I use a desktop computer and a laptop. My preferred computer to work is
the desktop that I use together with two monitors.
My desktop computer began to be very limited and without no major
expansion possibilities (ISA interface instead of SATA). I decided this year to
purchase a new computer.
So far my computers were assembled by specialist manufacturers. After a
market search I didn't found a computer that corresponds to my specification
and I decided to assembly my computer.
Even if the characteristics given by computer manufacturers seems "fantastic"
the reality is different. Below you have some of the limitations that I found
(in Mars 2012):
- No USB 3.0 or USB 3.0 not available on front panel
- Hard disk SATA II instead of SATA III
- SSD disk with low capacity (68 GB or less)
- 4GB of memory and expansion limitations
- Small computer case and expansion limitations
- Graphics card with low performances (compared with other not so expensive cards)
- Noisy computer
- Missing drivers, manuals and technical information
- CPU outdated
To compare graphics cards and CPUs I recommend the following sites:
CPU: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/
Graphic card: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/After searching and compare quality/performance/price I used the following material:
- Computer case (power supply included): Coolermaster SILENCIO with GX 550 certified
- Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-Z68X-UD3P-B3 - ATX - Intel Z68 - 1155 Socket (Rev 1.0)
- CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K / 3,3 GHz - LGA1155 Socket - L3 6 MB - Box
- Graphic card: Sapphire - Radeon HD 6850 - PCI Express 2.0 x16 - 1GB
- SSD Disk 128GB: Crucial - M4 - 2,5" - SATA III
- Hard disk 1TB: Western Digital - Caviar Black - 3,5" - SATA III
- RAM memory: Corsair - CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 - DDR3 1600 - 8 GB COR CL9
- DVD Burner: LG - GH22NS50 - 5,25" - SATA
- USB 20 pin adapter to 2-port USB 3.0: Lian Li UC-01
Computer layout after assembled
I ordered all the material via internet and got all stuff in a week. The
fastest delivery was the computer case (ordered on a Sunday and received Tuesday).
The Intel i5 CPU is already delivered in a box with a fan and a manual
with the assembly instructions. It is not necessary to apply thermal paste as
it comes already with a thermal conductive pad.
I received a computer case with a 650W power supply but I ordered a computer case announced with a 550W power
supply.
As bonus, with the graphics card I also received a code to be able to
download the game Dirt3 for free.
The major risk when you mount your computer is when you do not have
another compatible computer to test the
parts separately (which was my case). If for example there is a problem in the
CPU or mother board will be difficult to know which one is the
"guilty."
The most sensitive part (but is not complicated) is the assembly of the
CPU. You have to be careful with static electricity that can damage the CPU or
the mother board. In my case I did the assembly barefooted, and touching
regularly on a tap to discharge static electricity to the earth.
After it was only assemble the parts and connect/route the cables. There
is no big possibility to connect wrongly a power supply plug in the motherboard
because each plug can only enter in their correct position and location.
Sometimes you need to put together two power supply plugs on the same
motherboard connector, which was the case for the ATX_12V_2X4 and ATX
connectors of my mother board.
Where I spent more time was to routing and fix the wiring to minimize
the "spaghetti" appearance.
When everything was assembled, the crucial moment arrived ... I turned ON the computer and ... the CPU fan and BIOS worked :)
As operating system I installed the Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit version.
In the SSD I put all the main software and in the hard disk I put the data
(photos, videos, documents, etc..) and the no important software.
An important point for anyone who uses a SSD drive is not to make and
allow disk defragmentation. SSD uses flash memory, defragmentation not improve
disk performance and contributes to reduce its lifetime because it increases
the number of times of data written in the same memory location.
The results obtained with my computer are the following:
Windows 7 performance index (scale 1.0 to 7.9)
Computer boot time after first installation (with only a few start-up
processes):
Bios boot time: 16 seconds
Windows 7 boot time (*): 21 seconds
Total: 37 seconds
Computer boot time after some months (with more start-up processes):
Windows 7 boot time (*): 33 seconds
Total: 49 seconds
Conclusion
The computer is very quiet and so far I'm pleased with their performances. The only element that is noisy is the 1TB hard disk.
The boot time is more or less the same that my Android tablet. Thanks to the SSD disk...!
Later I will publish a post with the performances and characteristics of
the computer case Coolermaster SILENCIO.
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