TE PC Buying Guide July 2010

[DarkAngel]

General Purpose Office Machine + 24/7 Downloading (Budget 14k)

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor AMD Sempron 140(2.7Ghz, 1 core) 1700

Motherboard Gigabyte M61PME-S2P 2000

RAM 1GB 800MHz Kingston DDRII RAM 1200

HDD 250GB WD Blue 1700

GPU On Board GF7025 -

Monitor Dell 1609W 4450

Cabinet Zebronics Kite with SMPS 1100

PSU/SMPS NA -

Key Board Zebronics OEM SET - Optical Blk Mouse+ KB 350

Mouse NA -

ODD L.G. GH22NS50 OEM SATA DVD-Writer 950

Speakers Creative SBS SBS A35 - 2.0 400

Total 13850

• Go for the Intel D945GCLF-ATOM board + ATOM 1.6 GHz - 2.9k if it is only for 24/7 DLs and browsing.
  
• But if you want it for some additional usage too then go for the Sempron. It also gives you more upgrade options. Make a decent first PC for ppl on tight budget.
  

General Purpose Home Machine(Budget 20k)

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor AMD Athlon II X2 240(2.8Ghz, 2 cores, 2MB Cache) 2800

Motherboard Biostar A780L 2600

RAM CORSAIR 2GB DDR2 800MHz VS2GB800D2 2300

HDD 500 GB WD Blue 2000

GPU On Board Raedon HD3000 -

Monitor Dell E1910IN 5850

Cabinet Zebronics Bijili with 400w SMPS 1700

PSU/SMPS NA -

Key Board Logitech SET - Optical Blk Mouse+ MMKB 700

Mouse NA -

ODD L.G. GH22NS50 OEM SATA DVD-Writer 950

Speakers Logitech R20 2.1 850

Total 19750

• If u have a little more money then add a good entry level PSU like the FSP SAGAII 350w~1.5k(net 1k increase in cost with Zebby Bijili w/o PSU)
  
• To give it more gaming prowess add a HD4650 512MB DDRII ~ 2.9k/ HD4670 512MB DDRIII ~ 3.8k depending on the budget.
  
• Corsair Value Select RAM is just Rs.100 more than Kingston and carries a 10yrs warranty.
  

Intel alternative is the

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor Intel Pentium Dual Core E5300/E5400 2900

Motherboard Gigabyte G41M-ES2L 2300

General Purpose Home Machine + Casual Gamer (Budget 28k)

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor AMD Athlon II X2 425(2.7Ghz, 3 cores, 1.5MB Cache) 3150

Motherboard Gigabyte GA-MA74GMT-S2/ Biostar TA785G3 2700/3800

RAM G. Skill F3-10600CL9S-2GBNT 2GB 1333MHz DDRIII 2600

HDD 500 GB WD Blue 2000

GPU Sapphire 512MB DDR5 HD5670 5300

Monitor Dell S2009W 6500

Cabinet Zebronics Bijili 1100

PSU/SMPS FSP SAGAII 350w 1500

Key Board Logitech SET - Optical Blk Mouse+ MMKB 700

Mouse NA -

ODD L.G. GH22NS50 OEM SATA DVD-Writer 950

Speakers Logitech R20 2.1 850

Total 27350/28450

• Its better to go with DDRIII setup at this price point as it would be easier for RAM upgrades in the future
  
• The Gigabyte works at HT 1.0 with AthlonII and PhenomII. IINM they affect the IGP performance a little but as a discrete card is used its not an issue
  
• Budget permitting get a 400w PSU like the FSP SAGAII 400w ~ 1.9k as it would allow more headroom for upgrades
  

Low End Gaming Rig (Budget 34k)

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor AMD AthlonII X3 435(2.9GHz, 3 cores,1.5MB Cache) 3500

Motherboard Biostar TA785G3 HD/ Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-US2H 4600

RAM 4GB(2*2) G. Skill F3-10600CL9S-2GBNT DDRIII 5200

HDD 500 GB WD Blue 2000

GPU Sapphire HD4770 512MB DDR5 5950

Monitor Dell S2009W 6500

Cabinet CM Elite 310 1500

PSU/SMPS Gigabyte Superb 460 2200

Key Board Logitech SET - Optical Blk Mouse+ MMKB 700

Mouse NA -

ODD L.G. GH22NS50 OEM SATA DVD-Writer 950

Speakers Altec Lansing 2.1 BXR1121 950

Total 34050

• Gigabyte PSU has 3 yrs warranty compared to FSP SAGAII's 2 yrs and costs just Rs.200-300 more.
  
• If u have a couple more thousand to spare then go for a Powercolor HD5750 1GB GDDR5 ~ 7.6k from the TheITWares as he had a special offer of 3yrs warranty (PowerColor purchased elsewhere has two yrs warranty)
  

Med End Gaming Rig (Budget 45k)

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor AMD Phenom II X2 555BE(3.2Ghz, 2 cores, 6MB L3 Cache) 4900

Motherboard Gigabyte GA-785GMT-USB3/ MSI 880GMA-E45 5700

RAM 4GB(2*2) G. Skill F3-10600CL9S-2GBNT DDRIII 5200

HDD 500 GB WD Blue 2000

GPU Sapphire HD5770 1GB GDDR5/ MSI Hawk HD5770 1GB GDDR5 9600

Monitor Benq G2220HD 7700

Cabinet NZXT Gamma/ CM Elite 3xx 2100

PSU/SMPS Corsair cX 400 2700

Key Board Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 1100

Mouse Gigabyte GM6880 Laser Mouse 900

ODD L.G. GH22NS50 OEM SATA DVD-Writer 950

Speakers Altec Lansing 2.1 VS2621 1650

Total 44500

• I was waiting a long time for the 880G Giga mobos to show up in Indian stores before updating the guide. But it has become a endless wait. The MSI mobo A.S.S is decent but Gigabyte has got the best feedback in TE both on quality and A.S.S front. Choose accordingly.
  
• There is a high probability(~80%) that the 555BE unlocks into a quad and so it makes it a great VFM at this price point. Even if it doesnt unlock the 555BE offers pretty decent processing power.
  
• If looking to OC then get a decent cooler like the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus ~ 1.9k
  

Intel Alternative.

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor i3 - 530 (2.93 GHz, 2 cores, 4MB Cache) 5650

Motherboard Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H 5750

Med End Gaming Rig (Budget 59k)

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor AMD Phenom II X4 945(3Ghz, 4 cores, 6MB L3 Cache) 6900

Motherboard MSI 880GMA-E45/ Gigabyte GA-785GMT-USB3 5700

RAM 4GB(2*2) G. Skill F3-10600CL9S-2GBNT DDRIII 5200

HDD 1 TB Seagate 7200.12 3300

GPU Sapphire HD5850 1GB GDDR5 15500

Monitor Benq G2420HD 10800

Cabinet NZXT Gamma 2100

PSU/SMPS Seasonic S12II 520w 4100

Key Board Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 1100

Mouse Logitech MX 518 1500

ODD L.G. GH22NS50 OEM SATA DVD-Writer 950

Speakers Altec Lansing 2.1 VS2621 1650

Total 58800

• PPl inclined on Intel can go for the i-5 750~9.9k + Gigabyte P-55 UD2~6.25k/Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H~5.75k. The i-5 750 is an excellent Overclocker.
  
• If looking to OC then get a decent cooler like the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus ~ 1.9k

High End Gaming Rig (Budget 78k)

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor Core i-5 750(2.66Ghz, 4 cores) 9900

Motherboard MSI P55-GD65 7900

RAM Gskill F3-12800CL8D-4GBRM (2Gx2) 1600MHz DDR3 6500

HDD 1 TB Seagate 7200.12 3300

CPU Cooler Noctua NH-U12P SE2 120mm SSO 3750

GPU Sapphire HD5850 1GB GDDR5 15500

Monitor DELL U2311H 13250

Cabinet LanCool DragonLord PC-K56W/ CM RC-690 4500

PSU/SMPS Corsair VX550 4750

Key Board Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 1100

Mouse Razer Death Adder 2500

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

ODD L.G. GH22NS50 OEM SATA DVD-Writer 950

Speakers Altec Lansing 2.1 VS4121 2900

Total 77800

• Ppl who needs a little more graphics muscle can opt for the Sapphire HD5870 1GB GDDR5~22k

High End Gaming Rig (Budget 1.12L)

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor Core i-7 930(2.8Ghz, 4 cores,8MB Cache) 14200

Motherboard MSI X58 Pro-E 10400

RAM G-skill 1600MHZ CL7 PI - F3-12800CL7T-6GBPI 9800

HDD 2*1 TB Seagate 7200.12 6600

CPU Cooler Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler 4750

GPU Sapphire HD5870 1GB GDDR5 22000

Monitor DELL U2311H 13250

Cabinet Cooler Master HAF 922 6800

PSU/SMPS Corsair TX650 6400

Key Board Razer Arctosa 2500

Mouse Razer Death Adder 2500

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

ODD L.G. GH22NS50 OEM SATA DVD-Writer 950

Speakers Logitech 2300 2.1 7500

Sound Card ASUS Xonar DX 4500

Total 112300

Ultra High End Workhorse/Gaming Rig (Budget--> Whats That??)

Components Description

Processor 2 * Xeon X5650(6 cores, 12M Cache, 2.66 GHz)

Motherboard EVGA Classified SR-2

RAM GSkill F3-12800CL6T2-12GBPIS

HDD 2*1 TB WD Black

SDD 2*Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC256MAG-1G1 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC in RAID

CPU Cooler 2*Noctua NH-U12P SE2 120mm SSO

GPU 2*ZOTAC AMP! ZT-40102-10P GeForce GTX 480

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 AMD Athlon II X2 240(2.8Ghz, 2 cores, 2MB Cache) 2800

Motherboard MSI 880GMA-E45/ Gigabyte GA-785GMT-USB3 5700

RAM G. Skill F3-10600CL9S-2GBNT 2GB 1333MHz DDRIII 2600

HDD Seagate 1.5TB 7200.12 4900

GPU Sapphire 512MB DDR5 HD5670 5300

Monitor Any Good LCD TV(32” and upwards) 30000+

Cabinet Zebronics Pro Cube mATX 2500

PSU/SMPS FSP SAGAII 350w 1500

Key Board Logitech Wireless Desktop MK250 1200

Mouse NA -

TV Tuner Hauppauge PVR 150 + MCE Remote 2000~

ODD LITEON 4X BLURAY ROM IHOS104- 06 6500

Sound Card ASUS Xonar DX 4500

Speakers Altec Lansing 5.1 FX5051E 8000

I have sticked to certain brands for certain products. These are the reasons for it.

• For HDD i have stuck with WD Blue for low end PC's as it has slightly better A.S.S. against Seagate's.
  
• I have gone for the Seagate ones for the 1TB drives as they are slightly faster than the WD Blue/Green.
  
• For RAM i have avoided Transcend ones. http://www.techenclave.com/pc-peripherals/avoid-transcend-products-153868.html
  
• Also i have avoided most products which are serviced by Rashi(e.g., Asus, XFX) as they have loads of -ve feedback in the forum.
  
• For ATI cards i have decided to go with Sapphire on most occasions as they are ATI's premium partner and Aditya Infotech A.S.S has good +ve feedback in the forums.(3 yrs warranty too)
  
• Price to performance ratio of Fermi Cards is not great and the GTX470 is priced close to the HD5870 and the GTX465 is pricier than the HD5850. So the ATI cards easily trumps the GTX4xx in price to performance ratio.
  
• Back up ur important data using external HDD's or DVD's depending on ur budget, as a HDD may fail at any time taking precious files with it.
  
• 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
  
  CostToCost, Delhi
  
  Welcome to Mediahome.in - The best place to buy technology in India, Delhi
  
  Thank u Hatter and Sidhu for helping me to choose the DELL U2311H and special thanks to Sidhu for helping me to fine tune the CPU Cooler, Speaker and the 'Ultra High End Workhorse/Gaming Rig' choices
  

 

[Don_Mon]

Holy schmoly that was fast,

thanks so much for the update.

cheers

 

[DarkAngel]

Holy schmoly that was fast,

thanks so much for the update.

cheers

Actually i was waiting for nearly one month for the Gigabyte 880GMA-UD2H and Gigabyte 880GA-UD2Hto hit the stores. But Gigabyte seems so slow and still no signs of 870/880G boards whereas other major players liks Asus and MSI have them here. So it was almost ready.

 

[Don_Mon]

Actually i was waiting for nearly one month for the Gigabyte 880GMA-UD2H and Gigabyte 880GA-UD2Hto hit the stores. But Gigabyte seems so slow and still no signs of 870/880G boards whereas other major players liks Asus and MSI have them here. So it was almost ready.

good to have the buying guide revised bro.........repped:hap2:

 

[hatter]

Very nice guide. But why no DELL U2311H.

 

[krishnandu]

Nice to see revised rigs

 

[DarkAngel]

Very nice guide. But why no DELL U2311H.

No native HDMI support. Plus the ST2410 is slightly better for gaming IINM.

It is currently available only with SMC for 13.3k shipped. So availability may be an issue.

Waiting for a few more reviews and user experience of TE members before adding it. Thanks for pointing it out

good to have the buying guide revised bro.........repped:hap2:

Nice to see revised rigs

 

[prateekm]

Why not suggest AMD Athlon II X3 440 over AMD Phenom II X2 555BE for those who don't wanna overclock?

 

[buddingwhizkid]

hey ! very nice work ! nice pc configs there !

 

[vivacious_tg]

@OP

I understand that you avoided ASUS mobo due to bad A.S.S but would like to know how is the maximus/rampage series. Are the features provided in those worth the cost?

 

[smAsh]

Nice guide buddy! But I would like to see some good 5.1 audio setup under 10K with High end gaming machines.

 

[dark.lord.rules]

Ultra High End Workhorse/Gaming Rig (Budget--> Whats That??)

Lol ... :lol: :rofl:

 

[Gouri Shankar]

nice information.

 

[krishna_bhargav]

for medium end gaming rig... 59k

for ppl inclined towards intel.. is it worth going for the MSI P55-CD53 mobo?

 

[sriharsha]

repped.... nice work boss...

 

[FaH33m]

Have been waiting for this one . Good work !

 

[Arun.P]

good work and it is great config for avoid asus and xfx due to bad warranty from rashi

 

[crossbow]

Nice work again mate.

 

[PoBoy]

AMD Athlon II X2 425(2.7Ghz, 2 cores, 1.5MB Cache) : Is this right ? In General Purpose Home Machine + Casual Gamer (Budget 28k).
.

 

[DarkAngel]

AMD Athlon II X2 425(2.7Ghz, 2 cores, 1.5MB Cache) : Is this right ? In General Purpose Home Machine + Casual Gamer (Budget 28k).
.

Oops typo :ashamed: First i thought of going with a AthlonII 240 and then changed my mind as SMC had the tri core for just Rs.350 more. Forgot to edit the no. of cores.
Corrected it. Thanks for pointing it out