Hey,

I've been throwing up the idea of buying myself a new desktop computer & was after some advice as i'm not as up to speed with new computer technology these days. If anyone can help, I would very much appreciate it.

This new computer will be for private use only & not really used for any stressful tasks such as gaming etc, but will be turned on 24/7 in order to run my AWS & weather cam. Below are links to a few I am interested in...


ASUS CM6870 - This was the original one to catch my eye in a paper catalogue (though was $1398 in the paper catalogue without the bonuses - save $501). I like the 2TB HDD & blue ray burner with this one.

ASUS 6730 - The mention about 40% energy saving caught my eye here.

Harvey Norman desktop index page

I'm pretty flexible with price, don't fancy going too over the top though, absolute maximum limit would be $2k. I've always been led to believe that ASUS is a reliable brand (I own an ASUS laptop & have mixed feelings about this one LOL), but brand also doesn't really matter as long as it is reliable. I will be looking at running MS Windows 7 Pro for the OS.

As I said, any help would be much appreciated, thanks.

Grant

Have you considered some off ebay?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/AMD-Quad-Core...=item23199a81c8

Not only better specs but for less than half the price compared to HN.
Have you also considered the new ultra books? Very light, very fast and your battery can last you up to 9 or so hours.

And yes Asus is by far the best and most endurable brand.

Flood is right. Jump on ebay. Don't buy from a major department store such as Harvey Norman. You'll pay too much for what's in it. This mob have an excellent record and you get a lot for your money. My advice would be to buy a gaming pc as it will be damned quick whatever you use it for. However if you intend on using an art program with it such as corel you should spec a card suited to that particular need. Nvidia do one made for those programs.

If you are not using an art program then this one I have linked is an excellent buy for the coin and a very quick pc. Once you open the link check out what they sell. Over 80,000 clients can't be wrong!


http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/INTEL-Core-i7...=item35bc074675

http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_nkw=g...6.c0.m270.l1313

Ring them and tell them your needs if you are unsure. ALWAYS buy more than you need with computers!! Don't get suckered into having someone telling you they'll build you one via pm. Stick with a reputable seller!!!

They should insure the item for postage but contact them and make sure. Nvidia and Intel are my personal choice. Nvidia are far more switched on than ATI when it comes to driver updates and support. Happy shopping.

Food for thought, have a look at some of the better known PC shops either around your area, and online. Some shops have pre built systems and usually in an Intel or and AMD chip for your choosing. You can customize most PC builds that they have listed for suggestions. Or with a bit of research design your own system to your liking. If a part fails, because they use parts to build the system are manufactured separately, getting a replacement part easier than obtaining a replacement OEM part and by far much cheaper.

Plus most pc shops have kickass cases with venom red LED lighting now a days for only a handful of coins more.

I know you said you don't want a gaming pc, but I just brought a Dell Alienware X51.

It's a fast, great little computer that packs plenty of punch, also pretty quite and doesn't use much power. Half the size of a normal desktop with the full processing power.

http://www.dell.com/au/p/alienware-x51/fs

Some people might cringe at the thought of buying a Dell, but work use them and they run 24/7 and they seem pretty damn reliable.

Another variable to add into the mix is a laptop they use a poofteenth of the amount of power than a desktop unit and once they are charged can run for upto 10 hours (depending on what you are doing with the computer of course)
We are on standalone solar and the laptop has been the best thing we have bought power saving wise, our old computer was rated at around 700-800watts in comparison with the 65 watt battery charger!

Only gripe with Dell is all their stuff is proprietary, and the price reflects it too. $200 difference between those 2 models for an extra 4GB of RAM. 4GB of DDR3 is only around $40 max if you buy it elsewhere.

They run fine, they're just annoying if you ever want to upgrade/repair it.

If you go for a desktop stay away from AMD. A mate in the Whitsundays runs a computer shop and he had a shop full of overheated AMD laptops. They run too hot apparently. Hence why HN had a two for one offer on them late last year.

eBay and computers is not a match made in heaven. But a greart way to rebirth stolen gear. Warranty returns are expensive if you buy a lemon.

Check out Whirlpool for some help, if you can get passed the trolls.

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/7
If you can operate a phillips head screw driver you could always look at building your own. On average it takes me less than 40 minutes from start to finish. If you have never done one before there are plenty of how to videos online as well as plenty of online computer stores that will also build from the parts selected. I used to teach 70 year old retired cane farmers how to build and maintain computers at TAFE so it can't be that hard.

Stick with a reputable retailer unless you want something custom made and then go in and talk to your local computer store. You may be surprised by what they can build if you give them your budget.

There is now nothing wrong with AMD cpu's. Yes they run hot but the manufactures account for this by the proper use of case fans and natural ventilation. Customers who buy them and then put them in 'computer desks' with no ventilation around the case or have 20 cats shedding kilos of hair every day will kill a computer quicker than anything else no matter what the brand of cpu.

Yes I am actually a computer tech with 15 years industry experence in case anyones wondering.

To kill a laptop do the following:
Only ever use it on a blanket or propped up on a pillow so no air can ciruclate under it, never clean the air vents and always allow you cat to sit on it during the day while you are at work. Never turn it off but just close the lid and throw it in you computer bag so that it sits there idling until teh battery runs flat all teh while getting hotter and hotter. Please do spill coffee all over it when ever possible, never place in in a shade spot in the car away from direct sunlight and on the odd occasions that you clean the screen please use household detergent and a scouring pad. If you do this I will make lost of money and remain in a viable business. Thanks.

^ And always pick it up by the screen for good measure

[quote=Mike (SBT)
If you can operate a phillips head screw driver you could always look at building your own. On average it takes me less than 40 minutes from start to finish. If you have never done one before there are plenty of how to videos online as well as plenty of online computer stores that will also build from the parts selected. I used to teach 70 year old retired cane farmers how to build and maintain computers at TAFE so it can't be that hard.
[/quote]

I would second thatr, and that is coming from a DIY knuckle head, but PC's are easy.

I have two AMD quad cores that I build myself.

One thing I would do is invest in an aftermarket CPU cooler, rather than the one that comes with the CPU. I have a cheap $25 Coolermaster Hyper TX in both my PC's and they run very silent - best investment you can make.

I have found that this store is very competitive with prices and I have had stuff turn up next day after order.

http://pccasegear.com/

There are also new cases these days that do not need screws for you drives.

I did the same when I upgraded my AMD rig early last year. Bought most of my new parts from Umart, replaced the stock cooler with a cheap Coolermaster Hyper-212+. Haven't had a single problem with it.

I second ozthunder's post above. I built my current machine, an AMD Phenom II six core from the ground up from individual parts bought from pccasegear with good and prompt service. This computer cost $1400 inclusive of everything. I've had no heat problems with it in a non airconditioned room during summer. The stock CPU fan is a bit noisy at high load and sooner or later I'll replace it with something larger that moves as much air with lower revs.

A useful way to reduce CPU heat, fan speed, power consumption and probably increase the CPU's life is to use a utility program that monitors CPU load and adjusts the CPU speed accordingly. While you're only doing light duty tasks there's no point running the CPU flat out. When you do want a bit more processing power the speed is instantly increased. I use such a program in Linux to great effect. There's Windows equivalents as well.

Grant,

If you just want a PC to run as a server for your AWS, you could look at just spending $100 on a second hand computer from eBay. You can purchase good reconditioned HP and Dell PC's from eBay and many of them now will run Windows 7. The beauty with these PC's is if they fall apart in 2 to 3 years, then just throw them in the bin and get another one. Still a lot cheaper then buying a brand new computer to run an AWS.

I am currently running my Ubuntu server with my AWS programs 24/7 on a HP desktop PC with an Intel Pentium 4 processor. I picked it up on eBay over 3 years ago and it cost me $110. I replaced the HD and added some RAM in it since then and the fan is starting to get a little noisy, but it still does what I need it to do.

Just an idea. But of course, if you need it to be your main work computer also, then it maybe viable to spend the money on a brand new machine and get exactly what you want.

G'Day everyone,

Thanks all for your advice, gives me lots more to think about which is good. Apologies for the delayed reply, work has been busy of late, i've had a few sick days & when I have had a spare minute I have been unable to get my ADSL connected!

Ebay does look promising I must say.

ColdFront - In hindsight, I think a gaming type PC may be the way to go for me. I figure if I get into video editing & the like, the extra power will come in handy.

Adam°C - I would have preferred to purchase from a local PC store however I don't believe there are any left in my town which is surprising given it's size.

thomo - Yeah I have heard the same advice re- Dell PC's over the years, ie that they are a budget brand. But sounds like I will definitely have to check them out as well.

Mike (SBT) Busby et al - I've never put a PC together from scratch so i'm kinda reluctant to do so. I'm not sure of the technicalities of parts required & also potential compatibility issues between different parts. I will check out some of those online videos though when I get the chance!

Rime - Yeah, I intend using this new PC as a combined work & AWS PC. I like the convenience of always having it on so I can jump on the net or whatever at any moment (when the stupid ADSL connection is cooperating LOL). I'm looking at having two wireless network cards in this one PC where one is linked to my AWS router & the other my ADSL modem, this should allow me to upload data direct to my website automatically (when I figure out how to write something to read the .CSV files.

Thanks again everyone for your advice, I will keep you updated on how things are travelling when I can.

Grant

AMD are ok in desktops. Typo on my part. Second part was right. Laptops don't like them as they run hot. The comp tech who advised me on this has made every successful living out of it for the past 25 years so I suspect he'd know what he's on about.

G'Day everyone,

Well, I am still on the hunt as it turns out, so I have a few more queries...

First one I have learnt is that if I want over 4GB of RAM, then it is best for me to go for a Windows 64bit operating system (OS) - now looking at getting Win7 pro with 64bit. I believe this should not affect any of the software I am running but it appears I will need to purchase new hardware as my current 32bit hardware will not be compatible with the newer 64bit. What I am wondering is, does this apply to all my hardware items, in particular keyboard & mouse, monitor & sound system?

Just wondering if there were any other things I should be looking out for?


Cheers,
Grant

Hi Grant,

You don't really need Windows Professional, unless you're serious about computing etc. Home Premium 64bit does the job nicely for most people (unless there's a feature you specifically need in Pro) - otherwise the price just isn't worth it. More than 4GB of RAM is definitely a recommendation, the more RAM the better!

To be honest, I've never really heard of issues with hardware items and 64Bit. I would assume that pretty much all modern hardware comes ready with drivers for both 64Bit and 32Bit.
I upgraded my laptop (which came preinstalled with Vista 32Bit) to 64Bit Win7. Still using my original mouse and have used numerous keyboards that have come from our Home XP 32Bit system.
Likewise, I'm still using my soundsystem from pre 64Bit.

I just have to make sure that when I (in the unusual event) have to download drivers for something I get the 64Bit versions. No problems here!

OK from the start let me say I am a computer tech with 14 years industry experience. I have built literally thousands of computers in that time both as part of my business as well as working in a couple of Qld schools as an IT Tech.

Win 7 Pro is a waste of time and money unless you are in a multi PC Network or using it as a business computer, again on a network - Win 7 Home is more than adequate for all home users need. The only reason Pro is good is the added networking capacity.

DVD burners, printers, scanners all will work on a 64bit system without any problems as 64 systems can also run 32 bit programs (but not the other way around - you can't run a 64 bit program on a 32 bit system)

RAM - minimum I would be looking at without a dedicate video card would be 4Gb, with a video card I would look at probably 8Gb with a 1Gb video card. (They will work on both 32 and 64bit systems).

You can actually slow a system down by installing too much ram - so check your motherboard specs first.
Monitor, sound system, keyboard, mouse won't be effected by a change in 32bit to 64 bit.

How to pick your new components
1) Motherboiard - Intel or AMD? What do you want it for? Onboard graphics or seperate video card, How many USB ports, do you need to have a RAID array or just a couple of hard drives.
2) CPU - are you looking at a gaming machine, graphics intensive or just a run of the mill PC?
3) RAM? What type and how much will you need? I have run a windows 7 install on 256Mb, it ran like a one legged dog but it ran.
4) Are you going to build it yourself or just buy off the shelf?
5) where are you looking at?

Umart has an online parts picker - : http://www.umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=4

Have a look at this for a basic system:

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H MB, Intel Z77 Chipset, Socket 1155, 4x DDR, SATA3, USB3.0, GbELAN, 7.1CH Internet Price: $119.00 (Supports up to 32Gb DDR 3 RAM)

CPU: Intel Core i3 2130 3.40Ghz 3MB Cache LGA1155 CPU Internet Price: $145.00

RAM: Kingmax 8G(1X8G)PC-10600 1333MHZ DDR3 Internet Price: $42.00

Operating SystemMicrosoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM(Microsoft OEM Terms&condition apply)
Internet Price: $93.00 (I would also get a hold of the latest Ubuntu - free OS and dual boot it)

Videocard: Gigabyte GF GT610 Silent PCI-E 2.0 1GB 64-bit DDR3,810/1200 MHz,DVI,HDMI,VGA,Fan,LOW PRO Internet Price : $41.00

Case: Thermaltake Black Versa II Mid Tower Chassis & 500w PSU (USB3) Internet Price: $73.00

Hard Drive: Seagate SATA3 1TB 7200RPM 64mb Cache Internet Price: $78.00


DVD/Blueray Burner: LG BH14NS40 BLK BluRay Burner OEM Burner,10xBD-R Read/Write, 16xDVD+-R Read/Write,SATA, Silt Play, Win7Comp
Internet Price: $89.00

Total $638.00 (if I added it up right. Very similar to my system (Motherboard, RAM, CPU all the same but I have 3 1Tb hard drives and a dedicated 1Gb video Card and a few other tweaks)

You can even get Umart to build the system for you and get it all delivered in one piece if you don't want to build it yourself.

Hey man,

My two cents worth would be to build your own computer and get the shop you are ordering from to assemble it. They usually do it and set up Windows for you for about $50 which isn't that bad. This way you get individual warranties on the gear but you can open up the computer, to upgrade RAM or whatever.
You will probably want to get 8GB of RAM as it is a nice base number and most tasks should run fine on that. It will also be useful for such things as video editing and processing photos ect. This means you have to have a 64bit system as a 32bt OS will only recognise 3.6GB I think
You can pick up a beefy graphics card for around $200-$300 and RAM should also be fairly cheap and I recommend using DDR3 as its new
Most importantly grab yourself a good motherboard that wont go outdated for another 5 years or so and one with some port left over incase you want to improve it. For my recent computer I got my Motherboard, CPU and Ram in a bundle that cost $800 and I was told that it would last a while.
I was wondering how easy it is to get to Newcastle for a day to see if they have a place that can help you out if not maybe even sydney as it is so much better if they can show you what you are buying and how it goes together rather than guessing on a website.

All of your hardware should work unless it is stuff that goes inside the computer.... i.e older/newer RAM does not go well together and newer computers can't take old CPUs

Hope you find what you are looking for