Hi! I'm looking for help to build a new PC, as it has been quite a few years since I have done anything much to do with hardware, so I'm really out of the loop!
What I want my new rig to do:
Handle Minecraft, with HD textures, high AA/AF settings, far +64 render distance, and shader packs (incl. reflective water shaders) other settings max, at a STABLE 60 fps @ 1080X1920.
Speedy video-encoding/compiling for some work that I do
Blu-Ray video playback with at least 5.1 (preferrably 7.1) DTS-HD / Dolby TrueHD audio
Twin HD tv tuner card for use with Windows Media Centre.
Options for twin-monitor setups (extend/duplicate)
Wireless networking
Have a good motherboard for as many years of upgrades as is practical
My preferrences, based on ??? reasoning:
Windows 7
Gigabyte
Nvidia
D-Link
Things I'm curious about:
The new dual-CPU motherboards, worth it, or just get a better single CPU?
SSD's Vs. old-school (but fast) HDD's (I don't need a lot of storage)
Power supplies & cases (are they really that important?!)
Which graphics cards are best for OpenGL
Where to purchase parts
Which things I can save money on now, but upgrade later
FYI I'm in country NSW Australia (r.e freight costs), but am heading to Melbourne in a couple weeks, so I might be able to shop at MSY while I'm there. Rough budget right now is around $1200.
Any advice appreciated!
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Everfree Server - A small & friendly survival build server for older 'Crafters.
Well i had a nice little post like how Kruzzik_Kel did, chopping up the post. but my power went out and i lose it all. so, yeah. Although it was more or less what he said. so yeah.
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Proud member of the MCF AWA war of '13! if someone suggests Alienware or Cyberpower, wait for a custom-built list from someone who knows their stuff. Meh Rig
Excellent, and under budget too! Thanks a lot for your help with this.
Ah, my preferrences were just based on brands I have used previously and had minimal problems with, but I am fine with switching to a different brand/type if recommended. And fire?! Damn! I was just thinking that it might be tougher to add more components to a cheap PSU! Good to know.
So, some follow-up questions:
Is an "Antec Neo Eco 80Plus Bronze" the same PSU? ($75 @ MSY)
Would I get any advantage from spending my remaining budget on a better (1150 pin / Haswell compatible) motherboard?
Is this kind of setup well below the need for any kind of fancy liquid-cooling etc? (It might be used in room temperatures up to 35C)
Any advantage from getting an SSD for my system drive, and using the 7200 HDD for my high-write encoding/copying work?
If I get a separate sound card, will I have to run a HDMI connection to my monitor/tv AND one to my AV receiver? Trying to find the audio capabilities of the 7870 card is giving me a headache, but if it's capable of old-school DD 7.1 surround then that at least gives me another option, or something I can save money on now but get later.
I also have 2 Blu-Ray combo drives I can salvage from my old rig (LG is the best all-rounder), maybe the RAM as well.
That case looks boring as hell (it's perfect!), I'll assume it has adequate airflow/filters.
Well i had a nice little post like how Kruzzik_Kel did, chopping up the post. but my power went out and i lose it all. so, yeah. Although it was more or less what he said. so yeah.
Damn! Hey, at least you didn't accidentally F5 like I have SO many times before.... (that's what I get for using the keyboard on my lap!)
Can you tell me what you would change from what was listed above? Or anything about my follow-up questions? Thanks!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Everfree Server - A small & friendly survival build server for older 'Crafters.
1. its a different psu, i would say its ok because Antec is a decent brand, but it has come to my attention that either people have been overreacting, or theres suddenly more depth to PSUs that wasn't there last month...
2. i would say not, but rather a 990fx/990x chipset motherboard and a 8320/8350 would be a better upgrade for less.
3. should be. very few computers require liquid cooling unless you overclock it.
4.Advantage? yes. Worth it? Not really. In my experience an SSD is like tires for a car. they can get you going quite fast, but put great tires (great SSD) in a slow car (computer) and it can only help so much.
5. i would assume so. Windows will allow you to use different outputs. so should work out fine.
5.5. i have no clue what a GPU uses for audio drivers. could be custom for the card, could be HDMI standard, could even be the monitor/tv that decides that, i have no clue to be honest.
6. you may be able to, or you may not be able to. The ram could not be compatible. Also, unless its 8GB, don't bother. And for the ODDs, do you know if they're SATA? 9/10 of blue-ray should be, but it could be IDE which would mean unusable.
Also, you don't have much more of a budget. $100-$150 for the OS. TV ,tuners could be the same price aswell. you will probably end up using all $1200 before shipping.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Proud member of the MCF AWA war of '13! if someone suggests Alienware or Cyberpower, wait for a custom-built list from someone who knows their stuff. Meh Rig
Yes I have 2 X 4GB DDR3 1600 cards in my current PC, and the optical drives are sata connections. Also have a spare tv tuner but it's PCI, not PCIe, so I may have to get a PCIe tv card if the better motherboards don't have the old PCI slots anymore. Also have an OEM disc for Win7, so that should work. It has been used on 2 systems already, so I don't know, but hey, worth a shot! I can always wait another month and save a bit more if it's worth the wait/money (but I really want to get this in about 2 weeks).
Would this kind of build be too slow to get the full use of an SSD?
I just worry that in 2 years time I won't be able to upgrade to a better CPU & SSD etc. if I don't get the new 1150-pin boards... is that a possibility, or just Intel's marketing/propaganda getting to me?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Everfree Server - A small & friendly survival build server for older 'Crafters.
What I want my new rig to do:
Handle Minecraft, with HD textures, high AA/AF settings, far +64 render distance, and shader packs (incl. reflective water shaders) other settings max, at a STABLE 60 fps @ 1080X1920.
Speedy video-encoding/compiling for some work that I do
Blu-Ray video playback with at least 5.1 (preferrably 7.1) DTS-HD / Dolby TrueHD audio
Twin HD tv tuner card for use with Windows Media Centre.
Options for twin-monitor setups (extend/duplicate)
Wireless networking
Have a good motherboard for as many years of upgrades as is practical
My preferrences, based on ??? reasoning:
Windows 7
Gigabyte
Nvidia
D-Link
Things I'm curious about:
The new dual-CPU motherboards, worth it, or just get a better single CPU?
SSD's Vs. old-school (but fast) HDD's (I don't need a lot of storage)
Power supplies & cases (are they really that important?!)
Which graphics cards are best for OpenGL
Where to purchase parts
Which things I can save money on now, but upgrade later
FYI I'm in country NSW Australia (r.e freight costs), but am heading to Melbourne in a couple weeks, so I might be able to shop at MSY while I'm there. Rough budget right now is around $1200.
Any advice appreciated!
Everfree Server - A small & friendly survival build server for older 'Crafters.
if someone suggests Alienware or Cyberpower, wait for a custom-built list from someone who knows their stuff. Meh Rig
Excellent, and under budget too! Thanks a lot for your help with this.
Ah, my preferrences were just based on brands I have used previously and had minimal problems with, but I am fine with switching to a different brand/type if recommended. And fire?! Damn! I was just thinking that it might be tougher to add more components to a cheap PSU! Good to know.
So, some follow-up questions:
Is an "Antec Neo Eco 80Plus Bronze" the same PSU? ($75 @ MSY)
Would I get any advantage from spending my remaining budget on a better (1150 pin / Haswell compatible) motherboard?
Is this kind of setup well below the need for any kind of fancy liquid-cooling etc? (It might be used in room temperatures up to 35C)
Any advantage from getting an SSD for my system drive, and using the 7200 HDD for my high-write encoding/copying work?
If I get a separate sound card, will I have to run a HDMI connection to my monitor/tv AND one to my AV receiver? Trying to find the audio capabilities of the 7870 card is giving me a headache, but if it's capable of old-school DD 7.1 surround then that at least gives me another option, or something I can save money on now but get later.
I also have 2 Blu-Ray combo drives I can salvage from my old rig (LG is the best all-rounder), maybe the RAM as well.
That case looks boring as hell (it's perfect!), I'll assume it has adequate airflow/filters.
Thanks again for the help!
Damn! Hey, at least you didn't accidentally F5 like I have SO many times before.... (that's what I get for using the keyboard on my lap!)
Can you tell me what you would change from what was listed above? Or anything about my follow-up questions? Thanks!
Everfree Server - A small & friendly survival build server for older 'Crafters.
1. its a different psu, i would say its ok because Antec is a decent brand, but it has come to my attention that either people have been overreacting, or theres suddenly more depth to PSUs that wasn't there last month...
2. i would say not, but rather a 990fx/990x chipset motherboard and a 8320/8350 would be a better upgrade for less.
3. should be. very few computers require liquid cooling unless you overclock it.
4.Advantage? yes. Worth it? Not really. In my experience an SSD is like tires for a car. they can get you going quite fast, but put great tires (great SSD) in a slow car (computer) and it can only help so much.
5. i would assume so. Windows will allow you to use different outputs. so should work out fine.
5.5. i have no clue what a GPU uses for audio drivers. could be custom for the card, could be HDMI standard, could even be the monitor/tv that decides that, i have no clue to be honest.
6. you may be able to, or you may not be able to. The ram could not be compatible. Also, unless its 8GB, don't bother. And for the ODDs, do you know if they're SATA? 9/10 of blue-ray should be, but it could be IDE which would mean unusable.
Also, you don't have much more of a budget. $100-$150 for the OS. TV ,tuners could be the same price aswell. you will probably end up using all $1200 before shipping.
if someone suggests Alienware or Cyberpower, wait for a custom-built list from someone who knows their stuff. Meh Rig
Cool, thanks for extra info there.
Yes I have 2 X 4GB DDR3 1600 cards in my current PC, and the optical drives are sata connections. Also have a spare tv tuner but it's PCI, not PCIe, so I may have to get a PCIe tv card if the better motherboards don't have the old PCI slots anymore. Also have an OEM disc for Win7, so that should work. It has been used on 2 systems already, so I don't know, but hey, worth a shot! I can always wait another month and save a bit more if it's worth the wait/money (but I really want to get this in about 2 weeks).
Would this kind of build be too slow to get the full use of an SSD?
I just worry that in 2 years time I won't be able to upgrade to a better CPU & SSD etc. if I don't get the new 1150-pin boards... is that a possibility, or just Intel's marketing/propaganda getting to me?
Everfree Server - A small & friendly survival build server for older 'Crafters.