DIY PC Configs, Prices, Guides [ 8 October 2010 ]

MyPillowTalks SG

Read THESE first:

All system are without OS and MONITOR*

Prices updated as of 8 October 2010

Dear Moderators(jf you all are free), if you have a copy of the latest price, please feel free to help me update this post, im quite busy as school started

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Budget System
The parts listed here are hard to find 1st hand, mostly 2nd hand. Maybe you have some left over parts/ or have real financial problem. Prices are "1st hand" prices, meaning 2nd hand should be cheaper. Look around the marketplace for 2nd hand systems, as they may even run faster than this

Intel Celeron C430 1.8Ghz + Biostar G31-M7 -------$110
DDR2 Ram 1GB                                                          $ 35
250GB HDD/Any thing that runs                                 $ 58
Dvd WRiter / 2nd hand writer                                     $   30
Casing with Powersupply                                            $ 40
Total                                                                               $273

Basic System $300-$400
Ideal for Word Processing, Internet surfing, Music, Office Administrating works.

Intel Based

Dual Core E5400 2.7ghz(800mhz,2mb)+Biostar G41 M7 ---- ~$154
Kingston DDR2 800 2GB                                              ---- ~$ 53
Hitachi 500GB HDD 7200rpm/16m cache                    ---- ~$ 53
LG DVD Writer                                                          ---- ~$ 35
Normal casing With 450Watts PSU                             ----~$   50
Total:                                                                             ~$ 345

Please note that E5400 is an LGA775 socket processor, and they are reaching the End Of Life soon. However, not to worry, as long as you RETAIN THE ORIGINAL INTEL FAN, you still have a 3 years international warranty from the date of purchase.

AMD Based

AMD Athlon X2 250 2.8ghz + Asus M4N68T-M ---- ~$182
Kingston DDR3 1333 2GB                                               ---- ~$ 55
Hitachi 500GB HDD 7200rpm/16m cache                     ---- ~$ 53
LG DVD Writer                                                           ---- ~$ 35
Normal casing With 450Watts PSU                             ----~$   50
Total:                                                                             ~$ 375

Budget Gaming Systems $500-$600
Ideal for playing lastest mainstream games at normal settings(not for maxed out effects), and serve well as a family computer system.

Intel Based

E6500 2.93ghz(1066mhz,2mb) + Biostar G41-M7 ~$169
Kingston 2GB DDR2 800mhz                                 ~$ 53
Hitachi 500GB HDD 7200rpm/16m cache              ~$ 53
LG DVD Writer                                                        ~$ 35
Palit GTS240 512mb                                               ~$139
Acbel E2 512w     ~$ 75
OR
Coolermaster Extreme 500watts                         ~$75
Headway Casing w/o PSU                                  ~$35

Total ~$559
Please note that E5400 is an LGA775 socket processor, and they are reaching the End Of Life soon. However, not to worry, as long as you RETAIN THE ORIGINAL INTEL FAN, you still have a 3 years international warranty from the date of purchase.

AMD Based

AMD Athlon X2 250 3ghz + Asus M4A78L-MLE 780L ~$187
Kingston 2GB DDR2 800mhz                                 ~$ 53
Hitachi 500GB HDD 7200rpm/16m cache              ~$ 53
LG DVD Writer                                                        ~$ 35
Palit GTS240 512mb                                               ~$139
Acbel E2 512w     ~$ 75
OR
CoolerMaster Extreme Power 500watts                 ~$ 75
Headway Casing w/o PSU                                  ~$35
Total                                                                        ~$577

Mainstream Gaming Systems $800-$1000
A level above the budget Gaming systems, the configurations listed in this category are ideal for multitasking, or gamer who wants good frame rate with nice graphics, and perhaps a little overclock

AMD Based

Athlon x4 635 3ghz + Gigabyte MA770T-Ud3P ~$293
Team Elite DDR3-1333 2x2gb                          ~$123
Western Digital 1TB, 64mb HDD                       ~$ 87
LG DVD Writer                                                   ~$ 35
PowerColour 5670                                             ~$159
Andyson F500 500 watts                                   ~$ 105
Some nicer Casing                                            ~$80
Total                                                                   ~$882

Add in a CoolerMaster V8                               +~$85

Mainstream Gaming Systems $1000-$1200
Configuration here have a graphics card that can produce a reasonable frame rate at a higher resolution in games.

Intel Based

Core i5 760 + GA H55M USB3.0                     ~$459
Team Elite DDR3-1333                                  ~$123
Western Digital 1TB, 64mb HDD                    ~$ 87
LG DVD Writer                                               ~$35
Andyson F500 500watts                                 ~$105
Gigabyte GTX-460 786mb DDR5              ~$289
Casing                                                            ~$80
Total                                                               ~$1178

Add in a CoolerMaster V8                             +~$85

AMD Based

Athlon x4 630 3ghz + Gigabyte MA770T-Ud3P ~$293
Team Elite DDR3-1333                                     ~$123
Western Digital 1TB, 64mb HDD                   ~$ 87
LG DVD Writer                                                   ~$ 35
Gigabyte GTX-460 786mb DDR5              ~$289
Andyson F500 500 watts                                   ~$ 105
Some nicer Casing                                            ~$80
Total                                                                   ~$1012

Add in a CoolerMaster V8                             +~$85

Mainstream Gaming Systems $1400-$1600
Graphics card in this configuration supports DirectX 11. Also, the setup here runs a little faster and have a bigger HDD

Intel Based

Core i5 760 + MSI P55 GD65                           ~$506
Team Elite DDR3-1333 2x2gb                                  ~$123
Western Digital Carvier Green 2TB            ~$155
LG DVD Writer                                             ~$35
Seasonic M12ii 620w                                                 ~$135
Sapphire 5850                                                           ~$409
CM 690                                                          ~$130
Total                                                              ~$1493

AMD Based

AMD Athlon Phenom X4 955 + GA M790FXTA-UD5 ~$496
Team Elite DDR3-1333 2x2gb                                  ~$123
Western Digital Carvier Green 2TB            ~$155
LG DVD Writer                                             ~$35
Seasonic M12ii 620w                                                 ~$135
Sapphire 5850                                                           ~$409
CM 690                                                          ~$130
Total                                                              ~$1483

Add in a CoolerMaster V8                             +~$85

High End Gaming Systems $1800-$1900
Configurations below supports Direct X 11, able to run games fast at a high resolution, have a bigger PowerSupply Unit to support some overclock. If you are looking for a workstation system(video editing/photoshop/autocad), changing the Graphics card to a workstation graphics card(FireGL/Quadro) will do.

Intel Based

Core i7 860 + Asus P7P55D-E PRO USB3.0 ~$668
Team Elite DDR3-1333                                     ~$123
Western Digital Carvier Green 2TB            ~$155
DVD Writer                                        ~$   35
MSI HD5870 1GB DDR5                 ~$ 599
Antec True Power 650 Watts           ~$184
NZXT M59 ATX Casing                    ~$100
Total:                                                ~$1863

AMD Based

AMD Athlon Phenom X4 955 + MSI 790GX-GD65 ~$442
Team Elite 2x2gb DDR3-1333                                ~$123
Western Digital Carvier Green 2TB            ~$155
DVD Writer                                                                 ~$   35
MSI HD5870 1GB DDR5                                          ~$599
Antec True Power 650 Watts                                    ~$184
CoolerMaster 690                                                       ~$129
Total:                                                                          ~$1667

Add in a CoolerMaster V8                             +~$85

High End Gaming System $2000-$3000
Computer here basically run applications/games very fast.

Intel Based 1

Core I7 860 + Asus Maximum III Formula ~$808
OCZ DDR3-1600                    ~$169
DVD Writer                                                ~$ 35
WesternD Black 2TB HDD BLACK       ~$232
Sapphire HD5870 Vapour X                     ~$649
Antec True Power 650 Watts                      ~$184
CoolerMaster RC-922 Casing                    ~$189
Total                                                               ~$2266

Add in a CoolerMaster V8                             +~$85

Intel Based 2

Core i7 930 + Gigabyte EX58A-UD3R ~$742
Corsair TR3X3G1333C9 6gb(3x2gb)   ~$289
DVD Writer                                               ~$35
*Western Digital 2TB HDD    Green       ~$155
Sapphire HD 5970 2GB DDR5             ~$879
Corsair HX850 EPS 850watts              ~$285
CoolerMaster HAF932 (FULLTOWER) ~$239
Total                                                             ~$2624
*CHANGE TO WESTERN DIGITAL BLACK 2TB ADD $166

Add in a CoolerMaster V8                             +~$85

High End Gaming Systems $3000-$3500
Ideal for gaming/overclocking/benchmarking

Intel Based

Core i7 930 + Asus P6TD Deluxe    ~$879
Corsair Dominator 3x2gb (6gb) DDR3    ~$379
DVD Writer                                                        ~$ 35
Western Digital Raptor(10k rpm) 150gb    ~$183
*Western Digital 2TB HDD for storage Green ~$155
Sapphire HD 5970 2GB DDR5                      ~$879
Corsair HX850 EPS 850watts                          ~$285
CoolerMaster HAF 932 (FULLTOWER)          ~$289
Total                                                                     ~$3084
*CHANGE TO WESTERN DIGITAL BLACK 2TB @ $232

Add in a CoolerMaster V8                             +~$85

Enthusiat Gaming System $3500-$4000
Combine what all the previous configurations can do, and this config can do it faster.
Motherboard and powersupplies here are very powerful, and allows you to add an extra high end graphics card, overclocking.

Intel Based

Core i7 960 + EVGA X58 SLI Classified    ~$1520
Corsair Dominator (3x2gb) 6GB DDR3            ~$ 379
DVD Writer                                                        ~$   35
Western Digital Raptor(10k rpm) 150GB          ~$195
*Western D 2TB HDD Green for storage          ~$249
Sapphire HD 5970 2GB DDR5             ~$879
Corsair HX1000 1000 Watts                              ~$399
CoolerMaster HAF932 (FULLTOWER)            ~$239
Total:                                                                       ~$3895
*CHANGE TO WESTERN DIGITAL BLACK 2TB ADD @$232

Add in a CoolerMaster V8                             +~$85

Enthusiat Gaming System $4000-$4500
Beware of your electrical bills

Intel Based

Core i7 960 + EVGA X58 SLI Classified          ~$1520
OCZ DDR3-2000 (3x2gb) 6GB 　　　　　　　　   ~$489
DVD Writer                                                            ~$35
^Western Digital Raptor(10k rpm) 300GB          ~$319
WesternD 2TB HDD   Green                              ~$155
Sapphire HD 5970 2GB DDR5                             ~$879
Corsair HX1000 1000Watts                                ~$399
CoolerMaster Sniper Storm (FULLTOWER)    ~$259
Total                                                                       ~$4000
*CHANGE TO WESTERN DIGITAL BLACK 2TB @ $232
^Change to Intel X25V 40GB Solid State Drive, @ $155.

Add in a CoolerMaster V8                             +~$85

Extreme Overclocker: $4500+-$5000+

Core i7 980X + EVGA X58 SLI Classified ~$ lets say $2300, didnt see this yet
OCZ DDR3-2000 (3x2gb) 6GB 　　　　　　　　   ~$489
DVD Writer                                                            ~$35
^Western Digital Raptor(10k rpm) 300GB          ~$319
*WesternD 2TB HDD   Green                            ~$249
Sapphire HD 5970 2GB DDR5             ~$879
Corsair HX1000 1000Watts                                ~$399
CoolerMaster Sniper Storm (FULLTOWER)    ~$259
Total                                                                       ~$4989
*CHANGE TO WESTERN DIGITAL BLACK 2TB ADD $166
^Change to Intel X25V 40GB Solid State Drive, MINUS $90.

Extreme Overclocker's Rig $5000++

Core i7 980x + Asus Rampage II Extreme ~$2122
OR
Core i7 980x + EVGA X58 SLI Classified ~$ lets say $2300, i didnt see this yet
OCZ DDR3-2000(3x2gb) 6gb                     ~$489
DVD Writer                                                    ~$ 35
Intel X25V 40gb Solid State Drive              ~$229
Western Digital Carviar Black 2TB           ~$420
2 x Sapphire HD5970                                  ~$1758
OR
2 x GTX 480 SLI                                           ~2 x $839
Thermaltake ToughPower 1.5k watts        ~$464
Lian Li ArmourSuit PC-80                          ~$649
Total                                                               ~$6236

Home Theatre PC

MSI 785GM-E51 MATX board + Athlon II X2 250 -> $259
2GB Kingston DDR3 1333MHz CL9 -                      $55
WD Caviar Green 64MB 2TB -                                 $155
DVD drive -                                                                $35
Andyson SILENT 480W -                                           $70
Integrated HD4200
Casing : Cheap MATX Casings aapprox    ~ $125
Total:                                                                      ~699

Possible Casings: LianLi PC-C39 MUSE, LianLi PC-C37MUSE, LianLi PC-C34F, LianLi PC-C33MUSE, LianLi PC-V351, Lian Li PC-Q07

Possible upgrades:

CM Hyper 101 - $28
Lite-On Bluray 8X internal - $219
Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio (Not really needed, since the onboard has pretty damn good SNR.) - $85

Set-up should have enough beef for HD movies and the occasional game. I'm looking for a small low profile casing, so hold on there, unless you know what to use :P

MiniITX PC

Set-up 1: HTPC/Low-power system

AMD Athlon II X2 240 - $86

J&W Minix 785G 128M AM2+ - $279

2x2GB DDR2 SO-DIMM - $130

640GB WD Caviar Green 32MB - $87

Apex MI-100 with PSU - $100-$150

LG DVD Drive - $34

MITX System 2: LAN Party

AMD Athlon II X2 240 - $86

J&W Minix 785G 128M - $279

2x2GB DDR2 SO-DIMM $130

1TB WD Caviar Green 64MB - $135

Silverstone Sugo SG-06 - $190

Sapphire HD5670 1GB - $149

NEEDS SLIMLINE DVD DRIVE*

Or just use an external drive.

J&W MINIX 890GX - $369 from Commerztech

AMD Phenom II X6 1055T 95W TDP - Special order (If money no issue then no issue lor)

AMD Athlon X4 630/640

2x2GB/2x4GB DDR3 1333MHz SO-DIMM

2TB Western Digital Caviar Green

Silverstone Sugo SG07B w/ 600W PSU- $369 from Niceday

And depending on your needs,

Anything from a GTX460 to a HD5970.

Point Of Sales System
System here is just a rough build of what a POS system requires, real POS system dont use motherboard that support crossfire, and they have additional cash drawer ports

Celeron 1.8ghz with simple motherboard             $100
64MB of ram                                                          $ 35 or lower
HDD of 20GB or less                                             $ 50

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Prices of Operating Systems and softwares
Product prices are at an approx.

Windows XP Home                  $118
Windows XP Professional 32bit            $199
Windows XP Professional 64bit            $228

Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit          $130
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit          $132
Windows 7 Professional 32 bit         $186
Windows 7 Professional 64 bit         $188
Windows 7 Ultimate              32 bit         $276
Windows 7 Ultimate              64 bit         $288

Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Student 3User Pack     $175
MIcrosoft Office 2010 Home and Business                         $245
Microsoft Office 2010 Professional                                      $460
Microsoft Office Basic 2007              $ 239
Microsoft Office Small Business 2007       $ 390
Microsoft Office Professional 2007              $ 419

Avira AntiVirus AV10 1 User/ 3 Users                                          $27/$43
Avira AntiVirus Internet Security 2010 1 User/ 3 User/ 5Users $43/$72/$95
Kaspersky Antivirus 1 User/3Users             $27/ $43
Kaspersky Internet Security2010 1User/ 3User         $57/ $72
Norton Anti Virus 2009                                                $22
Norton internet Security 2009                                       $32
Norton 360 Version 4.0                                   $116
PC Tools Spyware Antivirus 3 Users            $28
PC Tools Internet Security 3 Users          $38
ESET NOD32 Antivirus 1User/2Users              $36/$45
ESET Smart Security 4 1User/2Users/3Users/5Users   $36/$45/$51/$102

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Troubleshooting when computer doesn't start

Guide coming soon

Motherboards

Motherboard serves as the heart of the systems, linking everything together. If you aer just running a simple system, there is not a need to buy a very high end mobo. On

MyPillowTalks SG

Reserved

MyPillowTalks SG

Reserved for some guides

jonchao72 SG

for HDD i think western digital caviar black would be a better choice over seagate

for the config for price range 4k-4.5k, drop the raptor for intel x-25 SSD

for mobo, i think evga x58 classified would be a better choice coz of the fantastic customer support from the evga staff

should throw in a cpu cooler for those higher-end rigs

MyPillowTalks SG

for HDD i think western digital caviar black would be a better choice over seagate

for the config for price range 4k-4.5k, drop the raptor for intel x-25 SSD

for mobo, i think evga x58 classified would be a better choice coz of the fantastic customer support from the evga staff

should throw in a cpu cooler for those higher-end rigs

Changed the Western D Part, SSD is expensive, i'll try to see what i can do

X58 Classified i am leaving to higher end rigs, also becos of the price

I will add the CPU cooler in as an "Optional" Choice

jonchao72 SG

Changed the Western D Part, SSD is expensive, i'll try to see what i can do

X58 Classified i am leaving to higher end rigs, also becos of the price

I will add the CPU cooler in as an "Optional" Choice

the intel x-25 is about 400 bucks? the performance is also better than the raptor... so with that type of budget why not?

MyPillowTalks SG

the intel x-25 is about 400 bucks? the performance is also better than the raptor... so with that type of budget why not?

yea, i added it in.

SBS7484P SG

add in cooling guide.

i later go work type out and send to you ^^

time to add in 20k rpm noisy as shit 40mm fans

SBS7484P SG

CPU cooling:

There are three main types of cooling - air cooling, water cooling and extreme cooling.

For air cooling, it involves heatsinks (items which have large numbers of thin metal fins and copper pipes) and fans (things with blades that spin, make noise and move air). If you want your PC to run at its optimum performance, or to gain a larger overclock, you must ensure that your cooling is adequate.

For starters, those looking for a small to medium overclock can look to the CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ as a good alternative to stock CPU heatsinks.

The Hyper 212+ is affordable, offers very good performance for the price, and is comparable against high-end heatsinks. The Hyper 212+ in stock form is already good enough to cool an un-overclocked CPU. However, those chasing an overlcock are advised to swap out the stock fan for a higher-powered fan. Those who don't like the noise of a high-powered fan can opt to purchase two silent fans and configure the heatsink in push-pull, which means one fan pushing air into the heatsink and another pulling air out from it.

Those looking for extreme overclocks will want to look to even larger and more expensive heatsinks.

These include the Prolimatech Megahalems (sometimes called Mega Shadow if referring to the black coated version), ThermalRight Ultra-Extreme 120 (regular or Copper), ThermalRight Venomous-X and the Noctua NH-D14.

These high-performance heatsinks lets you take the most advantage of whichever fan you place on them. Because of their excellent ability to dissipate heat quickly, you can see large benefits from using quieter fans on these heatsinks in order to acheive your overclock.

If you want to push for more, the same rules apply here - more powerful fans or get another fan and push-pull that beast.

Water cooling:

Water cooling is a term to describe a cooling loop made out of waterblock(s), pump(s), radiator(s) and a reservoir. The contents of the liquid in a watercooled system are usually distilled water, propylene glycol and some antifreeze and anti-algae chemicals.

Sounds very complicated, but actually it isn't.

Some pre-built closed loop watercooling systems are available for purchase at stores around sim lim.

The most popular would be the Corsair H50. It is made out of a pump attached to a CPU waterblock which you mount directly on your CPU, and a small 120mm radiator that you mount on your casing along with a fan to push air to cool the water flowing through it.

Closed loop coolers like these have performance comparable to top-end air coolers like the Megahalems and are also priced competively.

If you want to push for higher clocks then you can assemble your very own watercooling loop.

For example, a Heatkiller 3.0LT CPU waterblock with a PA120.2 radiator, EKWB graphics card waterblock and a small reservoir will suffice to cool your system nicely.

Of course, to cool the water flowing thru the radiator, a fan must be used to move air.

There are a wide selection of fans and as usual the same rules apply.

One silent fan for regular use, one high performance fan for extreme overclocking or two silent fans in push-pull.

Extreme cooling:

There are two sub groups in extreme cooling. The first being Liquid Nitrogen cooling and the second being Phase Change cooling.

Both are very expensive and complicated enthusiast hobbies, and if done wrongly may cause harm to your system. Therefore, they will not be explained here.

SBS7484P SG

Case cooling

I will now touch on fans and case cooling.

Firstly, case cooling.

There are three types of case cooling - negative pressure, positive pressure, and balanced.

Negative pressure: This means that you have more fans sucking hot air out from your casing than fans pushing air into your casing.
For certain casing like CM HAF 932, the design is highly biased toward negative pressure, so you will see better temperatures if you use negative pressure cooling.

The drawbacks toward negative cooling though is that it allows cool air to be sucked in from crevices and holes all around the computer, which leads to dust being sucked in as well, and as such, a dusty computer.

Positive pressure: This is when you have more fans pushing cool air into your casing than fans sucking out hot air.

The advantage of this compared to negative cooling is that you can really reduce the amount of dust entering your casing.

This is called positve pressure because the pressure inside the casing is higher than the surrounding, and air is being constantly forced out of the holes in the case by the large amount of intake fans. Therefore, if filters are installed on the fans in this type of setup, it really helps to reduce the amount of dust entering the PC.

Balanced:

This is when you have an equal amount of air being pushed in and sucked out.

Note that equal amount of air, not equal amount of fans. 2 strong fans pushing in and 2 weak fans exhausting does not justify balance.

Most overclockers prefer this cooling setup. This is because the cool air that is pushed in and past hot components becomes hot air, and this equal amount of hot air is being exhausted.

So this ensures an even flow of cool air into the casing and heat leaving the casing.

How to position fans?

Most computer casings will have mounts in the front and rear for fans.

The most regular setup will be that fans mounted in front will do intake duties and fans mounted at the back will do exhaust duties.

What if my casing is like some Antec ones, they have fans in the middle of the casing!?

Then that fan should be oriented in a way that does not disrupt the airflow.

Like this:

hot air < rear exhaust fan <<<< middle fan <<<<<< front intake fan < cool air

What if my casing is like some CoolerMaster ones which have fans on the side panel?

Depending on where the fans will be placed, either put a fan there or remove it.

Side panel fans mostly interfere with your airflow if you are air-cooling your cpu, making your temps rise.

If the casing has a slot for a single fan pointing toward the graphic card area, configure it as an intake so it can have cool air blow toward your graphics card.

Especially if you have a HTPC using a passively cooled graphics card, you will see the need for a side fan.

So how do I know which side of the fan intakes and exhausts?

Simple.

This is the front of a Nidec BetaV TA350DC fan. The front usually has a sticker stating the brand, model and power specifications of the fan. In this case, 12V 1.35A

The fan sucks in air from the rear and blows it out of the front.

Now this is what the rear of the fan looks like. This is a Noctua fan mounted on a Noctua CPU heatsink, the NH-D9.

Note that on most fans, the rear of the fan does not have a sticker.

In the rare event that the fan has a stiker on both sides, how?

Very simple. Spin the blades lightly while looking at both sides. The front of the fan holds the motor attachment and when spun, you should NOT see the sticker spinning. The other sticker spinning will be the rear of the fan.

Always remember that air will be sucked in from the back of the fan (non sticker side) and pushed out from the stickered side.

SBS7484P SG

Fans come in many varieties.

In this part, I will touch on the different technologies used in fans, and what is the most suitable application for such fans.

1) Sleeve Bearing

This is easily the cheapest type of fan around. The shaft rotates in a porous brass or copper sleeve that is filled with oil.

Advantages: Sleeve bearing fans are mostly shock resistant. This means they can withstand shock well without developing weird sounds or vibration. Sleeve bearing fans are also more quiet that other fans. So if silence is a priority, get sleeve bearing fans in your case.

Disadvantages: Sleeve bearing fans perform the best when mounted upright. Horizontal mounting e.g. blowing out the top of your case causes wear and tear to the bearing because it cannot support the weight of the fan assembly on it. As such, life is greatly reduced when mounted in any other position other than upright. The best example to see this is from the CoolerMaster R4. It is an excellent case fan - well built, quiet, airy and affordable. But once you turn the fan and make it fire upwards, it vibrates really hard. Put it upright again and it stops vibrating. This shows that improper mounting is detrimental to sleeve bearing fans.

Secondly, sleeve bearing fans do not bode well with heat. As such, they are more suited to case fan operations instead of being mounted on heatsinks.

How does a SB fan die:

SB fans show no signs of death. They come and go quietly. They make no noises - just stop suddenly when they decide to die.

Some good sleeve bearing fans: Yate Loon DxxSy-12 (xx = size of fan. 80 = 80mm, 12 = 120mm. y = speed, L=low speed, M=mid speed, H=high speed) , CoolerMaster R4, ebmPapst modified sleeve bearing fans, Sunon, AVC

2) Ball bearing:

This is a common type of fan found in high performance, high uptime systems. The fan shaft runs in a bearing filled with in-line symmetrical metal balls and is oiled.

Advantages: Can take heat well, and runs well in any mounting position. Very long lasting if properly maintained

Disadvantages: Noisy, and more expensive than sleeve bearing fans. If ticking and idling noises like those from an engine annoy you, these aren't the fans for you. Certain ball bearing fans can be quiet, but most tick really loudly when run at low speed, and scream when run at high speed.

How does a BB fan die:

The noise it makes gets louder and weirder each day, and performance gradually degrades until it finally stops working.

Good ball bearing fans:
Basically anything from reputable fan makers.
To name some: ebmPapst, Nidec, Delta, AVC, JMC Datech, Sunon

3) Hydraulic bearing

Hydraulic bearing is basically a modified version of the sleeve bearing.

It is basically a fan shaft turning in a sealed chamber bearing made of oil.

These are supposedly very silent, but some are quite noisy

Advantages: Quiet (in most cases), and combine the long lifespan of ball bearing fans. Can take high heat like BB fans.

Disadvantages: Expensive, and not readily available. Some are really noisy, like AVC's hydraulic bearing fans. They scream quite loudly.

How does a HB fan die:

Just like an SB fan it does not exhibit any symptoms. It just stops and dies.

Good hydraulic bearing fans: Scythe S-Flex series, AVC high performance ones (very loud).

Remarks: HB fans from Scythe use a bearing developed by Sony dubbed the S-FDB (Sony Fluid Dynamic Bearing)

Other unique types of fan bearing:

MagLev bearing by SUNON

YS Tech TMD fan (Tip Magnetic Drive, not tamade :D)

Those I will explain in depth in time to come.

Meanwhile I need to sleep.

Xaxas SG

I have a monitor with HDMI, does it have any compatibility with Gigabyte HD4870 1GB DDR5 HDMI - $295 if i were to get it ?

If i were to get Windows 7 home 23-bit, is it reQuired to have 4GB in order to run this os ?

jonchao72 SG

I have a monitor with HDMI, does it have any compatibility with Gigabyte HD4870 1GB DDR5 HDMI - $295 if i were to get it ?

If i were to get Windows 7 home 23-bit, is it reQuired to have 4GB in order to run this os ?

i'd get a HD 5770 VAPOR-X at 279 if i were you

kenn3th SG

I have a monitor with HDMI, does it have any compatibility with Gigabyte HD4870 1GB DDR5 HDMI - $295 if i were to get it ?

If i were to get Windows 7 home 23-bit, is it reQuired to have 4GB in order to run this os ?

The graphics card should not have any problems with the monitor. That said, if it has issues, just connect it to the VGA port of the Monitor.

It's not required to have 4GB to run the 32bit Windows 7 Home premium. 2GB -- 3GB is suffice

Call4ljw SG

It is possible to create a high end fast PC for those with a budget.(2-3k)

But the price list i have is more than a month old, if not i would list it out.

MyPillowTalks SG

It is possible to create a high end fast PC for those with a budget.(2-3k)

But the price list i have is more than a month old, if not i would list it out.

http://www.bellsystems.com.sg/index.aspx?uc=products_pricing

Please feel free to add on.

Raraken SG

What about a gaming only PC, where fast FPS is more important than general performance?

Just chuck in a HD5970 in lieu of the HD5870 and swap PSU to a HX850 for the $1.8k AMD system and you can get extreme gaming performance (But not really general computing performance) for about the same as the $2.3k Intel system. This only applies to people who do nothing but game on their systems.

Call4ljw SG

http://www.bellsystems.com.sg/index.aspx?uc=products_pricing

Please feel free to add on.

bellsystem isn't exactly the cheapest.

At sim lim, i have never bought an item from bell before.

Anyway, i'll give it a try.

UPCOMING....

jonchao72 SG

bellsystem isn't exactly the cheapest.

At sim lim, i have never bought an item from bell before.

Anyway, i'll give it a try.

UPCOMING....

buy from pcthemes lor... good service plus competitive pricing

MyPillowTalks SG

bellsystem isn't exactly the cheapest.

At sim lim, i have never bought an item from bell before.

Anyway, i'll give it a try.

UPCOMING....

The pricelist for reference only, im too lazy to find other shops one