[Ragnrodr]

Hi

I am looking at upgrading my PC as it is getting a bit long in the tooth and I am constantly running out of memory. The PC is largely used as a family PC for all kinds of duties, including some "light" gaming (Think Civ 5 and modern RPG's, type games).

I am planning on putting OS and core applications on the SSD and use either the HDD drives for non core applications and documents will be stored on a NAS attached with GB Ethernet.

Important parts:

• That we can get the PC up and running very quickly after not having been used for several hours
• That we can record TV onto it
• That it will support browsing with lots of tabs open
• That it runs really smoothly during normal operation
• That I can change format of videos without it grinding to a halt
• I do not want to spend any time on faffing with overclocking. It's just not my bag. (baby)

I already have a range of parts which I believe will be good enough and I would preferably like to spend less than £500 (live in the UK), but at the same time have a PC which will serve me for the next 5 years or more.

Current Parts to be reused:
Storage: SAMSUNG SP2504C 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Storage: SAMSUNG SP2514N 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Case: Antec P182 ATX Mid Tower Case
Optical Drive: PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-112D ATA Device
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit
Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE HD 4770 512MB GDDR5 PCI-E HDMI
PSU: Corsair HX520-W (430w)

Considering Purchasing:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£153.54 @ Aria PC) <Updated>
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£76.52 @ Scan.co.uk) <Updated>
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£65.76 @ Scan.co.uk) <Updated>
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£81.49 @ Amazon UK) <Updated>
Tuner: TBS PCI-E Dual DVB-T2 tuner - TBS6280 (£83.99)

Put a post on PCPartPicker, but most of my existing components are to old to feature, so I've gone for similar kit where I thought it would have a bearing. http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/39iNO

I am really after a bit of a sense check whether all this kit will work and whether I have made some bad choices in the new kit.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Edited by Ragnrodr, 14 March 2014 - 02:29 PM.

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Ragnrodr

I will just provide some pointers on your parts list to begin with;

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit

Is this a full retail disk or an OEM disk, if OEM has the product key already been used on another computer, if it has you cannot reuse it with a new MB.

Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE HD 4770 512MB GDDR5 PCI-E HDMI

This needs to be upgraded if you want the same set up to last for up to 5 years, it has low video memory in 512MB which will struggle with multiple larger screens and it is only DX10.1 capable which will cause a problem with new games (DX11.1/12 is due for release soon). A 2GB 192 or 256 - bit card would be best.

PSU: Corsair HX520-W (430w)

I am confused by the (430W) the HX520 is a great PSU and as far as I am aware it does put out 520W.

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£25.44 @ Aria PC)

Your aftermarket cooler, a very important thing I must make you aware of is that you do not need the additional heatsink and CPU fan and if you did use it you would void your CPU warranty both AMD and Intel are clear on this, see below;

AMD;
This Limited Warranty shall be null and void if the AMD microprocessor which is the subject of this Limited Warranty is used with any heatsink/fan other than the one provided herewith.

Full AMD article @ http://support.amd.c...earLimited.aspx

Intel;
damage to the Product due to external causes, including accident, problems with electrical power, abnormal electrical, mechanical or environmental conditions, usage not in accordance with product instructions, misuse, neglect, alteration, repair, improper installation, or improper testing;

Full Intel article available @ http://www.intel.com...b/cs-009862.htm

[phillpower2]

Ragnrodr

I will just provide some pointers on your parts list to begin with;

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit

Is this a full retail disk or an OEM disk, if OEM has the product key already been used on another computer, if it has you cannot reuse it with a new MB.

Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE HD 4770 512MB GDDR5 PCI-E HDMI

This needs to be upgraded if you want the same set up to last for up to 5 years, it has low video memory in 512MB which will struggle with multiple larger screens and it is only DX10.1 capable which will cause a problem with new games (DX11.1/12 is due for release soon). A 2GB 192 or 256 - bit card would be best.

PSU: Corsair HX520-W (430w)

I am confused by the (430W) the HX520 is a great PSU and as far as I am aware it does put out 520W.

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£25.44 @ Aria PC)

Your aftermarket cooler, a very important thing I must make you aware of is that you do not need the additional heatsink and CPU fan and if you did use it you would void your CPU warranty both AMD and Intel are clear on this, see below;

AMD;
This Limited Warranty shall be null and void if the AMD microprocessor which is the subject of this Limited Warranty is used with any heatsink/fan other than the one provided herewith.

Full AMD article @ http://support.amd.c...earLimited.aspx

Intel;
damage to the Product due to external causes, including accident, problems with electrical power, abnormal electrical, mechanical or environmental conditions, usage not in accordance with product instructions, misuse, neglect, alteration, repair, improper installation, or improper testing;

Full Intel article available @ http://www.intel.com...b/cs-009862.htm

[Ragnrodr]

Hi Phillpower.

Thank you very much for your reply.
1: Windows - It's actually a Retail copy of windows 7 with a purchased upgrade to windows 8. There's 3 licenses on the disk and I have only used 2.
2: Thanks for your thoughts on the Graphics card, I'll have to give that some thought, as I might be happy to exclude that from the 5 year goal. But good point.
3: I found the info about 430w for the hx520-W on tinterweb and I'm perfectly happy to acknowledge that I am wrong, but that's just a plus. So thanks for setting me straight on that one.
4: I only went for an aftermarket cooler as this was basically standard practice when I built my last PC. If the current crop of stock CPU coolers are now up to scratch, then I am perfectly happy to ditch it. Saves me £30, so happy days.

Your pointers are very much appreciated.

[iammykyl]

Gday.
Tuner review, > http://timwolverson....er-card-review/
User Forum, > http://www.tbsdtv.co...wforum.php?f=49
For £11 more, consider using the i5 4670.
If using the MB Ethernet for the NAS? do you have an alternative for Net connection?

That I can change format of videos without it grinding to a halt

What software program will you be using?

If using the MB onboard Ethernet?

[Ragnrodr]

Thank you iammykyl

I'll have a look at the tuners when I get home.

The NAS is sitting on my network, so I won't need a separate line to get to the internet, as it will all just go through the router.

I have considered the 4670, but I can't quite find any real benefits, except for a slightly faster clock speed, which I'm not sure will really matter, so I initially decided to cut a few costs where I could. I also found a website who was comparing the different CPU's (can't remember where now) and the bang for buck on the 4570 was better then the 4670. If you are aware of any other benefits, then I would be very interested in hearing it, just so I can make an informed decision.

I don't yet know what software I'll be using, but as I am not talking about video editing as such, just shifting formats (and possibly changing resolution) to allow for use on different devices, I would have thought there's quite a lot of options out there at a not very high cost.

[Ragnrodr]

After some soul searching and learning that apparently there are some stability issues with some of the haswell CPU's (and apparently particularly with old PSU's), I've come up with some changes, and I'm still staying within budget. I have though decided to live with my graphics card for now.
I know I said that I wouldn't be doing any overclocking but I specced up a non-K, H77 build and the saving just didn't seem to be there.

http://uk.pcpartpick...rodr/saved/43nr

I've updated the initial post with the new proposed spec.

Thanks all for your help

[phillpower2]

The FX-4350 4.20GHz is worth a look Ragnrodr

A good reason to do an AMD build is you won`t sacrifice performance by saving money and the money saved will allow you to purchase a better video card

[Ragnrodr]

Thanks Phillpower.

I have absolutely no knowledge of AMD, as when I started looking at upgrading I spent a while looking at the headline AMD vs. Intel and Intel came out trumps all the time. So would you be able to give me some pointers.

Looking at CPU Boss website they give a combined score of 8.4 (3750k) vs 7.6 (fx4350).
What do I loose by going for AMD except for the obvious stats race items?
Are there any compatibility areas I need to think of except the MOBO-CPU connection?
Are there any non stats areas of AMD that is not obvious?
Do you have to do more fiddling with AMD stuff than you do with Intel?

I'm sorry for being completely clueless on this one, but it's just the way that I originally zoomed in on the investigation.

Cheers,

[phillpower2]

I was keeping your budget and your intended use in mind, the 3570k is a great CPU but it would be more preferable if it cost less, the FX 4350 is adequate for your needs but if you want more on tap the FX 6350 is closer in the benchmarks http://www.aria.co.u...ource=skinflint
Worth a mention is that the average user will seldom use any more than 3 cores of a processor.

CPU benchmarks

What do I loose by going for AMD except for the obvious stats race items?
Nothing and if you compare an Intel CPU that costs the same as either AMD CPU you will not get the same performance.
Are there any compatibility areas I need to think of except the MOBO-CPU connection?
None.
Are there any non stats areas of AMD that is not obvious?
No.
Do you have to do more fiddling with AMD stuff than you do with Intel?
No.

I am not trying to steer you away from an Intel CPU btw just giving you some other options.

[Ragnrodr]

And I totally appreciate that.

I am keeping my options open, I just happen to not know anything about AMD.

I'll have a bit more of a look at AMD later, when I can get back to the PC.

Thanks

[phillpower2]

You are welcome

Some light reading for you here