PC Spec Opinion.

[Krois]

My 4 years old computer got murdered recently and I'm looking for a new computer to replace it. I gave my local dealer a few requirements (AMD, 500GB HDD, mainly for gaming and graphic work) and he return me with the following:

AMD FX-8320
MSI 970A-G46
Sapphire 7950 3GB GDDR5
Corsair 8GB 1600Mhz
WD Blue 500GB
Aerocool X-Predator
Xigmatek Tauro 700W

Being not so savvy with computer innards, can someone tell me if the specs are good or there are alternative. I also noted that the casing is red, care to suggest blue alternative if possible? Thanks a bunch.

 

[AWAR]

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The PSU is kind of an overkill, 500 to 600 watts would be enough for this kind of system. Other than that this setup looks fine to me. As for the case, I don't know any blue ones but this looks good.

 

[SnowyGamester]

Looks pretty good. However whether it's a good deal or not depends on what the guy is charging. As for alternatives, you could do an Intel/NVidia combo, but if you're going for AMD then what you've listed is pretty ideal.

Also that same case also comes in blue [http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=21050], though it seems a bit pricey for just a box. AWARs recommendations seems a better choice.

 

[Krois]

Thanks for the replies.

700W does seem like an overkill since my previous computer didn't take as much. Will 500W or 600W be enough if I add another internal hard disk, since I might need to shove my old hard disk back into the circuit considering it might still be alive and my work is in it.

While I'm at it, is there a safe way to test the old hard disk to make sure it ain't damaged so it won't risk killing the new computer? Not sure if there's any risk at all.

 

[AWAR]

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500 watts will be enough. You can get a 600 watt one if you want to make it a little bit more future proof.
There are no risks involved with plugging in your old disk as far as I'm aware of.

 

[eBusiness]

That is a quite small harddisk. Whether it is enough of course depends on use, but up to around 3 TB you'll get more space per buck by buying bigger.

 

[OneCatch]

Seems fine, though as above that hard drive is small, and the PSU a little too powerful.
500 or 600W would be fine unless you were getting another graphics card or a large number of other components.

Using your old hard drive won't cause problems - worst case scenario is that it's dead anyway, in which case it won't show up in Windows. Just don't set it as the primary boot option when installing the OS!

Assuming that he's charging a reasonable amount (check prices for the components when bought separately) that looks fine. I have a 7950 and it's given me really good performance so far.

 

[Krois]

That's reassuring to hear from someone using the same GPU, considering it's the most expensive piece in the box so it's naturally worrying.

I think I'll get 600W just to be on the safe side for future use. As for the hard disk, I was okay with using 500GB previously and if it works with the new hard disk, it should be a huge improvement for me. Jumping from 500GB to 3TB seems too big of a leap.

Thank you everyone for your replies.

 

[Archangel768]

Well as far as the case goes, I'd say it's pretty cool. I have the X-Predator white edition and I've quite enjoyed it. The biggest downfall about it is how large it is, it's just a little inconvenient to move around but overall it hasn't bothered me much. One thing strange about it is there is no reset button but that hasn't really bothered me either. Anyway, if you want a case with plenty of space than this definitely offers it, and I like the visual design of it. It's not low key but not over the top. I find it's just right.

8gb of ram is perfectly adequate. I don't really see why more would be needed except for the most extreme user.
For me 500gb hdd is extremely small. I have two 3TB hdds and a 128gb ssd. I find the two 3TB are comfortable for me, I have a LOT of videos on there but I can see that perhaps in year I will want another HDD. The ssd is my first and it was a serious increase in performance, it definitely makes general use a LOT less frustrating. I found 128gb is pretty good for me, I have a number of applications on it, downloads, entire music library, bunch of pics, operating system and there's about 45gb left.

I can't comment on the processor as I'm more familiar with Intel however it seems as though while AMD is cheaper and from what I've found, an intel 4 core i7 is about as good or better than an 8 core amd the amd still seems to get the job done pretty well, depending on the model of course.

When comparing amd and nvidia cards 2 years ago, I found amd got better framerates for the price but Nvidia had physx. Pretty sure that video card is the second top amd card out at the moment so there shouldn't be any problems in terms of performance.

I agree the power supply seems a little overkill. I know that an equivelant current series Nvidia card would need about a 500 watt power supply. I don't know how different this would be for you though.