# Buying a new Desktop PC



## chiragddude (Nov 27, 2011)

I'm searching for a *good Desktop PC (Assembled or Company Manufactured)*.

A few systems I could shortlist were (company manufactured):


DELL XPS 8300

HP Pavilion Slimline s5688d (BU032AA)

LENOVO IdeaCentre B500

Although, I'm not satisfied, entirely. My budget is around *50,000 INR +- 5000* and the priority list is as below:


GPU and CPU must be good(if not best ie. *atleast 4 GB RAM, quad core, 1 GB GPU*) ie. I need CPU & GPU hungry games like GTA 4 to run on it.

Desktop>All-in-One>Laptop

Hard Disk (1 TB would be cool, but, 500 GB would do)


PLEASE SUGGEST THE BEST POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS. THANKS. If you are suggesting an assembled PC, please list down the best compatible components.


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## mithun_mrg (Nov 28, 2011)

on that budget u can build a rig which can play almost every game in HD please fill this 

*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/pc-components-configurations/128247-pc-build-questionnaire-template.html


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## Tarun (Nov 28, 2011)

mithun_mrg said:


> on that budget u can build a rig which can play almost every game in HD please fill this
> 
> *www.thinkdigit.com/forum/pc-components-configurations/128247-pc-build-questionnaire-template.html



that surly makes sense buddy sending 50k on a OEM in my site is a waste of money yet amongest those the DELL XPS 8300 (with 6770 GPU) will be fine but u can get more if u go for a custom built trust me buddy 
just fill up the template 

u can get something like this :-
Phenom II X4 955B.E. @ 5.5k
ASUS M4A88T M  @ 4.7k
Corsair Vengeance 4GB @ 1.6k
Sapphire HD 6950 1GB @ 13.5k
Corsair GS 600W @ 3.7k
Cooler Master HAF 912 Advanced @ 5.5k
BenQ G2222HDL FULL HD LED @ 7k
Seagate 1TB @ ~5k (dont know it is quiet fluctuating now-a-days)
Razer Death Adder @ 2.1k
MS Comfort Curve 2000 @ 1.1k
LG 22x DVD RW @ 1k

Total = ~Rs. 53k to 54k

      OR
Core i5 2400 @ 9.3k
MSI H67MA-E35 @ 4.9k
Corsair Vengeance 4GB @ 1.6k
Sapphire HD 6950 1GB @ 13.5k
Corsair GS 600W @ 3.7k
NZXT Gamma @ 2k
BenQ G2222HDL FULL HD LED @ 7k
Seagate 1TB @ ~5k
Logitech G1 Gaming Desktop @ 1.4k
LG 22x DVD RW @ 1k

Total = ~Rs. 52k to 53k

                    OR

Core i5 2500k @ 10.8K
ASUS P8P67-M @ 7.9k
Corsair Vengeance 4GB @ 1.6k
Sapphire HD 6950 1GB @ 13.5k
Corsair GS 600W @ 3.7k
NZXT Gamma @ 2k
BenQ G2222HDL FULL HD LED @ 7k
Seagate 1TB @ ~5k
Logitech G1 Gaming Desktop @ 1.4k
LG 22x DVD RW @ 1k
Total =~Rs. 56k to 57k


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## Jripper (Nov 28, 2011)

The last config is the best(Though it overshoots the budget by a bit).


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## guru_urug (Nov 28, 2011)

Yup the last one is the best. Just make the HDD 500GB. You can upgrade later. The prices of HDDs are sky high right now.
@OP
This config will be *FAR FAR FAR*(cudnt stress this enough) superior to the branded systems you are looking at and offers upgrade possibilties.
If you are skeptical about assembling it urself then get a assembler. But dont let him advice you on the config. 

Suggestion: you will be spending 13.5k on a graphic card. You should wait for the next gen GPU's which will be available in 2-3 months. If you cant then also the 6950 should be able to max out all games @ HD for the next 18months atleast...maybe even till next console refresh


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## chiragddude (Nov 29, 2011)

I've tried to shortlist the best stuff I could, please point out any known compatibility errors for the hardware below, ALSO, if possible please suggest some alternatives which might be more of value-for-money.

RAM: Corsair DDR3 8 GB (4x2)

GPU: XFX Radeon™ HD 6870 1GB 

CPU: Intel Core i5 2500k 

Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-M PRO B3 

Optical Drive: LG GE24LU20 Optical Drive 

PSU: CORSAIR GS600

Hard Drive: 1 TB Seagate ST31000524AS Internal Hard Drive / 500 GB Seagate

Case: Cooler Master elite 311 Plus

This'd go around 60k but, I think I could get some of this stuff cheaper than listed online. So, could it be some 55k?


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## chiragddude (Nov 29, 2011)

1. What is the purpose of the computer? (Note: If you are planning to say multimedia, you will have to be more specific as all types of systems are capable of doing that)
A: Somewhere between "MID" and "HIGH" end gaming

2. Are you open to alternate ideas/products giving similar better performance but offering more VFM/ sellers? If not- why?
A:Yes

3. What is your MAX budget?
A:55k

4. Planning to overclock? 
A:Yes, if possible.

5. Which OS are you planning to use?
A:Win 7 64 bit Home Premium

6. How much hard drive space is needed?
A:500GB at least, preferably 1TB

7. What resolution will the screen run at & whats the size of the screen you want? If you already want have one and want to use it, mention its resolution and size.
A:BenQ 22" HD : Max Res: 1920x1080

8. How would you rate your hardware knowledge from the count of 1-10? (1 being the lowest, 5 being you are somewhat in sync with the current performers and 10 being the highest)
A:6

9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler? 
A:An assembler

10. When are you planning to buy the system?
A:2-3 months, hence already searching for the best

11. Are you one of the types looking out for "future proof" configurations?
A:Yes, if it suits the budget

12. Are there going to be any components that you don't want to include in this new rig? If yes, do mention.
A:No. Maximum, of everything possible within the budget, is needed.

13. Which city do you live in and are you open to buying from shops from other city/states?
A:Kanpur, I can purchase stuff from New Delhi, my family lives there.

14. Mention any other points if deemed necessary
A:I'm nearly sure that i5 2500k is the best cpu, fitting my needs and budget so LGA 1155 motherboards (Am not really sure of the perfect one suiting the budget, though I'd prefer Z68s). Plus, GPU above 250GT, at least. I like HD 6870.


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## Tarun (Nov 29, 2011)

> I've tried to shortlist the best stuff I could, please point out any known compatibility errors for the hardware below, ALSO, if possible please suggest some alternatives which might be more of value-for-money.
> 
> RAM: Corsair DDR3 8 GB (4x2)
> 
> ...


buddy firstly 311 Plus is extreme overpriced and a failure for me 
for the GPU i suggested a higher 6950 to u why are u going for 6870????
u wont need a Z68 motherboard yet the cheapest Z68 is a Gigabyte GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 @ 9.5k yet ASUS P8Z68-V PRO @ 13.2k Asrock Z68 Extreme 3 Gen 3 @8.8k(as per nov 2011 digit ) that is the best board under 10k and  and Asus Maximus IV Gene Z is for 13.1k(as per nov 2011 digit ) if i were u i would for for Maximus IV and for the HDD go with a 1TB not much different a 500 Gig hdd cost u 4.3k


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## mithun_mrg (Nov 29, 2011)

the cheapest Z68 board i think is this
Flipkart: Jetway HI09-Z: Motherboard

but it does not have switchable gfx i.e lucid virtue  
Op can also go for Asus P8Z68-M-PRO @10.6K
 and don't compromise on gpu take the 6950 if tight on budjet & if u don't require the gfx switching take the jetway board & 6950 u won't regret later


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## Tarun (Nov 29, 2011)

just did some more R&D and came up with this 
Core i5 2500k @ 10.8K
Asus Maximus IV Gene Z @ 12.5k
Corsair Vengeance 4GB @ 1.6k
Sapphire HD 6950 DiRT 3 2GB @ 14k or Sapphire HD 6870 1GB 11k if u want to fit it in 55k 
Corsair GS 600W @ 3.7k
NZXT Gamma @ 2k
BenQ G2222HDL FULL HD LED @ 7k
Seagate 500GB @ 4.2k
Logitech G1 Gaming Desktop @ 1.4k
LG 22x DVD RW @ 1k
Total = 58.8k(with 6950 2GB) 55.8k (with 6870 1GB)


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## d6bmg (Nov 29, 2011)

*Component*
|
*Make*
|
*Price*
*Processor*
|Intel Core i5 2500k|10800
*Motherboard*
|MSI Z68A GD55 B3|10100
*RAM*
|Gskill Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9S-4GBXL|1650
*Graphic Card*
|Sapphire HD 6870|11700
*HDD*
|Seagate 250GB 7200.12|4200
*DVD Writer*
|ASUS 24X Sata Black DVD|1100
*PSU*
|Corsair GS 600|3900
*Case*
|NZXT Gamma|2000
*Monitor*
|Benq G2220HD|6950
*Mouse & Keyboard*
|Logitech MK200|650
*UPS*
|APC 800VA|2800
*Speakers*
|	Logitech Z313|1600
|
*Total*
|57450
Overshoots your budget by 2.45K

But its worth spending the extra money.


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## chiragddude (Nov 29, 2011)

What about ASUS P8Z68-V(GEN 3)?

It's got PCIEx 3.0 ports, just like the other 2, V-PRO and V-Deluxe. Plus, I wanna confirm if the case NZXT Gamma is the best in class? I mean Cooler Master are more than famous to create the cool cases, or Antec maybe?

Would HD 6950 make a hell lot of difference and, P67 or Z68?


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## macho84 (Nov 30, 2011)

The case is best in its class. But if you want enough space with atx you will be in tight fit and planning for crossfire then get a better one. If i suggest get one with highest cpu cooler support say above 170mm atleast if not 170 not less than tat. Also get one which has good gpu card support if possible with removable hdd cage. Go for good gpu may be you are not a high end gamer but games are getting smarter down the line only cards of high end series with CF will run better. 

If you want to oc the pc get 2500k and gene-z is good for OC but not good for CF So get the v or v pro. Or regular ATX . I am sure Asus are good in its quality and service wise. Let me know if you want any other suggestion.


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## avinandan012 (Nov 30, 2011)

*offtopic* @d6bmg dude hoe to make tables like you did ? i cant make more than one one column / row help please


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## chiragddude (Nov 30, 2011)

P67 or Z68?

Folks over at Tom's Hardware say Z68, saying it's new and all, what's your say?

Also, I'd rate Asus>Gigabyte>MSI>AsRock as per motherboard build is concerned, your say?


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## chiragddude (Nov 30, 2011)

avinandan012 said:


> unless you are going for multi gpu setup extra lanes of PCIx gen 3 is of no use



I think I might add on one more to the board later.

BTW people, is MSI Z68A-G45 (B3) good?


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## d6bmg (Dec 6, 2011)

^^ Yes, it is good!



avinandan012 said:


> *offtopic* @d6bmg dude hoe to make tables like you did ? i cant make more than one one column / row help please



Quote my post to see hot it is done. 
Use '|' without quote.


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## Jaskanwar Singh (Dec 6, 2011)

chiragddude said:


> P67 or Z68?
> 
> Folks over at Tom's Hardware say Z68, saying it's new and all, what's your say?
> 
> Also, I'd rate Asus>Gigabyte>MSI>AsRock as per motherboard build is concerned, your say?



asrock at last!!!!
their boards are one of the best!

i wont rate it like this. all of them are good. just boils down to their offerings available at a particular price.


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## d6bmg (Dec 6, 2011)

^^ AsRock is always an under-rated brand in our country because of the very fact that it's not readily available in India. Also due to its comparatively lower price people tend to mark AsRock boards as low graded boards, which is not true at all. 
@everyone who thinks asrock isn't that good: see the reviews in popular websites to understand the worth of asrock boards. Actually they make world's some of the best vfm top-end boards.


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## Tarun (Dec 6, 2011)

AsRock = Asus downgraded  asrock is a part of asus but makes budget based motherboard the only thing is that the customer care is not up to the mark and thus the dealer no not sell Asrock motherboards


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## Cilus (Dec 6, 2011)

chiragddude said:


> I think I might add on one more to the board later.
> 
> BTW people, is MSI Z68A-G45 (B3) good?




That's a wrong pic of info and that's why I've edited that post. A graphics card can only be benifited from Gen3 bandwitdh if it can provide much bandwidth than the maximum bandwidth of PCI-E 2.1 specification. If a Gfx card can't provide that much banwidth then no matter how many cards you use on your board, there won't be any bottleneck.


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## Jaskanwar Singh (Dec 6, 2011)

Tarun said:


> AsRock = Asus downgraded  asrock is a part of asus but makes budget based motherboard the only thing is that the customer care is not up to the mark and thus the dealer no not sell Asrock motherboards



asrock parted from asus long ago to compete with manufacturers having low cost boards AFAIK. its no longer a part. correct me if i am wrong though. 

and they have high end boards too. 
Whose Enthusiast-Class Z68 Board Is Best? : Round-Up: Four Z68 Motherboards From $220 To $280


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## $$Lionking$$ (Dec 6, 2011)

CPU - Intel i7 950 - 16k 
MOBO - DFI LanParty UT X58 T3EH9 - 6k 
Monitor - BenQ G2220HD - 7k
Cabinet - CM RC 430 - 3.2 k
PSU - Seasonic s12II 520w (Good for future upgrades) - 3.5 k
GFX - ASUS Direct CU II GTX 560 - 12.5k / MSI 560Ti twin frozer II : 14.5k
RAM - Corsair 2x2GB 1600 MHZ - 1.5k
LG DVD writer - 950/-

It will be for ~52 k

or

CPU - AMD Phenom II x4 960T - 7k (Will unlock to X6)
MOBO - Gigabyte GA 880GM USB3 - 4.6k 
Monitor - 3 x 18.5" NEC Monitors with DVI-I - 15k
Cabinet - CM RC 430 - 3.2k
PSU - Seasonic s12II 520w (Good for future upgrades) - 3.5 k
GFX - ASUS Direct CU II GTX 560 - 12.5k / MSI 560Ti twin frozer II : 14.5k
RAM - Corsair 2x2GB 1600 MHZ - 1.5k
LG DVD writer - 950/-

If you dont know bout eyefinity - 
*www.rockingteam.com/wp-conten...yefinity-3.jpg


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## Tarun (Dec 6, 2011)

> CPU - *AMD Phenom II x4 960T *- 7k (Will unlock to X6)
> MOBO - Gigabyte GA 880GM USB3 - 4.6k
> Monitor - 3 x 18.5" NEC Monitors with DVI-I - 15k
> Cabinet - CM RC 430 - 3.2k
> ...


960T is not available in india i guess


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## d6bmg (Dec 6, 2011)

$$Lionking$$ said:


> CPU - Intel i7 950 - 16k
> MOBO - DFI LanParty UT X58 T3EH9 - 6k
> Monitor - BenQ G2220HD - 7k
> Cabinet - CM RC 430 - 3.2 k
> ...



Why are you suggesting 950? An i5-2500K/i7-2600K +P67/Z68 combo is better than this combo. Above all, this config would have been a great config 1 year ago.


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## $$Lionking$$ (Dec 7, 2011)

Tarun - 960T is available in Indore for the said price....

d6bmg - 950 trades blows with i5 2500 @ stock speeds. if you're not going to OC u can buy 950 vs i5 2500. also the board mentioned will support 2 x16 + 1 x8 PCIe lanes.. its overall a better platform and same performance too if you're opting for i5.

AMD | Intel |ATI

Make|Table|5500
Table|Make|9500


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## ico (Dec 7, 2011)

d6bmg said:


> Why are you suggesting 950? An i5-2500K/i7-2600K +P67/Z68 combo is better than this combo. Above all, this config would have been a great config 1 year ago.


Lanes are the reason. Sandy Bridge as a platform sucks for multi-GPU. i5-2500k isn't mich faster than i7-950 really. Clock to clock they are more or less same, it's just that i5-2500k overclocks crazy and it is power efficient.

But yea, he should get i5-2500k + Z68. Most guys don't buy two GPU anyways. i7-950 is end-of-line.


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## $$Lionking$$ (Dec 7, 2011)

ico - X58 is more exotic vs P67/Z68. Also proper OC options that are fun to play with 2500k  is just too easyyyyyyyyyy............. 

Although im going buy a 2500k too... got a P67A-UD7!!! 

Got ur 880g+965??  Hows it performing vs 2500k?


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## d6bmg (Dec 7, 2011)

$$Lionking$$ said:


> ico - X58 is more exotic vs P67/Z68. Also proper OC options that are fun to play with 2500k  is just too easyyyyyyyyyy.............


OT: not everyone is expert in overclocking by voltage tweaking. 


> Although im going buy a 2500k too... got a P67A-UD7!!!



Why 2500K? Go with 2600K. Few more bucks but worth it.


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## $$Lionking$$ (Dec 7, 2011)

d6bmg - Dude, no money for 2600k - hardly any money for 2500k..
Its totally worth it but cant buy - dont have that kinda cash!!!


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## chiragddude (Dec 10, 2011)

Hell, you guys are awesome, this has been a nice thread.

One final question:

MSI Z68A-GD65 B3

i5 - 2500k

MSI GTX 560 ti Hawk

CORSAIR GS 600

Corsair White Graphite 600T

Corsair 2x4Gig DDR3

Seagate 7200 RPM 1TB

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus

Cisco LinkSys WMP110

BENQ 22" 2200HD

Good bang for buck build?


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## d6bmg (Dec 10, 2011)

^^ Great build. Go forward & buy it. Remember to post some pics of the rig after you have bought it. 



$$Lionking$$ said:


> d6bmg - Dude, no money for 2600k - hardly any money for 2500k..
> Its totally worth it but cant buy - dont have that kinda cash!!!



Check your visitor message.


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