HALP! I needs a new PC

[boganbusman]

So, the computer I have now is a total mish-mash of new and old parts that have accumulated over the last few years.
It still runs XP and it's getting a bit too old and fat for modern games. Time to upgrade.

I don't really keep up with the latest trends in PC'ing so this is where you guys come in!


These are the parts that I need and/or want to have in the new system:

- Intel CPU
- New MB
- Single video card (nVid or ATI, I don't care, whichever is better atm) I could be persuaded to go for dual cards if it gives me better bang for my bucks.
- A bunch of RAM
- PSU (something with lots of power cables)
- Full tower case with complete dust filtration (very important, I hate cleaning out dust)
- 2TB hard disks (x6)
- Windows 7 64bit (??)


Parts that I will re-use from the current system:

- Bluray combo drive
- 1.5TB hard disks (x2)
- Asus Xonar STX soundcard

Edit: Changed my mind about the RAID setup. The two 1.5TB drives will go into a RAID1 array as I originally planned, but instead of RAID6 for the other drives, I will put three into a bank of RAID0 and the other three will be housed externally as a backup drive, also in RAID0.


As for the budget, well I have plenty of monies but I'd rather not spend too much. I just want something that will be solid and reliable for the next few years, it doesn't need to be flashy and superlightspeed fast.

Any help is muchos appreciated. Thanks guys!

[boganbusman]

Due to overwhelming response, I decided to knuckle down and try to do my own research (until 2am on a work day lol).

Here is the list I came up with:

- Intel i7 2600k CPU
- Noctua NH-D14 CPU cooler
- Asrock P67 Extreme4 B3 motherboard
- HD6970 videocard (unsure which brand to get, MSI Lightning looks nice tho)
- 8GB G.Skill Sniper RAM
- Antec TruePower 1200W PSU
- Fractal Define XL case
- WD Green 2TB HDDs (x6)
- Hotway HFR2-SU3S2 external HDD enclosure

Total cost around AUD$2600

Any thoughts??

[Pabl0z]

Sounds good to me.
I've also been looking to getting a new pc perhaps in the summer.

It doesn't really matter which manufacturer's HD6970 you get.
As far as I know all the current cards available are based on the same reference model.
Of course that might not be the case in Oz and we're just getting new models more slowly .
So just grab the one that's cheapest or has better warranty.

The PSU is pretty overkill.
You could run like 3 GFX-cards with that thing .
If you're thinking of maybe getting a second card in the future a 900W would already be more than enough.

Also, I would consider getting an SSD-drive as an OS-drive as it would speed up things significantly.
A 60 gig one would easily be enough for Windows and a few programs.

Oh yeah, and is the ram you're getting just a one 8gig stick?
I'd suggest getting a kit instead, as in 2x4gb.
Works much better in dual-channel .

Edit: I checked what the MSI Lightning card looks like and yeah, get that one if it's not too pricy compared to regular reference models.

[boganbusman]

Cool, thanks Pabl0z.

With the PSU, I used some online PSU calculator and it recommended 950W, so I just went with the next step up for a bit of headroom.
If it's way overkill then I'll get the 1000W instead.

Never really thought about SSD, I figured they would be too expensive.
If it's as good as you say then I should probably get one. I will need space for games though, so something like 120GB.

Also, changed plans for the storage drives. I will get Samsung instead because apparently WD Caviar series are no good with RAID.

The RAM is 2x4GB, sorry should have written that before.


Updated list:

- Intel i7 2600k CPU
- Noctua NH-D14 CPU cooler
- Asrock P67 Extreme4 B3 motherboard
- MSI HD6970 Lightning videocard
- 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 G.Skill Sniper RAM
- Antec TruePower 1000W PSU
- Fractal Define XL case
- Corsair Performance Series 3 128GB SSD
- Samsung 2TB HDDs (x6)
- Hotway HFR2-SU3S2 external HDD enclosure

Total ~$2900 . . . TT_TT

Hopefully I can sell the old PC to my housemate

[Pabl0z]

That's a bad-ass rig

Yeah the SSD's make loading Windows and programs etc. much faster, as the read/write speeds are many times faster.
And as there are no moving parts, SSD's will last a lot longer than conventional HDD's + they're silent.
I'll surely get one for my next rig, even though I'll prolly get a rig with a fraction of the money you're spending