Recommended Builds by Usage

Page 11 - Seeking answers? Join the Tom's Hardware community: where nearly two million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

tecmo34

Administrator
Moderator
Recommended Builds by Usage
Last Updated on May 21, 2011
Reviewed and updated builds as required

Last Updated on March 26, 2011
Updated builds for newer components and replacing the Sandy Bridge motherboards for Rev3.0 versions

This thread is to provide a few "pre-built" options for those looking to build or upgrade based on usage, not including monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers or OS. I have defined the usage guidelines using information provided to me by sKora in his Index of "If sKora had..." topics thread under the "sKora's system design guide beta v0.1" section... Thanks sKora for providing me this information.

Bargain - Just a box that turns on and runs programs. This is older 2nd and 3rd gen tech and is built as a one and done. Very few parts can or should be carried over to a future build after a bargain build has exhausted its useful life.
Budget - Maximize the price/performance ratio and have some upgrade path. Budget builders have high enough standards to spend extra on quality parts that offer resonable returns. Its current tech after but usually baby brother versions of the high end options. They also will consider upgrade paths and options for future builds with what is bought now.
Gamer - With Price/Performance in mind, its more about getting great performance and quality and willing to pay some premium for it. Gamers use current tech with high end components, but not elite. The upgrade path is limited here as the initial build generally is near the top of the tech tree. Gamers aren't usually immediate adopters of next gen tech, but willing to do a full platform upgrade when warranted instead of just a component or too.
Enthusiast - Whats price? Performance at most any level. These are the ones buying multi GPU systems and the most powerful CPUs. Highest quality and the most current tech. Upgrades will happen until something else bright and shiney comes along that can't be stuck in their current system, then its a new build again. This will be the thinnest section from me and would need help from those that actually build/use these systems.
HTPC - This PC is designed to be used as Home Theater PC for the end user. It is not designed to be a gaming machine but requires some level of graphics power to play movies on a "Big Screen" TV.
Non-Gamer - This PC is designed for running office programs, internet, music... etc. Basically, a Dell PC... :D It is similar to my "Bargain" build but requires less video graphics power.
WorkStation - This PC is designed for running workstation applications designed towards the professional applications and systems.

As with all new builds, I highly recommend doing your research before doing any build to determine what your needs are.

I have provided what I find to be useful sites and areas to look for those answers.
Google - If you cannot find it there... than you probably won't find it anywhere... :D
Step-by-Step Guide to Building a PC - This is my thread on how to build a PC step-by-step.
*How To Ask For New Build Advice* - This is the best thread to review how to ask for advice and is a required format to get the best answers.
PERFORM THESE STEPS before posting about boot/no video problems! - This thread provides very good details on trouble shooting when you have boot issues after your build.
*Guide to Choosing Parts* - This thread provides a very good guide in choosing parts and provides many important links and ideas.
Homebuilt PC Buying Guide - This thread provides a good guide in choosing parts for a new build.
Core 2 Overclocking Guide - This thread provides a very good guide to overclocking on the LGA 775.
LGA 1156 Core i5 and Core i7 Overclocking guide - This thread provides a very good guide to overclocking on the LGA 1156 CPU's.
CPU and Heatsink Lapping Guides - This thread provides information on lapping CPU's and Heatsinks to help improve the the thermal transfer between them.
CPU Buyer's Guide 2.0 - This thread provides good information on the end's & out's on what CPU to buy and related information.
The PSU Ranked List and Guide - This is a newer thread that has been created to provide a nice guideline for ranked PSU's by AMP's and Tier Levels.
Useful SSD Articles - This a good thread to research on Solid State Drives and what you need to understand about them.
Power Requirements and Specs for Popular Graphics Cards Guide - This is a new thread providing recommended power supply direction based on the graphics card you plan on purchasing.
Best Of Tom’s Hardware: Beginner’s Guide To Motherboard Selection - This is a great Tom's Hardware article on what to think about and look for when choosing a motherboard.
FrostyTech - Best Heat Sinks & PC Cooling - The website provides good reviews and rankings on all things heatsinks.
eXtreme Power Supply Calcuator Lite V2.5 - This site is a very useful site when you are trying to figure out what your power requirements are for your new build, so you get an idea on what PSU waltage you will need.
AnandTech: - I find this site has very good links to multiple reviews from many different sites you'll see referenced and pretty up-to-date on news.
techPowerUp! - I find this site has very good links to multiple reviews from many different sites you'll see referenced and pretty up-to-date on news.
JonnyGuru - The website provides good reivews and rankings on power supplies.
Mouse Ergonomics Guide from Razer - This is a good guide in providing an understanding the different grip styles for a mouse. (Thanks for the info.... jonsy2k)

All builds take a OS, Speakers, Monitors, Keyboards & a Mouse. I have not included those in the builds in my lists below in the other post, but I have listed a few I would recommend to add to any of my builds. This will add cost above and beyond what I have listed as budgets. Most builds I have helped OP's with over the last few months, normally have these components already, but I did want to give options for those that don't.

Operating System: Updated to include the three major OS still in use by Users (Thanks for the feedback... 4ryan6 & psycho sykes)
Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP3 32-bit for System Builders - OEM
Microsoft Windows Vista Business SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
Ubuntu

Monitor:
Hanns·G HW-191APB Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
ASUS VH236H Black 23" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 20000 :1 (ASCR) Built-in Speakers
ASUS VW246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
ASUS VE278Q Black 27" 1920x1080 2ms Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers 300 cd/m2 ASCR 10,000,000:1
Dell UltraSharp U3011 30-inch Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor

Keyboard:
Logitech K120 Black USB Wired Standard Keyboard
Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 - Retail
Saitek Eclipse II Illuminated Keyboard
RAZER Lycosa Black 104 Normal Keys USB Wired Standard Gaming Keyboard - Retail
Logitech G19 Black USB Wired Standard Gaming Keyboard - Retail

Mouse:
Microsoft D66-00066 Black 3 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB or PS/2 Wired Optical Mouse - OEM
RAZER DeathAdder Precision Optical Gaming Mouse - 3.5G Infrared Sensor
GIGABYTE GM-M8000X Rubber Black 7 Buttons USB Wired Laser Gaming Mouse (Recommended by obsidian86)
Cooler Master Sentinel Advance Gaming Mouse SGM-6000-KLLW1-GP, 8 Button, 5600 DPI, w/ OLED Display (Recommended by obsidian86)
Logitech G9x Black Two modes scroll USB Wired Laser 5700 dpi Gaming Mouse (Recommended by dirtdiver)
RAZER Mamba Black 7 Buttons USB Laser Gaming Mouse - Dual Mode Wired/Wireless Functionality - Retail

Speakers / Headset:
Logitech S-220 17 Watts 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System - OEM
Logitech Z506 75 watts RMS 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers
Logitech Z-5500 505 Watts 5.1 Speaker - Retail
M-Audio Studiophile BX5a Deluxe 70-watt Bi-amplified Studio Reference Monitors (Recommended by Zinosys)
Logitech H360 USB Connector Supra-aural Headset
Creative Fatal1ty Professional Series Gaming Headset MKII

Routers: (Recommended by just a nickname)
TRENDnet TEW-639GR IEEE 802.3/3u/3ab, IEEE 802.11b/g, IEEE802.11n 2 Wireless Router - Retail
D-Link DIR-655 IEEE 802.3/3u, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE802.11n Draft 2 Xtreme N Gigabit Wireless Router - Retail
D-Link DGL-4100 10/100/1000Mbps GamerLounge Broadband Gigabit Gaming Router - Retail

Extras:
1ST PC CORP. 12" 8-pin EPS extension cable Model CB-8M-8F - Retail - This is normally needed on full size cases to help with the cable management.
ICY DOCK MB882SP-1S-1B 2.5" to 3.5" SSD & SATA Hard Drive Converter - Black - Retail - This will be required when you purchase a SSD to convert it to a 3.5" drive for your case.
SpeedFan - Very useful tool to download to monitor temps and control fan speeds.
CPUID's CPU-Z - Very useful tool to download to monitor system information and speeds.
CPUID's Hardware Monitor - - Very useful tool to download to monitor temps, fan speeds and voltage.
Real Temp - CPU Temperature Monitoring - Very useful tool to download to monitor your CPU temps.
CoreTemp - Very useful tool to download to monitor your CPU temps.
Prime95 - Most used downloaded software to stress your system to make sure it is stable throughout each process (overclocking... etc.)
MemTest86+ - Most used downloaded software to test your memory to make sure it is not defective.
■Futuremark's 3DMark Vantage (Vista / Win7) or 3DMark06 (XP) - Most used downloaded benchmark software to be compared against to see how your system ranks with similar parts.

I listed the information provided in Proximon's *Guide to Choosing Parts* on building a PC, since it is very good information and felt it was important to post in my thread, as well.
■Here is a GOOD step-by-step. Really good. If you encounter anything in any other links that contradict this, THIS is the right one. Sadly, no pics: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_To_Assemble_A_Desktop_PC/Assembly#CPU
■Here is a tutorial with pictures that shows how to put together a cheap PC. All parts are cheap and you should NOT use the PSU they use: http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/build_a_500_pc_play_crysis_40fps?page=0,1
■This you tube video has some good points, and is done with fairly modern equipment, all new. The case he is using is a micro-ATX case from Antec: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdsUuWlhOvo
■Proximon's method for applying thermal paste to Heatpipe Direct Touch (HDT) coolers such as the Xigmatek or Sunbeam CCTF: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/252942-29-some-notes-applying-thermal-paste-xigmatek
■This is a good ariticle about "Building a PC: Step by Step Guide" using current parts by DriverHeaven... http://www.driverheaven.net/articles.php?articleid=132&pageid=1
■This is a good Tom's Hardware article about how to put a PC together. I would recommend reading through this one, as well: http://www.tomshardware.com/review_print.php?p1=1382

Thanks for taking the time to read through my post and making this a stickie. My goal is to update this once or twice a month as new technology comes out and prices change.
 

tecmo34

Administrator
Moderator

Don't threat :)

I spoke with Randomizer earlier in the day so I was aware of this move (just not as quick as it did). It is a good move to help clean up the forums. Also, I spoke with Randomizer that I'll monitor the impact on views to determine if they are still being used as they where as stickies.


End the end... I can just "bump" weekly to keep it fresh [:mousemonkey:5]

Just joking :D
 

tecmo34

Administrator
Moderator
Best answer selected by tecmo34.
n
nEDIT: This thread will be kept up-to-date as I have always done. Since this is no longer a sticky posted to the top of the forum, but part of the "master sticky", I felt it was okay to "solve" this thread.
n
n1) I owed 4ryan6 the best answer nod since I stated who ever made this thread a sticky would get the best answer, which he kindly did.
n
n2) I was tried of getting Tom's emails to select a best answer every few weeks. :)
 

CoolMoose

Distinguished
Jul 16, 2010
68
0
18,640
Howdy, I was planning on building one of the Budget machines but I decided to splurge and maybe go and build the first Gamer machine, and I was wondering if you could have any benchmarks available for some different programs like Photoshop and AutoCad and maybe games like Crysis. Thanks in advance!
 

seeker073180

Distinguished
Apr 15, 2010
14
0
18,510
Hey tecmo,

Since you've been continuously updating this thread, it might be useful to some(me included) to document what changes were made at each update and/or why. For example, I "think" the enthusiast AMD build went from the 965 to the 1090? But, there is no way of knowing. Tracking the changes could help others with options/substitutions that they can make (and leave a historical record of your work and the technological PROGRESS!!!) :)

I think this could be accomplished either by including an update history under the build or putting the old info in a post later in the thread? Just an idea...


-seeker
 

tecmo34

Administrator
Moderator
Seeker...

I can look to do two things: 1) When I post the update, I'll list what is update - (For the record, the AM3 update was the RAM and PSU [matches the Intel build]) & 2) Come up with a History reference (might just be a post??)

Best Regards,

tecmo34
 

osvaldo

Distinguished
Aug 7, 2010
1
0
18,510
Hello tecmo34, I am writing from Panama City, Panama and I want a build very similar to the Enthusiast below based on a ASUS M4A89TD PRO AM3 AMD Mobo. My request of advice is because I want to know if I can use another parts available in Panama. In Panama is better to buy locally just in case one of the parts is damaged and need to be RMA

Specifics parts to replace.

CASE Thermaltake Element V is already approved by Tom's Hardware but I don't know if its apropiated for this Mobo http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1420&ID=1900

Processor AMD Phenom II X4 965 a 3.4GHz - Black Edition

PSU Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 750W Don't know if 750W is enough if I won't crossfire or if I should go for a 850W with gold plus cert.
http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1264&ID=1962

GPU Sapphire ATI Radeon HD5750 Vapor-X http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102865&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Video+Cards-_-Sapphire+Tech-_-14102865

HSF Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-GP I don't if its the same because of the price difference

Memory Corsair XMS3 4GB TW3X4G1333C9A. I need 8MB RAM for Windows 7 64bit optimum performance and I don't know if I can fill the 4 slots or if it's better to wait for 4Gb memory modules in the future.
http://www.yoytec.com/product_info.php/cPath/26_35_135
/products_id/4970

This is the local store website where the parts are available www.yoytec.com, please feel free to recommend anything you consider appropriated.

Thank you very much in advance for your advice.


Enthusiast: $1,386.90
■CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor Model HDT90ZFBGRBOX
■MOBO: ASUS M4A89TD PRO AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s AMD Motherboard
■RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM
■HSF: COOLER MASTER Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-GP 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU ... - Retail
■HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
■PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
■GPU: XFX HD-587X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5870 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
■DVD: LITE-ON Black 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support - Retail
■Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
■Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
This build will allow you to play games at max settings at a monitor resolution of 1920x1200 or higher...[/quotemsg]
 
Hi Osvaldo and welcome to the Tom's hardware forum.

1- Change the AS5 for something more better like the TX-3 or MX-3.
2- The 850W is only necessary if u want 2x5970 Crossfire, but for a 5870 a 500W is enough or 650W for Crossfire.

Cheers from Colombia ;)
 

Seagate went through a period (7200.10 and .11 series) where they had firmware problems that were bricking their HDDs. Since the 7200.12 series has been out, there have been few problems. Also the 7200.12 500GB is the only single 500GB platter competitor to the Samsung F3 500GB. Which is in stock or on sale determines which you get.
 

tecmo34

Administrator
Moderator
I would recommend at least a 650W power supply for an SLI 460 setup...

GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB-1GB 192-256bit GDDR5
Power Consumption at Idle: 29 watts
Power Consumption at Full Load: 180 watts
■The recommended power supply is 450 watt with two 6 pin PCI Express connectors. For SLI 650 watt power supply is recommended.
■Recommended 36 Amps on the 12 volt rail 50 Amps for SLI.
 


That would depend on several things and I would not recommend it. First you have to define "400W PSU" and then you have to be very clear about other hardware. A single GTX 460 768MB does only need around 12A of 12V power. The rest of your system is going to need around that much 12V as well. A decent 400W PSU will supply 30 amps. 5A margin could disappear pretty fast and leave you scratching your head wondering why your computer shut down or got unstable.

Tecmo, you might want to drop the 650TX from recommendations for a bit. It is no longer made by Seasonic, and the actual label now says 650TX-C. The C stands for CWT. It may perform OK but it seems to have QC issues. Compare newegg user reviews from the last month to the older ones.