Hey guys, I'm planning to get a new computer to replace my 7-year-old Athlon XP-powered computer that can barely run a browser anymore. This would be my second computer, but the first that which I choose my own parts.
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: next few weeks
BUDGET RANGE: $700-$800 CAD for the main system after pricematching and sales; a little over is fine. Add up to another $200 for a good LCD screen.
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Web browsing, productivity software, programming (eg. Eclipse), light gaming (mostly older stuff that may require more than on-board graphics), movies
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: OS (already have Windows 7 Pro student license), speakers, mouse (but need keyboard)
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: ncix.com - will be price matching from other sites
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada
PARTS PREFERENCES: non-Asus motherboard (heard bad experiences on Internet about them, and one of my relatives had an Asus board fail just recently)
OVERCLOCKING: No
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: PC should be as future-proof as possible; the idea is "overkill for any task I need right now, but still a good performer for most things for many years to come". Upgrades should not be necessary for at least another 4 years.
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In addition to my original build, I've considered a few, more expensive, options for which would would also have a good future-proofing possibility / current cost ratio.
Option 1: Phenom II X4
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Quad Core Processor 3.2GHZ AM3 8MB Cache 125W Retail Box
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 AMD870 ATX AM3 DDR3 1PCI-E 2PCI RAID HD Sound GBLAN SATA3 USB3.0
RAM: G.SKILL F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH Ripjaws PC3-10666 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1333 CL7-7-7-21 Core i5 1.5V Memory Kit
Case: Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower Gaming Case 300 ATX 3X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Audio
PSU: Corsair VX450 450W ATX 12V 33A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan
GPU: Powercolor Radeon HD 5750 PCs 700MHZ 512MB 4.6GHZ GDDR5 DVI HDMI VGA DIRECTX11 PCI-E
Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200RPM 32MB Dual Proc 3.5IN SATA Hard Drive OEM 5YR Mfg Warranty
DVD writer: LG GH22NS50 Black 22X SATA DVD Writer OEM
Case fans: GELID Solutions GELID Silent 12 PWM 750-1500RPM 120MM PWM Control Fan 58CFM 12-25.5DBA HDB 4PIN
LCD screen: Any suggestions for a good 22-24" 16:9 monitor?
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Option 2: Phenom II X6
Is there much of an advantage for an extra two cores? Is it worth the extra ~$50 compared to the 955?
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 6 Core Processor 2.8GHZ Socket AM3 Retail Box
(Everything else is the same as above)
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Option 3: Core i5
Seems the i5 has better performance per core than the X6 for about the same price. Requires a slightly more expensive motherboard though.
CPU: Intel Core i5 760 Quad Core Processor Lynnfield LGA1156 2.8GHZ 8MB Cache Retail Box
Motherboard: Gigabyte H55M-USB3 mATX LGA1156 H55 DDR3 1PCI-E16 1PCI-E4 2PCI HDMI Sound GBLAN USB3.0 Motherboard
(Everything else is the same as the 955 build)
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One more question: Although NCIX has a PC assembly option for an extra $50, I'd like to have a try at building it myself. However, how risky is building the computer myself? Are there a lot of ways to accidentally damage components? I have done upgrades on my computer, but have never built an entire PC from scratch. Of note, I am a little clumsy; the last time I added a case fan, I accidentally disconnected some USB port connector wires, reinserted them incorrectly, and ended up making a USB flash drive (with A LOT of important data on it) permanently unreadable after plugging it into the port. Of course, that was a few years ago... but then again, nearly a grand's worth of components are on the line this time.
Thanks in advance for any help! Any tips and suggestions are appreciated.
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: next few weeks
BUDGET RANGE: $700-$800 CAD for the main system after pricematching and sales; a little over is fine. Add up to another $200 for a good LCD screen.
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Web browsing, productivity software, programming (eg. Eclipse), light gaming (mostly older stuff that may require more than on-board graphics), movies
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: OS (already have Windows 7 Pro student license), speakers, mouse (but need keyboard)
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: ncix.com - will be price matching from other sites
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada
PARTS PREFERENCES: non-Asus motherboard (heard bad experiences on Internet about them, and one of my relatives had an Asus board fail just recently)
OVERCLOCKING: No
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: PC should be as future-proof as possible; the idea is "overkill for any task I need right now, but still a good performer for most things for many years to come". Upgrades should not be necessary for at least another 4 years.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In addition to my original build, I've considered a few, more expensive, options for which would would also have a good future-proofing possibility / current cost ratio.
Option 1: Phenom II X4
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Quad Core Processor 3.2GHZ AM3 8MB Cache 125W Retail Box
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 AMD870 ATX AM3 DDR3 1PCI-E 2PCI RAID HD Sound GBLAN SATA3 USB3.0
RAM: G.SKILL F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH Ripjaws PC3-10666 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1333 CL7-7-7-21 Core i5 1.5V Memory Kit
Case: Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower Gaming Case 300 ATX 3X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Audio
PSU: Corsair VX450 450W ATX 12V 33A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan
GPU: Powercolor Radeon HD 5750 PCs 700MHZ 512MB 4.6GHZ GDDR5 DVI HDMI VGA DIRECTX11 PCI-E
Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200RPM 32MB Dual Proc 3.5IN SATA Hard Drive OEM 5YR Mfg Warranty
DVD writer: LG GH22NS50 Black 22X SATA DVD Writer OEM
Case fans: GELID Solutions GELID Silent 12 PWM 750-1500RPM 120MM PWM Control Fan 58CFM 12-25.5DBA HDB 4PIN
LCD screen: Any suggestions for a good 22-24" 16:9 monitor?
------------------------------------
Option 2: Phenom II X6
Is there much of an advantage for an extra two cores? Is it worth the extra ~$50 compared to the 955?
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 6 Core Processor 2.8GHZ Socket AM3 Retail Box
(Everything else is the same as above)
------------------------------------
Option 3: Core i5
Seems the i5 has better performance per core than the X6 for about the same price. Requires a slightly more expensive motherboard though.
CPU: Intel Core i5 760 Quad Core Processor Lynnfield LGA1156 2.8GHZ 8MB Cache Retail Box
Motherboard: Gigabyte H55M-USB3 mATX LGA1156 H55 DDR3 1PCI-E16 1PCI-E4 2PCI HDMI Sound GBLAN USB3.0 Motherboard
(Everything else is the same as the 955 build)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One more question: Although NCIX has a PC assembly option for an extra $50, I'd like to have a try at building it myself. However, how risky is building the computer myself? Are there a lot of ways to accidentally damage components? I have done upgrades on my computer, but have never built an entire PC from scratch. Of note, I am a little clumsy; the last time I added a case fan, I accidentally disconnected some USB port connector wires, reinserted them incorrectly, and ended up making a USB flash drive (with A LOT of important data on it) permanently unreadable after plugging it into the port. Of course, that was a few years ago... but then again, nearly a grand's worth of components are on the line this time.
Thanks in advance for any help! Any tips and suggestions are appreciated.