TE PC Buying Guide - December 2011

DarkAngel

DarkAngel

Skilled
So this is not the best of times if one is looking to get a new PC. Many major component prices have increased substantially due to rupee depriciation against $.

Coupled with this the floods in Thailand has results in people having to spend more for the same PC than they had a few months back.

I have many minor changes to the Aug guide based on availability of motherboard and pricing.

Since the BD was not a great alternative to SB when it comes to gaming most of the recommendation stays put.

I didn't compromise the components for the price point but rather compromised on pricing for the components.

Seems like few shops are pushing for sales of OEM H67 mobos for Rs.500 less than boxed ones. But please keep in mind that OEM mobos usually carry only 1 year or even lesser warranty compared to 3 years warranty for boxed mobos.

Components DescriptionPrice (INR)
ProcessorAMD Sempron 140(2.7Ghz, 1 core) 1940
MotherboardGIGABYTE GA-78LMT-S2P(AM3+ socket)2700
RAMCorsair 2GB DDRIII 1333MHz560
HDDHDD 250GB Seagate 7200.12 3500
GPUOn Board HD3000-
MonitorDell E16093800
CabinetZebronics Kite with SMPS1100
PSU/SMPSNA-
KeyboardZebronics OEM SET - Optical Blk Mouse+ KB350
MouseNA-
ODDSamsung 22X SATA DVD900
SpeakersCreative SBS SBS A35 - 2.0400
Total15300
[th="14"]General Purpose Office Machine + 24/7 Downloading(Budget 15k)[/th]


Go for the Gigabyte GA D425TUD board + ATOM 1.8 GHz ~ 4.5k if it is only for 24/7 DLs and browsing.

General Purpose Home Machine(Budget 20k)

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor AMD Athlon II x2 260 3100

Motherboard GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-S2P(AM3+) 2700

RAM Corsair 2GB DDRIII 1333MHz 560

HDD Seagate 500GB 7200.12 4000

GPU On Board Raedon HD3000 -

Monitor Dell 1920IN 4840

Cabinet Zebronics or Circle basic Cabinet W/O PSU 800

PSU FSP saga II 350W 1500

Key Board Logitech SET - Optical Blk Mouse+ MMKB 650

Mouse NA -

ODD Samsung 22X SATA DVD 900

Speakers Altec Lansing 2.1 BXR1221 950

Total 20000


If you have ~1k more to spare then you can opt for the Intel PDC G620 + Gigabyte or Asus H61 combo. It provides you with a better performance.

General Purpose Home Machine + Casual Gamer (Budget 27k)

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor Intel PDC G620 3490

Motherboard GIGABYTE GA-H61M-S2P-B3 3000

RAM Corsair 2GB DDRIII 1333MHz 560

HDD Seagate 500GB 7200.12 4000

GPU MSI R6570-MD2GD3/LP 4100

Monitor Dell IN2030M 5850

Cabinet CM Elite 310 1650

PSU Gigabyte Superb 460 or FSP SAGAII 400w 1950

Key Board Logitech SET - Optical Blk Mouse+ MMKB 650

Mouse NA -

ODD Samsung 22X SATA DVD 900

Speakers Altec Lansing 2.1 BXR1221 950

Total 27100


I would recommend a Corsair 4GB RAM stick ~ 1k is you have few more bucks to spend.

Those who don't want the hassles of a discrete GPU can go for the AMD Llano APUs.

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor AMD LIANO A6-3500 A-Series APU 4840

Motherboard Asus F1A55-M LX PLUS 4000

RAM Corsair XMS3 CMX4GX3M2A1600?C9 1600 Mhz (2GB*2) 1450

Total 26250


The A6 3500 is a tri core processor with base speeds of 2.1GHz with turbo to 2.4GHz. Its pretty energy efficient too with a 65wTDP.

It has an integrated Radeon HD 6530D GPU runs at 443 MHz and has 320 shader units (Similar to the HD4670 albeit with lower clock speeds)

Low End Gaming Rig (Budget 35k)

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor Intel Core i3 2100 6450

Motherboard GIGABYTE GA-H61M-S2P-B3 3000

RAM Corsair 4GB DDRIII 1333MHz 1025

HDD Seagate 500GB 7200.12 4000

GPU MSI R6770-MD1GD 1GB GDDR5 6775

Monitor Benq G2220HD 7200

Cabinet NZXT Source 210 Black 2050

PSU/SMPS Corsair CX430 v2 2200

Key Board Logitech SET - Optical Blk Mouse+ MMKB 650

Mouse NA -

ODD Samsung 22X SATA DVD 900

Speakers Altec Lansing 2.1 BXR1221 950

Total 35200


If you have a few more bucks to spare then you can consider a PSU upgrade to Seasonic S12II 430w ~ 2.8k

If you want to OC and need more cores then you can go for the AMD PhenomII X4 955BE and a AM3+ mobo.

Medium End Gaming Rig (Budget 43k)

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor Intel Core i3 2100 6450

Motherboard Intel DH67BL(B3) 5275

RAM Corsair 4GB DDRIII 1333MHz 1025

HDD Seagate 1TB 7200.12 5000

GPU SAPPHIRE HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 9500

Monitor Benq G2220HD 7200

Cabinet NZXT Gamma 2300

PSU Seasonic S12II 430w 2650

Key Board Logitech MMKB 400

Mouse Gigabyte GM6800 650

ODD Samsung 22X SATA DVD 900

Speakers Altec Lansing 2.1 VS2621 1650

Total 43000


If you are want to OC and need more cores then you can go for the AMD PhenomII X4 955BE and a AM3+ mobo.

Med End Gaming Rig (Budget 54k)

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor Core i5 2320 10300

Motherboard Intel DH67BL(B3) 5275

RAM Corsair 4GB DDRIII 1333MHz 1025

HDD Seagate 1 TB 7200.12 5000

GPU MSI Nvidia N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II/OC 1GB GDDR5 14800

Monitor Benq G2220HD 7200

Cabinet NZXT Gamma 2300

PSU Seasonic S12II 520w 3500

Key Board Razer Cyclosa Bundle 2000

Mouse - -

ODD Samsung 22X SATA DVD 900

Speakers Altec Lansing 2.1 VS2621 1650

Total 53950


Med End Gaming Rig (Budget 68k)

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor Intel Core i5 2500K 12500

Motherboard MSI P67A-GD55 9550

CPU Cooler CM Hyper 212+ 1850

RAM Corsair XMS3 CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 1600MHz 1450

HDD Seagate 1 TB 7200.12 5000

GPU MSI R6950 Twin Frozr II/OC 2GB GDDR5 16800

Monitor Benq E2220HD 8700

Cabinet Corsair Carbide 400R 4500

PSU Seasonic S12II 520w 3500

Key Board Razer Cyclosa Bundle 2000

Mouse - -

ODD Samsung 22X SATA DVD 900

Speakers Altec Lansing 2.1 VS2621 1650

Total 68400


High End Gaming Rig - XFire (Budget 78k)

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor Intel Core i5 2500K 12500

Motherboard MSI P67A-GD55 9550

CPU Cooler CM Hyper 212+ 1850

RAM Corsair XMS3 CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 1600MHz 1450

HDD Seagate 1 TB 7200.12 5000

GPU 2*SAPPHIRE HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 19000

Monitor Samsung P2350 10800

Cabinet Corsair Carbide 400R 4500

PSU Corsair TX750 V2 6000

Key Board Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 1100

Mouse Razer Death Adder 2000

Mouse pad RantoPad H3 300

ODD Samsung 22X SATA DVD 900

Speakers Altec Lancing VS4621 2950

Total 77900


Those who prefer single GFX can go for a HD6950 2GB/ HD6970 2GB/ GTX570 according to preference and the kind of gaming prowess needed!

Optional upgrade to OCZ AGILITY 3 SATA III 60GB SSD (AGT3-25SAT3-60G) ~ 7k

If you have a bit more to spare and are a hard core OCer then opt for CL8 RAM sticks and Noctua NH-U12P SE2 120mm SSO ~ 3.75k

If you are skeptical about going for a tier-2 brand MSI mobo then opt for the Asus P8P67 Pro ~ 11.6k (Though the MSI P67A-GD55 has good good ratings in newegg and couple of reviews)

High End Gaming Rig - XFire (Budget 1.1L)

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor Intel Core i5 2500K 12500

Motherboard Asus P8P67 Pro 12500

RAM Gskill F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 2800

HDD 1 TB Seagate 7200.12 5000

CPU Cooler Noctua NH-U12P SE2 120mm SSO 3750

GPU 2*MSI R6950 Twin Frozr II/OC 2GB GDDR5 34600

Monitor DELL U2312HM 15000

Cabinet NZXT Phantom 6800

PSU/SMPS SeaSonic X 850 SS-850KM 850W 9900

Key Board Razer Arctosa 2200

Mouse Razer Death Adder 2200

Mouse pad RantoPad H3 300

ODD L.G./Samsung OEM SATA DVD-Writer 950

Speakers Altec Lansing 2.1 VS4121 2900

Total 109900


Those who prefer single GFX can go for a GTX580.

Optional upgrade to OCZ Force 3 SATA III 120GB SSD (CSSD-F120GB3-BK) ~ 9.8k

A better set of speakers.

High End Gaming Rig (Budget 1.45L)

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor Intel Core i7 2600k 17900

Motherboard Asus Asus P8P67 DELUXE B3 16700

RAM G-skill F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM 1600MHz 3800

HDD Seagate 1 TB 7200.12 5000

SSD OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-120G 120GB 13000

CPU Cooler Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler 4800

Monitor DELL U2312HM 15000

GPU 2*MSI R6950 Twin Frozr II/OC 2GB GDDR5 33600

Cabinet NZXT Phantom 6800

PSU/SMPS SeaSonic X 850 SS-850KM 850W 9900

Key Board Razer Arctosa 2250

Mouse Razer Death Adder 2200

Mouse pad Razer Sphex World Elite Edition Gaming Grade Desktop Skin 1000

ODD L.G./Samsung OEM SATA DVD-Writer 900

Speakers Logitech 2300 2.1 7400

Sound Card ASUS Xonar DX 4200

Total 144450


Optional ugrade to Dell U2711H ~ 40k.

Ultra High End Workhorse/Gaming Rig

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor Intel 3960X(6 cores, 15M Cache, 3.3GHz)

Motherboard ASUS Rampage IV Extreme

RAM G.SKILL Ripjaws Z F3-17000CL11Q-16GBZL

HDD 2*1 TB WD Black

SDD 2*OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-240G

CPU Cooler NH-D14 SE2011

GPU 2*ZOTAC AMP! GeForce GTX 580

Monitor DELL U2711

Cabinet LIAN LI PC-P80(modded)

PSU/SMPS Corsair AX1200

Key Board Razer Tarantula

Mouse Logitech G9 Laser

Mouse pad Razer Sphex World Elite Edition Gaming Grade Desktop Skin

ODD LITEON 4X BLURAY ROM IHOS104- 06

Sound Card Creative PCI-E Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion

Speakers Logitech Z-5500 5.1Ch


Home Theater Enthusiast

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor Gigabyte GA-E350N-USB3 7400

Motherboard - -

RAM Corsair 4 DDRIII 1333MHz 1025

HDD Seagate 500GB 5400.6 4350

GPU Integrated AMD HD6310 -

Monitor Any Good Full HD LCD TV(32" and upwards) 30000+

Cabinet CM ELite 100 3000

PSU/SMPS Inbuilt CM 150w -

Key Board Logitech Wireless Desktop MK320 1200

Mouse NA -

TV Tuner Hauppauge Colossus 01414 $140

ODD Samsung SN-208BB - OEM 1800

Sound Card ASUS Xonar DX 4200

Speakers Altec Lansing 5.1 FX5051E 8000


Couldnt find any slim Blue Ray ODD. So if blue ray ODD is must one can opt for an external player or go for a different case that supports normal sized ODD

For HDD i have stuck with Seagate as it has better A.S.S. against WD and performace per Rupee is also better.

Seagate has reduced their internal desktop HDD warranty duration from 3 years to 2 years!

Update: DailyTech - Quick Note: Western Digital Cuts Warranty on Caviar, Scorpio HDDs from 3 to 2 Years WD too seems to be cutting warranty duration from 3 years to 2 years from Jan 2012. So doesn't matter now. I thank ?doubtfire? for PMing me this news item.

Also i have avoided most products which are serviced by Rashi as they have loads of -ve feedback in the forum.

As Asus have taken good steps towards better service i have added Asus mobos in the guide.

Prices taken from the following websites

TE Dealer's Paradise

TheITWares -TheITwares Ecommerce, Lamington Road, Mumbai

SMC International - One Stop Shop for all your Hardware Need !, Delhi

TechShop

Delta Peripherals, Chennai

Prime ABGB, Lamington Road, Mumbai

Welcome to Mediahome.in - The best place to buy technology in India, Delhi

http://www.challenge.../pricelist.html

overclockerszone | eBay

Also please let me know of any typos in the guide. Suggestions and comments are welcome.
 
Hey man , awesome guide as usual!

Can u tell me which website this ram is available at 1450(this is a dual channel kit right?)

Corsair XMS3 CMX4GX3M2A1600?C9 1600 Mhz (2GB*2) 1450
 
coolcrook said:
thanks for the link,

also in the low end rig instead of dell 2020, u could include dell 2030m, available for 6000 from LB(probably cheaper with some discount coupons)

Buy Dell 20 Inch WideScreen HD LED Monitor (IN2030M) at Best Price in India - Also find Specifications, Photos, Features & Reviews

Seasonic 430v is avbl for 2.65k

SeaSonic S12II 430 430W ATX12V V2.3/EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Click to expand...

yeah forgot to update the model no. Its a replacement for the 2020M at the same price point. PSU prices corrected.
 
TBH, I dont think the Athlons should be recomended anymore, as they will be going EOL soon. What about the A4 Llano's? Are they still not available in india?
 
vivek.krishnan said:
TBH, I dont think the Athlons should be recomended anymore, as they will be going EOL soon. What about the A4 Llano's? Are they still not available in india?
Click to expand...

Cheapest A4 costs ~4k and the cheapest A55 mobo costs ~4k. You can get an AthlonII X2 + AMD 760G for ~ 5.8k. Plus even low end mobos have AM3+ socket these days. If someone wants a cheap setup for basic computing then there is no harm in getting a AthlonII as its more than enough for those tasks.
 
DarkAngel said:
Cheapest A4 costs ~4k and the cheapest A55 mobo costs ~4k. You can get an AthlonII X2 + AMD 760G for ~ 5.8k. Plus even low end mobos have AM3+ socket these days. If someone wants a cheap setup for basic computing then there is no harm in getting a AthlonII as its more than enough for those tasks.
Click to expand...

Agreed. But, I was not comparing them to the A4's but actually, put a Intel PDC as a better option. But they will be missing out on the iGPU. However, a few months down the line, they can upgrade to a better dGPU.

As for the A4's, I just did not see them in the list in any config, so asked.
 
vivek.krishnan said:
Agreed. But, I was not comparing them to the A4's but actually, put a Intel PDC as a better option. But they will be missing out on the iGPU. However, a few months down the line, they can upgrade to a better dGPU.

As for the A4's, I just did not see them in the list in any config, so asked.
Click to expand...

Included A6 since they have a better GPU. A4 is too costly to justify the pricing since for few hundred more you get double the shaders and an extra core with the A6.

The Intel PDC will cost almost a 700-1000 more (The H61 mobo i mentioned is availble for that cheap only in SMC website). Didn't want to increase the basic rig costs over 20k as that is a very sensitive sweet spot for buyers with the most basic of needs. Though will add that as an alternate so that people knows they have a choice of a better platform for a few 100's more.
 
Good to see updated guide....

But why there are no AMD based config.... Intel is way costly... And much better performance is available from AMD proccy at lower prices.....

Many of user will never use the full potential of Intel I series processors.... So some AMD config will be good to list here.....

But hats off to you for this guide....
 
sumesara said:
Good to see updated guide....

But why there are no AMD based config.... Intel is way costly... And much better performance is available from AMD proccy at lower prices.....

Many of user will never use the full potential of Intel I series processors.... So some AMD config will be good to list here.....

But hats off to you for this guide....
Click to expand...

ditto.... AMD still offer's VFM for budget's below 30-35K and esp the A8 series [A-8 3850]. It eliminates the need for a separate GPU.

Anyways, @DarkAngel you keep doing a remarkable job. Just a few odd things that struck me - as one goes higher up the budget 40K and above, you still recommend only 4GB of RAM !! - today 8/12/16 GB is affordable and will offer better results.

Secondly for configs over 55K .... Is'nt it time we start considering the Intel socket 2011 Mobo's on the X79 chipset - the DIMM support & performance is better than the 1155 socket [apart from many other advanced features].

Lastly, I have'nt noticed any special sticky on TE about the Intel socket 2011 Mobo's on the X79 chipset - Let's do it
 
Great compilation as usual. :)

I am more intd in building a HTPC(Full HD/max bitrate/those 50GB BMV files etc) cum daily user PC in like 2 or 3 months.

Does that HTPC config serve me good?

Yes, i know small form factor is great. but since it will be like my secondary PC, looking for tower cabby.

Also any idea about HDD hot swap bays?
 
terence_fdes said:
ditto.... AMD still offer's VFM for budget's below 30-35K and esp the A8 series [A-8 3850]. It eliminates the need for a separate GPU.

Anyways, @DarkAngel you keep doing a remarkable job. Just a few odd things that struck me - as one goes higher up the budget 40K and above, you still recommend only 4GB of RAM !! - today 8/12/16 GB is affordable and will offer better results.

Secondly for configs over 55K .... Is'nt it time we start considering the Intel socket 2011 Mobo's on the X79 chipset - the DIMM support & performance is better than the 1155 socket [apart from many other advanced features].

Lastly, I have'nt noticed any special sticky on TE about the Intel socket 2011 Mobo's on the X79 chipset - Let's do it
Click to expand...

Agreed its VFM but the Athlons and Phenoms will be EOL by next year. No point, IMO investing in a platform that might be dead.

As for the A8, yes its good, but I feel that a PDC + 6570 combo (albeit around 1~2K more expensive, could easily match up. Upgrade to i3, its even better.)

As for the RAM, 4GB is the baseline, we need to upgrade to higher numbers, depending on how much moolah is leftover.

SNB E is too expensive and will appeal only to the most hardcore gamers. On the other hand, those who need the additional PCIe lanes will go for it. It does not, IMO make sense for any config here.
 
Is there a possibility of prices coming down 2-3 months down the line (Am ready to wait that long)? I was looking to get an i3 combo with RAM but current prices are making the upgrade a real stretch.
 
eternoMind said:
Is there a possibility of prices coming down 2-3 months down the line (Am ready to wait that long)? I was looking to get an i3 combo with RAM but current prices are making the upgrade a real stretch.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, unless RBI keeps buying back more INR (which is why it has stalled at 53), it is set to hit 58 to a dollar by January. No financial analyst believes INR will ever duck below 50 again without major economic reforms. Conversely, now is the best time to buy. Could see everything a lot more expensive in 2-3 months.
 
whats with those hdd prices.....

they have shot up like anything.....

Nice configs though i will be going for a amd x2 config

thanks....
 
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