10-14k Basic Rig. Suggestions needed.

[RaptorX]

Hi Guys.

Well, my friends old pc died a few weeks back and he needs to buy a new one soon, preferably this month itself.


1. What is the purpose of the computer? (Note: If you are planning to say multimedia, you will have to be more specific as all types of systems are capable of doing that)
A:Browsing- Youtube
Desktop Processing
Occasional Movies

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

3. What is your MAX budget?
A: 10 -14k (Can be pushed to 15k if it's really worth it otherwise closer to 10k the better.)

4. Planning to overclock?
A:no

5. Which OS are you planning to use?
A: Windows (XP or Win7) and Linux (Fedora 16 or Ubuntu). Dual boot is a must.


6. How much hard drive space is needed?
A: Will use an 80gb IDE hdd for the time being. Thus mobo should have a ide port.

7. What resolution will the screen run at & whats the size of the screen you want? If you already want have one and want to use it, mention its resolution and size.
A: !9 inch Lcd.

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:5

9. Have you ever or will this be done by an assembler?
A: Assembler most probably

10. When are you planning to buy the system?
A: Before the end of the month

11. Are you one of the types looking out for "future proof" configurations?
A: Unrealistic

12. Are there going to be any components that you don't want to include in this new rig? If yes, do mention.
A: KB/Mouse -
Monitor - 19 inch
Speakers
PSU - A recently purchased 450 rupee intex psu. Unless a better FSP/Corsair PSU is required.
Hdd- IDE HDD

13. Which city do you live in and are you open to buying from shops from other city/states?
A: Mumbai/online retailer depending on the deal.

14. Mention any other points if deemed necessary
A: Note: As mentioned earlier the Motherboard should have an IDE port for my old HDD. Would onboard graphics be needed?

Parts needed:
CPU - Amd or Intel. Whichever is the best value at this price point. Is the Athlon II x2 series still the best bet?

Motherboard - Should have an IDE port for my old Hard drive. (Since new Hdd prices have skyrocketed)

GPU - Onboard?

RAM - 4gb is required. Should I go for 1 stick or 2 sticks of 2gb?

Case -

Dvd writer

Spikeguard- Belkin or any other quality brand

PSU- Unless a recently purchased 450 rupee intex psu will suffice


Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.


Thanks.

 

[thetechfreak]

Component | Make | Price Processor |AMD Athlon II X2 250|2750
Motherboard |Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P (rev. 3.1)|2800
RAM |G-skill F3-10600CL9S-2GBNT|750
HDD |Seagate 250GB 7200.12|3400
DVD Writer |ASUS 24X Sata Black DVD|1150
PSU |FSP Saga II 400W|1900
Case |Zebronics Bijli(w/o psu)|1200
Keyboard & Mouse |Logitech MK100|500
UPS |Zebronics 600VA|1100
| Total |15600

This should be enough. And get the new HDD. Well worth it.

 

[Cilus]

thetechfreak, nice config there. But as OP is not going for a discrete GPU, the Intex PSU will do the job for now. So remove the FSP PSU and with the saved money, add a Athlon II X4 quad core. Athlon II X4 635 is a good choice here.

 

[008Rohit]

Well, I don't know the local prices of the components, so quoting the prices in USD.

15K = 15000/50 USD = $300

I suggest you this sub-$300 build.

Processor : AMD Phenom II X4 960T Zosma 3.0GHz - $125
Motherboard : ASUS M4N68T-M V2 AM3 - $60
RAM : Gskill Value Series 4GB DDR3 1333 - $20
Hard Drive : Use your old IDE drive
Optical Drive : Any Decent DVD Burner - $20
Case : Any Cheap ATX Mid Tower - $20
PSU : Corsair CX430 - $40

Total : $285 = Rs. 14,250

The speciality about the processor is that its based on the Thuban architecture and has six cores on its die with two of them disabled. The motherboard can unlock those two extra cores. (The chance is hit or miss, depends on your luck)

Read the review : Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 960T Zosma 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor HD96ZTWFGRBOX

But, I'd have suggested you an i3 Sandy Bridge build if the HDD prices haven't rised so much.

 

[Cilus]

008Rohit, next time try not to post components with their US price or checking the availability in Indian market. The price conversion from $ to indian currency is not just simple math used by you.
2ndly Phenom II X4 960 is not available in India till now.

 

[d6bmg]

Spoiler

Well, I don't know the local prices of the components, so quoting the prices in USD.

15K = 15000/50 USD = $300

I suggest you this sub-$300 build.

Processor : AMD Phenom II X4 960T Zosma 3.0GHz - $125
Motherboard : ASUS M4N68T-M V2 AM3 - $60
RAM : Gskill Value Series 4GB DDR3 1333 - $20
Hard Drive : Use your old IDE drive
Optical Drive : Any Decent DVD Burner - $20
Case : Any Cheap ATX Mid Tower - $20
PSU : Corsair CX430 - $40

Total : $285 = Rs. 14,250

The speciality about the processor is that its based on the Thuban architecture and has six cores on its die with two of them disabled. The motherboard can unlock those two extra cores. (The chance is hit or miss, depends on your luck)

Read the review : Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 960T Zosma 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor HD96ZTWFGRBOX

But, I'd have suggested you an i3 Sandy Bridge build if the HDD prices haven't rised so much.

Some good/ popular sites to quote Indian prices are: theitwares, primeabgb, itdepot, deltapage, lynx-india, smc. Moreover, remember the points which Clius have already said.

 

[RaptorX]

Thank you all for your replies.

I received the following rates.

THEITWARES

AMD Athlon II X2 260 + ASUS M4N68T-M V2 AM3 - 5750/-

AMD Athlon II X4 645 + ASUS M4N68T-M V2 AM3 - 7300/-

Intel Core i3 2100 + Intel Original Mobo with IDE port - 13500/-

Corsair 4GB DDR3 1333 - 1175/-

Transcend 4GB DDR3 1333 - 1100/-

Zebronics Cabinet with 400 W Normal Power Supply - 900/-

PRIMEABGB

AMD Athlon II X2 260 = 3300/-
AMD Athlon II X4 645 = 5000/-
AMD Athlon II X4 630 = NA
AMD Athlon II X4 635 = NA
Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P = 2700/-
ASUS M4N68T-M V2 AM3 = 2500/-

Intel core i32100 + asus p8H67M = 13600/-
Gskill 4gbddr3 1333 = 1200/-& Corsair 4gb ddr3 1600 = 1600/-
Cabinet case for less than Circle 623 Rs.1000/-

Since I intend to use the IDE port for my old HDD, I need a mobo with IDE port.

Some more questions.


Both, theitwares and Prime have listed i3core+mobo at Rs 13500/- and Rs 13600/- respectively. Is there any cheaper compatible mobo if I were to settle for i3core?

Actually, I wish to buy i3core based rig (first preference) but the high rate of Rs13600/- just for proc+mobo is prohibitive. If the difference between AMD and Intel i3core is about 2K-3K, I will settle for i3core but if it exceeds considerably above 3K then I will consider AMD. But the question comes to AMD Athlon X4 or the superior Phenom, which is shown at a lower cost than its predecessor Athlon.

Surprisingly, the more advance AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6 is listed on theitwares site for Rs 5800/-
and the AMD Phenom II X4 840 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-C is listed for Rs 5200/-

Therefore, is the AMD X4 better buy or the Phenom is better as I can add some amount here and there.

Would you suggest to buy a single stick of 4GB RAM or 2 sticks of 2GB each? What are the benefits of doing so?

Should I settle for Gigabyte or ASUS as I have heard that ASUS after sales service is pathetic.

 

[Cilus]

if you want I3 based rig then get the following:-

Core i3 2100 @ 6K
Intel DH67BL-B3 @ 5.2K
Corsair 4GB 1333 MHz Cl9 DDR3 Value Ram @ 1.2K

Rest will be same.

 

[d6bmg]

Thank you all for your replies.

I received the following rates.

THEITWARES

Transcend 4GB DDR3 1333 - 1100/-

Zebronics Cabinet with 400 W Normal Power Supply - 900/-

Avoid both of them. Specially Zebronics PSU. Remember, PSU is the most important part of any rig. So, don't buy any desi branded PSU like zebronics,intex,frontech etc. For more info see the PSU blacklist thread in Power supply discussion sub-forum.

 

[RaptorX]

Thanks again for the prompt replies.

I was quoted 5000/- for x4 645 (apparently 635,620 aren't available). Looking at Itwares' website, the Phenom II x4 955 costs 5800/- and the Phenom II x4 840 costs 5200/-. Unless I've been quoted way too high a price by both Prime and Itwares for the 645, the other two proccy's seem more appealing.


@d6bmg- I'm aware of the importance of a quality PSU. I asked for a cabinet under 1000 and that's what was quoted.I would either use my 2month old intex psu which Cilus says would suffice, or if it's necessary I'll go with a reasonably priced alternative.

Also, for my usage (Browsing- Youtube
Desktop Processing
Occasional Movies) - would there be any noticeable difference between the Athlon X2, X4, phenom x4 and i3? Would it be negligible?

 

[d6bmg]

For the uses which you have quoted, you can't really find any differnece between Athlon X4, Phemom X4 & i3-2100. But if you use Athlon X2 you can feel the 'slowness' which opening multiple tab in any browser.

As for ITWares, call them before buying anything from them. Many times they don't update their site with latest price. I've faced the similar problem once, when old price was there in their site.

 

[Cilus]

Actually now even most of the day to days apps are getting multithreaded everyday. Browsers like IE9, Firefox 8 or Chrome 14 are highly multi-threaded. So it is wise to opt for a quad core now as it will serve you much longer.

For your usage I don't think you need to get anything over a Athlon II X4 645, settle with that. If you can spend 200 bucks then get the Phenom II X4 840 (Remember, 840 is a Athlon II processor and does not have L3 cache like the Phenom II processors). No point of getting 955 and i3 2100 is simply not required as i3 2100 is a dedicated gaming CPU and no point of spending over 6K for it.

 

[008Rohit]

I dont beleive a Sandy Bridge motherboard to come with a IDE port!

and those prices are way higher than market prices. I've bought i3 2100 @5K. Intel DH61WW @3K, Corsair CX430 V1 @2.3K.

Actually now even most of the day to days apps are getting multithreaded everyday. Browsers like IE9, Firefox 8 or Chrome 14 are highly multi-threaded. So it is wise to opt for a quad core now as it will serve you much longer.

For your usage I don't think you need to get anything over a Athlon II X4 645, settle with that. If you can spend 200 bucks then get the Phenom II X4 840 (Remember, 840 is a Athlon II processor and does not have L3 cache like the Phenom II processors). No point of getting 955 and i3 2100 is simply not required as i3 2100 is a dedicated gaming CPU and no point of spending over 6K for it.

i3 2100 doesn't do that bad in multithreaded apps, too, compared to a Athlon II X4. Then again, its a way better gaming processor. Only concern is the price.

 

[Cilus]

The price of all the components have been increased due to the $ value fluctuation. It was 5K couple of months back and now it is crossing 6K. Check any of the Online shops like theitwares, smcinternational, techshop.in or deltapage; you will get the picture.

Regarding i3 2100, I know it is actually better than Athlon II X4s in most of the multithreaded apps but the thing is OP is in restricted budget and he also doe not need that much of firepower.