What do you think about this computer?

[Birdjaguar]

I'm going to buy a new computer and had this one priced out today. What do you all think of the individual components and the unit as a whole?

i5 750 quad core 2.66 x4
Asus P7P55D i5 MB
2 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM sticks
GT 220 1GB PCIX video card
CRS460 High performance power supply 750 W
500 GB 7200 RPM SATA HD
24x DVDRW CDRW Drive

Price: $1250

I assume it will run Civ V; Total War series; and even Diablo 3.

 

[Cutlass]

I don't really think there's any reason to only get 2GB of RAM. If you can afford a new computer at all, you should be able to afford at least 4GB.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Its 2 2GB or four total.

 

[Cutlass]

That makes more sense. You might want to double check that you really need a power supply that large. Seems high.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

I think theres a few calculators online that'll tell you how much power that combination needs

 

[Maniacal]

I'd recommend getting a better graphics card, like the 260 GTX or maybe some ATI one like the 5770 or whatever is currently the best but not overly expensive.

 

[tokala]

Unless that thing comes gold-plated, looks like seriously overpriced

If you want to stick with the shop where this comes from, I would recommend the following changes
i5-760: almost the same price, but a tad faster
GTX460-768MB: by a wide margin the best price/performance ratio for a gaming card ATM, that 220 is NOT suited for demanding games at all
PSU sounds like cheap rubbish, get a brand name PSU with ~500W. The system will draw less than 300W peak from the PSU, most of the time MUCH less
HDD: unless you know that even 500GB will be overkill for your needs, the 640-1000GB drives are not much more expensive.

All that stuff from newegg comes out as $700, add a case of your choice and maybe a bit more for your favourite brands, but you will definately end up with less than $900, and have a system far superior to the one you posted

 

[Birdjaguar]

Great, thanks!!!

 

[classical_hero]

Why not get a Blu-ray Drive?

 

[Birdjaguar]

Newegg doesn't appear to build, just sell parts.

Why not get a Blu-ray Drive?

I could I guess. I'm not much into HD movies though.

 

[tokala]

If you are not into building it yourself, they also have pre built ones. You could also buy directly at cyberpower and configure it to your needs.
Those cyberpower PCs are extremely agressively priced for a custom-built PC, and will be of course a case of "you get what you pay for", as in they assemble it for you and that's it. Be prepared that those might arrive with a loose cable or two.

Maingear is spoken of highly, but they charge a bit more for they services. A system comparable to that $900 cyberpower PC comes out at $1260.
If you dial it down one notch, you can get for $960 an AMD quadcore and a HD 5750, which is still a very respectable system.

A Dell XPS 8100 with a i5-760,4GB,640GB HDD and a HD 5770 will set you back $1000.

The 5750/5770 are one category below a GTX460-768, but still pretty good cards for gaming. And video cards are easy to upgrade a few years down the road.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Thanks. My price is from a local shop which does have some advantages if things go awry. The cyberpower prices are very attractive though and maingear not too different from my local price.

I currently have a Dell and have been happy with it for 5 years. I keep looking back to that cyperpower link...

 

[tokala]

If you go for cyberpower, you should make sure to order via their website and get yourself a proper PSU. I suspect the "standard" one is one of the "$25 700W" rubbish category. Just got my bi-weekly PC magazine in the mailbox, had a PSU test in it, and as always, the "el cheapo" ones blew up before even reaching their rated maximum sustained current

 

[Fëanor]

I'm going to buy a new computer and had this one priced out today. What do you all think of the individual components and the unit as a whole?

i5 750 quad core 2.66 x4

A solid CPU, however if you are not going to overclock it you are better off getting the i5 760

Asus P7P55D i5 MB

Overpriced and obsolete, you can get a ASRock P55 EXTREME4 for cheaper and the ASRock has the latest SATA and USB ports

2 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM sticks

Good

GT 220 1GB PCIX video card

Obsolete and underpowered, if you are planning on non GPU heavy and low-res gaming the GTX450 or HD5670 are much better choices, but if you want to play even CIV5 on a high resolution (1920x1080) with all the eye-candy turned on i would suggest a GTX460 (768MB) or 5770 (1GB)

CRS460 High performance power supply 750 W

A good psu is very important, if you cant research the PSU model you are interested in go with a Seasonic or Corsair PSU, they are usually the best.

500 GB 7200 RPM SATA HD

Good, i would suggest putting a part of your budget (About $150) aside and get a 2nd generation Sandforce based SSD once they are released (Q1 2011), the current SSD's already make your pc much faster/smoother in everyday tasks and the next gen ones will be twice as fast.

24x DVDRW CDRW Drive

Always usefull

Price: $1250

Unless you are getting a couple of years of extensive free services this is way too much, those parts are worth about $750.

I assume it will run Civ V; Total War series; and even Diablo 3.

Yes they will run, but not very good. The Graphics card is the Achilles heel of your system, otherwise its a pretty solid computer.

Notes: The CPU and Motherboard are Socket 1156, these will be replaced by Intel's new Socket 1155 in early Q1 2011 so your current choice is a dead end for upgrades.

The new HD6xxx series of graphic cards are scheduled for release in little more than a week, so prices for the old cards could drop faster than usual.

 

[GoodGame]

I'd build. For about $30 and some online tutorials you can build it yourself.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Very helpful I will take all of your comments into account. I am willing to pay someone to build it, i just want to make sure i don't buy crappy parts.

So This would appear to be better:

i5 760
ASRock P55 EXTREME4 MB
2 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM sticks
GTX460 (768MB) or ATI Raedon 5770 (1GB) video card
Seasonic or Corsair PSU
500 GB 7200 RPM SATA HD
24x DVDRW CDRW Drive

Windows 7 32 or 64 bit?
How about the case?

 

[Cutlass]

Do you have a case you can reuse? Or are there particular things you want in a case? If you know what features matter to you, such as USB ports on the front, or other port types that you use, or if you like a clear case to see inside, then that can narrow it down a bit.

 

[GoodGame]

Just saying, unless your salary is like $20/hr+, it's probably more cost effective to build it yourself in a few hours.

Years ago indie builders would cite like $90/hour for their fee.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Not much preference except USB plugs on the front/top front.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Just saying, unless your salary is like $20/hr+, it's probably more cost effective to build it yourself in a few hours.

Years ago indie builders would cite like $90/hour for their fee.

While I probably could build it myself, I'd rather not. I am less concerned about saving money than having it built correctly and delivered to me ready to go. It is not a money issue for me.