Discussion Forums > Technology
building a new comp with a really tight buget
kitamesume:
^ case structure is of my last concerns, the only purpose i'd need a case for is to hold the parts in them and not to put a truck on top of it.
layman's term: i don't need a vault to hold a penny.
also, waiting for something too long is a waste itself, nor being impatient and buying something too early. if you don't get what i mean, it means that if you wait yea sure you could get something worth it, but waiting too long would be disadvantageous for you when you're in a hurry, but buying too early might be disadvantageous because you kind of wasted your money because a better product just came out with the same price after a few days later.
well everything has it's pros and cons, the only deciding factor is IF you need it now or not.
krumm:
I know buying a more expensive case adds to the budget, but it is almost always worth it. I'm not saying pay a ton for it, but you get what you pay for it. Steal and connectors are not free, so when you go cheep that metal gets thin and flimsy.
The plus of paying 50-60ish dollars on a mid-tower is that you can use it on your next computer even if it is 5 years from now.
Now back to the cpu debate. Dual care sandy bridge will play video fine. My laptop has a old 2.2GHz core 2 duo and it plays all videos I throw at it and a few games. I don't know how well it will play the newest of games, but I bet the ATi HD4650 is the problem not the cpu. If you want I can install skyrim and see how it handles it, but my point is just because the i3-2100 is a dual core don't think that is a big deal. I'm sure it blows my laptop out of the water. The big difference between the i3 and amds cpu is going to be the IGP. With the amd the upgradability is unknown but with intel you know that ivy bridge will be good(as long as kita is right about the socket not changing I've not looked). If you get a GPU even later the reason for the amd is gone.
I would get the AMD if the IGP is all you need, but if it's not and upgradability is concern intel is the way to go even with the slightly higher buy in. The cpu power is similar between the two.
A little more on ram. Windows uses more ram if it has more it can use. just because you use 4GB when you have 8GB does not mean you will with 4GB. The nice thing about ram is that the price is linear. 4GB is around $20 and 8GB is around $40 so holding off and starting with 4GB is fine. One thing of note is that if you fill all ram slots it can make it harder to over clock. I would only cut ram back in the intel build, because of amds IGP.
If you don't cut corners, you should be happy with both the AMD and the Intel builds.
kitamesume:
^ not entirely, if the case was fairly constructed then even if the metal sheets used are too thin then it can last long, i got a case here with metal sheets as thin as paper and its still alive. if you'd think about it, it wouldn't have a reason to breakdown, specially aluminum cases, if it's not subjected to heavy stress like putting tons of books on top of it, and no, strapping a mobo and a few harddisk doesn't give it enough stress to lose durability.
CPU debate is indeed leaning on intel when its upgradability since the Llano is a dead end while the LGA1155 will be reused for another year(ivy bridge). but on current performance, the Llano has a lead because it can overclock and when paired with an HD6670(yea sadly this is the highest possible hybrid crossfire) it's performance skyrockets enough to pass that of an i3 paired with the same GPU, though performance gap shrinks when you introduce higher tier GPUs and when you factor in performance/watt since the i3 can be downvolted to exhibit a really big drop in power consumption.
the ram's size/price isn't linear, i've already posted an example of the same line of production and the price shrinks per additional GB introduced, same applies with SSDs and HDDs, the bigger the capacity gets the smaller you pay for.
to note: looking at different capacities and comparing them against other manufacturer and other line of production is unfair.
--- Quote from: kitamesume on February 11, 2012, 08:22:28 AM ---[$39.99]Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
VS
[$24.99]Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
note: 15$ more and you get another 4GB? i'll take it.
--- End quote ---
overall i'd say the intel path has more viable options than the amd counterpart, though you save money with the amd counterpart.
datora:
.
--- Quote from: Nyking754 on February 11, 2012, 10:45:08 AM ---
--- Quote from: datora on February 11, 2012, 09:04:52 AM ---[ EDIT: Even without the rebate is not too shabby @$35 delivered:
Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC 430W ATX12V V2.2 Intel Core i7 Compliant Dual 80mm Fans Full Cable Sleevings Power Supply
Average Rating 4 out of 5 eggs(2,614 reviews) - 2011 Reader Choice Award: Best Power Supply
w/ rebate, $23.00. ]
--- End quote ---
@ ur PSU- it doesnt seem to have the 80+ rating
i believe that 80+ ratings will help me save in the long run by reducing heating and electricity costs
i will keep checking for cases and i do prefer big cases as they provide more airflow
---------------------------------------edit-----------------------------------------
found this case
seems pretty decent if i mount a few fans on it
--- End quote ---
Your concern w/ the 80+ rating is valid, to a degree. However, keep in mind that the energy savings on that are targeted at the larger PSUs. So, if you were getting a 500W or 650 or 1250 AND you were going for a mad gaming GPU (or two) AND you were overclocking, you would see a much more noticeable energy savings.
The budget rig you are targeting probably will actually be using well under 300W. Recall at the start of this thread we were looking at 300W/350W PSUs, now we're at 400W and maybe more only to add to the comfort zone. The components all listed above for the final build do not add up to very much power use, perhaps as low as 200W or under. So, yeah, I agree that an 80+ is desirable, but keep an open mind.
I suggested that Thermaltake PSU due to name brand rep and the ratings by customers. I give serious consideration to anything at newegg w/ a rating of 85% or higher 4 or 5 eggs combined, especially if there are more than 100 ratings.
However, also for consideration, newegg is running a 15% discount on all Corsair PSUs for a few more days. This one:
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
would be $45 -15% = ~$40 + $2 shipping, but has a $20 rebate. I didn't add it because, skimming customer comments, there are a noticeable number of reports of this dying after about a year. It does have 80+ rating and it is Corsair, so warranty covers it for short-term failure ... but didn't really give me a warm feeling for a recommend.
As far as the case, I'm happy with plain & simple. Plus: lots of drive capacity & handles 7-slot mobo for future reuse. All that unused HDD space also translates into increased airflow.
Minus's on that case: no fans included (which can be Good), and it uses top-mounted PSU ... more modern builds place the PSU on the bottom and cool/vent it without impacting internal airflow/temps. Buying your own fans will cost a few bucks, like about $8-$10 each ... but that is for quality fans (Xigmatech, for example) that are quiet (~20dBA rating or under) & push real air, like ~70 cubic feet per minute or more. A budget case including its own fans usually uses cheap ones that are noisy, rated at lower cfm, and tend to fail after a year or two.
kitamesume:
^thermaltake's TR2 reviews are bad, might wanna change your opinion about them.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Thermaltake-Purepower-430W-NP-Power-Supply-Review/332/7
i've been watching corsair PSU reviews and they're satisfactory specially their entry budget PSUs, little voltage drops and minimal ripples, most of their lines stays above 80% efficiency as well.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Corsair/CX430_V2/5.html
Edit: oh yea, since OP mentioned about wanting to upgrade then he'll be locked with the intel path since the AMD's is a dead end, also the A8-3850 is in the tops of Llano, only second to A8-3870K, so that puts it in a position of not going to have any upgradability at all. unless he loves to waste alot of money by replacing the CPU+mobo after a short while which usually has the largest percentage of the overall cost of the unit.
though if he changes his mind then he could stick with the AMD's and let it live for a few years before replacing it with a better rig.
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