Help a hapless economist build a computer

Économiste Monétaire

Greetings,

I’ve been partially lurking here for the last month, or so, pending my first attempt at building my own PC--I’ve also been trawling through Youtube looking for videos on self-builds. I’m not entirely retarded vis-a-vis computers; I’ve done the ubiquitous changing of graphics cards, ram, hard drives, power supplies, and so on. However, I know this isn’t equivalent to building an entire PC from scratch. I figure it can’t hurt to ask for some advice from the gurus...

Budget: €3,000. I may go over that if it’s really needed, but I’d rather keep a reasonable budget limit.

What will the computer be used for? Well, everything. Browsing, work (various stat and math programs, informing people how poor they will be in the coming year...), the odd bit of gaming , and so on.

So far here is what I’ve picked out:

Motherboard: Asus Rampage II Extreme
Processor: I7 965 extreme
Ram: Corsair TWIN3X 1600MHz DDR3, 6GB, DHX+ 8-8-8-24 (link is here)
Case: Antec 1200
Hard Drive: WD VelociRaptor 300GB SATA 3,5" 10000RPM, 16MB (I also have four other 500gb hard drives I will be salvaging from an existing computer)
Power Supply: I’m stuck between the Corsair 1000W, and the Thremaltake Toughpower 1200W
Graphics card: EVGA 280 GTX SSC (what is the difference between super clocked, and SSC?)
Sound card: I’m fairly certain that the motherboard comes with a pci-e creative sound card. I’ve no idea whether it’s adequate, but I may buy a separate one if I find out it’s a turd.
OS: Vista Ultimate 64 bit. Not sure whether to buy the full version, or to just get the OEM, in case I have to replace the motherboard.

Total from Komplett.ie is €2,987. That’s with the Thermaltake PSU, and Vista 64 bit OEM.

From what I understand, there are no cooling pieces out for the 1366 chipsets yet, other than the Intel fans. That may help my situation, somewhat, considering I’m unsure if I could, properly, apply thermal paste without destroying the place...

I’ve read, on guru 3d, that there’s a new nvidia graphics card coming out in January, the 295. I may switch the graphics card, but I’m uneasy about dual GPU cards.

Also, should I get one of the static wristband things? I realise it’s like using stabilisers on a bike, but I’m willing to look stupid if it saves me from frying something right out of the box. Also, I’m under no illusion that one can “future proof,” for any long-term period of time, considering the speed with which new stuff comes out.

All help, and advice, appreciated. Thanks for reading.

Anti

Thats a hell of alot to pay for a pc these days. And to be honest, a bargain build for 1500€ will be just as good (you won't notice the difference)

Yes there are 1366 coolers out there, but they have not made it into retail in many places yet. As for the graphics card, unless you plan on using a 30" screen it is completely overkill. To be honest the whole system is akin to taking a tank to kill a spider.

You will simply never even use 20% of the power of that machine, and being the money smart guy you are... I dont really need to say more.

leninbenjamin

the hell would you need a 1000w+ PSU for? that's complete overkill...

as for the LGA1366 stuff... meh, stick with the LGA775 imo. do a search, some others made some good posts on the the pointlessness of it, like this one...

I'd hazard you'd barely notice the difference between what you could build for a grand and what you've listed above, judging from what you're saying you'll be using it for. Unless you plan to do a hell of a lot of number crunching on that machine (which would be way beyond what a typical economist would usually be doing) that really represents poor returns to investment for someone like yourself.

I'd get a q6600 meself, overclock it a little as it's easily done, all for a fraction of what you're paying for that iCore.

Économiste Monétaire

Anti wrote: »

Thats a hell of alot to pay for a pc these days. And to be honest, a bargain build for 1500€ will be just as good (you won't notice the difference)

Yes there are 1366 coolers out there, but they have not made it into retail in many places yet. As for the graphics card, unless you plan on using a 30" screen it is completely overkill. To be honest the whole system is akin to taking a tank to kill a spider.

You will simply never even use 20% of the power of that machine, and being the money smart guy you are... I dont really need to say more.

Well, the two screens I use are 24". I already use a laptop, which constantly tanks on me when trying to multi task, and a desktop with a QX6700 at near 3.0, with a reasonable gfx card, and that tanks too (I should probably use the past tense, considering it's broke, hence the need for a new computer). Also, I don't practise what I preach :pac:. Thanks for that, though, I'll try to tone down some parts.

leninbenjamin wrote: »

the hell would you need a 1000w+ PSU for? that's complete overkill...

as for the LGA1366 stuff... meh, stick with the LGA775 imo. do a search, some others made some good posts on the the pointlessness of it, like this one...

I'd hazard you'd barely notice the difference between what you could build for a grand and what you've listed above, judging from what you're saying you'll be using it for. Unless you plan to do a hell of a lot of number crunching on that machine (which would be way beyond what a typical economist would usually be doing) that really represents poor returns to investment for someone like yourself.

I'd get a q6600 meself, overclock it a little as it's easily done, all for a fraction of what you're paying for that iCore.

I probably should have given greater emphasis on the work/play part, which I hope it will achieve concurrently. I already used a Q processor, which is above the Q6600, and it's inadequate, in my opinion. It tends to get quite laggy when using multiple instances of different applications. I don't use MS calculator...

Also, about the power supply, it stems from a problem I had about a year, and a half, ago when I cheeped out on one, and it decided to say bye in an unfriendly fashion which could be heard all around the house. I had planned on keeping the basics, and simply replacing the graphics card in about a year. I might hold back on buying it after reading that post you linked (I understood it, only minimally).

I may revise the 1366 and go with the 775, and a better processor than before, thanks; I'll go and read more about it. I do need a new desktop, though, this laptop is not fully actualising my potential output

Edit: For some reason I am unable to thank the first reply

leninbenjamin

Économiste Monétaire wrote: »

I probably should have given greater emphasis on the work/play part, which I hope it will achieve concurrently. I already used a Q processor, which is above the Q6600, and it's inadequate, in my opinion. It tends to get quite laggy when using multiple instances of different applications. I don't use MS calculator...

sounds more like you hadn't enough memory to me, although i'm not as clued in as the rest here... I assume you had at least 4 gigs RAM in the old one?

Économiste Monétaire

leninbenjamin wrote: »

sounds more like you hadn't enough memory to me, although i'm not as clued in as the rest here... I assume you had at least 4 gigs RAM in the old one?

Yep, 4 gigs, but with 32 bit windows. I checked the core usage, and it was generally pretty high on all, but that was with multiple instances of different applications. I might ditch the extreme processor, and go with the 940. That, or go with a Q9650, seeing as I don't know if I would use the extra juice. The point of the thread wasn't really price, and waste, rather will it work when put together. That, and my fear of thermal paste :eek:

Thanks anyway.

Sqaull20

I wouldn't bother with the 940, those i7's are wicked fast as it is and with a bit of overclocking the 920 turns into a bargain.

Forget about the raptors and get a little ssd.

Nvidia's day is gone for now, do yourself a favour and get a 1gb HD4870.Sli/crossfire is a pain in the ass so dont bother ( of course you can always get another 4870 if you do want to try it out).



That is a great base and you can add on to it in the future when prices drop and games/software get more demanding, for now its perfect.

You change it and get 6gigs for €180 and a bigger ssd ( 60gb ) for €175, which is tempting, but I dont know if its worth it.

Économiste Monétaire

Thanks for looking that up for me, Squall. I'll look into the ATI card, although I've been averse to buying ATI from several bad experiences with catalyst drivers a few years ago. Maybe they're worth another look.