To build or not to build?
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Just got my annual bonus and my tax refund, so it's time for me to upgrade my gaming desktop. Now I have the question of do I hit Newegg and start buying pieces, or do I saw screw it and buy a whole new system from a builder. I built my current rig mostly from scratch, but aside from the case (which is annoyingly too big for my desk), the PSU, the DVD drive (that has survived several upgrades already) and two HDD that total about 1.25 Tb, there's not much else I'm going to be able to use. If I upgrade the processor, I'll need a new motherboard, and I'll need a new video card. I guess I could still use the 4Gb of memory. Another problem is that the current rig runs Vista 32-bit, so I'll want to upgrade to Windows 7, which when you add that to the price of all the other components I'll need, I think I'll be not far off a new machine. Prior to that I had an off-the-shelf computer because I had to get something in a hurry when the previous machine (which I built) blew up on me and I had a programming assignment to finish for a job interview. So, is it worth the hassle of building your own anymore? It seems like there's not much money to be saved by doing it yourself and there's the hassle of wondering if the parts you ordered will actually work together. If not, does anybody have a recommendation on a decent builder who will use good parts and not charge the earth for them? I'm not looking to build the "ultimate" machine, just something in that sweet spot of performance vs price (you know, the Pareto front). Any suggestions on where that front might be nowadays?
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Just got my annual bonus and my tax refund, so it's time for me to upgrade my gaming desktop. Now I have the question of do I hit Newegg and start buying pieces, or do I saw screw it and buy a whole new system from a builder. I built my current rig mostly from scratch, but aside from the case (which is annoyingly too big for my desk), the PSU, the DVD drive (that has survived several upgrades already) and two HDD that total about 1.25 Tb, there's not much else I'm going to be able to use. If I upgrade the processor, I'll need a new motherboard, and I'll need a new video card. I guess I could still use the 4Gb of memory. Another problem is that the current rig runs Vista 32-bit, so I'll want to upgrade to Windows 7, which when you add that to the price of all the other components I'll need, I think I'll be not far off a new machine. Prior to that I had an off-the-shelf computer because I had to get something in a hurry when the previous machine (which I built) blew up on me and I had a programming assignment to finish for a job interview. So, is it worth the hassle of building your own anymore? It seems like there's not much money to be saved by doing it yourself and there's the hassle of wondering if the parts you ordered will actually work together. If not, does anybody have a recommendation on a decent builder who will use good parts and not charge the earth for them? I'm not looking to build the "ultimate" machine, just something in that sweet spot of performance vs price (you know, the Pareto front). Any suggestions on where that front might be nowadays?
I prefer to build my own now. However you could take a look at the likes of Scan (www.scan.co.uk[^]) and use the components they use in their premium machines as a baseline of what works together. Remember that the new batch of CPU's (8 cores) are just around the corner, and the new GTX680 has just been released, and countless other stuff on the horizon. So I would take a bit of time to research exactly what you want out of it and by then you should have a really good idea what you can get for your money.
Dave Find Me On: Web|Facebook|Twitter|LinkedIn
Folding Stats: Team CodeProject
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Just got my annual bonus and my tax refund, so it's time for me to upgrade my gaming desktop. Now I have the question of do I hit Newegg and start buying pieces, or do I saw screw it and buy a whole new system from a builder. I built my current rig mostly from scratch, but aside from the case (which is annoyingly too big for my desk), the PSU, the DVD drive (that has survived several upgrades already) and two HDD that total about 1.25 Tb, there's not much else I'm going to be able to use. If I upgrade the processor, I'll need a new motherboard, and I'll need a new video card. I guess I could still use the 4Gb of memory. Another problem is that the current rig runs Vista 32-bit, so I'll want to upgrade to Windows 7, which when you add that to the price of all the other components I'll need, I think I'll be not far off a new machine. Prior to that I had an off-the-shelf computer because I had to get something in a hurry when the previous machine (which I built) blew up on me and I had a programming assignment to finish for a job interview. So, is it worth the hassle of building your own anymore? It seems like there's not much money to be saved by doing it yourself and there's the hassle of wondering if the parts you ordered will actually work together. If not, does anybody have a recommendation on a decent builder who will use good parts and not charge the earth for them? I'm not looking to build the "ultimate" machine, just something in that sweet spot of performance vs price (you know, the Pareto front). Any suggestions on where that front might be nowadays?
Wjousts wrote:
So, is it worth the hassle of building your own anymore?
I say no, but I do it anyway and get burned by it with badly constructed (mostly fans and ventilation) system. Go to a local shop that will build the system you like (they will probably buy the hardware from newegg anyway) so you are certain the build is done properly. M.
Watched code never compiles.
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Just got my annual bonus and my tax refund, so it's time for me to upgrade my gaming desktop. Now I have the question of do I hit Newegg and start buying pieces, or do I saw screw it and buy a whole new system from a builder. I built my current rig mostly from scratch, but aside from the case (which is annoyingly too big for my desk), the PSU, the DVD drive (that has survived several upgrades already) and two HDD that total about 1.25 Tb, there's not much else I'm going to be able to use. If I upgrade the processor, I'll need a new motherboard, and I'll need a new video card. I guess I could still use the 4Gb of memory. Another problem is that the current rig runs Vista 32-bit, so I'll want to upgrade to Windows 7, which when you add that to the price of all the other components I'll need, I think I'll be not far off a new machine. Prior to that I had an off-the-shelf computer because I had to get something in a hurry when the previous machine (which I built) blew up on me and I had a programming assignment to finish for a job interview. So, is it worth the hassle of building your own anymore? It seems like there's not much money to be saved by doing it yourself and there's the hassle of wondering if the parts you ordered will actually work together. If not, does anybody have a recommendation on a decent builder who will use good parts and not charge the earth for them? I'm not looking to build the "ultimate" machine, just something in that sweet spot of performance vs price (you know, the Pareto front). Any suggestions on where that front might be nowadays?
Wjousts wrote:
two HDD that total about 1.25 Gb
:omg: I would like to be the first to welcome you to the new millenium. Please check your freedom at the door. In exchange you can have technology that does not make loud noices when connecting and you will live under the false belief that you are speacial because you have so many "likes" and "friends".
Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet.
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Just got my annual bonus and my tax refund, so it's time for me to upgrade my gaming desktop. Now I have the question of do I hit Newegg and start buying pieces, or do I saw screw it and buy a whole new system from a builder. I built my current rig mostly from scratch, but aside from the case (which is annoyingly too big for my desk), the PSU, the DVD drive (that has survived several upgrades already) and two HDD that total about 1.25 Tb, there's not much else I'm going to be able to use. If I upgrade the processor, I'll need a new motherboard, and I'll need a new video card. I guess I could still use the 4Gb of memory. Another problem is that the current rig runs Vista 32-bit, so I'll want to upgrade to Windows 7, which when you add that to the price of all the other components I'll need, I think I'll be not far off a new machine. Prior to that I had an off-the-shelf computer because I had to get something in a hurry when the previous machine (which I built) blew up on me and I had a programming assignment to finish for a job interview. So, is it worth the hassle of building your own anymore? It seems like there's not much money to be saved by doing it yourself and there's the hassle of wondering if the parts you ordered will actually work together. If not, does anybody have a recommendation on a decent builder who will use good parts and not charge the earth for them? I'm not looking to build the "ultimate" machine, just something in that sweet spot of performance vs price (you know, the Pareto front). Any suggestions on where that front might be nowadays?
Yeah, I still build all my machines. Best thing I ever did starting about 15 years ago. My main dev box has 4 23" 1920x1080 monitors attached to it, with an i7 CPU and 16GB of RAM. The boot drive is a 128GB SSD and I have about 4TB of hard disk storage. It also has dual DVD burners. This machine has gone through a couple of upgrades already, with the biggest jump in speed/responsiveness coming from the SSD as the boot disk. And I don't even game..... Whatever you decide to do, I would suggest getting an SSD for a boot drive. Don't put anything other than the OS and your apps there. Store everything else on regular hard disks.
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Wjousts wrote:
two HDD that total about 1.25 Gb
:omg: I would like to be the first to welcome you to the new millenium. Please check your freedom at the door. In exchange you can have technology that does not make loud noices when connecting and you will live under the false belief that you are speacial because you have so many "likes" and "friends".
Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet.
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Just got my annual bonus and my tax refund, so it's time for me to upgrade my gaming desktop. Now I have the question of do I hit Newegg and start buying pieces, or do I saw screw it and buy a whole new system from a builder. I built my current rig mostly from scratch, but aside from the case (which is annoyingly too big for my desk), the PSU, the DVD drive (that has survived several upgrades already) and two HDD that total about 1.25 Tb, there's not much else I'm going to be able to use. If I upgrade the processor, I'll need a new motherboard, and I'll need a new video card. I guess I could still use the 4Gb of memory. Another problem is that the current rig runs Vista 32-bit, so I'll want to upgrade to Windows 7, which when you add that to the price of all the other components I'll need, I think I'll be not far off a new machine. Prior to that I had an off-the-shelf computer because I had to get something in a hurry when the previous machine (which I built) blew up on me and I had a programming assignment to finish for a job interview. So, is it worth the hassle of building your own anymore? It seems like there's not much money to be saved by doing it yourself and there's the hassle of wondering if the parts you ordered will actually work together. If not, does anybody have a recommendation on a decent builder who will use good parts and not charge the earth for them? I'm not looking to build the "ultimate" machine, just something in that sweet spot of performance vs price (you know, the Pareto front). Any suggestions on where that front might be nowadays?
i used to always build my own but these days i don't really need the few £ saved by doing so and my latest build has liquid cooling ... im too much of a clumsy muppet to trust myself with a combination of electronic components and liquid i went with cyber-power ... good brand-name hardware, highly customisable, shipped with all manuals, CDs, cables, spares etc and top notch customer service (for example i had ordered some HDD cooling systems that i didn't realise required the drives to go in the larger front bays, i didn't have enough of these free in the case i had chosen so i got a nice friendly call to discuss my options ... went with a refund on the cooling systems)
Pedis ex oris Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur
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Wjousts wrote:
two HDD that total about 1.25 Gb
:omg: I would like to be the first to welcome you to the new millenium. Please check your freedom at the door. In exchange you can have technology that does not make loud noices when connecting and you will live under the false belief that you are speacial because you have so many "likes" and "friends".
Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet.
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i used to always build my own but these days i don't really need the few £ saved by doing so and my latest build has liquid cooling ... im too much of a clumsy muppet to trust myself with a combination of electronic components and liquid i went with cyber-power ... good brand-name hardware, highly customisable, shipped with all manuals, CDs, cables, spares etc and top notch customer service (for example i had ordered some HDD cooling systems that i didn't realise required the drives to go in the larger front bays, i didn't have enough of these free in the case i had chosen so i got a nice friendly call to discuss my options ... went with a refund on the cooling systems)
Pedis ex oris Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur
GParkings wrote:
my latest build has liquid cooling ... im too much of a clumsy muppet to trust myself with a combination of electronic components and liquid
Yeah, that is one thing that makes me nervous too. Along with getting the cooling right in general.
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Yeah, I still build all my machines. Best thing I ever did starting about 15 years ago. My main dev box has 4 23" 1920x1080 monitors attached to it, with an i7 CPU and 16GB of RAM. The boot drive is a 128GB SSD and I have about 4TB of hard disk storage. It also has dual DVD burners. This machine has gone through a couple of upgrades already, with the biggest jump in speed/responsiveness coming from the SSD as the boot disk. And I don't even game..... Whatever you decide to do, I would suggest getting an SSD for a boot drive. Don't put anything other than the OS and your apps there. Store everything else on regular hard disks.
Or at least get a hybrid drive. I just recently replaced the HDD in my laptop the Seagate Momentus XT after a discussion a few weeks ago here in the Lounge. I opted for the 750GB one that has 8GB of flash on it and SATA 6.0Gb/s. I've noticed faster boots and application start times. The OP said his Windows Experience score went up on the HDD, mine didn't. I don't think my laptop supports the faster speed.
Brad If you think you can, you will. If you think you can't, you won't. Either way, you're right.
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Just got my annual bonus and my tax refund, so it's time for me to upgrade my gaming desktop. Now I have the question of do I hit Newegg and start buying pieces, or do I saw screw it and buy a whole new system from a builder. I built my current rig mostly from scratch, but aside from the case (which is annoyingly too big for my desk), the PSU, the DVD drive (that has survived several upgrades already) and two HDD that total about 1.25 Tb, there's not much else I'm going to be able to use. If I upgrade the processor, I'll need a new motherboard, and I'll need a new video card. I guess I could still use the 4Gb of memory. Another problem is that the current rig runs Vista 32-bit, so I'll want to upgrade to Windows 7, which when you add that to the price of all the other components I'll need, I think I'll be not far off a new machine. Prior to that I had an off-the-shelf computer because I had to get something in a hurry when the previous machine (which I built) blew up on me and I had a programming assignment to finish for a job interview. So, is it worth the hassle of building your own anymore? It seems like there's not much money to be saved by doing it yourself and there's the hassle of wondering if the parts you ordered will actually work together. If not, does anybody have a recommendation on a decent builder who will use good parts and not charge the earth for them? I'm not looking to build the "ultimate" machine, just something in that sweet spot of performance vs price (you know, the Pareto front). Any suggestions on where that front might be nowadays?
Or how about putting that money away and try to get some interest from it?
*pre-emptive celebratory nipple tassle jiggle* - Sean Ewington
"Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos
My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier - my favourite utility
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Or how about putting that money away and try to get some interest from it?
*pre-emptive celebratory nipple tassle jiggle* - Sean Ewington
"Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos
My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier - my favourite utility
Firstly, interest? What's that? Have you seen what savings accounts are paying these days? Second, I've got plenty in various savings accounts right now, I'm talking about spending a very small amount of money in the grand scheme of things and I'm only looking to blow a fraction of my bonus. Third, you can say that about absolutely anything.
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Just got my annual bonus and my tax refund, so it's time for me to upgrade my gaming desktop. Now I have the question of do I hit Newegg and start buying pieces, or do I saw screw it and buy a whole new system from a builder. I built my current rig mostly from scratch, but aside from the case (which is annoyingly too big for my desk), the PSU, the DVD drive (that has survived several upgrades already) and two HDD that total about 1.25 Tb, there's not much else I'm going to be able to use. If I upgrade the processor, I'll need a new motherboard, and I'll need a new video card. I guess I could still use the 4Gb of memory. Another problem is that the current rig runs Vista 32-bit, so I'll want to upgrade to Windows 7, which when you add that to the price of all the other components I'll need, I think I'll be not far off a new machine. Prior to that I had an off-the-shelf computer because I had to get something in a hurry when the previous machine (which I built) blew up on me and I had a programming assignment to finish for a job interview. So, is it worth the hassle of building your own anymore? It seems like there's not much money to be saved by doing it yourself and there's the hassle of wondering if the parts you ordered will actually work together. If not, does anybody have a recommendation on a decent builder who will use good parts and not charge the earth for them? I'm not looking to build the "ultimate" machine, just something in that sweet spot of performance vs price (you know, the Pareto front). Any suggestions on where that front might be nowadays?
I don’t think you will be able to use the memory from your old machine unless it’s DDR3 1333 MHz or up. Bite the bullet and buy yourself Alienware desktop. :jig:
There is only one Vera Farmiga and Salma Hayek is her prophet! Advertise here – minimum three posts per day are guaranteed.
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I don’t think you will be able to use the memory from your old machine unless it’s DDR3 1333 MHz or up. Bite the bullet and buy yourself Alienware desktop. :jig:
There is only one Vera Farmiga and Salma Hayek is her prophet! Advertise here – minimum three posts per day are guaranteed.
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Yeah, I still build all my machines. Best thing I ever did starting about 15 years ago. My main dev box has 4 23" 1920x1080 monitors attached to it, with an i7 CPU and 16GB of RAM. The boot drive is a 128GB SSD and I have about 4TB of hard disk storage. It also has dual DVD burners. This machine has gone through a couple of upgrades already, with the biggest jump in speed/responsiveness coming from the SSD as the boot disk. And I don't even game..... Whatever you decide to do, I would suggest getting an SSD for a boot drive. Don't put anything other than the OS and your apps there. Store everything else on regular hard disks.
David Knechtges wrote:
Whatever you decide to do, I would suggest getting an SSD for a boot drive. Don't put anything other than the OS and your apps there. Store everything else on regular hard disks.
Fully agree, but don't forget possible virtual machines... what a difference in the SSD
Regards. -------- M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpfull answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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Just got my annual bonus and my tax refund, so it's time for me to upgrade my gaming desktop. Now I have the question of do I hit Newegg and start buying pieces, or do I saw screw it and buy a whole new system from a builder. I built my current rig mostly from scratch, but aside from the case (which is annoyingly too big for my desk), the PSU, the DVD drive (that has survived several upgrades already) and two HDD that total about 1.25 Tb, there's not much else I'm going to be able to use. If I upgrade the processor, I'll need a new motherboard, and I'll need a new video card. I guess I could still use the 4Gb of memory. Another problem is that the current rig runs Vista 32-bit, so I'll want to upgrade to Windows 7, which when you add that to the price of all the other components I'll need, I think I'll be not far off a new machine. Prior to that I had an off-the-shelf computer because I had to get something in a hurry when the previous machine (which I built) blew up on me and I had a programming assignment to finish for a job interview. So, is it worth the hassle of building your own anymore? It seems like there's not much money to be saved by doing it yourself and there's the hassle of wondering if the parts you ordered will actually work together. If not, does anybody have a recommendation on a decent builder who will use good parts and not charge the earth for them? I'm not looking to build the "ultimate" machine, just something in that sweet spot of performance vs price (you know, the Pareto front). Any suggestions on where that front might be nowadays?
It's worth it if you're planning to spend upwards of $1000, and it's a total no-brainer at the $1500 price point. System builders get huge volume discounts on parts they sell a lot, in other words the cheap ones, and they get their money back on the big margins on the more expensive stuff. About $500 of good parts I own that have held relatively stable value over the past year: Intel i7-2600k, $brand AMD Radeon 6950 2gb. Make sure you do your research and get good quality parts - cheaping out on something like a PSU or RAM is really going to hurt your stability in the short run and long run alike.