New desktop for around 25-30k

azbokikr

Broken In
Hi guys,

It's been almost 6 years with my old faithful and humble desktop. A 2.4GHz P4 with 512MB DDR RAM, 17inch Samsung CRT Monitor, 128MB nVidia gfx card and 40+400GB ATA HDDs. I think it is now time to move on to a new PC.The idea is, to first build a basic PC and then have the option of adding on upgrades later, when money permits. So the questionnaire is filled taking this into account.

1. What is the purpose of the computer?
A: Programming (nothing serious just a bunch of simulators and basic developer tools like MATLAB, Xilinx ISE, Questasim etc etc) movies & internet primarily. Need to be able to play 1080p videos. Not much into gaming, max would be F1 2010, Counter Strike 1.6 or GTR2 etc.

2. Are you open to alternate ideas/products giving similar better performance but offering more VFM/ sellers? If not- why?
A: NA

3. What is your MAX budget?

A: Around 25k. Can stretch to 30k. Keep in mind future upgrades. A good mid-end graphics card, RAM upgrades can be put under future upgrades.

4. Planning to overclock?
A: Nope.

5. Which OS are you planning to use?
A: Initially Win XP/Ubuntu. Will switch over to Win7 when the time is right.

6. How much hard drive space is needed?
A: Planning for a primary 160GB HDD for OS and other utilities. And 500GBx2 or 1TB for storage, provided the 1TB HDDs are as reliable as the 500GB ones. WD HDD is preferred. (Has the Seagate bricking issue been sorted out?)

7. What resolution will the screen run at & whats the size of the screen you want?

A: I'm looking at 24". Can settle for a 22" if 24" is out of my budget, but it must be Full HD capable.

8. How would you rate your hardware knowledge from the count of 1-10? (1 being the lowest, 5 being you are somewhat in sync with the current performers and 10 being the highest)
A: 4. Haven't updated my knowledge in over a year so no idea about what's doing well in the current market.

9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
A: I have built a desktop before. I'll be building this one myself.

10. When are you planning to buy the system?
A: Within the next month or so.

11. Are you one of the types looking out for "future proof" configurations?
A: Not really. But, I do plan to keep the system for another 4-5 years atleast.

12. Are there going to be any components that you don't want to include in this new rig? If yes, do mention.
A: Don't need speakers currently. I have a Altec Lansing VS2421 which is doing perfectly fine. New speakers go in as future upgrade.

13. Which city do you live in and are you open to buying from shops from other city/states?
A: Bangalore. Won't be buying from other states/cities.

14. Mention any other points if deemed necessary
A: USB 3.0 is a must. So is DDR3. I wouldn't want to compromise on quality.

And guys, will i need a dedicated soundcard for the current speakers? Or should i bother about soundcards when i do upgrade the speakers?

Also, I'm inclined towards Intel processors. But wouldn't mind AMD either as long as the performance is not affected significantly.


[EDIT] : Will be needing a UPS also. But, that can be excluded from this budget. APC is preferred. Don't want insane battery backup. 20 mins is more than sufficient. Just need it to switch off the PC.

Waiting for your inputs guys.

Thanks.
 
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coderunknown

Retired Forum Mod
Processor: Athlon II X4 630 2.8GHz @ 4.4k
Motherboard: MSI 880GMA-E45 @ 5.8k
Ram: Kingston 2GB DDR3 1333MHz C9 @ 2.3k
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB + Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB @ 4.1k
Graphics Card: -
PSU: FSP Saga II 500 Watts @ 2.5k or Corsair CX400W @ 2.7k
Cabby: Cooler Master Elite 310 @ 1.5k
Monitor: Benq G2220HD 22" @ ~7.5k
Keyboard-Mouse: Logitech Keyboard Mouse @ 0.6k
UPS: APC 650VA @ 2.8k

TOTAL: 31.5k

Cause you included USB 3.0, Full HD monitor, a good UPS, and multithreaded apps, you'll need sell out minimum 31.5k (cost may increase if parts not available).
 

Cool Buddy

Wise Old Owl
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB + Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB @ 4.1k

I think that would be 5.1k (1.8+3.3) so that makes the total Rs. 32700
Can save on the SMPS by buying FSP Saga II 400W or Gigabyte Superb 460w if you don't plan to add gfx card later.
 
OP
azbokikr

azbokikr

Broken In
Hey guys,

Thanks for the inputs.

A couple of questions. How much do the Dell 24" monitors cost? Any other good 24" inch monitors available? Does the motherboard have HDMI port? Same question for the monitor as well. Also, the onboard graphics will be able to support High Def videos right?

Secondly, aren't 160GB hdd available any more? Coz i'm looking specifically for primary hdd and 500GBx2 (Will add the 2nd later if budget is overshot) or 1TB HDD (Still not sure if these are reliable. Any inputs??). Reason being, i want the option of taking out the 1TB/500GB HDD for data transfers occasionally without touching the primary OS HDD. If not the 160GB, 320GB is available?

And lastly, how are FSP Saga PSUs compared to the Corsair? I haven't heard of the brand.

Apart from that, the price seems ok, since i said 30k excluding the UPS. Can you also suggest an equivalent Intel based PC? A core i5 maybe?? Good to have options right?

@Cool Buddy: Although i'm not sure if i'd add a gfx card later or not. Even if i do, it won't be an ultra high end gfx card. I hardly get time to game. Like i said earlier, the only games i'd play, would be the likes of F1 2010 and GTR2 etc. So keeping this in mind, which PSU would you recommend?

Once again, thanks for the inputs guys. Awaiting for further response.
 

Cool Buddy

Wise Old Owl
Question wise answers:

24" monitors cost higher proportionately as churn is very low, normally people go for 20" or 22". You can go for Dell or BenQ, should cost around 12-13k

No use buying 160GB or 250GbB HDD, won't save more than Rs. 200-300 as compared to 500GB.

FSP Saga PSUs are good though not in the same league as Corsair's. Corsair CX 400 can be trusted to supply around 430w with efficiency falling around 80%. FSPs may not be that efficient, but are good.

I'm not good at suggesting Intel configs, no idea about Intel motherboards.

To be on the safer side, I'd suggest FSP 500w or CX 400, price difference is not much as compared to FSP 400w.
 

coderunknown

Retired Forum Mod
Can you also suggest an equivalent Intel based PC? A core i5 maybe?? Good to have options right?

Processor: Core i5 760 2.8GHz @ 9.8k
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P55-USB3 @ 8.4k
Ram: Kingston 2GB DDR3 1333MHz C9 @ ~2.3k
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB @ 1.9k
Graphics Card: Sapphire HD5450 1GB DDR2 @ 3.5k (cause processor doesn't have IGP nor motherboard have. nor any sort of video outs)
PSU: FSP Saga II 350W @ ~1.4k
Cabby: Cooler Master Elite 310 @ 1.5k
Monitor: Benq G2220HD 22" @ ~7.5k
Keyboard-Mouse: Logitech Keyboard Mouse @ 0.6k

TOTAL: 36.9k (market price close to 38k).

Pros: fast processor, USB 3.0/DDR3 motherboard. Full HD monitor.
Cons: only 2Gb ram, graphics card one of slowest available in market, HDD limited to only 500Gb, Power Supply only 350W (no heavy upgrade possible).

you wanted Intel, this what Intel means. pay more, get less.
 
OP
azbokikr

azbokikr

Broken In
Thanks guys! The Intel based spec suggested by Sam is not worth the extra money. I'll stick to AMD itself. Just wanted to know how much would a i5 based PC cost.

I'll be going for a Dell Monitor. Somehow, not very comfortable with BenQ. Haven't finalised on the size. Maybe a 22" or a 24". Have to check out the difference in size at a shop.

And one more thing, how are Kingston RAMs compared to Transcend and Corsair ones?
 

toad_frog09

Swimming, eh??
oops. yes thanks. i becoming weak in maths day by day :(

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In english aswell.
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@evryone, ok ok m sorry this is a junk post. My apologies. Hope you guys dont ream user's skin for posts like these.
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@op, stick with AMD.
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Trying to be worth here.
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Corsair Value ---> good warranty.
Kingston ram ---. good value.
transcend ram ---> don't buy.

I think it should be
Corsair Value ---> good performance.

Kingston ram ---> good value.
transcend ram ---> don't buy/ sell it to americans on ebay.
.
I am not so sure about it, but there isnt any warranty difference between the sticks, is there any?
 
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OP
azbokikr

azbokikr

Broken In
Sorry for the late response..

so whats the final rig?

It'll look something like this, as suggested by Sam.Shab and Cool Buddy, i still need some inputs. Have put my questions in italics:

Processor: Athlon II X4 630 2.8GHz @ 4.4k
Motherboard: MSI 880GMA-E45 @ 5.8k
Ram: Corsair 2GB DDR3 1333MHz @ 2.3k (Part/Model No.?? and approx price is correct?) (Not really comfortable with Kingston RAMs. I feel Corsair will be better. Correct me if i'm wrong here.)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB + Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB @ 4.1k (Thinking of going in for 3x500GB. It'll ensure that i don't lose all my data in case one of the hdd crashes. Mobo has ports for 6 SATA ports so should handle max 5 HDDs and 1 DVDRW right? And the cabinet can hold 11 HDDs??)
Graphics Card: -
PSU: Corsair CX400W @ 2.7k
Cabby: Cooler Master Elite 310 @ 1.5k
Monitor: Dell 22" (model no. and approx price? Don't think 24" is worth the extra money if i can get a 22" Full HD)
Keyboard-Mouse: Logitech Keyboard Mouse @ 0.6k
UPS: APC 650VA @ 2.8k
 

Piyush

Lanaya
Sorry for the late response..



It'll look something like this, as suggested by Sam.Shab and Cool Buddy, i still need some inputs. Have put my questions in italics:

Processor: Athlon II X4 630 2.8GHz @ 4.4k
Motherboard: MSI 880GMA-E45 @ 5.8k
Ram: Corsair 2GB DDR3 1333MHz @ 2.3k (Part/Model No.?? and approx price is correct?) (Not really comfortable with Kingston RAMs. I feel Corsair will be better. Correct me if i'm wrong here.)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB + Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB @ 4.1k (Thinking of going in for 3x500GB. It'll ensure that i don't lose all my data in case one of the hdd crashes. Mobo has ports for 6 SATA ports so should handle max 5 HDDs and 1 DVDRW right? And the cabinet can hold 11 HDDs??)
Graphics Card: -
PSU: Corsair CX400W @ 2.7k
Cabby: Cooler Master Elite 310 @ 1.5k
Monitor: Dell 22" (model no. and approx price? Don't think 24" is worth the extra money if i can get a 22" Full HD)
Keyboard-Mouse: Logitech Keyboard Mouse @ 0.6k
UPS: APC 650VA @ 2.8k


Processor: Athlon II X4 630 2.8GHz @ 4.4k OK

Motherboard: MSI 880GMA-E45 @ 5.8k OK

Ram: Corsair 2GB DDR3 1333MHz @ 2.3k (Part/Model No.?? and approx price is correct?) (Not really comfortable with Kingston RAMs. I feel Corsair will be better. Correct me if i'm wrong here.) OK
both rams are good
u cant go wrong in any case
regarding model no. u dont have to worry
just ask the shopkeeper about brand,size and speed



Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB + Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB @ 4.1k (Thinking of going in for 3x500GB. It'll ensure that i don't lose all my data in case one of the hdd crashes. Mobo has ports for 6 SATA ports so should handle max 5 HDDs and 1 DVDRW right? And the cabinet can hold 11 HDDs??)

3*500 gb is a nice idea and is more secure too
yes for the next query

Graphics Card: - which one??

PSU: Corsair CX400W @ 2.7kOK
but also depends upon the graphic card u choose


Cabby: Cooler Master Elite 310 @ 1.5kOK

Monitor: Dell 22" (model no. and approx price? Don't think 24" is worth the extra money if i can get a 22" Full HD)OK and yes 22" is enough

Keyboard-Mouse: Logitech Keyboard Mouse @ 0.6kOK

UPS: APC 650VA @ 2.8kOK
 
OP
azbokikr

azbokikr

Broken In
@piyush120290: I won't be buying a gfx card as of now. Planning to pick one up after 6 months or so.

Guys, I'm just planning about the future(6-7 months from now) graphics card upgrade here.. Which graphics card will be able to handle games like F1 2010 and other recent racing sim games? I'm not looking at anything highend. What kind of budget should i be looking at? And according to the graphics card, any major changes to the PC config that i need to factor in?

Thanks.
 

coderunknown

Retired Forum Mod
you should be able get HD67** by that time but it require much more power than HD57**. lot more. so not sure if the CX400W will be able to handle it well.
 
OP
azbokikr

azbokikr

Broken In
@Sam.Shab: So should i look at a 450W or 500W? again, suggest the model and approx price please.

Also, suggest a good Dell 22" monitor model.

Thanks.
 

coderunknown

Retired Forum Mod
VX450W "should" suffice , provided you not go for some heavy upgrade every now & then.

sorry no idea about the monitor part.
 
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