Another Computer Build Thread
 

I don't post here much, but I lurk very often. After reading viper's thread about building a computer I became interested in building one myself. My current laptop is 5 years old and it is really slow. I put together this based on my research:

CPU:Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-3330 Ivy Bridge 3.0GHz (3.2GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637i53330
MOBO:Newegg.com - Intel BOXDH67GDB3 LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Memory:Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model KHX1333C9D3B1K2/8G
HDD:Newegg.com - Western Digital WD Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Case:Newegg.com - Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
PSU:Newegg.com - APEVIA ATX-CW500WP4 500W ATX Power Supply
DVD Burner:Newegg.com - LG DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model GH24NS90 - CD / DVD Burners

It will mainly be used to surf the web check emails, watch videos, that kind of stuff. No real gaming except the occasional flash game online or something. I do my serious gaming on my Xbox 360. How does it look?

Also, OS wise should I get Windows 7 or 8? I know you can find 7 online for free, but I'd rather pay for my OS. Just a personal choice. Any reason I shouldn't go with 8?

Thanks, I appreciate the help

Pretty much everything you've posted is a win. Good motherboard, good CPU, case looks to be well-ventilated. In fact, I'd remove the top fan and block off the hole. With two fans on the rear (one PS, one case) and the front of the case pretty well-ventilated, you will almost certainly not require anything else.

I assume that gaming is not a high priority, reflecting the lack of a dedicated video card.

Only two changes to the base config I'd suggest. First is to double the RAM. Memory is dirt-cheap right now, and you can never be too well-hung or have too much RAM. 8 GB is entirely adequate (I have 8GB on my i5 gaming rig, and it runs just fine even with no swap file) but you can double it for an extra $30 and be pretty much future-proof for the life of the machine, even if you suffer a major head injury and decide to run Win8. Example: Newegg.com - Kingston 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model KVR13N9K2/16

The second is rather more subtle, and is purely a personal preference. I like my PCs to be quiet, and a power supply with two small fans is going to make a lot more noise than a supply with one large fan. Examples:

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Elite 460 RS-460-PSAR-I3 460W ATX12V V2.31 Power Supply

Newegg.com - Antec VP-450 450W ATX 12V v2.3 Power Supply



As to the OS, I would definitely, 100% choose Win7 over Win8. History has shown us that it's going to be at least several years before any application actually requires Win 8, and there's a high probability that any new OS is going to have problems with driver support and other oddities for at least a year after its release until the first major Service Pack. Aside from a crippled user interface that's more at home on a tablet than a "real" computer, I'm not aware of any major selling points for Win8 over Win7.

+1 on the single bigger fan and Win7 vs Win8.

Ok, I'll definitely change out the power supply. My thinking on the memory was to go with the 2x4 on RAM now and then if I wanted to upgrade in the future just get another 2x4 down the road since the mobo has 4 memory slots. I was also contemplating picking up a SSD to install the OS on.

Newegg.com - OCZ Vertex Plus R2 VTXPLR2-25SAT2-60GB 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

For $30 ($20 rebate) seems like that would make a bigger performance difference then the $30 in memory. Thoughts?

Yeah, with that motherboard you can definitely postpone a RAM upgrade until down the road.

I have mixed feelings on SSDs. I'll say that I have SSDs in all three of my main computers. A 128GB unit in the laptop, a 120 GB Kingston unit in the "big" machine, and a 40 GB Intel in the media server.

In the laptop, it's great. Wouldn't trade it for anything.

In the big machines, it introduces some new variables. The only reason that the media server has an SSD, for instance, is that this drive was originally the boot volume in the main PC, and I simply ran out of space. I had very few applications on it- that PC had a 500 GB drive as the app/data volume, but it is astounding how fast you can fill up a 40GB drive these days with nothing more than Win7 and a few commonly-used apps, even if you have hibernation turned off and are not using virtual memory.

So I upgraded the big machine to a 120GB drive and moved the 40 GB drive to the media server, which runs XP and has a 2 TB data drive.

As to OCZ in general, I'll offer one datapoint: I bought an OCZ drive (can't remember the model, it was ~60 GB, though) a year or two ago to be the boot drive in the media server back when the 40 GB Intel was the primary in the big machine. After approximately 3 months, the drive failed completely, with 100% loss of data.

By contrast, my Intel drive is now 3 years old and still working perfectly.


Honestly, I'd hold off on the SSD for the time being. They are awesome for portable applications, but the things that make them so advantageous in laptops and tablets (low power consumption, low heat, immunity to shock) are not really relevant in a desktop system. Unless you are building a seriously bleeding-edge system and looking for every last ounce of performance, the cost/size ratio of conventional drives still makes them very attractive. If you have the money to spend, I'd suggest that you buy a second hard drive of at least equal capacity to the first, and set up automatic nightly incremental backups. Not a RAID, but proper archiving system. This is how I have all but one of my computers configured.

One more for win7 vs 8. I thought I wanted to be on the bleeding edge when I used my free upgrade to Vista from XP when I had my acer laptop. After the install failed the first 2 times, I should have learned my lesson.

Also Joe, about RAM. What do you look for in it? There are approximately 100 gazillion choices from anywhere from $30 to $80 (for 2x4GB that I am looking at). I don't plan on any overclocking, but I don't want to get shit memory either. Is the only difference between $30 RAM and $80 RAM the overclocking capabilities?

MOBO: ASRock H77 Pro4-M LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
or
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 55W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637i33220
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
SSD: Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
HDD: SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 ST2000DL004 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
PSU: SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

You don't need an i5 for your activities

Thanks for the advice Joe. Your posts about computers have been really helpful as I've been trying to learn more about them. I think I will pick up one of the SSDs linked to put in my laptop to try and speed it up as well as some memory. How hard is it to change CPUs in a laptop? Currently my crappy dell inspiron 1721 has a AMD Turion TL-56 and at 1.8GHz it is the choke point. Ebay has a few TL-64s for around $20. The upgrade to 2.2GHz with more memory and an SSD should make it serviceable for a little while longer

Not easy to change CPUs in a laptop

SSD and memory upgrade will bring new life to your laptop

I doubt the processor is currently the choke point, more likely your 5400rpm hdd is

Upgrading laptops is always tricky (well anything short of memory/hard drive). It really depends on the exact model. Some are easy to take apart, some are not.

I would try the SSD first, if that doesn't do it than you can think about a new processor. But that still is probably not the worst bottleneck.

I would imagine that memory is probably your bottleneck on the laptop, especially if the machine only has 1-2GB installed at present- your machine probably spends a huge amount of time swapping into and out of virtual memory, which involves a lot of disk activity. The SSD may or may not offer a significant performance boost- I like them in my laptops simply because I feel that they are more durable. Of course, I had a Fujitsu 3400 tablet hard-mounted in my turbo car for a long time, and the poor little hard drive in that old beast never gave me a bit of trouble.



For any reasonably modern laptop, this ranges from "quite difficult" to "completely impossible unless you happen to own a surface-mount rework station capable of removing and replacing large BGA form-factor ICs."

Although there are exceptions, the majority of CPUs in laptops are soldered directly to the board.

I agree with The Borg that an i5 may be overkill for an everyday PC that you're not going to be gaming or running large database apps on, but this is an area where the cost delta is fairly small as compared to the performance gain, especially in light of the fact that we can, as a rule, expect baseline processor workload to increase over time as OSes and Applications become more and more bloated. It's never a bad thing to stay within 1 or 2 classes of whatever the "cutting edge" happens to be.

On the other hand, I don't own a single Sandy/Ivy CPU. My gaming machine is a Clarkdale i5, my main PC at work is a Clarkdale i3, and my laptop is a Penryn Core2Duo. I have a couple of machines still in present use that are P4s of various ages, and they're the only ones that really feel inadequate.

The Borg ;)

My "WinXP boot to IE open and ready" load time went from 2m30s with a regular 5400rpm hdd to 30s with a SSD

This was with an old Dell Inspiron 15 from 2008

Baseline processor workloads tend to increase over time, but perhaps they will finally figure out how to utilize multi-core processors more effectively when that happens

A Sandy/Ivy Bridge i3 is more than sufficient for his uses. No reason to spend the money and use the power for unused processor.

It would be like buying a EFR 6258 turbo and only running 5psi.

My old 2008 Inspiron 15 (Celeron 900 processor - 2.20GHz single core) with 2GB of RAM could run SolidWorks to a satisfactory degree with a SSD.

For reference, I currently have (2) Sandy i3, an Ivy i5, and a Sandy Pentium.

Ok, I'll order memory and an SSD and see how it goes.

As far as an i5 vs. an i3 i think I will stick with an i5 for "future-proofness". I can see this setup lasting 5 years+ with a simple memory upgrade. If an i5 buys me an extra year or two before I have to upgrade, the $60 extra is worth it to me

I have an open laptop in front of me right now with an AMD Turion 64 X2 processor. It utilizes a normal socket connection.

I think most laptops use processors that utilize a socket connection, it is just that companies like Apple sometimes like to use epoxy.

Well the i3 I specified actually has a higher operating frequency than the i5, even when the i5 is utilizing turbo boost.

Any performance gain will be the fact that the i3 is dual core versus quad-core on the i5 (and so the L3 cache is bigger, as well).

The integrated graphics is the same on both.

If you really want an i5 for whatever reason, see if you have a Micro Center near you and purchase this one: Micro Center - Computers, Electronics, Computer Parts, Networking, Gaming, Software, and more!

Your username is X of Y. That's a Borg identification in my book. :D


Judging solely by the resource monitor in Win7, it would seem that 7 is already pretty good about load-distribution insofar as the assignment of threads to processors based on availability. For any one application, we're still a long way off. But for a use-case in which several applications are running concurrently, CPU workload seems to be pretty even.


It is certainly possible to socket the processors. The current form-factor for the Mobile versions of the Ivy/Sandy chips is called FCPGA988, and there is a socket available for this.

The decision as to whether to socket or solder is typically made by the laptop manufacturer. Beyond the obvious cost savings, forgoing the socket also saves space in the form of vertical real-estate. I would posit that you are extremely unlikely to find any machines at all in the ultraportable class which use socketed processors, regardless of architecture.

Socketless design is also common in "desktop" motherboards designed for "closed box" or ultracompact systems.

Here's an image of a Celeron 220 directly-mounted onto an ITX form-factor board:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1350943177

And the board itself, showing the processor (with heatsink and fan) in the foreground:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1350943185


Here's a board made by Jetway with an Atom soldered to it, covered with a heatsink and fan:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1350943200



Obviously this is not universal. Replacing socketed laptop CPUs would fall into the "difficult" range. If the CPU is not socketed, then the task would skew towards "damn near impossible."

Windows 7 does do a decent job of distributing the load among the cores, but I was mainly referring to any one application, as the OS shouldn't be the most intensive application running. Must keep in mind that the i3 still has 4 threads, even if only two cores (i5 being quad-core and four threads).

Memory, as you pointed out, is going to be more of a concern than processor speed, as most browsers start eating up MBs of memory like kids on Halloween.

The old Q line (LGA775 - Kentsfield or Yorkfield) of quad-core processors would probably be sufficient for the thread starter, it just isn't practical to find new components these days.

ITX boards are commonly available with sockets nowadays, but I agree, they were mostly equipped with soldered processors when I played with one a few years back.

I agree with you about the so-called ultrabooks and tablets. You wont find sockets there.

I've only opened up one laptop for shits and giggles, but regardless of socketed or soldered, it isn't a task for someone who needs to ask the difficulty (no offense to thread starter).

Plus, I'm Borg, my specialty is embedded hardware

;)

I'm going to try and pick up one of the 3570Ks you linked above. I should be able to stop at a micro center when I drive home from my coop in 3 weeks. Currently I'm in Alabama, so there's none even remotely close but there's a few on my way home. I don't know if they will still have the deal in 3 weeks though. If not, I'll just pick up an i3 from the egg.

Oh and no offense taken on the laptop cpu upgrade. That's the kind of answer I was looking forward. Definitely something over my head at this point. The memory and SSD should be fine

If I go with DDR3 memory that is 1333, does it matter if the memory is 10600, 10660, or 10666 for the motherboard I put in the first post?

For all practical purposes, no. And the differences here are exceedingly trivial even by L33T G4M3R standards.

Memory, fortunately, has gotten to a point where pretty much anything is interchangeable with anything else. If it physically fits into the socket, then the RAM and the motherboard will automatically negotiate to operate at whatever speed / timing the two of them can mutually support.

I'm amazed at how much info/lingo I've picked up from this forum. I actually almost understood 96%-ish of this thread :)

Nice build OP. Looks like we have somewhat similar goals.

I completely agree viper. I've always been intrigued about building my own computer, but it was your thread that really made me feel like I may be able to actually do it.

In other news my buddy may be able to pick me up one of those 3570Ks from micro center :) we shall see what happens

Lol and it was your guys threads that helped me realize that my laptop sucks so I just ordered up a bunch of parts for a new build :party:

I'm leaning more and more towards an i3. Micro Center has the 3220 for $100 and the 3225 for $130. From what I can tell the only difference between the 20 vs. the 25 is the graphics. Is the HD Graphics 4000 worth $30? I would guess for my uses it would not be, but I don't know the difference between 2500 and 4000 graphics

The 2500 HD Graphics should be more than sufficient for the purposes you laid out in the beginning of the thread. I can run 1080p perfectly with the 2000 version on a i3.

For memory, I usually recommend DDR1600 because it usually has the best prices and choices.

Also, MicroCenter usually has decent mobo/CPU combo deals to save you more money.

The 3570K is the Ivy I'm running in the computer I'm currently using to browse mt.net

I have it in a mini-ITX mobo and a mini-ITX case and the heat isn't too much.

It's quite nice, but I bought it because I do a lot of processor intensive data analysis.

For normal web browsing, flash games, 1080p playback, the i3 is more than suitable.

The next generation of processors should be considerably better than the Ivy Bridge, though, but it doesn't sound like you want to wait.

Is it just me? The prices of brand built machines has dropped so much from makers like HP and Dell, it almost makes no sense to DIY an office task machine. The price difference is negligible at best. On the other hand, when buying a dell or hp you get a form factor you wont be able to build yourself and warranty/service that you never have to think about.

If gaming and serious productivity is the objective, self built still reigns supreme.

Define "office task machine".

And what do you mean by form factor you can't build yourself?

This is the case for my i5 3570k
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1351104990

Dimensions
14.41" x 7.83" x 11.02"

Two hard drives, optical drive, and dedicated video card

It's tiny.

And I don't know if you've ever had to deal with warranty issues, but they aren't always helpful and extended warranties cost a lot.

Plus component upgrades to any Dell/Lenovo/HP computer are horribly overpriced

Seems like your talking about Haswell? Wikipedia says they should be out by June? I doubt I will need any of the new features, but I assume that the introduction of a new architecture will bring a reduction in price of the old architecture? If so that may be worth waiting for

Actually, price reduction usually doesn't happen to a great extent.

At MicroCenter, a Sandy Bridge i5 2500k is $160 while the Ivy Bridge i5 3570k is $190.

The new architecture follows a tick-tock-tick-tock pattern, where ticks are small changes and tocks are large changes

The new Ivy Bridge 22nm architecture is a tick whereas the next gen (Haswell) will be a tock (even though it will also be 22nm).

Many believe, and there are numerous articles supporting this, that the Sandy Bridge processors are still quite sufficient for the majority of applications. Especially if you get something like the i5 2500k as it is quad-core.

Haswell should be a nice performance increase as they get more comfortable with the 22nm lithography size and can fit more components on the chip.

But once again, honestly, with your intended uses, an Ivy Bridge i3 or a Sandy Bridge i5 would be quite sufficient and prevent you from spending money unnecessarily.

It's not just you. My primary office PC is a Lenovo, and all of my PCs in the lab are Dells.

In fact, I probably should have bought an off-the-shelf PC for my media server in the first place. That machine has just been constantly evolving over time. I originally threw it together using 90% spare parts that I already had lying around, and over the years as various parts of it failed due to old age (fried power supply, comatose motherboard, failed HD, etc), I replaced them one by one until I wound up with a totally new machine.

HP Pavilion Slimline s5-1400t Desktop PC | HP® Official Store

15.91 x 4.43 x 12.24 in

You don't need a dedicated video card in a machine that does nothing but email and office. Sure you can get a lo-profile card for a slim box, but then you are building a machine that is neither here nor there.

You can always swap the hard drive or add an additional. Anything above that you can get an external. Nothing else really needs an upgrade as it will not be a limiter to productivity tasks.

You need a dedicated video card if you have a 27" monitor with 2560x1440 resolution ;)

But agreed about the normal job that only requires e-mail and Office.

I just tend to prefer building my computers to my own specifications. I've been doing it since 2005 so I can usually provide my own tech support if needed.

Instead of that HP, why not get a laptop with a docking station? Then you have mobility if needed.

For the processing power of that HP, I think a laptop would be preferable.

Or just bought a NAS for the media server ;)

Ah, for the days when it was actually possible to purchase a monitor with a vertical resolution greater than 1080...


In the beginning, the media server was also the playout device. I had a little ATi-brand wireless remote for it and everything. This was ~2004.

I switched to a server-client model when I discovered that the Xbox 360 could stream video over the network, and since it supported component video (which I never got working right with the Radeon card I had) I immediately switched.

Nowadays, with the WD set-top box I have, I could get rid of the PC altogether if I really wanted to get off my ass and relocate my drives into external USB enclosures- just plug 'em directly into the WD box. But the PC itself still has some value, as I occasionally fire it up in NES emulation mode.

Incorrect. Intel HD 4000 supports up to 2560x1600.

I see where you are coming from. I have been building PC's since early 2000's for myself and customers. After a while I gave up because of how cheap branded PC's became. Instead of assembling them and trying to compete with HP/Dell, I just consulted and configured them. If someone wanted a performance machine, I built those for less than the competition. The trend continues, a branded office machine is cheaper than self assembled and comes with nifty form factors and cases.

Laptop with dock is an excellent suggestion as well, personally I don't even think a dock is necessary. However, laptops also have a problem. They aren't cheap, overall. Light laptops with performance normally don't come with docks unless you get an expensive IBM. Large desktop replacements have bad battery life and once again, expensive. Even the mid range laptops outpace the price of a slim line PC and will lack in features and expansion.

Are you sure? I just tried it and it wouldn't push my 2560x1440.

IIRC, Intel Graphics doesn't support dual-link, so 1920x1200 is the max for DVI and HDMI.

So you are correct if you get a monitor with a DisplayPort connection.

It would require DisplayPort, but yes, it has the bandwidth.

In a more practical sense, however, finding a reasonably-priced monitor with a resolution higher than 1920x1080 is actually getting harder as time goes on- 1920 x 1200 used to be common (I own one myself) but they're getting quite scarce these days.

I doubt that the ability to support 2560x1440 is of great significance to the average user planning on using an integrated GPU, however, given that the cheapest such monitor on NewEgg is $700 (ASUS 27"). The cheapest 2560 x 1600 monitor is $1,180 (HP, 30"). And yes, both models have a displayport jack.

By comparison, NewEgg has 16 27" 1920x1080 monitors prices below $280. I'm going to guess that for most users, that will probably suffice.

You miss those days, as well? Try getting a Shimian or Catleap 27" monitor. $300 with 2560x1440 resolution

If you relocated your drives into external USB enclosures, wouldn't you have to move them around as you obtain new media?

I didn't like the expense of a NAS myself, so I used an old case I had that had plenty of SATA power connectors and bought a Sandy Bridge Pentium processor and corresponding motherboard to run the thing. So your server-client model. But instead of an Xbox 360, I have a full-fledged HTPC, as it has a Ceton 4-channel PCIe tuner card.

Oh, the days when the emulation scene was popular. I especially liked the NeoGeo emulators.

I guess you haven't heard of the Catleap monitor

Wow, prices have gone up 50%

Yamakasi Catleap Q270 SE 27" LED DVI D Dual Computer Monitor Only USA Sale | eBay

So get the Shimian, that's what I have
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-ACHIEVA-...item2c694251fb

If I wanted to play some TF2 and some really old games like AOE 2, Diablo 2, and StarCraft would the intel 4000 graphics be alright? I assume it will be fine for the old games, but what about TF2? Am I looking at a dedicated GPU for that?

Probably wouldn't hurt

I use EVGA GeForce GT430s because they were cheap and I don't play games

This looks like the successor: Newegg.com - EVGA 01G-P3-1526-KR GeForce GT 520 (Fermi) 1GB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card $40 after rebate

edit: On second thought, I'd get a dedicated card if I was going to play those games. But since they are decently old, you don't need anything near top of the line.

Yes, I think I remember you (or perhaps someone else) bringing them up in another thread recently.

I'm just not willing to roll the dice on buying a $400-450 monitor from an eBay vendor with absolutely no US presence whatsoever, particularly when they go to the trouble of making it very clear that "Hey, if your monitor has a bunch of bright-dead pixels on it, we don't care."

I'll stick with my 28" Hanns-G (1920 x 1200).


They'll all run, it's mostly a matter of how well.

When I built my current PC 3 years ago, I bought the absolute cheapest video card I could find (GeForce 210) with no intention of ever doing any gaming whatsoever.

Then I discovered TF2.

It actually ran ok, and I didn't see any need to upgrade until the Pyromania update really made it clear how lackluster my video performance was.

After I installed a used GTX280, I was really floored by what I'd been missing. Not merely did everything look better, but the massively increased smoothness (much higher FPS) actually made the game a hell of a lot easier to play well. Specifically, when you're a Heavy and you have an enemy Pyro dancing all around you dousing you in fire, you need to be able to SEE him clearly in order to shoot him. With a GPU capable of supporting 60 FPS, that actually becomes possible.

They're just as legit as Hanns-G. Hanns-G isn't exactly... a good brand, and the catleaps (and co.) have proven themselves through sales. I own 2 myself. ;)

HD4000 will be sufficient for your needs currently. Personally I'd save my money and see how happy you are with the performance as is. You can always upgrade later, incredibly easily. GPUs are one of the easiest upgrades you can do, especially if you don't even have one in the first place.

That's what I was thinking. I was also doing some reading about the Haswell chips and apparently the graphics on them is supposed to be significantly better then anything intel has out now. So it might make some sense to wait. Obviously its all hearsay at this point though

What 27" monitor are you using?

Go back to the 27" Taiwanese monitor for $325 shipped that I posted in Vipers computer thread.

Prices are very similar, the second one lacks free shipping.

Any ideas where the panels are coming from? Any deads pixels on your unit?

S-IPS for that kinda money is hard to imagine.

Oh, absolutely Hanns-G is bargain-basement.

So I'll say this again: It's not the monitor, it's the vendor.

I've had two Hanns-G 19" (4:3) monitors for about five years. Bought 'em for the office originally, and was a bit nervous about trying out a totally unknown brand. But they work great- still use 'em today. So when I decided to buy a 28" for home, I had no problem buying another Hanns-G from Tiger Direct.

The monitor showed up and worked fine. A few days later, it developed a defect- a dark vertical bar all the way down the left side of the screen (basically one column of dead pixels.)

I called up Tiger Direct, and they immediately shipped me a replacement monitor for free, along with a call-tag for me to ship the old one back with for free.

Total downtime: 0 days.
Total out-of-pocket cost for the swap: 0 dollars.
Dealing with a US-based distributor: priceless.

That's what I'm talking about.


What did I just get done saying?

Achieva Shimian QH270 I believe. The one with VESA

Korea I believe. Packaged beautifully. No dead pixels and I purchased in July.

Here ya go. $325 with free shipping. http://www.ebay.com/itm/QH270-Lite-A...item4ab5f0365a

They're LG panels, exact same panel as used in the Apple Cinema Display. They all have custom controller boards made by the company that repackages them and sells them, meaning Achievas have a different board from PCBANK etc.

I have 2 PCBANK PB2700 displays, which supposedly have the best contrast ratio and response time of the lot.

So I updated the memory in my laptop and it is much faster. Definitely usable again.
But then the hard drive decided to take a dump on me. I'm in the process of putting in the SSD and a new HDD and re-installing windows and everything. Still not sure about building one now or not, but this deal is certainly tempting me:
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!

Glad to hear it. Having too little RAM is probably the single biggest bottleneck in any modern PC, as it forces the system to spend huge amounts of time swapping into and out of virtual (page file) memory.


That's an excellent price for a very nicely-spec'd system. You'd probably need to add a second HD at some point, and of course it doesn't include an OS or an optical drive, but still a nice looking package.

That is the i5 I bought, and nearly the same motherboard I eventually bought (instead of updating the BIOS on the Intel one I bought an MSI Z77-G43). I didn't plan on overclocking, but since I can, I bumped the multiplier up so that I am now running at 4GHz, since I could do it without a voltage increase.

Definitely is a good deal, however using pcpartpicker.com I can build a similar one for a similar price, so not super fantastic. I think I am going to wait and see if any of newegg's black November deals can get me a cheaper total package. I'll be looking to build a very similar system though. I may buy that case though. Seems like a good deal and the case is nice and basic, which I like. Too bad the SSD sold out already

Gonna buy this RAM: Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model CMX16GX3M2A1333C9

$53 with this code: EMCJJNH45 for today only

Wait are you still not doing any gaming? Unless you want to overclock the shit out of that, buy some $30 ram, not $50. It literally has no advantages over the $30 ram unless you want to overclock, which you don't need for browsing this site and checking email.

Probably a little gaming, but that's 16GB not 8GB. Can 16GB be had somewhere for $30?

I think I'm gonna get this PSU too: Newegg.com - CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
$30 till Monday