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$1400 to spend
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madbone12
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22. May 2009 @ 00:15 |
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I have just been offered to build a $1400 computer for a client and he is going to pay me half to build my own (I am going to put $700 in myself - thus I will be building two of the same computers). I need everything except for the monitor as this is separate.
I want as spec'ed out as possible but needs to beyond sufficient for data capacity and the computer will be used primarily in a business/data processing environment and for mapping geological formations in minesites and used with a 25"+ monitor. So it needs to produce high quality resolution and graphics for the mapping process.
Debating between the core i7 and the Q6600.
Suggestions anyone?
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AfterDawn Addict
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22. May 2009 @ 02:18 |
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madbone12
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22. May 2009 @ 10:37 |
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22. May 2009 @ 14:55 |
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23. May 2009 @ 00:57 |
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The reason I recomend the I7 is that the 775 socket is outdated. Going with a low-end I7 now will allow you to upgrade cheap & easy later.
If the system does not need blinding 3D power, you might consider http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102810 - The card is a bit old, but it is still very nice. That would give you enough reserve money for another 1.5TB hard drive and a second DVD drive.
If you don't go with the Power-Sucker 285, you can get by easily with the corsair 620W. Then again, corsair is efficient enough that going with a 750W won't use any more power, and it will give you reserve.
"for 1400$ you should just get a Great quality (not even good) case" - I think you should get a lot more than a great case for $1400. That case will do everything he needs, has no case doors, holds 7 hard drives with a 120mm fan pointed right at them, and has 4 external 5.25" bays. It is a basic case; no windows or cold cathodes; but it still looks nice.
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23. May 2009 @ 13:04 |
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If I read the first post correctly, he's saying that he's building two separate computers, but with the same specs. You guys are just showing him one build
Current System: Antec 900 case, Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R, Corsair Dominator 2x2GB 1066MHz, Sapphire Radeon 4870, WD 640GB, Samsung 22x DVD Burner, Acer 22" LCD, Corsair 450VX, Logitech MX518, Saitek Eclipse, Tuniq Tower 120 on top of a Q9550, Vista Home Premium, Logitech Z-2300,
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23. May 2009 @ 13:22 |
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Wow.. I think you may be right... I just wait on madbone to comment on that one. If it is only 700, i7 and 285 are both out of the question. He could still get away with something like a q6600 and a 4770 for around that price. He might have to convert to an AMD..
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madbone12
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23. May 2009 @ 16:28 |
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Ok let me clarify - I have a budget of $1400 to spend for each computer ($2800 total between both machines) from my client (I am a CPA but I build my own computers and this client wants me to build him one and he shares an office space with us.) The deal is that he is going to pay for half of my build ($700) and then I am going to come up with the other $700 myself. But while he is in the office I am going to help him with all the technical stuff and get him more up-to-date on his computer literacy.
So it is $1400 on each build separately.
After some of the recommendations I have begun reviewing newegg and I want to have the drives in mirror format for data security and backup protection so I will probably either get 2 or 3 drives.
What do you guys think of getting 1 drive for software and OS and 2 drives in mirror where all the data resides?
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23. May 2009 @ 20:47 |
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Ok that helps some of the confusion... If your getting three drives then go for a raptor or velociraptor for your primary os and software drive and 1 or 2 250GB-1TB drives for your data storage. Be sure to get western digital drives.
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madbone12
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23. May 2009 @ 23:18 |
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23. May 2009 @ 23:54 |
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I would go for the second more expensive one. especially if you want to overclock. The second one has waaay better reviews too. its just more reliable.
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madbone12
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24. May 2009 @ 11:38 |
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24. May 2009 @ 12:33 |
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That build to me is solid.. The ONLY thing I would change is the case. Its not 100% neccissary but for that price I would go for a full ATX tower with excellent airflow. Thatll keep everything your hard earned money payed for nice and cool. The case you chose is a good case and looks better than most cases ive ever seen but check out the HAF 932 or the Antec Twelve hundred first, you wont need that extra case fan either. Thats just what I would do but overall nothing is really wrong with your specs. Thats a good build.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 24. May 2009 @ 12:34
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madbone12
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24. May 2009 @ 12:47 |
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I might do that for mine. But my problem comes in to that those two cases are about $100 more than the original (including the rebate) so it was a trade off of price and trying to maximize the benefits of each item.
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24. May 2009 @ 14:21 |
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I see what you mean. Like I said before its not 100% neccissary but it would help in the long run. all I can think of is getting a gtx280 instead of the 285 and save about 50$ or just get a gtx275.. The price differences are pretty big and performance wise you probably wont be able to tell the difference between the 280 and 285. Its up to you. What you have now is good.
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madbone12
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24. May 2009 @ 14:43 |
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I had a thought a few minutes ago - how are the case fans in the Antec and the Coolermaster? Are they sufficient that I could drop the other case fans. Those case fans are going to run me $50 total (for 3 of them) so that might get me a bit closer and still keep the vid card as is. Let me know what you think?
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24. May 2009 @ 15:19 |
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Well Im not sure about the antec, but they make high quality fans. I have the HAF 932 and all the fans are HUGE. the exhaust is 140mm bigger than the fans you were going to buy and the other 3 are 230mm!! HUGE fans... and with bigger fans comes more airflow at lower speeds so its almost silent. there one one the side for your motherboard and graphics card, one in the front for your harddrives and one on the top just adding extra airflow throughout the case. Both are great cases though, you wont need any extra fans at all, maybe just a fan controller.
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AfterDawn Addict
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26. May 2009 @ 02:04 |
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The NZXT Guardian 921 CS-NT-GD921 has a big issue for you...hard disk cooling. There is a small fan pointed at the hard drives, but it is pointed at the side of the drive case, so it provides almost no cooling. Also, there is only room for 3 drives there, so you will have to stack them close. These problems combined with a 10,000RPM drive will lead to ruin.
If you are going to have three drives; and one is 10,000RPM; you will want a fan pointed at them, with the airflow passing between the drives. Idealy, you would have room for at least 5 drives as this will allow you to space the drives out. Newegg has about 300 cases that will fit your needs, some of them very affordable...it's just a matter of finding one that looks good to you (and your customer) and has a good design. There are also drive coolers that can be mounted in 5.25" bays, but you might as well buy a case with good drive cooling to begin with.
BTW...RAID-1 is great; why not use it to protect windows as well? A pair of 1.5TB drives will cost less than your 3-drive setup while protecting everything...but it will be a bit slower.
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madbone12
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29. May 2009 @ 20:49 |
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30. May 2009 @ 04:32 |
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First question: It can be bad, but not terrible. The biggest concern is heat on the GPU, or any other hot-running cards. Most power supplies suck air in through the fan inside, so this is not a huge problem. I still prefer cases where the power supply is to the side of or above the mainboard.
The Cooler Master cases you listed have the same problem as the NZXT guardian...but not as bad (there are a few holes in the side of the drive cages) I like the Xcilo, I would have bought that same case if not for the case door (personal preferance). The antech is great, but expensive.
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1. June 2009 @ 15:12 |
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Of those I would vote the HAF. The Antec has the best build quality of the lot. The HAF & Sniper are middle, the XClio is bottom. The HAF is one of the best cooled, and is quieter than some. The XClio is the worst cooled.
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2. June 2009 @ 14:53 |
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2. June 2009 @ 15:01 |
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That is also out of stock at the moment.
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madbone12
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2. June 2009 @ 16:42 |
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Ok so thanks for all the tips. I have purchased most everything now I think (I purchase a bunch of it yesterday though some stuff was not a good deal and other stuff was a little better - but I only have like $30 in MIR for each machine which means even if I lose out I am only out at max $60 which is ok.
So for the run down this is what I got, where I got it from (Quantity in brackets)
Arctic 5, Newegg (2) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007
Samsung DVD, Newegg (2) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168271511
ANTEC 1200 Case, Newegg (2) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043
Intel core i7 920, Newegg (2) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202
Corsair 750, Newegg (2) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
WD 1TB black, Newegg (4) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
OCZ 6 GB RAM, Newegg (2) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365
Gigabyte MTHRBRD, Lagoom (2) http://www.lagoom.com/585585/gigabyte-ga...el-core-i7.html
Zalman 9900, Lagoom (2)
http://www.lagoom.com/586598/zalman-cnps...cooler-for.html
EVGA Video GTX 285, zipzoomfly (2) http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDet...odlist=celebros
Total including shipping pre-rebates is $3,063 or $1,531.5 plus $30 in Fatwallet cashback bonus plus 2x$30 MIR on Vid Card, 2X$20 MIR on OCZ + 2x$10 on PSU for a Total of $2913 or $1,456.50 per machine.
None I did not get any additional case fans b/c it looked like the Antec had sufficient. Plus I only got one set of 6 GB of RAM for each machine. Reason: Windows XP can only support 4 GB and one of the machines will run windows xp (while I am going to be a Windows 7 RC on my build)
What do you guys think? Good deal - stuff should arrive in the next couple days.
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2. June 2009 @ 17:39 |
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Having not posted in this thread earlier, it seems nobody else noticed the graphics card choice was poor, so apologies for not telling you in advance about that. The GTX285 performs like a $220 card but costs $350. Zalman coolers also cost three times what they're worth, and OCZ RAM is relatively poor these days. The rest of the stuff is fine.
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