need recommendations for a PC

ixfd64 · 2012-10-16, 16:58

Good (morning|afternoon|evening).

I'm looking for a new PC for the purpose of a personal project. My criteria are as follows:

A fairly recent processor with at least four cores
An Nvidia GPU with at least 384 CUDA cores
My budget is $1,300

The computer isn't intended for finding primes, but the ability to get a high throughput with Prime95 and mfaktc/mmff are a plus. My current top choice is the the Alienware X51 with with a 2 TB hard drive; the total cost slightly over $1,100. Does anyone know of any better deals?

Thanks!

firejuggler · 2012-10-16, 17:15

The only problem I have with Alienware is thee 'premium' you pay for the brand. But thats probably still a good computer.

kracker · 2012-10-16, 17:51

IF you build it yourself... it shouldn't be that hard... to get that

EDIT: Or maybe it will. hmm..

Dubslow · 2012-10-16, 18:01

Build it yourself, it'll be cheaper.

Regardless, you probably want something with an i5-2500, i7-2600, i5-3570, or i7-3770. Those are the best "mainstream" (meaning < $500) processors.

Don't get any Kepler GPUs, i.e. GTX 6xx. They were a leap forward for graphics, but a leap backwards for CUDA. Get a CC 2.0 (not 2.1) GTX [45][78]0 (any of the four).

If you plan to overclock, go with Sandy Bridge -- ix-2xxx.

chappy · 2012-10-16, 19:06

you can build your own system, but these days the money savings aspect isn't all that great. What is great about it is that you can pick and choose the components and plan for future upgrades.

Alienware, I've heard, builds good machines. But, you do pay a premium and you don't get the cost savings of cheaper power supplies and motherboards that you would get with Dell or HP.

I have used and recommend Hardware Revolution as an excellent resource for building systems.

I have never used, but have heard good things about CyberPowerPC which is a vendor who basically lets you choose what parts you want and builds them for you. Takes longer than pre-builts from Dell, costs a little more than building it yourself. But you get what you want and it will be tested as working by someone before you get it. (I'm sure there are other vendors like this--I've seen similar type things on Ebay)

I have a home-built i5-3570k system which I built for less than $400 plus some spare parts I had sitting around which for a little bit more money could have had a better powersupply and a Gtx-570 or 580 and still come in well under your $1100 (plus you'd have to run some operating system)

But, then you have that moment of truth where you have to swing that ZIF arm down on the processor and you wonder to yourself "was that $200s breaking? or was that the click of sucess?"

I had a good time making multiple trips to Microcenter for parts...you may just want the damned thing working.

petrw1 · 2012-10-16, 19:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dubslow

Build it yourself, it'll be cheaper.

Regardless, you probably want something with an i5-2500, i7-2600, i5-3570, or i7-3770.
If you plan to overclock, go with Sandy Bridge -- ix-2xxx.

Can't I OC Ivy?

kracker · 2012-10-16, 20:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by petrw1

Can't I OC Ivy?

It generates moreee heat, thanks to the new 22nm.

petrw1 · 2012-10-16, 20:26

This begs the question: what is faster: OC Sandy or non OC Ivy of comparable size. Ie i5

Dubslow · 2012-10-16, 20:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by petrw1

This begs the question: what is faster: OC Sandy or non OC Ivy of comparable size. Ie i5

Depends on the OC. I think Ivy gets ~5, maybe 10% IPC improvement, so your OC would have to be around that much faster.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kracker

It generates moreee heat, thanks to the new 22nm.

It's less the new process than some cheaper thermal solutions Intel used.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_Bri...en_overclocked

kracker · 2012-10-16, 20:57

A nice article on OC'ing Ivy Bridge

petrw1 · 2012-10-17, 00:33

It suggests to me that even with modest OC I'm best to stick to Sandy.
Is that the majority consensus?

Thx

Actually looking at the benchmarks it appears that even a stock Ivy out performs an OC Sandy.

Code:

CPU Model			Avg	17.55M	20.05M	24.93M	29.69M	34.56M	39.50M	49.10M	58.52M	68.13M	Trial
				(MHz)	20.05M	24.93M	29.69M	34.56M	39.50M	49.10M	58.52M	68.13M	77.91M	65
					(1024K)	(1280K)	(1536K)	(1792K)	(2048K)	(2560K)	(3072K)	(3584K)	(4096K)	bits
Intel Core i5-3570K @ 3.40GHz	3529	7.05	8.91	10.99	13.21	14.55	18.61	22.84	28.03	30.76	3.09
Intel Core i7-2600K @ 3.40GHz	4450	7.80	10.08	12.29	14.95	16.45	21.01	25.81	31.12	34.68	2.69

2012-10-16, 16:58	#1
ixfd64 Bemusing Prompter "Danny" Dec 2002 California 2×3×17×23 Posts	need recommendations for a PC Good (morning\|afternoon\|evening). I'm looking for a new PC for the purpose of a personal project. My criteria are as follows: A fairly recent processor with at least four cores An Nvidia GPU with at least 384 CUDA cores My budget is $1,300 The computer isn't intended for finding primes, but the ability to get a high throughput with Prime95 and mfaktc/mmff are a plus. My current top choice is the the Alienware X51 with with a 2 TB hard drive; the total cost slightly over $1,100. Does anyone know of any better deals? Thanks! Last fiddled with by ixfd64 on 2012-10-16 at 16:58

2012-10-16, 17:51	#3
kracker ἀβουλία "Mr. Meeseeks" Jan 2012 California, USA 3²·241 Posts	IF you build it yourself... it shouldn't be that hard... to get that EDIT: Or maybe it will. hmm.. Last fiddled with by kracker on 2012-10-16 at 17:54

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2012-10-16, 17:15	#2
firejuggler Apr 2010 Over the rainbow 9D4₁₆ Posts	The only problem I have with Alienware is thee 'premium' you pay for the brand. But thats probably still a good computer.

2012-10-16, 18:01	#4
Dubslow Basketry That Evening! "Bunslow the Bold" Jun 2011 40<A<43 -89<O<-88 3×29×83 Posts	Build it yourself, it'll be cheaper. Regardless, you probably want something with an i5-2500, i7-2600, i5-3570, or i7-3770. Those are the best "mainstream" (meaning < $500) processors. Don't get any Kepler GPUs, i.e. GTX 6xx. They were a leap forward for graphics, but a leap backwards for CUDA. Get a CC 2.0 (not 2.1) GTX [45][78]0 (any of the four). If you plan to overclock, go with Sandy Bridge -- ix-2xxx.

2012-10-16, 19:06	#5
chappy "Jeff" Feb 2012 St. Louis, Missouri, USA 2205₈ Posts	you can build your own system, but these days the money savings aspect isn't all that great. What is great about it is that you can pick and choose the components and plan for future upgrades. Alienware, I've heard, builds good machines. But, you do pay a premium and you don't get the cost savings of cheaper power supplies and motherboards that you would get with Dell or HP. I have used and recommend Hardware Revolution as an excellent resource for building systems. I have never used, but have heard good things about CyberPowerPC which is a vendor who basically lets you choose what parts you want and builds them for you. Takes longer than pre-builts from Dell, costs a little more than building it yourself. But you get what you want and it will be tested as working by someone before you get it. (I'm sure there are other vendors like this--I've seen similar type things on Ebay) I have a home-built i5-3570k system which I built for less than $400 plus some spare parts I had sitting around which for a little bit more money could have had a better powersupply and a Gtx-570 or 580 and still come in well under your $1100 (plus you'd have to run some operating system) But, then you have that moment of truth where you have to swing that ZIF arm down on the processor and you wonder to yourself "was that $200s breaking? or was that the click of sucess?" I had a good time making multiple trips to Microcenter for parts...you may just want the damned thing working.

2012-10-16, 20:26	#8
petrw1 1976 Toyota Corona years forever! "Wayne" Nov 2006 Saskatchewan, Canada 10663₈ Posts	This begs the question: what is faster: OC Sandy or non OC Ivy of comparable size. Ie i5

2012-10-16, 20:57	#10
kracker ἀβουλία "Mr. Meeseeks" Jan 2012 California, USA 3²×241 Posts	A nice article on OC'ing Ivy Bridge