14 replies to this topic

[agnl666]

Hi Everyone,

I intend to build a desktop computer though I am not sure where to start. I know a little about hardware though not very much, but I am more than willing to learn!

I was hoping people could recommend components to me. My budget is going to be roughly 1000$ and I want to get as much bang for my buck as I can.

Right now I was thinking

4 core i5 or i7
1 TB storage
4 gigs ram (Though I would like to be able to expand later to 16 gigs)
Decent Graphics Card

Aside from that I know nothing... If people could recommend some parts and maybe say what makes it good I would really appreciate it.

Thanks : )

[lethalwire]

It really depends on what you'll be doing.

Here is 1 build with a good processor and a decent video card:
CPU Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K $220
MB Newegg.com - ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $125
Ram (8GB) Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL $45
DVD Burner Newegg.com - ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - CD / DVD Burners $25
Card Reader Newegg.com - Rosewill RCR-IC001 40-in-1 USB 2.0 3.5" Internal Card Reader w/ USB Port / Extra Silver Face Plate $15
HDD - Prices are ridiculous right now with Thailand floods??? $?(Wait)
Video card - Newegg.com - MSI N560GTX-M2D1GD5 GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $190
Case (midTower)- Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, Computer Cases, Computer Cases, ATX Mid Tower, No Less than $100
PSU Newegg.com - Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply $75
Windows 7 - Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - Operating Systems $100

Price here is $900. I'd wait on buying a hard drive. Prices are soaring...
So this doesn't include a HDD or a monitor. I'd recommend getting a SSD and at least putting your OS on it, but that'll probably put you way over the limit.

Depending on what you'll be doing, you can cut back on certain hardware, and put more money towards other parts.
Also, if you shop around you can catch great deals(coupon codes) from newegg, microcenter, etc.

[agnl666]

Would you recommend Newegg.com to purchase from? I have looked there though a friend of mine recommends TigerDirect and Ebay.

I am also wondering, what makes one mother board better than another?

I don't intend to put windows on my machine which would expand the budget by 100$.

Thank you !

[lethalwire]

What requires you to get a new pc? What will be your everyday functions on the pc? Are you a hardcore gamer( probably not if you're installing a linux distro :p), Video editor, music editor, graphic designer, programmer?

[gregwarner]

I would definitely recommend an AMD processor over an Intel. The price difference between the two is vastly greater than the performance difference. You're not likely to notice any difference whatsoever, and save potentially several hundred dollars. You can get a 6-core AMD Zambezi for around $160, whereas Intel's cheapest 6-core costs $550!!!

AMD Zambezi: Newegg.com - AMD FX-6100 Zambezi 3.3GHz Socket AM3+ 95W Six-Core Desktop Processor FD6100WMGUSBX
Intel Core i7: Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-970 Gulftown 3.2GHz LGA 1366 130W Six-Core Desktop Processor BX80613I7970

Look at it this way: Even if the AMD performs at 90% of the Intel's performance, the price is 29% that of the Intel's! Value is undeniable.

Also, I've never had any problems with NewEgg, so I'm very happy with them.

[mebob]

I have always been an AMD lover but it seems their Bulldozer core is a bit of a flop. If you went AMD I would suggest a Phenom II for now. Maybe the Bulldozers will get better later on. But I can't deny Intel is very ridiculously priced.

Also, I really like the interface of Newegg.

[lethalwire]

gregwarner said:

I would definitely recommend an AMD processor over an Intel. The price difference between the two is vastly greater than the performance difference. You're not likely to notice any difference whatsoever, and save potentially several hundred dollars. You can get a 6-core AMD Zambezi for around $160, whereas Intel's cheapest 6-core costs $550!!!

AMD Zambezi: Newegg.com - AMD FX-6100 Zambezi 3.3GHz Socket AM3+ 95W Six-Core Desktop Processor FD6100WMGUSBX
Intel Core i7: Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-970 Gulftown 3.2GHz LGA 1366 130W Six-Core Desktop Processor BX80613I7970

Look at it this way: Even if the AMD performs at 90% of the Intel's performance, the price is 29% that of the Intel's! Value is undeniable.

Also, I've never had any problems with NewEgg, so I'm very happy with them.

The processor I linked is the 2500k. I bought mine for $200 during a sale. The one you linked is roughly $40 less, and doesn't compare to the 2500k. (IMO)
The 2500k even gives the amd 8 core 8150 trouble. And the 2500k is $70 cheaper. You can also get incredible overclocking speeds out of the 2500k with stock cooling.

But like I said, the OP might be able to avoid all of these processors depending on what they want to do with the machine.

[agnl666]

I am mainly a programmer. I do play video games a bit, and may dual boot with windows, but I can also use play on linux.

I have been recommended the 2500K before as well though looking at the AMD, on Amazon the AMD CPU HDZ955FBGMBOX Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition 3.2GHz AM3 125W is only 122$.

Right now the only thing I know to judge a processor on is the speed and number of cores. Aside from that what really contributes to making one better than the other?

[lethalwire]

Check out benchmarks on the 2500k, phenom 2, etc., to see which are faster and more efficient (and most affordable).
If you didn't want to spend $200 you could definitely switch over to a phenom 2.

[gregwarner]

Benchmarking information needs to be interpreted with your intended activities in mind. Intel's HyperThreading technology may look good on the surface, effectively doubling the number of cores in your system. But this only sees a performance boost with very specific types of activities, namely highly multi-threaded ones, such as video editing. The way the cores play tricks to each run two concurrent threads doesn't always work, and with some types of work, such as I/O heavy operations, it may actually hurt performance.

So unless you absolutely need the 10%-20% increase in multi-threaded applications, it seems perfectly alright to get a non-HyperThreaded AMD processor. If you want to go Intel, just consider the near 300% cost increase for only 10-20% performance increase.

[lethalwire]

Intel has several processors with/without hyperthreading to choose from besides the expensive i7. As far as performance, I can overclock this 2500k and get over 9,000% performance. :p That's the beauty of the Sandy Bridge lineup.

[gregwarner]

Over 9000!?! It's a mistake! It's broken!
:P