Hello everybody,
My current PC is about 5 years old, and it's starting to show signs that it's ready for retirement. Since it looks like a new PC is inevitable, I'd like to at least get one that will last me some time.
The first debate I'm having with myself is if I should build my own like last time, or just buy a pre-built system. Advice in either direction of that would be helpful.
If I do build my own again, I haven't kept up with what is considered good hardware to go with. Advise of what to look at in components would be appreciated.
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Guru
4,759 posts
If you're going with a desktop i would suggest just building your own and as for a parts list it kind of depends on price range. If you could give one I will work out a couple lists in a few price ranges for tomorrow if you haven't replied by then.
Thanks for responding.
Price range... well I don't need a monitor, so that will help cut cost out, but I'm expecting probably around $1000 (just hardware) on a system. I don't necessarily *want* to spend that much and if I could I would go cheaper, but it's looking difficult to avoid that.
Mostly, I'm looking to have something I can keep around for several years only needing minor hardware tweeks. That's part of the reason I don't expect to get away with a system on the cheap; trying to avoid equipment that I will have to replace in a year anyways.
Price range... well I don't need a monitor, so that will help cut cost out, but I'm expecting probably around $1000 (just hardware) on a system. I don't necessarily *want* to spend that much and if I could I would go cheaper, but it's looking difficult to avoid that.
Mostly, I'm looking to have something I can keep around for several years only needing minor hardware tweeks. That's part of the reason I don't expect to get away with a system on the cheap; trying to avoid equipment that I will have to replace in a year anyways.
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Guru
4,759 posts
MSI X58M X58 mATX LGA1366 DDR3 2PCI-E16 1PCI-E1 1PCI-E4 CrossFire SLI SATA2 GBLAN Motherboard 189.99 CDN
Intel Core i7 930 Quad Core Processor LGA1366 2.8GHZ 8MB L3 Cache 130W 45NM Retail Box 299.99 CDN
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB 8.9MS 3.5IN NCQ Hard Drive OEM 3YR MFR Warranty 49.99 CDN
Corsair XMS3 TR3X6G1333C9 6GB DDR3 3X2GB DDR3-1333 CL 9-9-9-24 Core i7 Memory Kit 132.99 CDN**
Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Audio 24BIT Sound Card 7.1 PCI OEM 46.75 CDN*
XFX Radeon HD 5770 850MHZ 1GB 4.8GHZ GDDR5 2XDVI HDMI Display Port DIRECTX11 PCI-E2.0 Video Card 174.99 CDN
Thermaltake TRX-650M 650W ATX12V 2.3 24PIN Modular Power Supply Active PFC 89.99 CDN
Samsung SH-S223C 22X DVD Writer SATA Black OEM 28.99***
* Sound Card can be added later as the MoBo already has onboard audio
** 4gig ram package w/ 2x2Gb DDR3 1333mHz runs around 50-60 bucks less and add more later if you want
**OCZ OCZ3G1333LV4GK 4GB DDR3 2X2GB DDR3-1333 PC3-10666 CL 9-9-9-20 Dual Channel Memory Kit 76.24 CDN
*** If you already have a working DVD writer drop this and save 30 bucks
You would still need a case assuming your old one wouldn't work with an m-ATX mobo. Total price would work out to about 1013.68 Canadian dollars through NCIX. Drop down to no sound card and 4 gigs of DDR3-1333 ram instead of 6 gigs of DDR3-1333 and you could drop that price by around 100 dollars. Assuming there isn't anything wrong with your current DVD drive on your desktop you could toss that in the new computer to save 30-50 bucks off the initial cost and replace it later with a Blu-ray drive or something when they drop in price.
If you drop the DVD drive and sound card at first but still keep the 6 gigs it would cost about 937.94 CDN, and if you drop to the 4 gig ram package it would cost aproximately 881.19
Pros- At current time the i7 socket will be the same as the upcoming i9 socket allowing room for future upgrade. Plenty of room for ram upgrades with 6 DIMM slots available. 7 SATA ports on the mobo for adding extra hard drives (or upgrading to an SSD in the future). Crossfire ready should you choose you upgrade in the future.
Cons- No DDR3-1600 support, no USB 3.0, no SATA 3.0 and mobo doesn't support SLI. Slow hard drive but both raptors and SSDs are fairly pricey.
Intel Core i7 930 Quad Core Processor LGA1366 2.8GHZ 8MB L3 Cache 130W 45NM Retail Box 299.99 CDN
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB 8.9MS 3.5IN NCQ Hard Drive OEM 3YR MFR Warranty 49.99 CDN
Corsair XMS3 TR3X6G1333C9 6GB DDR3 3X2GB DDR3-1333 CL 9-9-9-24 Core i7 Memory Kit 132.99 CDN**
Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Audio 24BIT Sound Card 7.1 PCI OEM 46.75 CDN*
XFX Radeon HD 5770 850MHZ 1GB 4.8GHZ GDDR5 2XDVI HDMI Display Port DIRECTX11 PCI-E2.0 Video Card 174.99 CDN
Thermaltake TRX-650M 650W ATX12V 2.3 24PIN Modular Power Supply Active PFC 89.99 CDN
Samsung SH-S223C 22X DVD Writer SATA Black OEM 28.99***
* Sound Card can be added later as the MoBo already has onboard audio
** 4gig ram package w/ 2x2Gb DDR3 1333mHz runs around 50-60 bucks less and add more later if you want
**OCZ OCZ3G1333LV4GK 4GB DDR3 2X2GB DDR3-1333 PC3-10666 CL 9-9-9-20 Dual Channel Memory Kit 76.24 CDN
*** If you already have a working DVD writer drop this and save 30 bucks
You would still need a case assuming your old one wouldn't work with an m-ATX mobo. Total price would work out to about 1013.68 Canadian dollars through NCIX. Drop down to no sound card and 4 gigs of DDR3-1333 ram instead of 6 gigs of DDR3-1333 and you could drop that price by around 100 dollars. Assuming there isn't anything wrong with your current DVD drive on your desktop you could toss that in the new computer to save 30-50 bucks off the initial cost and replace it later with a Blu-ray drive or something when they drop in price.
If you drop the DVD drive and sound card at first but still keep the 6 gigs it would cost about 937.94 CDN, and if you drop to the 4 gig ram package it would cost aproximately 881.19
Pros- At current time the i7 socket will be the same as the upcoming i9 socket allowing room for future upgrade. Plenty of room for ram upgrades with 6 DIMM slots available. 7 SATA ports on the mobo for adding extra hard drives (or upgrading to an SSD in the future). Crossfire ready should you choose you upgrade in the future.
Cons- No DDR3-1600 support, no USB 3.0, no SATA 3.0 and mobo doesn't support SLI. Slow hard drive but both raptors and SSDs are fairly pricey.
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