Time to retire rig in sig. New build for $700ish..

G

Ghettobox

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 5, 2006
Messages
470
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Coding, web browsing, some gaming
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$700 ish. Some flexibility in this.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

New Hampshire, USA
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
I have my case (bit Fenix prodigy-mini itx system) and that's it. So mobo, CPU, RAM, Gpu, Disk's and PSU
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
None from current rig in Sig.
6) Will you be overclocking?
No.
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
22" 1080p
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Want to have the rig finished and up and running by April
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
USB 3.0 and SATA 3 for sure.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I use Linux mainly, but have a couple of win 8 licenses kicking around from the $40 sale way back when

Looking to build a smaller, quieter, cooler system that can replace what's in my signature. I'm married to the case I have (prodigy) as it's being put into a custom desk I made and honestly I just like the looks of it. I'm not a hardcore gamer (mainly a couple free to play MMO's like star trek online). It's really just time to move on from this old build and want some input.
 
Ghettobox said:
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Want to have the rig finished and up and running by April
Click to expand...
Can you afford to buy everything this month?

What games do you plan on playing?
 
wtourist said:
Gigabyte seems to be the favorite Linux motherboard,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128646
Video card determines rest of budget, you've time to research and watch sale prices,
at a guess, you can use two slot cards?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202063
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127699
about half your budget
Click to expand...

Honestly while I appreciate the input that GPU is way, way more than I need or can likely afford. I do have room for 2 slot cards in the case, and plenty of length.

Dangman said:
Can you afford to buy everything this month?

What games do you plan on playing?
Click to expand...

I honestly don't game much anymore. I alternate between Star Trek online, some EVE, some skyrim and some Lord of The Rings Online. Other than that I haven't really gamed except on console since Borderlands was released. I don't even have a Steam account. I for sure can't swing it all this month though. I did pick up a DVD burner on sale at amazon yesterday so one more thing to cross off the list.


I'll clarify what I think I need. Mini-itx board, 8gb of RAM minimum, A decent cpu, PSU, and I'd like an SSD. The SSD doesn't need to be huge, just to boot the OS and a couple programs I suppose. I have a pile of external USB 3.0 drives for storage already. Wouldn't mind some more internal storage but I'll buy a plain 1tb platter drive when one hits a good price. I'm torn between an AMD apu, which might or might not have enough horsepower to run the games I like and it's drawbacks of being pretty crap at encoding videos etc. Did I mention cool and quiet is my main reason for replacing this rig? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
Just keep your current GPU then. You are not going to really be able to get a card worth replacing that GTX 640 for less than the price of the card linked unless you buy used off of Ebay. The R9 270x is a renamed 7870, which can be gotten off of Ebay for around $150 or so.

An APU is NOT going to be able to play the games you listed very well, especially not at 1080p.

The current Intel chips are going to be plenty cool and quiet. That gigabyte board should be plenty. I would pair it with an i5 at least. Since you mentioned programming, depending on the compiler, the Hyperthreading of the i7 will help compile times.

Edit: I would probably choose this board over the one linked above.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128615
 
A couple updates. Was following a couple links and picked up my PSU. Grabbed a Corsair CXM430 for the ridicules $29.99 after rebate price. It's a known good performing PSU so that's cleared up. Here is a build I tossed together to give people an idea what I am thinking and if it's on the right track.

http://http://www.amazon.com/Gigaby...ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1390344219&sr=1-5

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Quad-Co...7E31220V2/dp/B0084NUZJ6/ref=pd_sim_sbs_pc_4"]

Double checked and that CPU is listed as supported by that particular MOBO.

http://http://www.amazon.com/Samsun...6011_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1390344638&sr=1-1"]

http://http://www.amazon.com/Kingst...ef=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER"]

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GeFo...TF8&qid=1390345361&sr=1-11&keywords=gtx+650"]

This card is only 10$ more than my gt640, and is considerably more powerful. As my old entire rig is going to become a PC for the kids to use, I need a new GPU. I also stick to Nvidia as their driver support in Linux is actually pretty damn good.

Total comes up to $661.41 as of this post. My thinking on the Xeon is though it's not a Haswell and it's on a dead socket it still basically an i7 minus the iGPU, and a massive upgrade from my Phenom II. And as near as I can tell the Ivy Bridge to Haswell upgrade comes down to iGPU and some slight power efficiency improvements?
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
First, let's fix your links:

Ghettobox said:
Gigabyte GA-H77N-WIFI
Intel Xeon E3-1220V2
Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD
Kingston HyperX Red 2x4GB DDR3 1600 RAM
Gigabyte GTX 650 OC 1GB video card
Click to expand...

Now, do you really need a Xeon (or even a Core i7) for coding? You spent years (I assume) on an AMD Phenom II. One of the today's Core i3 dual-cores would run circles around it.

You don't need to "downgrade" to Ivy Bridge as Haswell has something for the same price range:

$200 - Intel Core i5-4570K
$110 - Gigabyte GA-H87N-WIFI

I found a cheaper motherboard in the MSI B85I ($70 plus shipping), but I haven't been able to confirm how well it plays with Linux. That aside, are there any features on the GA-H87N-WIFI that make it a must-have?

You should grab one 8GB stick of RAM instead of going with a dual-channel set. If you decide to upgrade to 16 GB later, all you have to do then is buy a second 8GB stick.

I have some concerns over the GTX 650. Skyrim could give that card fits, especially if you use high visual settings or additional texture packs. How often do you play that game? And with what level of visual quality?
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
The 1GB 650 is not going to be an upgrade, especially at 1080p. If you were only gaming at 1280x1024.. maybe, but then there would be no reason to upgrade anyway.

As for grabbing only a single stick of RAM like the other person suggested... don't count on being able to get an exact matching stick when you want to go dual channel.

Also, your RAM throughput will go down the tubes if you only run single channel, which will affect games and the whole system a decent amount.
 
cyclone3d said:
As for grabbing only a single stick of RAM like the other person suggested... don't count on being able to get an exact matching stick when you want to go dual channel.

Also, your RAM throughput will go down the tubes if you only run single channel, which will affect games and the whole system a decent amount.
Click to expand...

In most real-world situations, there is no noticeable difference between RAM running in single-channel mode and dual-channel mode. I've heard stories of some slowdown when starting programs and games, but I've heard nothing about single-channel RAM affecting actual gameplay.

The one instance where dual-channel RAM is highly beneficial is when you're playing games using the processor's integrated GPU (or IGP). Since the IGP uses the same memory as the rest of the system, it pays to use dual-channel RAM and run slightly faster RAM speeds.

As for the RAM itself, two single-channel sticks would work just as well in dual-channel mode as a single dual-channel kit. I trust that the OP will know quickly enough whether he wants 8GB or 16GB with this system.
 
tiraides said:
First, let's fix your links:



Now, do you really need a Xeon (or even a Core i7) for coding? You spent years (I assume) on an AMD Phenom II. One of the today's Core i3 dual-cores would run circles around it.

You don't need to "downgrade" to Ivy Bridge as Haswell has something for the same price range:

$200 - Intel Core i5-4570K
$110 - Gigabyte GA-H87N-WIFI

I found a cheaper motherboard in the MSI B85I ($70 plus shipping), but I haven't been able to confirm how well it plays with Linux. That aside, are there any features on the GA-H87N-WIFI that make it a must-have?

You should grab one 8GB stick of RAM instead of going with a dual-channel set. If you decide to upgrade to 16 GB later, all you have to do then is buy a second 8GB stick.

I have some concerns over the GTX 650. Skyrim could give that card fits, especially if you use high visual settings or additional texture packs. How often do you play that game? And with what level of visual quality?
Click to expand...

I don't "need" an i7, no. I have been on this Phenom for years (that and the RAM in this system I actually bought off this forum). I am at a loss as to what difference the extra cache and HT would make in my use. I'll assume video encoding would be my only task that could really benefit from the Xeon or even an i5. You make a solid point about even an i3 being a big upgrade. As to why I wish to stick with a Gigabyte board I'm having a hard time explaining without probably crossing a line. I'll leave it at Gigabyte plays very well with many operating systems.

I don't play Skyrim much. I binge game on it for a couple weeks at a time, then won't touch it for months. I listed it as it's likely the most demanding game I do play. I set it to high, run at 1080 and my gt640 plays it smooth enough for me. I have modded it some but only with weapon/armor models, no texture packs etc. I just assumed with the step to DDR5 vs DDR3, and it being only roughly 10$ more it would be the smart choice. Would I be better off say getting an i3 and a better GPU? Getting a gtx 650 ti? I do use software in Linux that can leverage the CUDA cores and while I know AMD is better at GPU computing their drivers can be an utter disaster in Linux. That said this isn't a fixed budget, and buying when things are on sale gives me some leeway. I could slide the budget to say $150 for a GPU. Or downgrade the CPU and grab an even better GPU.

cyclone3d said:
The 1GB 650 is not going to be an upgrade, especially at 1080p. If you were only gaming at 1280x1024.. maybe, but then there would be no reason to upgrade anyway.

As for grabbing only a single stick of RAM like the other person suggested... don't count on being able to get an exact matching stick when you want to go dual channel.

Also, your RAM throughput will go down the tubes if you only run single channel, which will affect games and the whole system a decent amount.
Click to expand...

I'll look into the RAM issues for my most used software. To be honest buying a single stick never occurred to me as I just assumed dual channel would be the best choice. Also as above the GPU I picked seemed like a logical pick. I could likely move my budget here and step up to say $150 ish on GPU.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Ghettobox said:
I don't "need" an i7, no. I have been on this Phenom for years (that and the RAM in this system I actually bought off this forum). I am at a loss as to what difference the extra cache and HT would make in my use. I'll assume video encoding would be my only task that could really benefit from the Xeon or even an i5.
Click to expand...
If you're planning on doing a massive massive amount of multi-threaded programming, the HT would come in handy there. Other situations where the HT would come in handy would be large amounts of video, 3D, and audio rendering/editing.

Ghettobox said:
I don't play Skyrim much. I binge game on it for a couple weeks at a time, then won't touch it for months. I listed it as it's likely the most demanding game I do play. I set it to high, run at 1080 and my gt640 plays it smooth enough for me. I have modded it some but only with weapon/armor models, no texture packs etc. I just assumed with the step to DDR5 vs DDR3, and it being only roughly 10$ more it would be the smart choice. Would I be better off say getting an i3 and a better GPU? Getting a gtx 650 ti? I do use software in Linux that can leverage the CUDA cores and while I know AMD is better at GPU computing their drivers can be an utter disaster in Linux. That said this isn't a fixed budget, and buying when things are on sale gives me some leeway. I could slide the budget to say $150 for a GPU. Or downgrade the CPU and grab an even better GPU..
Click to expand...
Don't downgrade the CPU. Keep the quad-core.

Ghettobox said:
Also as above the GPU I picked seemed like a logical pick. I could likely move my budget here and step up to say $150 ish on GPU.
Click to expand...
Definitely up your budget on the video card. It's hard to recommend the GTXZ 650 considering that it can be outperformed by the similarly priced AMD HD 7770. Definitely up your budget to get the GTX 650 TI. Still not as fast performing as similarly priced AMD cards but still a better buy than the GTX 650.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top