Please review this build

D

dm76

New Member
I have gone a slightly different direction since my last post after the sandy bridge came out. So just to remind you, this will just be the main computer in the house. I don't play any games but I do use Photoshop to edit pictures and also am starting to take HD video on a camcorder and will need to start editing and organizing that. So those will be the most intensive things I do on it. Here is what I came up with:

CPU and Motherboard combo - $390
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.575884

Memory - $50 Or do I need 8 GB?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

Power Supply 500W - $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139018

Case - $55 One of these two, I'm not sure how to pick a good case. I just want something simple and inexpensive.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066
Or recommend a different one

Video Card - $65 Or recommend a different one if this won't be good enough
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130579

Hard Drive - $55 with promo code
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
I may get two of these, one for backups as well

DVD Drive - $17
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

Windows Home - $100 (or is it worth it to get pro for $40 more?)

I am pleased this total comes up to just under $800, so now I can get my monitor too and have the whole thing for under $1000, which is what I was going to spend on a prebuilt one, so this makes it seem like i am saving money and getting a better system. Please look it over and feel free to make an tweaks. I think I may order this really soon!

Also, would I need to order anything else along with this? Any cables, fans, coolers, etc.?
 
Looks good for the most part. 8GB of RAM could come in handy for heavy editing, but it'll be fine if you can't afford it.

Better PSU for the price. (based on the Seasonic S12II platform)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030

Even better one for $5 more. (basically the same as the Antec but with some upgraded internals)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094

The video card will be perfectly fine just for openCL acceleration in your editing. :good:

When looking for a good case, look for a few things...1 and 2 being most important:

1- Airflow. You want enough fans to keep your gear at a healthy temperature. Your rig in particular won't need a while lot, but I wouldn't stuff it into a box with a single 80mm fan either.

2- Cable management. You want a way to route the cables behind the motherboard tray. (having tie-down points helps) This gets them out of the way and improves airflow, and makes the inside look really clean too. That Rosewill is a good example, though it doesn't have a ton of room behind the mobo tray. The 300...not so much.

3- Bottom-mounted power supply. While there are some good top-mount designs, they're fairly rare. Having the PSU on allows the top to be open for fans, or even just for passive ventilation. It also moves the computer's center of balance way down, making it easier to carry and harder to knock over.

4- Build quality. You don't want something that will fall apart on you. Usually, if it look cheap, it probably is.

5- Aesthetics. You have to look at the thing, so get something you like. :)

6- Tool-free drive bays. This sounds like such a small thing, but it helps a lot when you're building. Even if it just has thumbscrews, anything is better than having to whip out the screwdriver and fiddle with tiny screws.

7- Extra features. Look at what extra gadgets are included and see if any of them are useful. Cases come with a wide variety of gizmos on the front panel, ranging from small features like USB/eSATA/Firewire ports to bigger features like external hard drive mounts or fan controllers. Most cases have at least two USB ports and front audio connectors as standard.

The best case in the price range, functionally, is the Cooler Master HAF 912, but if you don't like its looks, these are all good picks:

Rosewill Challenger:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153

NZXT Beta EVO:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146059

Logisys Optimus: (same thing internally as the Beta EVO)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811148056

NZXT M59: (Same thing internally as the Challenger, but with one more top fan spot)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146058

XION XON-EC001: (another Beta EVO twin, but with one less top fan spot)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811208037

Diablotek EVO CPA-6170: (pretty much the same as the Challenger)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811822001

NZXT Gamma: (Same as the M59, but lacking a few features)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061
 
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Thanks for the reply. I'll switch up the power supply then if those are better and the same price and I'll take a look at those other cases and see which I like. I think I like that Rosewill though, those ports up top are pretty convenient too. So when those cases have like 3 fans in them, then is that pretty much all I need? I don't have to buy any extra fans or anything? Or anything for the CPU? Is that heatsink fine? And does thermal paste come with it? When you say to run the cables behind the motherboard tray, does that mean to run it underneath the motherboard (between the back of it and the case?). Sorry if that makes no sense! Thanks again.
 
dm76 said:
Thanks for the reply. I'll switch up the power supply then if those are better and the same price and I'll take a look at those other cases and see which I like. I think I like that Rosewill though, those ports up top are pretty convenient too.
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It's a good case, no worries there. :good:

So when those cases have like 3 fans in them, then is that pretty much all I need? I don't have to buy any extra fans or anything?
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Most of those have pretty good passive cooling (heat rising out the top), so even the Gamma would be ok and it only has one fan. This rig won't make a whole lot of heat. 2-3 fans is plenty. :good:

Or anything for the CPU? Is that heatsink fine? And does thermal paste come with it?
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Thermal paste comes pre-applied to the stock heat sink...you just have to plop it on top of the CPU and you're good to go. Do keep in mind that if you remove the heatsink after you've put it on, you'll need to put more thermal paste on.

You'd only need a better heat sink if you want it to run quieter or for overclocking. And even then, it shouldn't even be very loud as-is and you can actually get a fairly decent overclock on the stock cooler.

When you say to run the cables behind the motherboard tray, does that mean to run it underneath the motherboard (between the back of it and the case?). Sorry if that makes no sense! Thanks again.
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Yep. I put a pretty good example below. The case is a Cooler Master HAF 932, which is quite a bit bigger than any of these, but the concept is the same for any case:
etuq06.jpg

iymuza.jpg


Side note: See those cable management holes above the motherboard? Believe it or not they make things a lot easier. Otherwise, you have to run the CPU power and fan wires either in front of the mobo, or between the mobo and the case where that hole for the heat sink backplate is, neither of which is particularly fun. The latter is the easier method of the two. It's not a huge pain though, just a minor inconvenience...you just have to remember to position the wires before you mount the mobo. That's what I did, and I have an M59...same as the Challenger except for the top fans.


edit: Here, I found a post showing someones cable management in a Gamma, which again is a Challenger sibling. He has a mATX motherboard and no video card, but you get the idea:
http://www.overclock.net/9479221-post385.html
 
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Hey thanks a lot, this seems easier than I even thought! So I forgot to ask this in the last post, but do all the cables and everything come with the case or mobo or something? Is there anything extra I would need to order? Are instructions good that come with this stuff, or is it best to look online?

On a side note, I am thinking of putting in two hard drives, so I can just use one to back up the other one. I used to do this with an external, but sometimes I would forget to turn it on or whatever reason. So I dont know if that is a good idea or if I should just get another external. And I currently do not have this on my computer now, but after reading the forums, I realize it is a good idea to have a small C partition for the OS and programs and the rest for data. What is a good size for the C partition?
 
It really is pretty easy :)

All of the cables should be included. The power cables all come with the motherboard, the case comes with everything for the front ports (as well as the motherboard standoffs), and the motherboard will usually come with at least four SATA cables and maybe even an IDE cable. If you look at the pictures on Newegg, the products come with a picture of everything unboxed, so you know what you're getting. :good:

The instructions are usually adequate, though sometimes they're all in engrish. Most enthusiast forums have a better guide though. Ours is here, though it doesn't explain cable management since his case didn't have any:
http://www.computerforum.com/104641-how-build-computer-step-step-photos.html

It's very possible to use a second internal hard drive...I did that for about two months before I got my current drive, because I didn't trust either of the drives I had then. You could actually even take the drive out of your external and put it in your case.

As far as partitioning, if you want to go that route, the appropriate size depends on what data you want to keep on the C partition and what you want to move elsewhere.
 
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I know what you mean about my setup needing a ton of cooling, so I am curious about some of these cases mentioned that have 3 fans. Do those get a little noisy having more fans like that, or are they pretty quiet?
 
I think you may have misunderstood me? This rig really won't make a lot of heat at all. Most of the heat in a gaming computer comes from the graphics card, which won't be an issue with a GT 430.

As far as the noise, it varies greatly between different cases. The make and model of the included fans plays a huge role, as does the way they're mounted.

For example, most of them are behind some kind of metal mesh, and the smaller the holes are, the louder it'll be, since there's more friction between the case and the air. Typically, though, 120mm fans aren't particularly noisy, even behind fine mesh...the CPU/GPU fans are usually the loudest ones in the case. I have four 120mm fans and one 140mm in my case, and apart from the front 120 which is a high RPM fan, I can run them all full blast and it won't bother me. The front one is ok until around 80%. However, I have two more high performance 120's on my CPU cooler, and one of those can be louder than the five case fans put together. The fan on my GPU cooler, running full blast, overpowers all seven of the other fans.

Even if noise does turn out to be an issue, you can always do like I did and get a fan controller. They're quite useful. :good:
 
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Ok I got ya now. I figured thats what you meant that it won't produce much heat. I'll take a look at that case you recommended. In case you are wondering why I am making such a big deal about the case, is because since that is the only part you see, my wife is going to get a little picky about not having something too flashy out where it can be seen! lol. So I guess I am trying to keep it to the most simplest looking case, but I still want all the cable management you talked about and good ports up front. It is actually kept in a tower compartment under a desk, but I keep the door off anyways for better air flow so the front and back are wide open at least.
 
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