Building a PC for a Friend

[MercurySteam]

So basically, my friend has asked me to build him a fairly decent PC for web browsing, music listening, video watching, etc (basic recreational stuff) as well as storing his massive music library and a little bit of gaming on the side. I thought to myself that I could build him an awesome computer that would let him do what he needed for up to five years and here's what I came up with:

Case: Thermaltake Element G [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12605]
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14169]
Graphics: MSI GeForce GTX 560 Twin Frozr II OC 1GB [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=16578]
Motherboard: ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 Motherboard [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14128]
Memory: Corsair CMX8GX3M4A1600C9 8GB (4x2GB) DDR3 [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_218_1125&products_id=12325]
Power Supply: XFX Core Edition Pro 650W [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_979&products_id=15773]
Internal Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 7200RPM [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=16270]
Card Reder: All-in-1 Internal 3.5 inch USB2.0 and Card Reader [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14501]
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN951N Wireless N PCI Adapter [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=200_328&products_id=7823]
Disc Drive: Samsung SH-B123A 12X Blu-ray DVD Combo Drive [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14676]

I've done lots of research and concluded that this should be a great PC for years to come. My main goal is to build it, give it to him and have him happily use it for five years or so. I know that The Escapist isn't exactly a shining beacon of PC expertise (trust me, I've read the PC advice threads) but I thought that with all the hardcore PC gamers that The Escapist sports that someone could tell me what they think. Cheers.

NOTE: I cannot stress enough that he won't be doing an enormous amount of gaming, ergo, this PC should be a good all-rounder for few a years.

 

[MercurySteam]

Well that seems like a beefy machine which i cant see any obvious problems with, benchmark on the CPU is good equally the RAM is more than good.
I cant find a benchmark for that GFX chip so you will have to ask someone else.

final point
how much data does your friend intend to store. Because if its under 500g (like most light users) than hes probably better off getting a solid state drive which is more reliable and faster (albeit a low yield one as their still pretty pricey).

*Edit*
if you want it to last 5 years make sure he puts it somewhere which has good airflow + doesnt get too hot. These outside factors are much more important to a computer longevity than one would expect.
Also tell him NOT to overclock anything, because it shaves years of usability off of devices.

We considered running the OS off a 60GB SSD (they start at $140) but agreed to reserve it for a later upgrade considering how expensive they are [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=210_902_909]. I've seen some performance benchmarks of the GTX 560 Ti and it can outperform the GTX 470 in some areas. Also, when I'm at his house I'll find the best place for him to set it up for good external airflow. With excellent cable management, the PSU on the bottom of the case and three or four fans, the case itself should have good airflow. As for overclocking, he doesn't know that much about computers so he probably won't bother.

 

[MercurySteam]

(although 2tb harddrive seems HUGE considering im never gonna hit the 1 tb i have).

Yeah, I know what you mean. His old computer only had 500GB and I don't think he even filled that up, so God only knows how he'll utilize 2TB.

Providing it doesn't break down, it should serve him well for many years.

 

[MagicMouse]

The only thing I would change is swapping th x6 for an x4. The x6 doesn't really have many advantages at this point unless you are going to over-clock it. Even in a few years I doubt many games/programs will be optimized for 6 cores.

 

[MrTub]

May I suggest a Radeon 6950? Since its cheaper (at least in Sweden) and you can flash it so it becomes a 6970.

http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/12/27/simple-bios-flash-turns-amd-radeon-hd-6950-into-a-6970/

 

[Griffolion]

Justa few thoughts, i build PC's quite a lot and keep up very closely with computer hardware.

Based on what your friend says he wants to do, that is massive overkill.

That case i think is overkill for him, based on what your friend wants it for, you could get away with a micro-atx based case for extra compactness, you'll obviously need to change the motherboard to be a micro-atx one, they are very common. Also, don't use thermaltake, the magazines i read (Custom PC in England) always find Thermaltake cases very disappointing thermally, you'll be better sticking to cases like Coolermaster, Corsair, Antec or Silverstone.

There is no need for that hex core processor, at most you'll want a quad core. If he isn't gaming much then he won't need the level 3 cache amounts that the Phenoms offer, you could probably get away with a 3-core or a quad core Athlon II (or a dual core I3, they will also suffice very nicely).

Unless the dude wants to do some decent PC gaming at 1080, there is no need for that graphics card. If you're just wanting a basic graphics adapter, why not the ATI 5670?

Unless he's doing Photoshop/CAD there is no need for 8GB of RAM, even gaming will suffice very easily with 4GB. But if you're adamant for 8GB at least get a pair of 4GB sticks rather than four 2GB sticks, you will retain dual channel performance then.

There isn't much need for a PSU that big, also XFX aren't too reputable as a PSU manufacturer, stick to makes such as Corsair, Antec or Silverstone. 500 - 550 watts are needed at most, even with a GTX 560.

I won't comment on the HDD as I don't know how much of a media fiend your friend is, if he can use 2TB then go for it. Otherwise it's a waste of his money.

The card reader is fine if he needs one.

Nothing to say about the wireless card, if he needs it then brilliant.

If your friend wants to be watching Blu-Ray movies on his PC then that is great, otherwise just get a typical $15 DVD Writer.


If you want more advice, get onto the Toms Hardware forums and find me on there (i have the same alias as i do on the escapist). I'll be more than happy to help.



Also, no matter how good you make the PC, in 5 years it will be very obsolete, but it will function fine.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Case: Thermaltake Element G [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12605]

Not a bad case but you can get equally good ones for far less cash... unless LEDs that change colour in sync with each other is important to someone. If having a Thermaltake case is important look at some of the Armor series cases... if it's not, look at the Coolermaster Centurion II line.

CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14169]

Waste of money for a computer that's going to be mostly used for multimedia, internet and some gaming. You probably will get 5 years out of it but with 32nm and 22nm architecture either already out or only 12-18 months away it might not be a very good 5 years. As it stands now a quadcore will probably do just as well, especially if your mate doesn't get into using software that really takes advantage of multicore CPUs.

Memory: Corsair CMX8GX3M4A1600C9 8GB (4x2GB) DDR3 [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_218_1125&products_id=12325]

First off, you might want to check if the mobo you've got ordered supports 1600Mhz DDR3 natively or only in OC. Second... does your mate really need 8Gb for what he wants to use the puter for?

Power Supply: XFX Core Edition Pro 650W [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_979&products_id=15773]

Personally, I'd go for a higher power CPU. I like knowing I've got enough to spare. Also remember to check that it has all the plugs and sockets you'll need... sucks having to put off building for a day or two while you track down a shop that carries splitters and converters.

Internal Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 7200RPM [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=16270]

Deskstars are shit, get a Samsung Spinpoint F3 instead.


Looks like a good, powerful build buuuuut... I think you're building something that's overpowered for it's needs AND, because of incoming changes in CPU architecture and so forth, may become obsolete faster than you think.

 

[MercurySteam]

That case i think is overkill for him, based on what your friend wants it for, you could get away with a micro-atx based case for extra compactness, you'll obviously need to change the motherboard to be a micro-atx one, they are very common. Also, don't use thermaltake, the magazines i read (Custom PC in England) always find Thermaltake cases very disappointing thermally

I think Thermaltake is great. My school's beast machines run inside Thermaltake cases all day long, rendering HSC projects. I secretly did some temp tests after one was left on for 24 hours, and the temps were remarkably low.

There is no need for that hex core processor, at most you'll want a quad core. If he isn't gaming much then he won't need the level 3 cache amounts that the Phenoms offer, you could probably get away with a 3-core or a quad core Athlon II (or a dual core I3, they will also suffice very nicely).

I agree the Thubans may be a bit overkill. Maybe we'll go for a Phenom II X4 instead.

Unless the dude wants to do some decent PC gaming at 1080, there is no need for that graphics card. If you're just wanting a basic graphics adapter, why not the ATI 5670?

You may be right, perhaps a 6870 would be better.

if you're adamant for 8GB at least get a pair of 4GB sticks rather than four 2GB sticks, you will retain dual channel performance then.

I've specified that I'll be using two 4GB chips and dual channel memory works as long as they are installed in pairs, whether it's a pair of 4GB sticks or two pairs of 2GB sticks. They all still as run dual channel memory.

There isn't much need for a PSU that big, also XFX aren't too reputable as a PSU manufacturer, stick to makes such as Corsair, Antec or Silverstone. 500 - 550 watts are needed at most, even with a GTX 560.

I wasn't really into XFX when I was looking for PSUs, but the XFX Core Edition Pro 650W comes highly recommended from many places. I have no problem putting a 650W PSU in this system either. If he ever decides to get a GPU upgrade in a few years I'll consider Crossfire.

The real issue is that he's never had a PC this good. Just cause he tells me he won't play games frequently doesn't mean he won't get into it eventually. Better safe than sorry. And I know no one can predict what computer will be like in five years. That's why there's no such thing as overkill.

 

[MercurySteam]

Waste of money for a computer that's going to be mostly used for multimedia, internet and some gaming. You probably will get 5 years out of it but with 32nm and 22nm architecture either already out or only 12-18 months away it might not be a very good 5 years. As it stands now a quadcore will probably do just as well, especially if your mate doesn't get into using software that really takes advantage of multicore CPUs.

Yeah I think I'll talk with him about getting a Quad instead of a hexa.

First off, you might want to check if the mobo you've got ordered supports 1600Mhz DDR3 natively or only in OC. Second... does your mate really need 8Gb for what he wants to use the puter for?

Already checked that out, and yes 8GB will be just fine.

Personally, I'd go for a higher power CPU. I like knowing I've got enough to spare. Also remember to check that it has all the plugs and sockets you'll need... sucks having to put off building for a day or two while you track down a shop that carries splitters and converters.

Trust me, it's good enough for what he needs it to do. I've checked the connectors and trust me, there's plenty of em.

Deskstars are shit, get a Samsung Spinpoint F3 instead.

I've had some bad experiences with Samsung drives, but if I can convince my friend that he doesn't need 1TB then I'll take a gander.

 

[Griffolion]

I was merely giving advice based on what you stated the PC's main uses would be for.

If your friend has a chance of getting into gaming then you should have said, but you implied in your original post that it would be highly unlikely.

And if you're wanting to crossfire or SLI in the future, then you may want to go up to a 750W to be safe, the closer you are to 100% load, the less efficient and more noisy and hot your PSU gets.

A 6870 is a fairly solid low-mid range choice.

And despite the fact that noone can predict the computer market in 5 years, yes there is such thing as overkill as overkill is relative to the stated main uses and widely accepted as contextual to the CURRENT time (at least on toms hardware anyway, that is where i first cut my advice & discussion teeth years ago). If you said to me that you wanted this thing to be capable in gaming in 5 yeas time, i'd have said that's massive underkill. But for modern music listening, movie watching and basic office use, things that won't get MUCH more demanding than they are now, the current system was overkill, i was simply trying to save you money by suggesting less expensive parts that would still very adequately meet the stated needs of the user.

But now that i know that gaming may be more likely than i originally thought, my next question will be what is this guy's screen resolution. If it's 1080 then the 560 / 6950 would be best suited to gaming, anything below and the 6870 will be solid, on the Nvidia side, the 460 or 450 will be good. Above and you will be going into 6970 / GTX 570 & 580 territory.

And yes i know that 2 x 2GB sets will work in dual channel, i just wanted to make sure as a lot of people just add another 2 x 2GB set to their existing 2 x 2 to make 8GB, but they don't realise they lose dual channel which is very important for gaming performance. I understand that you knew better than those now, which is a big relief.

 

[Kabutos]

Okay a couple things before I go and read the thread:

Ditch the hexacore, go for a Samsung Spinpoint F3, and go down to 4GB of RAM (or even 2 since he doesn't game often).

And a 560 is overpowered if he's below 1920x1080.

EDIT: Hm okay seems I'm just saying what people have already said in more detail. Listen to them.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Deskstars are shit, get a Samsung Spinpoint F3 instead.

I've had some bad experiences with Samsung drives, but if I can convince my friend that he doesn't need 1TB then I'll take a gander.

If you don't like Samsung go for either WD or Seagate... ANYTHING but Hitachi Deskstars.

 

[Sleekgiant]

(although 2tb harddrive seems HUGE considering im never gonna hit the 1 tb i have).

Yeah, I know what you mean. His old computer only had 500GB and I don't think he even filled that up, so God only knows how he'll utilize 2TB.

Providing it doesn't break down, it should serve him well for many years.

If you think he might not use 2TB then bring him down to a Samsung Spinpoint 1TB.

It'll be a lot more stable and I don't trust the brand you selected.

 

[MercurySteam]

Deskstars are shit, get a Samsung Spinpoint F3 instead.

I've had some bad experiences with Samsung drives, but if I can convince my friend that he doesn't need 1TB then I'll take a gander.

If you don't like Samsung go for either WD or Seagate... ANYTHING but Hitachi Deskstars.

Yep, I've decided on Westeren Digital Caviar Black 1TB for him. 2TB is certainly overkill and WD make a great range of drives.

EDIT: Were' also gonna change the CPU to a AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition and the GPU to a ASUS GeForce GTX 460 Direct CU TOP Edition 1GB. RAM is fine for now and everything else checks out. It' all for the best.

 

[Iron Lightning]

Case: Thermaltake Element G [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12605]

Don't use Thermaltake, they're much too expensive and frankly not all that great. I got a DiabloTek case that also came with four fans for only $50 for my current build, it works pretty well.

CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14169]

Yeah, this will work but it's kinda overkill if your friend isn't going to be gaming much.

Graphics: MSI GeForce GTX 560 Twin Frozr II OC 1GB [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=16578]

Again, for a non-gaming rig, this is a bit much. I see that your motherboard has 2 PCIe 2.0 X16 slots and Crossfire, so it might be just as effective for you to buy two cheaper graphics cards and link them together.

Motherboard: ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 Motherboard [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14128]

No complaints here, looks sufficient.

Memory: Corsair CMX8GX3M4A1600C9 8GB (4x2GB) DDR3 [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_218_1125&products_id=12325]

Question: Is your friend going to be using a 32-bit OS or a 64-bit OS? If the former, than don't get more than 4GB as 32-bit systems can not utilize more than 4GB of memory; if the later, then this looks alright.

Power Supply: XFX Core Edition Pro 650W [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_979&products_id=15773]

Always double-check your builds' power supply requirements by using a calculator such as http://www.vbutils.com/power.php if it passes that then there's really no issue.

Internal Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 7200RPM [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=16270]

Personally, I'd go with a RAID array (because I live on the edge) but that drive should work too.

Card Reder: All-in-1 Internal 3.5 inch USB2.0 and Card Reader [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14501]

Meh, seems workable.

Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN951N Wireless N PCI Adapter [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=200_328&products_id=7823]

I like wired connections much better than wireless for a desktop PC. Wired connections are generally more stable, faster, and can be deactivated easier (very useful if the computer catches a virus) than wireless connections.

Disc Drive: Samsung SH-B123A 12X Blu-ray DVD Combo Drive [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14676]

Yeah, this will probably work.

 

[Wolfram23]

I like it, but I'd get a different HDD like the Spinpoint F3 mentioned or a Seagate 7200.12 (I guess .11 had issues but I have .12 and they're good).

It's been said and I agree you don't really need the X6. A Phenom II X4 should be fine.

The GPU is very solid and he'll be able to play most games at high settings. You could save money and downgrade a little but IMO it's fine.

As said you can get away with 4gb RAM but honestly I went from 4 to 8 and it definitely did speed things up a bit. Not huge but my PC doesn't even use File Paging anymore.

I will say you could try maybe two 1TB HDDs in RAID0 - so you still get all 2TBs but with twice the transfer rate for sequencial read/writes.

Alternatively if you save some money on the GPU and CPU you could buy an SSD for the OS and apps, use the big HDD for media storage. SSDs make a system SO much faster/snappier. It's hard to realize how great they are until you get one.

And the PSU should be fine but you might want to compare prices to Corsair and Antec which I feel are better brands.

But anyway it really comes down to what his budget is. Yes you can save some cash here and there but as it is, it's a really good gaming system.

 

[MercurySteam]

Okay, I discussed it with my friend and we decided to revise a few things and here's the finished product:

Case: Thermaltake Element G [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12605] - I don't know what you guys have against Thermaltake as they build some of the best (if somewhat expensive) cases I've ever seen. I wanted a case with good airflow and my friend wanted it to look sexy. This case does both.
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12293] - A perfect quad CPU at a low price.
Graphics: ASUS GeForce GTX 460 Direct CU TOP Edition 1GB [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=16068] The GTX560 was a bit overkill and from what I saw this was just about the next best thing for a good price.
Motherboard: ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 Motherboard [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14128] Trust me on this, it's a great mobo.
Memory: Corsair CMX8GX3M4A1600C9 8GB (4x2GB) DDR3 [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_218_1125&products_id=12325] 8GB may be a bit over the top, though I personally think that it's a bargain.
Power Supply: XFX Core Edition Pro 650W [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_979&products_id=15773] XFX may not have a high reputation as a PSU manufacturer but this one specifically is great. 650W is more than enough and yes, the connectors are all there.
Internal Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB WD1002FAEX [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=13660] A suburb Western Digital drive for a decent price.
Card Reder: Shintaro Internal Card Reader 3.5" [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=15020] This one seems less iffy than the last. Should do the trick.
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN951N Wireless N PCI Adapter [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=200_328&products_id=7823] Perfect for his needs.
Disc Drive: Samsung SH-B123A 12X Blu-ray DVD Combo Drive [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14676] Again, does every thing he needs it to do.
OS: I'm not retarded, so I know to set him up with Windows 7 Ultimate 64-Bit.

So there you have it, thanks for convincing me not to go overkill (at least not too much) and this is the final product. No more arguments, it's done.

Thanks for the help.