Build me a PC!!!

codyc1ark · July 2014

Alright, my old laptop is junk. It hurts to use the World Wide Web. Or anything else on it, even paint.

I'm really torn between a new MacBook Air with the upgraded processor and ram that I can get for 1100ish with my work discount. Or having my buddy build me a tower PC from scratch, which I would like to keep under a grand with monitor, and having the option to add a second screen down the road. Mostly I'm going to have a media hub in the future to store flac and maybe eventually blu ray rips, but initially that doesn't matter.

So, what you got? I'm looking for advice on a custom system, you guys know the basic needs of what most of us want. I'm looking for direction on a built tower vs a air, which I know are two different things.

I may play steam if I had a tower, but I'm mostly a casual console gamer. I won't do much video editing, some, but I need the ability to output good audio and video.

Have at it, I'm not looking to buy tomorrow, so I would want something that is going to be relevant for a few years at least.

EndersShadow · July 2014

LOL... hard to do man.... I can tell you that its totally possible for under a grand. I've been out of the game for too long but here are some general thoughts.....

Ryan (ZTFUL) can prob give you better recommendations than I can on actual parts...

Basically you kinda need to know the following:

1. What processor do you want? Can you get by with a i3? Does what you do require more than 2 cores? Most programs are still not up to using 4 cores if you have them, but some are. And even if a program is setup to multi thread, is the difference in response time bad enough to make you upgrade? Safe bet would likely be a i5. Otherwise just go bit with a i7 but you prob wont max it out and be wasting some CPU horsepower.

2. How much memory do you think you really need? And how fast do you need it to be? Again depends on what your doing and if those programs require lots of RAM.

3. How fast of a Graphics Card do you need? Mainly dependent upon what games you play. If building you can always start with just a midgrade card and upgrade later if you find you need to. Almost all of them now do HDMI/DVI and VGA so resolution shouldn't be a problem if its fast enough.

Once you've made those decisions, then you are ready to make decisions on these:

1. What motherboard do you want? Do you need multiple PCI Express (graphic card) slots? Does your graphic card support crossfire and if so do you need it? How many SATA ports do you need and how many USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 ports? What size do you need? Mini-ITX (limited expandability), Micro-ATX (middle of the road), ATX (most slots for upgrades/additional cards).

2. What speed Hard drives do you need and how much space? I would recommend a Solid State Drive to put your OS and programs on and then your documents/pictures, etc put on a standard 3TB drive.

3. Case (what size you need depends on the motherboard)

4. Accessories - quieter fans, etc

5. Monitor/LCD TV. Do you want to just use a Flat Screen TV for your monitor so you dont need dual screens later on?

Irrenhaus · July 2014

Hi

Check this site is a good source of info. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/enthusiast-pc-under-1300,3856.html

I build my own PC's but it is been a while and technology moves to fast for me this days......lol...just kidding..:')

Cheers

codyc1ark · July 2014

Alright I'll play Dan, this is a prelim thought but...

1) I know nothing about motherboards.... Help me? I feel like I want an i7 for longevity, it may be overkill but if I'm going to to spend some cash I might as well do it r

2) 8gb, the last comp I bought brand new had 256k ram, and that was awesome at the time.

3) I want to be able to support had and dts master had or better, so, there.

I want a fairly quiet machine, with a sdd for the boot. I'd like the option to add 8tb of storage.

We can start there....

ZLTFUL · July 2014

Cody, let me throw some ideas together tomorrow for you. I still build for friends/customers but have converted myself over to a small, lightweight and powerful ultra book. Just personal preference though. About to put together a whole home server to run several apps along with media storage duties.

AsSiMiLaTeD · July 2014

Custom pcs definitely have their purpose, and I built myself a helluva gaming rig so I'm a big fan of building one where appropriate. Generally speaking you will also get the most power for your money by building something yourself. In your situation though and for your needs I think you're on the right track with a MacBook or a similar Windows ultra book if you prefer that OS. Unless you're building a gaming rig or a professional workstation building a tower PC isn't really needed IMO.

For general computing and audio playback I think the MacBook is the way to go, you get a solid product backed by good support and OSX is a very 'audiophile friendly' operating system.

ZLTFUL · July 2014

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

Custom pcs definitely have their purpose, and I built myself a helluva gaming rig so I'm a big fan of building one where appropriate. Generally speaking you will also get the most power for your money by building something yourself. In your situation though and for your needs I think you're on the right track with a MacBook or a similar Windows ultra book if you prefer that OS. Unless you're building a gaming rig or a professional workstation building a tower PC isn't really needed IMO.

For general computing and audio playback I think the MacBook is the way to go, you get a solid product backed by good support and OSX is a very 'audiophile friendly' operating system.

QFT. Cody, I will be reaching out to you later today.

Xanthor · July 2014

custom is the way to go. like others said go to different sites and check out the prices and Reviews. and when making custom make sure u current gen gear for years to come. made an office pc couple years back with intel i7 3770k, intel motherboard (don't know number off my head), dell monitor S2440L, Samsung ssd 830, wdc hdd wd1002faex, NVIDIA GeForce gtx 670, and a sound blaster sound card. corsair 32 gb ram and corsair power supply tx850. mostly got off amazon, have the prime membership and there return policy I love.

rooftop59 · July 2014

codyc1ark wrote: »

Alright, my old laptop is junk. It hurts to use the World Wide Web. Or anything else on it, even paint.

I'm really torn between a new MacBook Air with the upgraded processor and ram that I can get for 1100ish with my work discount. Or having my buddy build me a tower PC from scratch, which I would like to keep under a grand with monitor, and having the option to add a second screen down the road. Mostly I'm going to have a media hub in the future to store flac and maybe eventually blu ray rips, but initially that doesn't matter.

These seem like very different options, no? I have never built a custom PC, so I can't really comment on that. I can say that I just got a Macbook Air with 256 SSD and 4 gb of ram and core i5 processor and it is awesome! I have never had a mac before, and it takes some getting used to, but it weighs under 3 pounds, the battery goes on forever, and all programs open up and run really fast. I got it because of how Dell prices there business laptops for corporations (this is my work computer). As a consumer, I would just buy a PC - you get more everything for your money. I still have an HP Elitebook 2560p with 4 gb of ram, 128 SSD, and i5 processor and it is great as well. Only real difference for me is that it was a little heavier, and I get several hours more battery life with the MAC. So all that to say that it doesn't really sound like you need to built a PC, and if the MAC is cheap enough take it. If you want my HP I will sell it to you for pretty cheap.

codyc1ark · July 2014

rooftop59 wrote: »

These seem like very different options, no? I have never built a custom PC, so I can't really comment on that. I can say that I just got a Macbook Air with 256 SSD and 4 gb of ram and core i5 processor and it is awesome! I have never had a mac before, and it takes some getting used to, but it weighs under 3 pounds, the battery goes on forever, and all programs open up and run really fast. I got it because of how Dell prices there business laptops for corporations (this is my work computer). As a consumer, I would just buy a PC - you get more everything for your money. I still have an HP Elitebook 2560p with 4 gb of ram, 128 SSD, and i5 processor and it is great as well. Only real difference for me is that it was a little heavier, and I get several hours more battery life with the MAC. So all that to say that it doesn't really sound like you need to built a PC, and if the MAC is cheap enough take it. If you want my HP I will sell it to you for pretty cheap.

Yeah, I'm taking my time on this decision and really weighing my options. My brothers are both pushing me to build a PC, and I need to consider how much use I'll get out if it. The convience of grabbing a loptop and sitting on the couch really pulls me, but I don't want to kick myself when I want to do something it wont. I really like the idea of going FLAC and having access to all of my music, plus getting rid of all of my CD's would be great.

Like I said, I'm weighing my options and taking my time. Either way, I'm not going jump into anything, I want something that will last me a few years.

rooftop59 · July 2014

Well as far as it being a music server, I just bought one of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E83X9P8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 it is very fast and about the size of an iphone, so you could plug that into a laptop and sit on your couch and fire up a squeezebox and serve up the tunes. The big advantage of a tower is that you can easily upgrade almost everything, but of course you can't sit on the couch or take it with you...

ZLTFUL · July 2014

What about a better than average gaming laptop? Less mobility than the macbook air or an ultrabook but with the ability to play most games at decent settings. You also have WAY more mobility than a desktop. Hehe.

Just a thought as there are some very solid mid-level gaming laptops out there for the price you are looking to spend...

msg · July 2014

I don't build computers anymore unless there's a need for something super custom, because most of the quality lines out there now are more affordable than ever, and sometimes the warranty is nice.

if you go the build route (do it for you, not your brothers' satisfaction), you will probably get more for your money, and you can spec and control every component, if you truly need/want that. my only recommendation on this is to not skimp on the components - stick with name brand quality manufacturers with good reviews for the least headache. get a nice case, good power supply and look for proper cooling with shrouds in place where appropriate, over the memory and processor areas, at least. note that this all adds the expense that could put you in the range of a solid, powerful prebuilt machine with the warranty.

Core i5/i7 with 6/8GB RAM from a quality manufacturer will last you several years as you would like.
install and configure CCleaner and Defraggler (free) for system optimization - cache cleaning and disk defragmentation - two huge performance killers.

or, maybe build a desktop for the heavy lifting and pick up a Chromebook for your couch/websurfing needs? I'm trying a Chromebook for lightweight stuff and I really like it so far.

get yourself a decent external hard drive (check out the offerings from the OWC kits at Macsales.com; solid gear, and USB 3.0; makes backups FAST), and setup the Windows backup software, at least, and use the "disk image" feature for complete restoration in event of disk failure. this is the most common problem I'm seeing with notebooks/laptops these days - premature hard drive failure. when that goes, say goodbye to your data. it's sad how often this happens.

if you want super fast, consider upgrading to a solid state hard drive, or SSD hybrid

it really does make a difference.

Hermitism · July 2014

I'm a big fan of Dell's XPS models. I own one and love it. Dell has some really good sales if you keep watch.

msg, I use CCleaner, but I have always used the defragger that came with Windows 7. Is that factory defragger no good?

msg · July 2014

Hermitism wrote: »

I'm a big fan of Dell's XPS models. I own one and love it. Dell has some really good sales if you keep watch.

msg, I use CCleaner, but I have always used the defragger that came with Windows 7. Is that factory defragger no good?

I second the XPS recommendation! very nice gear, imo. build quality, performance and nice ergos! I do typically prefer Dell hardware, then Toshiba or Lenovo. Acer and Asus are looking good too. I think HP is good now too, it's just that I just had a really bad experience with HP for work several years ago, where the laptops were turning themselves on inside peoples' bags, and burning up display adapters. HP pretty much disavowed all knowledge of this machine ever existing - pulled all info from their website even, at the time. It took me the better part of a year of returns for multiple repairs on production equipment (bad), and finally escalation upon escalation upon escalation, until I found someone to hear our story and do the right thing and replace those lemons. I've not seen any problems like that since, and the HP stuff does seem pretty solid now.

re: Windows defrag. man, to behonest I can't really say because I've not even used it in years. when I had to use Windows NT which came without a built in defrag tool, I had to go third party. been that way ever since. what I remember about Windows defrag vs third party utils though, is that the Windows version was really slow; took forever. the third party stuff was faster, as in, would complete in minutes, and could be more easily customized and scheduled. performance wise at this point on Win7/8, I really can't say whether the Windows one is any better/worse than a third party, defrag wise, I'm just used to the functionality of stuff like Diskeeper or Defraggler, and I like that it can be customized a bit, and scheduled, as can Windows but clunkier. with Defraggler, you can see the condition of the disk pretty quickly. I like to auto schedule twice a week in the off hours. it will warn that it can reduce the life of Solid State drives, so I only do those like maybe once a month or on demand if I think things could be a little peppier.

CCleaner's great, isn't it?!?

seriously guys, anyone with a slow computer, CCleaner, Defraggler, and some anti-malware tools (Malwarebytes, Spybot Search & Destroy, Hitman Pro), and you'll prob be surprised at just how much better your computers can run. If you opt for an all-in-wonder suite, I kinda like Avast Internet Security right now. personally use AVG, but had some recent experience with Avast and it's pretty nice.

sorry for the sidestep quasi-hijack, cody, but this stuff'll get your new machine off to a great start, so I guess it's semi-relative

ps.
my notebook is a 2010 Macbook Pro with an upgraded OWC solid state hard drive. still runs great. point being, quality hardware will last you a long time.
get Parallels or VMware Fusion (I use this) for Windows Virtualization, and you can have (almost) the best of both worlds.
for full and seamless audio system integration/control, I'd seriously consider going the Mac route.

msg · July 2014

[my edit window got cut off... obviously getting long winded

]
...but I don't use mine for that, and am considering building a PC for this with a sound card that does optical in/out and some kinda HDMI connectivity and setting up MAME for old gaming system emulation. I think this runs on Macs now too? I can't consider myself a gamer by any means, but would be doing this just for fun/nostalgia. (some of those new games look amazing, btw - what's that one, Titan Fall, and that a couple of those other first person shooter games?) I'd prob just hang some external USB 3.0 storage off the PC for media library. just something to think about if you go the custom build route...

Hermitism · July 2014

Thanks for the reply, msg. I use AVG and AdAware. But they changed AdAware from a spyware cleaner to a spyware/antivirus all in one. So I've never upgraded the AdAware software to the newer all-in-one, because I have always liked using AVG for my antivirus. They still have daily updates for my version of AdAware, but have been thinking of switching to Spybot. I heard nothing but good thing about SB.

I dated a girl ten years ago that had a HP desktop and every six months she'd have some sort of hardware failure while it was still under warranty, and had a buddy that had a Gateway during that same time and had constant hardware failures. That was a long time ago, so hopefully their computers use better parts now. I still have a Acer Aspire from 1998 that runs perfectly. I only use it now for copying CD's, but I used it daily for years and the only thing I ever had to replace was the dial up modem. I have to give them credit for making a well made product.

RamZet · July 2014

codyc1ark · July 2014

I'll look into that build when I get home thanks

Xanthor · July 2014

what i7 r u looking at that cost 1000? there best one? and imo i would go with a ext v-card

RamZet · July 2014

Xanthor wrote: »

what i7 r u looking at that cost 1000? there best one?

not 1000 for the cpu, 1000+ for the entire build using a intel i7.
i7 CPUs starts at 300 bucks.

codyc1ark wrote: »

I'll look into that build when I get home thanks

The system I put together is nice. All the parts are solid.
The Samsung SSD is super fast and will be the core of the system. Without the SSD you will just get a slow computer that gets slower over time.
That memory is no joke, 8GB of DDR3 2400. APUs like super fast memory.
Closed water loop is super cheap, with the closed loop you can lean the computer on for as long as you want. APUs also like water loops vs. heat sink CPU fans.
The motherboard is rock solid too. MSI makes an awesome product. I would rate them 2-3 best, best being EVGA then Asus and MSI at a tie.
Same mother board has super fast USB 3 and USB ports built to charge phones too.
The LAN connection manages data very well too. its a "killer E2200" Lan port built into the board.
Mobo has a nice isolated sound chip too. Creative blaster with a studio grade headphone amp and gold flashed connections.
the one click OC is nice too. the mobo will over clock ( make the CPU faster ) with the push of a button.

check out the product page
http://us.msi.com/product/mb/A88XG45_GAMING_Assassins_Creed_Liberation_HD.html#overview

As for music storage I would order a cheap 500gb-1TB $60 WesternDigital HDD or even a external WD drive.

another thought,
the Samsung SSD comes with a software they call "Magician". Magician will allow you to clone your current hdd to the new SSD.
You would install the SSD into the old computer and run the software.
Very easy and user friendly.

You should really join the EVGA.com forum for PC building advice.
If you join my user name there is "Seth89".

Xanthor · July 2014

nice rig by the way ram. and 3 v-cards! what games u play u on it

Xanthor · July 2014

oh i was going to say, there are more $ than the amd's but i love the intels better

RamZet · July 2014

Xanthor wrote: »

nice rig by the way ram. and 3 v-cards! what games u play u on it

almost always BF4.

Check out my EVGA forum page here for specs: http://www.modsrigs.com/detail.aspx?buildid=33620

msg · July 2014

RamZet wrote: »

Here is my beast ( intel gaming Pc)

dude. that's friggin sweet
yeah, cody, you wanna build something, I'd back this.

hertz9753 · July 2014

I have four rigs. All of them are Intel. Two i7 2600k, one i5 3570k and one i5 3350p.

txcoastal1 · July 2014

Unless your a hardcore gamer or doing video rendering there really is no need for more than an i5 quad, 8gig ram, and 1gig video card

wz2p7j · July 2014

codyc1ark wrote: »

I want a fairly quiet machine, with a sdd for the boot. I'd like the option to add 8tb of storage.
We can start there....

8TB? You must have large media library!! I'd consider network attached storage (NAS) for that. Synology servers consistently seem to get the best ratings.

Chris

EndersShadow · July 2014

rooftop59 wrote: »

Well as far as it being a music server, I just bought one of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E83X9P8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 it is very fast and about the size of an iphone, so you could plug that into a laptop and sit on your couch and fire up a squeezebox and serve up the tunes. The big advantage of a tower is that you can easily upgrade almost everything, but of course you can't sit on the couch or take it with you...

Yeah, that is too small for me. I am already at 1TB of music and 2TB's of movies (2 diff drives).

But you have it right a nice tower is great for storage, whereas a laptop is great for convience.

wz2p7j wrote: »

8TB? You must have large media library!! I'd consider network attached storage (NAS) for that. Synology servers consistently seem to get the best ratings.

Chris

Those are good, but IMHO I would just build your own server using a large tower case so you have the flexibility to add as much storage as you want. FreeNAS as the OS so your not paying for someones preconfigured stuff, however you just need to know a bit to play with it, which is why lots of folks buy the pre-built stuff cause its plug and play. That or know someone close that can troubleshoot it for you.

Cody, IMHO here is what you really should do.

If its convenience you want, go for a nice laptop right now that will play most games. Realize that you will have to buy another one within a few years since you can't pull graphic cards out of them, etc, but thats ok. Eventually you would want to upgrade anyway as all the parts become obsolete in time.

Then do your research on a pre-built or DIY server. Know what you want it for (ripped movies, music only, etc) and make sure it can support the amount of space you want, as well as the files and server apps you will run (logitech server, plexy, etc)

Thats the best of both worlds. Your server can be loud noisy and located wherever and networked to all your devices (squeezebox, sonos, roku, WD Live TV, etc) and your laptop can let you do all the internet things you need and a bit of gaming.

You could in theory build 2 towers, one a server one a gaming rig as well. Again extra flexibility as each one can be built specific to what its used for and only that rather than trying to all in one it.

Thats my .02

I love my desktop and its overbuilt (cost of 3k 4 years ago) so until it is no longer fast enough (for what I need) I will keep it, then I will turn it into a server and just go to all laptops (and dock one for my desk).

kappclark · July 2014

this is a great site for PC building -- www.pcpartpicker.com

it has all the latest pricing, and you can also look at other completed builds ... lots of options for you.

JerryR1verz · July 2014

I vote for custom build esp if its a comparison with a mac air. A lot of options but as others have pointed out, a lot of choices and you have to know what to look for and what to stay clear of. I've been building the custom pc's since 1990. I am a fan of the HTPC cases, fanless power supplies, fanless video cards, etc. Based on your budget, check out some of these cases which blend with your audio equipment nicely. Origen makes some nice cases but will blow your $1000 budget quickly (s21T). The link below has all the options to look through.

http://www.shop.perfecthometheater.com/main.sc

Build me a PC!!!

Comments