Anyone here builds & sells computers?

[Asgardian]

I'm in the market, I live in Mt Barker, South Australia

 

[MarcusP2]

Research and build your own, absolutely easy and much cheaper.

Depending on what you want it for an online prepackaged deal could also be value, such as PCCaseGear or the like.

 

[Asgardian]

This is what I bought

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit
Processor: Intel Core i7 960 1366 pin Boxed CPU
Hard Drive: Western Digital 1TB Black
Ram: Kingston Hyper X Blue 8GB DDR3 1600MHz
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth X58 Intel Mainboard - 6x DDR3, 8x SATA,
USB3.0, LGA 1366
Power Supply: Cooler Master Extreme Power Plus 650 Watt
Graphics Card: Gigabyte 1GB GT 440
Optical Drives: LG Blue Ray Combo, Asus DVD Drive
Card Reader: Intact 8 in 1
Network Card: Gigabit on board LAN
Floppy Drive

Microsoft Office Home & Business 2010
Roxio Easy VHS to DVD Software

Does that sound okay?

 

[prankmonkey]

why'd you get something with a floppy drive?

 

[Asgardian]

I added it on, why not?

 

[Mr Eagle]

I added it on, why not?

Unless you have a legacy need for one... don't ever expect to see a floppy disk ever again!

 

[Biggy_Boy]

This is what I bought

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit
Processor: Intel Core i7 960 1366 pin Boxed CPU
Hard Drive: Western Digital 1TB Black
Ram: Kingston Hyper X Blue 8GB DDR3 1600MHz
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth X58 Intel Mainboard - 6x DDR3, 8x SATA,
USB3.0, LGA 1366
Power Supply: Cooler Master Extreme Power Plus 650 Watt
Graphics Card: Gigabyte 1GB GT 440
Optical Drives: LG Blue Ray Combo, Asus DVD Drive
Card Reader: Intact 8 in 1
Network Card: Gigabit on board LAN
Floppy Drive

Microsoft Office Home & Business 2010
Roxio Easy VHS to DVD Software

Does that sound okay?

Are you building this yourself or is this a pre-built you've bought?

What are you intending to use this for?

The only problem I see is that you would have been better off going for a 1155 socket processor, the 2500 over the last gen i7 960. The Sandy Bridge i5 is cheaper, outperforms the 960 and is the more recent architecture.

You could have taken the money you saved there and used it to upgrade the GT440 to something like a 560 Ti, which would provide much better results if you're intending to play high-end games.

 

[MarcusP2]

Well it depends on what you're doing with it.

It will perform most tasks to a high level but it's not optimal for anything.

 

[Asgardian]

How do you make it optimal for Guild Wars / World of Warcraft / simple web browsing and Microsoft Office?

 

[MarcusP2]

Well if you've already bought it don't worry about it.

But you could've got away with less RAM, cheaper mobo, no Blu-Ray and cheaper CPU for a better video card. Video card is determining factor for games, and anything that plays games OK will destroy Windows/Web/Office.

 

[King Elvis]

I'd get an SSD for sure.

But Asgarda, that computer will smash through the tasks you've listed without breaking a sweat.

 

[humdogg]

get uber vid cards to do some data mining.. make $$

 

[sblack]

How do you make it optimal for Guild Wars / World of Warcraft / simple web browsing and Microsoft Office?

You could build a PC for that, for like $500-600 (not including Peripherals like a monitor, KB/M)

 

[Mitchemx]

In terms of a gaming rig, swap the processor for an i5 2500k and upgrade that card.

If you're only interested in Guild Wars, Wow and web browsing then the comp you've built is over kill and you could have got a more bare bones machine.

You do however have a machine that's upgradable (mainly the GPU) if you wish to down the road for Guild Wars 2 for example.

 

[Killer eagle]

I added it on, why not?

An 8gb USB stick is the same storage of about 5500 floppy disks. Anyway when a cheap product comes with a set of drivers they generally put them on a mini cd.

 

[Si Botak]

This is what I bought

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit
Processor: Intel Core i7 960 1366 pin Boxed CPU
Hard Drive: Western Digital 1TB Black
Ram: Kingston Hyper X Blue 8GB DDR3 1600MHz
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth X58 Intel Mainboard - 6x DDR3, 8x SATA,
USB3.0, LGA 1366
Power Supply: Cooler Master Extreme Power Plus 650 Watt
Graphics Card: Gigabyte 1GB GT 440
Optical Drives: LG Blue Ray Combo, Asus DVD Drive
Card Reader: Intact 8 in 1
Network Card: Gigabit on board LAN
Floppy Drive

Microsoft Office Home & Business 2010
Roxio Easy VHS to DVD Software

Does that sound okay?

PSU - Costs more, but the Corsair is worth it. Use Coolermaster PSUs at your peril.
Graphics - a GT440? Really? I mean, I know they're cheaper, but I think you're selling yourself short. If you're not going cheap with your RAM/CPU etc why compromise on a 440? Get an EVGA EE/SC edition of a GTX460 or 465; good bang for buck and plenty of performance.
Case - What case are you going with? I went with a Lian-Li K62 Lancool.... awesome tool-less case, easiest build I've ever done. Good design, plenty of fans, heaps of space... tad big, and you need to run it on a hard surface because of the PSU Exhaust design, but it's a great case.
Mainboard - I haven't heard anything about the X58, although I stay away from ASUS as a general rule. Their components in the past have been just this side of shithouse, and I'm yet to hear that they've improved. I got a Gigabyte X58A... wasn't disappointed.
www.pccasegear.com.au - Not the cheapest, but quick, reliable, still very reasonable on price and their service is excellent.

 

[Hawk88]

Im actually looking to build a gaming computer at the moment/near future. Want to be able to play shogun 2, Star Wars TOR when it is released and Diablo 3 when it is released etc.

I have absolutely no knowledge of computer parts or what is needed.

What would be the simplest most cost effective way to be able to get a computer?

Is there also any advice that i may need while looking?

Thanks

 

[Si Botak]

Im actually looking to build a gaming computer at the moment/near future. Want to be able to play shogun 2, Star Wars TOR when it is released and Diablo 3 when it is released etc.

I have absolutely no knowledge of computer parts or what is needed.

What would be the simplest most cost effective way to be able to get a computer?

Is there also any advice that i may need while looking?

Thanks

Long Post Incoming... Shot, Over...

Do NOT go to Hardly Normal's, or Myers, or any other computer place or department store that sells whole computers as a package. You'll get shit and you'll be overcharged for the privilege.

Do NOT let anyone tell you that a laptop can effectively play games. They're lying. The only models of laptop that have decent specs and are really capable of playing games for any length of time without melting are units that cost $4000. I built a state of the art gaming PC desktop with all the goodies for just over half that amount.

DO find someone that you know personally who's into computers. Even if it's a work/uni/school mate or someone you know from the footy/bowls/basket weaving club. Offer to pay them in beer if needs be.

Use that person for advice, but basically it's not hard to research yourself once you know what to look for.

Basically for a computer you need the following parts... these are universal and there's not much decision making in this part...

A Motherboard (also called a Mainboard)
A CPU (also called a Processor)
Memory (or RAM)
A Video Card
One or two Hard Drives
A Powersupply (also called a PSU)
A Case to house all the internal bits in
An Optical drive of some sort, such as a DVD RW or Blu Ray drive is also a good idea.
A Monitor if you don't already have one.
Peripherals (ie extra bits) like a keyboard, mouse etc
Other extra bits if you can afford it and want the functionality (ie wireless dongles,

Where the decision-making comes in is brands and types... certain types of equipment support certain others. If in doubt, present your list at a chosen computer shop (not an Arrow or Best Buy etc) and ask if anything on the list is incompatable with anything else - they'll tell you if it is. Once your list of parts is compiled, it's simply a matter of paying chosen vendor about $50 and they'll put it all together for you if you don't know how to do so yourself, or don't have any mates who won't do it for you for a carton of Toohey's Extra Dry.

What brand for each component (yes there are specific brands for the parts, not just "for the computer") and what performance level you're after will depend largely on your budget.

As a rule though.... what you pay for is what you get. If a 1Tb Hard Drive from brand x is $40 cheaper than brand y, there's usually a reason for that. Try to look at your computer as an investment. By paying a bit more you'll get parts that won't go obsolete as quickly and that can be "upgraded" easily by buying new parts to replace old parts rather than having to spend money to replace the entire computer. Additionally you'll find many parts offer increased performance for only twenty of fifty dollars more than you originally budgetted for that part. This means "budget creep" can occur, but if you can afford it, the better part is usually (tho not always, refer to your computer friend you've found for advice on a case-by-case basis) a better overall option. But again, it comes down to budget.

As a general rule (Caution, my opinions mainly here) -

* Corsair are expensive, but they're great for PSU's and RAM.
* Western Digital are okay for Hard Drives, but there are other decent brands out there.
* Kingston are also okay for RAM, cheaper than Corsair, but obviously there's a trade off that comes with that.
* You'll need to choose between an AMD or Intel based system. This choice will influence what Mainboard and CPU you end up going with. Personally, I like Intel. That's just me tho - I'm sure there are plenty of people with good AMD systems. I like Gigabyte mainboards. Stay away from ASUS, they're shit. Your mainboard should have features like lots of USB2 (more now USB3) slots, SATA3 slots for your harddrives, Gigabit LAN (networking) and plenty of other goodies.
* Video Cards you can either go with a GeForce chipset or a Radeon chipset. Good brands are Gigabyte, EVGA and there are also a couple of others. Anecdotally, Radeon's have a very passionate fanbase who'll swear black and blue that they perform better. They may be right. But there's an arugment that GeForce chipsets are a safer option because nVidia (the main company behind GeForce) pay a metric ****ton of cash to game developers to get them to design and QA their games with their product, so there's a supportability and reliability furphy in play there. At the end of the day I don't think it matters... it'll actually come down to the model of either that you choose to go with.

Regardless with any of the parts or brands you choose, You can be guaranteed there are online reviews for them. Do your research, review the parts to help you make those brand/chipset decisions. Like I said, once you have your list, simply go to a chosen computer shop and get them to put it together.

For a suitable shop, I recommend pccasegear (pccasegear.com.au). If they're in your area, MSY have decent prices, I don't know about their service though - I've never used them.

Hope that helps get you started; Rounds Complete.

 

[Hawk88]

Si Botak,

I dont even know where to begin how greatful i am for your time and big write up!

It has been/will be a great help.

I actually have a MSY very close to where i currently live. But i have heard they dont have the best service going around. Especially since i have no idea what im doing.

I have purchased laptops ec in the past just for work purposes etc, but will i need get Windows 7 or something similar when i buy the parts? (software).

Again Thank you for your help and input. Greatly Appreciated!

 

[MarcusP2]

Yes you will need Windows 7. Get an OEM version...MS have changed the license so you're technically not allowed to do that any more, but so long as you're paying them they won't care.

MSY is not the place to go with questions. You go in with your list from their pricelist, buy the parts and leave. They usually don't have time to help you with questions, other than 'is this in stock', particularly at the bigger stores. They are cheap though.

Also, I've never had a PC built by them (only bought parts) but I've heard anecdotal evidence that they generally do a rush job (don't tie back excess cable, etc) which can be a disadvantage. It's pretty easy to do yourself nowadays, Tab A into Slot B type stuff.

This is an excellent place to start :
http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/rmp_sg_whirlpoolpcs_gaming_configs_1

Pick your budget and fire away, generally the midprice ($1280) config is the best value for money.

Intel have their new range of CPUs out and AMD don't, so they're the best value at the moment (as evidenced by all the PCs on that page using Intels...when I built mine last year they were all AMDs.) Same story with the Radeons/GeForces...note that all the cards there are Radeons. Better value for money.

 

[Hawk88]

Ok cool thanks for the help guys.

Ill be able to look around for the best parts now. But where do i go if i need to ask questions regarding whats good and whats not?

I have had a look on MSY website and PC Case gear and all the parts look so confusing. Is the higher the number at the end of the part e.g. 400 better then say 240? Or should i just go with price, The more expensive the better?

Sorry i keep annoying you guys but this is so foreign to me!

 

[MarcusP2]

No, don't go by the numbers. They change those all the time.

www.tomshardware.com is the most well known benchmarking site... look for articles like this one:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-performance-radeon-geforce,2997.html

and comparison charts like this:
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2011-gaming-graphics-charts/Gamer-Index,2673.html

In that chart, anything above 100% will run games great in medium settings; the higher the number the better the settings you can use.

 

[Si Botak]

No, don't go by the numbers. They change those all the time.

www.tomshardware.com is the most well known benchmarking site... look for articles like this one:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-performance-radeon-geforce,2997.html

and comparison charts like this:
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2011-gaming-graphics-charts/Gamer-Index,2673.html

In that chart, anything above 100% will run games great in medium settings; the higher the number the better the settings you can use.

+1

This, a thousand times over. Sites like Toms are great for reviews and benchmarking... not all components are created equal, not even within the same type... eg you shouldn't assume that a GeForce 470 video card will be an overall better video card than a GeForce 460. Always check hardware review sites like Tom's and benchmarking sites like this one http://www.cpubenchmark.net/ to compare how different models compare to others... Note that site also has "tabs" for video card and hard drive benchmarking, but it's an American site, so take their indicators on price-points with a grain of salt)

I asked around about MSY from some guys at work who've used them, and the consensus is that they're a friendly bunch of stoners who sell cheap parts. Whilst the comment was given to me in jest, I'd assume that means as has been posted there that for service, you're better off elsewhere if you're new to this kind of thing and that MSY are better used if you already know what you want, and how to put it together.

If you're keen to learn for next time, but still want to stress less once you know what bits you want, maybe compromise - find aforementioned old mate who can put it together, and watch him/her do it... effectively get them to teach you.... I saw a mate do it once, then built my first machine about 3 years after that. Now, true enough, by that stage I had a basic understanding of what went where... but by doing the ol IKEA method of just reading the installation guides (that come with your bits) as you go, paying attention to what plug goes where, and by doing the research on what bits I chose in the first place, I've now got the most awesome gaming rig I've ever had. And I'm no expert by any means

 

[MarcusP2]

Seriously, building your own rig is a piece of piss and I would recommend anyone do it.

I built my first one around 8 years ago with no experience whatsoever and it was easy. Everything really only fits in one place.

 

[King Elvis]

It is pretty easy, but it's not for everyone.

Just give people in here a budget and let them point you in the right direction