questions about pc build

[Computer0304]

I reccomend Samsung 840 EVO. It is expensive but it is worth the price. (In fact it may be the most expensive thing in your build)

 

[smarteyeball]

It's my pleasure Bruce. And just any other things in life, nobody is a born expert. We all continue to cram our own peanuts

Now that you've chosen a SSD capacity, all that matters is finding one within budget. When you get a shortlist together, we can certainly help pick the best one. And aside from model, the only other "real" choice is between a 2.5 or 3.5 size drive. Both sizes perform identically however the 2.5 needs a 2.5 bracket to mount properly.

Another thing you may notice about a drives description is Sata II or Sata III. All new drives are Sata III, but it is "backwards compatible" with Sata II (which is what your motherboard is). All this means is that a Sata III drive will be limited to Sata II speeds which is still far superior in performance to a mechanical HDD.

(The same applies to PCI-E 3.0 (GPU) and USB 3.0 - Your motherboard is PCI-E 2.0 and USB 2.0 but a PCIE-E 3.0 GPU or any USB 3.0 devices will still work without issue)

   Note

* For Future Reference*

"If you purchase a 2nd hand drive from Craigslist or Ebay, you will need to do what is called a "Secure Erase" first before installing the OS. A secure erase is essentially getting the drive back to near new performance. It's similar to formatting a drive in the fact it completely wipes the drive clean, but it's also a little more intensive.

The article here describes how this can be done using Parted Magic (There are a few ways/apps to do it, but parted magic is one of the better ones. You can even do it in your current XP machine)

How to securely erase an SSD drive - CNET

If you purchase a new drive, then a secure erase is not necessary.

And yes, this is your build. We can advise and outline the pros/cons but the final choice is definitely up to you

 

[Bruce SX]

Gathering parts

Hi smarteyeball, Computer0304, etal,

Here is what I am up to at the moment. All the information you all have been providing me with is very helpful. It has given me cause to think and evaluate...just exactly where do I go...and with what?

It is really something for me to learn at what incredibly fast speeds these machines can be built to go. Sometimes it clouds my thinking, in good ways I think. My choices, being predicated on cost, are measures designed to get me rolling until I can upgrade.

Budget is unfortunately my absolute, though necessary, dictator.

Since I am really not an avid gamer(yet, but who knows?) I can get by with some basics, and here are the latest, though simple, acquisitions. Nothing spectacular....just basic:

• nVidia QuadroFX 1700 GPU($11.50 used)
• 2.5 inch to 3.5 inch internal HDD mounting kit(for the 128 GB SSD)

The next two items in sight are the SSD and a copy of Win7. I'm going to try for a new SSD. I'm thinking the Samsung EVO.



How's it looking so far? Any thoughts?


KR,
Bruce

 

[ignatzatsonic]

The Samsung EVO series is a good choice, but you might be able to save a few bucks with the Crucial M500. I think I saw a 120 GB version for $79 at Newegg. It is being discontinued, so prices on that particular model are often reduced to clear them out.

And if you don't need 120 GB for the C partition, you may be able to find an 80 GB SSD for even less. Depends on how much space you need on the C drive. I only use about 32 of 80 available.

 

[Computer0304]

Hmm a Quadro GPU... Are you going to be processing RAW files? If not, I think a GeForce GT would be better even though you do not game. Also, you may get a standard 840 if you want to save a bit of money but IMHO, it is not worth it. And you can get a separate data HDD like ignatzatsonic said. I reccomend this Western Digital WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive, Blue - Newegg.com or a WD Green if you want to save money on the long run. But power saving is not important for me, I'm all on performance and speed.

 

[smarteyeball]

That Crucial M500 is a great deal.

While the EVO is indeed a good drive, keep in mind that you are still limited to Sata II speeds so the biggest focus should be on price since you will get good performance regardless of model. Crucial SSD's are reliable. I have two different models in two different machines.

Again, I'd say stay away from the Quadro cards as you can get a decent enough card for your needs for the same prices. Ie:

XFX GeForce 9800GT 512MB DDR3 Dual DVI Graphics Card | eBay

If you do find your interest in games starting to increase, then you can always save up for a better one later. While there's nothing wrong per se with a quadro, you can still find a better performing card for the same price.

 

[Bruce SX]

Pulled the pin.....

......This is interesting. I almost picked up a 9800GT GPU. I popped the clutch and went for the quadro.

So...now I have this quadro which, to me, I am nether pro nor con about....because I just don't know what advantages, or disadvantages, this card comes with. I wanted to get something to keep the ball rolling on a startup, with a upgrade definitely planned. The reason behind the choice for the quadro is that it would be compatible with my system, and seemed like the safest route(it was pulled from a Dell machine). I guess my learning curve needs to lengthen still more.

Would it be wiser to eat the $11.50, and try for a different card, or keep it, and play it as it lays? I can go either way here. Heck...that amount of dough wouldn't get me 3 cocktails at my local watering hole. I am on a budget, but it isn't that severe nor do I want to seem wasteful, or flippant. Sometimes i have to learn by my mistakes...ok....enough already.

As an aside: I won the quadro card at auction from ebay. The seller asked me to cancel the sale. I was a bit put off, but figured sure why not? I asked that the seller send me a refund through paypal as a gift. This way he/she could keep the card, but paypal, and ebay didn't have to get involved. Plus we could leave each other good feedback as if the sale had transpired. My caveat was that the refund had to be done in that manner, or no dice. I got the card. Go figure.

As for the SSD I am looking to the Crucial M550 128GB from newegg. Will this be a good buy? I guess more importantly: can I use it with what I have so far?
Newegg.com - Crucial M550 CT128M550SSD1 2.5" 128GB SATA 6Gb/s MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Thank you again everyone for bearing with me, and helping me to find my way towards a decent tower.

KR
Bruce

 

[ignatzatsonic]

The Crucial M500 is a few bucks cheaper. It's cheap now due to being discontinued and replaced by the M550. The M550 is so new that there aren't a lot of reviews or longevity on it yet. I might be mildly spooked about it for that reason. The M500 is a known quantity and works well. Your call. Either would work if you have a SATA motherboard.

Newegg.com - Crucial M500 120GB SATA 2.5" 7mm (with 9.5mm adapter) Internal Solid State Drive CT120M500SSD1

 

[Computer0304]

Another card would be good since the Quadro FX is not really made for everyday usage and light gaming.

 

[madcratebuilder]

Great price on a 240gb ssd. 0.42 cents a gig. I haven't used a PNY ssd's but I have some PNY USB sticks and they are very fast. This drive has very good reviews, SF-2281 controller and synchronous NAND.

Sequential read performance
AS SSD: Megabytes per second: Bigger is better
PNY XLR8 PRO 240GB: 509
INTEL SSD 335 240GB: 484
OCZ VERTEX 4 256GB (V1.5FW): 435
Sequential write performance
AS SSD: Megabytes per second: Bigger is better
PNY XLR8 PRO 240GB: 307
INTEL SSD 335 240GB: 313
OCZ VERTEX 4 256GB (V1.5FW): 477
4K random write performance
AS SSD: Megabytes per second: Bigger is better
PNY XLR8 PRO 240GB: 62
INTEL SSD 335 240GB: 56
OCZ VERTEX 4 256GB (V1.5FW): 57


I may go but one

 

[smarteyeball]

The reason behind the choice for the quadro is that it would be compatible with my system, and seemed like the safest route(it was pulled from a Dell machine). I guess my learning curve needs to lengthen still more.

I had a feeling that's why the quadro card was important to you - because of the sticker

When Dell sold the machine, it was advertised and configured as a "Quadro Workstation" which essentially means that it was a normal Dell PC with a Quadro card aimed at developers, Programmers, CAD (Computer Aided Design) users and various other disciplines that take advantage of what a quadro card has compared to a regular one.

The biggest difference between a quadro and a normal card is that the Quadro range has extra features that are only used for specific applications designed to take advantage of the extra features. In everyday useage/games the extra capabilities are simply not used.

Put simply, it's just another card that has the same compatibility, performance and function as a regular card when used "as a regular card".

If you took the exact same Dell machine and removed the Quadro card, the only difference would have been the sticker on the case.

Would it be wiser to eat the $11.50, and try for a different card, or keep it, and play it as it lays?

Play it as it lays. You have the card. It's most important function will be for display. You can still use it to play games with.

As for the SSD I am looking to the Crucial M550 128GB from newegg. Will this be a good buy? I guess more importantly: can I use it with what I have so far?
Newegg.com - Crucial M550 CT128M550SSD1 2.5" 128GB SATA 6Gb/s MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Yes and yes.

Although this is cheaper and will perform virtually identical in your machine:

Newegg.com - Crucial M500 120GB SATA 2.5" 7mm (with 9.5mm adapter) Internal Solid State Drive CT120M500SSD1

 

[Bruce SX]

Hi Gang......

......It's almost the first of May and it's time for another acquisition to get this project rolling again. So far, I have the following components:

• 1 TB HD
• 4 GB RAM(2 X 2GB)will add more later
• 1 22" Viewsonic monitor(recently picked up)
• 1 quadro graphics card

Next up is a SSD. On the following link I am considering this Adata 128GB SSD. I looked around to compare and this particular SSD stacked up pretty well aside the Crucial M500. The real driving force is the price. What I found most interesting in the article I read(unfortunately I didn't bookmark it) is that a change in architecture(?) of SSD's is on the horizon for 2015.
ADATA SP900 Premier Pro 128GB SSD - 2.5 Form Factor, SATA III 6 Gb/s, Up To 550 MB/s Read Speed, Up To 520 MB/s Write Speed (ASP900S3-128GM-C) at TigerDirect.com

I am not going to purchase it just yet. I thought it would be prudent of me to solicit opinions. I am starting to learn more, and gaining confidence as a result, but I would still appreciate any opinions about this. As soon as I have the SSD everything gets assembled, and it will be ready for the installation of a Win7 62 bit OS. I'm thinking Ultimate.

Thnx.

KR
Bruce

 

[ignatzatsonic]

If you are shopping based on price, the least expensive 120 GB or larger SSD I can find is this one from PNY at 59.99, free shipping.

PNY XLR8 SSD9SC120GMDF-RB 120GB Internal Solid State Drive - 2.5 Form Factor, SATA III, 6Gbps, 500MB/s seq. Read, 475MB/s seq. Write, TRIM Support at TigerDirect.com

You'd be happy with any SSD compared to a standard hard drive. The issues you might face are customer service, return privileges, and reliability.

You might find it difficult to find comments from forum members who actually own one of the lesser known brands such as PNY or Adata. Most here would have a more widely known brand such as Samsung, Intel, or Crucial.

You can read reviews of all brands at the dealer sites such as Amazon, Newegg, and Tiger Direct, but it's up to you to decide how much significance to give them. All brands will have some complaints.

I wouldn't pay a lot of attention to benchmark numbers.

Like all hardware, you have to take a leap of faith at some point and buy. I'd place some emphasis on warranty, customer support stories, and how easy the RMA process is if you happen to have bad luck.

 

[Bruce SX]

Hi ignatzatsonic......

Like all hardware, you have to take a leap of faith at some point and buy. I'd place some emphasis on warranty, customer support stories, and how easy the RMA process is if you happen to have bad luck.

Very true. I should have also stated that while price is of concern quality is another important issue. The 3 brands you've mentioned, Samsung, Intel, and Crucial, have all been suggested as viable purchases, and I have to agree.

PNY seems to have the lowest prices for size, but I looked hard and couldn't really find any reviews(good or bad) about their products. Perhaps my search parameters were lacking.

I'm starting to lean in favor of the Crucial M500. The cost is in the ballpark, and their reliability coupled with customer support may ultimately be the issues that ice it for me..

Thnx for the input.

KR
Bruce

 

[AddRAM]

This is a great price on this Mushkin, and check out the read/write specs

Newegg.com - Mushkin Enhanced Chronos MKNSSDCR240GB-7 2.5" 7mm Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

 

[smarteyeball]

What I found most interesting in the article I read(unfortunately I didn't bookmark it) is that a change in architecture(?) of SSD's is on the horizon for 2015.

I wouldn't worry about the changes. The best thing to do with technology is to buy as needed and not wait "for the next best thing". Unless a release date is weeks away, you can end up waiting forever.

As soon as I have the SSD everything gets assembled, and it will be ready for the installation of a Win7 64 bit OS. I'm thinking Ultimate.

Honestly, you could save a few dollars and go with Home Premium. Unless you know you definitely need an Ultimate only feature, Home Premium is a cheaper option. Most features in Pro and Ultimate aren't really needed for everyday usage. Besides, there are often free 3rd party alternatives to most features.

View attachment 315904

However, it's your call mate

You'd be happy with any SSD compared to a standard hard drive. The issues you might face are customer service, return privileges, and reliability.

You might find it difficult to find comments from forum members who actually own one of the lesser known brands such as PNY or Adata. Most here would have a more widely known brand such as Samsung, Intel, or Crucial.

Exactly. As I keep saying, any SSD will be a vast improvement over a HDD.

I personally haven't had any experience with PNY or Adata quality or customer service so I can't comment on quality first hand but like all products you will find good comments and bad comments.

I'd also buy from newegg. They appear to have the best returns policy compared to tigerdirect and amazon should it be needed.

I wouldn't pay a lot of attention to benchmark numbers.

Especially since you are only using Sata II and all benchmarks would be using Sata III and therefore give you unrealistic speed expectations.

. The 3 brands you've mentioned, Samsung, Intel, and Crucial, have all been suggested as viable purchases, and I have to agree.

I'd avoid intel (solely because of price) and add Mushkin to the list.

I'm starting to lean in favor of the Crucial M500. The cost is in the ballpark, and their reliability coupled with customer support may ultimately be the issues that ice it for me..

Good leaning

Myself I'd lean towards the M500 too. It also comes with an adapter to fit in your HDD cage whereas the Mushkin doesn't.

 

[Bruce SX]

Greetings......

......I underwent a move, with the accompanied change of domicile, and am gearing up to finish my project, after having been nomadic for a short while.

Looking forward to sharing with everyone my finished project-all set except for the intended win7 and SSD to be acquired & installed-within the next 60 days.

 

[RoasterMen]

Core 2 Extremes are still priced at $950-$990 and could reach at $1500 and performs faster than Core 2 Quad (C2Q is good too but C2Es are faster. The price for C2Es is weird because the C2Qs cost only $25-35, seriously).

 

[Bruce SX]

Ssd buy

......I have purchased the SanDisk SDSSDP-128G-G25 2.5" 128GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) at $49 from Newegg. I really wanted a Crucial, but price is, again, dictating what I buy. After that the next step is a OS. I have appreciated all the input that I have received from everyone here, and would like you all to know that. This project, for me, has become 'The Neverending Story" I never could have made it this far without help.

Thank you.

 

[Bruce SX]

Thanks

......It has been a long time since I started the build and finally got everything assembled. I picked up a copy of Win8.1(I know.....) and attempted to install it. After a series of different error messages I finally put the project aside again(until a later date).

I purchased a used Dell OptiPlex 980 Tower with Win7 pro(plus the license key), 4 GB RAM, 500 GB hard drive and am now happily learning to navigate my way through Win7.

I am posting this in order to give thanks to everyone that was so helpful to me in my build attempt. As a result I am unafraid to deal with PC hardware issues. The knowledge so graciously provided to me here is, and has been, extremely appreciated by me.

Thank you one and all for your input.

Respectfully,
Bruce