Attention Mid-Range System Builders - Updated 08/01/2015

[007ELmO]

i dont want hte 7970 to ever drop out of the build

 

[007ELmO]

It's about time for a new haiku from lehtv....

 

[Kharohz]

I have seen that people have been steered away from the HAF 912 due to lack of usb 3.0. However comparing the Corsair 200R, other than the USB 3.0 is there any advantage over the HAF 912? (Other than size, sometimes smaller is better)

I just don't see me taking advantage of front usb 3.0 ever.

Thanks

 

[shortnugly]

I think Newegg watches this thread and bumps up the prices accordingly.....


Just sayin.

 

[mfenn]

I have seen that people have been steered away from the HAF 912 due to lack of usb 3.0. However comparing the Corsair 200R, other than the USB 3.0 is there any advantage over the HAF 912? (Other than size, sometimes smaller is better)

I just don't see me taking advantage of front usb 3.0 ever.

Thanks

Advantages for the 200R IMHO (in no particular order):

- Costs less
- Front USB 3.0
- Less chance of having to remove a drive cage for a long GPU
- Bigger cable management holes
- Not ugly

I think Newegg watches this thread and bumps up the prices accordingly.....


Just sayin.

Not directly. (I hope!) What's more likely is that the items that I mention sell more, Newegg's pricing algorithm notices this, and then bumps the price accordingly. So same overall effect, but a different mechanism.

 

[shortnugly]

Amazon is playing that game too.

I saw the Onkyo TX-NR818 jump up and down from $610 all the way to $1200.

Early buyers or at the waning end of the product's lifecycle will benefit.

Thanks for keeping up the build list. Seems that when I'm ready to pull the trigger, I usually have a bill or an unexpected repair come up.

I know it's been discussed, but any thoughts to having a low-end build (sub $600) list?

 

[mfenn]

$1000 seems to be the sweet spot, and there's a lot of modularity there to go up and down, so I think I'm going to stick with that. Don't be afraid to post your own thread to get a custom build!

 

[Raincity]

Pretty sure Newegg adjusts the price by the amount of hits on a product and the sales from the previous day. I have seen a lot price variance with popular products with price changes within a 24 hour time span.

 

[Kharohz]

Advantages for the 200R IMHO (in no particular order):

- Costs less
- Front USB 3.0
- Less chance of having to remove a drive cage for a long GPU
- Bigger cable management holes
- Not ugly

Thanks, will hope that it perhaps is quieter as well. I do like the fact it is smaller, I am currently using a CM 690, and I liked the Sonata that I came previous to that in terms of size (although ironically the Sonata was louder, but we can blame the dvd drive that was in that system)

 

[mfenn]

Sorry for the late update this week. I am at a conference, which threw off my normal Sunday routine.

This week's build is largely the same as last week's, except that the Rosewill Capstone is a good deal at $77. so I slotted that in. Lowered prices on the mobo and GPU were offset by increased prices on the HDD, case, and PSU.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

I just wanted to drop in and thank mfenn for his contributions to this forum. After following this thread and some other posts you'd made in GH, I pieced together an outstanding Windows 8 PC for barely over $800 that runs like a dream and will play any game I throw at it without a hitch.

 

[mfenn]

Glad to hear it!

 

[fullerbuckyr]

Hi all. I would like to modify one of the recommended builds for a different purpose -- primarily photo editing. It is a gift for my wife. How would you modify that?

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

-- Primarily photo editing for my wife as well as microsoft office stuff for work for both of us.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

--Willing to spend around 1300 including the software that we can't get cheap. Note, I can get Microsoft office Pro for like $25 bucks through work. I do not think I can get an operating system (though maybe I can pull out that old XP disk I have .... not sure if I have the code for it though).

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
--USA

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.
--None

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
--Yes, I have two monitors, a mouse and keyboard that I like. The build would have to accomodate two monitors.


7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
- default


8. What resolution will you be using?
--Not sure what this question means.


9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
-- Around New Years..

Let me know what you suggest. Also, if you could suggest PC photo editing software that would be great. Should I just get Photoshop?

Thanks!

 

[Hephasto]

Awesome thread Mfenn, thank you. 2 quick questions for you (or anyone else).

1. I'm sort of partial to Nvidia video cards - any comparable cards on the market or is the price/performance of the 7970 recommended here just too good to pass up?

2. It seems the memory listed here is discontinued according to Newegg's website - any recommendation on an alternative?

Thanks!

 

[mfenn]

Hi all. I would like to modify one of the recommended builds for a different purpose -- primarily photo editing. It is a gift for my wife. How would you modify that?

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

-- Primarily photo editing for my wife as well as microsoft office stuff for work for both of us.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

--Willing to spend around 1300 including the software that we can't get cheap. Note, I can get Microsoft office Pro for like $25 bucks through work. I do not think I can get an operating system (though maybe I can pull out that old XP disk I have .... not sure if I have the code for it though).

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
--USA

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.
--None

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
--Yes, I have two monitors, a mouse and keyboard that I like. The build would have to accomodate two monitors.


7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
- default


8. What resolution will you be using?
--Not sure what this question means.


9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
-- Around New Years..

Let me know what you suggest. Also, if you could suggest PC photo editing software that would be great. Should I just get Photoshop?

Thanks!

This thread is for discussion of the standard build. Please make your own any we will be happy to help you with a custom one.

 

[mfenn]

Awesome thread Mfenn, thank you. 2 quick questions for you (or anyone else).

1. I'm sort of partial to Nvidia video cards - any comparable cards on the market or is the price/performance of the 7970 recommended here just too good to pass up?

The 7970 gives you GTX 680 performance at GTX 670 prices, so I see no reason to get an Nvidia card in the ~$350 price range. You could of course get a GTX 670 if you really want to, but you'd have to accept that you're paying relatively more for your performance.

2. It seems the memory listed here is discontinued according to Newegg's website - any recommendation on an alternative?

Thanks!

There will be a new build soon.

 

[mfenn]

New update, RIP Samsung DDR3 1600 1.35V. :rose: On the plus side, we've got a Platinum rated PSU and a fancy new Source 220 case (thanks lehtv!). The ~$200 alternate GPU recommendation is now a GTX 660 because it's faster than the 7850 and costs less.

Mfenn recommending a GTX 660 and a Platinum PSU? We are living in strange times indeed. :awe:

 

[Raincity]

PSU's at Newegg go up and down in a two day span faster than the stock market. Luckily you can get a good gold 500+ supply for $70 if you time it right and willing to wait for the quick sale.

 

[mfenn]

New build posted. The ASRock Z77 Pro3 and the i5 3570K are back in a combo, which is nice. Crucial also has some awesome RAM on sale: DDR3 1600, 1.35V, low-profile, CAS 9, and $36? Sign me up! Unfortunately the HDD and PSU deals aren't as good this week.

 

[mfenn]

New build, the Samsung 830 returns! The great RAM deals seem to have gone away though.

Special thanks to lehtv for pointing out a new midrange cooler for me to put in.

 

[lehtv]

Re: 12/30/2012 update

Samsung's low profile 1.35V ram is $2 more: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147096
Seasonic X650 is out of stock [edit] and back at $180 (!)

 

[mfenn]

Thanks for pointing that out! Updated the RAM.

 

[jester55]

The link is no longer working for:
i5 3570K + ASRock Z77 Pro3 combo $297

Here is the correct link and it now comes with a $15 NewEgg GC after adding it to your cart - bringing the total to $282!!

 

[mfenn]

Thanks! Updated the link.

 

[Paul Ma]

Hi guys,
I could also use some general advice. I am building a new computer for crunching data on a budget. The parameters I am interested in are 1)motherboard that supports tons of DIMM slots, ideally 8 so I can go for 8x8=64GB of RAM. 2)video card that supports multiple monitors (4 outputs would be nice)

I don't have any huge preferences with respect to the CPU and video card, I currently have an i5 and i7 desktop so would be fine to continue that way. I prefer ATI since they seem to have lower power output cards and I also don't care about raw gaming performance too much either way.