specing an all-rounder

Chris_Hebden

Chris_Hebden

Chris_Hebden

Associate
Joined
10 Feb 2010
Posts
165
Location
Oxfordshire
Hay all,

I have roughley £800 for a new build (my first :eek:)! I am looking for something to run 24hrs a day, pretty quietly, as a media server running server software, something that can run CAD and above all, run high quality games (this one is quite important)!

I don't need keyboard, mouse or screens. I do need an operating system and would like a blu ray player

I have an external hard drive (Seagate) but its not very good to watch films off as it keeps "seeking" during the film causing the film to stop playing, this is a 1TB. I could do with a hard drive this size that's suitable to watch films off, or a SSD and a smaller hard drive so that film watching over the network isn't an issue.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Cheers Chris
 
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YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 7850 OC Windforce 2X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card w/ Nexuiz & Dirt Showdown PC Games £185.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - OEM £173.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £83.99
1 x Intel 330 Series 120GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £80.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £61.99
1 x Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 500W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £54.98
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9) £35.99
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £34.99
1 x Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £25.99
1 x Sony Optiarc AD-5280S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £18.98
Total : £852.88 (includes shipping : £12.50).

 
Chris_Hebden said:
I was thinking of going AMD processor route, is there a reason why you've suggested the Intel?
Click to expand...

Intels got a better/faster chip in basically every market segment.

Also a few adjustments of that spec,


YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 7850 OC Windforce 2X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card w/ Nexuiz & Dirt Showdown PC Games £185.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £179.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £83.99
1 x Intel 330 Series 120GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £80.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £61.99
1 x Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 500W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £54.98
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9) £35.99
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £34.99
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU Cooler (Socket Intel® Socket LGA1366/1156/1155/775/AMD Socket FM1/AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2) £26.99
1 x Sony Optiarc AD-5280S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £18.98
Total : £859.87 (includes shipping : £12.50).



• I've told tamzzy this before, but the retail CPU includes a proper box, a intel stock heatsink+fan (can be used instead of the aftermarket cooler to save money, then add the cooler later for a higher overclock)

• It also has a 3 year warranty vs 1 year for the OEM item.
 
Your basket
Product Name Qty Price Line Total
Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 7850 OC Windforce 2X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card w/ Nexuiz & Dirt Showdown PC Games £185.99
(£154.99) £185.99
(£154.99)
AMD Bulldozer FX-4 Quad Core 4170 Black Edition 4.20Ghz (Socket AM3+) Processor - Retail with FREE Dirt Showdown PC Game **£10 Cashback** £104.99
(£87.49) £104.99
(£87.49)
Gigabyte 990FXA-D3 AMD 990FX (Socket AM3+) DDR3 Motherboard ** FREE NEXUIZ GAME ** £89.99
(£74.99) £89.99
(£74.99)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £83.99
(£69.99) £83.99
(£69.99)
Intel 330 Series 120GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £80.99
(£67.49) £80.99
(£67.49)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £61.99
(£51.66) £61.99
(£51.66)
LG CH10LS28 BD-ROM 10x BluRay ROM / DVDRW SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (OEM) £56.99
(£47.49) £56.99
(£47.49)
Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 500W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £54.98
(£45.82) £54.98
(£45.82)
Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9) £35.99
(£29.99) £35.99
(£29.99)
Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £34.99
(£29.16) £34.99
(£29.16)
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2 CPU Cooler (Socket 939/AM2/AM3/775/1155/1156/1366) £15.98
(£13.32) £15.98
(£13.32)
Sub Total : £672.39
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £12.50
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £136.98
Total : £821.87

What's peoples thoughts on the above spec? I completely take on board what you say about intel and AMD, but the price difference is quite important to me. Do you think the above spec will handle what I need?
 
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We are not trying to pressure you, we are trying to help you get the best result for you money. I will show you why we are reccomending intel rather than AMD.

This is a passmark CPU bench chart, it's highlighted the FX-4100. 26 places above it is the i3 2120. Which is a little cheaper than the FX-4100. The passmark bench accounts for all types of CPU use.

The 4100, is less value for money that the i5's if you work out the points per £ ration. It's around 41 for the 4100 and 45 for the 3570k. The intel chips overclock a lot better too.

I'd go for the i5.

EDIT: do you REALLY need a blu-ray drive, takes up a lot of money.
 
Hay don't get me wrong I value every bit of advice that is given, I've just been recommended the AMD on here for gaming previously, that was a while ago and pre ivybridge.

The blu-ray is on the list because this system will be plugged into my home tv, I see it as cheaper alternative to buying a standalone blu-ray player? Is this not a good idea?
 
Chris_Hebden said:
Hay don't get me wrong I value every bit of advice that is given, I've just been recommended the AMD on here for gaming previously, that was a while ago and pre ivybridge.

The blu-ray is on the list because this system will be plugged into my home tv, I see it as cheaper alternative to buying a standalone blu-ray player? Is this not a good idea?
Click to expand...

The AMD phenom were/and still are good for gaming. Many would say better than the bulldozers. Though Sandybridge and Ivybridge surpassed them, and that's the best value gaming tech in your price range.

Yes, that is a good use for a Blu-Ray, a lot cheaper than buying a stand alone for sure. Good plan.
 
I'm sure it will handle what you need, but there is only £30 price difference between builds, and the Intel build will be the better one. For the sake of £30. Well £70 actually because you would have to swap out the DVD for a BR player.

But then you could take out the CPU cooler just now, and add it later if / when you decide to overclock.

Here is the build I am considering for basically the same job:


YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £179.99
1 x Corsair Force GS 240GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CSSD-F240GBGS-BK) £169.99
1 x Pioneer BDR-207EBK 12x BluRay RW / 16x DVD±RW 128GB - Retail £85.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 500W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £54.98
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9) £35.99
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £34.99
Total : £656.03 (includes shipping : £11.75).




Ok, it doesn't have an OS, GPU or Storage HDD, but this is meant to be the base for ripping BR's, and connecting to my server as it already has storage. But you can add these as and when required.

Swapping out the 240 GB SSD for the 120GB in your basket will free the cash for the OS. Then the GPU will only take you slightly over budget. Then add the HDD as and when.
 
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What about knocking the ssd on the head for the minute? Will I loose much from this from a gaming point of view? Is it possible to use a hard drive from a laptop? This system will be replacing my old laptop, could I use the hard drive from this?
 
Yes. You could knock the SSD on the head for just now, and use your laptop drive for installing your OS. This would be a cleaner option for when you want to upgrade to an SSD in the future too, as there would be no OS on your storage drive. You could then add the 1TB drive and be very close to budget (not including delivery):


YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 7850 OC Windforce 2X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card w/ Nexuiz & Dirt Showdown PC Games £185.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £179.99
1 x Pioneer BDR-207EBK 12x BluRay RW / 16x DVD±RW 128GB - Retail £85.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £83.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £61.99
1 x Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 500W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £54.98
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9) £35.99
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £34.99
Total : £818.90 (includes shipping : £12.50).



Then you cad add the SSD later, and a CPU cooler if you fancied overclocking.
 
YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - OEM £173.99
1 x MSI GeForce GTX 560Ti Hawk 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £161.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £83.99
1 x Intel 330 Series 120GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £80.99
1 x MSI Z77A-G43 Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £61.99
1 x LG CH10LS28 BD-ROM 10x BluRay ROM / DVDRW SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (OEM) £56.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9) £35.99
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £34.99
1 x OCZ CoreXtreme 500w '80 Plus' Power Supply £32.99
Total : £803.89 (includes shipping : FREE).

 
Can anyone recommended a case that has outside dimensions which are equal to or less than 320 (w) * 340 (h) * 400 (d), which can fit in the above inc SSD

Cheers Chris
 
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