Gaming & HTPC hybrid budget 90k with 27" monitor

[rahul18348]

Suggestions required for the following?

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: windows 7 x64, autocad 2011, photoshop cs4, play 1080p movies at full res on 27 inch monitor via XBMC, play gears of war, play/record tata sky

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: 90K

4. Planning to overclock?
A: Never

5. Which OS are you planning to use?
A: Windows 7, already have a x64.

6. How much hard drive space is needed?
A: 500GB for OS and apps & 2TB for my drawings & the entire movie/music collection.

7. What resolution will the screen run at & whats the size of the screen you want?
A: 1920x1080, BenQ M2700HD 27 inch (largest available size that i know of)

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: 6

9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
A: yes

10. When are you planning to buy the system?
A: next 10 days.

11. Are you one of the types looking out for "future proof" configurations?
A: Not exactly.

12. Are there going to be any components that you don't want to include in this new rig? If yes, do mention.
A: Speakers, DVD writer.

13. Which city do you live in and are you open to buying from shops from other city/states?
A: Kolkatta.

14. Mention any other points if deemed necessary
A: 1) System should be as low on power consumption as possible but fast enough to run my specific apps i.e. autocad.
2) TV tuner card must be 64bit compatible for windows 7 x64.
DTH.

 

[Jaskanwar Singh]

Intel Core i7 950 @ 15k
Msi X58 Pro-E @ 10k
3 * 2GB DDR3 1600MHz kit @ 8k
MSI GTX460 Cyclone 1GB @ 13.7k
WD 500GB Blue @ 2k
WD 2TB Blue @ 7k
Corsair TX650W @ 7k
CM 690 (Transparent side panel) @ 4.7k
Dell U2311H 23" Ultrasharp monitor @ 15k

Total - 81.4k

27" monitor will be too much. you will need powerful graphics to handle that properly which are not possible if you want low power consumption as much as possible. the above config is sufficient for your needs.

 

[mavihs]

Intel Core i7 950 @ 15k
Msi X58 Pro-E @ 10k
3 * 2GB DDR3 1600MHz kit @ 8k
MSI GTX460 Cyclone 1GB @ 13.7k
WD 500GB Blue @ 2k
WD 2TB Blue @ 7k
Corsair TX650W @ 7k
CM 690 (Transparent side panel) @ 4.7k
Dell U2311H 23" Ultrasharp monitor @ 15k

Total - 81.4k

27" monitor will be too much. you will need powerful graphics to handle that properly which are not possible if you want low power consumption as much as possible. the above config is sufficient for your needs.

it won't matter wat the size of the monitor is if the resolution is the same!

Intel Core i7 950 @ 15k
Msi X58 Pro-E @ 10k
3 * 2GB DDR3 1600MHz kit @ 8k
MSI GTX460 Cyclone 1GB @ 13.7k
WD 500GB Black @ 2.8k
WD 2TB Green
Corsair TX650W @ 7k
CM 690II

 

[Cilus]

I'll go for an AMD 6 core based solution as OP has mentioned a

couple of softwares which will be benifitious from the extra two

cores and gaming performance will not be compromized.

Phenom II X6 1090T 3.2GHz B.E. @ 13.9k
MSI 890GXM-G65 @7.2k
3 X 2 GB Kingston DDR3 1333 MHz @ 6.9k
Seagate 7200 rpm 1 TB (32 MB Cache) @ 3.1k
Cooler Master Elite 430 @ 2.6k
Corsair TX750W @ 6.45k
LG 22X SATA DVD Writer @ 1k
Logitech Keyboard @ 0.7k
Gigabyte GM6800 Mouse @ 0.8k
Benq E2420HD @ 14k or Dell ST2410 HD 24" @ 14.6k
MSI HD5870 1GB GDDR5 @ 22.3k

Total around 79k + 4% = 82k (considering the Benq Monitor)

Now buy some LED Cooling fans and other cool stuffs to decorate tour

system.

Reason:
1. AMD processor is a 6 core one and you will get performance
increase in some of the apps you mentioned. The gaming performance
is also very good and has great over clocking potential

2. Mobo: This mobo has lots of stuff yo make anyone impress. The
best thing is having both SATA 3 and USB 3. It is also having 2 PCI
Express X16 slot and Crossfire is possible at X8 mode. So it is
great for current as well as very much future-proof solution

3. HDD is your choice. You can also go for a 2 TB model. Price will
be like 6.1k. Deltapage listed price for Seagate 2 TB is 5.9k.

4. Suggested a goof Cabinet in looks it is not the champion. Great
for value. You can go for higher end if you want.

5. Corsair TX750 is more than enough for your current config and
also for future upgrades.

6.Suggested a above average Gaming Mouse and Keyborad.

7.LCD panel is your choice. Both are good in their fields. The Benq
one is having lots of feature and very high Performance/Price ratio.
Now its upto you.

8. HD 5870: the king. The best thing in your config. Will run
anything you can throw.

Now regarding gaming performance probably you've heard that Core i7
is better than any AMD offering. Yes it is true. But with AMD, you
can get the Processor + Mobo in a cheaper price and can get a higher
end card. So 1090T + HD 5870 is a deadly combination, better than
Core i7 950 + GTX 460

 

[Jaskanwar Singh]

@ cilus
i7 950 will be better in all the apps that phenom used to be. look at some AT reviews. its better getting dell ultrasharp ips panel for his work. and its even better getting 2 gtx460 768mb in sli as compared to hd5870. now what about the combo of i7 950 and gtx460 1gb SLI.

@ mavihs
sorry i completely forgot the res. he has mentioned.

so i edit my suggestion -

Intel Core i7 950 @ 15k
Msi X58 Pro-E @ 10k
3 * 2GB DDR3 1600MHz kit @ 8k
MSI GTX460 Cyclone 1GB * 2 in SLI @ 27.5k
WD 1TB Black @ 4.5k
Corsair TX750W @ 7k
Cooler Master Elite 430 @ 2.6k
Dell U2311H 23" Ultrasharp monitor @ 15k

Total - 89.6k (fitting your budget)

 

[rajan1311]

arey guys, he wants an HTPC, so its probably going to be in the living room or something, so the elite cabby will not do IMO.

A good,but a little expensive option would be the antec fusion cabby for Rs10k. But then no full ATX mobos, even the i7 would need to go for us to fit the budget.

A modular PSU is almost a must here, the long cables will be a real mess in a small case.

How much the 27" monitor cost? Why dont you just get a 32" LCD TV instead? you will save money,but lose out on image quality...

 

[mavihs]

arey guys, he wants an HTPC, so its probably going to be in the living room or something, so the elite cabby will not do IMO.

A good,but a little expensive option would be the antec fusion cabby for Rs10k. But then no full ATX mobos, even the i7 would need to go for us to fit the budget.

A modular PSU is almost a must here, the long cables will be a real mess in a small case.

How much the 27" monitor cost? Why dont you just get a 32" LCD TV instead? you will save money,but lose out on image quality...

read the first post!
the OP will be using autocad!!!!

 

[rajan1311]

relax dude....read the thread title, so what if he wants to use Autocad? It is still a powerful HTPC we are talking about... My dad uses autocad on his modest c2d laptop....whats the relation?

whats with you all?going for my throat?

 

[Jaskanwar Singh]

relax dude....read the thread title, so what if he wants to use Autocad? It is still a powerful HTPC we are talking about... My dad uses autocad on his modest c2d laptop....whats the relation?

whats with you all?going for my throat?

no no you are just taking us wrong. we are not after you. you are our friend dude.
we just give suggestions so that we can come to a good conclusion.
now let the op reply over that htpc mess.

 

[rahul18348]

I'm overwhelmed with so many choices. Thanks guys! Now i must clarify my needs here. Gaming ability is not my prime concern (can play gears of war on medium/low settings). What is absolutely important is that I get the 27 inch monitor. See i am employed in Railways & i design signalling plans (huge size 2x10 feet long in print) for stations & other stuff like that in autocad. Now a dual monitor setup would have been ideal but it won't look very nice in the living room so i chose a large size monitor which would also work as a tv (using a tv tuner compatible with tata sky). whats the point of getting such a big expensive monitor if i can't use it as a tv and watch my dvd collection on it. None of the posts above say anything about a tv tuner. aren't they readily available in india? I can do with a standard cabinet as it will be hidden in an enclosure but i have to get the 27 inch monitor. I can increase my budget by about 15k. What configuration would that give me now?

 

[rajan1311]

well, the guys got you wrong, they took gaming as the top parameter...

anyways, now that you have cleared it, a 24" and a 27" monitor have the same res, so is it more real estate (screen size) what you need or higher resolution, because then you could invest some 40k on a nice TV and the rest on the htpc...

 

[Jaskanwar Singh]

since you can spend 15k extra you can go with this. as you wont game a lot better you get a single 5870 to avoid that cluster of wires of SLI. this config will also allow you to play everything at high settings.

Intel Core i7 950 @ 15k
Msi X58 Pro-E @ 10k
4 * 2GB Kingston DDR3 1333MHz @ 10k
MSI HD5870 1GB GDDR5 @ 22.3k
WD 1TB Black @ 4.5k
Corsair TX650W @ 6k
CM 690 II Plus @ 5.3k
Benq 27" M2700HD LCD @ 24k

Total - 97.1k

dont hide the cabinet in an enclosure. it will disrupt proper airflow.moreover that cabinet is not something to be hidden. its to be shown.

 

[rajan1311]

Since you are an average gamer, you really dont need to spend that much for running autocad smoothly. You can avoid the i7 and the 5870 and save precious $$$.

Railway plans don't require 3D i guess, so you can probably go for a phenom 2 x4, with 8GB RAM, a GTX 460 (single) or even a HD 5670 1GB if you will do some occasional gaming (@others: he is fine with playing games at med or lower settings,so why spend more?)

Now, you could get a dell sp2309,which is 23" and has a beyond HD resolution (2,048 x 1,152,which mind you,is more than 1920x1200), will be a bit costly though,but well within your budget. If you get a HD 5670, you may get a small cabby as it runs pretty cool and ventilation will not be as big an issue if it were a bigger/hotter card. If you want to hide the cabinet in a shelf, i suggest that you keep the door of the shelf open when using the system...

 

[rahul18348]

Hi rajan1311! So far you've understood my requirements perfectly. I am also tempted to go for a big lcd tv vis-a-vis a monitor but the problem comes with power consumption as well as the resolution you can see below:

BenQ M2700HD Monitor 27 inch
Res: 1900x1020
Power Consumption (On mode): 75W(max)
(Power saving mode): <1W
link: BenQ India | Products - LCD MonitorsScreen Size - 24" & up - M2700HD

LG-26LD340 LCD TV 26 inch
Res: 1366x768
Power Consumption (Typical): 100W
Standby mode: <1w
link: LG 26LD340 LCD TV - The new LG HDTV that will enrich your lifestyle with its exquisite design and vibrant natural colors. - LG Electronics IN

Would a LCD tv turned on for 12 to 14 hrs a day will reflect very heavily on my electricity bills compared to a

monitor since wattage is more. Moreover i visited a few forums where people have problems with overscan on their

lcd tv with 1366x768 resolution & in some cases tv is not getting recognized by graphic card driver. i don't want

to end up with such a problem as this will also be my primary workstation.

 

[rajan1311]

you can always get a 32" full HD LCD TV, they start off at about Rs25k, but better get a good one for around 35k.
For power consumption, since its bigger,it will consume more power,but it is something you can probably live with i guess.
If you get the dell sp2309, you will get a higher resolution, so what that means is you will be able to see more part of the drawing,more screen area even with a smaller screen, I dont know if you will understand that....try to imagine...

Most of the new LCD TVs run fine with video cards, my own LG TV which is almost 1.5 years old runs great as a monitor, just that you have to view it from a distance or else it hurts the eyes really bad....

So can you decide, what you want -> Screen size or higher resolution ?

 

[SlashDK]

^^Rajan he also wants to watch movies and tv on it. So, 27" is definitely a better choice.

Intel Core i7 950 @ 15k
Msi X58 Pro-E @ 10k
3 * 2GB DDR3 1600MHz kit @ 8k
MSI HD 5870 Lightning - 22.5k
WD 1TB Black @ 5k
WD 1.5TB Green @ 5k (for 1TB backup + 0.5TB movies)
Corsair TX650W @ 7k
CM 690 (Transparent side panel) @ 4.7k
Benq 27" M2700HD LCD @ 24k

Total~101k

 

[rajan1311]

I agree, the BenQ 27" looks good,has a remote,but then does it have a built in tv tuner? could not find anything on the site that suggests it does, so he needs that too...

but then, he clearly is not a serious gamer bro, then why suggest a core i7 and 5870 OC? I know he can afford all that,but i feel its not wise to spend unnecessarily,rather give that money to charity (i.e me )

I would strongly suggest that you get a Full HD 32" TV , you can watch TV without having to keep your PC on (in case of internal TV tuner) , some TVs come with some sort of power saving features, if you are that specific on going green, you can choose accordingly.

 

[rahul18348]

Hey rajan1311! If you don't mind, could you please upload some pics of your tv setup as a monitor!

 

[rajan1311]

I had that setup only for a few days when i had some painting work at home, had kept the TV and PC in the same room. I did not enjoy typing work on it much, was too close to the TV and gave me a bad bad headache, you need a wireless keyboard and you need to sit a good 5-6 feet away.

Will look for pics, remember taking one or two..

 

[SlashDK]

Rajan I agree that OPs budget is too much for his requirements. If he wants he can go for gtx 460, p2 1055t and 4gb ram. They should easily suffice.