Multimedia cum Gaming rig around 40K

[Lord073]

Hello guys. I'm planning to buy a new PC around 40k. Please suggest me a good configuration. Looking forward to your valuable suggestions.....

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: Gaming, 3D modelling, Photo & Video editing, Watching HD movies, Surfing.

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: 40k.

4. Planning to overclock?
A: No.

5. Which OS are you planning to use?
A: Windows 7.

6. How much hard drive space is needed?
A: 500 GB.

7. What resolution will the screen run at & whats the size of the screen you want?
A: A 22-inch monitor running at 1680x1050.

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.

9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
A: No, by an assembler.

10. When are you planning to buy the system?
A: Within 2-3 weeks.

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

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

13. Which city do you live in and are you open to buying from shops from other city/states?
A: Trivandrum. I'll buy from a local dealer only.

14. Mention any other points if deemed necessary
A: Please include UPS, Speakers and a Headphone in that rig also.
Please suggest both Intel and AMD configurations.
Also, do let me know if the prices are going to fall in the next couple of months. I'm willing to wait if there is any significant price drop.

Lastly, I want to ask a question. I want suggestions for a good Laptop around 45k for my cousin. Should I create a new thread for that or it can be done in this thread itself?

 

[Jaskanwar Singh]

AMD Athlon II x4 635 @ 5k
Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H @ 4.5k
2 * 2GB DDR3 1333MHz @ 4.6k
Zotac GTS450 1GB @ 8k
WD 500GB Blue @ 2k
LG H55N DVD @ 1k
Corsair CX400W @ 2.7k
CM elite 310 @ 1.5k
Dell S2009W 20" @ 6.5k
Creative SBS A200 @ 1.3k
APC 650va @ 3k

Total - 40.1k

 

[Cilus]

@ 4ok budget AMD is the way to go. But one thing, today almost all the 22" monitors are full HD and runs at 1920X1080. The resolution you've mentioned is actually the resolution of typical 20" monitor. So I'll suggest both of them

Processor: Phenom II X4 955 3.2 GHz (6 MB L3 Cache) @ 7.7k
Motherboard: Gigabyte GMA880-UD2H @ 4.5k
Ram: 2 X 2 GB Kingston 1333 MHz DDR3 C9 @ 4.4k
HDD: Seagate/WD 500 GB SATA @ 1.75k
Optical Drive: LG 22X SATA DVD Writer @ 1k
Cabinet: Cooler Master Elite 310 @ 1.5k
SMPS/PSU: Gigabyte 80 Plus Active PFC 460W @ 2.2k
Keyboard & Mouse: Logitech Multimedia Keyboard/Mouse Combo @ 0.8k
Display: BenQ 22" G2220 FULL HD LCD Monitor @ 7.5k or BenQ G2020HD 20" LCD Monitor @ 6.5k (max: 1600X900)
Graphics Card: Zotac GTS450 1GB GDDR5 @ 8.2k or Biostar HD5770 1GB GDDR5 @ 8.7k

Total is coming 39.05k considering the 20" display, otherwise if fill HD one is considered it will be 1k more. Now my suggestion will be stick with the 20" version because for playing game fluently in 1920X1080p resolution, you need at least HD 5830 or GTX 460 1 GB.

 

[Jaskanwar Singh]

cilus he needs ups and speakers too.

 

[Lord073]

Thanks for your suggestions.

Both the suggested configurations look good. I am ok with the following components:
2 x 2 GB Kingston 1333 MHz DDR3 C9
LG H55N DVD-writer
Cooler Master Elite 310
Gigabyte 80 Plus Active PFC 460W (I would've gone with the Corsair CX400W but I doubt that if 400W is enough to handle this configuration. Hope the Gigabyte PSU is reliable.)
Logitech Multimedia Keyboard/Mouse Combo
Creative SBS A200
APC 650VA

I have few querries about the rest of the components:
Does the Gigabyte motherboard has all solid-state caps ?
Which HDD is more reliable-WD Blue or Seagate?
The Zotac GTS450 1 GB GDDR5 and the Biostar HD 5770 1 GB GDDR5 are almost similarly priced. Which one would be better?
What about the AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0 GHz? I think it's performance lies somewhere between the Athlon II X4 635 & Phenom II X4 955. How much will it cost me?
A 20" monitor is sufficient for me if it runs at 1680x1050. It might sound weird, but I don't like the ultra-widescreen i.e. 16:9 aspect ratio. That's why I am avoiding full HD monitors.

 

[Cilus]

cilus he needs ups and speakers too.

Well Jas, thanks for pointing it out. If the OP wants some decent speaker as well as UPS, then Athlon II is the way to go.

Now Lord073, tour queries:

Yes, Gigabyte mobos are solid capacitor based and they have very good build quality.

In HDD case, both the brands are good. But in India sell of Seagate HDDs are greater than other brands. But a lot of review sites stated that WD Hdds are having little better performance. Buy the HDD based on the to the availability and after sell service of the company in your locality.

And performance wise Radeon HD 5770 is better performer than Geforce GTS 450. But you will get CUDA and PhysX support.

 

[SlashDK]

Thanks for your suggestions.

Both the suggested configurations look good. I am ok with the following components:
2 x 2 GB Kingston 1333 MHz DDR3 C9
LG H55N DVD-writer
Cooler Master Elite 310
Gigabyte 80 Plus Active PFC 460W (I would've gone with the Corsair CX400W but I doubt that if 400W is enough to handle this configuration. Hope the Gigabyte PSU is reliable.)
Logitech Multimedia Keyboard/Mouse Combo
Creative SBS A200
APC 650VA

I have few querries about the rest of the components:
1.Does the Gigabyte motherboard has all solid-state caps ?
2.Which HDD is more reliable-WD Blue or Seagate?
3.The Zotac GTS450 1 GB GDDR5 and the Biostar HD 5770 1 GB GDDR5 are almost similarly priced. Which one would be better?
4.What about the AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0 GHz? I think it's performance lies somewhere between the Athlon II X4 635 & Phenom II X4 955. How much will it cost me?
5.A 20" monitor is sufficient for me if it runs at 1680x1050. It might sound weird, but I don't like the ultra-widescreen i.e. 16:9 aspect ratio. That's why I am avoiding full HD monitors.

Corsair PSUs are the best in the market. The cx 400 will easily outperform gigabyte 460w which is just a repackaged fsp saga 400W. Corsair PSUs can supply a lot higher wattage than listed(corsair vx 450 can deliver around 570w). As for your queries -

2. WD is more reliable as far as i have heard.
3. Try to spend a bit more and get hd 5770 from MSI(not hawk version) or sapphire. HD 5770 performs better than gts 450.
4. phenom ii x4 945 costs around 7k but is not worth it as the performance difference is not that much. if you want to get a phenom ii x4, don't go for anything under 955 BE and that to if you are going to overclock.

 

[Lord073]

If that is the case then I will go for the Corsair CX400W & AMD Athlon II X4 635. Since I am not going to overclock, the Phenom II X4 955 is not required.

I've decided that I'll go for the following configuration (This is temporary & any further suggestions are welcome).

AMD Athlon II X4 635 2.9 GHz @ 5k
Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H @ 4.5k
2 x 2 GB Kingston 1333 MHz DDR3 C9 @ 4.4k
LG H55N DVD-writer @ 1k
WD Blue 500 GB SATA @ 2k
Cooler Master Elite 310 @ 1.5k
Corsair CX400W @ 2.7k
Logitech Multimedia Keyboard/Mouse Combo @ 0.8k
Creative SBS A200 @ 1.3k
APC 650VA @ 3k

The above configuration is costing me 26.2k without a Graphics card and monitor. Now if I add the following components

Biostar HD 5770 1 GB GDDR5 @ 8.7k
&
Dell S2009W 20"/BenQ G2020HD 20" @6.5k

then the whole configuration will cost me 41.4k which means it overshoots my budget by 1.4k(hope my calculation is correct). I am very tight in my budget. Any suggestions.....

 

[Jaskanwar Singh]

yes you can go with those monitor and gfx card. good combo.

 

[SlashDK]

Let's bring it under your budget -

If that is the case then I will go for the Corsair CX400W & AMD Athlon II X4 635. Since I am not going to overclock, the Phenom II X4 955 is not required.

I've decided that I'll go for the following configuration (This is temporary & any further suggestions are welcome).

AMD Athlon II X4 630 2.9 GHz @ 4.5k
Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H @ 4.5k
2 x 2 GB Kingston 1333 MHz DDR3 C9 @ 4.2k
LG H55N DVD-writer @ 1k
WD Blue 500 GB SATA @ 1.85k
Cooler Master Elite 310 @ 1.5k
Corsair CX400W @ 2.7k
Logitech Multimedia Keyboard/Mouse Combo @ 0.7k
Creative SBS A200 @ 1.3k
APC 650VA @ 3k

The above configuration is costing me 26.2k without a Graphics card and monitor. Now if I add the following components

Biostar HD 5770 1 GB GDDR5 @ 8.7k
&
Dell S2009W 20"/BenQ G2020HD 20" @6.5k

then the whole configuration will cost me 41.4k which means it overshoots my budget by 1.4k(hope my calculation is correct). I am very tight in my budget. Any suggestions.....

To lower it further you can go for some other speakers

 

[coderunknown]

@Lord073, don't fiddle more. the config is nice one. if you wish edit something, get the Athlon II X4 630 & FSP Saga II 400W or the 500W. this will reduce total price quite a bit. than get some cheaper speaker, so total in your budget.

 

[Lord073]

Ok then, thank you all...won't fiddle with it anymore...but still I'd like to consider the GTS450 coz it has got CUDA & PhysX support & it'll cost me 0.5k less than the HD 5770, bringing down the total price of the configuration to 40.9k. Hope it doesn't trails the HD 5770 by a big margin, in terms of perfomance and also that it performs better than the HD 5750. Now I've to decide that whether I want CUDA & PhysX support or not.

 

[Piyush]

^^
GTS 450 is a nice card at 7.5k
yes its now available at 7.5k by ZOTAC in 1gb variant
there is difference in performance between 5770 and this one
but not that much

 

[Lord073]

Ok Thank U All...I'll keep all your suggestions in mind.

 

[Jaskanwar Singh]

try and get gts450 cyclone by msi @ 7.8k then...

 

[Lord073]

I'll definitely consider the MSI GTS 450 Cyclone.