Official "System Builders" Thread

[Obi Two Kenobi]

More like what you had in mind?

Same CPU, Graphics Card, HDD, Optical and OS :D

That PSU going to be strong enough for all those components?

EDIT: And another thing, how will I know I won't again be having the problem of the short ATX 12v connector?

[Wesley]

Same CPU, Graphics Card, HDD, Optical and OS :D

That PSU going to be strong enough for all those components?

EDIT: And another thing, how will I know I won't again be having the problem of the short ATX 12v connector?

Well, I calculated the PSU requirements off the fact that the HD7850 only needs a single 6-pin connector. So that means a total TDP of 150w and the processor won't exceed 100w under load, unless its overclocked, in which case load usage would shoot up to around 120w. So that's 250w for just those two components, and for the rest of the system I'd total it at 280w. You still have enough headroom to add another HD7850, which would total 420w. That's 100w below the rated power for the 12v rails so it should be plenty fine. Given capacitance age of around 25w per year, by year three the expected total output would drop to 453w for the 12v rails.

As for the connector, if its too short you could always buy a extension prior to building the whole thing.

[Bandit]

I was hoping for some advice/info on the Alienware M17x R4, hope this is the right thread to do it

link

I'm looking to get a really high spec laptop and not completely impressed by the Samsung G700A's performance (LaptopDirect - Review)

Any idea when we'll be able to get it in SA and what the pricing will be like? I know both incredible and laptopdirect have the M17x R3 for R17000-R20000. The notebookcheck review (above) says it goes for about 1500 euro, about R15000 rand, but we all know that it is impossible to get a M17x for 15k...

Any ideas or advice would help, thanks

[Wesley]

Have you thought of getting it from Dell Direct? You'll be able to customise it to your heart's content as well.

Or you could give it a month or two and see how things go. The Ivy Bridge refresh should hit us and IC very soon, so a little patience might work. You could even pick up a R3 for a bargain price, who knows.

That said, the Samsung ain't half bad either. There's also Toshiba's Qosmio for a few grand more. I see MSI's GE70 has also landed and its very good value for money.

[Toxxyc]

That PSU going to be strong enough for all those components?

Yes. The GX550 is a pretty decent PSU. Also, 5 year warranty (FOR THE WIN!!!).

[phreak]

I want to thank you guys for all your help and for recommending evetech computers.
In the end this is what I bought:

PC Case: Corsair Graphite 600T White USB3.0 Gaming Case - Included
Power Supply: NZXT Hale90 1000W 80+ GOLD Modular PSU
Processor: Intel Core i7 3770K 3.5Ghz Overclocked to (8 x 4.6GHz) CPU - Included
Heatsink & CPU Fan: Noctua NH-D14 Dual Radiator 6 Heatpipe Dual Fan CPU Cooler - Included
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V Pro Z77 LGA 1155 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 MB - Included
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR3 1600Mhz High Performance RAM - Included
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB 256bit DDR5 Graphics Card
Sound Card: Integrated 8 Channel HD Audio - Included
Primary Hard Drive: 1TB Seagate 7200RPM SATA3 6.0Gb/s HDD
Secondary Hard Drive: Not Included
Main Optical Drive: 24x Dual Layer DVD +/- Writer - Included
Secondary Optical Drive: Not Included
External Hard Drive: Not Included
Memory Card Reader: Not Included
Network Adapter: Integrated Gigabit Network LAN + WIFI - Included

[Jay]

Hey Guys,
I am looking to buy a gaming PC but nothing too crazy. Got about R12000 to spend. Also I am not fussed about aesthetics or getting a new screen. Just need to buy the tower basically. I was thinking of getting a small SSD; just enough for the operating system. And then maybe heaps of RAM for Gaming. Hard drive space in general isnt an issue as I wont be keeping movies or series or anything else besides games on the PC. So any recommendations are welcome? :) So far I have been told to use rebeltech which seem legit.

I did look at the builds you guys have posted and will look into maybe getting one of those then.

Thanks :)

[Wesley]

I'm posting the next System Builders Guide column tomorrow, so I'd recommend you look at that and tweak a few things to get to your maximum budget. Stay tuned :-)

[Gamme40]

Hey Guys!

I'm back again with some much needed assistance...
So i tested the old i7 920 out that was collecting dust after a storm and it works like a charm...

Now the big ass problem i have is the availability of a X58 LGA 1366 board that can run it... Prophecy has no stock according to their website and i phoned them, saying that they will see what they can do and will get back to me, i have yet to receive a phone call from them, but needless to say, they are a good company overall... I always buy from them because of their excellent service! I went to Matrix and they told me that the motherboard is discontinued! I was shocked. So naturally i consulted Google.

It came up with a place known as http://www.biosonline.co.za/, has anyone used this site before? Is it safe? Or can you guys refer me to a trust-able site that has stock of low-mid range X58 Boards (R1000-R2000). I have tried Landmark, but it seems they don't have LGA 1366 Boards on their catalog anymore!

Thanks a lot guys!

[Wesley]

BIOS is a verified seller with Jump and Pricecheck and I haven't heard anything bad for a while. You other option would be taking to the MyBroadband Member's Request subforum and any of the dealers that frequent it may be able to help you. There's also Sahara to consider as they may have Asrock boards lying around. You can also contact Pinnacle and Asbis and ask them if they've got one or two left in their warehouse.

Otherwise, check out www.carbonite.co.za. Join the forum and check out if anyone's selling their X58 board for cheap. Otherwise, post a request and I'm sure a few members would reply with cash or a swap deal. Good luck!

[Gamme40]

Thanks for the quick response, I really appreciate it Wesley.

I will check these sites and get back to you with results, hopefully :D

[McDangerous]

There are still quite a few X58 motherboards that are floating around on Carbonite, and if you put a Wanted add in I'm sure you'll get one within a couple of days. I was lucky, I bought my X58-USB3.0 Gigabyte board just as the stock was running out for R950, which is a bargain. The X58 setup still has plenty of legs left in it, I can guarantee you that.

[Wesley]

System Builders Guide: June R8500 to R10,500

Here its a comedy of errors for AMD, competing very well on the efficiency front but losing it completely to Intel's Ivy Bridge chips in the performance-per-watt segment. With the public and OEMs constantly nagging the chip giants to drop voltages and power consumption, its no surprise that AMD's Bulldozer platform fell through the floor when they had to compromise for a more efficient, scalable architecture than they had previously been employing with the older Phenom and Athlon II processors.

I'd also like you all to take a minute to welcome TEAM back into the RAM ratrace. Its a relief to have more options, especially when those options are better and cheaper than most of the competing brands. TEAM's modules might not be the best or the most overclockable set out there, but they do look good and offer good performance at bargain prices.

Intel's Ivy Bridge rules the roost here, with their cheap quad-core chips taking the budget performance crown and scaling very well even with dual-GPU setups. I'm still looking more for an elegant solution to the systems I recommend so I won't be recommending a SLI or Crossfire setup anytime soon unless there's a sale of the Geforce GTX560. Onwards!

Linky

I'm also thinking of doing a System Builders Guide for AMD rigs next month as I've been watching the laptop segment and things haven't changed that much. So it will be an interesting perspective, especially considering that you'll hit the range-topping FX-8150 when you reach the R8,500 price point anyway. Beyond that, some clever planning needs to happen, so make sure you keep an eye out for those columns next month. Those will be in on the Thursday following the laptop guides as usual.

[Witblits]

Good afternoon,

Can I please have your comments on the following rig. All components are from Frontosa and includes VAT. The main purpose of the rig is gaming and I'd like the rig to last at least 3-4 years. I'm not an overclocker, but it might help to have it ready to be overclocked should I want to in i.e. 2 years time. The reason for buying everything from 1 supplier is because I want them to put it together for me as well :)

The rig is as follows:

Proc: Intel Ivy Bridge i5-3570K @R2,240
Mobo: Asus P8Z77-V Pro @R2,675
Cooler: Coolermaster Tpc-812 @R650
GFX: Asus HD7970-DC2T-3GD5 @R6,840
RAM: Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 / C9B / C9R @R610
Storage1: Corsair CSSD-F120GBGT-BK 120Gb Force GT @R1,710
Storage2: Western Digital Caviar Green 3Tb @R1,710
Chassis: Corsair CC600TWM-WHT Graphite 600T @R1,515
PSU: Corsair HX650 @R1,250
Keyboard: Logitech Wireless Illuminated K800 @R1,000
Mouse: Logitech G700 @R910
DVD: LG GH24NS90 @R160

Total: R21,270 (incl VAT)

Should I i.e. consider going for the i7-3770K (+/- R1,000 extra) or upgrade PSU to the Corsair HX850 (+/- R450 extra) etc?

Thank you,
Herman

[Wesley]

System Builder’s Guide: Second Tom’s Hardware comparison

I checked my SBG R4000 to R6000 picks last week and compared them to Tom’s Hardware’s often-mentioned Builder’s Marathon that they publish every month. While they actually build and test the systems they recommend, I’m in a bit of a hard place and couldn’t so much as buy any of these components myself, much less touch them. But I digress, because it’s time for me to see who’s better at recommending people what they should buy with their hard-earned cash. This week its my R10,500 build against their $1000 build.

Linky

[Wesley]

Good afternoon,

Can I please have your comments on the following rig. All components are from Frontosa and includes VAT. The main purpose of the rig is gaming and I'd like the rig to last at least 3-4 years. I'm not an overclocker, but it might help to have it ready to be overclocked should I want to in i.e. 2 years time. The reason for buying everything from 1 supplier is because I want them to put it together for me as well :)

The rig is as follows:

Proc: Intel Ivy Bridge i5-3570K @R2,240
Mobo: Asus P8Z77-V Pro @R2,675
Cooler: Coolermaster Tpc-812 @R650
GFX: Asus HD7970-DC2T-3GD5 @R6,840
RAM: Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 / C9B / C9R @R610
Storage1: Corsair CSSD-F120GBGT-BK 120Gb Force GT @R1,710
Storage2: Western Digital Caviar Green 3Tb @R1,710
Chassis: Corsair CC600TWM-WHT Graphite 600T @R1,515
PSU: Corsair HX650 @R1,250
Keyboard: Logitech Wireless Illuminated K800 @R1,000
Mouse: Logitech G700 @R910
DVD: LG GH24NS90 @R160

Total: R21,270 (incl VAT)

Should I i.e. consider going for the i7-3770K (+/- R1,000 extra) or upgrade PSU to the Corsair HX850 (+/- R450 extra) etc?

Thank you,
Herman

Lets see what I can do with R21,000 to spare.

Intel Core i7 3770K @ R3509
ASUS Maximus V GENE @ R2335
Corsair Vengeance LP DDR3-1600 8GB @ R652
Inno3D Geforce GTX680 2GB DDR5 @ R5510
Corsair Force3 120GB @ R1479
Western Digital Caviar Green 3TB @ R1707
LITE-ON iHES312 @ R980
Corsair Carbide 500R @ R1077
Corsair HX850 @ R1815
Logitech G510 @ R1096
Logitech G700 @ R957

Total: R21,117

That will perform better than yours in the long run and two GTX680s in SLI is possible in the future. Rather save for a water cooler once new ones pop up to address the Ivy Bridge heat generation issues, the current ones don't work as well as they should when compared to Sandy Bridge. I'd also rather go for the Carbide as it is more flexible than the Graphite chassis, and you're unlikely to use the fan controller knob very much or open it every few weeks and shove new stuff into there.

A Blu-Ray drive is also a must if you're aiming to keep the system for at least the next three years.

[Bandit]

Have you thought of getting it from Dell Direct? You'll be able to customise it to your heart's content as well.

Or you could give it a month or two and see how things go. The Ivy Bridge refresh should hit us and IC very soon, so a little patience might work. You could even pick up a R3 for a bargain price, who knows.

That said, the Samsung ain't half bad either. There's also Toshiba's Qosmio for a few grand more. I see MSI's GE70 has also landed and its very good value for money.

Thanks wesley will have a look at the other laptops, any idea how the shipping will work if I order it from dell direct?

[Wesley]

It usually takes a week from the order and they will ship it to you direct via UPS or Fedex. You'll have to ask how the thing will be charged when it goes through customs. Maybe hit up their Online Orders customer support team and ask how their other orders through South Africa have gone through. There are quite a few people on the MyBroadband forums who have directly ordered their Alienware laptops, so if you're registered there you could ask there too.

If Dell would send it through the usual packaging, you'll probably have to pay import duties for it if its not marked as a gift. Speak to the Order support first and then see how things will work out. It will probably have to go through MyUS if things aren't going to work out cheaper.

[Cranky]

Lets see what I can do with R21,000 to spare.

Intel Core i7 3770K @ R3509
ASUS Maximus V GENE @ R2335
Corsair Vengeance LP DDR3-1600 8GB @ R652
Inno3D Geforce GTX680 2GB DDR5 @ R5510
Corsair Force3 120GB @ R1479
Western Digital Caviar Green 3TB @ R1707
LITE-ON iHES312 @ R980
Corsair Carbide 500R @ R1077
Corsair HX850 @ R1815
Logitech G510 @ R1096
Logitech G700 @ R957

Total: R21,117

That will perform better than yours in the long run and two GTX680s in SLI is possible in the future. Rather save for a water cooler once new ones pop up to address the Ivy Bridge heat generation issues, the current ones don't work as well as they should when compared to Sandy Bridge. I'd also rather go for the Carbide as it is more flexible than the Graphite chassis, and you're unlikely to use the fan controller knob very much or open it every few weeks and shove new stuff into there.

A Blu-Ray drive is also a must if you're aiming to keep the system for at least the next three years.

Id say change the mother board.. Dont get a Gene. The ssize of it makes it crazy for Sli and if you do SLi you have no Extra slots for add on cards.

[Gamme40]

Whoa, you have no idea how much calling around i had to do to get an X58 motherboard lol, everywhere i phoned they say they cannot help me as the X58 and i7 9xx are EOL (End of life) but...

In the end though i have succeeded, a company known as LTC Computers & Upgrades cc managed to get hold of a refurbished MSI X58 Pro-E Motherboard for me for only R790! (Still waiting on quote for delivery costs! They don't seem to deliver door-to-door...)

Thanks for all the information and help...

one more thing, how long would a refurbished X58 board as such last me?