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Any geeks here? Want to evaluate my PC build?

stealthyeliminator

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2008
Messages
3,100
Location
Texas
I think I remember that there are some IT people here.. The links I've provided are the ones at the bottom of each item section, any links that are part of the description text are automatically generated ads. Annoying as hell.

Here's what I am planning:
Case - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Why this one: I like the look, I like the carry handles (current PC is a pain in the ass to move, I hate PCs that are a pain to carry), I like the cable management options, I'm a fan of Corsair
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139014

Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
Why this one: I have a hard time putting the time and effort into researching every last component on a motherboard to make sure it'll have what I want when the time comes. This seems to be a popular board, perhaps geared a little toward the gaming crowd. I think it has everything I'll want. Originally I was going to take it a step down, but I believe the next model down lacks USB 3 headers for front panel.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128514

Video card - PowerColor PCS+ AX7870 2GBD5-2DHPPV3E Radeon HD 7870 MYST. Edition (Tahiti LE) 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card (UEFI Ready)
Why this one: I've read articles, or at least an article, comparing video cards for various price ranges. This seems to be a great choice for the price range I selected. This particular card is not a standard 7870, from what I've read, but essentially has "handicapped" components from a much higher end, and more expensive card, which supposedly sets it above other 7870's in performance.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131484

Power supply - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
Why this one: I want as high a quality power supply as I can afford, and I believe this one should be more than sufficient for this build.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020

Processor - AMD FX-4100 Zambezi 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor FD4100WMGUSBX
Why this one: It's leaps and bounds above what I currently have, so I'm hoping it will be sufficient, but I am worried that it's below par compared to the other components. It does seem to be, basically, the bottom end of the FX series. I don't want this to become a bottleneck. What do you guys think? I would really like to not add more cost to the build, but if that's what it takes to balance things, I will.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103996

Memory - CORSAIR Vengeance LP 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M1A1600C10
Why this one: Again, I'm a fan of Corsair. I also like the idea of low profile RAM, and I like the way this sticks look. I selected a single 8 GB stick so that I will have ample room to bump the RAM up as much as I want.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233309

CD drive - LG 24X DVD Burner - Bare Drive 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model GH24NS95 - OEM
Why this one: It's only 17.99 instead of 19.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136259

Hard drives - I plan on using my existing hard drives. Some of them are newer, with SATA III interfaces, but no SSDs.

So, the main things I'm worried about:
1. Missing a component model/brand that is comparable in price to what I've selected, but is obviously more bang for buck
2. The system being unbalanced in power. Even my 6ish year old system manages to play the majority of the games I want, so I don't think it'll have any problem there, but I'm worried that any imbalance will come to light and be a problem in the next few years as newer, more demanding games come out. I'd like this PC to last a few years like my old one, with only minimal upgrades such as an extra stick of RAM.

This build comes out to basically $796. Whatcha think?
 
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Maverick9

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
1,404
Location
Mid-atlantic
I think I remember that there are some IT people here.. The links I've provided are the ones at the bottom of each item section, any links that are part of the description text are automatically generated ads. Annoying as hell.

Here's what I am planning:
CD drive - LG 24X DVD Burner - Bare Drive 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model GH24NS95 - OEM
Why this one: It's only 17.99 instead of 19.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136259

For a desktop it looks good. Good amount of RAM and 1600 is top of the line now.

Would wonder why you're including a CD drive - I suppose because games come on a CD.

What about the monitors? I suggest you get two 20" Samsung monitors and set them up as dual view. You can watch a movie on one and do forums, searches and stuff on the other. Bear in mind that though people spend a lot on the HW, you only have one pair of eyes and you should spare little expense getting the best monitors you can afford (within reason. 20-22" is plenty for a desktop, but beware those with low specs).

Oh yeah, Newegg is the way to go. I had mine built from parts bought from them. (I had a resident geek on retainer who built it for free plus all the pnutbutter and jelly sandwiches he could eat). ;)
 
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davidmcbeth

Banned
Joined
Jan 14, 2012
Messages
16,167
Location
earth's crust
Not a gaming computer clearly or a solid state drive, better graphics card, etc...would be there.

$800 w/o a HD?

Can you get better prebuilt for less? Been a while since I built one ...
 
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()pen(arry

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2010
Messages
735
Location
Seattle, WA; escaped from 18 years in TX
Hmmm.....

I've been building computers from scratch for about 18 years, now. I've come to the conclusion that, these days, unless you're spending ~$1500+ and piecing together a very specific, high-performance machine for a particular task (such as gaming), you can get really good value out of a pre-built, especially since they typically come with some degree of service. This BestBuy pre-built is roughly as powerful as what you've listed, is $200 cheaper, and comes with a hard drive, a keyboard and mouse, and a warranty you can exercise in-person almost anywhere you live. Do I recommend it? Well, I wouldn't buy it, because I'm in that >$1500 market when I build computers. However, if you're looking for a decent, low-cost, low-hassle upgrade, this might be a good value for you. The downside to pre-builts is that sometimes it isn't easy (ocassionally it's impossible) to upgrade individual components. Of course, this can happen with home-built computers, too, particularly when motherboards become obsolete.

You can piece together inexpensive machines for surprisingly little money, if you're willing to do a lot of research, but it takes a lot of research and knowledge to beat the pre-builts on price, simply because PC hardware is sold for such low margins. If you can characterize your requirements better, I might be able to put together a good $800 recommendation for you, if that's your target price.
 

skeith5

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2012
Messages
356
Location
United States
Looks as good as any other you'd get for that price. I have no experience with the video card manufacturer you are using though. When are you looking to upgrade your RAM? 2 sticks would give you better performance than just one of the same capacity. If you are looking at upgrading it down the line I would start with a little beefier of a power supply...
 

stealthyeliminator

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2008
Messages
3,100
Location
Texas
Thanks for the replies guys. I mostly just wanted to see if anyone spotted anything obviously out of balance or knew of a similar priced component to what I picked that might have a significant edge. I just figured, if you already knew, or find it interesting like I do, I might as well get your input!

I don't want to pawn-off my research responsibilities off on anyone, though. I am tech savvy, just don't want to drop that much cash on something without getting some second opinions first, no matter how smart I think I am. ;)

To answer your questions, though, I probably did misrepresent what I need a little. I definitely don't need a "gaming rig" that will play any game you throw at it with max graphics, just a PC for average PC tasks that will run the occasional game like Starcraft II on decent settings when I have the time to actually play it. I may pick up some additional games in the next few years, who knows, but if I have to run the graphics at less-than-maxed settings, no biggie.

Edit: skeith5, did not see your post or any below it before I replied. Someone did indeed bring to my attention that it would be better to have evenly populated RAM channels. Not only that, but it looks like buying in pairs will allow for a pretty significant discount as opposed to buying two individual sticks. I had better just suck it up and get 16GB. lol

Edit again: I have no experience with that card manufacturer either, to be honest. I have been referring to http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-5.html for graphics card selection because I am a research failure and wanted to take the easy way out. It looks like the 7870 LE has been replaced on their list, though.
 
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