Need help assembling PC

[aaronbrako]

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 , Photoshop , Illustrator + planning to learn basic video editing

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: 31000

4. Planning to overclock?
A: no

5. Which OS are you planning to use?
A: Win 7 dualboot with Ubuntu

6. How much hard drive space is needed?
A: 1 TB

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: Already have a monitor... 17inch 1440x900

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 built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
A: assembler

10. When are you planning to buy the system?
A: mid June

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

12. Are there going to be any components that you don't want to include in this new rig? If yes, do mention.
A: Monitor, keyboard, mouse, webcam, speakers

13. Which city do you live in and are you open to buying from shops from other city/states?
A: Mumbai, no

14. Mention any other points if deemed necessary
A: What if I want 5.1 speakers and my budget remains the same ?

 

[Cilus]

Here goes your config:-

AMD Athlon II X4 640 @ 4.6k
Gigabyte GA-880GA-UD3H @ 4.5K
Corsair XMS3 1600 MHz DDR3 4 GB @ 2.4K
Seagate 7200.12 1 TB SATA @ 2.6K
Sapphire HD 6850 1 GB @ 10K
LG 22X SATA DVD Writer @ 0.9K
NZXT Gama cabinet @ 2K
Corsair GS 600W 80+ PSU @ 3.8K

For speaker, tou can consider Creative SBS 5.1 A500 @ 2.7K. For accommodating it, you can get Sapphire HD 5770 1 GB @ 7K instead of HD 6850.

Total 30.8K

 

[1993gregory]

Intel core i3 2100 - rs 5900
Gigabyte GA-H67M-D2-B3 (rev. 1.1) Socket 1155 - rs 5,500
sapphire hd 5770 i gb - rs 7245
Gskill Ripjaws 1600Mhz DDR3 4GB X 1 - rs 2500
WD caviar black 1tb sata 6gbps -rs 4500
sony sata dvd writer - rs 900
Corsair VX450 - rs 3.5k(not sure)
nzxt gamma case rs 2170

total - rs 32215

i dont know about adding a 5.1 speaker

cilus what about this config

 

[d3p]

Based on your requirements.

Component | Make | Price Processor |AMD Athlon II x4 635|4000
Motherboard |Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H|4000
RAM |G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL9S-4GBRL|2200
Graphic Card |MSI N550 GTX Ti |8500 [Better with Linux Drivers]
HDD |Seagate 500GB 7200.12/ WDC 500GB Blue|1700
DVD Writer |LG 22X SATA DVD|900
PSU |FSP Saga II 500W|2100
Case |CM Elite 310|1500
UPS |Numeric 800VA|2500
Sound Card |Asus Xonar DX|4000
| Total |31400

Speakers : Creative T6160 5.1ch [3.5k] is a decent choice if paired with a sound Card. Thats why i have suggested a Sound Card in the config.

*Note: These are the optimal price excluding the taxes.

 

[aaronbrako]

Thanks to everyone whos helped me so far...a few questions..
Do i really need a UPS?
Is the any particular reason no one has recommended an i5 or something similar ?
1993gregory suggested this:-WD caviar black 1tb sata 6gbps -rs 4500 ...what so special about this ?

 

[1993gregory]

Thanks to everyone whos helped me so far...a few questions..
Do i really need a UPS?
Is the any particular reason no one has recommended an i5 or something similar ?
1993gregory suggested this:-WD caviar black 1tb sata 6gbps -rs 4500 ...what so special about this ?

i5 is expensive so you will have to increase your budget.
if you already have an UPS then no need for it.
Sata 6gbps is nothing special just its faster than sata 3gbps.
If you want there is WD green caviar 1 TB -Rs 2500
and isnt i3 better than X4

 

[Cilus]

i3 2100 is better than Athlon II X4 in mostly gaming. In heavily multithreaded environment X4 is little ahead of 2100. But Athlon II X4 635 is almost Rs 2,000 cheaper than i3 2100 and the difference is not justified. So getting AThlon II X4 allows you to get a better graphics card...and the end result is favorable to Athlon II X4 because
Athlon II X4 + HD 6850 >> i3 2100 + HD 5770/GTS 550 by a large margin.

And regarding SATA 3 (6 Gbps) and SATA 2 (3 Gbps), theoretically SATA 3 is a better choice but there is no mechanical drive which can even use the full bandwidth of even SATA 2 interface. So don't expect to get double HDD performance by using a SATA 3 enabled HDD. For taking the advantage of the extra bandwidth, you need a SSD storage.

 

[aaronbrako]

I forgot to mention I already have a dvd writer ...and lets assume i use my old cabinet (will that make a difference ?) So that saves 3k ...anything I can improve ?

 

[d3p]

^^ can able to get a High end 5.1 with that budget.

 

[1993gregory]

i3 2100 is better than Athlon II X4 in mostly gaming. In heavily multithreaded environment X4 is little ahead of 2100. But Athlon II X4 635 is almost Rs 2,000 cheaper than i3 2100 and the difference is not justified. So getting AThlon II X4 allows you to get a better graphics card...and the end result is favorable to Athlon II X4 because
Athlon II X4 + HD 6850 >> i3 2100 + HD 5770/GTS 550 by a large margin.

And regarding SATA 3 (6 Gbps) and SATA 2 (3 Gbps), theoretically SATA 3 is a better choice but there is no mechanical drive which can even use the full bandwidth of even SATA 2 interface. So don't expect to get double HDD performance by using a SATA 3 enabled HDD. For taking the advantage of the extra bandwidth, you need a SSD storage.

thnx buddy for that info i didnt know that i just checked upon passmark to compare them.

if you dont need an optical drive and dont want to change the case(BTW it has no effects) then you can easily get a 5.1 set.

and which case do you have????

 

[Cilus]

Well, I can't say that the case has no effect unless I know what cabinet is there. If it s a 700 bucks generic Cabinet from Frontech/Intex or any other local brand with terrible airflow design then putting all those firepower discussed above, inside the cabinet will actually heats up the system in large extent which may result to low life span of the total system. Mechanical drives like your HDDs are very much prone to damage if they are working under high temp and so is the PSU.

So check whether your cabinet is big enough and some 120 mm cooling fans can b added to it. If not then at least get Zebronics Bijli without SMPS @ 1.1K.

 

[aaronbrako]

This is my current case: Google Image Result for *www.superonline.co.in/product_image/iball-i612-black-cabinet.jpg
I guess ill change it anyway , I want atleast something to look different from the outside

btw.. does the sapphire HD 6850 support a dual monitor setup ?

 

[aaronbrako]

This is my current case : bit.ly/iKGxwW
I abandoned the idea of the 5.1 speakers ..ill use my current 2.1 for now...
Just wondering if should try to fit in an i5 somehow !?

 

[1993gregory]

i5 config
* Intel i5-2400 -- 9.5k
* Intel H61WW -- 3.5k
* Corsair 4GB DDR3 -- 2.2k
* Seagate 7200.12 1 TB -- 2.7k
* FSP SAGAII 500W -- 2.1k
* Zebronics Bijli -- 1k
* radeon hd 6850 1GB - 10k
total 31k

 

[aaronbrako]

is a 500w psu enough for that i5 config ?
does the radeon 6850 support a dual monitor setup ?
how many USB ports does that mobo have ?
how much does a tv tuner card cost ?
what file format should my drives be so that win 7 and ubuntu can see each other ?

sorry for the trouble guys ...really appreciate the help

anyone ???

 

[Cilus]

Listen, don't just notice the wattage of the PSU, check if it from a standard brand also. The Forntec, Intex 500W or 600W PSUs are just crap and they can't even provide half of the rated power.

FSP SAGA is one of the best PSU makers in market and you can get the SAGA II 500 with your eye closed for the configuration.

HD 6850 can support upto 5 Displays.

I think H61 boards have 6 to 8 USB but the total support using USB connector is more than 10.

from 800 bucks to Rs 10,000. For a standard TV tuner, look for Frontech ones, available within 2K and has the feature like Live TV capture, Programmable record etc.

I am not sure if Linux need any special format. But i think it will work on any type of partition. So use NTFS.

 

[1993gregory]

ya FSP can handle it.
the GPu also supports multiple monitors.

 

[aaronbrako]

i5 config
* Intel i5-2400 -- 9.5k
* Intel H61WW -- 3.5k
* Corsair 4GB DDR3 -- 2.2k
* Seagate 7200.12 1 TB -- 2.7k
* FSP SAGAII 500W -- 2.1k
* Zebronics Bijli -- 1k
* radeon hd 6850 1GB - 10k
total 31k

thats what im going for then ...ill go and get it most probably on the 18th of june (exams till then ) so ill post here again a day before that just to make sure there isnt something new in the market ..

a few more questions..
1) can i add a 2 / 4 gb ram stick later ? Will it be a waste ?
2) Will it run fine without a UPS (i dont wanna waste money on one)
3) can y'all suggest a monitor (full HD) for the config within 7k (+/- 1k)
is a LED monitor preferable ?

 

[Anish]

1) can i add a 2 / 4 gb ram stick later ? Will it be a waste ?
2) Will it run fine without a UPS (i dont wanna waste money on one)
3) can y'all suggest a monitor (full HD) for the config within 7k (+/- 1k)
is a LED monitor preferable ?

1. That depends on your usage..IMO, 4GB is more than enough for you
2. UPS with surge protection can be included if there is any serious power fluctuations. It also depends on power cut in your area.. (I dono how its in mumbai)
3. What screen size you prefer? BTW, you cant get a LED monitor in that price range.. may be a LCD with LED backlit

(exams till then )

All the best

 

[aaronbrako]

3. What screen size you prefer?

Atleast 20'' since ive already got a 17" ...btw do the guys at lamington road buy stuff too ? (Mercury MA7WBA 17" )