New build after 5 years – need some advice please

[DodgerLD]

Here are my answers to the questions:

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

The usual + programming. (minimal gaming)

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

~$1,000

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

South Africa

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
We can't be expected to scour the internet on your behalf, chasing down deals in your specific country... Again, help us, help YOU.

http://www.wootware.co.za/ | http://landmarkpc.co.za/store/ | http://www.takealot.com/

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

I like Asus or Gigabyte m/boards, and Corsair memory.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

I would like to use my current graphics card and PSU (+ monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers).

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

No overclocking.

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?

1920 x 1080, but I will keep my current (Samsung P2270) monitor for now.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Note that it is usually not cost or time effective to choose your build more than a month before you actually plan to be using it.

In 1-2 weeks.

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?

Nah, sticking with Windows 7.

----------

I'd like to build a new system after more than 5 years (not sure where the time went). It's mostly the internals that I need, and I've narrowed it down to the following:

CPU - Intel Core i5 4670 *OR* 4690

M/board - Asus Z97-A *OR* Asus Z97-C

RAM - Corsair CML8GX3M2A1600C9 Vengeance Lp With BlacK Heatsink 2X4GB Kit DDR3-1600 CL9 1.5v Desktop Memory

SSD - Crucial CT256MX100SSD1 MX100 256GB *OR* Samsung MZ-7TE250 840 Evo Series 250GB

Case - Corsair Carbide Series Mid-Tower Chassis - 200R Black

My current graphics card: Asus AMD Radeon HD 6770 (EAH6770 DC/G/2DI/1GD5)
My current PSU: Cooler Master Extreme Power Plus 460W

Note: I will have the above SSD + a 300GB SATA HDD, and I may have another 2 drives temporarily connected (80GB HDD + 120GB SSD).

My questions:

1. Will my current graphics card be compatible with the latest m/boards?
2. Will the card I have be better than the onboard GPU of the CPU?
3. Is my current PSU good enough? (does it have the necessary connectors, etc.)
4. Any questions or comments?

Thanks!

 

[mfenn]

What is your budget in rand? Once we know that, we can make reasonable decisions based on your budget and available parts.

As for your questions:
- Yes
- Much better, at least 4 times faster
- That series is pretty junky, but not "guaranteed to blow your computer up". Given that you appear to have a decent budget, I would recommend getting a better unit.

 

[DodgerLD]

Hey,

I guess about R10,000. Initially I wanted this to include a new monitor, because I thought that LED backlighting might be better for my eyes, but after some research it seems that it may be the opposite, so I will stick with my current monitor for now. This means that I have a bit extra to spend on the other components.

As for the PSU, what are the benefits to getting a new one?

Thanks for your help!

 

[mfenn]

The main reason to get a new PSU is that your current PSU is a poor quality design with low power efficiency that couldn't even deliver its rated power when new. 6 years, later, it has only gotten worse.

Xeon E3-1230 V3 R 3.7k
ASRock H97M Pro4 R 1.2k
Corsair DDR3 1600 CL9 8GB x2 R 2.4k
Corsair MX100 256GB R 1.5k
Cooler Master N400 R 0.7k
Seasonic M12II 520W R 0.7k
Total: R10.2k

This drops the expensive overclocking-capable motherboard for a Xeon with HyperThreading (good for compiles), double the RAM, and a new high-quality PSU.

 

[toughtrasher]

If minimal gaming is needed, than a build less than $1000 in cost will be more than enough.

Even prebuilt computers will be sufficient, so I think you can do no wrong here as long as you get your money's worth.

 

[DodgerLD]

The main reason to get a new PSU is that your current PSU is a poor quality design with low power efficiency that couldn't even deliver its rated power when new. 6 years, later, it has only gotten worse.

Xeon E3-1230 V3 R 3.7k
ASRock H97M Pro4 R 1.2k
Corsair DDR3 1600 CL9 8GB x2 R 2.4k
Corsair MX100 256GB R 1.5k
Cooler Master N400 R 0.7k
Seasonic M12II 520W R 0.7k
Total: R10.2k

This drops the expensive overclocking-capable motherboard for a Xeon with HyperThreading (good for compiles), double the RAM, and a new high-quality PSU.

CPU - It feels a bit weird getting a server CPU for a desktop, plus the extra expense, so I think I might just stick with the i5-4690.

M/board - I'm not a huge fan of ASRock (probably for no good reason though), are there are any (full ATX) Asus or Gigabyte options?

RAM - I have 4GBs now, so I think that 8GB should be more than enough, and I could always add more later.

SSD - I may spend a little extra on the Samsung here, as it appears to have much better performance. (see here)

Case - I prefer the look of the Corsair chassis – is it missing something important?

PSU - I will most-likely go with your recommendation here, thanks.

 

[DodgerLD]

If minimal gaming is needed, than a build less than $1000 in cost will be more than enough.

Even prebuilt computers will be sufficient, so I think you can do no wrong here as long as you get your money's worth.

True. I like to stretch my budget a little so that the system will last as long as possible. I also prefer to select the components myself.

 

[mfenn]

CPU - It feels a bit weird getting a server CPU for a desktop, plus the extra expense, so I think I might just stick with the i5-4690.

The E3 is simply better for what you want to do (programming) because it has hyperthreading. It's a huge benefit for doing big compiles or running VMs for testing, etc. I can understand wanting to spend less, but this is the 2nd to last place to cut (RAM would be the last).

M/board - I'm not a huge fan of ASRock (probably for no good reason though), are there are any (full ATX) Asus or Gigabyte options?

Like you said, there's no good reason to dislike ASRock. It's the least expensive board that I saw that is of good quality and meets your requirements. The motherboard is about the worst place to spend extra money because there is very little benefit in doing so.

RAM - I have 4GBs now, so I think that 8GB should be more than enough, and I could always add more later.

Like the Xeon, 16GB is useful for big compiles and running test VMs. Cut this last.

SSD - I may spend a little extra on the Samsung here, as it appears to have much better performance. (see here)

Not really worth increased cost. That site doesn't give their methodology, so it's quite possible that they tested with Samsung's write-back RAM caching software (aka, "the say goodbye to your data" option).

That being said, the 840 EVO is generally slightly faster in real world application benchmarks without write-back RAM caching. It's not worth the money in my opinion.

Case - I prefer the look of the Corsair chassis – is it missing something important?

The 200R is fine too, just more expensive.

 

[DodgerLD]

Thanks for your help! Much appreciated.

 

[Cerb]

Having gotten a Xeon E3-1230V3 and 16GB of RAM at home, for much the same reasons mfenn is recommending them, but an i5 and 8GB at work, trust him. He's right . If you must skimp on RAM, though, get 1x8GB, for the most expansion capability regardless of mobo.

 

[Chapbass]

The E3 is simply better for what you want to do (programming) because it has hyperthreading. It's a huge benefit for doing big compiles or running VMs for testing, etc. I can understand wanting to spend less, but this is the 2nd to last place to cut (RAM would be the last).



Like you said, there's no good reason to dislike ASRock. It's the least expensive good quality board that I saw which also meets your requirements. The motherboard is about the worst place to spend extra money because there is very little benefit in doing so.



Like the Xeon, 16GB is useful for big compiles and running test VMs. Cut this last.



Not really worth increased cost. That site doesn't give their methodology, so it's quite possible that they tested with Samsung's write-back RAM caching software (aka, "the say goodbye to your data" option).

That being said, the 840 EVO is generally slightly faster in real world application benchmarks without write-back RAM caching. It's not worth the money in my opinion.



The 200R is fine too, just more expensive.

+1 to everything said here.