Ideal PC for Rs.25K~

[Cool G5]

So I'm now thinking of upgrading my 5yrs+ old PC since its not serving me well enough. Looking around I can see AMD offerings being more value for money over Intel. Since I use Linux, I would like to go with any graphic solution than Ati. What would be an ideal setup for a computer within Rs.25K? I will use this computer for the general entertainment tasks & gaming at moderate resolutions of 1280*1024 or a bit above in 1400.

I already have Dell S2409W monitor, so I would like to have all components except the monitor.

[rohan_mhtr]

Processor: AMD Phenom II X2 550 ~ 5k
Motherboard: Biostar TA790GX A3+ ~ 6k
RAM: G-Skill 2GB DDRIII 1333MHz - 2.6k
GPU: Sapphire 4850 512MB DDRIII- 6.5k
HDD: Seagate 500GB SATAII 7200.12 series- 2.4k
Cabinet: zebronics bijili ~ 1k or any good one of your choice depending on budget
SMPS: Gigabyte Superb 460W - 2.2k
Optical Drive: L.G. GH22NS30 SATA/Samsung SH-S22F SATA - 1.1k
Speakers , mouse , keaboard = you choose
Total around 26-27k , if you want to save some then get palit 9800gt ~ 5.4k but for your monitor i would go with the 4850 .

[Cool G5]

I can't go with Ati HD 4850. I think GTS 250 is a viable replacement from Nvidia stable.
Also don't you think a quad core would be more viable considering futureproofing? I'm also interested in going for an i5 rig.

[rohan_mhtr]

Originally Posted by Cool G5

I can't go with Ati HD 4850. I think GTS 250 is a viable replacement from Nvidia stable.
Also don't you think a quad core would be more viable considering futureproofing? I'm also interested in going for an i5 rig.

Ya but you wont get it for ~25k , if you are willing to add about 10k more then i would suggest another specs .

[Cilus]

It looks like u r not a frequent up-grader (ur old one is 5 Yrs Old). rohan_mhtr's suggestion is gr8, but I am suggesting u a little future proof solution, like Quad core processor. Here goes my suggestion

1. Processor: Athlon II X4 620 2.4 Ghz @ 5k
2. Motherboard: MSI 785GM-E51 @ 4.6k (AM3, DDR3, 4200 Onboard Gfx without sideport memory)
3. RAM: G-Skill 2GB DDRIII 1333MHz - 2.6k
4. HDD: Seagate 500 GB SATA @ 2.4k
5. Cabinet: Zebronics Bijli @ 1.2k (ask vendor for it without the SMPS)
6. Cooler Master RS500-PCARA3 Extreme Power 500W @ 2.8k
7. Gfx card: XFX 9600 GSO 768 MB DDR2 @ 4k
8. LG DVD Writer @ 1k
9. Speaker mosue and keyboard-around 2.5k

price is around 26.5k. Here I didn't suggest a high end card because DirectX 11 cards are already here, so don't waist money on a card of previous generation. If u can wait for few days at least for the Graphics card. Probably price of HD 5770 will be a gr8 buy, if its price is reduced within 7.5k.
I suggested Qudad core because in most of the applications, u get benefit for the extra 2 cores present. Games are also getting optimized for multicores. So Athlon X4 will be a future proof solution. And for the board, if u r buying a discrete Gfx card, there is no need to buy a Mobo with dedicated onboard Gfx memory. So I have chosen the MSI board, which will save around 2k.

[Krow]

^Hey man, please don't recommend sub-par PSU's like CM Extreme Power! Otherwise pretty good config.

@ G5, get a graphics card later. Use the onboard ATI GPU for now. Wait it out and get a card when the GPU market settles. i5 is out of your budget. Also, get a good PSU like CM Real Power Pro 460W @ 3.5k or for futureproofing, VX550W @ 5.8k

[Cool G5]

Yes, you are right Cilus. I am not a frequent upgrader & so the machine I purchase now should be utilized for 4-5 years to come. The machine you have recommended seems good but then again its the Ati graphics which is worrying me. About the PSU, Corsair VX450W is pricey but really good since it can out almost 550W of power. What do you guys think about Tagan 500W or CM 460W?

[vickybat]

@Cool G5

Hi buddy

If you cant spend on the vx550 then go for the vx450 as its only.5k more than cm realpower 460 otherwise the cm is also a good unit.

If you dont want to invest in ati then wait until fermi releases.The 5770 is also good buy from ati but only within 7.5k which i doubt will happen any sooner.There is no point wasting money in current non dx11 cards.

[asingh]

Originally Posted by Cool G5

Yes, you are right Cilus. I am not a frequent upgrader & so the machine I purchase now should be utilized for 4-5 years to come. The machine you have recommended seems good but then again its the Ati graphics which is worrying me. About the PSU, Corsair VX450W is pricey but really good since it can out almost 550W of power. What do you guys think about Tagan 500W or CM 460W?

Corsair and Tagan are both rock-solid PSU units. You can get any of them blind folded. Just see that it matches the throughput you will require for your rig. Again would say, do not calibrate the VX450 to 550W requirements. Your pushing it.

Why you worried about ATI GPUs, or you want PhysX specifically. Waiting for FERMI will just lead to frustration, and holding back gaming. It is slated for a launch in Q1. Which will obviously be a soft (paper) launch. And the initial prices will be high. Then you will have to wait more for prices to drop.

[rohan_mhtr]

If you dont want to spend much on a PSU then get Tagan TG500-U37 500w psu , it can handle a quad core and a card upto gts 250 very well with some additional room . Costs around 3.2k , vx450 is overpriced according to me .

[Cool G5]

Ok. Thanks for your inputs.

BTW the MSI mobo mentioned above includes the onboard HD 4200. What is the sideport memory?

[vickybat]

The corsair vx450 isnt overpriced but that good a psu.My friend runs a core i5 rig along with an xfx 5850 with two 1tb hdd's and is running absolutely stable with vx450.You cant go wrong with the psu.The vx550 is even better and can handle multigpu setups which the 450 cant.

[Cool G5]

@vickybat - For much you bought your rig barring the PSU,GFX card, monitor & HDD?

[Krow]

For those who don't know, the VX450W was priced at Rs. 3.3k when it was launched. Today its price is going upwards of 4k. Surely not VFM. When CM Real Power Pro 460W is as good in all aspects compared to VX450W, then why not go for it?

Don't get the Tagan PSU G5, as I couldn't find any link that says it is 80+ certified in terms of efficiency. Buy only 80+ certified PSU's as the initial higher investment is covered in the long run in terms of lesser electricity bills. Both the CM Real Power Pro 460W @ 3.5k and VX450W @ 4k fit this bill.

[asingh]

Originally Posted by vickybat

The corsair vx450 isnt overpriced but that good a psu.My friend runs a core i5 rig along with an xfx 5850 with two 1tb hdd's and is running absolutely stable with vx450.You cant go wrong with the psu.The vx550 is even better and can handle multigpu setups which the 450 cant.

I still think the Corsair VX450 is worth its price. It is the best in class. And worth the extra premium. It is the sweet spot for high end single GPU, fast CPU, no OC. User can sleep in peace.

[vickybat]

Originally Posted by Cool G5

@vickybat - For much you bought your rig barring the PSU,GFX card, monitor & HDD?

The i5 proccy cost me around 10.3k and the mobo @ 6.3k.I bought transcend ram in 2x2 config and each stick was around 2.7k.The cm elite 335 cabby was 2.5k.

THATS IT...

[Cilus]

Ok. Thanks for your inputs.

BTW the MSI mobo mentioned above includes the onboard HD 4200. What is the sideport memory?

Some of the AMD motherboards (based on 780G, 790 or 785 chipset) are having a dedicated memory for the integrated GPU. In almost all the cases the memory size 128 MB and it may be DDR3 or DDR2 depending upon the price of the board. For example MSI 785GN-E65 is having 128 MB DDR3 memory dedicated for the IGPU HD 4200. They are very good for building HTPC, where u don't need dedicated graphics solution. But their price is little higher.
The motherboard I have suggested is having HD 4200 as IGPU but no sideport memory. So its price is almost 1k lesser than the MSI 785GN-E65 board. This is because of the fact that once u install a good dedicated graphics card, there is no need to have a on-board graphics card, it will be disabled unless u installed a really low end Gfx card (3470 or 4330) to utilize Hybrid crossfire.

[Krow]

Originally Posted by asigh

I still think the Corsair VX450 is worth its price. It is the best in class. And worth the extra premium. It is the sweet spot for high end single GPU, fast CPU, no OC. User can sleep in peace.

Not to start an argument or anything like that, but the very same can be said for the CM Real Power Pro 460W, except the price bit. Its cheaper. Only thing it lacks is the Corsair name tag, otherwise both PSU's are equal in terms of performance.

[Krow]

For a better board, consider GA-MA785GMT-UD2H @ 5.5-6k.

[asingh]

Originally Posted by Krow

Not to start an argument or anything like that, but the very same can be said for the CM Real Power Pro 460W, except the price bit. Its cheaper. Only thing it lacks is the Corsair name tag, otherwise both PSU's are equal in terms of performance.

CM Real Power Pro 460W = Dual rail. Where as the VX450 is single rail. Am slightly more comfortable with the latter. Better distribution.

[Krow]

Let me Google about that. Is there a big difference between a single rail and a dual rail setup?

[Cool G5]

Yeah even I want to know the difference between single & dual rail. Also what is difference between regular & modular PSU?

[Krow]

Modular PSU's allow you to use only the connectors you need. So say you have no graphics card plugged in your computer, you can remove the PCI-E power connector and keep it outside. This decreases a lot of cable mess which occurs with non modular PSU's.

Some say that modular PSU's decrease efficiency as many points for interference are created due to removability of each connector, but others hold that this little loss in efficiency does not matter much as the PSU still is 80+ certified (only IF it is) and it improves airflow in the cabinet. Corsair modular PSU's are heavily overpriced. Tagan's are good, but I can't find a place which says they are 80+.

[Zangetsu]

Originally Posted by vickybat

The i5 proccy cost me around 10.3k and the mobo @ 6.3k.I bought transcend ram in 2x2 config and each stick was around 2.7k.The cm elite 335 cabby was 2.5k.

hey can u pls post all price of components u bought...proccy,ram,mobo,psu & also brand names...

[vickybat]

Originally Posted by KaranTh85

hey can u pls post all price of components u bought...proccy,ram,mobo,psu & also brand names...

Sure...here goes!

processor-intel core i5 750 @ Rs 10300
motherboard-intel dp55wb @ Rs 6300
Ram-Transcend ddr3 2x2gb @ Rs 5400
Hdd- western digital caviar green 1tb 32mb buffer @ Rs4050
western digital my book(external) 1tb @ Rs 5500
Psu- corsair vx450 @ Rs 4200
Cabinet- coolermaster elite 335 @ Rs 2500
Gpu-(already had sparkle 8600gt)
Dell keyboard mouse @ Rs 600
Display- samsung syncmaster 2033 sw plus(50000:1dcr 1000:1 scr) @ Rs 7600

[Cool G5]

Well now I'm thinking of waiting for a while. I'll am postponing my purchase till January next year.

[Krow]

That's a very good decision if you ask me. Let the newer Intel offerings hit the market and then you may decide whether to take the plunge or not. AMD as no competition in the budget segment, where you and me reside.

[Zangetsu]

Originally Posted by vickybat

Sure...here goes!

processor-intel core i5 750 @ Rs 10300
motherboard-intel dp55wb @ Rs 6300
Ram-Transcend ddr3 2x2gb @ Rs 5400
Hdd- western digital caviar green 1tb 32mb buffer @ Rs4050
western digital my book(external) 1tb @ Rs 5500
Psu- corsair vx450 @ Rs 4200
Cabinet- coolermaster elite 335 @ Rs 2500
Gpu-(already had sparkle 8600gt)
Dell keyboard mouse @ Rs 600
Display- samsung syncmaster 2033 sw plus(50000:1dcr 1000:1 scr) @ Rs 7600

great...but y u opted for Intel mobo...when we have the great Gigabyte...
OMG...PSU....@4.2k....
& does ur cabby has transparent side panel....
and from which shop u bought ur config....

[vickybat]

I opted for intel mobo due to gigabyte's non availability in my city.Since i dont overclock the intel is fine for me but other buyers look for gigabyte ga p55 ud2.Its a great board and offers good features for tweaking.

No, my cabby doesn't have a transparent side panel.

Finally i bought it from my local dealer in my city(cuttack) named Pc world.
The proccy and board were ordered from reddington india and the psu and cabby were ordered online from exodus technologies.