New Build recommendations

[parks853]

I'm trying to make some decisions on upgrading/building my next computer. I would like to reuse what I can, and sell the rest. However, I'm not sure if I should just build a new system and sell the old one whole or sell the left over parts after upgrading??

Future system (I copied the list from the sticky section)

1. I will be using it to encode video for my mobile devices (also stream them). I do not play computer games or watch video on the computer. It will be running windows 7.

2. I'm willing to spend what I need, for the parts I need. That is where I need help, what is really necessary for multitasking, video encoding, etc.

3. I'll be buying everything in the US.

4. I prefer Intel, but willing to build AMD.

5. My current parts:
* Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply
* GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
* EVGA 256-P2-N753-TR GeForce 8600 GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
* Intel Pentium E2180 Allendale 2.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor BX80557E2180
* G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ
* SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive

6. I've read the guides on anandtech and through other post but have not been able to anwser my questions.

7. I don't mind overclocking if I can air cool it, and keep it simple, but it is not necessary.

8. I don't plan on gaming

9. I'm going to build it soon as I can figure out which parts to build

option 1, upgrade my current system and sell the old parts:

I noticed newegg has the BIOSTAR TZ68A+ for 90 bucks and since it has USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s, onboard graphics and the ability to overclock thought it might be a good choice but not sure if it is overkill.

For the CPU I'm looking at the i3 2105 because I don't plan on buying a video card (unless it would be beneficial) and using the on board HD 3000 GPU. This is where I get confused though, from what I read it can not be overclocked, is that correct? I don't really think I need a i5 2500k if so I don't really want to spend the extra 70 dollars on it. The extra 16 dollars from i3 2100 to 2105 seems reasonable if not buying a video card.

I have no idea which Ram I should get since I can't decide on a MB/CPU combo.

Option 2, Buy a whole new system and sell the old system whole:

antec 300 case

PS - not sure if I should keep the 500W that came with my case or get a different one??

Would it be more beneficial to get a 6Gb/s hard drive for my new system and leave the 500Gb 3Gb/s with my old system or just get a cheap small drive for the old system? I'm not sure what actual gains I would see from a 6gb vs 3gb (assuming I get a MB that will support 6gb).

I have 3 optical drives, I would keep the blu ray drive and let the old one part with the ide dvd reader and burner.

Sorry for so many questions, but I can't decide what to do here. I want to be economical as possible but also have a computer that works great now and for a long time, plus has some options to upgrade if I ever see fit.

Thank you for reading and posting,

JP

 

[DaveSimmons]

You can't overclock an i3, only the i5-2500k and i7-2600k can be overclocked. So you don't need the Z68 for Quick Sync, a cheaper H67 chipset motherboard will work.

For RAM you just need DDR3 1333, fancy RAM doesn't help performance for the i3. It should be 1.5 volt thought, not higher like 1.65 v.

6 Gb doesnt matter for platter drives, only for the more expensive SSDs. The only reason to buy another 1 TB Samsung Spinpoint is if you need the space.

The i3 shouldn't need more power than the 775, your existing PSU is fine.

 

[parks853]

You can't overclock an i3, only the i5-2500k and i7-2600k can be overclocked. So you don't need the Z68 for Quick Sync, a cheaper H67 chipset motherboard will work.

For RAM you just need DDR3 1333, fancy RAM doesn't help performance for the i3. It should be 1.5 volt thought, not higher like 1.65 v.

6 Gb doesnt matter for platter drives, only for the more expensive SSDs. The only reason to buy another 1 TB Samsung Spinpoint is if you need the space.

The i3 shouldn't need more power than the 775, your existing PSU is fine.

Thanks Dave!

I checked the H67 boards and they start at $75 and the first full ATX is $85. So I went down to the H61 they start at $62 and the cheapest full ATX is $75. The biostar Z68 is $90 (checked again, it is $100 now), would it be worth the extra money to have the possibility (which isn't all that likely) to upgrade down the road? I would like to have some USB3.0 ports since I keep my computers for awhile.

Newegg has these combo deals - http://promotions.newegg.com/combo/073111

So it appears my options are these -
H67/i3 2105 - $233
Z68/i3 2105 - $240
H67/i5 2400 - $264
Z68/i5 2500k - $320

Is the Z68/i5k worth the extra 90 bucks keeping in mind I probably won't upgrade my computer for another 3-5 years?

 

[DaveSimmons]

Encoding will be faster with the quad core, and it also has turbo boot auto-overclocking when not all cores are in use. Is that worth $90? That's up to you.

 

[parks853]

Sure if you want the extra ports. It's also not much extra to pay for peace of mind even though you probably won't ever get an i5-2500k.

It would cost me $100 to buy a case, ps, and hard drive to build another computer out of my old parts, plus the time building it. Is it more beneficial to just sell the parts barebones vs building them back into a system and selling it with winxp installed? I've never sold an old computer or components. I use to just build one for someone then they would get my old stuff.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I edited to include your i5 option:
Encoding will be faster with the quad core, and it also has turbo boot auto-overclocking when not all cores are in use. Is that worth $90? That's up to you.

In terms of selling a complete system vs. parts, if you sell parts you're done. If you sell a system the buyer will probably expect lifetime tech support. So, I'd vote for keeping your case and PSU for the i3/i5, and just selling the motherboard, CPU, RAM (together or separately).

 

[parks853]

I edited to include your i5 option:
Encoding will be faster with the quad core, and it also has turbo boot auto-overclocking when not all cores are in use. Is that worth $90? That's up to you.

In terms of selling a complete system vs. parts, if you sell parts you're done. If you sell a system the buyer will probably expect lifetime tech support. So, I'd vote for keeping your case and PSU for the i3/i5, and just selling the motherboard, CPU, RAM (together or separately).

Dave,

Thanks a lot for all your help, I appreciate it.

JP

 

[parks853]

Not sure if the extra 90 bucks is worth it, but I plan on using this computer for several years (probably at least 4) so went with it! I think it will provide all the ports I need for the future. Plus, have the ability to upgrade by overclocking and adding more ram and a video card if I choose.

I'll sell my MB, CPU, RAM, DVD (ide), DVD Burner (ide) and video card from my current system, don't see a reason to spend the time and money building an entire new system. Hopefully I can at least get some cash for the used parts to help off set the new system.

Now I just have to decide on some RAM... I'll look over the next few weeks for a good deal while backing up my old system before rebuilding.

Just for reference my new system will be:

* Antec Sonata III 500 w/500W Power Supply
* Biostar TZ68A+ MB
* OnBoard graphics
* Intel i5 2500K
* Still deciding on RAM
* SAMSUNG 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s

**On a side note newegg has the CPU/MB combo for 320, but it is $8 dollars for shipping. I added the MB and CPU individually for the same price but free shipping (I should have bought it last night when the MB was 90 instead of 100)!

Dave - thanks again for your help

 

[DaveSimmons]

That should be a very nice upgrade that will last you years.

As I mentioned above, RAM speed doesn't matter for these CPUs, you just need basic 1333 at 1.5v. Expect to pay $50-80 for 8 GB (2 x 4), though you could get by with 2 x 2 if you wanted to save a little.

 

[mfenn]

Good choice going with the quad core. It's really a no-brainer since you listed your main use as encoding. Encoding on a 2500K will be about twice as fast than the 2100 (and a hell of a lot faster than a stock-clocked Allendale!).

As for RAM, since you listed multitasking as a major item, I'd go with an 8GB kit like this G.Skill for $55.

 

[parks853]

Good choice going with the quad core. It's really a no-brainer since you listed your main use as encoding. Encoding on a 2500K will be about twice as fast than the 2100 (and a hell of a lot faster than a stock-clocked Allendale!).

As for RAM, since you listed multitasking as a major item, I'd go with an 8GB kit like this G.Skill for $55.

I was hesitant to spend the extra money, but I think it will be worth it in the long run with the time it saves encoding video (plus less frustrating).

Thanks for the RAM recommendation, I bought it through newegg with free shipping and a free 4Gb flash drive.

I checked the date when I bought the old system and it was 2007, so this thing should be way faster!

 

[LuluTheMonk]

Just to reaffirm your decision, you can see a comparison here of the 2100 vs 2500k. In regards to encoding, I personally would have spent the $100 for the increase in performance over 3-4 years.

 

[parks853]

Just to reaffirm your decision, you can see a comparison here of the 2100 vs 2500k. In regards to encoding, I personally would have spent the $100 for the increase in performance over 3-4 years.

Thanks for the link and reaffirmation, the 2500k seems to definitely outperform the 2100, sometimes almost by twice. I had a hard time letting the cash go, but I don't like to wait so it will pay for its self.