Help with a new System

[TomD]

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Hi,

I'm planning on purchasing a new System, and would appreciate any comments and /or suggestions on what I've put together. This system is mainly for general use, but I want something that will last at least 5 years and is very responsive... (I also want to 'tinker' CPU overclocking). I know the graphics card is low end, but I have to include one in the build, and this is the least expensive. I plan on using the on-board GPU and can always upgrade later if needed... but I don't ever seen a need for more than 1 mid-range card.

Here's the system I configured at AVADIRECT.COM ($897 w/delivery)...

# APEX, Vortex 3620 Black Mid-Tower Case, ATX, No PSU

# CORSAIR, TX650 V2 Power Supply 650W, 80 PLUS® Bronze, 24-pin ATX12V v2.31 EPS12V 2.92, 2x 8/6-pin PCIe

# GIGABYTE, GA-Z68A-D3H-B3, LGA1155, Intel® Z68, DDR3-2133 32GB /4, PCIe x16 SLI CF /2, SATA 3Gb/s RAID 5 /2, 6Gb/s /2, VGA+DVI+HDMI, USB 3.0 /2, HDA, GbLAN, ATX, Retail

# INTEL, Core™ i5-2500K Quad-Core 3.3GHz, HD Graphics 3000, LGA1155, 6MB L3 Cache, 32nm, 95W, EM64T EIST TB VT-x XD, Retail

# MUSHKIN, 4GB (2 x 2GB) Enhanced Silverline PC3-12800 DDR3 1600MHz CL9 (9-9-9-24) 1.5V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC

# GIGABYTE, GV-N84STC-512I Rev2.0, GeForce® 8400 GS 450MHz, 512MB GDDR3 1800MHz, PCIe x16, DVI+HDMI+VGA, Full-height/Low-profile, Retail

# SAMSUNG, 1TB SpinPoint F3, SATA 3 Gb/s, 7200-RPM, 32MB Cache, Retail

# SAMSUNG, 1TB SpinPoint F3, SATA 3 Gb/s, 7200-RPM, 32MB Cache, Retail

# RAID, RAID 1 (mirroring), min 2 hard drives required

# MICROSOFT, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, OEM


I can save an additional $20 by going with the following RAM instead of MUSHKIN... is it worth the savings?....

KINGSTON 4GB ValueRAM PC3-10600 DDR3 1333MHz CL9 (9-9-9) 1.5V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC


Thanks,

Tom

 

[MIT]

I've heard there are problems with that board's onboard video, but you should by fine with the discrete. The case is quite hideous too. Why not just build it yourself? It's easy and beneficial for you to do, and you'll need to buy and install a new CPU cooler anyway if you really want to overclock (2500K is a bonafide overclocking CPU). I think it's quite mad to build such a low-mid-rage system for $900; you could be getting something quite a bit more powerful and MUCH more attractive for that much building it yourself.

E.g., for $800, I built this (although some of the parts are used):
CPU: Core i7 960 @ 4.2GHz
Motherboard: EVGA X58 FTW3
Graphics Card: EVGA GTX 480
Memory: 6GB Dominator DDR3 1600
Hard Drive: 2 x 1TB F3
Power Supply: Seasonic 850HT
Case: Silverstone Raven 2
CPU Cooling: Corsair H60
...which is worlds nicer than what you're building. The case alone, the RV02, makes your tower look like a tin can.

I could help you pick out parts to put together. I built my first water-cooled PC when I was 12; I'm sure anyone could put their own together.

 

[TomD]

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Mit,

Are you saying that I could build a better system for less money that includes the i5-2500k? I wouldn't mind putting in the effort, but I priced each of the components in the system individually (at Amazon) and it came out to well over $800... maybe I miscalculated something... I'll reprice again tomorrow at NewEgg...

Thanks

 

[MIT]

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Mit,

Are you saying that I could build a better system for less money that includes the i5-2500k? I wouldn't mind putting in the effort, but I priced each of the components in the system individually (at Amazon) and it came out to well over $800... maybe I miscalculated something... I'll reprice again tomorrow at NewEgg...

Thanks

It takes a good shopper. Building systems economically isn't as simple as adding each part to your cart and finding the total. It takes combos, smart shopping, and a few killer deals here and there to boot. I think you'd be surprised by how much you could save.

Although, I must say, I didn't notice Windows 7 x64 in your parts list. Most builders don't buy it, so that puts a tad of a dent in the savings, but you could still do much better for $800.

 

[CharMz]

check out microcenter for the CPU, there CPUs are cheap!, but you have to pick it up in the store

also check ebay, you can get a retail version of windows 7 ultimate for the price of the OEM of just home prem

 

[Logiwonk]

Get yourself subscribed to Newegg's newsletter and, if you're willing to wait a couple weeks you can pick up great deals on their constant sales.

 

[TomD]

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I understand what everyone is saying, and appreciate your time in giving feedback. Unfortunately I need a computer sooner rather than later and I'm not in a position to piece together a system from multiple sites while searching for the best deal... and on top of all that, I'd have to contend with warranties and returns for DOA parts (but again, I hear what you're telling me). I'm not real technical hardware wise, and it's taken me 2 months to put together a system (I hope) I'll be happy with.

I do plan on a project of building a system from scratch one day... but for now I think I need to buy pre-built. I was all set to buy an HP system for around $900, but then I got brave and decided to piece one together myself (albeit, with someone else building it). So assuming I have to go with picking my components and have it built for me, could you comment on the system I put together (above) taking into consideration how I plan to use it? In particular, the Motherboard and whether it would be OK to downgrade the memory to Kingston ValueRam.

And Mit, thanks for your offer to help me put a system together.


Thanks again,


Tom

 

[TomD]

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Btw... $900 is pretty much my upper limit.


Thanks