21-30k Desktop Upgrade - Core Components

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abr

abr

Beginner
Hi,
I have an old PC that I would like to upgrade. The main use for this will be to run photoshop to do photo editing. And download stuff

Q: What is your budget?
Around 30k. Willing to push may be another 5k more. Not including the OS

Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
CPU - AMD Athlon XP 2400+
Motherboard - Asus A7N266-VM
GPU - GeForce 5200 series
RAM - Transcend 1GB 667Mhz
Monitor - Dell 2204
SMPS - Intex ATX2.03, 450watts
CPU Cooler - No name
OS - Ubuntu 12.04 LTS
Wireless Card - Dlink
Floppy drive

Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
Monitor - Dell 22" 2204 LCD
Speakers - 2.1
HDD - WD 2 TB SATA, May be another smaller IDE for swap
DVD drive, Wireless Keyboard and Mouse
Dlink Wireless card

Q: Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.
CPU
Motherboard
GPU
RAM
PSU
Chasis
CPU Cooler
Cabinet fans

Q: Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component
No upgrades in the near future

Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
Bangalore
Open to online purchase (flipkart)

Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
No

Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
Photoshop, editing
Browsing
HTPC
Download rig, 24x7 operation
Watching HD movies


Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
Prefer AMD and GeForce combo for their bang for buck products and constant improvement

Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
Dont play many games these days. If I do, it will be Racing simulation or Flight simulations

Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
Gaming - 1280x1024
Desktop - 1920x1080

Q: Are you looking to overclock?
No. I have never done this before

Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
Windows 7 64 bit
 
@abr go for the following configuration --

Intel Core i5 2400 ~10900/- OR Core i5 2320 ~9500/-
Intel DH67-BL ~6500/-
Corsair XMS3 OR G.Skill RIPJAWS 4GB x2 ~3500/-
AMD HD 7770 GHz edition ~8900/-
Seasonic S12II 520W ~3800/-
Cooler Master eLite 430 Black ~3000/- OR NZXT Gamma ~2800/- [only available from Golccha Inter-Trade at S.P. Road]

Hope this helps, Cheerio!!
 
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Thank you Alpha17
Should I also buy a small SSD for running the OS and keep data on the 2TB disk? Maybe like a 40GB or something? Would it make a difference?

I will head off to SP road in a bit and see what I can get today.
 
abr said:
Thank you Alpha17
Should I also buy a small SSD for running the OS and keep data on the 2TB disk? Maybe like a 40GB or something? Would it make a difference?

I will head off to SP road in a bit and see what I can get today.
Click to expand...

I have never used a SSD and generally do not push for SSD's of such low capacity due to the following reasons --
  • Windows is huge and will stake the entire disc for itself [including its patches and fixes];
  • SSD performance tapers off sharply once it gets more and more loaded;
  • none of your other programs / applications, running off the 2TB drive will note a drastic increase in performance.

Also most SSD's with such small capacities have an appalling value for money, apart from cutting corners by using older SATA II interface, so I will recommend that you add a SSD later when the prices come down OR when you can get an SSD with a capacity of more than ~90GB.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!!
 
Thanks ALPHA17 and Hades.
I will then probably wait for the SSD prices to come down before heading this route. I will get the rest of it for now.

And importing is not an option at the moment.
 
I went and returned from SP Road. None of the shops usually recommended in the forums were open. All I got was (1) wet in the cloudburst :) and (2) un-competitive quotes from a bunch of other shops.
I will try again tomorrow or early this week.
 
abr said:
I went and returned from SP Road. None of the shops usually recommended in the forums were open. All I got was (1) wet in the cloudburst :) and (2) un-competitive quotes from a bunch of other shops.
I will try again tomorrow or early this week.
Click to expand...

Sorry I did not tell this earlier [slipped my mind], Sunday is a weekly off at S.P. Road. You will be able to visit most shops tomorrow; expect the pricing to be on the higher side though [thanks to Rupee: $ see-saw].
 
ALPHA17 said:
Hello Hades, long time no see; the Crucial M4 family is available in India from Prime ABGB.
Click to expand...

I have been busy :)

Actaully I suggested him to import crucial m4 bcoz by spending the same amount of money he would be able to buy 256GB SSD rather than 128 gb SSD... Warranty maybe an issue for OP but for deals like these we hardly care about warranty...
 
Thanks again guys. I do not think I will move to an SSD until I get a 500GB under 10k price. I will live with SATA till then.

Here's what I got from Golcha today.
Intel Core i5 3450 - 11500/-
Intel DH75-BN 6000/-
Corsair Vengeance DDR 3 1600mhz - 3400/-
AMD HD 7770 GHz edition - 9000/-
Seasonic S12II 520W - 3800/-
Cooler Master eLite 431 Black ~3500/-
Total - 39060
Then I decided to buy a SATA DVD writer from Asus - 1260/-
After thought, got windows home premium - 6725/-

Looks like I spent a total of about 47,000/- putting this together. So, I paid for all of this and got it put it together at the store.

I just need to plug in my 2TB hard disk and install Windows Home Premium.

Late to ask and I dont think much can be done now, but what do you think? Was it worth to move to the 3rd generation processor+MB?
 
abr said:
Thanks again guys. I do not think I will move to an SSD until I get a 500GB under 10k price. I will live with SATA till then.

Here's what I got from Golcha today.
Intel Core i5 3450 - 11500/-
Intel DH75-BN 6000/-
Corsair Vengeance DDR 3 1600mhz - 3400/-
AMD HD 7770 GHz edition - 9000/-
Seasonic S12II 520W - 3800/-
Cooler Master eLite 431 Black ~3500/-
Total - 39060
Then I decided to buy a SATA DVD writer from Asus - 1260/-
After thought, got windows home premium - 6725/-

Looks like I spent a total of about 47,000/- putting this together. So, I paid for all of this and got it put it together at the store.

I just need to plug in my 2TB hard disk and install Windows Home Premium.

Late to ask and I dont think much can be done now, but what do you think? Was it worth to move to the 3rd generation processor+MB?
Click to expand...

Well congratulations firstly on your RIG purchase, may it serve you well for many years to come.

A good call on purchasing a 3rd generation set-up; it was more expensive but should be future proof. Although the motherboard you bought is based on a specialized Intel offering for small enterprises / business users.

Was the NZXT Gamma not available with Golccha?

Rest of the components check out fine. Cheerio!!
 
Ah. Why I should not shop from memory. I did not even ask about the NZXT. The cooler master name was in my head and I just went with that. Would it have made it much better?

I just installed the hard disk at home.
Is it ok to install windows 7 home premium 64bit onto the 2TB hard disk, or should I partition etc.? (I posted the same question in the OS section also)
 
abr said:
Would it have made it much better?

Is it ok to install windows 7 home premium 64bit onto the 2TB hard disk, or should I partition etc.? (I posted the same question in the OS section also)
Click to expand...

Yes the NZXT Gamma is a much better cabinet than the Cooler Master eLite430 / 431 in the following department --
  • fully black painted interiors;
  • better cable management;
  • better cable management avenues.

It would be better if you install the OS in a separate partition, so that incase you need to format the OS atleast you will not loose the rest of your data.
 
What started off as an upgrade, turned out to be a completely new machine. Thanks for the help people!
Here is a picture of what you people helped me build.
NewRig.jpg
 
Jakob said:
Congrats on the rig,Hope this runs for a long time,You can do a little better CM in the case.:)
Click to expand...
Do you mean that I need to get a better Cooler Master case? I do not think I will bother about an upgrade to the case for the time being. Wallet's light.
 
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