Help tweak this config

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vertigo

Beginner
Hi guys, I just got onboard. And a happy new year to you all.

Many thanks to "sire" Alpha17 for an earlier post where I found this below configuration, and after reading a ton of posts I think this works for me. I have a few questions though. I am a N00b, so your help is much appreciated:

1. Will I have the option of connecting 2 monitors to extend my desktop? (Or is any extra hardware required for this?)

2. If I leave the system on 24/7 to stream music to my media player (with the monitor off), will it consume a lot of power? Like over 100w?

3. What can I change to save a few bucks (Other than the monitor)

4. With the below configuration, will I be able to set up a RAID hard disk to mirror my main disk?

5. Can I get atleast 1-2 USB 3.0 ports?

6. Can I use the cheaper Radeon 6850 instead of 6950? The g3d benchmark score is not too far off, but it seems to be 6k cheaper.
(I plan to get this within the next week so I probably wont wait for the new graphics cards everyone's talking about.)

7. I have an old IBM Netvista cabinet like this one, 8 years old to be precise. I like its design, Will I be able to use that cabinet?

1. Q: What is your budget?
65K
2. Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
NA
Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
NA
3. 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.

Intel Core i5 2500 ~ 11500/-
Intel DH-67BL ~ 5800/-
G.Skill RIPJAWS 4GB x 2 1600 MHz ~ 3300/-
Corsair Carbide 400R ~ 5200/- [Anything cheaper and sober looking?]
Corsair TX V2 650W ~ 5400/-
Sapphire / MSi HD 6950 1GB ~ 14500/-
Seagate OR Western Digital 500GB ~ 5000/-
Dell U2311H Ultrasharp ~ 14800/-
Logitech multimedia keyboard ~ 450/-
Razer Abyssuss OR Logitech MX 518 ~ 1200/- / 1450/-
Razer Goliathus Control edition mouse mat [Medium size] ~ 650/-
LG / Samsung OEM DVD drive ~ 1000/- [Or BR RW drive]
(Thanks to Alpha17 again for the above :)

4. 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
Yes
5. Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
Any dealer in Hyderabad. Will ask him to build it and give.
6. Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
No
7. Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
Mainly MS Office suite, browsing, video transfer, video clipping, and games.
8. Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
none
9. Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
I have played and liked NFS, Prince of Persia
10. Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
Full HD would be good
11. Q: Are you looking to overclock?
No
12. Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
Windows 7 64 bit
 
The above suggested rig by alpha17 is what you should go for,If you don't want to spend 5k on case then Nzxt gamma-2.1k is the best option.

I'd be better if you put hold on gpu and wait for Amd 7xxx series which will be available soon,the leaked benches show great performance from it.Order dell u2311h quickly cause you won't get it in stores in few months,it's relacement U2312HM is not that good comparing u2311h.
 
^^ If you are only going to play games like NFS / Prince of Persia, get the GTX 560 [non Ti] ~ 10900/-, it performs decently, is better value against the HD 6870 and can drive most upcoming titles [race games put a lesser load].
 
If you plan to use it 24x7 to stream music, it wont cut it. You will end up using a lot of power still. IMO, will easily cross 100W as there is a dedicated GPU.

Instead, grab hold of a PogoPlug/Go Flex Net/ASUS RT N13U.B1, flash to custom firmware if HDD/ file system not supported (Debian/DD WRT), connect your HDD using USB~SATA converter/adapter.
 
1. Yes, nothing extra needed

2. I'm guessing ~150W idle at the wall socket

4. Yes, H67 supports RAID 0,1,5,10

5. The DH67BL has 2 USB 3.0 ports. Would recommend looking at a better board though, the DH67BL is fairly entry level IMHO.

7. Assuming your cabinet has the standard ATX screw standoff layout it should work. Most of these desktops tend to be micro ATX only, but in your case the DH67BL is mATX as well. You would need to ensure its roomy though, since the GPUs you've listed are fairly long and your config would generate a fair bit of heat.
 
If you wanna save some power then wait for 7xxx series because it has the new feature called zero core which uses only 0.3w power on idle

mistake corrected:ashamed:
 
Thanks a lot guys for all the valuable inputs.

@Alpha17 I think I will go with what suggested here, as I'm not an avid gamer. There are 3 options I found all around the same price, please suggest which to get:
a MSI N560GTX-M2D1GD5,
b ZOTAC GeForce GTX 560 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
c NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX560 OC 1GB GDDR5 (PALIT)

For the monitor, I saw some LED options on primeagb.com:
LG 22inch LED Monitor IPS 225V @ Rs 10000
LG E2290V 21.5 inch Super LED @ Rs 12000

Can someone please advise wouldn't LED be better than the Dell LCD on every count, whether browsing, watching movies, playing games. Or even comparing specs like contrast, brightness, response... Why would anyone buy the Dell U2312HM over these (apart from the size)?

@thegatekeeper thank for suggesting the nzxt brand. I found a model that is very sober and neat looking called nzxt 210-elite at about the same price as Gamma. I'll get this one in case my trusty IBM cabinet does not serve well.

@vivek.krishnan, @crazy_eddie, @jjthegreat thanks for your very valuable inputs.
 
LED only refers to the backlight used in the LCD. LCD panels started with CCFL backlights but have since started shifting over to LED backlights.

The Dell U2312 is an IPS panel (with an LED backlight too). IPS panels tend to have much better viewing angles and colour consistency over the regular TN panels.

The previous gen U2311 (with a CCFL backlight) has been tested to be slightly better across the board against the U2312, but the U2312 has better panel uniformity.

The LG IPS 225V is an IPS panel too. However this one is probably unsuitable for gaming since it has slower response times and fast moving scenes would show ghosting effects.
 
@vertigo

1 If you can't wait for the energy efficient 7xxx then go for the msi gtx 560 version

2 Dell monitors are way better in producing contrast & crisper colors than lg + you get the added advantage of lesser response times means faster gameplay specially in first person shooter games like COD series, Battlefield series, Crysis & many more
vertigo said:
Thanks a lot guys for all the valuable inputs.

@Alpha17 I think I will go with what suggested here, as I'm not an avid gamer. There are 3 options I found all around the same price, please suggest which to get:

a MSI N560GTX-M2D1GD5,

b ZOTAC GeForce GTX 560 1GB 256-bit GDDR5

c NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX560 OC 1GB GDDR5 (PALIT)

For the monitor, I saw some LED options on primeagb.com:

LG 22inch LED Monitor IPS 225V @ Rs 10000

LG E2290V 21.5 inch Super LED @ Rs 12000

Can someone please advise wouldn't LED be better than the Dell LCD on every count, whether browsing, watching movies, playing games. Or even comparing specs like contrast, brightness, response... Why would anyone buy the Dell U2312HM over these (apart from the size)?

@thegatekeeper thank for suggesting the nzxt brand. I found a model that is very sober and neat looking called nzxt 210-elite at about the same price as Gamma. I'll get this one in case my trusty IBM cabinet does not serve well.

@vivek.krishnan, @crazy_eddie, @jjthegreat thanks for your very valuable inputs.
Click to expand...
 
vertigo said:
Thanks a lot guys for all the valuable inputs.

@Alpha17 I think I will go with what suggested here, as I'm not an avid gamer. There are 3 options I found all around the same price, please suggest which to get:

a MSI N560GTX-M2D1GD5,

b ZOTAC GeForce GTX 560 1GB 256-bit GDDR5

c NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX560 OC 1GB GDDR5 (PALIT)

@thegatekeeper thank for suggesting the nzxt brand. I found a model that is very sober and neat looking called nzxt 210-elite at about the same price as Gamma. I'll get this one in case my trusty IBM cabinet does not serve well.
Click to expand...

For your graphics card go for the MSi piece over all the others, they have a strong sales and support network in India. If you can slightly up your budget for the card go for the MSi GTX 560Ti Twin Frozr II ~ 13500/-, it has a third party dual fan cooler slapped on it and performs commendably also a very good over clocking piece [members will vilify].

As for your cabinet, I second the purchase of a NZXT Gamma over a NZXT Source 210, because of larger interiors [so you can fit a longer graphics card].

Hope this helps, Sire. And a happy and prosperous new year.
 
Thanks a lot guys for all the inputs. I really appreciate it.

So I am going ahead with the same configuration from my original post, except I may use the nzxt 210-elite for the cabinet. And I may use GTX 560 (non ti) if I can't find the TI one cheaper. And I'll probably install a BD RW. At first I thought I'll ask the shop to assemble it for me, but I think I will probably do it on my own.

I have decided to get the Dell monitor itself based on the feedback.

@Alpha17 Looks like your original config couldn't be beat. Any suggestions on where I can get the nvidia 560ti Frozr for 13.5k? The prices online seem to be a lot higher now.
 
^^ I was getting the MSi 560 Ti Twin Frozr II ~ 13300/- @Bangalore S.P. Road till around mid-December [I left at the end of December to Delhi],

the last prices I got for other graphics cards are --

ASUS GTX 560 DirectCU Edition ~ 10900/- [inclusive taxes] http://in.asus.com/G...X560_DC2DI1GD5/

ASUS GTX 560Ti DirectCU II Ed. ~ 13700/- [inclusive taxes] http://in.asus.com/G...DCII_OC2DI1GD5/

MSi GTX 560Ti Twin Frozr II Ed. ~ 13500/- [non-inclusive taxes] -- http://www.msi.com/p...n-Frozr-II.html

Hope this helps, Sire.

^^ This seamless Auto-Merge is really good.
 
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