Building a computer

[young-gun]

YES and you should be able to save money if you go with a AMD chip

Definitely IMO

.
There are a few ways the easiest for a newbie is to install the SSD first and install the operating System and then hook up the other one after that.
True RAM is RAM I just had a slight preference thats all.


There are cheaper alternatives

Waz, do you know what the equivalent AMD chip would be to rival the i7?

 

[young-gun]

YES and you should be able to save money if you go with a AMD chip

Definitely IMO

.
There are a few ways the easiest for a newbie is to install the SSD first and install the operating System and then hook up the other one after that.
True RAM is RAM I just had a slight preference thats all.


There are cheaper alternatives

To be more specific, how would I go about finding a suitable AMD processor for this Motherboard http://www.computeralliance.com.au/gigabyte-am3-atx-ga-990fxa-d3-motherboard, that is just as good as the i7 quad?

 

[waza1960]

Waz, do you know what the equivalent AMD chip would be to rival the i7?

Most answers are 1 google away..........
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/259122-28-phenom-intel-take-price-performance-account

I7 is a little over the top for a budget system anyway IMO but umart have them for around $250-$300 .The high end AMD chip which I have in my computer is AMD FX 8 Core 4ghz and is $219.

To be more specific, how would I go about finding a suitable AMD card for this Motherboard http://www.computeralliance.com.au/g...d3-motherboard, that is just as good as the i7 quad?

Just use the chip mentioned above with the mother board above and your right to go if you wanted to save money you could go for a slightly lower end amd chip and still have comparable performance to the I7.
BTW I'm not interested in getting into a debate on which is the best chip intel or AMD there are different performance characteristics for both which makes it hard to comare.If money was no object I would go the I7 but value for money the AMD chips are always ahead IMO.

 

[medicowallet]

Ok for a $900 budget, with assumed no overclocking...

(AMD performance chips are just pathetic at the moment, steer clear of these poorly performing, power guzzling chips)

CPU: Intel Core i7 3770 $295
Mobo: Asrock B75 Pro3-M $70
RAM: G.Skill Ares 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600 $45
SSD: Samsung 830 128gb drive $95
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB (ST2000DM001) $99
GPU: (Intel HD 4000)
Case Silverstone TJ08E $99
PSU : Neo Eco 450W $59
ODD: DVD burner $19

$781 (modified whirlpool PC)

But unless you are video editing, you could EASILY get away with changing the motherboard and cpu to:

A6 5400k $75
ASRock FM2A55M-DGS $65

$556

 

[young-gun]

Waz, do you know what the equivalent AMD chip would be to rival the i7?

Most answers are 1 google away..........
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/259122-28-phenom-intel-take-price-performance-account

I7 is a little over the top for a budget system anyway IMO but umart have them for around $250-$300 .The high end AMD chip which I have in my computer is AMD FX 8 Core 4ghz and is $219.



Just use the chip mentioned above with the mother board above and your right to go if you wanted to save money you could go for a slightly lower end amd chip and still have comparable performance to the I7.
BTW I'm not interested in getting into a debate on which is the best chip intel or AMD there are different performance characteristics for both which makes it hard to comare.If money was no object I would go the I7 but value for money the AMD chips are always ahead IMO.

Thanks for all the help. Saving money is the main thing for me at the moment, and given it's my first build I don't need the dam thing to hover, I just want something fast, reasonably priced, so i can start getting into computing a bit more.

I think I am pretty well right to go after all this advice, if anyone can suggest a cheap but good SSD like the samsung(just different brands) could you let me know, if there is an equivalent in a different brand for the same price I'll go that, as samsungs don't seem as readily available.

 

[medicowallet]

BTW I'm not interested in getting into a debate on which is the best chip intel or AMD there are different performance characteristics for both which makes it hard to comare.If money was no object I would go the I7 but value for money the AMD chips are always ahead IMO.

Without wanting to start a holy war, this is plain incorrect.

AMD performance chips are just awful, and the FX8 chips are the worst of the bunch. Get an i7 for performance, or if you truly want AMD, then the lower end chips like the A6 and A8 are ok (although an argument for the i3 or Pentium G chips is compelling)


ALSO note the "1 google away" performance comparison is for intel chips 2 generations older than the current chips, and the AMD is for 1-2 generations older, so the Intel has far better performance in comparison to these results as well.

And note that the per clock performance of the FX is actually LESS than the Phenom 2

 

[YMI]

...equivalent AMD chip would be to rival the i7?

Sorry to enter the conversation but I just saw you're thinking about AMD to save money. I would actually need to look up the paper work but about a year or two ago I bought my computer. Usually I don't built it myself, I rather choose the parts and pay like $15 extra for someone putting them together. I think that's worth it for the guarantee that it actually works afterwards

As for AMD or i7, I didn't think there could be a big difference in energy saving but I had an AMD 3.0GHz dual core before and now an i5-2500k @3.3GHz max.3.7GHz quad. The machine is used 8 to 10 hours a day and I noticed a drop in used electricity (have to lie but I think round $30 in two months). As they keep enhancing these things I can't tell about today's AMD but I am happy I've chosen the i5.

And do you actually need the i7 if you can squeeze 3.7GHz out of the i5 too?

 

[young-gun]

Ok for a $900 budget, with assumed no overclocking...

(AMD performance chips are just pathetic at the moment, steer clear of these poorly performing, power guzzling chips)

CPU: Intel Core i7 3770 $295
Mobo: Asrock B75 Pro3-M $70
RAM: G.Skill Ares 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600 $45
SSD: Samsung 830 128gb drive $95
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB (ST2000DM001) $99
GPU: (Intel HD 4000)
Case Silverstone TJ08E $99
PSU : Neo Eco 450W $59
ODD: DVD burner $19

$781 (modified whirlpool PC)

But unless you are video editing, you could EASILY get away with changing the motherboard and cpu to:

A6 5400k $75
ASRock FM2A55M-DGS $65

$556

Where are you quoting prices from MW?

 

[waza1960]

Without wanting to start a holy war, this is plain incorrect.

AMD performance chips are just awful, and the FX8 chips are the worst of the bunch. Get an i7 for performance, or if you truly want AMD, then the lower end chips like the A6 and A8 are ok (although an argument for the i3 or Pentium G chips is compelling)


ALSO note the "1 google away" performance comparison is for intel chips 2 generations older than the current chips, and the AMD is for 1-2 generations older, so the Intel has far better performance in comparison to these results as well.

And note that the per clock performance of the FX is actually LESS than the Phenom 2

I knew there would be one such comment but thats ok I stand by my comments...
So Again

BTW I'm not interested in getting into a debate on which is the best chip intel or AMD there are different performance characteristics for both which makes it hard to comare.If money was no object I would go the I7 but value for money the AMD chips are always ahead IMO.

 

[medicowallet]

I knew there would be one such comment but thats ok I stand by my comments...
So Again

Yeah, but recommending the poorest chip to people who have little understanding about computers is almost doing just that.

Just because you prefer AMD and made the mistake of purchasing a poor CPU, doesn't mean you should sell this mistake to people with limited experience.

The ONLY mainstream AMD cpus that should even be considered are the A range, the FX range are just terrible.

There is no value for money argument either..

 

[waza1960]

Yeah, but recommending the poorest chip to people who have little understanding about computers is almost doing just that.

Just because you prefer AMD and made the mistake of purchasing a poor CPU, doesn't mean you should sell this mistake to people with limited experience.

The ONLY mainstream AMD cpus that should even be considered are the A range, the FX range are just terrible.

There is no value for money argument either..

Since I'm not debating it any further all I can say is that your full of sh*t

 

[medicowallet]

Since I'm not debating it any further all I can say is that your full of sh*t

Something for the intelligent people to read before they make decisions based on your fanboi tripe.

The top one is a must see! (and note the 3770 is pretty much the 3770k but can't really be overclocked)

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/434?vs=287

A quick youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7wFKewAbgs

Some other computer geek's opinions:

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1791955#

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1780353#

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1992337#

 

[young-gun]

Something for the intelligent people to read before they make decisions based on your fanboi tripe.

The top one is a must see! (and note the 3770 is pretty much the 3770k but can't really be overclocked)

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/434?vs=287

A quick youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7wFKewAbgs

Some other computer geek's opinions:

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1791955#

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1780353#

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1992337#

Don't wanna get involved in this, but MW what is over-clocking? and why is it bad, and how would I do it? also, those prices you rattled off, were they guestimates or did you pull them from somewhere?

 

[medicowallet]

Don't wanna get involved in this, but MW what is over-clocking? and why is it bad, and how would I do it? also, those prices you rattled off, where they guestimates or did you pull them from somewhere?

Overclocking is running the chip above its stock speed.. eg an i5 2500k (old chip) was 3.3 GHz at stock and easily overclocked with a $30 aftermarket air cooler to 4.5GHz +

If you are new, don't worry about overclocking, as the motherboard needs to be more expensive/different chipset of the motherboard and for some cpus, a different version.

The prices on whirlpool are usually MSY or PCCG..

PCCG also does pre-made systems, but in reality building them is really easy and quite fun.

I have purchased a lot from PCCG (after I exited my computer business) http://pccasegear.com/

If you are just using a system for minor gaming and the usual stuff, an A6 AMD cpu will be fine for most people (I currently use one at home, but also have a Xeon 1230, and i7 3770k which are overkill for some of my uses)

 

[medicowallet]

To answer your questions

1. Overclocking is not bad, my 3770k is overclocked.

2. For intel you need a "k" cpu, a z77 motherboard and an aftermarket CPU cooler (eg Hyper212 evo which is good bang for buck, up to custom water cooling kits!) to get a viable overclock (an arguable point for some )

All you do for a basic overclock is go into the bios (or software program on desktop) and change the "multiplier". If stable, and temperature of the cpu under load is fine, you are ok.

If unstable then you either run a lower overclock, or change voltages.... it is this change of voltages where damage can occur, and where if you are inexperienced, some advice can come in handy.

So in all

1. the right equipment
2. The right testing program - gives you info on temps and stability
3. The right voltage for stability if required.

Some would argue that for the real world performance, you are better off just getting a better CPU if you are not buying a top end one.. I sort of agree with this, so if the i7 3770 (or i5 (which is a better CPU for everyday tasks)) is at the upper end of your budget go for it, whereas if you had more, an argument could be made for a 3770k setup with an overclock.

What uses? If not any hardcore transcoding etc, I honestly believe that the i7 / fx might be overkill anyway.

 

[Ferret]

I didn't realise I could get a small cheapy to get the job done and have the Western digital for storage. How do you ensure that one does one thing and the other does the data?

Like waza said, build the pc with just the SSD and load your operating system. You could also load programs at this point if you want.
Then add the disc hard drive. Any programs you load from here on should still go to the SSD by default.

To get your data going to the disc hard drive:
In windows explorer you would right click on documents to see the properties, click location and change to a directory on the disc hard drive. You would have to create the directory on the disc hard drive first. Repeat for pictures, music etc. - easy!

I'd stay away from overclocking if this is your first build. Its really only for geeks trying to squeeze evey drop of performance from their pc. If you go too far the pc will get unstable and you might be pulling your hair out wondering whats wrong.

Also agree with others that an I7 is probably overkill. The I5 is a great chip for most purposes.

 

[young-gun]

I'd stay away from overclocking if this is your first build. Its really only for geeks trying to squeeze evey drop of performance from their pc. If you go too far the pc will get unstable and you might be pulling your hair out wondering whats wrong.

Also agree with others that an I7 is probably overkill. The I5 is a great chip for most purposes.

Sounds like I don't need to concern myself with overclocking then!

Regarding the chip, how long until these sorts of things become out-dated and I need to upgrade? Is it worth getting an i7 now for the sake of $100 or whatever it may be, to save having to upgrade in 12 months time, or is it simply not needed.

 

[medicowallet]

Sounds like I don't need to concern myself with overclocking then!

Regarding the chip, how long until these sorts of things become out-dated and I need to upgrade? Is it worth getting an i7 now for the sake of $100 or whatever it may be, to save having to upgrade in 12 months time, or is it simply not needed.

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=187_346_1184&products_id=20894

This should last many years

The main difference between an i5 and an i7 is hyperthreading, which you can notice with transcoding, and very heavy processing tasks for design etc, but a vast majority of people will never utilise this, and are better off spending the $100 later, say in 5 years time.

 

[young-gun]

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=187_346_1184&products_id=20894

This should last many years

The main difference between an i5 and an i7 is hyperthreading, which you can notice with transcoding, and very heavy processing tasks for design etc, but a vast majority of people will never utilise this, and are better off spending the $100 later, say in 5 years time.

No worries, the main reason I was going the i7 was because of the built in graphics card... Can anyone recommend a cheap but good graphics card?? I thought it would be cheaper just using the i7 that's all.

 

[medicowallet]

No worries, the main reason I was going the i7 was because of the built in graphics card... Can anyone recommend a cheap but good graphics card?? I thought it would be cheaper just using the i7 that's all.

The i5 and A6 cpus have built in graphics. (as do most mainstream, although not the pathetic FX)