Hi everyone,
I currently have the opportunity to choose between two rigs, one for home and the other for work. I do mainly school work at home and would like to work on gaming more in my free time. At work, I don't need anything 'super fast,' but either of these would annihilate the 1.7GHz P4 I currently use. I have not had a desktop before, so either one of these rigs will be better than what I currently have (notebook!
). I would appreciate feedback/input on what I plan to/should do.
Here are the two computer's specs (will post pics/more info if needed):
Computer #1 - Dell Optiplex 760 SFF
OS: Windows XP Pro 32-bit
Case: Small form factor Dell Optiplex 760
Mobo: Dell 0M863N
PSU: Dell H235P-00 235W SFF
CPU: E8400 @ 3.0 Ghz, E0 stepping
RAM: 2 x 1GB PC2-6400, 6-6-6-18 timings (2 slots empty)
HDD: Western Digital WD800JD-75MSA3 (80GB)
PCI-e: Half-height MSI Radeon HD 6450 1GB @ stock
PCI: Empty
Pros: Small. Fits onto my desk leaving enough room for the keyboard and mouse (keyboard, mousepad, then SFF case IS the desk). The graphics card seem to perform well for what I do, and is perfect with the native HDMI out (used frequently). This case also has an eSATA plug-in on the back, meaning I can hook my external HDD up without needing an extra card. There are 2 free DIMMs I plan to put two more 1GB sticks in if I do keep this comp.
Cons: The CPU cores get hot on medium-heavy use (nears 65!) unless I set the fan speed to max in the BIOS (down to ~55). The case gets rather warm too (up to 70) when the fan is set to the standard setting. The hard drive is also rather tiny (it's what came with it). Because it's a SFF case, no full-height graphics cards.
Other Thoughts: I know the case hurts the overall airflow, and I'm not sure if it would be worth it to reapply the thermal compound on the CPU and/or upgrade the case fan. The tricky thing about this unit is that there aren't any free power connectors off of the power supply, so I'd possibly have to set up something to pull power off of the spare PCI slot.
Computer #2 - No Name
OS: Windows XP Pro 32-bit
Case: Antec NSK 4000 II Mid Tower Case (very similar to)
Mobo: ASUS P5GC-MX
PSU: Antec 380W 80 Plus
CPU: E6600 @ 1.8 Ghz (FSB at 800MHz?)
RAM: 2 x 1GB PC2-4200
HDD: Western Digital WD3200AAKS (320GB) ***bad boot sector, clicks***
PCI-e: x16 nVidia GeForce 8400 gs (rev a1) (512MB)
PCI-e: x1 Empty
PCI: Empty
Pros: Lots of room for adding extra drives later on. More space = more options. The rear 120mm fan is fairly quiet. The PSU would let me put a better graphics card in (7950 GT) and still have more room to play with. The PCI-e x1 slot could be useful for later.
Cons: It IS larger, meaning less desk space for everything else. No eSATA off of the mobo. The HDD will not boot, which means I will need to install a new OS on a new HDD (no Linux for this one). The mobo only has 2 DIMM slots, so I'd have to pick up two 2GB sticks (kinda spendy) to get the most out of the system.
Other Thoughts: I could purchase an eSATA converter bracket to put in the back of this case. I can still read data off of the non-booting HDD if I boot via Linux on USB, but I don't think that changes anything. The CPU also gets VERY hot on this rig. I believe the thermal compound used is wearing away (~70 in the BIOS), because the fan is working just fine. The FSB is running at 800 MHz instead of 1066 for this CPU, and I can't seem to figure out why.
Relevent Spare Parts and Other Stuff
-Full-height bracket for MSI Radeon HD 6450
-PCI-e Sapphire Radeon HD 2600 XT (512MB), can output HDCP
-PCI-e Sparkle GeForce 7950 GT (512MB), can output HDCP
-PCI-e ATI Radeon 2400 xt (Half-Height) (DVS-59) (512MB), this one overclocks like a champ!
-E6300 CPU
-Dual-Link DVI to HDMI converter (originally bought thinking I was going to use it on the 2600 XT)
-500GB HDD (empty) planning to use as an external via eSATA
-1280x1024 19" Dell monitor
My thoughts on what I should do:
Check to see if the E6300 also has a reduced FSB on the P5GC-MX. Swap out the CPUs (E8400 in the ASUS mobo) and hope that the motherboard lets it run at its 1333MHz FSB. Apply a decent TIM. Find a way to replace the HDD and OS for cheap. Put the 7950 GT on the ASUS mobo. Sell the 2400/2600 xt. Keep the HD 6450 as a backup. Use the SFF comp for work use. Find a way to make my desk an extra 3 inches wider.
My main question is, which computer do you think I should keep for home use?
Which parts do you recommend me keeping the same/swapping out/selling? Is there a way to check to see that the mobo with the E6600 isn't malfunctioning?Should I invest in some thermal compound? Should I sell the more expensive rig and put that toward a cheap Ivy Bridge Pentium build (with Win7)?
Thanks in advance for any help.
I currently have the opportunity to choose between two rigs, one for home and the other for work. I do mainly school work at home and would like to work on gaming more in my free time. At work, I don't need anything 'super fast,' but either of these would annihilate the 1.7GHz P4 I currently use. I have not had a desktop before, so either one of these rigs will be better than what I currently have (notebook!
). I would appreciate feedback/input on what I plan to/should do.Here are the two computer's specs (will post pics/more info if needed):
Computer #1 - Dell Optiplex 760 SFF
OS: Windows XP Pro 32-bit
Case: Small form factor Dell Optiplex 760
Mobo: Dell 0M863N
PSU: Dell H235P-00 235W SFF
CPU: E8400 @ 3.0 Ghz, E0 stepping
RAM: 2 x 1GB PC2-6400, 6-6-6-18 timings (2 slots empty)
HDD: Western Digital WD800JD-75MSA3 (80GB)
PCI-e: Half-height MSI Radeon HD 6450 1GB @ stock
PCI: Empty
Pros: Small. Fits onto my desk leaving enough room for the keyboard and mouse (keyboard, mousepad, then SFF case IS the desk). The graphics card seem to perform well for what I do, and is perfect with the native HDMI out (used frequently). This case also has an eSATA plug-in on the back, meaning I can hook my external HDD up without needing an extra card. There are 2 free DIMMs I plan to put two more 1GB sticks in if I do keep this comp.
Cons: The CPU cores get hot on medium-heavy use (nears 65!) unless I set the fan speed to max in the BIOS (down to ~55). The case gets rather warm too (up to 70) when the fan is set to the standard setting. The hard drive is also rather tiny (it's what came with it). Because it's a SFF case, no full-height graphics cards.
Other Thoughts: I know the case hurts the overall airflow, and I'm not sure if it would be worth it to reapply the thermal compound on the CPU and/or upgrade the case fan. The tricky thing about this unit is that there aren't any free power connectors off of the power supply, so I'd possibly have to set up something to pull power off of the spare PCI slot.
Computer #2 - No Name
OS: Windows XP Pro 32-bit
Case: Antec NSK 4000 II Mid Tower Case (very similar to)
Mobo: ASUS P5GC-MX
PSU: Antec 380W 80 Plus
CPU: E6600 @ 1.8 Ghz (FSB at 800MHz?)
RAM: 2 x 1GB PC2-4200
HDD: Western Digital WD3200AAKS (320GB) ***bad boot sector, clicks***
PCI-e: x16 nVidia GeForce 8400 gs (rev a1) (512MB)
PCI-e: x1 Empty
PCI: Empty
Pros: Lots of room for adding extra drives later on. More space = more options. The rear 120mm fan is fairly quiet. The PSU would let me put a better graphics card in (7950 GT) and still have more room to play with. The PCI-e x1 slot could be useful for later.
Cons: It IS larger, meaning less desk space for everything else. No eSATA off of the mobo. The HDD will not boot, which means I will need to install a new OS on a new HDD (no Linux for this one). The mobo only has 2 DIMM slots, so I'd have to pick up two 2GB sticks (kinda spendy) to get the most out of the system.
Other Thoughts: I could purchase an eSATA converter bracket to put in the back of this case. I can still read data off of the non-booting HDD if I boot via Linux on USB, but I don't think that changes anything. The CPU also gets VERY hot on this rig. I believe the thermal compound used is wearing away (~70 in the BIOS), because the fan is working just fine. The FSB is running at 800 MHz instead of 1066 for this CPU, and I can't seem to figure out why.
Relevent Spare Parts and Other Stuff
-Full-height bracket for MSI Radeon HD 6450
-PCI-e Sapphire Radeon HD 2600 XT (512MB), can output HDCP
-PCI-e Sparkle GeForce 7950 GT (512MB), can output HDCP
-PCI-e ATI Radeon 2400 xt (Half-Height) (DVS-59) (512MB), this one overclocks like a champ!
-E6300 CPU
-Dual-Link DVI to HDMI converter (originally bought thinking I was going to use it on the 2600 XT)
-500GB HDD (empty) planning to use as an external via eSATA
-1280x1024 19" Dell monitor
My thoughts on what I should do:
Check to see if the E6300 also has a reduced FSB on the P5GC-MX. Swap out the CPUs (E8400 in the ASUS mobo) and hope that the motherboard lets it run at its 1333MHz FSB. Apply a decent TIM. Find a way to replace the HDD and OS for cheap. Put the 7950 GT on the ASUS mobo. Sell the 2400/2600 xt. Keep the HD 6450 as a backup. Use the SFF comp for work use. Find a way to make my desk an extra 3 inches wider.
My main question is, which computer do you think I should keep for home use?
Which parts do you recommend me keeping the same/swapping out/selling? Is there a way to check to see that the mobo with the E6600 isn't malfunctioning?Should I invest in some thermal compound? Should I sell the more expensive rig and put that toward a cheap Ivy Bridge Pentium build (with Win7)?
Thanks in advance for any help.
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