aloshan

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Hi All

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 2 weeks from now.

BUDGET RANGE: $800 - $1100

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: playing the latest and greatest games flawlessly,converting/burning/watching movies,surfing the internet

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS


PARTS PREFERENCES: All branded parts , no generic parts. I have already bought a 24' Acer H234H separately with 1920x1080 being its native resolution.

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe (but probably not)
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I would prefer a quiet PC but am not willing to spend to much extra to achieve this

So I have spent the last 2 years with an hp laptop with a broken screen that I had to connect to a 14' lcd and the intel x3100 integrated graphics card. You would agree I need a new pc.

I don't have the time to build my own computer after buying the parts separately. Im pretty much set on the i5 750 and the HD 5850 graphics card after researching these for the past 2 months. I started with a budget of AUS$600 and now have stretched it to almost double that so I am unable to spend a cent more then AUS$1200.

Take a look at the build I found on ebay from a respected computer store and let me know what you guys think. It comes to $1148 with postage.

*
New Intel Core i5 750 2.66Ghz (8MB Cache, 2.5GT/s , 45nm)
*
4GB Kingston Ultra Fast DDR3 Memory
*
Gigabyte GA-P55-USB3 Motherboard
*
ATI 1GB Radeon 5850 Video Card
*
500GB SATA Hard Disk (Upgrade to 1TB for $50 more)
*
Onboard 10/100/1000 Network Adaptor Broadband Ready
*
Onboard HI Definition Audio
*
Stylish Piano Finish Red/Black ATX Tower Case With 850Watt Power Supply


Thanks for your time.

Cheers :D
 
Solution
If you are buying from there:

$249 Intel i5 750
$205 Asus P7P55D-E PRO
$152 G.Skill 4GB ECO Kit
$85 Seagate 1TB 7200.12
$339 HIS 1GB 5850
$30 Sony SATA OEM Optical
$66 Antec 300
$119 Corsair TX-650

$1245

That hd is about the same, since they don't stock the Samsung F3, only the F2.
The graphics is pretty much just a different brand - it has all the stuff the Gigabyte does.
Swapped the PSU, since it's cheap at MSY

That RAM has slightly higher timings, but runs at 1.35V, so it should be able to reach C8 at 1.65V (someone's o'ced this RAM before and it worked pretty well)

If you're planning to o'c, then pick up a Cooler Master Hyper 212+ for $39 from them too.

that total should be a bit cheaper if you count shipping

zhemin

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drop i5 , get a PII 955 or 965 and 790 or 780 mobo get a better case and POWERSUPPLY POWERSUPPLY POWERSUPPLY "450-550watt is sufficient" ( dont u dare get a power supply that comes witha case /DONT U DARE)

+ if go over budget drop the 5850 and get a 5770 ^.^
 

asteldian

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Do not drop to a 5770 at your resolution that would be a mistake.

850W is more than you need and is no doubt a cheap one with case, so you really don't want that.

The mobo is a low end (still very good, but no XFire, no USB 3.0 and no SATA 6gb/s)

What is the speed and latency of the RAM? Ultra fast tells you nothing.

What HDD is that? Ideal is a Samsung Spinpoint F3, but no doubt it is a cheap make you have been given.

Honestly, you are buying a computer to game on, you want to play the latest and greatest of games perfectly. Sounds to me that you intend to spend a lot of time at your computer. You honestly cannot spend 3 hours (max) building it yourself?

This will be your baby, you want to know its parts are good and it is reliable and it is as good as you can buy for $1200. You will not get that from a prebuilt.

If you build yourself you know all the parts are quality and you can get better for the same money.

Aside from the CPU an GPU you esentially know nothing about that build. PSU quality and reliability? RAM speed/latency? HDD quality and performance? Case size and cooling efficiency? Which brand 5850 is it - not a huge issue but can make a difference
 

Somebody_007

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Not all psu's that come with cases are bad thermaltake and antec hips pretty decent psu's with their cases. But no doubt that this one is bad.

I spent 40min building my first system. Cable management and all made it take a lot longer but if you keep your case closed that isn't a must(even if you don't it just ain't pretty).

You're much better of choosing your own components and building it yourself. Or even by a friend or a guy at the store for like 40dollars.
 

Mark Heath

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If you're willing to pick up from a store, then MSY offers some of the best aussie prices, plus they do professional assembly for $70. If you really don't want to pay $70, then I live in Melbourne and can put the components together for you :D

Definitely go for a 5850. I'd pair it with a 955.
 

aloshan

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Wow guys,thanks for all the responses.

Ok so I have something to admit, time is an issue for me,but the main reason I'm buying a pre-built computer is that Ive never built one before and although I am computer literate, I lack the technical knowledge to actually put a computer together from scratch. I have no idea at all.

I'm not that tight, so $70 for a build is well worth it in my opinion and I would gladly pay this.

I think I will take you guys advice and buy the components separately(will this really make it cheaper though). I work from Mon-Sat 8-6 , so most of my purchasing will be done online, does anyone know any good sites where I can purchase individual components?

Also I know this may take some time, but is anyone willing to list exactly what components I need to build a complete computer , and what Brand and type of componants are the best to use. I'm still set on an i5 750 rather then an AMD and I definitely am putting in a HD5850, although price wise this already comes to $800.

Thanks for your help guys.

EDIT: a guy named mosox reccomended this build :

Do you already have the case? Here's an idea:

Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3
http://www.megabuy.com.au/gigabyte-ga-870a-ud3-mb-amd-p188236.html
Intel i5 750 - INTEL CORE i5 2.66GHZ
http://www.megabuy.com.au/intel-i5-750-intel-core-i5-p143260.html
G.Skill DDR3 PC10666 4GB
http://www.megabuy.com.au/gskill-manufacturer-p144445.html
LG LGE GH22NS50
http://www.megabuy.com.au/lg-lge-gh22ns50-retail-pack-p161978.html
Samsung 500GB Spinpoint F3
http://www.megabuy.com.au/samsung-500gb-spinpoint-f3-p144329.html
Antec 550W Antec TruePower
http://www.megabuy.com.au/antec-550w-antec-truepower-p87731.html
Asus ATI EAH5850 Direct Cu
http://www.megabuy.com.au/asus-ati-eah5850-direct-cu-p177433.html

Sub-Total: $1,168.03

Beside the case,keyboard,mouse and monitor , is that all I need to build a complete pc? I also need wireless internet connectivity. Damn I must seem like such a noob.
 

Mark Heath

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I have a feeling that mosox put and amd processor in and you swapped it with a 750.. but anyway

pccasegear.com.au centrecom.com.au both have pretty good prices and they do shipping.

That's an amd motherboard, so it won't work with the i5 750. Asus P7P55D-E PRO is a really good mobo, with proper support for USB3 and SATA3. The RAM I've listed is a bit faster than the RAM you've got

Intel i5 750: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12404
Asus P7P55D-E PRO: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14187
G.Skill 4GB 1600 C8: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12495
Samsung 500GB F3: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=13562
Gigabyte 1GB 5850: http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=26&products_id=44504
Corsair TX-650: http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=74&products_id=33847
Cooler Master HAF 922: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=11652
Sony Optical: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=658_667&products_id=12865

If you don't like the look of the case, then look at these:
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=13772
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12171
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=11207

not sure about wireless
 

Somebody_007

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Building the system yourself is actually very easy and satisfying. There are plenty of guides to take you through the procces. Chances of breaking things are also very very very small. I would take the step into the unkwon as I have done soemtime ago :p.

But if you're really not comfortable with iy then just pay the 70dollars.
 

aloshan

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lol yes he did! I did swap it with the 750. How did you know? Is he a die hard AMD man?. The biggest thing Im scared of is buying a component that isn't compatible with another (like the mobo that wasn't compatible with the i5 750) so Il make sure I run anything I decide to buy pass you knowledgeable folk first before I make the actual purchase.

Also, is there anything in there that will reduce the amount I have to spend by even more , but still keeping a mobo thats USB 3.0 compatible , the Asus ATI EAH5850 and the i5 750. With a case im breaking my budget even more.

PS: the build that you gave me adds up to $1346 which is wayyyy to much.I HAVE to keep it under $1200,there is no room to budge. Don't care to much about looks,as long as the case does its job and the ram looks really expensive. Maybe cheaper ram... Also I see that the 5850 is a Gigabyte ATI one , different from the Asus ATI that mosox suggested. Whats the difference between the standard 5850, the Asus one and the Gigabyte one. im leaning towards the Asus one , i kinda like it more , but its $58 more expensive. Is there anything to justify this price difference?

Thanks you guys!
 

Mark Heath

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btw, if you're not confident in building the system, I safely took off my cpu cooler and graphics card just for the fun of it (I also blew most of the dust off though) and I've only even looked inside a case like once in the past 2 years. I just read through a few guides here and checked my manuals. Computer runs fine, no probs, even though I thought I might break the graphics card and ESD the motherboard :D

 

aloshan

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well truthfully looks mean nothing to me at all, as long as the case offers sufficient cooling and does what its supposed to do. Im not planning to crossfire, but id like that as an option , so if I have to spend $50 more to have that option thats cool , but I wouldnt spend more then that just to have crossfire support. Anything else at all i can cut back on? The price of that ram is bugging me , but if thats what I have to pay for decent ram then so be it.
 

Mark Heath

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For the cases airflow from best to good (since none of them are bad airflow):

HAF 922
Antec 902
CM Storm Scout
Antec 300

You could swap the memory to some slower modules, but you'd only be saving $20 or so and I think it's worth spending the extra bit for the faster ones. If you do use the faster kit though, make sure you manually set everything to the correct speeds, since they'll be running at a slower speed by default. (easy to do, even if it sounds hard)

That's the cheapest quality mobo that support USB3/SATA3 at the same time. (as in the mobo is good quality, but also the cheapest. Not bad quality cheap)
 

aloshan

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Thanks man. Il take your advice and stick to that mobo and the ram as well. Ok so thats sorted out. What about the graphics card. Is it worth it buying the ASUS 5850 instead of the $50 cheaper Gigabyte one? Il definitely be getting a cheaper case as well. If you could pick one , which would be the cheapest case that is adequate for all the components I have? oh and possibly the cheapest power supply that is adequate for my needs.The one you suggested is the $127 Corsair TX-650 650W ATX
 

Mark Heath

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Dang, it didn't post..

The Asus' price tag is because it's better for tweaking if you o'c heavily. Unless you're doing that, go with the Gigabyte.
For the case, I'd go for the Antec 300 (link in previous post) for your budget and needs. For PSU, either go with the Corsair TX-650 (as prevoiusly mentioned+linked) or go with this Antec:
http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=74&products_id=30765
personally I'd go for the Corsair, but the Antec's cheaper, so up to you.
 

aloshan

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Ok so thanks for everyone's help(especially Mark Heath) .This is my final component list:


Intel i5 750
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12404

Asus P7P55D-E PRO
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14187

G.Skill 4GB 1600 C8
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12495

Samsung 500GB F3
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=13562

Gigabyte 1GB 5850
http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=26&products_id=44504

Antec EarthWatts 650W ATX Power Supply
http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=74&products_id=30765

Antec Three Hundred - Black ATX Gaming Case (No PSU)
http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=126&products_id=30263

Sony AD7240SGB DVDRW Black
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=658_667&products_id=12865

Now taking a look at this , is this ALL I will need to build a complete PC(beside a monitor,keyboard and mouse as i already have all of these)?

Are all the components compatible with each other? Will the case have sufficient space for all components to fit in , will the motherboard work with the CPU and graphics card etc.

Does anyone have any recommendations on how I can cut costs further without changing the processor, RAM, graphics card or motherboard?

This build comes to about $735 at pccasegear.com with postage and $560 at centrecom.com.au with postage so thats $1295 together for the complete build with postage. Damn thats alot :sweat: Any suggestions are welcome.

Cheers :D
 

aloshan

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MSY? Don't know where they are.... I live in Sydney south. I figured I'd get the parts and then find a computer store to assemble them for me...
 

Mark Heath

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I have no idea where any of these are since I'm not in Sydney..

Their NSW branches are:

AUBURN Branch
(UBD Ref. 211 P14) Home Centre Shopping Mall Shop 11B, Level 1, 219 Parramatta Road Auburn NSW 2144

Ultimo (CBD) Branch
UBD Ref. (Map 3 A18) or (Map 384 H5) 60A / 558 Jones Street Ultimo 2007 N.S.W. Australia
Corner of Jones Street & Mary Ann Street Frontage To Mary Ann Street, Mary Ann St. Park

Chipping Norton Branch (only serves email and phone based customers)
UBD Ref. (Map 270 D3)
Unit 6, 53-55 Governor Macquarie Drive NSW Chipping Norton 2170

site is msy.com.au but try not to look too long :D

their prices on most components are lower than centrecom, pccasegear and other good online retailers.
Their service isn't very good, but it's good enough as long as you email them (or phone them) your system order before hand and get a quote etc.
 

aloshan

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I added it all up after getting together the components on MSY , and its come to over $1300. More expensive , and thats without labour costs. I've emailed them for a quote , just awaiting the reply.
 

Mark Heath

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If you are buying from there:

$249 Intel i5 750
$205 Asus P7P55D-E PRO
$152 G.Skill 4GB ECO Kit
$85 Seagate 1TB 7200.12
$339 HIS 1GB 5850
$30 Sony SATA OEM Optical
$66 Antec 300
$119 Corsair TX-650

$1245

That hd is about the same, since they don't stock the Samsung F3, only the F2.
The graphics is pretty much just a different brand - it has all the stuff the Gigabyte does.
Swapped the PSU, since it's cheap at MSY

That RAM has slightly higher timings, but runs at 1.35V, so it should be able to reach C8 at 1.65V (someone's o'ced this RAM before and it worked pretty well)

If you're planning to o'c, then pick up a Cooler Master Hyper 212+ for $39 from them too.

that total should be a bit cheaper if you count shipping
 
Solution

aloshan

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thanks man, but how do i get them to build it and ship it?do i actually have to go to the store, cause i work on all of their operating times.Or can i pay buy direct deposit, get it installed and shipped to my address?
 

Mark Heath

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I don't think any of the NSW stores to shipping.. so to get it you do have to go to the store to pick up the system, or at least someone has to. You could get a friend to or something or mb just stick with the online stuff.

btw, I've pm'd you