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Buying new desktop and laptop

Discussion in 'Computers & Modding' started by damanali, Mar 10, 2009.

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  1. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    its not the power supply that determines how much power the computer uses. the other components determine that. The power supply just determines how much power is available for use by the other components. If your power supply is rated lower (or close to) what the components draw, then you have a problem. the computer will be unstable and the power supply could blow, potentially surging and taking out other components. If your power supply is rated much higher than what the computer needs (as the 500W) should be, your computer will draw as much as it needs, and the rest of the power supply capacity is headspace so you can upgrade later. It is also a margin in case the breakdown point (the point at which it goes bang) is slightly less than the rated output capacity.

    The reason I specified a number of brands is because they are known reliable brands that are much less likely to have a breakdown point below their rated output than a cheap, no-name brand, and additionally they are a lot less likely to just fail. Remember that all the other components are plugged in to the power supply; if the power supply fails there is every chance it could take other components with it, then you could end up replacing the power supply, motherboard and/or processor (and possibly ram or disk drives too) at much more cost than you would have paid for a decent power supply in the first place.

    Don't skimp on the power supply ;)
     
    Loonylion, Mar 12, 2009
    #21
  2. damanali

    damanali Well-Known Member

    Wow, never imagined that. Thanks in advance! Cause mostly in our family has this tenet: If it works, then its good, its broke, buy a new one. Only my lil sis and dad likes to upgrade, then again, and again which cost more than buy a new unit with the newer tech and parts.

    Ok, add to list: 500 Watt power supply or higher.
     
    damanali, Mar 12, 2009
    #22
  3. damanali

    damanali Well-Known Member

    question for mother boards...

    when you buy a motherboard, does i have a built-in video card and audio card? like for example I will buy an intel brand like this: Intel DQ35MPE
     
    damanali, Mar 23, 2009
    #23
  4. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    don't buy Intel motherboards. Intel only make motherboards for embedded devices, they cannot be upgraded, they come with everything onboard, they needs special expensive power supplies and they're about the size of a dinner plate. you want a standard ATX motherboard, which Intel do not make. Virtually all motherboards have onboard sound, however not all have onboard graphics, and the ones that do, the graphics are inadequate for all but the most basic tasks. If you are buying it prebuilt, then the supplied motherboard you mentioned earlier (the Gigabyte GA-G31-ES2L) is perfectly good enough.
     
    Loonylion, Mar 23, 2009
    #24
  5. ultra

    ultra Guest

    here is a deal for today only,
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811215009

    what a deal! $77 with free shipping!
     
    ultra, Mar 23, 2009
    #25
  6. damanali

    damanali Well-Known Member

    yeah, i'm just trying to make a good specs if i will make a custom built desktop. also, a budgeted one which can be covered by my current fund.
     
    damanali, Mar 24, 2009
    #26
  7. damanali

    damanali Well-Known Member

    Wow, after 7-8 hours of non-stop studying and looking at newegg.com, i found some nice specs, just wish that newegg ships international... not just on US soil...

    PROCESSOR
    - AMD Athlon X2 4850e 2.5GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 45W Dual-Core Processor
    - AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ 2.8GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor – OEM

    MOTHERBOARD
    - BIOSTAR A770 A2+ AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
    - Foxconn A7GM-S AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

    MEMORY
    - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Desktop Memory
    - CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop

    Memory
    GRAPHICS/VIDEO CARD
    - SAPPHIRE 100254L Radeon HD 4650 1GB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
    - MSI N9500GT MD512 D3 GeForce 9500 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

    COMPUTER CASE
    - HEC 6K28BBX585 Black 0.8mm SECC Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case 585W Power Supply
    -APEVIA X-JUPITER-JR G-Type X-JPJGT-BK Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case- ( w/ out power supply )

    POWER SUPPLY
    - hec HP585D RETAIL 585W ATX12V Power Supply - Power Cord Included
    -RAIDMAX QUANTUM RX-700 700W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC SLI Power Supply

    INTERNAL HARD DRIVES
    - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive – OEM
    - Seagate ST3640323AS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

    INTERNAL CD/DVD DRIVE AND BURNER
    - LITE-ON Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache E-IDE/ATAPI 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - OEM
    -SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe – OEM

    READER/ FLOPPY DRIVE
    - Nippon Labs ICR-EE All-in-one USB + FDD1.44" Card Reader w/ 3.5" FLOPPY DRIVE

    I cant make my mind so i choosed 2 of what i think is good, in quality and price
     
    damanali, Mar 24, 2009
    #27
  8. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    don't use foxconn motherboards, a friend of mine has had a lot of trouble with them. Also avoid microATX motherboards as they're harder to work with

    I'd go for the corsair ram.

    I'd get the geforce card as the ram is faster than the radeon.

    Don't get either of those power supplies; remember: Seasonic, OCZ, Antec, Corsair, Coolermaster, Silverstone

    Don't get Seagate hard disks, they've gone to hell recently. Also get 32MB cache if at all possible, the performance is better. Samsung and IBM/Hitachi (GST) are also good manufacturers. Avoid Maxtor.

    HEC case won't fit the BIOWARE motherboard. Don't use mini towers anyway, they're cramped and hard to work in. Stick with mid towers. Also make sure they have decent cooling ability.

    take note of these points and revise your list accordingly :)
     
    Loonylion, Mar 24, 2009
    #28
  9. ultra

    ultra Guest

    micro atx are great. you need these for creating htpc or something small.

    maxtor? i still have a 160gb maxtor that i use as my primary drive. no problems. i even still have my 60gb and no problems. i have a 500gb hitachi though and there are some problems.

    corsair power supply or thermaltake are hot but they are expensive. i like that antec signature 650 but that thing is way too much, like 140 or so.

    btw, newegg.com fucking rock. too bad for outsiders though. they have great deals, like the full atx case i posted a day or so ago.
     
    ultra, Mar 25, 2009
    #29
  10. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    Yes, however they are not good for first builds as they are cramped and harder to work with.

    Maxtor have been utter shit for the last few years. Your disk is probably from before then; recently they've taken Seagate down the tubes too.

    Expensive is generally a good thing with power supplies. My 600W OCZ Powerstream cost £150
     
    Loonylion, Mar 25, 2009
    #30
  11. damanali

    damanali Well-Known Member

    about the cooling stuff, how many fans can a cpu hold? can i put like, 1 for a processor, 1 for the ram/motherboard, 1 for the hard drive and 1 for the dvd drive?

    or is their like a cooler for computers that are like aircon-cool?
     
    damanali, Mar 25, 2009
    #31
  12. damanali

    damanali Well-Known Member

    I'll ask my uncle who lives in the US to buy it for me. I'll just let him fedex it back here in our country.

    Also, what the hell is wrong with intel? its like 3 to 4x the price of other stuff in that site? damn you intel for being so popular!
     
    damanali, Mar 25, 2009
    #32
  13. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    you mean the case, and the answer is it depends on the case. mine has 5, plus one on each processor and one in the power supply. Another of my cases has 7, plus one on each CPU and one in the power supply.

    Liquid cooling or phase cooling, neither of which are for the faint hearted or first time builders.

    will probably cost more than the parts do.

    they've been done for price fixing at least once. they've always been several times more expensive than AMD, and in my experience also inferior in terms of performance and putting out way more heat than AMDs. the Pentium 4s were a disaster for Intel.
     
    Loonylion, Mar 25, 2009
    #33
  14. damanali

    damanali Well-Known Member

    why would cost me more if let my uncle buy it then send it here? is there laws in the US that if its bought there, it cant be shipped out of the country? cause i heard something like that happening with a friend, but that was in china, and its food, not electronics.
     
    damanali, Mar 25, 2009
    #34
  15. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    no, but fedex shipping isn't cheap. They wanted $90 to ship a graphics card from patton's house in california to mine in england; a friend of mine recently ordered a new computer ($1,800 worth of parts). Fedex were wanting $200-$300 to deliver it to him (that's within the US). Also you'd have to pay customs charges to your government.
     
    Loonylion, Mar 25, 2009
    #35
  16. damanali

    damanali Well-Known Member

    what the hell? maybe i should just send it with my another uncle, he will be taking a vacation next month or may here in our country from the US. I just dont know how much it weights if i buy like one of those specs i stated earlier. Cause their is like this "Balikbayan" boxes where those from other countries will put their others things and gifts which cant be carried in their luggage.

    Also, I'm making a new spec, and following strictly your recommendations earlier. I'll post it when I'm done. Good thing I have nothing else to do.
     
    damanali, Mar 25, 2009
    #36
  17. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    he wouldn't get a computer case in his luggage, possibly most other parts, although it's probably not a good idea as airport baggage handlers are well known for swiping valuables out of cases.
     
    Loonylion, Mar 25, 2009
    #37
  18. damanali

    damanali Well-Known Member

    If he will send it to me, i think i should let him build it before sending it, right? What is the probability that will be a DOA as they say? Defective on arrival

    also, what is the purpose of a full tower computer case? is that for like many harddrive and cd/dvd/blueray drives put into the cpu?
     
    damanali, Mar 25, 2009
    #38
  19. damanali

    damanali Well-Known Member

    Ok, here is my new canvassed desktop spec:

    - AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600 Brisbane 2.9GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor

    - GIGABYTE GA-MA770-UD3 AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard

    - CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
    -CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

    - GIGABYTE GV-N96GMC-512H GeForce 9600 GSO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

    - GIGABYTE GZ-X3BPD-500 Black 0.6mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

    - OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS 600W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready Active PFC Power Supply

    -SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

    - SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - OEM

    - Open Box: Nippon Labs ICR-EE All-in-one USB + FDD1.44" Card Reader w/ 3.5" FLOPPY DRIVE

    does newegg charge shipping if i buy all of this at once? or is it by the item? like motherboard 5 bucks, and processor another 5 for a total 10?

    Edit: Edited the memory due to motherboard accepts 1066 not 800
     
    damanali, Mar 25, 2009
    #39
  20. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    if all the parts are good (i.e not DOA) and its packaged properly it should not get damaged in transit.

    Yes, also for computers with more than one processor (as in more than one physical chip, even a quad core processor is still one chip) These motherboard (called n-way boards, where n denotes how many processor chips it has) are bigger than standard ATX boards. They are generally used as servers or high performance workstations (used in computer aided design, engineering, 3D modeling and video editing mainly)

    That set of components looks good, the board will also support a quad core phenom so you can upgrade the CPU at a later date. Nice choice on the Samsung hard disk; I use those myself.

    newegg shipping will be based on total weight of all items, and will depend on whether you use Fedex or UPS, and what shipping timescale you choose.
     
    Loonylion, Mar 25, 2009
    #40
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