Need your opinion about a computer I'm buying in the next week

RLUser · Nov 2, 2011, 07:43 PM

Hello everybody,
I'm about to purchase a brand new computer soon.
The reason for this post is that I need your opinion about it.
I'm looking for a computer for programming and gaming.
I use softwares such as Visual Studio,Solaris(VMware) etc
I play games like Battlefield 3 Crysis 2 and so.
Will this computer get this job done? and when I say done I mean well done!

Processor - Intel Core i7 S1155 2600 3.4Ghz – Tray

Cool - Scythe Katana III

Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-P67X-UD3-B3

Memory - (Kingston 4096MB DDR3 1333 CL9) *2

Graphic Card - Sapphire HD6950 2GB GDDR5 Dual fan DIRT3 Special Edition

Hard Drive - (Western Digital Blue 1 TB SATA 3) *2

DVD drive - LG DVDRW GH-24NS70 X24

Enclosure - Antec Three Hundred w/o PSU

Cool fan - Scythe S-Flex 120mm 1600 rpm

Power Supply - Antec TruePower 650W

Takaharu · Nov 3, 2011, 12:01 AM

Take it from someone who knows; 8GB of RAM is not enough for working with Visual Studio and virtual machines. I'd say 16GB minimum, personally. Running only Visual Studio, Winamp and SQL Management Studio the last time I looked I was using 6.66GB RAM. Compiling applications to debug, particularly large ones, will use additional memory if it has it available (beneficially too). You won't need more RAM, it's just a heck of a lot nicer to work with.
Also, go with 1600MHz. There's not a great deal of difference but for an extra £1 or so you can't go wrong.
I use 2GB RAM at work running Visual Studio, 2 instances of SQL Management Studio, Outlook, VNC and usually a couple of other applications on a regular basis. It hurts so much.

Anyway, moving swiftly on...
I'd say at this point hold off on an upgrade unless you're desperate for it; the new Intel and AMD processors are due out before the end of the year and even if the new ones don't take your fancy, they'll force the price down of the 1155 and 1366 components.

If you do, however, decide to go with a new build, consider the 2600K. It is slightly faster than the 2600 at stock speeds and if/when you decide to overclock the K edition will overclock a lot more.
Graphics card, it's a reasonable choice but if you're going for Battlefield 3 consider something with a bit more junk in the trunk; try aiming for a 6870 or 560Ti.

One last thing that would help is a budget that you want to work with. If you can provide that, people can suggest something that will match your budget.

**synthesis204** · Nov 3, 2011, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Takaharu

Take it from someone who knows; 8GB of RAM is not enough for working with Visual Studio and virtual machines. I'd say 16GB minimum, personally. Running only Visual Studio, Winamp and SQL Management Studio the last time I looked I was using 6.66GB RAM. Compiling applications to debug, particularly large ones, will use additional memory if it has it available (beneficially too). You won't need more RAM, it's just a heck of a lot nicer to work with.
Also, go with 1600MHz. There's not a great deal of difference but for an extra £1 or so you can't go wrong.
I use 2GB RAM at work running Visual Studio, 2 instances of SQL Management Studio, Outlook, VNC and usually a couple of other applications on a regular basis. It hurts so much.

Anyway, moving swiftly on...
I'd say at this point hold off on an upgrade unless you're desperate for it; the new Intel and AMD processors are due out before the end of the year and even if the new ones don't take your fancy, they'll force the price down of the 1155 and 1366 components.

If you do, however, decide to go with a new build, consider the 2600K. It is slightly faster than the 2600 at stock speeds and if/when you decide to overclock the K edition will overclock a lot more.
Graphics card, it's a reasonable choice but if you're going for Battlefield 3 consider something with a bit more junk in the trunk; try aiming for a 6870 or 560Ti.

One last thing that would help is a budget that you want to work with. If you can provide that, people can suggest something that will match your budget.

+1 (if I could give out more rep. Stupid limits)

Agree with everything tak said. For the extra $20 (it's around there?) you get ease of OC that makes life so much happier. Go for a 2600K if you want to go S1155.

Also, I'm too lazy to double check, but make sure that board supports Crossfire. I'd hate to see you get a Radeon card and not be able to crossfire it at some point.

Also, if you can wait 2-6 months, newer (more awesome/sexy) cpu architectures are coming out that will kick butt! (Trust me, my 980X makes me sad sometimes).

Judas · Nov 3, 2011, 04:24 AM

i'd also suggest moving to at least the Cavair Black rather then the blues.... the 64mb cache Caviar blacks aren't all that much more and have a nice performance advantage..

then again... i would go as far as to suggest the Seagate Momentus XT 7200rpm 2.5 SATA drives.... 2 of those in raid 0 would be excellent.

Where ever you can.. always try and make sure you have your ram maxed in module size and capacity for tasks like that.... granted 4gb is still plenty for the general computer user today..... 8gb for the job your doing does seem a little on the low side...

tak pretty much cover it all though

OldBuzzard · Nov 3, 2011, 06:17 AM

If your budget allows for it, I would:

A. Go for the Cooler Master 690II Advanced case. Much better than the Antec 300 in ease of installation, plus has a lot more features.

B. Go with the Corsair H-60 for cooling. It's not that expensive, easy to install, and will give you better cooling. Plus, it 'opens up' the interior of the case, and allows better airflow for cooling the rest of the components.

C. Go with a Corsair PSU. With Corsair, you KNOW that no matter which one you choose, it's going to be top quality.

RLUser · Nov 3, 2011, 06:39 AM

Thanks for the replies! I am really appreciate it
Well, I guess that I should get 16GB RAM and I shall do so, however, there's a little problem about the "budget", I live in a middle eastern country, I can't really tell you how much USD dollars are available to me since the prices here aren't the same (higher than rest of Europe, America).
However, you can suggest whatever you like, and if it will match my budget in here, I will consider buying it

I don't know much about the top list of hardware's producers so thank you very much for the new information.

Does the RADEON 6870 is better than the 6950? because in here, the 6870 is cheaper than the 6950.

Can anyone tell me about the motherboard I picked? It has great options and specifications however, someone told me that its chipset is kind of old..

Should I wait for the new CPUs coming soon? I need to buy the computer as soon as it possible because programming is my job, and I can barley work with my current super old computer(Core 2 due.1GB Ram etc..).

Dyre Straits · Nov 3, 2011, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RLUser

Thanks for the replies! I am really appreciate it
Well, I guess that I should get 16GB RAM and I shall do so, however, there's a little problem about the "budget", I live in a middle eastern country, I can't really tell you how much USD dollars are available to me since the prices here aren't the same (higher than rest of Europe, America).
However, you can suggest whatever you like, and if it will match my budget in here, I will consider buying it

I don't know much about the top list of hardware's producers so thank you very much for the new information.

Does the RADEON 6870 is better than the 6950? because in here, the 6870 is cheaper than the 6950.

Can anyone tell me about the motherboard I picked? It has great options and specifications however, someone told me that its chipset is kind of old..

Should I wait for the new CPUs coming soon? I need to buy the computer as soon as it possible because programming is my job, and I can barley work with my current super old computer(Core 2 due.1GB Ram etc..).

For what you're needing the PC for, I don't think you need to wait to do the upgrade...especially considering what you're upgrading FROM.

But, if you don't really need it in the next 2 months, then waiting will make it a better deal due to prices that will come down after the release of the newer items.

As for a comparison of the HD6870 vs. HD6950, check out this review....

Radeon HD 6870 vs Radeon HD 6950 – Performance Comparison Benchmarks @ Hardware Compare

I have two HD 6870s and am very well pleased with them. So, again, once you upgrade from your present system, you'll be very pleased with whichever of the two you go with.

The selected motherboard should be a fine choice. Just be sure to get any newer chipset drivers and a BIOS update if available once you get it installed.

Good luck!

Sihastru · Nov 3, 2011, 10:23 AM

I'm sure he meant HD6970. I will +1 the 16GB of DDR3 (very cheap these days), but I must put in a request for an SSD.

OldBuzzard · Nov 3, 2011, 01:09 PM

I don't know if I'd recommend an SSD.

Unless he has applications that access the HDD a lot, he's not going to see enough increase in performance to justify the cost.

Also, there's the reliability issue. Remember, this is PRIMARILY, a WORK/PRODUCTION system. It needs to stone cold reliable, and from what I've seen so far, SSDs are nowhere near as reliable as HDDs. They have just too many issues.

RLUser

I would STRONGLY suggest that you also look at a piece of software called HyperOS.
HyperOs Systems - Software

It is perfect for someone like you. It would allow you to have multiple OSs, and you could keep a gaming system separate from your work system. By keeping your work/gaming systems separate, you don't risk taking down your work system with some update to a driver/game that hosed the OS. Each system is independent of the other(s).

It also has a scheduled backup option, that will backup your system at specific times. You could do a backup at the end of each work day, so that if for one reason or another, your work system goes down, you can recover in much less time that doing a re-install.

I've used HyperOS for 7-8 years, and it's saved me more "Format C:/ reinstalls" than I can count.

Takaharu · Nov 3, 2011, 01:28 PM

Yup, mis-read as 6850. I'd recommend the 6970 over the 6950 and the 6950 over the 6870.

RLUser · Nov 3, 2011, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dyre Straits

For what you're needing the PC for, I don't think you need to wait to do the upgrade...especially considering what you're upgrading FROM.

But, if you don't really need it in the next 2 months, then waiting will make it a better deal due to prices that will come down after the release of the newer items.

As for a comparison of the HD6870 vs. HD6950, check out this review....

Radeon HD 6870 vs Radeon HD 6950 – Performance Comparison Benchmarks @ Hardware Compare

I have two HD 6870s and am very well pleased with them. So, again, once you upgrade from your present system, you'll be very pleased with whichever of the two you go with.

The selected motherboard should be a fine choice. Just be sure to get any newer chipset drivers and a BIOS update if available once you get it installed.

Good luck!

Thanks for the information!

Today I came to the shop and after a little discussion about the motherboard,
we came across this motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3
can you tell me what do you think of this motherboard? should I get it or not?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sihastru

I'm sure he meant HD6970. I will +1 the 16GB of DDR3 (very cheap these days), but I must put in a request for an SSD.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldBuzzard

I don't know if I'd recommend an SSD.

Unless he has applications that access the HDD a lot, he's not going to see enough increase in performance to justify the cost.

Also, there's the reliability issue. Remember, this is PRIMARILY, a WORK/PRODUCTION system. It needs to stone cold reliable, and from what I've seen so far, SSDs are nowhere near as reliable as HDDs. They have just too many issues.

RLUser

I would STRONGLY suggest that you also look at a piece of software called HyperOS.
HyperOs Systems - Software

It is perfect for someone like you. It would allow you to have multiple OSs, and you could keep a gaming system separate from your work system. By keeping your work/gaming systems separate, you don't risk taking down your work system with some update to a driver/game that hosed the OS. Each system is independent of the other(s).

It also has a scheduled backup option, that will backup your system at specific times. You could do a backup at the end of each work day, so that if for one reason or another, your work system goes down, you can recover in much less time that doing a re-install.

I've used HyperOS for 7-8 years, and it's saved me more "Format C:/ reinstalls" than I can count.

I believe that SSD hard drive is not an option in these days. at least with my current budget, too small volume, too expensive, I can live without it P:

Thanks for the recommendation about the HyperOS, I will consider getting it, it sounds awesome.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Takaharu

Yup, mis-read as 6850. I'd recommend the 6970 over the 6950 and the 6950 over the 6870.

Thanks! I think that I'll keep with the 6950 due budget issue.

OldBuzzard · Nov 4, 2011, 11:27 AM

I have a 6950, and that card rocks. It reminds me of my old 9500 Pro. A lot of performance for the money.

Also, about HyperOS. You aren't limited to just one "flavor" of windows. You can have XP, Vista, and Win 7 in both 32 and 64 bit versions, all on the same machine.

Tipstaff · Nov 4, 2011, 11:59 AM

Whatever your decision, buying now or buying later, seriously consider buying the hard drives now. Prices keep going up on these things day by day, and as the stock on current drives get lower and lower it will only get worse as the months go on.

**synthesis204** · Nov 4, 2011, 03:17 PM

I'd second a non-SSD drive and instead going for 16GB of ram and a 6950 over a 6970.

Why? If you buy a reference designed 2GB 6950, they can (99% of the time, literally) be flashed to a 6970 and you end up saving a significant amount of change. (AMD could not reliably create 6950s naturally so they ended up binning excess 6970s into 6950s, and you can change them back with little to no consequence).

Also seconding the H60, but as long as you don't skimp on the PSU the make isn't *that* important...we just happen to have a ton of Corsair fanboys in here (looking at you, OldB!). Antec, CoolerMaster, Seasonic, Corsair, PowerPC and Cooling, and Sparkle Gold PSUs are all brands I've worked with (in terms of PSU) and all are very good nice.

RLUser · Nov 4, 2011, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldBuzzard

I have a 6950, and that card rocks. It reminds me of my old 9500 Pro. A lot of performance for the money.

Also, about HyperOS. You aren't limited to just one "flavor" of windows. You can have XP, Vista, and Win 7 in both 32 and 64 bit versions, all on the same machine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tipstaff

Whatever your decision, buying now or buying later, seriously consider buying the hard drives now. Prices keep going up on these things day by day, and as the stock on current drives get lower and lower it will only get worse as the months go on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by synthesis204

I'd second a non-SSD drive and instead going for 16GB of ram and a 6950 over a 6970.

Why? If you buy a reference designed 2GB 6950, they can (99% of the time, literally) be flashed to a 6970 and you end up saving a significant amount of change. (AMD could not reliably create 6950s naturally so they ended up binning excess 6970s into 6950s, and you can change them back with little to no consequence).

Also seconding the H60, but as long as you don't skimp on the PSU the make isn't *that* important...we just happen to have a ton of Corsair fanboys in here (looking at you, OldB!). Antec, CoolerMaster, Seasonic, Corsair, PowerPC and Cooling, and Sparkle Gold PSUs are all brands I've worked with (in terms of PSU) and all are very good nice.

I will get the 6950, its a good card and great price in here

Thanks a lot,

Can you guys help me to pick one of 3 motherboards available in the store I buy the parts from?

Gigabtye GA-P67X-UD3-B3 , Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 or GA-Z68X-UD3P-B3?

Sihastru · Nov 5, 2011, 05:50 PM

I would go for the Z68A, just because it gives you the option to run the system using the integrated graphics, just in case your AMD card decides to give up the ghost, and you're involved in a time sensitive programming project at that time. Also I am not sure if the motherboard supports Lucid Virtu tech that would allow you to save a lot of power when you're not gaming, by using both the integrated and the discrete graphics in a much smarter way then it's been done on a desktop platform.

However, if you'd like to overclock, and you decide that having the video outputs available isn't worth it for you, the Z68X has a much better power delivery system. That doesn't mean the Z68A won't handle things, it just means what it means. Could be just marketing.

In any case, you should get a Z68 motherboard, rather then a P67 one. Z68 also has a nice SSD caching feature available (use a small and cheap SSD with your normal HDD), for when you'll decide that a spinning HDD just isn't quick enough when you're building/compiling 5 million line projects.

RLUser · Nov 6, 2011, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sihastru

I would go for the Z68A, just because it gives you the option to run the system using the integrated graphics, just in case your AMD card decides to give up the ghost, and you're involved in a time sensitive programming project at that time. Also I am not sure if the motherboard supports Lucid Virtu tech that would allow you to save a lot of power when you're not gaming, by using both the integrated and the discrete graphics in a much smarter way then it's been done on a desktop platform.

However, if you'd like to overclock, and you decide that having the video outputs available isn't worth it for you, the Z68X has a much better power delivery system. That doesn't mean the Z68A won't handle things, it just means what it means. Could be just marketing.

In any case, you should get a Z68 motherboard, rather then a P67 one. Z68 also has a nice SSD caching feature available (use a small and cheap SSD with your normal HDD), for when you'll decide that a spinning HDD just isn't quick enough when you're building/compiling 5 million line projects.

I have made a decision, I will take the GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3.

My budget got larger so I can afford it.

BTW, can you tell me if 650 True W(Power Supply) will hold this system good?

Intel i7 2600 3.4Ghz S1155

ARCTIC-COOLING FREEZER 7 PRO REV.2

Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3

Kingston 16GB RAM (4096*4) 1333 CL9

HITACHI 2TB 64M SATA3

SAPPHIRE HD6950 2GB GDDR5 dirt3 edition

LG DVDRW X22 Black

ANTEC THREE HUNDRED

COOLERMASTER 120mm SILENT CASE FAN

Thanks for the replies people!

Liqourice · Nov 6, 2011, 09:03 PM

650W will be enough, if it's a good quality PSU. Just don't save money on that bit, it's the most vital part in a computer because if it's bad nothing will work properly.

RLUser · Nov 6, 2011, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liqourice

650W will be enough, if it's a good quality PSU. Just don't save money on that bit, it's the most vital part in a computer because if it's bad nothing will work properly.

Well said.

Do you think I should get another PSU instead of this one?

Should I get more than 650W?

I'd like to hear some recommendations.

Liqourice · Nov 7, 2011, 12:59 AM

I don't know enough about Antec PSU's to say, I'll leave that to others. I make all my builds with Corsair PSU's because I know they work.

Don't see why you should need more than 650W though, unless you plan to get a second gfx card.

Dyre Straits · Nov 7, 2011, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RLUser

Well said.

Do you think I should get another PSU instead of this one?

Should I get more than 650W?

I'd like to hear some recommendations.

RE: PSU, you may want to do a read of the HH Review of the 620W version of the Antec PSU....

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/review...roduction.html

However, if it were my own build, I'd "like" to have something in the 800W range for future upgrade protection.

Takaharu · Nov 7, 2011, 07:52 AM

Getting more than 650W in your system will depend entirely on whether you think you will be expanding your system in the future. Unlike any other components the PSU can move from system to system without the need of "upgrading" so long as the wattage is sufficient for the components that you want to install.
650W will be more than sufficient for the system you're planning to build. Two 6950s and you might be pushing your limit on the load that the power supply can take. However, if you're the sort of person that would rather have a new graphics card than get a matching one for the one that you have then you won't have a problem.

To put it another way - for an extra few bob you've covered yourself for any foreseeable upgrade. 750W will probably break even for cost vs future-proofing.

RLUser · Nov 7, 2011, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dyre Straits

RE: PSU, you may want to do a read of the HH Review of the 620W version of the Antec PSU....

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/review...roduction.html

However, if it were my own build, I'd "like" to have something in the 800W range for future upgrade protection.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Takaharu

Getting more than 650W in your system will depend entirely on whether you think you will be expanding your system in the future. Unlike any other components the PSU can move from system to system without the need of "upgrading" so long as the wattage is sufficient for the components that you want to install.
650W will be more than sufficient for the system you're planning to build. Two 6950s and you might be pushing your limit on the load that the power supply can take. However, if you're the sort of person that would rather have a new graphics card than get a matching one for the one that you have then you won't have a problem.

To put it another way - for an extra few bob you've covered yourself for any foreseeable upgrade. 750W will probably break even for cost vs future-proofing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liqourice

I don't know enough about Antec PSU's to say, I'll leave that to others. I make all my builds with Corsair PSU's because I know they work.

Don't see why you should need more than 650W though, unless you plan to get a second gfx card.

Thanks for the support!

You guys made a point, maybe I should get 750W just for case I'd upgrade my system in the future.

However, I can get PSUs of ANTEC,HEC,COOLERMASTER,SEASONIC and FSP.
I don't know really much about PSU companies but I'd like to hear from you guys what would you get for a system like this.

OldBuzzard · Nov 7, 2011, 01:32 PM

Well, ifyou can't get a Corsair, out of that list, I'd go with the Seasonic.

Takaharu · Nov 7, 2011, 01:50 PM

While we're on the subject - do you rate Corsair higher than Seasonic, OldB or equally?

blibbax · Nov 7, 2011, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Takaharu

While we're on the subject - do you rate Corsair higher than Seasonic, OldB or equally?

Bet he says Corsair>all. :P

Sihastru · Nov 7, 2011, 03:35 PM

Seasonic spanks Corsair's intake fan port.

OldBuzzard · Nov 7, 2011, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Takaharu

While we're on the subject - do you rate Corsair higher than Seasonic, OldB or equally?

I'd have to rate Corsair a WEE bit higher than Seasonic.

Seasonic makes some of the Corsair PSUs. What Corsair does is take one of their "reference" PSUs, and then specifies specific changes to give the performance/reliability that Corsair wants.

Essentially, they take a danged good PSU and turn it into an even better PSU.

OldBuzzard · Nov 7, 2011, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blibbax

Bet he says Corsair>all. :P

ET3D · Nov 8, 2011, 01:24 PM

While I have a few comments about the hardware (like Gigabyte's continued use of BIOS while others moved to UEFI), I just wanted to comment on the SSD that just the other day I read this review of the OCZ Synapse Cache, and it looks to me like a pretty convincing product. As an HDD user this is the first time I'm tempted to buy an SSD drive. I might buy this the next time I upgrade (or something equivalent, assuming more like it come out).

Nov 2, 2011, 07:43 PM	#1
RLUser HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 16 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Need your opinion about a computer I'm buying in the next week Hello everybody, I'm about to purchase a brand new computer soon. The reason for this post is that I need your opinion about it. I'm looking for a computer for programming and gaming. I use softwares such as Visual Studio,Solaris(VMware) etc I play games like Battlefield 3 Crysis 2 and so. Will this computer get this job done? and when I say done I mean well done! Processor - Intel Core i7 S1155 2600 3.4Ghz – Tray Cool - Scythe Katana III Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-P67X-UD3-B3 Memory - (Kingston 4096MB DDR3 1333 CL9) 2 Graphic Card - Sapphire HD6950 2GB GDDR5 Dual fan DIRT3 Special Edition Hard Drive - (Western Digital Blue 1 TB SATA 3) 2 DVD drive - LG DVDRW GH-24NS70 X24 Enclosure - Antec Three Hundred w/o PSU Cool fan - Scythe S-Flex 120mm 1600 rpm Power Supply - Antec TruePower 650W

Nov 3, 2011, 12:01 AM	#2
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,850 Rep Power: 113 System Specs	Re: Need your opinion about a computer I'm buying in the next week Take it from someone who knows; 8GB of RAM is not enough for working with Visual Studio and virtual machines. I'd say 16GB minimum, personally. Running only Visual Studio, Winamp and SQL Management Studio the last time I looked I was using 6.66GB RAM. Compiling applications to debug, particularly large ones, will use additional memory if it has it available (beneficially too). You won't need more RAM, it's just a heck of a lot nicer to work with. Also, go with 1600MHz. There's not a great deal of difference but for an extra £1 or so you can't go wrong. I use 2GB RAM at work running Visual Studio, 2 instances of SQL Management Studio, Outlook, VNC and usually a couple of other applications on a regular basis. It hurts so much. Anyway, moving swiftly on... I'd say at this point hold off on an upgrade unless you're desperate for it; the new Intel and AMD processors are due out before the end of the year and even if the new ones don't take your fancy, they'll force the price down of the 1155 and 1366 components. If you do, however, decide to go with a new build, consider the 2600K. It is slightly faster than the 2600 at stock speeds and if/when you decide to overclock the K edition will overclock a lot more. Graphics card, it's a reasonable choice but if you're going for Battlefield 3 consider something with a bit more junk in the trunk; try aiming for a 6870 or 560Ti. One last thing that would help is a budget that you want to work with. If you can provide that, people can suggest something that will match your budget. __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details

Nov 3, 2011, 06:17 AM	#5
OldBuzzard DH's oldest Geek Join Date: May 2003 Location: Oberlin, OH Posts: 2,783 Rep Power: 145 System Specs	Re: Need your opinion about a computer I'm buying in the next week If your budget allows for it, I would: A. Go for the Cooler Master 690II Advanced case. Much better than the Antec 300 in ease of installation, plus has a lot more features. B. Go with the Corsair H-60 for cooling. It's not that expensive, easy to install, and will give you better cooling. Plus, it 'opens up' the interior of the case, and allows better airflow for cooling the rest of the components. C. Go with a Corsair PSU. With Corsair, you KNOW that no matter which one you choose, it's going to be top quality. __________________ When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY

Nov 3, 2011, 06:39 AM	Thread Starter #6
RLUser HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 16 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Need your opinion about a computer I'm buying in the next week Thanks for the replies! I am really appreciate it Well, I guess that I should get 16GB RAM and I shall do so, however, there's a little problem about the "budget", I live in a middle eastern country, I can't really tell you how much USD dollars are available to me since the prices here aren't the same (higher than rest of Europe, America). However, you can suggest whatever you like, and if it will match my budget in here, I will consider buying it I don't know much about the top list of hardware's producers so thank you very much for the new information. Does the RADEON 6870 is better than the 6950? because in here, the 6870 is cheaper than the 6950. Can anyone tell me about the motherboard I picked? It has great options and specifications however, someone told me that its chipset is kind of old.. Should I wait for the new CPUs coming soon? I need to buy the computer as soon as it possible because programming is my job, and I can barley work with my current super old computer(Core 2 due.1GB Ram etc..).

Nov 3, 2011, 10:23 AM	#8
Sihastru Never been clicked Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 433 Rep Power: 45 System Specs	Re: Need your opinion about a computer I'm buying in the next week I'm sure he meant HD6970. I will +1 the 16GB of DDR3 (very cheap these days), but I must put in a request for an SSD. __________________ There are more things in heaven and earth then are dreamt of in your philosophy. Intel Core i7 3820 \| Corsair H80 \| Asus P9X79 \| Kingston HyperX T1 Black 32GB DDR3 \| Gigabyte 8800 GTS 512 \| 2xIntel X25-M 160GB RAID0 + 2xWD 1TB Green RAID1 \| Asus Xonar DX \| Asus ES2-750 \| Sony OptiArc DVD+/-RW \| Corsair AX850 Gold \| Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium \| Dell 3007WFP-HC2 30" 2560x1600 \| Corsair SP2500 \| Logitech UltraX Premium \| CM Storm Advance \| Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64bit

Nov 3, 2011, 01:09 PM	#9
OldBuzzard DH's oldest Geek Join Date: May 2003 Location: Oberlin, OH Posts: 2,783 Rep Power: 145 System Specs	Re: Need your opinion about a computer I'm buying in the next week I don't know if I'd recommend an SSD. Unless he has applications that access the HDD a lot, he's not going to see enough increase in performance to justify the cost. Also, there's the reliability issue. Remember, this is PRIMARILY, a WORK/PRODUCTION system. It needs to stone cold reliable, and from what I've seen so far, SSDs are nowhere near as reliable as HDDs. They have just too many issues. RLUser I would STRONGLY suggest that you also look at a piece of software called HyperOS. HyperOs Systems - Software It is perfect for someone like you. It would allow you to have multiple OSs, and you could keep a gaming system separate from your work system. By keeping your work/gaming systems separate, you don't risk taking down your work system with some update to a driver/game that hosed the OS. Each system is independent of the other(s). It also has a scheduled backup option, that will backup your system at specific times. You could do a backup at the end of each work day, so that if for one reason or another, your work system goes down, you can recover in much less time that doing a re-install. I've used HyperOS for 7-8 years, and it's saved me more "Format C:/ reinstalls" than I can count. __________________ When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY

Nov 3, 2011, 01:28 PM	#10
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,850 Rep Power: 113 System Specs	Re: Need your opinion about a computer I'm buying in the next week Yup, mis-read as 6850. I'd recommend the 6970 over the 6950 and the 6950 over the 6870. __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details

Nov 4, 2011, 11:27 AM	#12
OldBuzzard DH's oldest Geek Join Date: May 2003 Location: Oberlin, OH Posts: 2,783 Rep Power: 145 System Specs	Re: Need your opinion about a computer I'm buying in the next week I have a 6950, and that card rocks. It reminds me of my old 9500 Pro. A lot of performance for the money. Also, about HyperOS. You aren't limited to just one "flavor" of windows. You can have XP, Vista, and Win 7 in both 32 and 64 bit versions, all on the same machine. __________________ When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY

Nov 4, 2011, 11:59 AM	#13
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,773 Rep Power: 190 System Specs	Re: Need your opinion about a computer I'm buying in the next week Whatever your decision, buying now or buying later, seriously consider buying the hard drives now. Prices keep going up on these things day by day, and as the stock on current drives get lower and lower it will only get worse as the months go on. __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick. Last edited by Tipstaff; Nov 4, 2011 at 12:10 PM.

Nov 4, 2011, 03:17 PM	#14
synthesis204 Dragonborn Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,175 Rep Power: 97 System Specs	Re: Need your opinion about a computer I'm buying in the next week I'd second a non-SSD drive and instead going for 16GB of ram and a 6950 over a 6970. Why? If you buy a reference designed 2GB 6950, they can (99% of the time, literally) be flashed to a 6970 and you end up saving a significant amount of change. (AMD could not reliably create 6950s naturally so they ended up binning excess 6970s into 6950s, and you can change them back with little to no consequence). Also seconding the H60, but as long as you don't skimp on the PSU the make isn't that important...we just happen to have a ton of Corsair fanboys in here (looking at you, OldB!). Antec, CoolerMaster, Seasonic, Corsair, PowerPC and Cooling, and Sparkle Gold PSUs are all brands I've worked with (in terms of PSU) and all are very good nice. __________________ Donate the spare computing power of your PC to help to cure alzheimers, ALS, huntington's, parkinson's disease and cancer: Fold for HH!

Nov 5, 2011, 05:50 PM	#16
Sihastru Never been clicked Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 433 Rep Power: 45 System Specs	Re: Need your opinion about a computer I'm buying in the next week I would go for the Z68A, just because it gives you the option to run the system using the integrated graphics, just in case your AMD card decides to give up the ghost, and you're involved in a time sensitive programming project at that time. Also I am not sure if the motherboard supports Lucid Virtu tech that would allow you to save a lot of power when you're not gaming, by using both the integrated and the discrete graphics in a much smarter way then it's been done on a desktop platform. However, if you'd like to overclock, and you decide that having the video outputs available isn't worth it for you, the Z68X has a much better power delivery system. That doesn't mean the Z68A won't handle things, it just means what it means. Could be just marketing. In any case, you should get a Z68 motherboard, rather then a P67 one. Z68 also has a nice SSD caching feature available (use a small and cheap SSD with your normal HDD), for when you'll decide that a spinning HDD just isn't quick enough when you're building/compiling 5 million line projects. __________________ There are more things in heaven and earth then are dreamt of in your philosophy. Intel Core i7 3820 \| Corsair H80 \| Asus P9X79 \| Kingston HyperX T1 Black 32GB DDR3 \| Gigabyte 8800 GTS 512 \| 2xIntel X25-M 160GB RAID0 + 2xWD 1TB Green RAID1 \| Asus Xonar DX \| Asus ES2-750 \| Sony OptiArc DVD+/-RW \| Corsair AX850 Gold \| Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium \| Dell 3007WFP-HC2 30" 2560x1600 \| Corsair SP2500 \| Logitech UltraX Premium \| CM Storm Advance \| Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64bit

Nov 6, 2011, 09:03 PM	#18
Liqourice HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Stockholm Posts: 1,702 Rep Power: 98 System Specs	Re: Need your opinion about a computer I'm buying in the next week 650W will be enough, if it's a good quality PSU. Just don't save money on that bit, it's the most vital part in a computer because if it's bad nothing will work properly.

Nov 7, 2011, 12:59 AM	#20
Liqourice HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Stockholm Posts: 1,702 Rep Power: 98 System Specs	Re: Need your opinion about a computer I'm buying in the next week I don't know enough about Antec PSU's to say, I'll leave that to others. I make all my builds with Corsair PSU's because I know they work. Don't see why you should need more than 650W though, unless you plan to get a second gfx card.

Nov 7, 2011, 07:52 AM	#22
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,850 Rep Power: 113 System Specs	Re: Need your opinion about a computer I'm buying in the next week Getting more than 650W in your system will depend entirely on whether you think you will be expanding your system in the future. Unlike any other components the PSU can move from system to system without the need of "upgrading" so long as the wattage is sufficient for the components that you want to install. 650W will be more than sufficient for the system you're planning to build. Two 6950s and you might be pushing your limit on the load that the power supply can take. However, if you're the sort of person that would rather have a new graphics card than get a matching one for the one that you have then you won't have a problem. To put it another way - for an extra few bob you've covered yourself for any foreseeable upgrade. 750W will probably break even for cost vs future-proofing. __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details

Nov 7, 2011, 01:32 PM	#24
OldBuzzard DH's oldest Geek Join Date: May 2003 Location: Oberlin, OH Posts: 2,783 Rep Power: 145 System Specs	Re: Need your opinion about a computer I'm buying in the next week Well, ifyou can't get a Corsair, out of that list, I'd go with the Seasonic. __________________ When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY

Nov 7, 2011, 01:50 PM	#25
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,850 Rep Power: 113 System Specs	Re: Need your opinion about a computer I'm buying in the next week While we're on the subject - do you rate Corsair higher than Seasonic, OldB or equally? __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details

Nov 7, 2011, 03:35 PM	#27
Sihastru Never been clicked Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 433 Rep Power: 45 System Specs	Re: Need your opinion about a computer I'm buying in the next week Seasonic spanks Corsair's intake fan port. __________________ There are more things in heaven and earth then are dreamt of in your philosophy. Intel Core i7 3820 \| Corsair H80 \| Asus P9X79 \| Kingston HyperX T1 Black 32GB DDR3 \| Gigabyte 8800 GTS 512 \| 2xIntel X25-M 160GB RAID0 + 2xWD 1TB Green RAID1 \| Asus Xonar DX \| Asus ES2-750 \| Sony OptiArc DVD+/-RW \| Corsair AX850 Gold \| Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium \| Dell 3007WFP-HC2 30" 2560x1600 \| Corsair SP2500 \| Logitech UltraX Premium \| CM Storm Advance \| Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64bit

Nov 8, 2011, 01:24 PM	#30
ET3D Hopeless Dreamer Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Dreamland, near the pool of infinite graphics cards Posts: 3,057 Rep Power: 105 System Specs	Re: Need your opinion about a computer I'm buying in the next week While I have a few comments about the hardware (like Gigabyte's continued use of BIOS while others moved to UEFI), I just wanted to comment on the SSD that just the other day I read this review of the OCZ Synapse Cache, and it looks to me like a pretty convincing product. As an HDD user this is the first time I'm tempted to buy an SSD drive. I might buy this the next time I upgrade (or something equivalent, assuming more like it come out). __________________ ET's Place ET's Place competition list