PC Build common sense check

Dr_O

Dr_O

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Dr Ozone
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Hi

I have been debating about getting a laptop for a while but think I'll stick to desktops. My current desktop is a pretty old AMD chip and not really worth upgrading.

As I am far from an expert in this (or any other:lol:) arena if someone could have a quick look to make sure I've not missed anything I'd be grateful. I did select a motherboard which didn't support the memory I've chosen but managed to spot that one:lol:

I am hoping to OC as well- prob only to 3.2GHz or thereabouts- nothing too much to save cooling hassle etc.

Key questions are- should I be looking at different memory to allow OC eg 2x4GB and is the power supply up to the job?

I was trying to keep the build below £500 but not really succeeded- and no case yet either!

Core i5 760 processor
Asus P7P55D LX motherboard
Kingston Hyper X 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz
Samsung Spinpoint 1TB F3 HDD
Corsair 650W PSU
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU fan
XFX ATI Radeon 5670 HD Graphics Card 1GB

I guess I need another fan (as well as the case) and have also selected a DVD rewriter as well- not bothered about Blue Ray just now.

Anything else I have missed or cheaper and almost as good MOBO and graphics cards that I could use?

Apologies for the long thread:D
 
the specs look good, :)

I recommend using Artic Silver Thermal Paste, also get a modular PSU, it cuts down on the cable clutter
 
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Rob 80386 said:
the specs look good, :)

I recommend using Artic Silver Thermal Paste, also get a modular PSU, it cuts down on the cable clutter
Click to expand...

cheers will have a look- I think I might have some paste unopened somewhere- had forgotten about paste.

modular PSU- look interesting - and not helping my costs!:lol:
 
neil_g said:
Why overclock, those specs should easily handle whatever you throw at it..
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Really it was because I have never bothered before so it was just a bit of tokenism really. Don't like missing out:D

If I get more into video editing it might prove useful I guess but you're right it's probably not the first thing I would do.
 
Would recommend at least 1 more HDD for back up or RAID setup.

HDD will be the slowest part of the system.
 
amnesia said:
Would recommend at least 1 more HDD for back up or RAID setup.

HDD will be the slowest part of the system.
Click to expand...

Backup and RAID are 2 things that don't go hand in hand (unless its a 2nd copy of your data)

Unless you're talking raid0 in which case the cost does not warrant the small performance gain.
 
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neil_g said:
Backup and RAID are 2 things that don't go hand in hand (unless its a 2nd copy of your data)

Unless you're talking raid0 in which case the cost does not warrant the small performance gain.
Click to expand...

Which is why I said backup OR RAID ;)

I cynically assumed that everyone has an external HD as backup... they do, don't they ??! So, RAID would improve the performance of the HDD, albeit marginally.

A better solution to increase performance would be to use a solid state disk, but these are relatively low capacity and a bit pricey at the moment.

If I was building a system from scratch I would probably install my OS on a SSD and use a RAID array for data (with a NAS drive for backup).
 
amnesia said:
Would recommend at least 1 more HDD for back up or RAID setup.

HDD will be the slowest part of the system.
Click to expand...

I hadn't included one at the moment as could either use an old IDE one or an external drive. The external drive is where all the photos etc are just now- what I should really do is back that up as it's currently not- just because a crash hasn't happened doesn't mean it wont I guess.

So yes, I was going to install the OS on the drive mentioned and then store any work once complete elsewhere. At some point in the future would probably add another SATA internal drive.

I looked at solid state drives for performance and reliability but the capacity is not really there and it's still relatively expensive.

What is the deal with RAID? Had a look on wikipedia but it says the article has issues so definately not trusting it:lol:
 
You mentioned wanting to keep the cost down to £500.

Do you need a quad core cpu? If you have the PC doing a lot of multitasking then it could be useful, but otherwise a dual core will probably handle things easily.

For example an AMD 550 BE. Its stock speed is 3.1 GHz, has 6 Meg cache and as it is a black edition the multiplier is unlocked so over clocking is easy if you want to do it, but as already mentioned it is not necessary and you could save on the cpu cooler by just using the stock one.

Unless you are making heavy demands on RAM you could save a little by getting 4 Gig instead of 6, and extra RAM is easy to add in the future if you do need it.

I wouldn’t bother with RAID as a backup. It can be used but it will add to the cost, it is not intended for backup and there are simpler and better solutions.

A second internal hard drive (perhaps 2, 500 Gigs rather than one TB) will provide easily accessible backup, but an external drive would also be needed for safety – if someone steals you PC and your only backup is in the machine …..

Ideally the external drive should be stored elsewhere.
 
Dr_O said:
What is the deal with RAID? Had a look on wikipedia but it says the article has issues so definately not trusting it:lol:
Click to expand...

Very roughly..

RAID0 - can speed up drive access however if you start off with a fast disk those gains are marginal. Also, lose 1 drive and you lose the lot.

RAID1 - mirrors multiples of 2 drives, ideal for systems running 24/7 allowing hot swapping. Data instantly replicated so not ideal as backup (no protection from deletion or corruption etc). Also not quite as fast due to writing 2x data.

RAID5 - essentially drive spanning with a hot swap spare. Best for data storage in my opinion.

There are more levels inc the combinations of (0+1 for example) but those are the most common for a home user I'd say. That and I just typed all that out in my phone.. lol
 
Tringa said:
You mentioned wanting to keep the cost down to £500.

Do you need a quad core cpu? If you have the PC doing a lot of multitasking then it could be useful, but otherwise a dual core will probably handle things easily.

For example an AMD 550 BE. Its stock speed is 3.1 GHz, has 6 Meg cache and as it is a black edition the multiplier is unlocked so over clocking is easy if you want to do it, but as already mentioned it is not necessary and you could save on the cpu cooler by just using the stock one.

Unless you are making heavy demands on RAM you could save a little by getting 4 Gig instead of 6, and extra RAM is easy to add in the future if you do need it.

I wouldn’t bother with RAID as a backup. It can be used but it will add to the cost, it is not intended for backup and there are simpler and better solutions.

A second internal hard drive (perhaps 2, 500 Gigs rather than one TB) will provide easily accessible backup, but an external drive would also be needed for safety – if someone steals you PC and your only backup is in the machine …..

Ideally the external drive should be stored elsewhere.
Click to expand...

I probably don't even 'need' a new PC but have convinced myself that I should:D That's why I was trying to be sensible with the cost- I did consider getting an i3 chip but thought would future proof a bit more with an i5.

It's an AMD I currently have- I was trying to stay away even though they are cheaper. I use Premier Pro 1.5 but couldn't upgrade to 2.0 due to the architecture of the chip so I kind of have this idea in my head were I don't want to get caught out again. The AMD's also don't seem as good as the intels at the moment.

Will look into lowering RAM to 4GB to start and having two 500GB drives.

I had thought about encryption as well in case someone did steal the PC due to financial info being stored in it. Means you can have the PC always remember your passwords too for web mail/ banking although maybe not the best habit to get into. Would need to look into it as not a clue just now.

Anyone any ideas on a case or better sites (ebuyer charge too much for postage as they consider my postcode in the back of beyond-which it isn't)? Doesn't seem to be a great choice on dabs.com unless you're willing to spend a lot e.g.£100
I could probably progress from £10 cases so they aren't razor sharp so maybe £30 tops though I'd begrudge it for a bit of thin aluminium?
 
neil_g said:
Very roughly..

RAID0 - can speed up drive access however if you start off with a fast disk those gains are marginal. Also, lose 1 drive and you lose the lot.

RAID1 - mirrors multiples of 2 drives, ideal for systems running 24/7 allowing hot swapping. Data instantly replicated so not ideal as backup (no protection from deletion or corruption etc). Also not quite as fast due to writing 2x data.

RAID5 - essentially drive spanning with a hot swap spare. Best for data storage in my opinion.

There are more levels inc the combinations of (0+1 for example) but those are the most common for a home user I'd say. That and I just typed all that out in my phone.. lol
Click to expand...

Thanks-and good typing on that phone- I struggle with a normal keyboard:lol:
 
Have a look at a copy of Custom PC. They do a regular article on components (inc cases) for different levels (ie cost) of PC. Other PC mags may do the same thing too.

Couple of other thoughts.

Not all PSUs are the same size so you need to check any PSU will fit the case you want (or vice versa) and,

some graphics cards are huge and can, prevent one of the hard drive bays being used, or worse simply will not fit between the back of the case and the hard drive bays – lots of checking of dimensions is needed.
 
Just finished my new build today.

Core i5 760 processor
Gigabyte mobo
6gb RAM
Nvidia GT 430 graphics
Kingston 64GB SSD for O/S and Apps
2 x 1TB Spinpoint F3 in Raid 1 for data
Coolermaster 430 Case
Titan Fenrir Cooler
LiteOn DVD/RW

Worked as well, happy with my first build :D
 
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Tringa said:
Have a look at a copy of Custom PC. They do a regular article on components (inc cases) for different levels (ie cost) of PC. Other PC mags may do the same thing too.

Couple of other thoughts.

Not all PSUs are the same size so you need to check any PSU will fit the case you want (or vice versa) and,

some graphics cards are huge and can, prevent one of the hard drive bays being used, or worse simply will not fit between the back of the case and the hard drive bays – lots of checking of dimensions is needed.
Click to expand...

Cheers- will have a look. Was prob going to go tower but will actually look at dimensions.

Adamski said:
Just finished my new build today.

Core i5 760 processor
Gigabyte mobo
6gb RAM
Nvidia GT 430 graphics
Kingston 64GB SSD for O/S and Apps
2 x 1GB Spinpoint F3 in Raid 1 for data
Coolermaster 430 Case
Titan Fenrir Cooler
LiteOn DVD/RW

Worked as well, happy with my first build :D
Click to expand...

Looks good, well done on first build:clap: . I debated about the SSD drive again but thought I would probably need 120GB so will leave just now until prices and technology improve. I'll have a look at the case.
 
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