Buying a laptop, not sure what to look for

[jasignhagj]

He called it pentium i5 *cries*

Haters gonna etc

 

Stay away from macs unless you have cash to throw around.

I done decided I wouldn't deal with Macs.

 

For laptops, I give asus a big +1, but Sager has some nice choices if you want to not have to deal with intel HD graphics.

Duly noted.

 

For desktops, check out tinyurl.com/falconguide for the newest, best incremental guide, and modify to your needs.

That's where that picture's from! You could have posted it earlier, it would have saved me many a smug reaction jpeg on /g/. :lol:

 

Google around to see if hyperthreading will help with your software, if so, you may want to consider the i7 2600k. Otherwise the i5 2500k should meet your needs.

Will do, posting results once done.

[Edit] FL Studio supports hyperthreading since version 9 (I'm still on 8, they're on 10, I just need to get off my ass and install it). There's no word on it solving any of the 99% CPU usage problems though.

 

Hello fellow /g/entleman.

 

The i5 is probably worth the extra $100 savings if muti-threading won't have that big of an impact. If you're having problems maxing CPU usage, setting the priority in task manager to above average or high may help. It's worth a shot, just make sure nothing important is open as it can freeze up the computer (Best to make sure Task manager itself is open and set to high so you can close if it does).

[cheeky16]

I still fail to see why everyone is so against the macbooks. Anyone care to explain this to me? I realize they cost more but you are getting more for the money you spend...

 

I also want to add that 4Gb of Ram may be a little low. Depending what you're really going to do with the computer. I have the runescape client, 2 internet explorer windows open and a word document. The rest is mostly windows in the background and I'm using up 3Gb of my 8Gb with only 1Gb sitting completely free. Just an idea to think about if you plan on doing some heavy multitasking.

[Omar]

I don't know, I got by just fine with my 1GB until now... I've never seen the PF usage on my task manager anywhere near 2GB; what does that tell you?

[Guy]

I still fail to see why everyone is so against the macbooks. Anyone care to explain this to me? I realize they cost more but you are getting more for the money you spend...

We've been through this before I seem to recall. They cost more than an identical windows laptop. If you are going to try to tell me that macs are better value for money than pc's then it is simply not worth debating.

 

OT:

[hide=advice]

 

HDD/SSD: I still have 50GB of space on this computer; it has 224GB in total. I really, really don't see what the extra 500GB would get me, so I moved up, but I wonder if the speed is going to be satisfactory. I think considering the price of SSDs, I'm probably better off getting a better (but small) HDD than going with a [cabbage] HDD and an SSD three times its price.

500GB has no advantage over a 250GB HDD apart from simply the amount of space. So long as you get a 7200RPM drive and it has a reasonable amount of cache, preferably 32 or 64MB, then they're all identical. I'd recommend getting at least 500GB simply because you only have 50GB left and the price difference is perhaps $10. I have no experience with an SSD but apparently they are the bomb. If you can afford one - get one, but you should easily be able to live off a single 7200RPM drive - that's what the vast majority of people do. If you aren't too fussed about boot times, wait for SSD prices to come down and get one then.

 

4GB RAM, I'm pretty fixed on this, because 20$ isn't much of a difference.

4GB is standard and what most people run on. 8GB is the tier above, but so long as you get 2x2GB sticks for your 4GB RAM, if you feel the need you can easily buy another pair of RAM sticks to get your total up to 8GB. It's not worth buying 4GB extra then finding you never use it. Remember to install 64 bit Windows!

 

Case: I have no idea, really.

Get one you like the physical look of, and make sure it has plenty of fans. Cable management is good but not necessary. If you find one you like we can give you some advice.

 

PSU: ditto.

Key thing with the PSU - DON'T GO FOR CHEAP ONES. They are literally too good to be true. They are sub-par quality and they are very very unreliable. When (not if) they blow, they can damage your entire system and break all of your parts. Do not skimp on this at all.

 

GPU: I'm no gamer, but it would be cool if I could emulate Z:OoT. Went down a notch.

5770 is currently one of the best price/performance ratio cards in the market. I'm not sure how future-proof it is though - that card has been around for a while. Also, I'm not sure what kind of quality you will get with dual monitors. I know my 5850 handles dual monitors fine. I can't claim to know lots about GFx cards though.

 

CPU: FL Studio is monstrous. I have an Intel Pentium D 2.80GHz according to dxdiag, and the counter inside the software says it's taking 99% of the CPU on occasion. Leaning towards Pentium i5 2500.

i5 2500k is a beast of a CPU. If you get this, I'd advise an aftermarket cooler in order that you can overclock it, which is very easy to do. The i7 2600k is more expensive, but much better due to hyperthreading. Don't think you're getting a bad CPU if you get a 2500k though, you are most definitely not. Stay way clear of AMD.

 

Motherboard: I don't even know what I need to know.

Make sure you have the correct socket for the CPU you're getting and it has DDR3 slots for RAM. Expensive is generally better, even if specs look identical. Asus is a good brand, they do some good 1155 socket (Sandy Bridge socket, ie. i5 2500k/i7 2600k) motherboards.

 

Add a keyboard, a mouse, two monitors; what about cooling?

Cooling is generally dependent on the case and the airflow. Most cases come with spare fan slots and it's always good to fill them - fans are cheap. CPU cooling is highly recommended for an i5 2500k build, that thing is really easy to overclock, but without good cooling it can get quite hot. I couldn't give you a good CPU cooler off the top of my head, sorry.[/hide]

[Omar]

My cart's bugging out, so I can't screencap everything. Sorry.

Case: Lian Li PC-K7B 79.99$ . Looks good (i.e. not like some machine out of Tron), 7 expansion slots, 2 front 120mm fans, 1 rear 120mm fan, more drive bays than I could ever need.

a) Fans are apparently noisy, but I'll only look into replacing them once I'm set up.

b) ATX.

HDD: Western Digital 7200 RPM 32MB cache 500GB 69.99$

Good reviews in contrast with the similar Caviar Blue model.

PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro 80+ 700W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i5 129.99$ 99.99$

OR

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817339002 (cheaper, not modular, but otherwise similar) 99.99$ 79.99$

RAM: Significant differences in price here... Nothing in the specs seems very different though. Let's say it costs 45$.

CPU: Intel i5 2500k 209.99$

HSF: Stock or should I buy a new one? I've been told this processor is really worth OCing and the guide I'm looking at says stock HSF are good, but become loud (and perhaps insufficient?) if you OC significantly.

Video card: According to /g/, I'd be fine even with Intel integrated for the dual monitors, so 5770/6770 it is. Now, uhm, no clue which to take. For total price estimation's sake, I went with the MSI Radeon HD 5770 R5770 Hawk Video Card, which is the most expensive 5770, but there are 8 5770s and 13 6770s on newegg. 139.99$

Monitor: 2x Hanns·G HZ201DPB 20" 239.98$. Won't show up on my cart...

Keyboard and mouse: inexpensive Gigabyte, with lots of function buttons because I love those.

 

So I just need a motherboard now, but I'm not sure everything in here is compatible.

[jasignhagj]

Go for a 5770 (any brand but sapphire), the 6770 is just a re-branded 5770.

[Omar]

I'm considering going even lower with my GPU and investing in an audio card because the DSP should do a better job at processing synths, but I'm not sure if it's worth the money.

Here's what my cart looks like right now:

http://i54.tinypic.com/2wg6brr.png (CPU is off Amazon, slight savings)

Compatibility:

ATX mobo - ATX case

LGA 1155 socket on mobo - LGA 1155 processor Okay!

DDR3 2133/1866/1600/1333/1066 on mobo - That's like, every kind of RAM available, so I'm good whatever I get, unless I go above 32Gb :rolleyes: Okay!

20+4 pins on PSU - 24 pins on mobo Okay!

2* 4+2 pins on PSU - 6 pins on video card Okay!

PCI Express 2.1 x16 on video card - Motherboard "Expansion Slots - PCI Express 2.0 x16 - *3 (x16, x8, x4) - PCI Express x1 *2 - PCI Slots *2" No 2.1 PCI, but is it the same thing?

More peripheral and SATA cables on PSU than there are available bays in the case, SATAs are both 3Gb/s and 6Gb/s (note to self: get some peripheral drives, DVD and MicroSD) Okay!

Portable HD, USB mouse and keyboard - USB 2.0 1, 2, 3. One empty port left. 2 USB 3.0 left. Okay!

D-Sub+DVI on mobo, whatever those are - same thing on the monitors. Wait up, am I going to need extra ports for the extra monitor? How do I set this dual screen [cabbage] up? [Fixed]

What else might be problematic?

[cheeky16]

The 5770 is great to set up 2 monitors on. The one you picked out will actually run 3 monitors with the Display Port output. I have the ASUS 5770 and it doesn't have the display port and will only display 2 monitors. Something to be conscious of if you might consider a 3rd monitor sometime. As for the audio card I'm not sure how much difference they are. I've never really tried them out but onboard sound is good as far as I know. :)

[Omar]

The 5770 is great to set up 2 monitors on. The one you picked out will actually run 3 monitors with the Display Port output. I have the ASUS 5770 and it doesn't have the display port and will only display 2 monitors. Something to be conscious of if you might consider a 3rd monitor sometime. As for the audio card I'm not sure how much difference they are. I've never really tried them out but onboard sound is good as far as I know. :)

Alright, alright. Thanks :)

[cheeky16]

To add to that, I'm not sure if the onboard will run dual monitors...

[PlzPuddngPlz]

I actually happen to have that exact power supply in my rig right now, and it's worked fine since December. The 24-pin motherboard connector cable is kind of short, but more than enough for my case. It comes with a bunch of stuff, including a pencil case (which I'm using now at school, only one guy has figured out what OCZ is).

About the alternative PSU: I always say to get a good brand name, as a cheap one can decide to break and mess up your whole system. If you don't need the 50 watts or the $20, I'd say to go with the OCZ one.

 

I'll just leave this article here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/power-supply-oem-manufacturer,2913.html

[Estonian dude]

I've experienced blown PSU... Definitely get a good one.

BTW, why steer clear of AMD CPU's? Both of my computers are currently powered by AMD CPU's. Specially at lower price tags they are really comparable to Intel ones and often even better value. They don't have that high-end processors though.

[Omar]

Just saying, this is on hold for the moment, but I haven't forgotten about this and your advice shall not go to waste.

[Guy]

I've experienced blown PSU... Definitely get a good one.

BTW, why steer clear of AMD CPU's? Both of my computers are currently powered by AMD CPU's. Specially at lower price tags they are really comparable to Intel ones and often even better value. They don't have that high-end processors though.

I think the general consensus is that intels are better, but not necessarily better 'bang for your buck'. At higher tiers you should definitely be looking towards intel.

[jasignhagj]

I've experienced blown PSU... Definitely get a good one.

BTW, why steer clear of AMD CPU's? Both of my computers are currently powered by AMD CPU's. Specially at lower price tags they are really comparable to Intel ones and often even better value. They don't have that high-end processors though.

I think the general consensus is that intels are better, but not necessarily better 'bang for your buck'. At higher tiers you should definitely be looking towards intel.

 

As of today, if you're going for gaming, Intel beats AMD starting at the $120 pricepoint with the i3 2100. By the time you reach $180-200, there is no AMD processor that can compare to the i5 2500k. That said, AMD is still good for a budget gaming rig, as the money is better spent getting a better GPU.

 

However, AMD has Bulldozer and Llano coming up soon, and Intel has Ivy Bridge coming out Q4 '11 or Q1 '12, so the game could change in the coming year.

[Guy]

I've experienced blown PSU... Definitely get a good one.

BTW, why steer clear of AMD CPU's? Both of my computers are currently powered by AMD CPU's. Specially at lower price tags they are really comparable to Intel ones and often even better value. They don't have that high-end processors though.

I think the general consensus is that intels are better, but not necessarily better 'bang for your buck'. At higher tiers you should definitely be looking towards intel.

 

As of today, if you're going for gaming, Intel beats AMD starting at the $120 pricepoint with the i3 2100. By the time you reach $180-200, there is no AMD processor that can compare to the i5 2500k. That said, AMD is still good for a budget gaming rig, as the money is better spent getting a better GPU.

 

However, AMD has Bulldozer and Llano coming up soon, and Intel has Ivy Bridge coming out Q4 '11 or Q1 '12, so the game could change in the coming year.

Sources I've seen are saying late Q1 '12, so don't wait for it.

 

Offtopic: I'm stuck with my Q6600 (and therefore DDR2 >.>) which is still running strong and will last nicely to 2012 so I can skip out sandy bridge. At least the 6600 is decent at OC'ing.