The 'Build Me A PC' Thread

[Severian]

Heh - I just finished a P67 mATX build too.  That said, I don't have anything on the affected SATA ports, so I'm not too worried, but I'll be very interested to see what Asus will do

http://event.asus.com/2011/SandyBridge/notice/

I had been in the final stage of part selection for my first new PC in years (this thread was helpful), I waited for Sandy Bridge.
A couple more months, then.
Soldier on, brave P4 HT 3.4GHz!

[Rendakor]

I've been planning on a new computer for a good 6 months or so, and now I finally have the available cash. Here's what I'm tentatively going with:

This Asus Mobo and the i5 760 with this heatsink. I saw some 1156 i7s, but wasn't sure if they were worth it, and I don't really want to spend the extra $250 going up to the 1366. Two of these for 8 gigs of RAM, a 2g GTX 460 video card, a 128g SSD for Windows/WoW and a 2 TB internal for everything else. A 750W PSU to power it all, and a Blu-Ray burner because well, why not?

I've still gotta pick out a case; is there any real difference between top and bottom mounted PSUs? It's been a while since I built a new system, so I'm not sure if it matters either way. I've also gotta pick up Windows 7; what's the cheapest I can get away with and still have a real 64 bit OS?

[Shrike]

Bottom mounted units tend to run cooler. If you don't mind spending money, you might want to look at the Silverstone FT02 case. Slick stuff, but probably not totally necessary with what you're building. Still, cool is good. They also have a large conveniance factor--for me--with your connectivity all on top. I was just fighting with my Coolermaster case this evening adding yet another USB gadget to the back. Damned nuisance with the way it sits between two desks.

Overall, pretty similar to what my plans are, but I need more vid power since the whole point of the next box is to move to 2560x1600 res. Since I'm still about five months out from dropping cash, I'm definately going Sandybridge.

[SnakeCharmer]

Get the W7 64bit system builders thing from newegg.  It's about 100 bucks.

As far as top or bottom mount PSU?  I prefer bottom.  Better heat isolation, less noise, and a more stable case.  The only issue I have with them is the 8 pin mobo connector usually has to run across the top of the mobo, over your graphics card and just looks cluttered.  I'm anal as hell about cable management.  You can buy an extender and run it behind the mobo, which is what I did.  I recently moved from an Antec 902 to a Corsair 600T, and could not be happier with it.  Quiet, cool, well layed out, and plenty of room.

[Rendakor]

Ok, thanks guys.

[MisterNoisy]

I've been planning on a new computer for a good 6 months or so, and now I finally have the available cash. Here's what I'm tentatively going with:

This Asus Mobo and the i5 760 with this heatsink. I saw some 1156 i7s, but wasn't sure if they were worth it, and I don't really want to spend the extra $250 going up to the 1366. Two of these for 8 gigs of RAM, a 2g GTX 460 video card, a 128g SSD for Windows/WoW and a 2 TB internal for everything else. A 750W PSU to power it all, and a Blu-Ray burner because well, why not?

I've still gotta pick out a case; is there any real difference between top and bottom mounted PSUs? It's been a while since I built a new system, so I'm not sure if it matters either way. I've also gotta pick up Windows 7; what's the cheapest I can get away with and still have a real 64 bit OS?

This may be too late, but my 2 cents:

I'm partial to 2 4GB sticks, largely because it makes it easier to find the bad one if you have one crap out on you.  I used these most recently.

I'm not sure how much of a performance boost the 460 gets from doubling the available memory, though what I've read seems to indicate that the benefit is pretty limited - I'd either save some cash and step back to a 1GB 460 with a good non-reference cooler so you can OC the crap out of it, or drop a bit more and get a 560.

Since you're not planning on going SLI later, that PSU is way overkill.  I'd recommend this one ($65 after rebate) - it's also Seasonic-built and single-rail like the one you're eyeing, but you won't have to hide a bunch of unused cables and will have plenty of power for any single-card machine you can build.  It's probably still overkill, but the rebate makes it a solid deal.

As for the case, without knowing what your priorities are, my default case recommendation is the Cooler Master 690 II Advanced.  It's not terribly spendy, has tons of room, good cooling and clean styling.

[Rendakor]

Not too late, my taxes won't be here for another week or so. Thanks for the advice. I've always tried to fill all available memory slots on a mobo mostly out of habit, but using 2 4g chips is $20 cheaper so I switched. I also bumped up to the 560 card.

The PSU I linked was a combo deal with my hard drive, so it's $30 off ($10 now, $20 mail in); at that price it's only $5 more than the one you linked so I'm probably going to stick with it.

Edit: Do I need W7 Home Premium, or Professional?

[Shrike]

That Corsair PSU is the one I'm using at present. It's been a rock the past two years.

Personally, I went with the home premium edition W7. I don't have any particular use for the professional, but I do have some friends in IT and they do use it. Myself, being relatively clueless about such things, have found home fulfills my needs just fine.

[Rasix]

Only desirable feature I saw in professional was the remote desktop.  Premium has been fine for me. 

[slog]

Why would you buy a Lynnfield instead of a Sandy Bridge?

[Shrike]

The early SB mobos have a rather serious bug in their SATA controllers. Bad enough that Gigabyte and ASUS are recalling mobos. Sooo...some folks that have to build now might find Lynnfield a bit more friendly territory to frolic in. After all, there isn't THAT big of a difference between them.

But, yeah, if you can hold off a few months, then SB is definately the way to go.

[slog]

The early SB mobos have a rather serious bug in their SATA controllers. Bad enough that Gigabyte and ASUS are recalling mobos. Sooo...some folks that have to build now might find Lynnfield a bit more friendly territory to frolic in. After all, there isn't THAT big of a difference between them.

But, yeah, if you can hold off a few months, then SB is definately the way to go.

I built a Sandy Bridge system 2 days before the recall :).  I have an ASUS mobo too.  No problems so far, and I'm just waiting out the recall.

Edit:  It's actually not even an issue for my MOBO, since I'm only using the 2 Marvel controller ports for 6 Gbps for my Hard Drives.  I suppose if I wanted to put more than 4 drives in then it could be a pain.

[Rendakor]

Yea I had heard bad reviews about SB so just said fuck it; I've wanted a new system for a while (mostly because Rift runs like ass on mine) and don't feel like waiting for shit to be fixed.

Home Premium it is, thanks.

[Rendakor]

Taxes just got here, probably going to order everything tomorrow. Is newegg still the lowest price around, or are there other sites I should check for deals?

[Shrike]

Newegg is baseline for a start. You might find somewhat better deals with some serious looking around, but they probably won't be all that much better than the 'egg.

Check Amazon, too. You can find some surprisingly good deals there on computer parts.

[jakonovski]

Any quiet computing enthusiasts here? I ordered a entire new cooler (Nexus FLC 3000 R2) for my computer after getting fed up with the stock AMD jet engine, and now I'm eyeing at the SO's computer too. Hers is not too loud but I want to move the components to a HTPC case and replace anything that makes a noise with something quiet. However, I don't really know how feasible that is.

[Trippy]

http://www.silentpcreview.com/

[MisterNoisy]

Taxes just got here, probably going to order everything tomorrow. Is newegg still the lowest price around, or are there other sites I should check for deals?

I just use Newegg unless there's some crazy deals on something I want/need at Amazon.  The convenience and service are still pretty tough to beat, even if you can save a couple of bucks at another retailer.

[jakonovski]

My cooler arrived, I installed it and...oh my god, I can't believe I've lived all my life with stock coolers. It's absolutely quiet, only the GPU fan can be heard.

[Murgos]

My cooler arrived, I installed it and...oh my god, I can't believe I've lived all my life with stock coolers. It's absolutely quiet, only the GPU fan can be heard.

I just put on a new case fan after about 3 years.  I hadn't noticed how loud it had gotten and I had been just tuning it out.  It's like a graveyard in here now.

[Venkman]

Inspired by PAX East, I'd like a new case, something that can manage airflow better. My computer runs a bit hot, and only way I can keep it from overheating is a floor fan next to an open side. Done everything I could, but there's just too many things in the way.

Here's my current setup:

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 (2.83 GHz/12M Cache/1333 MHz FSB)
Asus P5N-T Deluxe, 780i 3-way SLI (Socket 775)
Corsair XMS2 Xtreme 1024mb RAM (3gb since I'm only on WinXP SP3)
nVidia GTX 260 1gb RAM

My case is Case: NZXT Trinity ATX Mid-Tower Case. I've been eyeing an Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case or COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel. Both are mid-size towers too but the disposition of elements look like they could improve airflow.

It's this or I feel like i should go liquid cooling.

Also, worth going to Win7 to get more RAM? I don't feel like I'm missing anything TBH. I run pretty lean out of long habit, so not like I need to run high res Photoshop stuff while rendering some videos while playing Black Ops or whatever.

[Trippy]

What heatsink and fan(s) do you have on your CPU?

[Shrike]

The king of cool case-wise is (IMO) the Silverstone FT02. This is a large, pricey case, but when it comes to airflow it's the shiz-nite. Positive pressure case with fans drawing in at the base and blowing air out the top past the 90 degree rotated mobo. Very slick and very effective. Also, very expensive, but hey, it's only money. You'll make more.   

[Venkman]

Wow, that is a nice case. Not sure I want to go $250 though as I also want to buy Win7 64bit and we just splurged on two new Verizon iPhones.

What heatsink and fan(s) do you have on your CPU?

Intel E21984 Socket 775 Copper Core/Aluminum Heat Sink, with two 80mm blowing in and one 120mm blowing out. The whole side of the case is open, but I've positioned both 80mm to blow across the CPU fan, with the grill in the back and the 120mm serving as exhaust. It's a retarded setup, but I've been so busy I hadn't really taxed it until Black Ops, and then again on Rift. Generally gets to about 88-92deg F under load. I set the alarm to go off at 98deg F, which I'd hit after about an hour of Black Ops.

[grebo]

Hey guys, I need a cheap ass laptop.  I'm thinking of going with this: 
http://www.staples.com/Toshiba-Satellite-C655D-S5120-15.6-Laptop/product_915581?cmArea=FEATURED:SC3:CG71:DP4118

That is pretty much the ceiling of my budget and doesn't seem too crap.  I'd love for there to be something better out there though, if anyone knows of something.

[Nightblade]

Hey guys, I need a cheap ass laptop.  I'm thinking of going with this: 
http://www.staples.com/Toshiba-Satellite-C655D-S5120-15.6-Laptop/product_915581?cmArea=FEATURED:SC3:CG71:DP4118

That is pretty much the ceiling of my budget and doesn't seem too crap.  I'd love for there to be something better out there though, if anyone knows of something.

I've worked on a few of these machines and I have to say the build quality is crap. Also; don't buy retail computers.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146765&Tpk=Lenovo%20G555

If you can catch this thing on sale, go for this. I use this as my work machine and it's fantastic. Got it for 379.

[MisterNoisy]

Inspired by PAX East, I'd like a new case, something that can manage airflow better. My computer runs a bit hot, and only way I can keep it from overheating is a floor fan next to an open side. Done everything I could, but there's just too many things in the way.

Here's my current setup:

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 (2.83 GHz/12M Cache/1333 MHz FSB)
Asus P5N-T Deluxe, 780i 3-way SLI (Socket 775)
Corsair XMS2 Xtreme 1024mb RAM (3gb since I'm only on WinXP SP3)
nVidia GTX 260 1gb RAM

My case is Case: NZXT Trinity ATX Mid-Tower Case. I've been eyeing an Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case or COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel. Both are mid-size towers too but the disposition of elements look like they could improve airflow.

It's this or I feel like i should go liquid cooling.

Also, worth going to Win7 to get more RAM? I don't feel like I'm missing anything TBH. I run pretty lean out of long habit, so not like I need to run high res Photoshop stuff while rendering some videos while playing Black Ops or whatever.

As Trippy is alluding to, I'd look into replacing the CPU heatsink first - the Cooler Master Hyper 212 is a cheap, effective upgrade from the stock cooler.  I also like the Xigmatek Dark Knight and SD1283 Gaia, since they're functionally identical, though the fan on the Gaia isn't as nice as the other two.

I'm using the CM Storm Scout to house my primary gaming desktop, and it's a great case as far as traditional air cooling goes - it doesn't hurt that it has the room to clear the largest of tower-type CPU coolers.  The biggest drawback to the Scout is the lack of any sort of concession to acoustics, but I'm not a silent PC type.  It could also use some holes near the front edge of the motherboard for cable management, but even without them it's a very nice case to build in.

[grebo]

Hey guys, I need a cheap ass laptop.  I'm thinking of going with this: 
http://www.staples.com/Toshiba-Satellite-C655D-S5120-15.6-Laptop/product_915581?cmArea=FEATURED:SC3:CG71:DP4118

That is pretty much the ceiling of my budget and doesn't seem too crap.  I'd love for there to be something better out there though, if anyone knows of something.

I've worked on a few of these machines and I have to say the build quality is crap. Also; don't buy retail computers.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146765&Tpk=Lenovo%20G555

If you can catch this thing on sale, go for this. I use this as my work machine and it's fantastic. Got it for 379.

Oh hell, I know I could do a lot better if I had the time to wait for the right sale.  Problem is I need to do something in at most 2 weeks...  preferably sooner...

I build my own desktops, wasn't aware there was a distinction in notebooks other than brand name tho.  Toshiba not so much?

[Nightblade]

Hey guys, I need a cheap ass laptop.  I'm thinking of going with this: 
http://www.staples.com/Toshiba-Satellite-C655D-S5120-15.6-Laptop/product_915581?cmArea=FEATURED:SC3:CG71:DP4118

That is pretty much the ceiling of my budget and doesn't seem too crap.  I'd love for there to be something better out there though, if anyone knows of something.

I've worked on a few of these machines and I have to say the build quality is crap. Also; don't buy retail computers.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146765&Tpk=Lenovo%20G555

If you can catch this thing on sale, go for this. I use this as my work machine and it's fantastic. Got it for 379.

Oh hell, I know I could do a lot better if I had the time to wait for the right sale.  Problem is I need to do something in at most 2 weeks...  preferably sooner...

I build my own desktops, wasn't aware there was a distinction in notebooks other than brand name tho.  Toshiba not so much?

Toshiba usually has an excellent build quality, but that particular machine felt flimsy and poorly made.

Just look around a little more, and if you do buy retail; remember a few golden rules

1 - Go in knowing what you need.
2 - Refuse the service plan unless you think you really need the accidental, in which case make sure you get the ACCIDENTAL coverage. Also, read the terms and ignore what the salesman has to say.
3 - Ask to see the laptop before you "decide" on anything, as a lot of stores like lying about inventory if you dont buy "attachments".

[Engels]

Amen to everything Mr. Noisy said re: Darniaq's issue. I bet you can drop the CPU temp by 20 degrees just going from stock to any one of those three cooling sinks Mr. Noisy mentions.

Grebo, I think you could get that Lenovo in a few days from New Egg. Just spend a bit more on shipping. You should still have plenty of time. Nightblade is right, retail laptops are awful awful awful, with the possible exception of Sony, but that's another topic.

[grebo]

http://www.costcentral.com/proddetail/Lenovo_G555_0873_Athlon_II_M320_21_GHz/087325U/11085304/froogle/

Well, I found that there which I suppose I could do... but I'm still a bit confused about why it's not a "retail laptop".  There is some channel of laptops that are built for the drooling masses and another channel for people who care about things that matter?  How can I tell the difference?

[Chimpy]

Anything that is sold at Best Buy for all intents and purposes is poo.

The computer makers have to cut a lot of corners to keep a decent margin on these machines to keep them in the price range the retailers sell them for.

[grebo]

Ah, that makes sense.

Sorry to crap up this thread with all my hand wringing but I'm basically broke, and with my family situation being what it is, I'm going to be broke for years.  Whatever I get I'm stuck with for quite a while...

What about this?:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834157516

It's a recert but i couldn't possibly care less if the case has some scratches.  Great specs tho for the money.

[Venkman]

As Trippy is alluding to, I'd look into replacing the CPU heatsink first - the Cooler Master Hyper 212 is a cheap, effective upgrade from the stock cooler.  I also like the Xigmatek Dark Knight and SD1283 Gaia, since they're functionally identical, though the fan on the Gaia isn't as nice as the other two.

I'm using the CM Storm Scout to house my primary gaming desktop, and it's a great case as far as traditional air cooling goes - it doesn't hurt that it has the room to clear the largest of tower-type CPU coolers.  The biggest drawback to the Scout is the lack of any sort of concession to acoustics, but I'm not a silent PC type.  It could also use some holes near the front edge of the motherboard for cable management, but even without them it's a very nice case to build in.

Cool thanks. I'll check out both the CPU fan and case.

[Sky]

Inspired by PAX East, I'd like a new case, something that can manage airflow better. My computer runs a bit hot, and only way I can keep it from overheating is a floor fan next to an open side. Done everything I could, but there's just too many things in the way.

You could try the externally-exhausted gtx 460. It's really lowered case temps for me, though it's a bit loud when it cranks up to 80% or higher. Luckily, it rarely needs to do that. Huge difference from the internally-vented 8800gtx, like double digit reductions in case temps.

I hope they can get a higher quality fan in the next designs, but the concept is really the best way to go aside from maybe liquid cooling (which has its own issues). It makes no sense to vent the hottest air into the case and then try to cool that case.