Help with decisions/spec/build to get me into the 21st century please!

Rafkoo

Rafkoo

Rafkoo

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17 May 2011
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91
Hello all! :)

Well after scratching my head for a few weeks and reading and learning as much as I can, I thought I’d finally post and get some advice from the people actually in the know --- > you guys!

Basically, I don’t upgrade my PC often – and I expect a fair amount of ridicule when I say I’m posting this from my first build PC (Shuttle FN45, 9600XT, Athlon 3200!!) from 8 years ago…. (yeh… I know…. :eek:)

I have an Asrok HTPC in the living room that I stream movies to from this one – but I feel the time has come to update this main PC to overall give me a better user experience – even just for web browsing and youtube playback…!

Priorities for the build:

- Will be a general use PC that can handle 1080p playback without issues.
- Some encoding and media work (editing, rar extraction etc..).
- No gaming but excellent playback of H.264 and apple/camera video .mov extensions (which the 3200 currently just refused point blank to do! :rolleyes:)
- Good storage – at least 2TB (over 1 or 2 HDD??)
- At least 4GB ram
- Enough Power to upgrade further extra HDD in the future…(?)
- Small form factor would be nice but not essential - card reader would be good, usual DVI, HDMI outs as well.
- Will need new OS as I’m still on XP (*hangs head in shame…:()

I don’t update my PC often (can you tell?!) and would like it to last at least 5+ years without struggling (like my current set-up….. don’t laugh…..) I have considered 2 options:

1) A budget build/buy to kick start me into the 21st century circa. £300-£400 – maybe using the i3 550 like this http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?catid=&prodid=FS-270-OK or i5 760 or an equivalent AMD - going on the basis that I won’t upgrade it that often, from reading on here, the AMD chipset will have greater longevity to upgrade in the future….?
2) A mid range SB build (c£500) that will be a lot more than I need but hopefully mean I won’t need to upgrade for quite a few years (although 8 year like my AMD 3200 is probably pushing it!;))


The new SB processors appeal to me as they have the IGPU but quite frankly it’s looking that I’ll be nearer the £600 mark than £500 if going for a i5 2500K on a Z68….. (no??)

I quite like the look of the bit-tech build (minus the graphics card and replacing board with a Z68): http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/buyers-guide/2011/05/10/pc-hardwar*******-s-guide-may-2011/3

For me P67 mobo isn’t really an option (I think!) as then I’d need to spend extra on a dedicated graphics card – which defeats the purpose of getting the new core i processor in my opinion (if you’re not a gamer etc..). But I would like the opportunity to OC at some point– hence the H67 boards are out of the equation as well…. and I’m left only with the Z68 option... (is that right? )Can I get a Z68 + i5 2500K with 2TB and 4GB ram + Win7 for £500? And would this even be the best option for me?

Or should I stick with the P67 and get some sort of budget card??
Or stick with an H67 and spec down to a i5-2300 and forget the OCing? I saw this at PC world (*heads for cover…!) at the weekend for £399 with 3GB ram, a crappy tower and 1TB HDD.

I understand that anything I choose will be a significant step up from what I have already – but question is do I go for already a pre-built budget set-up (which will handle my needs) - or spend a bit more and try to get my hands on the new SB technology? Or for what I need, I should save some money (always a good thing in my book!) forget about the new SB stuff and go for a good older i3 or i5…(or other quad core older processors) or AMD build if ? :confused:

I like the value offered by the ET1862: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-014-AC&groupid=701&catid=1916&subcat=

And the Primo ignition seems like good value: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-270-OK&groupid=43&catid=1078&subcat=
(ALTHOUGH it seems I can build it to the same spec – BUT WITH a 1TB drive using the components and OS for the same price (roughly)…?)
Intel Core i3 550 3.20GHz (Clarkdale) (Socket LGA1156) - Retail £94.99
"Primo Ascension" Intel Core i3 H55 DDR3 Ready Barebones (Socket 1156) £89.99
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD103SJ) £40.99
Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) £39.98
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2 CPU Cooler (Socket 939 / AM2 / AM3 / 775 / 1155/ 1156 / 1366) £17.99
Samsung SH-D163C/BEBE SATA 16x DVD-ROM (Black) - OEM £14.99
Approx. £390 with OS

Would be nice to have a quad core i5 (non-sandybridge) option if it can fall into £400-£450ish budget.....

I’m really bad with decisions like this – and considering I’m gonna be stuck with it probably for the best part of half a decade at least, I’d really like to get it right…. :(

Sorry for the long post, and all the questions and options (at least I’ve done a bit of homework!)
Any and all advice welcome – build spec/options to my budget very welcome also.

Many thanks!
Raf :)
 
If you can stretch to around £470 you can get an i3 sandybridge build.

f469b0ad.png


Any good for you? 2TB storage space, decent case and PSU for further upgrades. Integrated graphics. You can't OC that CPU or motherboard, but I don't think you'll really see the need to.
 
Personally I'd try and spend that little bit more.
£520 (inc shipping) would give you a rig which would last a lot longer than any dual core setup.
The Z68 board wil let you overclock and use the onboard VGA/DVI.
If ou wanted to game (in the future) then you'd just need to plonk a graphics card in down the line.
Plenty of Sata ports if you want to add more drives down the line.
See what you think.

i5rig.jpg
 
Thanks for this both, appreciate the advise. :)

Andy, firstly - how does the SB i3 2100 (at stock speeds) compare to the older i3 550 which can be overclocked? Would the i3 550 be a better option when OC’d (and cheaper)?

And just had a thought - would I not be better going for an core i5 2300 with that first set-up for similar money (rather than an i3 2100)?


Robbie, is that Asrok mobo capable enough and have the main bits for my needs or future upgrades? Do you see where I’m coming from in terms of a Z68 over a P67 (as I would like some OC if necessary, but don’t plan to do any gaming…. And don’t want to fork out for a graphics card...)
 
This is a close comparison as the site doesn't have benches for the i3-550:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/143?vs=289

But you can overclock the older i3s to reach 4Ghz (But you would have to shell out for a decent cooler)

Your needs for the Z68 are basically why the board was made. for Oc'ers that don't want discrete graphics. It will be able to run 1080p easily on the HD3000 chip from the i5-2500K.
If you going to be editing a lot the maybe down the line stick another 4Gb of RAM in.
again it has spare slots for this.
I can't see it struggling with anything you want it to do.
The 1155 chipset will also accommodate the next ivybridge (22nm) CPU range so upgrading your CPU down the line would be easy.
 
OK brilliant - I think that is a decent high end (in my world) option right there. :)

Any options for an older i5 (760??) builds for around the £400 mark (if possible)?
 
Probably not.
The 1156 CPU's and Mobo's haven't really come down much in price except if you look second hand elsewhere....

you'd basically be replacing the CPU/mobo above, saving a max of £50?
And this performance drop:
i5-760 VS i5-2500K
 
Hi Rafkoo,

I'm in pretty much the same situation as you: looking to replace a slightly ageing Athlon x64 system with something that will last three or four years and has the power to handle digital imaging and video editing.

Have pretty much decided that a 2500K on a Z68 board is the answer (I'll go for IGPU only to begin with) - the sample builds listed above look pretty much what you need too.

If it's a machine that you want to keep for a good few years, it is in my experience worth spending a little more now, benefiting from the extra performance and being able to keep it that little bit longer.

- R
 
Again, thanks everyone - and it's good to know that the 2500K is the way to go.

Last few Q's (I hope!)

- Are there any options for me to explore for the above build in a smaller form factor case (and card reader)?
- If I’m getting Z68, should I consider a small (20GB enough?) SSD for the OS boot?
- Also will the Asrok mobo allow me to utilise the Quick Sync feature? Do all Z68 boards allow this or only the more high-end ones? I understand that quicksync can only be used if you DON’T have a discrete GPU (and the correct software obviously)…?

Sorry for all the questions, gents, at least we’re getting there! :)
 
1. At the moment there are no Z68 micro-atx board available.
2. The smallest SSD I'd recommend is 40/60GB, as the windows folder can become bloated. the size of mine is currently 19Gb.
Having an SSD on a z68 board will also be able to use the SSD caching feature to speed up the regular HDD.
3.The Z68's lucid feature allows Quick-Sync to be used even when a discrete graphics card is present. It switches between the two when needed.
 
R088ieS86 said:
1. At the moment there are no Z68 micro-atx board available.
2. The smallest SSD I'd recommend is 40/60GB, as the windows folder can become bloated. the size of mine is currently 19Gb.
Having an SSD on a z68 board will also be able to use the SSD caching feature to speed up the regular HDD.
3.The Z68's lucid feature allows Quick-Sync to be used even when a discrete graphics card is present. It switches between the two when needed.
Click to expand...

Cheers Robbie - I was thinking about SSD caching on the Z68....and I take it ALL Z68 have the quick sync feature....? What's the difference then between a £105 Z68 and a £165 Z68....? (in a nutshell...?) :D

EDIT: and cheers Stulid! ;) .. Sooooooo... what case would I try to fit that into???
 
Nice one - thanks everyone. If I can spec a nice i5 system for £500 with an OS then I think that would probably be the best choice!

If anyone has any further input - keep it coming. :)
 
The Retail CPU comes with a Intel stock heatsink, fancy box, longer warranty.

The OEM is just the chip, 1 year warranty, so will need an aftermarket heatsink.
 
Right - so which one would I need for my needs (using Robbie's build which doesn't have the cooler, I take it I'll need the more expensive one).

But if I wanted slightly better cooling and got an aftermarket cooler (which comes with a heatsink I guess??), I could get away with the one on offer?
 
You will want the Retail (more expensive) one.

You can add a aftermarket "Big momma" heatsink later on.
 
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