# What is the difference?



## Soap (Mar 16, 2011)

So, I was looking through newegg with high hopes of leaving my old desktop for a new one ... or maybe even taking a venture and building one, as I think it would be a great experience.

I found these two desktops, the cheaper (but brand I have heard less of) seems to be a more powerful computer?
Newegg.com - iBUYPOWER Gamer Power 567D3 Desktop PC Phenom II X4 925(2.8GHz) 4GB DDR3 1TB HDD Capacity ATI Radeon HD 5570 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
and
Newegg.com - CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra 2074 Desktop PC Athlon II X2 255(3.1GHz) 4GB DDR3 1TB HDD Capacity ATI Radeon HD 5450 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
What is the difference? Which is better and why? Pros/cons? Will the better brand one be more durable/better?
Anyone who can enlighten me on this is most appreciated 


Also, would building my own PC result in a better and more wallet-friendly computer?


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## Markgg88 (Jan 7, 2011)

The more expensive one is actually the better system. It has a better video card and a better CPU. However most-if not all-pre-built systems use low quality power supplies so you'll be better off building your own.

Building your own may not be more wallet friendly, but you'll get better quality parts and YOU choose the components that you want.


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## Soap (Mar 16, 2011)

I'll start looking at some computer building guides on the forum and other sites, I would start with a case right? Along these lines: Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ?
Also, I have an ATI Radeon X1650 (Would it be compatible?) I might be able to use for my build, although it may be much better to get a better or higher end graphics card.


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## Markgg88 (Jan 7, 2011)

Cooler Master make great cases and this is one of their best cases. 
The card compatibility is determined by the motherboard that's going into.

Honestly the Radeon X1650 is pretty much outdated by now and won't play anything moderately new. You'll be better off with a higher end card.


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## Soap (Mar 16, 2011)

Will most motherboards fit in this case?
I'm not sure of the dimensions and all, the case says 
"Motherboard Compatibility
Micro ATX / ATX"

Being fairly new to this, I'm not sure what that means, but I'm guessing it is the dimensions/type of motherboard that would fit in the case.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Our Suggested Builds all use ATX (full size) Mobo's and you case will accept any of them.
mATX is smaller.
Building is definitely the better option and our builds use nothing but top quality hardware.


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## Soap (Mar 16, 2011)

A few questions:
What would you suggest, an AMD or Intel build? I did notice AMD builds seem cheaper for considerably better performance.

Will I be able to use any case of my choice that fits the ATX motherboards from the suggested builds?

Would I need an anti-static mat (or bracelet)? I plan to do this on a wooden table, I'm not sure if it would be necessary.

Thanks for all the time and help.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

I do nothing but Intel builds but that is my preference. Both are good CPU's.
Any Mid-Tower or larger will easily accept a ATX Mobo. If you have any doubts just post the case w/ a link and someone will help you.
Static straps are kind of a waste of money. Use a wooden table, place the Mobo on the box it came in, stand on a non-conductive surface, do a bench test. If/when the bench test is successful, touch a metal area of the case each prior to installing any hardware in the case.


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## Soap (Mar 16, 2011)

I heard that the humidity from the hands may also damage some components? Would gloves be needed? Though most guides I have seen thus far have all been with bare hands.

Also, would Newegg or GIGABYTE (or other) replace the mo-bo if it was shorted?

Thanks for the help, I'm looking forward to this.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

The oil in human sweat can be corrosive but that's not a big concern when assembling PC parts. The only part you should never touch is the CPU. It should be handled by the edges and the heatsink side should be cleaned thoroughly with 90% alcohol and a very soft cloth (coffee filters are great) after installing in the Mobo and before attaching the heatsink fan.
Newegg has a 30 day return policy. After that period of time you have to deal with the manufacturer. If you do a proper bench test prior to assembly in the case and use the required amount of standoffs (one for each and every mounting hole in the Mobo) there is no reason to short out a Mobo.


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## Soap (Mar 16, 2011)

How do I know if the heatsink has thermal paste pre-applied? ..and if it does, should I apply more or is the pre-applied amount good?

...and would you consider the $1000 Intel Suggested Build to be better/superior to the $800 AMD Suggested Build? (disregarding the price difference)


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

OEM and most addon heatsinks ship with thermal paste.

Boils down to brand preference. The systems should be fairly equal. You can compare cpu speeds at tomshardware.com (cpu charts)


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## Soap (Mar 16, 2011)

I found the 800 AMD build to end up costing around $730 for everything (Without OS and S&H), the RAM suggested said "_Deactivated. _This item is currently out of stock and it may or may not be restocked." so I found these: Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory Model CMZ4GX3M2A1600C8
Corsair, good brand as far as I know? ...and only 59.99.

I'm going to be building my computer soon, really looking forward to it and I am extremely grateful to be able to have the forum and TSF team (as well as fellow TSF members) to consult for help.
Thanks for everything.


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## Soap (Mar 16, 2011)

I don't want to flit from idea to idea, but, due to my current budget, I may need to leave my hopes of building a computer for some future time when the wallet-reaper allows it.

Are any of these computers suggested?
Newegg.com - CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra 2074 Desktop PC Athlon II X2 255(3.1GHz) 4GB DDR3 1TB HDD Capacity ATI Radeon HD 5450 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
Newegg.com - iBUYPOWER LAN Warrior 531B3 Desktop PC Athlon II X4 640(3.0GHz) 4GB DDR3 1TB HDD Capacity NVIDIA GeForce GT 430 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Newegg.com - Acer AX3910-U4022 (PT.SED02.016) Desktop PC Pentium dual-core E5800(3.20GHz) 4GB DDR3 1TB HDD Capacity Intel GMA X4500HD Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Newegg.com - iBUYPOWER Gamer Power 559D3 Desktop PC Phenom II X4 840(3.2GHz) 8GB DDR3 1TB HDD Capacity NVIDIA GeForce GT 440 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (A bit expensive choice)
Newegg.com - iBUYPOWER Gamer Power 538D3 Desktop PC Athlon II X2 240(2.8GHz) 4GB DDR3 500GB HDD Capacity NVIDIA GeForce GT 240 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Some things I am looking for are good cooling, good for all around use and some gaming, HDMI, and some upgrade-ability. 

Or would building the $500 AMD system STILL be superior (It would be roughly $600 with OS)

I think the best thing to do with my budget (Around $400-600. $700 is a bit high, unless it is REALLY worth it) would be to get a pre-built computer until I can save up around $1000 for a good building project, unless the Suggested 500 AMD build is really better than all/most of the computers I linked to above.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Building your own is almost always the better option to insure you get good quality hardware.
I can only suggest a pre-built PC when there are absolutely no other options.


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## Soap (Mar 16, 2011)

I didn't notice the 500 Build was actually a 3.2 GHz processor, it ends up being roughly the same price as the computers I linked and for quality parts, as you have said.
By far the best choice, and I get to build my first computer!

My current desktop has a CD/DVD drive, are they universal? Would I be able to use it with the new build?

Once again, thanks for all the help.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

You can reuse your optical drive. I'm certain you will be much happier with a PC that you build yourself. There is just no down side.


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## Soap (Mar 16, 2011)

More questions, I just don't give up, do I?... 

I found these two cases:
Newegg.com - Thermaltake V3 Black Edition VL80001W2Z Black SECC / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
This one is cheaper, but I'm not sure if its better than the Antec TWO HUNDRED S Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case and I'm not sure if everything would fit well in it.

Also saw this one:
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN3 CM690 II Basic Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
A bit more expensive, raising the cost of the build, but I would make the sacrifice if it was better and worth the extra money.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Cases are a personal choice. That CoolerMaster is very roomy inside and it's built like a tank. But it is considerably more expensive than the ThermalTake.


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## Soap (Mar 16, 2011)

I'm confused about "2.5 SATA Hard Drives"

I made a newegg search of them, and ALL of them were notebook hard drives. 

Now I'm thinking: I have an HP pavilion dv6-1238nr (which no longer works, fried GPU I think) and I would like to take my files out of the hard drive.
I can get to the hard drive out pretty easily.
Would I be able to take the hard drive out and plug that in to my build with the Antec TWO HUNDRED S Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case? Would I be able to use it as my main/secondary hard drive?
I could shave off a few dollars by using that temporarily.

Also, the notebook operated on Windows Vista OS, so if I use that hard drive as my main hard drive (if possible) does that mean the computer would run windows vista (before installing any other OS)?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

2.5" drives are laptop drives, 3.5" are desktop drives, the exception is all SSD drives are 2.5" and use a adapter to mount to a desktop case, unless you select one of the few cases that have a 2.5" drive slot.

You could use either drive the laptop drive if pata will need a adapter and you need to reinstall Windows before either most likely boot or run properly.


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## Soap (Mar 16, 2011)

The hard drive is:
Hard drive: 320GB (5400RPM) hard drive (SATA) (Serial ATA-150)

Will I be able to plug it into this motherboard: Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-770T-USB3 AM3 AMD 770 USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard in the Antec Two hundred S case?

EDIT: Found the exact hard drive:
Newegg.com - Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD3200BEVT 320GB 5400 RPM 8MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive -Bare Drive


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Yes it'll work, you'll need a adapter bracket to mount it in the case however> Newegg.com - Mushkin Enhanced MKNSSDBRKT2535 3.5" to 2.5" drive adapter bracket


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## Soap (Mar 16, 2011)

Could I use it (temporarily, like to get my files out) without mounting it?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Sure you can hook it up to retrieve the files without mounting it.


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## Soap (Mar 16, 2011)

Two more questions:
1. The Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GV-R567OC-1GI Rev2.0 Radeon HD 5670 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card is out of stock, what video card could I use instead? Or should I look for this one on another site? (AMD 500 Suggested Build)

2. For fans, I need 3 more 120mm fans to fill up the Antec Two Hundred S case. I want to add at least 2 more fans in addition to the 2 stock fans it brings.
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER R4-S2S-124K-GP 120mm Case Fan would be a good choice, I would have 1 fan as a backup, in case one stops working, but I would like to be able to plug the fans in to the motherboard to control them via software, and I don't have any fan screws.
My other choice is the Newegg.com - Rosewill RFA-120-K 120mm Case Fan fans, they have an adapter to plug into the motherboard of the PSU and they bring all (and extra?) screws to install them.


Which fans do you suggest? Are there any other fans you suggest?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Here's the last one I used> Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE FleX 100289FLEX Radeon HD 5670 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card with Eyefinity

Rosewill items are of questionable quality, I use Antec fans> Newegg.com - Antec 75003 120mm Case Fan


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## Soap (Mar 16, 2011)

How can I find out how many 3 pin fans I can connect to the Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-770T-USB3 AM3 AMD 770 USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard ?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

1 CPU, 2 System. there is also a PWR_Fan header that can be used for a case fan.
The manual tells all> GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket AM3 - GA-770T-USB3 (rev. 1.0)


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## Soap (Mar 16, 2011)

*Am I good to go?*

So, this is what I have so far:

CASE: Newegg.com - Antec TWO HUNDRED S Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

PSU: Newegg.com - SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

VIDEO CARD: Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE FleX 100289FLEX Radeon HD 5670 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card with Eyefinity

MOTHERBOARD: Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-770T-USB3 AM3 AMD 770 USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

CPU: Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto 3.2GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Desktop Processor - C3 Revision HDZ555WFGMBOX

RAM: Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory Model CMZ4GX3M2A1600C8

HARD DRIVE: Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

OS: Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit English 1-Pack - Operating Systems

DVD ROM: I will be using my old desktop's one until I can get myself a nice blu-ray one.

Is it all compatible? Any other suggestions/changes?

Thanks for all the help.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Looks good, only thought I have if you plan on upgrading the video card in the future to a larger card the 650TX power supply is currently the same price after the rebate.
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply


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## Soap (Mar 16, 2011)

I think I will be going with the PSU you suggested, but only one concern:

The Newegg.com - SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply is "80 Plus BRONZE Certified", but the one you suggested (although more wattage) only says "80 Plus Certified"
I thought the PSU guide said to look for PSUs with "BRONZE" or better certification.
The efficiency on the SeaSonic is >87%, and on the CORSAIR it is >80%?
Does that change anything?

Otherwise, the price is the same and it is a very good idea.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The 650TX is 80+, when tested it failed bronze under cross-loading which rarely happens, the 650TX v2 which is what I should have linked to is Bronze certed> Newegg.com - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply


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## Soap (Mar 16, 2011)

Great, I will be ordering soon if all goes according to plan.

Thanks.


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