PC Build advice

[stigzler]

So my first effort at building a PC 3 years ago has finally given up the ghost. I think I mixed and matched things too much! Lots of weird graphical artefacts and have no idea whether it's the mobo or one of the GPUS (Radeon HD5800) - either way - think it's buggered.

I can salvage some of the parts, namely the SSD, after-market cooler, case, fans and PSU (600w) + drives etc.

leaving me to source:

- Mobo

- CPU

- GPU x 2 (to run 3 monitor support) - guessing one powerful one (run games on) and one functional (as would only be holding windows - no gaming etc)

Only other requirement being ATX to fit the case. 

Looking to bring this in at under £500 (UK money)

I don't know why, but it feels wise to stick with Intel and NVidia. However, happy to be advised otherwise

General purpose machine - some gaming, image + video manipulation and coding. 

You guys are good at this stuff - what would you advise?

[tthurman]

My guess is that the graphical artifacts are your Radeon's, I've had them on a XFX 5770, replaced under lifetime warranty with a new 6770.  In my case it was a defective GPU, but it's entirely possible that you could simply have a very dirty heatsink/fan causing this, especially if it's one of those squirrel cage types that's completely encased.  If that's the case, I'd suggest you blow it out thoroughly with some compressed air.  This is what the XFX cooler I had looked like, and XFX instructed me to remove the heatsink/fan and clean it thoroughly.  It was caked solid on the inside heat sink fins that you couldn't see until removal of the shroud.  At the very least it's s simple exercise that could save you a lot of money.

I've used AMD GPU's for some time, and I've been quite pleased with them.  I believe they offer the best value, but at the same time I've had two fail.  I also think nVidia is a superior card for emulation, and so that's what I'm using in my GameEx rig.

I'm also a big believer that if your gonna build new, don't buy history.  The i56600K seems to represent the best price/performance ratio, at least to me.  Some pretty decent on-board graphics here, so this combined with a good GPU for gaming and you very well could be set with a single GPU.

I've been doing some research on this myself since around the first of the year.  In all honesty I no longer use or recommend ASUS motherboards after some rather bad experiences with their support and RMA process.  I went years without issue, but it was ruined in a matter of weeks.  That said, I've had good success with Gigabyte, but everything current seems a mixed bag.  I'm leaning towards this Supermicro as I've noticed over the last several years that their products tend to stand the test of time in the data center environment.

Unfortunately my old go to memory, Mushkin, isn't what it used to be, and neither is Crucial.  Out of the last six pairs I've bought, they've all been bad, and in turn RMA'd.  Patriot seems to have picked up the ball though, and my experience with their products has been good.  I hear glowing things about G-Skill as well, so once you decide on a speed flavor, these both seem solid choices.  I'm currently running a couple setups with Corsair DDR3 without problems as well. 

One interesting note, back in the DDR2 days I sprung for some high end Mushkin, that had really fast timings.  This failed, went back and was replaced with a lesser quality (speed) product.  When I complained about this I was told "there's really no difference in them anyway", which while in sharp contrast to the marketing of the product, gives some food for thought.  A good middle of the road product that isn't labelled "basic" should probably suit you as well as anything marketed with a bunch of overclocked speeds plastered all over it.  I'd pass on those and save some money, well if you don't intend to overclock that is.  

Note:  I'm not an overclocker

My .02

[stigzler]

Thanks t. Lots of food for thought. Ill try  cleaning the gpu, although had a quick look and didnt look too bad. However, ill check it into theatre and open her up...

[Draco1962]

I have had good luck with the Intel motherboard and nVidia GPU combos and using Corsair RAM. You pay a little more but the combo seems to take a beating pretty well. I am not a fan of the Intel supplied CPU fan and heat sinks and prefer aftermarket Cooler Master GeminII instead.

As I am not presently in the market, I can't give much guidance as to what kit to recommend, but I think you will find better performance and longivity in the latest Intel i5 or i7 Quad Cores.

[nullPointer]

If you haven't checked it out before (or haven't checked it out for a while), Tom's Hardware runs a regularly updated series of hardware recommendation articles.  It's definitely skewed towards what's up to date and modern, but I generally find their recommendations to be solid and trustworthy.  Furthermore their recommendations are generally tiered by price range/desired usage.

Best CPUs
Best Motherboards
Best GPUs

Also FWIW, count me among those that back Corsair RAM.  Hard.  Their Vengeance series has never let me down.  For that matter I've been pretty pleased with several of Corsair's hardware offerings.  In my main system I currently run Corsair RAM, PSU, and case, all of which have met or exceeded my expectations.

[stigzler]

Nice one fellas. Looking like reccs matching my gut feelings about Intel i5 or i7; nvidia gpu. The gigabyte steer's a good one as had a couple of boards that have failed. Sounds like Corsair's a cert too. 

However, ripped apart my dev rig, blaster it with the hoover and compressed air; electronics "cleanered" all the contacts on the cards and slapped it all back together. So far so good (as the bloke who fell off a building said). Also blasted my home server too + now it's humming like a content puddy cat rather than hooting like a demented walrus. 

Cheers tturman, dude. If this work, I owe you a pint. 

[stigzler]

I think tthurman may have just saved me £500.

[stigzler]

On 01/03/2016 at 1:48 AM, tthurman said:

At the very least it's s simple exercise that could save you a lot of money.

My .02

It's confirmed! It was a very simple exercise that saved me a lot of money. A hoover and a can of compressed air. And bingo! No more artefacts or weird GPU behaviour - it's like when I first got it. Presently enjoying Wipeout 3 in HD + as smooth as ice

tthurman - that's one major owe! Thanks dude.

[tthurman]

Sweet, that's fantastic news!

 

[Draco1962]

It's amazing how a little "dusting n cleaning" will keep the old gal nice and frosty.