[Eclipsed]

Hello everybody. I decided that I wanted to build a PC from a kit for my birthday. I thought it would be a good experience. I was looking at this barebones because I am not good at picking components. The other reason I was looking at barebones kits is because my great uncle wants to know what I want for my birthday and it is hard for me to send him links to many items.

This is the barebones I was looking at: http://www.tigerdire...AIN#detailspecs It is currently unavailable though. Does anyone know of another place I could get this? Or, is there a comparable barebones for about 300 to 400 dollars. I am fine getting parts too though if you feel like I could get a better build that way.

Whatever it is, I would love to have a quad core (unless someone can give me a reason not to) and I would like 4 gb of RAM. I am not really a gamer but I do a lot of work multitasking and I use a virtual machine that I want to allocate plenty of resources. Let me know, I appreciate any help!

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Couple of questions...
Do you prefer Intel or AMD? Do you want an i7, i5 or a Core 2 Quad if going Intel. If AMD, go with a Phenom 2 X4.
If you don't game that much a 9500 or 9600 from NVIDIA would work fine. Or a 4650 from ATI.
I suggest Western Digital's Caviar Blue or Black series for HDDs.
Any optical drive should do.
I suggest ASUS, Gigabyte, Foxconn, EVGA, or XFX motherboards.
Corsair or OCZ PSUs... the PSU in the barebone you mentioned is one I would never use in my builds. This 400W PSU from Corsair is more powerful and reliable: http://www.tigerdire...e...&CatId=1078

I prefer choosing my components rather than buying a barebone b/c I can put exactly what I want in my computer. Shop around at newegg.com and tell me what parts you are interested in.

[edge2022]

Couple of questions...
Do you prefer Intel or AMD? Do you want an i7, i5 or a Core 2 Quad if going Intel. If AMD, go with a Phenom 2 X4.
If you don't game that much a 9500 or 9600 from NVIDIA would work fine. Or a 4650 from ATI.
I suggest Western Digital's Caviar Blue or Black series for HDDs.
Any optical drive should do.
I suggest ASUS, Gigabyte, Foxconn, EVGA, or XFX motherboards.
Corsair or OCZ PSUs... the PSU in the barebone you mentioned is one I would never use in my builds. This 400W PSU from Corsair is more powerful and reliable: http://www.tigerdire...e...&CatId=1078

I prefer choosing my components rather than buying a barebone b/c I can put exactly what I want in my computer. Shop around at newegg.com and tell me what parts you are interested in.

[Eclipsed]

Alright thanks, I'll post back and you will tell me what you think.

I like intel but for the most part they are too expensive. Which intel do you think is most similar performance wise to the Phenom 2 X4?

[Eclipsed]

Alright, here is what I came up with.

Processor: I need help deciding between these three
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819115207
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103674
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819115215

MOBO: If I choose the i5 probably this MOBO http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813157172
If I chose the Core 2 quad probably this http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128359
If I choose the AMD phenom probably this http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128377

RAM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820134786

HD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822136319

Graphics card: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814125274

PSU: http://www.newegg.co...Tpk=CMPSU-400CX

CD/DVD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827249054

I have no idea about cases... Suggestions for cheep good case?

[Eclipsed]

You know I am not so great at putting together builds cheaply. Do you think it is worth spending more to get a better build or is there any way I can get cheaper and still keep quality?

[edge2022]

Intel or AMD is fine... I like both of them but AMDs CPUs seem to have a better price to performance ratio.
The i5 is the newest processor on the market which implements the latest architecture enhancements by Intel while the X4 955 is one of AMD's flagship processors. If you still want a Core 2 Quad I suggest a Q9550.

The Q9550, the i5 and the 955 can all overclock to around 4 Ghz. It's easier with the 955 though b/c it has an unlocked CPU multiplier (if overclocking is not important to you disregard this)

Look at these benchmark figures: http://www.trustedre...-Core-i5-750/p8
The i5, 965, and the 955 are competing... check out the other benchmarks ran and see the performance difference.

All the mobos you have chosen are good with their processor. Make sure that the RAM is compatible with the mobo before you buy (ie DDR2 or DDR3)

Faster, and cheaper RAM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820148328
Also with LEDs!

This is the GFX card I would be eyeing: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814121324
Another PSU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817341016
And you have chosen a good CD drive.

As for a case, get an Antec 300.

[Eclipsed]

Thanks, That RAM you suggested isn't cheaper because the one I selected was 4gb vs three for the one you suggested. Would four gb be faster than two, or would the two be faster than the four because it is better RAM?

Sounds like I will go with the i5, stick with the newer tech and stay up to date. Would I need special cooling to overclock to 4ghz?

Let me give you my new line up and you just double check to see if it works...

Processor: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819115215
MOBO: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813157172
RAM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820134786
HD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822136319
GFX: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814121324
PSU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817341016
CD/DVD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827249054
Case: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811129042

It's quite expensive but I guess it is worth it.

Edited by ignoramo, 05 October 2009 - 08:41 AM.

[Troy]

Looks pretty nice to me. Just make sure to grab an extra case fan or two for the front of the case (if it doesn't come with them already - it didn't look like it). That will keep your hard drive nice and cool, and in particular be blowing cool air over your graphics card as it's passively cooled.

And don't forget an OS.

[edge2022]

That RAM you suggested isn't cheaper because the one I selected was 4gb vs three for the one you suggested. Would four gb be faster than two, or would the two be faster than the four because it is better RAM?

My mistake, sorry.
I would just get the 4 Gigs of RAM since there isn't a noticeable difference between 1333 and 1600 RAM.

Antec 300 comes with a rear and top exhaust fan. I also would suggest a 120mm front fan.
This is a nice one: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835200050

[Eclipsed]

Alright, thanks guys!

Troy, I already have the OS.

[Troy]

Well now you tell me

[Eclipsed]

Would I need any extra cooling to get the i5 to around 3Ghz? Or will it be ok with what we talked about already?

[edge2022]

Stock cooling should be enough to get it up to 4Ghz... if you want better temps or more overclocking headroom, get an aftermarket cooler.
http://www.madshrimp...amp;articID=951

[Eclipsed]

I wouldn't want to go all the way up to 4ghz anyway just because I would like the product to last longer anyway. I would probably do 3.3Ghz or something stock cooling. Would OCing make a worth it performance increase on stock cooling?

[edge2022]

It would make a difference for tasks such as video encoding (it will allow editing and encoding to be done in less time) and gaming. As for normal internet browsing and word processing, you wouldn't really see your overclock increasing your performance.