# Mainstream Value PC Builder's Guide



## MetalheadGautham (Jun 6, 2008)

Gautham's guide to building the Perfect Mainstream Value PC​ 


Many of us are at a loss as to what to buy, when we are hunting for a new PC. To solve some of those problems, I am presenting here a tutorial to build a mainstream, i.e. average level PC, which should fit quite well for most people. I am going to describe here in this tutorial how you can build the perfect Value PC, which has all the features needed by a mainstream PC, and still keeps its price under the hood. Overclocking is an excellent way to get more juice out of your PC, so I shall recommend thee a good overclocker system, i.e. - a PC which can be overclocked to much more power. The machine I am designing will definitely qualify as a mainstream PC, so no eXtreme budget parts. The PC will be of an Intel based platform, because sadly, AMD is no longer living up to its expectations as far as cheap and good quality processors are concerned. All of its processors, perhaps with the exception of the extremely rare and elusive Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Black Edition are far below similarly priced processors from Intel.

The PC is intended to be as future proof and upgradable as possible, so that you need not suffer later by having extremely outdated parts. Expansion slots, ability to overclock, usability of some parts later in future, etc are given due importance. I won't blindly suggest a rig here and you are expected to read the contents fully and only then, make a purchase after deciding what you need and what you don't.

So lets get down to business and do the dirty work shall we ?

Continue Reading ...


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## desiibond (Jun 6, 2008)

Damn. it's soo long that it took sometime for me to just scroll to the bottom. Anyways,

NICE WORK BUDDY.


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## BBThumbHealer (Jun 6, 2008)

Nice Work Gautam !


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## Abhishek Dwivedi (Jun 6, 2008)

wooo....a long tut...but good one... 
but dnt u think its in the wrng section??? may b the "Hardware Troubleshooting" is the right sectin...  (corrct me if am wrng)


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## MetalheadGautham (Jun 6, 2008)

desiibond said:


> Damn. it's soo long that it took sometime for me to just scroll to the bottom. Anyways,
> 
> NICE WORK BUDDY.





Abhishek Dwivedi said:


> wooo....a long tut...but good one...
> but dnt u think its in the wrng section??? may b the "Hardware Troubleshooting" is the right sectin...  (corrct me if am wrng)


This is long because I am practicing for an essay competition.
So I am writing some big full length tuts.

I am not sure which section to put this in, but as its a guide, I put it in tut.


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## Pathik (Jun 6, 2008)

Good work.


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## iMav (Jun 6, 2008)

Oh damn! it's so freaking long  What's up with everyone writing How To Build PC tuts?

I have not gone through all the component descriptions, but the tut looks good, however I have heard that the Abit gets hot pretty quick.


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## Pathik (Jun 6, 2008)

^^ The IP35e gives some of the most stable OCs in that range. Hot is not a problem if you dont OC the proccy.


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## Cool G5 (Jun 6, 2008)

Very well written.
Thanks 
You are tempting me too upgrade my old P4 rig..


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## johnjjx (Jun 6, 2008)

Very nice guide. I wud recommend same parts except ram gskill 2gb ddr2 800 at 2.4k.
Spks vs4121 at 2.7k
Even wd 640gb costs 4.6k.
And gautam wer do u get a vip 600w for .8k? Even 400w gold vip/powersafe is 1.5k.

Also 2 great vfm cards r palit 9600gso fr 6k. A rebadged 8800gs. Wen ovrclkd perfms like 96gt. And mercury 86gt 256 ddr3 fr 3k.


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## infra_red_dude (Jun 6, 2008)

Good compilation 



> ####>>>>>>>>>>~~~~Optical Drive~~~~<<<<<<<<<<####
> 
> Samsung SH-S203B


Mode upgraded to SH-203D. Plz update the original article.


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## saqib_khan (Jun 7, 2008)

Which internal TV Tuner card to use?? U haven't mentioned in the tutorial.

BTW, how is PixelView PlayTV Pro 3 ???


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## MetalheadGautham (Jun 7, 2008)

iMav said:


> Oh damn! it's so freaking long  What's up with everyone writing How To Build PC tuts?


I had started writing mine before GX posted his. Then I became lazy to type further. Then when GX published his, I thought I can forget publishing mine. But the fact that I am going after some essay competitions made me stronger and I finished it today.


Cool G5 said:


> Very well written.
> Thanks
> You are tempting me too upgrade my old P4 rig..


Even I have a P4 rig. This is supposed to be my dream upgrade.


johnjjx said:


> Very nice guide. I wud recommend same parts except ram gskill 2gb ddr2 800 at 2.4k.
> Spks vs4121 at 2.7k
> Even wd 640gb costs 4.6k.
> And gautam wer do u get a vip 600w for .8k? Even 400w gold vip/powersafe is 1.5k.
> ...


thanks for the cards part. I shall update soon and delete the radeon cards, seeing that they no longer fit the value segment.

We get Odessey 600W PSU for .8k. Sorry for mistake, but I still think I remember reading somewhere about VIP standard 600W PSU for .8k.

And I did mention an OCZ model and that gskill model of RAM in the original version. But I removed them because there is no way they can possibly fill the value segment successfully. Besides, the latencies of GSkill and Transcend Value are almost the same. Only difference is that Transcend lacks a heat spreader.


infra_red_dude said:


> Mode upgraded to SH-203D. Plz update the original article.


ok. will do.

*Just thought I may inform this to you guys:

when I started writing this, some price cuts and product introductions like 9600, 8600, etc were not there yet. So please excuse the older version of the article. I hope you find the new version more up to date.*


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## ratedrsuperstar (Jun 7, 2008)

well written.an amd cpu-mobo combo would be a great addition bcoz for most guyz the intel advantage doesn't matter.the spare 2k would be great in getting a better GC for gamerz or a better monitor/speakers for others.


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## saqib_khan (Jun 8, 2008)

@ MetalheadGautham

Where is my answer?


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## johnjjx (Jun 8, 2008)

^leadtek winfast pvr. Many mnths digit recommends same.


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## siddes (Jun 8, 2008)

Nice essay.

Clearly written.


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## MetalheadGautham (Jun 8, 2008)

ratedrsuperstar said:


> well written.an amd cpu-mobo combo would be a great addition bcoz for most guyz the intel advantage doesn't matter.the spare 2k would be great in getting a better GC for gamerz or a better monitor/speakers for others.


Well, once you OC, intel >> AMD.
This is a mainstream PC, so NO AMD.
But if you DO need budget PC, wait for my next essay.


khansaqib101 said:


> @ MetalheadGautham
> 
> Where is my answer?


sorry. I don't know much about TV Tuners, but I recommend External cards any day(useful for those wanting to use laptops later)


siddes said:


> Nice essay.
> 
> Clearly written.


I am glad atleast one person agrees that this is an essay, not an article. Thankyou.


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## iMav (Jun 8, 2008)

IMO this does not qualify as an essay.


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## Gigacore (Jun 8, 2008)

I thought, i'm reading a bible!

Nice guide!


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## MetalheadGautham (Jun 8, 2008)

iMav said:


> IMO this does not qualify as an essay.


whats the reason ?
Did I over do in the decoration/arrangement part ?


Gigacore said:


> I thought, i'm reading a bible!
> 
> Nice guide!


its *supposed* to be the Buyer's Bible. I intentionally made every item include a l0000000000ng description because those who are clueless about why certain items are good and certain items are bad can get a good picture of the things.

Its the description that's more important than the configuration as far as newbies are concerned. So I tried to make this as newbie friendly as possible, but due to the fact that my fingers felt great and my head was clear, I typed on on and on till I found it suffitiently long. It looks smaller on gedit though. You want the text only version ?


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## gulgulumaal (Jun 8, 2008)

Really??..is the 8600GT available for 3000/- ??
Holy crap!!


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## MetalheadGautham (Jun 8, 2008)

gulgulumaal said:


> Really??..is the 8600GT available for 3000/- ??
> Holy crap!!


its the minimum, yes, but on most markets, 3300 is a more real price.


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## axxo (Jun 8, 2008)

Good work...and do keep us updated with fast changing hardware components.


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## blueshift (Jun 8, 2008)

> 1. Zebronics Gaming Series Bijli cabinet
> ....This is priced around Rs. 12,500, and is definitely worth it.


??


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## MetalheadGautham (Jun 9, 2008)

blueshift said:


> ??


woops!
its 1500 not 12500


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## GraphicsDG (Jun 12, 2008)

Hi Gautham,

Nice to see your perfect PC, I would suggest you please try ZOTAC Graphics Card once, I am sure you will feel real performance on a GPU.

Just try any ZOTAC 8 & 9 Series graphic card and if you want to feel extream performance then choose AMP or ZONE Edition.

Have a look on www.zotac.com

Thanks !!!




MetalheadGautham said:


> Gautham's guide to building the Perfect Mainstream Value PC​
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Ranjya (Jun 15, 2008)

Mobo IP35-E has problem of double boot.
I have read that this cannot be solved,
and can lead to HDD failure.
Some other mobo should be suggested IMO.


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## MetalheadGautham (Jun 15, 2008)

Ranjya said:


> Mobo IP35-E has problem of double boot.
> I have read that this cannot be solved,
> and can lead to HDD failure.
> Some other mobo should be suggested IMO.


Then MSI and Asus are your best bet.


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## BSOD (Jun 17, 2008)

Someone going in for a mainstream PC would want good quality and as you mentioned warranty. Here are things I noticed.

-Abit is a new entrant as far as I know and a person who did have it said the servicing points are scarce.
-Zebronics Bijli Series? Add another 500 and you get a Cooler Master, damn, a Cooler Master!
-Never ever suggest a guy to buy a Zebronics PSU
-CRT? I would suggest a guy to buy a 15'' LCD than a 17'' CRT. Its dead man.

>>"I recommend the last card, Mercury 8600GT" 
-Mercury, WTF? Again, never ever ask a guy to buy a Mercury.

>>"Philips Easy Fit Earphones"
-Yeah, right. 

Be cheap, don't be too damn cheap.

End Note -- Should say its a decent guide. You could call it an essay but, add wikipedia-style footnotes or links instead of repeating info given in other sites which also makes the post a lot more smaller. And, no, I am not starting a flame war here.


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## topgear (Jun 20, 2008)

@ gautham
Nice compilation.


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## MetalheadGautham (Jun 24, 2008)

thanks.

I decided to summarise the content to ensure that my blog is not harmed.


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## topgear (Jun 24, 2008)

MetalheadGautham said:


> Gautham's guide to building the Perfect Mainstream Value PC​
> ####>>>>>>>>>>~~~~*Cabinet*~~~~<<<<<<<<<<####
> 
> 
> ...



*That cabby doesn't have any temp sensor in front of it.
That cabby has 4 USB ports in front of it on the top.*


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## MetalheadGautham (Jun 24, 2008)

topgear said:


> *That cabby doesn't have any temp sensor in front of it.
> That cabby has 4 USB ports in front of it on the top.*


WTH ?
My friend has Bijli, and I have seen it and tested it personally.
It DOES have a temperature sensor in front of it.


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## topgear (Jun 24, 2008)

I bought Bijli Last week .
Their website is not also showing any kind of temp sensor

*www.zebronics.net/gamingcabin.asp
Bijli
USB + Audio, 120mm front
Led Fan, 2 side fans for exceptional cooling

*www.zebronics.net/images/cabinets/bijli-b.jpg


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## MetalheadGautham (Jun 24, 2008)

THATS NOT BIJLI

bijli looks COOL not UGLY

FYKI, the bijli is the cabinet shown in the flash animation on the top of the page.
its soooo damn coooool


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## topgear (Jun 24, 2008)

That's is the Bijli cabby. haven't you checked the website.



> bijli is the cabinet shown in the flash animation on the top of the page



That's the Peace cabby. Read Carefully


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## MetalheadGautham (Jun 25, 2008)

topgear said:


> That's is the Bijli cabby. haven't you checked the website.
> 
> 
> 
> That's the Peace cabby. Read Carefully


WTH ?
How ?
What ?
Why ?
When ?

Damn.

Time to make edits.

are you sure ? And how much is Peace MRP ? My friend got it for ~1.5k...


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## topgear (Jun 25, 2008)

I'm n no mode to start a personal fight. If you're talking about this cabby :

*PEACE*

*img337.imageshack.us/img337/6783/20080625165359zx5.jpg
*img337.imageshack.us/img337/6783/20080625165359zx5.38f4fa3699.jpg
I'm just tried to say you that 





> the cabinet shown in the flash animation on the top of the page


 is zebronics peace cabinet. But you're claiming it as bijli.

Check here : *www.zebronics.net/gamingcabin.asp

I got bijli for Rs. 1550 + Tax.

*BIJLI*

*www.zebronics.net/images/cabinets/bijli-b.jpg


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## MetalheadGautham (Jun 25, 2008)

OK, OK. I get it.

I think I made a BIG mistake in identifying things.

Any idea how much peace costs ?


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## topgear (Jun 25, 2008)

Thanks God! At last you understood.  

Peace cabby should be around Rs. 2500 With SMPS or 2100 Without SMPS.


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## MetalheadGautham (Jun 25, 2008)

topgear said:


> Thanks God! At last you understood.
> 
> Peace cabby should be around Rs. 2500 With SMPS or 2100 Without SMPS.


I understood ? I *already understood*.

Anyway, I better change the article now.


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