The Computer Megathread

[Awdax]

I was just looking at the reviews for it too, and it seems it's pretty bad. People seem to have a lot of problems with it.

I'm going to check the compatibility of the Mobo Leet suggested a few pages back.

EDIT: I think it might be compatible with the CPU, GPU, RAM and HDD from what I checked. The reviews mentioned something about no Crossfire and SLI support, whatever that is.

I'm starting to wonder if I should just get a prebuilt. Or even look at the parts of a prebuilt in my price-range and order the case and parts separate. That way I won't have to worry about incompatibility and stuff.

[Ad Bot]

[dkamm65]

Don't know where else to put this.

[Awdax]

Actually I think I will go with the Mobo I listed in Option 2, thanks to this fellow on Reddit:

Regardless of which build you were talking about, I was only taking into account the info you posted.
The Z77 is commonly used alongside an Ivy Bridge CPU (eg the standard i5 3570k + ASRock Z77 Extreme4) because the Ivy Bridge CPUs can take advantage of the PCIe3.0 whereas the Sandy Bridge CPUs cannot. This is why Sandy Bridge CPUs don't use the the Z- mobos, hence the common i3 + H61 or 2500k + Z68.
The main difference between using the H61 and Z68 on Sandy Bridge CPUs is that the Z68 allows overclocking and I believe supports USB3.0.
SLI and Crossfire is using two of the same GPUs to increase performance, at the cost of greater power consumption and less stability than just upgrading to a better card. There might be other things I left out, but I'm not too familiar on SLI and Xfire. If you don't plan on using it in the future, I wouldn't be too worried about wanting those features.
The reviews bashing the BIOS not working well should be taken with a grain of salt, generally they are anecdotal, and usually due to user-error.

So I think I should be good.

[Awdax]

Haha. Alright, this is it. I promise. I decided to go with #2 from my previous post, but now I have another build. I'm sure both of them are compatible, especially the first option. Second option I'm sure, but I just want to run it by you guys. I promise this is the last time.

Option One
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU:  Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($114.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:  Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3(R2.0) ATX  LGA1155 Motherboard  ($87.86 @ Newegg)
Memory:  Corsair Vengeance 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Storage:  Seagate Momentus 750GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card:  Asus Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card  ($157.55 @ Newegg)
Case:  Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($79.94 @ Amazon)
Power Supply:  Antec 550W ATX12V Power Supply  ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive:  Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer  ($17.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor:  Acer G205HVbd 20.0" Monitor  ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit)  ($90.42 @ Amazon)
Total: $813.70
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-13 22:19 EDT-0400)

Option Two
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU:  AMD FX-4100 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard:  Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3 ATX  AM3+ Motherboard  ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Memory:  Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Storage:  Western Digital RE4 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card:  AMD Radeon HD 6770 1GB Video Card  ($116.97 @ Newegg)
Case:  NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($47.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply:  Antec 550W ATX12V Power Supply  ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive:  Lite-On iHAS224-06 DVD/CD Writer  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor:  Acer G205HVbd 20.0" Monitor  ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit)  ($90.42 @ Amazon)
Total: $793.30
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-13 22:19 EDT-0400)
All I want to know is what you guys think of these builds, which is better, and if their parts are all compatible. I want to keep the price around $800. I do not want to go any higher.

[Trymos]

why do you need home premium full?

you got 8gb just do the 64 bit only version.

[Awdax]

Because the full version is retail. All the other ones are OEM, which means I can only use it once. If I ever need to update my Motherboard I'll need to buy it again.

EDIT: Am I buying the wrong one? I want to be able to install it again if I ever upgrade my Motherboard. OEM doesn't allow this, as it will be tied to whatever Motherboard I install it to.

[Doomonkey]

Because the full version is retail. All the other ones are OEM, which means I can only use it once. If I ever need to update my Motherboard I'll need to buy it again.

I think wedge posted a few pages back that you can just do a phone validation or something if you need to update the Mobo.

Also, by the time most people upgrade their computers the operating systems are out of date.

[Awdax]

No, if you replace the motherboard then you just have to do a phone activation.

Yup, you're right.

Has anyone else ever done this? Does it work?

Option One
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU:  Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($114.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:  Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3(R2.0) ATX  LGA1155 Motherboard  ($87.86 @ Newegg)
Memory:  Corsair Vengeance 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Storage:  Seagate Momentus 750GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card:  Asus Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card  ($157.55 @ Newegg)
Case:  Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($79.94 @ Amazon)
Power Supply:  Antec 550W ATX12V Power Supply  ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive:  Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer  ($17.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor:  Acer G205HVbd 20.0" Monitor  ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit)  ($90.42 @ Amazon)
Total: $813.70
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-13 22:19 EDT-0400)

Option Two
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU:  AMD FX-4100 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard:  Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3 ATX  AM3+ Motherboard  ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Memory:  Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Storage:  Western Digital RE4 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card:  AMD Radeon HD 6770 1GB Video Card  ($116.97 @ Newegg)
Case:  NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($47.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply:  Antec 550W ATX12V Power Supply  ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive:  Lite-On iHAS224-06 DVD/CD Writer  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor:  Acer G205HVbd 20.0" Monitor  ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit)  ($90.42 @ Amazon)
Total: $793.30
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-13 22:19 EDT-0400)

Okay, I updated the list.

Can anyone tell me which one of the two you recommend and if all the parts are compatible? Sorry if I seem a bit pushy, I just want to be 100% sure. I don't want to mess anything up.

[Awdax]

Okay, I'm new to this - but from what I checked the CPU, and Memory are compatible with the Motherboard.

So far the only problem I encounter is the SATA on the Motherboard. The Motherboard is SATA 6GB/s while my Storage is SATA 3GB/s. Is this a problem or are they compatible?

EDIT: I've encounter another problem. The GPU's Interface is PCI Express 2.1 x16 while the Motherboard says it supports PCI Express 2.0 x16. You can check yourself, maybe I'm seeing it wrong - but as far as I know, I don't think they're compatible. And the GPU's Memory Type is GDDR5 while the Motherboard's Standard Memory is DDR3.

Okay, I think that's about it. I'm not sure if the Optical Drive, Case and PSU are compatible. If you guys could double check or correct me that'd be great. I'm still not sure if I'm right about these things being compatible or incompatible. I'd appreciate it if you guys could let me know which option you recommend and if the parts are compatible.

[KoopaScooper]

Has anyone else ever done this? Does it work?

Calling the 1-800 number through Skype to activate my previously activated copy of Windows XP Professional, I can guarantee this indeed works.

[Awdax]

So what exactly does it do? Do they unlink the copy from your previous Motherboard and allow you to reinstall it on the new one and reuse the serial key?

EDIT: Here is my second build with some changes that someone suggested. I would love to hear what you think about it and if the parts are compatible.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU:  AMD FX-4100 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard:  Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3 ATX  AM3+ Motherboard  ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Memory:  Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Storage:  Seagate Momentus 750GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card:  Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 1GB Video Card  ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Case:  NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($47.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply:  Antec 550W ATX12V Power Supply  ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive:  Lite-On iHAS224-06 DVD/CD Writer  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor:  Acer G205HVbd 20.0" Monitor  ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit)  ($90.42 @ Amazon)
Total: $796.32
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-14 01:36 EDT-0400)

[Awdax]

I'm really sorry for the double posting I've been doing, but I'm doing it for my own sake to bump the topic and update my builds. Speaking of which, I got another one. Haha. I really like the looks of this one and would like to know what you guys think. I'm going to check if the parts are compatible - which I'm sure they are this time - but I would appreciate it if you guys could double check for me.

Option Three
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU:  Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($114.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:  Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3 ATX  LGA1155 Motherboard  ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Memory:  G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card:  XFX Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card  ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Case:  Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply:  SeaSonic 520W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply  ($79.64 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive:  Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer  ($17.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor:  Acer G205HVbd 20.0" Monitor  ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit)  ($90.86 @ Amazon)
Total: $809.41
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-14 17:08 EDT-0400)

EDIT: Updated some things.

Honestly, I much prefer this build. I just need to know if the parts are compatible.

Also, the GPU may be a bit weak - but I can always upgrade it. I trust these brands and the prices are good for what I'm paying for ($600, ~$800 because the OS, Monitor and S&H). I really went for a good Motherboard and the CPU to go with it and what-not, while everything else I can just upgrade in the future.

[Comatose]

It looks like a good build.

[Darkness ZXW]

>buys seagate barracuda drive from newegg
>three days later, says it shipped but it really didn't
>waits two weeks for UPS to get their stuff together
>finally gets it
>takes apart computer, puts in drive slot
>two screws missing
>keep going on anyway
>boot up after having waited since the 27th of july to have it
>not showing up

in short, Micheal Dell and Alan Shugart are sadists

[e-maxx]

why does firefox freeze up when ever i go on youtube :c

it doesn't happen on any other browser or on any other video site