General Purpose rig for the next 3 years

esanthosh

esanthosh

Skilled
Specific Requirements

  1. Low level of noise. I am very allergic to noise and need a silent rig.
  2. Will give away this current config to some student. I may retain the PSU if needed

Budget:

20-30K. Will stretch if needed.

Current Config:

Motherboard: Intel DQ965GF

CPU: Intel Core2 Duo E6600 2.4 Ghz

GPU: GeForce 8500GT 512MB

RAM: Transcend JM800QLU 2 GB x 2

Monitor: Samsung 2233SW 22"

SMPS: Seasonic S12-II 430W

HDD : Hitachi SATA2 7200 RPM, 160GB x 2, WD20EARS 2 TB

DVD: <Failed>

Cabinet: Wipro iValue Standard Cabinet



Hardware to be kept

Monitor: Samsung 2233SW 22"

SMPS: Seasonic S12-II 430W

Fan: Noctua NF-S12B FLX 54CFM 120mm



Additional HDDs available: WD Green 1 TB x 1, Seagate 7200.11 or .12? 500GB, likely a used WD 1.5TB (The 2TB HDD will go to my media player)

Hardware to be bought

  1. CPU: Somewhat future-proof. I have kept this current rig with minor modifications in HDD / Optical Drive and PSU for nearly 5 years now. So, expect this current one to last the next 4-5 years.
  2. Motherboard: Compatible Motherboard with USB 3.0 ports, eSata
  3. RAM: 4 GB
  4. PSU: Only in case my current PSU is proved insufficient
  5. Cabinet: My table has space only for a max of (W x H x D) of 240 x 370 x 450. So anything that fits there should be fine.
  6. DVD/BD Drive: BR drive preferred
  7. Cooling: CPU Cooler, Fans - temperature down and less noise.
  8. Keyboard: NO! I am not going to play games. But, I'd be happy if there's a standard keyboard with back light. Would be handy in late nights and early mornings when I can work without switching the room lights on for a few minutes if needed.

Is this my final config?

As with my current rig, likely no processor / Mobo upgrades, but if required can upgrade the RAM.

Where will I buy?

TE Dealers / Used / Global eBay ... whatever.

Second Hand Hardware from TE Market?

Other than Mobo, Processor and RAM

Purpose

Lots of Downloading, HD Movies, Ripping BR / DVD / Audio CD - EAC, Mundane tasks (i.e., browsing, a little programming)

Absolutely no games.

Brand Preferences

Would like to avoid any brand which is terrible on after sales service as far as possible.

Overclocking, Resolution

No, Full HD.

Operating System

Windows 7 - 32 or 64.
 
Anything that does not require me to walk more than my usual quota of 166 steps per day
Click to expand...
Why?

For your configuration sir, I'll suggest following --

AMD Phenom IIx6 1055T -- 8.5K + a Noctua NH U12P -- 3.5K (as the stock HSF of AMD gets the job done but noisy to most people) Noctua.at - sound-optimised premium components "Designed in Austria"!
HIS HD 5670 IceQ edition -- 4.4K (cool and silent card with enough horse to run current generation game on Medium settings) HIS Radeon HD 5670 IceQ 512 MB Review - Page 1/32 | techPowerUp
Gigabyte GA-880GMA-UD2H -- 4.8K (USB 3.0 + SATA III and all the latest frills and affordable and mATX)
Cabinet -- NZXT Gamma -- 2.2K (a good cabinet, cheap and to the point) NZXT Gamma Case Review | Hardware Secrets + buy a bunch of Cooler Master standard 120mm fans (150/- a piece, should be cool and quiet).
RAM -- Corsair ValueRAM 1600 MHz 2* 2GB -- 2.5K
For internal HDD -- 2* 500GB -- 3.4K (buy Seagate OR WD at your discretion as it seems all HDDs are crashing these days)
DVD Writer -- LG OR HP -- 950/- OR 1.2K (Blu-Ray drives still too expensive)

Your current PSU is fine :). Hope this helps bruv. If you give away your PSU then best you get the same model the Seasonic S12-II Bronze 430W ~ 2.3K OR atleast the Gigabyte Superb 460W OR FSP Saga II 400W ~ 1.9K.

All prices from Bangalore S.P. Road<tax inclusive> until mentioned otherwise.
 
Component Name Price

Processor AMD Phenom II X6 1090T BE 9600

Motherboard Gigabyte GA-880GA-UD3H 5400

RAM Corsair XMS3 DDR3 2x2GB 1600MHz 2600

HDD Seagate 2x500GB 7200.12 3400

PSU Corsair VX450W 3400

Case NZXT Gamma 2200

DVD Writer LG 22X SATA DVD 850

Cooling Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 1900

Fans 2x1 120mm Cooler Master 300

Total Around 29K

1. The 1090T can easily trump the Core i7 860.

2. Considering "absolutely" no games, dropping the idea of graphic card at the moment. This motherboards feature an on-board graphics processor, alleviating the need to purchase a graphics card, allowing you to add one later in future.

3. Grab the XMS3 kit.

4. Better to get 2x500GB HDD.

5. Backup HDD / NAS: Don't have fair idea about NAS. Wait for other members to chip in. Leaving around 1K cash in hand.

6. PSU: Though your current PSU should suffice. I would suggest you to get Corsair VX450W. Gives you an option to add a graphic card later.

7. Cabinet: NZXT Gamma should suffice.

8. DVD/BD Drive: BD Drive are still very expensive.

9. Cooling: If looking to OC then get a decent cooler like the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus @ 1.9k

10. Noise Control: Bunch of Cooler Master standard 120mm fans. Cool and quiet.
 
I had pretty much the same requirements as yours and made my purchase, hope this helps:

1) Intel Core i3 540 -5.1k
2) Mobo MSI 55 Chipset - 3.7k (Gigabyte also available for 3.5k)
3) RAM (Corsair 1600 CL9) - 2.4k (Future proofing the RAM even though proccy supports only 1333 Mhz)

Now the only thing I am missing in this setup is ***USB*** but I figured USB 3 mobo without IGP was costing me upwards of 3k which I didnt think was worth. You can easily add a USB 3 PCI or some other thingie in the future when USB3 becomes more popular.

Now what I did gain over AMD:

Superpi 1 mb without OC: 12 seconds
Low power consumption (12*7 rig power consumption becomes important)
Runs cooler
Perfect IGP for playing 1080p rips

I can add a graphic card if/when needed. I will be good for another couple of years and than I can probably get a Sandy bridge for 8k including mobo (I understand Mandy bridge (lol) would be avialable by than) but why buy a tank when u can kill the bird with a bullet unless u just want bragging rights... I understand a thing or 2 about bragging rights as I have been down that road before. One Oc's the hell out of the setup just to post a snapshot of the benchie at a forum... Puhleas!
 
techcheat said:
I had pretty much the same requirements as yours and made my purchase, hope this helps:

1) Intel Core i3 540 -5.1k

2) Mobo MSI 55 Chipset - 3.7k (Gigabyte also available for 3.5k)

3) RAM (Corsair 1600 CL9) - 2.4k (Future proofing the RAM even though proccy supports only 1333 Mhz)

Now the only thing I am missing in this setup is ***USB*** but I figured USB 3 mobo without IGP was costing me upwards of 3k which I didnt think was worth. You can easily add a USB 3 PCI or some other thingie in the future when USB3 becomes more popular.

Now what I did gain over AMD:

Superpi 1 mb without OC: 12 seconds

Low power consumption (12*7 rig power consumption becomes important)

Runs cooler

Perfect IGP for playing 1080p rips
Click to expand...
The reasons why we recommend a AMD based RIG are --

A hex-core vs. an Intel EoL Dual-core processor is no fight -- Bench - CPU - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

MSI motherboards are not good due to following reason, read The Sorcerer's post -- http://www.techenclave.com/cpu-mobo-corner/need-help-buying-processor-motherboard-under-183565-3.html#post1728227

Onboard IGP's of AMD are at par with current Intel offerings. The Intel LGA 1156 family doesn't have onboard IGP instead it is on-die of the processor <all Core i3's and low end Core i5's> (so technically you were mistaken on the mother-board front), in-fact in the AMD configuration, he has the budget to plonk in a decent graphic card in current budget.

OR if OP can wait till July Llano cometh \m/ \m/ take cover Intel supporters, AMD is BACK.
 
So for nearly 8 months, I've done nothing. In the interim, my DVD-writer failed and hard disk prices have shot up beyond my wildest imagination.

Since the question basically remains the same, I thought I will revive this age old thread than start a new one. There are some minor changes in the first post though!
 
^ Would love to. But, only a mini tower would fit well in the table space. Can't change the table either as I've designed some furniture around it (size and pattern matched).
 
Refresh the entire RIG set-up then Sire --

Core i5 2400 ~ 9500/- + Noctua NH-U12P SE2 ~ 3900/- [the best after market cooler you can get, which will be silent too] http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1196/1/

Intel DH-67BL ~ 5800/-

Corsair XMS3 4GB 1600MHz OR G.Skill RIPJAWS 4GB 1600MHz ~ 1650/-

Silverstone Sugo SG02B ~ 4300/- OR NZXT Gamma ~ 2300/- Buy Sliver Stone | Silverstone Sugo Series

LG OEM DVD drive ~ 1100/- OR LG OEM Blu-Ray drive ~ 6700/- LG Super Multi Blu ray OEM | BuyBlu ray In Pune | Buy Blu ray OEM

Logitech K120 Keyboard + standard mouse ~ 700/- [I tried hunting a backlit keyboard for your purposes Sire, but all seem to be gaming pieces, the cheapest being Razer Lycosa @3800/- -- Flipkart.com: Razer Lycosa Mirror Gaming Keyboard: Keyboard]

For cooling add 2 x Noctua NF-S12B FLX 54CFM 120mm for silent cooling.

Hope this helps.
 
^ Thanks

Seems like I am better off with a mid tower cabinet slightly sticking out than going with a Mini Tower due to number of bays available.

Instead of NZXT Gamma, how about NZXT Source 210 Elite? NZXT :: Unique. Unprecendented. Inspired - Source 210 Elite Product Detail. The one reason to consider is that it has a USB 3.0 in the front. It's listed at Rs. 2900 at PrimeABGB.

As for keyboard, I already have the Wipro supplied KB and Mouse (Microsoft). I think I am better off going for a backlit KB, though I won't have any use for the gaming functions.
 
^^ Yeah you can go for the NZXT Source 210 Elite then, to avail the front USB 3.0 connection. But I doubt the Intel board has a direct out for front USB 3.0 connector, so you might need to route a cable from the rear port onto the front port actually losing one of the rear SuperSpeed ports for driving the one on the front.

Think you can settle for a NZXT Gamma itself in that case.

Hope this helps.
 
ALPHA17 said:
Refresh the entire RIG set-up then Sire --

Core i5 2400 ~ 9500/- + Noctua NH-U12P SE2 ~ 3900/- [the best after market cooler you can get, which will be silent too] Noctua NH-U12P SE2 CPU Cooler Review - The Noctua NH-U12P SE2 - Legit Reviews
Intel DH-67BL ~ 5800/-
Corsair XMS3 4GB 1600MHz OR G.Skill RIPJAWS 4GB 1600MHz ~ 1650/-
Silverstone Sugo SG02B ~ 4300/- OR NZXT Gamma ~ 2300/- Buy Sliver Stone | Silverstone Sugo Series
LG OEM DVD drive ~ 1100/- OR LG OEM Blu-Ray drive ~ 6700/- LG Super Multi Blu ray OEM | BuyBlu ray In Pune | Buy Blu ray OEM
Logitech K120 Keyboard + standard mouse ~ 700/- [I tried hunting a backlit keyboard for your purposes Sire, but all seem to be gaming pieces, the cheapest being Razer Lycosa @3800/- -- Flipkart.com: Razer Lycosa Mirror Gaming Keyboard: Keyboard]
For cooling add 2 x Noctua NF-S12B FLX 54CFM 120mm for silent cooling.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Cooler Socket compatibility: Intel Socket LGA 775, AMD AM2 & AM2+, Intel Xeon

I guess you have suggested the wrong cooler. This processor has 1155 socket.
 
Another question: Is there any way I can replace the Graphics card in my existing setup for watching 3D Full HD movies? The Motherboard being so old, will the Graphics card perform at a less than optimal level? Or would that be enough?

If I could do that, I could very well buy the Silverstone Sugo cabinet (which fits in my HT rack) and integrate it into my HT setup (which is in a different room) and build this PC from scratch for regular use. The only issue would be the lack of newer options like eSata and USB 3.0. But if an add-on card could give me a couple of USB 3.0 ports, it's worth considering. I just need to add a cheap Wireless KB + Mouse.

It sure would be more expensive than I started with, but I don't need to do everything in one day and where it makes sense can even add used items to save money.
 
^^ I should have been clearer.

What I asked about is re-using my existing 5 year old MB + CPU and adding an additional Graphics card to replace my age old XTreamer. I was going to give away, but this could be a better way to extend it's life for some more time.

As for the i5 rig, considering that I am almost building a new PC, adding a PSU to the config you mentioned won't stretch things too much :)
 
^^ No a normal entry-level graphics card will not be hampered by an older PCi-E standard interface.

Get an AMD HD 5540 / 6670 OR nVidia GT 430 ~ 4500/- [this is the price point for these cards], couple it with your old Seasonic SMPS and no hiccups, the only issue the CPU might be a bottle-neck for these cards.

Hope this helps Sire, cheers!!
 
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