Built a New Computer

[RJM62]

My [unofficial] godson, for lack of a better word, is an IT guy who's been on my case to build a new PC for more than a year. But he also knows that I'm an inveterate tightwad who tends not to retire a computer until it starts smoking; so he sent me a bunch of parts to get started.

He sent me almost everything, in fact. I only had to add a graphics card; an SSD to use to store stuff I access rarely enough that it doesn't need to be on the NVMe, but often enough that I don't want to deep-freeze it; and miscellaneous doodads like a couple of case fans and the like.

He's a devoted AMD guy who's been trying to convert me for years. Based on this build, he may well have succeeded.

https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/17719475

It also has performed splendidly in real-life use with the various software I use, including things like rendering 360 videos. So I'm a happy camper today.

Rich

 

[flhrci]

My [unofficial] godson, for lack of a better word, is an IT guy who's been on my case to build a new PC for more than a year. But he also knows that I'm an inveterate tightwad who tends not to retire a computer until it starts smoking; so he sent me a bunch of parts to get started.

He sent me almost everything, in fact. I only had to add a graphics card; an SSD to use to store stuff I access rarely enough that it doesn't need to be on the NVMe, but often enough that I don't want to deep-freeze it; and miscellaneous doodads like a couple of case fans and the like.

He's a devoted AMD guy who's been trying to convert me for years. Based on this build, he may well have succeeded.

https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/17719475

It also has performed splendidly in real-life use with the various software I use, including things like rendering 360 videos. So I'm a happy camper today.

Rich

How long do you plan to get out of this one and how long did the last one live? LOL

 

[RJM62]

After some tweaks:

https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/17722536

Rich

 

[RJM62]

How long do you plan to get out of this one and how long did the last one live? LOL

The last one started with Windows 7, so it's been around a while. I skipped 8 and upgraded it to 10. I think it was built in 2015, so it's really not that old. But it had integrated graphics and some chipset and PCIe limitations. I did upgrade the GPU, but even there I had to accommodate the mobo limitations.

I still have it running because I haven't migrated everything over yet. Once I do, I think I'll install Linux on it. It will make a roaring Linux box.

This new one may outlive me. As long as they keep doing what I need them to do, I tend not to replace computers. I got that out of my system a long time ago. (But I do still tweak the **** out of them.)

Rich

 

[kayoh190]

I've had my homebuilt Windows 7 machine for almost 6 years now. With a quad 4GHz (overclocked) i5, 32 gigs of RAM and a 1080ti it's still plenty fast, and I've been stubbornly holding onto Windows 7 until Microsoft pries it out of my cold, dead hands. Unfortunately that date is less than a year away when MS stops issuing security patches. I'll build a new machine then, probably based around the 9900K, and hold my nose as I install Windows 10.

These days desktop computers from Dell, etc are so cheap that there's not much cost advantage to building, but I'm still dorky enough to spend the time to build what I want.

 

[flhrci]

These days desktop computers from Dell, etc are so cheap that there's not much cost advantage to building, but I'm still dorky enough to spend the time to build what I want.

I enjoy it and I think I learn something from it each time.

 

[Bell206]

retire a computer until it starts smoking

computers from Dell, etc are so cheap

A quick question if I may. I too hold onto computers a long time and since I retired there really is no reason to upgrade--at least until they sunset Win 8.1 Pro. However, over the last few years I've got back into drawing/creating via MyPaint, GIMP, and Inkscape and my Dell E5440 Latitude has been struggling a bit.

If I were to max out the RAM to 16GB (current Micron 1x4G) and find a compatible SSD (current Seagate SSHD 500G) do you think it would improve the flow with the above programs? Or would this upgrade be limited by my chip set i5-4300U and m-board Dell 061CGT?

I ran it through the userbenchmark you referenced above, but I lack the skill set to interpret the results or any comparisons using the upgrade tool and don't want to throw money at a problem it won't improve. Thanks.

 

[kayoh190]

If I were to max out the RAM to 16GB (current Micron 1x4G) and find a compatible SSD (current Seagate SSHD 500G) do you think it would improve the flow with the above programs? Or would this upgrade be limited by my chip set i5-4300U and m-board Dell 061CGT?

If you're at 4GB now, I think upgrading the memory (even to 8GB) will make a noticeable improvement. I don't have any experience with hybrid drives, but an SSD will make a huge improvement over a standard HDD. How much improvement over a hybrid I'm not sure, but SSD prices have dropped such that it's an inexpensive thing to try.

 

[RJM62]

A quick question if I may. I too hold onto computers a long time and since I retired there really is no reason to upgrade--at least until they sunset Win 8.1 Pro. However, over the last few years I've got back into drawing/creating via MyPaint, GIMP, and Inkscape and my Dell E5440 Latitude has been struggling a bit.

If I were to max out the RAM to 16GB (current Micron 1x4G) and find a compatible SSD (current Seagate SSHD 500G) do you think it would improve the flow with the above programs? Or would this upgrade be limited by my chip set i5-4300U and m-board Dell 061CGT?

I ran it through the userbenchmark you referenced above, but I lack the skill set to interpret the results or any comparisons using the upgrade tool and don't want to throw money at a problem it won't improve. Thanks.

You can always post the link to the results.

Both the SSD and maxing out the RAM will make noticeable improvements, but the experience ultimately will be limited by the weakest link in the chain. So yeah, it would improve it a lot. Would it make you happy? That depends on the rest of the hardware, particularly the processor and the chipset.

A 500 GB Crucial SATA SSD can be had for < $60.00 at Amazon or Micro Center. I find them to be just as fast and reliable as the more-expensive (by about 50 percent) Samsung SSD's, based on benchmark tests that I myself have run. The RAM would come in at ~ $50.00 to $90.00 depending on brand. So it would cost you < $150.00 tops to find out what the machine can do.

On the other hand, you could buy a maxed-out PowerSpec i7 gaming laptop from Micro Center for ~$1,200.00 if you subscribe to their specials, watch for a deal, and are able to buy it in-person. They don't offer those deals online because they want you to buy some related paraphernalia, a PEBKAC tee-shirt, and a few cans of Bawls on the way out. (PowerSpec is Micro Center's "store brand" and is made by Asus. I've never had any problems with them. YMMV.)

Personally, if you're retired, I'd try the upgrade first unless you plan to get really heavy into graphics.

Rich

 

[bobmrg]

My [unofficial] godson, for lack of a better word, is an IT guy who's been on my case to build a new PC for more than a year. But he also knows that I'm an inveterate tightwad who tends not to retire a computer until it starts smoking; so he sent me a bunch of parts to get started.

He sent me almost everything, in fact. I only had to add a graphics card; an SSD to use to store stuff I access rarely enough that it doesn't need to be on the NVMe, but often enough that I don't want to deep-freeze it; and miscellaneous doodads like a couple of case fans and the like.

He's a devoted AMD guy who's been trying to convert me for years. Based on this build, he may well have succeeded.

https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/17719475

It also has performed splendidly in real-life use with the various software I use, including things like rendering 360 videos. So I'm a happy camper today.

Rich

It has been many years since I owned a brand-name desktop. I like building to meet your own requirements, not what someone else thinks that you need. good move!

 

[Bell206]

I think upgrading the memory (even to 8GB) will make a noticeable improvement.

I'd try the upgrade first

That's what I've been looking at. When 8.1 gets dropped I plan to either buy another off-the-shelf model or have my IT nephew build me a Linux machine. I still have a requirement for a Windows OS due to some consult work I do, but that may just sunset as well at the same time. The graphics use is more hobby than anything and I prefer to use open-source programs now so we'll see how things work out in the future. Thanks.

You can always post the link to the results.

i'm heading out of town for an extended time and will resurrect this thread when I get back with those results. The initial check showed some minor issues I can correct before I post an accurate test result. Appreciate the input.

 

[mryan75]

AMD for work, Intel for play. I have an 1800X for my work PC and a 8700K for my flight sim PC.

 

[cowman]

The Ryzen CPUs are awesome now, I’d absolutely have one over Intel for just about any build right now. This is great too, CPU advancement had been pretty stagnant for a long time. Good to see Intel have real competition again.

I’ve been building my own desktops since I was a high school kid, I can get what I want that way and know it has quality components. That and avoid the process of stripping out all the crap ware on my “new clean” windows install.

 

[RJM62]

AMD for work, Intel for play. I have an 1800X for my work PC and a 8700K for my flight sim PC.

I used to take the opposite approach. When I built PCs for clients, I usually went with Intel. I didn't do that too often because unless the machine was highly specialized, it just wasn't cost- or profit-effective. But I built some machines for extreme use or oddball purposes, almost always choosing Intel chips and motherboards. They just seemed more stable, which I actually attribute more to the motherboards / chipsets than to the processors.

I did build some AMD-based machines for play, however. The first one was based on the K6-2 500 when it first came out. It sported a whopping 512 MB of RAM, which at the time was considered a ridiculously generous amount of memory. That machine wasn't very stable, however, more due to the Via chipset than to the processor.

I also built an Athlon 64 machine as soon as true 64-bit motherboards became available for it. That machine lasted a very long time. But that chip also woke Intel from their slumber and prompted them to fight back with a vengeance. (Personally, I think it just threw a monkey wrench into their obsolescence plan; but I digress.)

Rich

 

[weilke]

Just built a gaming PC with my son using components pretty close to what you put together. That thing is fast, also lots of blinkenlights ;-)

 

[Paul_Havelka]

A quick question if I may. I too hold onto computers a long time and since I retired there really is no reason to upgrade--at least until they sunset Win 8.1 Pro. However, over the last few years I've got back into drawing/creating via MyPaint, GIMP, and Inkscape and my Dell E5440 Latitude has been struggling a bit.

If I were to max out the RAM to 16GB (current Micron 1x4G) and find a compatible SSD (current Seagate SSHD 500G) do you think it would improve the flow with the above programs? Or would this upgrade be limited by my chip set i5-4300U and m-board Dell 061CGT?

I ran it through the userbenchmark you referenced above, but I lack the skill set to interpret the results or any comparisons using the upgrade tool and don't want to throw money at a problem it won't improve. Thanks.

Your problem may be twofold with the RAM and the GPU. Ram is relatively cheap and should yield good results. When building my next machine my plan is to have 2 SSD and run them in RAID 0. As long as my RAM, GPU and chipset are up to the task, that machine should fly even when heavily loaded.

 

[flhrci]

Just built a gaming PC with my son using components pretty close to what you put together. That thing is fast, also lots of blinkenlights ;-)

Blinky lights makes it go faster! LOL

 

[kayoh190]

Blinky lights makes it go faster! LOL

Heh - the hardest thing about choosing components is finding stuff that doesn't make my machine look like it was built by a 12 year old Asian kid.

 

[bluesideup]

Hi Rich and everyone.
You may want to have the UserBenchmark scanned by Malwarebytes, or other anti spy software, they have a lot of tracking and commercial advertising feedback to a lot of sites / companies built in. I helped a buddy of mine remove it, he went on a site that these guys apparently collect information for and his screen got completely taken over by advertisements and locked his system up. We had to use Task Manager to get out.
Try NovaBench instead?

 

[RJM62]

Hi Rich and everyone.
You may want to have the UserBenchmark scanned by Malwarebytes, or other anti spy software, they have a lot of tracking and commercial advertising feedback to a lot of sites / companies built in. I helped a buddy of mine remove it, he went on a site that these guys apparently collect information for and his screen got completely taken over by advertisements and locked his system up. We had to use Task Manager to get out.
Try NovaBench instead?

I'm not saying it's impossible, but I've never had a scanner pick up anything in UserBenchmark. I know neither Eset nor Malwarebytes found anything.

Could your friend have downloaded a counterfeit version? I remember when lots of people were infecting their computers with a counterfeit version of Combofix, a malware and rootkit cure-all from about ten or so years ago. It gave the legit tool a bad name.

I actually use Passmark for my own benchmarking and diagnostics. UserBenchmark is more handy for sharing quick, comparative summaries that most users can interpret than for doing detailed optimization.

Rich

 

[bluesideup]

Hi Rich.
I am not sure where he got it, he said he got it from a reputable site?
Next time I meet him I will try and get the MWB log file, but at the same time he had more than one benchmark that MWB found to be an issue.
I recall trying to use / install it, a while back, and it wanted to get access to Inet or it will not finish the install. I do not allow any outside access unless they specifically ask and I give them permission.