Odd Job(s)

[Slawtering]

Well im back again about my pc. So since I last went on about it a couple of month (probably a bit more) ago I have bought multiple items for my pc. Problem is I owe my dad £15 (down from £30) and im not sure what to get for my HDD and PSU. Now I know both of them have to be pretty darned good, so before you ask what my specs is (going to be), I'll just pop em underneath here.

Intel i5 2500k 3.30Ghz
Gigabyte GA-Z68P-DS3
1gb nVidia GTX 560 ti DirectCUII (2 fans instead of 1)
16gb 1866Mhz DDR3 Komputerbay (Previously tested an earlier model so I know the brand is alright)
12x Blu-Ray Re-Writer by Pioneer

Now im looking first of all for a SATA HDD and im thinking from what I've heard in the thread about HDD's is that I should buy a 500gb now and buy a 1tb later which im fine with, and I also need at least a 700w PSU (if them online wattage calculators work and im right in thinking that you add 20% on to the total wattage to be on the safe side.)

Biggest Problem is Ive only got £100 and thats if I do some Odd Jobs for my mum, a sort of credit instead of real cash.

Anyway if you decided to skip all that mumbo jumbo. I need a good but cheap 700w+ PSU and 500gb or 1tb HDD (SATA preferably 7200rpm but I'll settle on 5900rpm)

 

[hairfree]

Building a mid-tier good PC, on a budget I see. Tough job with those £100 for the parts needed...That's around...what? Some $160 right now? Close enough to make no difference, I guess.

Right now, still, buying a new, somewhat decent HDD alone would be a form of suicide, finances wise, be it even a 500 Gb one. I don't even dare look at the prices there. If memory serves right, a new 500 Gb Western Digital was up for $120-130 (£80-90).

I wouldn't bother with second hand HDD's as an option though, unless it's a matter of urgency, stopped by the fact that, if they were in good condition, they wouldn't be on the market  It's usually the case anyway. But, if you're looking for just a replacement till you get that 1 Tb one, that's a possible solution. Prices vary, but are usually half of what a new HDD's worth.

Another option might be if you get a 2.5" SATA HDD. Yeah, a laptop one. Usually at 5400 RPM, but it's not really a problem, just the additional 10-20 second wait when loading whatever, compared to a 7200 RPM one. It's what I'm using right now since my old IDE (PATA) HDDs died along with the motherboard, on a similar machine (somewhat slower) and it's a decent enough performer. A 500 Gb 2.5" Seagate (which aren't all that good; just an example) one, running at 7200 RPM, was up for about $90-100 (£70-80), last I checked. Probably went down price wise since then. It's good for a temporary solution. If you don't need that much space 'now', and are planning on getting that 1 Tb one sooner rather than later, you could even go for a 250 Gb one, which are even cheaper (duh). Say $70-80 (around £50).

As for a PSU, a 700 Watts one might be a bit of a pushover for that system, but oh well - better safe than sorry, I guess...You might have a problem here, money wise though. A decent mid-tier (and relatively safe) performer would be worth $100-120 (£70-80) . The 650 Watts Antec are stable and quiet PSU's. I think it'd work fine for you. Worth about $100...In other words, around £80.

All in all, you'll need to fill that piggy bank a bit more if you're going to get both all at once, to get decent parts, let alone "pretty darned good". Right now, with that kind of money, you can afford one.

Of course, there are cheaper parts, but in all honesty, if you're throwing that kind money on parts, they better be worth it, and up to par with the rest of the build...and the cheaper ones I've heard of...really aren't. Just saying.

Perhaps someone else might find you a cheaper solution. Your best bet would be to go to a...workshop/retailer and ask the guys there. Unless they're utter pricks, they're more likely to point you at the right solution, hence are more familiar with prices and quality these days.

 

[Slawtering]

Ye I might go into a Maplin or something. Unless people want to donate to me

 

[Kevlar]

If hdd prices weren't so screwed I'd have gotten rid of my 1.5tb a while ago.

 

[Slawtering]

Just want to know are CiT a good brand? I've looked at a variety of reviews and it seems they are known for good quality for their cheapness but nothing compared to the well known brands.

Also is this a good catch?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/WD-Caviar-Green-WD5000AADS-internal/dp/B002P3KO4C/ref=sr_1_6?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1329081914&sr=1-6

 

[hairfree]

A WD HDD is always a good catch - if you find 'em for cheap, compared to what they're worth at retailers', all the better. As long as it's new, and comes with any sort of a warranty, so you're sure you're not throwing money on the wind, it's fine.

As for CiT...Uhm, what the bloody hell is that?  In all seriousness though, it's the first time I hear of PSUs named that way, and don't know what reviews you've been reading, but even the first results after googling it up say "avoid at all costs", basically.

 

[Fehnor]

Judging from the equipment you have listed here, even a WD Caviar Black (1TB 7200RPM) will be the slowest component of your system. If I were you, I would seriously consider SSDs (especially if you're not in need of the space). The price difference is negligible after the flooding in Thailand.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167042

 

[hairfree]

Judging from the equipment you have listed here, even a WD Caviar Black (1TB 7200RPM) will be the slowest component of your system. If I were you, I would seriously consider SSDs (especially if you're not in need of the space). The price difference is negligible after the flooding in Thailand.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167042

More likely it's dying. The problem with SSD's is they only have a limited amount of write operations they can do before the memory dies. This is why we don't usually use them as system drives.

Yeah  SSDs...And he wants a 1 Tb HDD, so, no, obviously, he's not in need of space at all, hence the price is way higher than what he can afford.

 

[Slawtering]

ye 120gb is nowt compared to what I use plus Iv'e heard SSD's can be bad for rewrites or something I can't remember now.

 

[Fehnor]

You're talking about potential problems at significant numbers of rewrites. The issue brought up here was using this on servers that process and change tables all day, like SQL servers. Your PC hard drive does not overwrite that often. Also, it's important to note that failures of SSDs take place one node at a time. If a node is corrupted, only that one piece of data is ruined. When a moving drive breaks, it breaks all at once. So the SSD will still be usable even after some of the bytes start to become corrupted 7 years down the road.

If space is an issue, it's a moot point anyway. It is faster, though. Looking at your hardware now, your HD will be the lagging component.

my thoughts regarding data hoarding: Unless you get money for it, it's a waste of time. You can get anything from the internet at faster and faster speeds. Games in particular keep saves, etc when you uninstall. Buy a game, use it until you're done, uninstall. If you want it later, fricking DL it later. The only reason to hoard is pirated material that you are afraid you won't have access to again. My advice? You WILL have access to it again, and if the day comes that you don't have access to it, there will be more important things to worry about than listening to that song one more time.

Bottom line, claiming SSDs are unreliable because they can break is a bad argument. All hard drives will break, SSDs just break in a way you're not used to. Archonsod's post about SSDs is partially correct. They do corrupt over time, But using them for your home PC is not something to fret about. It will drastically enhance your gaming experience.

 

[hairfree]

claiming SSDs are unreliable because they can break is a bad argument

Then, how about "they're expensive as **** for him", for one?

Come on...The guy said he only has like £100 to spare on both a decent PSU and a drive. Even if he does find a new, decent £50 PSU, whatever the brand, which I seriously doubt, what will he get as a drive from the other £50 if he goes to an SSD? 100GB at most? When he clearly said he's going for a 1TB of space? Leave 30-40 for the OS and...Eh, you do the math...

It's fast, I'll give it that much, but it's a technology in development, and prices of SSDs go down by the minute. The moment he buys an SSD he'll already be screwed on quality, space, and money, all at once, and it doesn't seem to me he can afford upgrading all that often.

In a year or two, when that thing gets some kind of a stability factor on those three, it might be a bargain. Now, it's just throwing a ****load of money on no space, for something that'd be old in...five minutes.

If you want it later, fricking DL it later.

The only reason to hoard is pirated material that you are afraid you won't have access to again.

 

[Slawtering]

About the "Hoarding" my hard drive at the moment has 6 games and/or expansions where the disks have broke and I generally am an untidy sod. I've got free to play games that havnt been played since I started playing warband beta over 2 years ago.

Also 1tb or 500gb is a nice comfort amount. I generally leave 50gb free for emergencies or just for a good general performance.

In other news I might be able to come into some money soon