Custom PC

[Shadowjk]

Hey Guys,

I am looking into buying/building a High Performance computer - Is there any recommendations on what Hardware to use and which version of Windows 7 I should get

Any Help is really appreciated

Many thanks,
Josh

 

[zigzag3143]

Hi Josh

Can you tell us your budget and intended use (gaming, cad/cam, etc)?



Thanks

 

[Shadowjk]

I tend to use it for Heavy Multimedia and some gaming My Budget can be variable so do not worry about that

Josh

 

[Mashed1316]

Hello there.

I could suggest 2 builds:

1) Intel Core i5 2500, H67 Gigabyte/ASUS Motherboard, 8GB DDR3 @ 1600MHz G-Skill Ripjaws X or Corsair Vengeance, Cooler Master HAF 912 Plus Case, Corsair TX750 V2 PSU, Crucial C300 SSD or Corsair P3 Series, EVGA GTX 460 1GB, Samsung F3 1TB HDD.

2) AMD Phenom II X6 1100T, ASUS M4A87TD/USB3, 8GB DDR3 @ 1600MHz G-Skill Ripjaws X or Corsair Vengeance, Cooler Master HAF 912 Plus Case, Corsair TX750 V2 PSU, Crucial C300 SSD or Corsair P3 Series, HIS HD 6850 1GB, Samsung F3 1TB HDD.

Same thing, only different flavors of processors/motherboards/video cards

NOTES:

1) If you want to Overclock your new PC then you'll need a P67 Motherboard instead of a H67
2) If you want to do Crossfire you'll need a 890GX/890FX Motherboard (AMD)
3) Depending if you want to do Crossfire and which cards will you be using, then i'd suggest a bigger PSU, probably a Corsair AX series.
4) If you want an aftermarket cooler, i'd suggest a Noctua NH-D14 (Air) or a Corsair H70 (Liquid)
5) If you want a better audio experience (music/games), i'd suggest an aftermarket Sound Card, ASUS Xonar Xense.

If you need any other things, just ask

EDIT: for the 1st build, you'd have to wait until april for the new revised motherboards with H67/P67 chipsets arrive to the market

 

[Shadowjk]

Thank you for the Information while I am here could someone explain RAID to me - I have heard of it but haven't understood it fully

I really Appreciate this

 

[pparks1]

RAID stands for redundant array of inexpensive disks. It allows you to take multiple hard drives and contatenate them together in some way to either provide additional space, speed, or redundancy (or mixes of both).

Typical enthusiasts use RAID0...which stripes the two drives together. So, you get 2 identical drives and they together comprise the C drive. 1/2 of the file goes to disc 1 while the other half goes to disc 2. You get more speed because you have 2 drives going, through 2 interfaces. However, you get no redundancy...so if either drive fails, you lose all of your data (since you only have 1/2 of each file remaining).

RAID 1 is a mirror. You take 2 drives and 1 is an exact copy of the other. So, if one fails, you can still run from the other one. Of course, you lose 1/2 your total disc space.....as 1 drive is a duplicate of the other.

There are a variety of striping with parity options like RAID 5. Essentially you have a minimum of 3 disks. Part of the data goes on disc 1, part of the data on disc 2 and a parity bit is written to the third drive. So, in this case you get 2/3 of your total drive space. You pick up extra speeds on reads since you have multiple drives, but you suffer a small write penalty for having to calculate the parity. The advantage is that if a hard drive fails, you don't lose data. Your RAID controller can use the remaining data and the parity to "reconstruct" the missing data on the fly. Performance will decrease when you are down a drive, but it still functions.

Hope that helps.

 

[Ciara]

Some places to look at parts Shadowjk

All UK Sites

Kustom - Gaming | Modding | Lifestyle

Chillblast

Microdirect.co.uk is the UK leading retailer of quality computer components and electronics

PC Components, Desktop PCs, Laptops, LCD TVs & Computer Hardware

Overclockers UK

Quiet PC UK - Quiet Computer Hardware for a Quiet PC

Laptops, Computers, PC Components, MP3 players, Software, Digital Cameras and more - dabs.com

Always compair prices

 

[Shadowjk]

This is great stuff Ciara! Thanks for that

 

[Golden]

pparks has given you a very good description of RAID. The two main types used by "home users" are RAID0 and RAID1. Strictly speaking RAID0 is not a true RAID since there is no redundancy.

Here is a link that adds to what ppparks said, and shows the advantages and disadvantages of the two systems:

BytePile.com - RAID Classifications

One word of caution: think twice before installing your OS to a RAID0 - its very problematically as seen on these forums. You are better off with a SSD.

Good luck,
Golden

 

[Shadowjk]

I have done some research and came up with some Parts - I have Checked them and they seem compatible but if some could be kind enough to Double check I would be Grateful

Many Thanks,
Josh

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I would quibble with these items:

Intel Core i3 2120 3.3GHz (Sandy Bridge) Socket LGA1155 - Retail; I would upgrade to at least i-2400

Novatech 750W ATX Power Supply for AMD and Intel Motherboards 20Pin + 4Pin; I would not get a no-name PSU and the wattage is overkill.

1TB Seagate Barracuda SATA II 32MB Cache Retail Hard Drive; I would not buy Seagate

4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333MHz PC3-10666 DIMM Memory; I would not buy no-name RAM and I might consider 8 GB

Windows Ultimate Edition 7 English DVD - Retail; I would not buy Ultimate unless I had specific reasons to need its added functionality. Do you know what it has that Home Premium does not have?

And you should be sure you get a B3 version motherboard. If not, it will have the chipset defect and be subject to recall. The motherboard you list is not a B3.

 

[cody471]

If u are willing to get a PC that can run crysis smooth Under 500$ then these are some good hardware i recommend :

1)Amd Phenom X4 3.00Ghz(any model that has 3.00 Ghz)
2)4GB RAM (id suggest u get corsair RAM,they are the best)
3)500GB HDD (1TB unless u watch a lot of porn)
4)ati radeon Hd 4870(6850 will also do great)
5)Asus Rampage Extreme(for the AMD processors)
6)650 Watt PSU(from corsair aagain)
7)Cpu cabinet depends
8)Cooler Master if u wish to overclock

Cheers =)

 

[Shadowjk]

Price isn't a big problem ,

I will consider about changing the processer and PSU and I do know the differences between ultimate and home premium

However of the brand is a problem then what HDD would you recommend

Many thanks for your views,
Josh

Sent from htc

 

[ignatzatsonic]

However of the brand is a problem then what HDD would you recommend

I would get a Samsung or Western Digital HDD.

I would get Corsair, Crucial, or Kingston RAM.

I would get an Antec or Seasonic PSU.

I would get a B3 motherboard.

 

[cody471]

yes Western Digital is the best HDD brand out yet.
They provide excellent Hard drives with 5 years warranty and their after sales customer service is excellent.
Let me tell you my incidence with them.
I had a 4.3 years old 80 GB hdd....which had some bad sectors on them(due to my careless attemts )and i requested a replacement order.Withing 1 hour a courier person came and took it for replacement.and after 3 days my new HDD came,and to my astonishment they sent a 500gb SATA II hdd.Well what else to say i was damn happy.
Trust me go for Western Digital,excellnt company.

cheers

 

[Tomrdiedrich]

I would also recomend WD. They really stand behind their products. I had a trashed 1tb(my fault). RMAed it. They upgraded me for free just for sticking with their drives! Now I have a 2tb!! Also if you "trade in your remaining warranty" they will give like $30 off a new drive from their website. Check them out. Don't think you can go wrong. Also if you do not set up RAID1 then go with a back up drive anyway. I know from experience. When you get a lot of media, and then your hdd crapps out it takes a lot of time to get it all back!!