Need advice for a PC build

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CodrinMarius

Junior Member
Mar 12, 2014
19
2
71
Hi,
I am looking to buy a new PC, because my present laptop from '09 with and I3, 3gb ram and integrated graphics is a bit behind. What I already have is:
- a 23 inch flat screen samsung lcd with tv tuner and hdmi input
- a 250 gb s-ata 2.5 hard drive
- keyboard, mouse, webcam.

So, to answer the questions that help, i can say that:
- i buy this to be used with ubuntu/win8, VisualStudio 2013, LAMP/XAMPP, wordpress/joomla/drupal, eclipse/aptana, some oracle 11/12, a bit of photoshop/corel... Also some adobe apps...Also, microsoft office suite or equivalents...As you see, mostly office and work, mainly college stuff, or entry level programming and design. There will be no gaming or movies, i have a console and a separate Tv for that. But i hate the integrated graphics on my laptop. It's killing me in ubuntu every time.
- the budget, maybe 600 to 800 bucks. In my currency, multiply with 3.3 to compare with the prices on the websites below
- buying from romania, like from www.emag.ro or www.cel.ro
- no brand preference of any kind, just a preference for good value for money spent
- i don't look to overclock
- resolution maybe 1600*1200, or 1920*1080.. the screen i have can do full hd, but i don't insist
- i want to buy within a month
- about the HDD, i think maybe an 120gb ssd would do for the OS, while i have the 250 for some storage
- i dont need any software with it
- i need a cheap 25$ asus dvd-rw

Thanks in advance for any advice.
 
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CodrinMarius

Junior Member
Mar 12, 2014
19
2
71
With intel integrated graphics i always had to do some tweaks around in I wanted the cool visual effects.

I didn't thought of which one will be native. In my current setup i have them in dual boot, i can select which one to load when i open the laptop.. Maybe i should put win native and ubuntu a virtual machine inside win?
 
mvbighead

mvbighead

Diamond Member
Apr 20, 2009
3,793
1
81
CodrinMarius said:
With intel integrated graphics i always had to do some tweaks around in I wanted the cool visual effects.

I didn't thought of which one will be native. In my current setup i have them in dual boot, i can select which one to load when i open the laptop.. Maybe i should put win native and ubuntu a virtual machine inside win?
Click to expand...

If you want graphical performance, and VM is not usually ideal.

Either dual boot or have two separate disks and installs on each.
 
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CodrinMarius

Junior Member
Mar 12, 2014
19
2
71
i believe i'll make a dual boot as i have now...anyways, if I dont play games on it, and with the software i told i use, should i try reaching an entry level i5 or a cheaper amd like this new 6300? And the motherboard, there are so many options to pick from, i can't understant the difference. And since i dont game on it, which graphic card would be decent?Like, i dont want to buy one i wont be using in games, but neither be too cheap so the board I get is a a waste for my money, like if I added 20%more it would have been decent
 
Cerb

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
17,484
33
86
Either CPU would be fine, really. The AMD ones aren't any cheaper, though, from what I can see, and the Intels are faster per thread, plus lower power.
 
mvbighead

mvbighead

Diamond Member
Apr 20, 2009
3,793
1
81
I'd say go with Intel. Make sure you get a GPU that is easily supported in Ubuntu though.

As for what to get, just find the lowest priced Intel and a solidly rated board with solid caps.

I did the following and have been pretty happy with it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116896
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157384

However, I waited for some promo codes to drop the price to 267. Generally, newegg has a code or two out there for a board and CPU like this that'll drop the cost some. Just have to wait for them.
 
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CodrinMarius

Junior Member
Mar 12, 2014
19
2
71
This looks really great...only thing, i'll probably choose a cheaper case but keep the corsair source... 2500 RON would be great.... i've been reading for the last day, and i believe too that the i54440 is a better choice than the fx8350 or 8320(and superior to the new fx6300 in single thread)....

Thank you mfenn, mvbighead for the advice.. that's what i'll go for... i'm so happy i'm buying this new one.. hope to use it for 4 years at least
 
Cerb

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
17,484
33
86
With no gaming, it aught to be fine for that long. Just upgrade the SSD (with multiple native OSes, just add another one, and move to OS per drive rather than partitions of the same drive) and RAM at some point.

The only thing that I can find more than hair different in price between the two linked stores is an SSD:
http://www.cel.ro/ssd_uri/ssd-micron-crucial-m500-120gb-sata3-7mm-plus-adaptor-l/

As little difference as it is, shipping or taxes might make up for it, by ordering just from one place. But, everything else seemed to be within a few percent, once I had time to compare against mfenn's parts list.
 
Last edited:
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CodrinMarius

Junior Member
Mar 12, 2014
19
2
71
Thanks Cerber.. With a bit saved from a cheaper case and a bit from the SSD, maybe i can ditch my old wired keyboard and mouse and get some entry logitich ones, the ones i have look very used. .. i'll make sure i ask that the ram to be available in the future, in case i'll add one more
 
M

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
Cerb said:
The only thing that I can find more than hair different in price between the two linked stores is an SSD
http://www.cel.ro/ssd_uri/ssd-micron-crucial-m500-120gb-sata3-7mm-plus-adaptor-l/
Click to expand...

Good find! I already had the RAM from cel.ro, so it shouldn't be much net increase in shipping costs.

CodrinMarius said:
Thanks Cerber.. With a bit saved from a cheaper case and a bit from the SSD, maybe i can ditch my old wired keyboard and mouse and get some entry logitich ones, the ones i have look very used. .. i'll make sure i ask that the ram to be available in the future, in case i'll add one more
Click to expand...

The reason I picked the case that I did was because it was the least expensive one I saw with USB 3.0 front panel support. You could certainly use a cheaper case with only USB 2.0 on the front, but you'd have to reach around the back of the machine for any USB 3.0 devices. Your choice.
 
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CodrinMarius

Junior Member
Mar 12, 2014
19
2
71
I dont think i absolutely need to have the speed of 3.0 with easy access in the front. I suppose if I pull up the desk one of those usb extention cables, the speed of 3.0 will not be sustained through the wire, right?
 
Cerb

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
17,484
33
86
CodrinMarius said:
I dont think i absolutely need to have the speed of 3.0 with easy access in the front. I suppose if I pull up the desk one of those usb extention cables, the speed of 3.0 will not be sustained through the wire, right?
Click to expand...
It's the pins, not the speed. USB 3.0's speed will be unhampered by a short cable, front/top USB ports are just awfully convenient.
 
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CodrinMarius

Junior Member
Mar 12, 2014
19
2
71
The final bulild is:
i5 4460
AsRock Z97 Pro3
Corsair 2x4GB 1866
Samsung 840 Evo 120gb
Zalman ZM600-LX power source
Aerocool PGS VS 92
DVD RW Asus

No dedicated video yet, will get a cheap one next month. Thanks guys.
 
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CodrinMarius

Junior Member
Mar 12, 2014
19
2
71
i bought it a while ago.. I was looking for some info on the forum and I thought it would be nice add it, to see that all those advice turned to something eventually..... anyway, i've never used a system with ssd before, it's amazing
 
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CodrinMarius

Junior Member
Mar 12, 2014
19
2
71
Ten years later this build is still working, nothing broke, finished school with it and working for a few years on it too. I cleaned it every 2-3 years at a shop.
It was updated with:
- 2 X 4GB of identical ram getting to a total of 16GB in like 2020.
- a 1tb SSD for storage replacing the 250gb ssd i had which i made into a movie drive for my tv.
- a few months after purchase i added a a video AMD Radeon R7 200 series with 1gb of ddr5.
Like best bang for money, i got so much from this machine.
 
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