1. Q: What is your budget?
25 – 40k (depending on whether I go for assembled or AIO)
2. Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
a. CPU - Intel Pentium D 2.8 ghz
b. Motherboard – intel
c. Ram – 1.5 gb ddr2
d. Monitor – viewsonic 19†lcd
3. Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
Nothing except 2 sata hdd’s/keyboard/mouse
4. 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.
a. CPU - Intel i3 2100 or AMD Llano A6 or any other as per suggestions
b. Motherboard - any compatible motherboard
c. GPU – none
d. Monitor – 23 or 24†LCD
e. Ram – 4gb
f. Dvd writer
g. Cabinet
h. smps
5. 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
May upgrade ram, if needed
6. Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
Mumbai (Open to online purchase)
7. Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
No
8. Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
a. Browsing
b. NO gaming (have ps3 for that)
c. Trading software
d. Download rig, 24x5 operation
e. streaming HD movies to ps3
9. Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
Any brand with good ASS
10. Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
None
11. Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
Desktop - 1440x900
12. Q: Are you looking to overclock?
No
13. Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
Win xp or Windows 7 32bit/64 bit
=========================================================================
I ideally would like a rig that is –
a. Quiet - my current rig’s cpu fan was so loud even when there was no cpu activity that I had to install speed fan software to limit the speed to 60% as otherwise it would whir at 4000+ rpm
b. Power saving - though not an absolute priority it would be good to keep power consumption to a minimum especially since it remains on 24 hrs a day during weekdays. Its usually off on the weekends
c. Fast – in terms of daily usage, browsing, having many windows open, also multi tasking since the machine will be used for trading software (some of which uses quite a bit of cpu & ram)
d. Good warranty coverage – since I intend to use this rig for a few (3+) years atleast. My last rig was used for 5 years
e. Future proof – not a priority, wouldn’t like to pay too much of a premium for it since the rig I buy now should suffice my requirements for awhile, but if by paying a bit more i am more furture proof, say being able to upgrade some components like cpu in future etc, that would be ok
=========================================================================
I have some additional info/queries which I would appreciate your help/feedback with --
1)
I use my rig to stream hd movies to my ps3 via ps3 media server. Movies that are 720p and natively compatible with ps3 stream flawlessly but if they need to be transcoded (if for eg the video profile/format/codec is not compatible or if subtitles need to be transcoded) then the playback stutters. I know the 2nd gen intel sb’s have decent igp’s with something that’s called quicksync.
Qs :
a) is encoding/transcoding done by cpu or gpu? i.e. will dual core i3 be ok or will the additional cores of a previous gen amd phenom x4 or x6 be a better cpu for me
b) Will quicksync help me with my problem or will I need a separate gpu (which wont come of use for anything else do would be a bit of a waste)
2)
I live near the sea so corrosion/component failure is a big issue. For that reason I was considering a AIO from dell or Lenovo as the components are all sealed in and therefore less likely to have an issue. Plus if I get a branded computer then if any issue creeps up I have on-site warranty rather than personally running around for a replacement.
I am considering the following models –
Vostro 360 All-in-One Desktop Details | Dell India which is 33k + 8k for 2yr additional warranty
Lenovo B320 With TV Tuner / Core I3-2100 / 3 GB / 500 GB / Win 7 Home Basic: All In One Desktop: Flipkart.com which is 39k with 3 yr warranty (with 1gb less ram and 1.5†smaller screen but 500gb more hdd)
the downsides of this option though are --
a) higher cost
b) I will not be able to use my current internal hdd’s (1x1tb 1x500gb) which will go waste or I will have to buy a hdd dock which will increase the cost by another 3-4k as well as take up space and connectors and also take away the beauty of having a AIO
c) No usb 3.0
Qs :
Would you’ll suggest an AIO? I know its slightly more expensive but are the performances comparable? i.e. will a AIO with a i3-2100 chip & 4gb ram perform the same as an assembled rig with the same specs or is the real world performance curtailed/constrained somehow?
3)
From the specs I see that Motherboards these days come with a lot of usb slots but from the specs of the cabinets (CM 310, nxt gamma etc) I see that there aren’t as many usb slots as are on the MB. Is there a workaround for this?
4)
Smps that are suggested are 2k+. till now I have been using iball/intex type smps which cost abt 600-750 rs and they have worked ok till they conked off (sometimes 6 months, but mostly 18months+). Is there any real world difference between these and the 2k+ brands. My area doesn’t really have power outages as such so I don’t have a UPS. I only use a spike buster so it has happened (very rare – say once 12-18 months) in the past that a particularly bad spike or power outage has caused the smps to go kaput. If I were to put in 2k+ for a smps would this be prevented from happening. I know that the smps have 3 year warranty etc but don’t really have the time to take it to the ASS and get it changed etc
5)
I have a 50†720p plasma tv on which if I view HD movies they look great. But anything SD looks like crap. it's the same as watching low res video on a non-hd monitor. Would it be the same with Full HD monitors? Will non-hd stuff look bad?
6)
I read on some other thread that IPS panel monitors would be the best especially if one doesn’t do gaming on them. Is there a link with the IPS panel full hd monitors that are available in india with prices mentioned?
7)
Is it worth waiting for amd bulldozer? Though from what I have read it’ll be slightly more expensive than the i3 as it’ll be much more powerful than them which might be more than I need. I don’t mind waiting another month or so if it’ll mean that I’ll get a better deal on the i3 or the amd chips will be more vfm (though the launch has apparently been pushed a few times so don’t know if they’ll definitely launch in oct)
Thanks in advance for all your inputs and guidance. Muchas gracias. :clap:
25 – 40k (depending on whether I go for assembled or AIO)
2. Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
a. CPU - Intel Pentium D 2.8 ghz
b. Motherboard – intel
c. Ram – 1.5 gb ddr2
d. Monitor – viewsonic 19†lcd
3. Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
Nothing except 2 sata hdd’s/keyboard/mouse
4. 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.
a. CPU - Intel i3 2100 or AMD Llano A6 or any other as per suggestions
b. Motherboard - any compatible motherboard
c. GPU – none
d. Monitor – 23 or 24†LCD
e. Ram – 4gb
f. Dvd writer
g. Cabinet
h. smps
5. 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
May upgrade ram, if needed
6. Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
Mumbai (Open to online purchase)
7. Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
No
8. Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
a. Browsing
b. NO gaming (have ps3 for that)
c. Trading software
d. Download rig, 24x5 operation
e. streaming HD movies to ps3
9. Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
Any brand with good ASS
10. Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
None
11. Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
Desktop - 1440x900
12. Q: Are you looking to overclock?
No
13. Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
Win xp or Windows 7 32bit/64 bit
=========================================================================
I ideally would like a rig that is –
a. Quiet - my current rig’s cpu fan was so loud even when there was no cpu activity that I had to install speed fan software to limit the speed to 60% as otherwise it would whir at 4000+ rpm
b. Power saving - though not an absolute priority it would be good to keep power consumption to a minimum especially since it remains on 24 hrs a day during weekdays. Its usually off on the weekends
c. Fast – in terms of daily usage, browsing, having many windows open, also multi tasking since the machine will be used for trading software (some of which uses quite a bit of cpu & ram)
d. Good warranty coverage – since I intend to use this rig for a few (3+) years atleast. My last rig was used for 5 years
e. Future proof – not a priority, wouldn’t like to pay too much of a premium for it since the rig I buy now should suffice my requirements for awhile, but if by paying a bit more i am more furture proof, say being able to upgrade some components like cpu in future etc, that would be ok
=========================================================================
I have some additional info/queries which I would appreciate your help/feedback with --
1)
I use my rig to stream hd movies to my ps3 via ps3 media server. Movies that are 720p and natively compatible with ps3 stream flawlessly but if they need to be transcoded (if for eg the video profile/format/codec is not compatible or if subtitles need to be transcoded) then the playback stutters. I know the 2nd gen intel sb’s have decent igp’s with something that’s called quicksync.
Qs :
a) is encoding/transcoding done by cpu or gpu? i.e. will dual core i3 be ok or will the additional cores of a previous gen amd phenom x4 or x6 be a better cpu for me
b) Will quicksync help me with my problem or will I need a separate gpu (which wont come of use for anything else do would be a bit of a waste)
2)
I live near the sea so corrosion/component failure is a big issue. For that reason I was considering a AIO from dell or Lenovo as the components are all sealed in and therefore less likely to have an issue. Plus if I get a branded computer then if any issue creeps up I have on-site warranty rather than personally running around for a replacement.
I am considering the following models –
Vostro 360 All-in-One Desktop Details | Dell India which is 33k + 8k for 2yr additional warranty
Lenovo B320 With TV Tuner / Core I3-2100 / 3 GB / 500 GB / Win 7 Home Basic: All In One Desktop: Flipkart.com which is 39k with 3 yr warranty (with 1gb less ram and 1.5†smaller screen but 500gb more hdd)
the downsides of this option though are --
a) higher cost
b) I will not be able to use my current internal hdd’s (1x1tb 1x500gb) which will go waste or I will have to buy a hdd dock which will increase the cost by another 3-4k as well as take up space and connectors and also take away the beauty of having a AIO
c) No usb 3.0
Qs :
Would you’ll suggest an AIO? I know its slightly more expensive but are the performances comparable? i.e. will a AIO with a i3-2100 chip & 4gb ram perform the same as an assembled rig with the same specs or is the real world performance curtailed/constrained somehow?
3)
From the specs I see that Motherboards these days come with a lot of usb slots but from the specs of the cabinets (CM 310, nxt gamma etc) I see that there aren’t as many usb slots as are on the MB. Is there a workaround for this?
4)
Smps that are suggested are 2k+. till now I have been using iball/intex type smps which cost abt 600-750 rs and they have worked ok till they conked off (sometimes 6 months, but mostly 18months+). Is there any real world difference between these and the 2k+ brands. My area doesn’t really have power outages as such so I don’t have a UPS. I only use a spike buster so it has happened (very rare – say once 12-18 months) in the past that a particularly bad spike or power outage has caused the smps to go kaput. If I were to put in 2k+ for a smps would this be prevented from happening. I know that the smps have 3 year warranty etc but don’t really have the time to take it to the ASS and get it changed etc
5)
I have a 50†720p plasma tv on which if I view HD movies they look great. But anything SD looks like crap. it's the same as watching low res video on a non-hd monitor. Would it be the same with Full HD monitors? Will non-hd stuff look bad?
6)
I read on some other thread that IPS panel monitors would be the best especially if one doesn’t do gaming on them. Is there a link with the IPS panel full hd monitors that are available in india with prices mentioned?
7)
Is it worth waiting for amd bulldozer? Though from what I have read it’ll be slightly more expensive than the i3 as it’ll be much more powerful than them which might be more than I need. I don’t mind waiting another month or so if it’ll mean that I’ll get a better deal on the i3 or the amd chips will be more vfm (though the launch has apparently been pushed a few times so don’t know if they’ll definitely launch in oct)
Thanks in advance for all your inputs and guidance. Muchas gracias. :clap:
