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Help me choose my new computer, please.


Teffy

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Please help me configure a new PC. My last one came from endpcnoise.com, and it has served me well for many years. So, I would like to get one from them again.

 

My most used software would be:

Chrome web browser,

Dragon speech recognition software,

Microsoft Word and Excel, and

Adobe Photoshop.

 

I like the idea of not needing or using a PC fan (noise and dirt) and I would like the reliability of a solid-state drive.

 

Can you help me to configure and choose between the three PCs who's links are below? Thank you!

 

http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/fanless-tower.html

 

http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/nofan-pc.html

 

http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/silentcomputer.html

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securitybreach

Their all nice but you do realize you could build the same machines for about half of what they charge. That said, they are nice prebuilt machines although I would probably get at least an i5 quadcore instead of the dualcore celeron processor as you will notice a difference.

 

The other issue I see is that you will probably want much more ram than 4gb. You can get 16gb of ram for about 80 bucks now so you could install more later. 4gb will be enough but once you start running multiple applications, you may run into a issue. Plus I think the minimum for window's PCs is now about 4gb of ram. I could be wrong but I know it is a ram hog.

 

I would also get a 1-3tb drive for storage as the 120gb ssd is good for the OS installation but doesn't leave much room for storage. You can get a 2tb drive for less than a hundred. The Samsung Evo 120gb is the same exact drive as I have for my OS. The Evo series is one of the fastest ssd drives on the market and will outperform the read/write specs.

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securitybreach

Here are some nice machines:

 

Lenovo ThinkServer TS440 70AQ0009UX i7-4770 processor 32GB ram 12tb 7200rpm Tower Server Desktop Computer $1,229.99 (a powerhouse!!!!!!!!!!!)

Wow!! an i7 processor(the top of the line i-series), 32gb of ram and 4x 3tb drives (12tb). You will have to buy windows as this doesn't come with an OS.

 

CyberPowerPC Gamer Supreme Gaming PC - AMD Eight-Core FX-9370 4.40GHz, 16GB DDR3 ram, 2TB HDD, 120GB SSD, DVDRW, 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, Windows 8.1 64-bit $1,39499

Comes with an 8core processor, 16gb ram, 120gb SSD and a 2tb storage hdd, plus a pretty good videocard

 

Microtel Computer® AMTI9041 Gaming Computer with 3.4GHz AMD Phenom II X4 965 Processor, 12GB DDR3 1333mhz, 1TB Hard Drive 7200RPM, 24X DVD-RW, Nvidia 550 GTX-TI 1GB Video Card, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Full Version CD - 64 bit + WiFi $580.00

Very nice machine for a cheap price. Would be plenty for what you do but you may want to spend $100 for a ssd (for the OS)

 

CyberPowerPC Gamer Ultra Gaming PC - AMD FX-8320 Eight-Core 3.50GHz, 16GB DDR3 Memory, 2TB HDD, DVDRW, 2GB AMD Radeon R7 250, Windows 8.1 64-bit $669.99

Nice machine with plenty of ram, a nice eight core processor, 2gb of hdd space and a very nice video card with 2gb of memory.

 

Hope that helps some and if you have any questions just let me know as I have been building computers for many years

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Thank you! You have given me a lot to chew on. ("A lot on which to chew" for the grammar freaks :-). I am sure to be pestering you later with questions.

Edited by Teffy
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I hear what you saying about the prices at endpcnoise. But, I need some "hand-holding" from the seller, and I am now totally spoiled to a quiet PC.

 

I think I have incorporated your suggestions into the three PC configurations below. What changes, if any, would you make?

 

I don't see the option for a "Sound Dampening Hard Drive Enclosure/s: 1 x Smart Drive Classic Hard Drive Enclosure" in the CS-70, but I'll bet that one can be added.

CS-80 ATX NoFan Fanless PC

Case: NoFan CS-80 Fanless Tower Case

CPU Cooler: NoFan CR-95C All Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

Power Supply: Silverstone NightJar SST-NJ520 (520W)

Motherboard: Asus Z97 Pro Motherboard

CPU: Intel I5-4590s New Haswell (Quad-Core, 3.0GHz, 65w)

Ram: 16GB Kingston 1600MHz (2 x 8GB)

Video Card: Use Onboard Video

Operating System: Windows 8.1 (64bit)

Quiet System Drive: Samsung 850 Evo 120GB SSD (Solid State Disk)

Additional Storage Hard Drive: WD RED 3TB (IntelliPower, Hard Disk)

Additional Storage Hard Drive: No Extra Storage Installed

Additional Storage Hard Drive: No Extra Storage Installed

Additional Storage Hard Drive: No Extra Storage Installed

Sound Dampening Hard Drive Enclosure/s: 1 x Smart Drive Classic Hard Drive Enclosure

Optical Drive: LG DVD-RW (GH24NS95)

Optional Thunderbolt Card: No Thunderbolt II Expansion Card

Wireless: No Wireless Installed (Use Onboard If Available)

Sound Card: No Sound Card Installed (Use Onboard If Available)

Keyboard and Mouse: No Keyboard and Mouse

Monitor: No Monitor

Warranty Options: One Year Parts & Labor Warranty

Processing Options: Standard Processing- Ships 6-10 Business Days

Quantity *

$1,851.00

 

CS-70 NoFan PC

Case: NoFan CS-70 Fanless Mid Tower Case

CPU Cooler: NoFan CR-95C All Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

Power Supply: Silverstone NightJar SST-NJ520 (520W)

Motherboard: Asus Gryphon Z97 Micro ATX Motherboard

CPU: Intel I5-4590s New Haswell (Quad-Core, 3.0GHz, 65w)

Ram: 16GB Kingston 1600MHz (2 x 8GB)

Video Card: Use Onboard Video

Operating System: Windows 8.1 (64bit)

Quiet System Drive: Samsung 850 Evo 120GB SSD (Solid State Disk)

Additional Storage Hard Drive: WD RED 3TB (IntelliPower, Hard Disk)

Additional Storage Hard Drive: No Extra Storage Installed

Additional Storage Hard Drive: No Extra Storage Installed

Optical Drive: Silverstone SOD02 (DVD-RW)

Optional Thunderbolt Card: No Thunderbolt II Expansion Card

Wireless: No Wireless Installed (Use Onboard If Available)

Sound Card: No Sound Card Installed (Use Onboard If Available)

Keyboard and Mouse: No Keyboard and Mouse

Monitor: No Monitor

Warranty Options: One Year Parts & Labor Warranty

Processing Options: Standard Processing- Ships 6-10 Business Days

Quantity *

$1,832.00

 

CS-60 NoFan PC

Case: NoFan CS-60 Fanless Mid Tower Case

CPU Cooler: NoFan CR-95C All Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

Power Supply: Silverstone NightJar SST-NJ520 (520W)

Motherboard: Asus Gryphon Z97 Micro ATX Motherboard

CPU: Intel I5-4590s New Haswell (Quad-Core, 3.0GHz, 65w)

Ram: 16GB Kingston 1600MHz (2 x 8GB)

Operating System: Windows 8.1 Pro (64bit)

Quiet System Drive: Samsung 850 Evo 120GB SSD (Solid State Disk)

Additional Storage Hard Drive: WD RED 3TB (IntelliPower, Hard Disk)

Additional Storage Hard Drive: No Extra Storage Installed

Additional Storage Hard Drive: No Extra Storage Installed

Sound Dampening Hard Drive Enclosure/s: 1 x Smart Drive Classic Hard Drive Enclosure

Optical Drive: LG DVD-RW (GH24NS95)

Optional Thunderbolt Card: ASUS ThunderboltEX II Expansion Card

Wireless: No Wireless Installed (Use Onboard If Available)

Sound Card: No Sound Card Installed (Use Onboard If Available)

Keyboard and Mouse: No Keyboard and Mouse

Monitor: No Monitor

Warranty Options: One Year Parts & Labor Warranty

Processing Options: Standard Processing- Ships 6-10 Business Days

Quantity *

$1,845.00

 

 

Thank you!

Teffy

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securitybreach

You do realize that newer computers are not loud anyway, right? My main rig has 7x 120mm fans with 6x sata drives and a ssd but is still quiet.

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securitybreach

Also, the only differences between those three rigs are the cases and the middle one uses a different optical drive which is just as good as the other one(besides an unknown brand). The rest of the specs are exactly the same.

 

See comments below

 

I would suggest a larger psu as 520w is not very much and you will quickly use that up if you start adding a video card, more harddrives, etc. It's all about future proofing yourself. I use 750w or more on the machines I build but I do use multiple drives, a large video card and have multiple components plugged in.

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securitybreach

Ok, I was mistaken. The CS80 has a better motherboard but only by three options...

 

The Z97 Pro(cs80) has DP, HDMI, DVI and VGA ports whereas the Z97 Gryphon(both cs70 and cs60) has all of those but no VGA port. Now you probably do not use VGA anyway but you may.

 

The second difference is the overclocking ability of the ram slots. The Gryphon Z97 operates up to 1866 where as the Z97 Pro can go up to 3200. This part will probably not matter much to you unless your into extreme overclocking as 1866 is plenty fast enough. But then again, its all about looking to the future.

 

Lastly, the Pro version has 4 PCIe x1 slots but the Gryphon only has 1 PCIe x1 slot. This part should not matter unless you plan on loading lots of addon pci cards onto the machine. They both have multi-video card support with both x16 and x1 PCIe slots.

 

Unless you just want to use an old VGA monitor, plan on extreme overclocking or plan on loading tons of pci cards, your purchase can rely on case looks alone.

 

There a couple of other differences but they are minor. 2 additional sata ports (6 vs 8) and different audio chipset. Neither will affect you unless you have 8 harddrives and then your better off with a different setup. ;)

 

Hope that helps

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Thanks for the comparison - that is a huge help on the hardware decision making!

 

Regarding the operating system and many programs:

 

I have been running Windows 7 Home Premium (if I recall correctly). I have been making backups of the system disk with Acronis True Image Home 2011. Should I stick with Windows 7 as long as I can by restoring an Acronis backup onto my new system disk?

 

Or upgrade/convert from Windows 7 to Windows 8?

 

Or start over with a new install of Windows 8 and reinstall my MANY programs (please say no)? Actually, I'm not sure what I've done with the DVDs of various programs since I was counting on restoring via Acronis if necessary.

Edited by Teffy
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I would make a fresh backup of your system with Acronis and Clonezilla. Then transfer to your new rig using Acronis first, if that fails try the Clonezilla.You may not need the Clonezilla but it is a good secondary failsafe backup..

 

No need to upgrade to W 8.1 as MS have said that W 7 users will get a free upgrade to W 10 in the first year of its launch.

 

:fish:

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Abarbarian wrote:

"I would make a fresh backup of your system with Acronis and Clonezilla. Then transfer to your new rig using Acronis first, if that fails try the Clonezilla.You may not need the Clonezilla but it is a good secondary failsafe backup.."

 

I cannot make a fresh back up of my system because the system disk died (that was the original problem). But I do have Acronis backups of the system disk on an external hard drive. I bought a new hard drive to use as the system disk, and replaced the old (physical) system disk with the new. I booted with the Acronis DVD and restored a system disk backup to the new system disk drive. It seemed like creating a system disk partition and restoring the system backup to the new partition was successful, at least from what I saw from within the Acronis program, but the computer still won't boot. I have no clue why it will not boot - perhaps I did not properly configure the new system drive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abarbarian wrote:

"No need to upgrade to W 8.1 as MS have said that W 7 users will get a free upgrade to W 10 in the first year of its launch."

 

Awesome! Do I understand correctly that it would NOT involve a fresh install of the operating system and each program/software/app?

 

And, why on earth would MS give W 7 users a free upgrade to W 10?

Edited by Teffy
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Was the backup you used a backup of every partition on the dead hard drive? This should be done every so often.

 

If not, you need to find an image that includes all the partition and first restore that to the new hard drive. After that's done and it can boot, then find another, newer, image where perhaps just the C partition was imaged and replace the C with the newer image.

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t seemed like creating a system disk partition and restoring the system backup to the new partition was successful, at least from what I saw from within the Acronis program, but the computer still won't boot. I have no clue why it will not boot - perhaps I did not properly configure the new system drive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Awesome! Do I understand correctly that it would NOT involve a fresh install of the operating system and each program/software/app?

 

And, why on earth would MS give W 7 users a free upgrade to W 10?

 

If you know how to use a Linux Live CD you can check to see what Acronis put on to your new drive. If you do not know how to do that we can help.

 

If Acronis transferred folders and files and they look to be ok then you may have a problem with your MBR. If this is so you should be able to repair that with the original W7 cd.If you do not have one there are other ways to do the MBR repair.

 

Once you have the new system up and running then it may be advantageous to re-read the Acronis manual and do a full system, including the MBR, backup.Then wipe the new system and try to install the new backup.If everything works then you can carry on.

 

If you have room on your backup medium it is a good idea to keep a copy of a tried and tested backup of a new install as a fallback.Then you can keep weekly/monthly/daily backups of the running system, which will hopefully work when needed.If for some reason they do not then you still have the older original backup to get you out of the mire.

This may seem a phaff but not as much trouble as doing a fresh install of the os and all the updates and applications etc etc etc etc. On my pc which is not as good as your new one a full system backup only takes me 20 mins carry out and that is for a nearly full 240 GB drive. I only have the one partition for the os and data as I only use W7 for gaming.

 

To go from 7 to 10 I recon we will all have to do clean installs as opposed to upgrading the existing 7.Even if MS say you can do an upgrade to 7 in situ it is probably better to do a clean install.

 

Why would they give away a free os. Same reason any company gives away freebies. They are in trouble.

 

Here are a few reasons why MS are heading for trouble.

 

W8 was pants , W8.1 was not much better and a large number of folk missed out on then altogether.

Open source is becoming more mainstream as the worldwide recession shows no sign of going away.

Linux os's are becoming easier and easier to install.Once folk have spent a couple of hours installing a penguin , and that usually includes all or most of the programs they use, then they will not be happy to face the trials of installing a MS os.

MS phones bombed, Android rules the phone market.

MS tablets bombed, Android,Apple and to some extent Linux rule the tablet world.

Folk are changing their computing habits, phones and tablets are increasingly being used instead of desktops.

Valve are trying to create a new segment in the gaming world that has nothing to do with MS, an they are making traction with that. Once folk and developers see that you do not need a MS os to play/create all the latest and greatest games MS will no longer be a player in the gaming segment.An that will happen.

MS relies a lot on their office stuff for revenue.Once Europe,China, South America, Russia Aisa and a lot of others adopt open source office programs MS will loose that revenue.An it is already happening.

 

I could go on but you have Google if you need more. :pirate:

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So when are going to buy this computer?

 

I just did. So there. ;-)

 

Brace yourselves for the onslaught of questions once the new PC arrives and I try to restore my system disk.

 

Regarding the Power Supply: Silverstone NightJar SST-NJ520 (520W) is the largest endpcnoise offers.

Edited by Teffy
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but the computer still won't boot

Can you be more descriptive, i.e. at what stage of the boot process can your computer get to?

 

By the way, if you plan to restore to an SSD, the data size of the backed up system disk needs to be smaller than the SSD capacity. Otherwise, you need to restore your old computer, transfer your files somewhere, and clone the system disk to the SSD (use the Universal Restore Tool when doing this).

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securitybreach

 

I just did. So there. ;-)

 

Brace yourselves for the onslaught of questions once the new PC arrives and I try to restore my system disk.

 

Awesome!! Which series did you buy?

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Was the backup you used a backup of every partition on the dead hard drive? This should be done every so often.

 

There is only one partition on the dead drive, (EDIT: there may be more than one partition on the system drive.) and it only contained Windows and installed programs. In the past, after screwing up the installation of some program, I have successfully restored the system disk(on the same/original physical drive) from an Acronis True Image backup.

 

This time, I looked at the BIOS and could not see the old/original system disk. I am trying to restore the system disk backup onto a brand new physical drive. After the restoration it still will not boot. Because I bought a new blank hard drive to replace the old drive, is there something I need to do to it (besides creating a new partition) before or after altering the new disc via Acronis?

Edited by Teffy
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Awesome!! Which series did you buy?

 

Oops, I thought I already posted it. Here it is:

 

 

 

Products on order:

1 x CS-80 ATX NoFan Fanless PC

SKU: fanless-tower

Case: NoFan CS-80 Fanless Tower Case

CPU Cooler: NoFan CR-95C All Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

Power Supply: Silverstone NightJar SST-NJ520 (520W)

Motherboard: Asus Z97 Pro Motherboard

CPU: Intel I5-4590s New Haswell (Quad-Core, 3.0GHz, 65w)

Ram: 16GB Kingston 1600MHz (2 x 8GB)

Video Card: Use Onboard Video

Operating System: No Operating System

Quiet System Drive: Samsung 850 Evo 250GB SSD (Solid State Disk)

Additional Storage Hard Drive: WD RED 3TB (IntelliPower, Hard Disk), No Extra Storage Installed, No Extra Storage Installed, No Extra Storage Installed

Sound Dampening Hard Drive Enclosure/s: 1 x Smart Drive Classic Hard Drive Enclosure

Optical Drive: LG DVD-RW (GH24NS95)

Optional Thunderbolt Card: No Thunderbolt II Expansion Card

Wireless: No Wireless Installed (Use Onboard If Available)

Sound Card: No Sound Card Installed (Use Onboard If Available)

Keyboard and Mouse: No Keyboard and Mouse

Monitor: No Monitor

Warranty Options: One Year Parts & Labor Warranty

Processing Options: Standard Processing- Ships 6-10 Business Days

 

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securitybreach

Looks nice a nice rig, I am sure you will enjoy it a lot :thumbup:

 

BTW what monitor size will be using and do your have a copy of Windows or you will you be running the glorious OS called Linux? B)

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is there something I need to do to it (besides creating a new partition) before or after altering the new disc via Acronis?

 

See Post 17.

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zlim wrote:

--------

"Was the backup you used a backup of every partition on the dead hard drive? This should be done every so often.

 

If not, you need to find an image that includes all the partition and first restore that to the new hard drive. After that's done and it can boot, then find another, newer, image where perhaps just the C partition was imaged and replace the C with the newer image. "

--------

 

You may be on to something there. I might have created a second partition on the original system drive because I am a hopeless digital camera photographer / photo file hoarder. Always looking for a place to store photo files which I plan to cull "later" (never). I'll create a second partition on the new system drive and see what happens. I don't know the sizes of the original system and photo partitions, so I'm hoping that creating new partitions that are huge will work.

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securitybreach wrote:

---------------

"What monitor size will you be using?"

---------------

 

I use the sweet NEC multisync lcd3090WQXi

http://www.necdisplay.com/p/desktop-monitors/lcd3090wqxi-bk

 

Dimensions (WxHx)

Net (with stand) 27.1 x 18.8-26.3 x 13.5 in. / 687.3 x 478.6-668.6 x 342.8mm

Net (without stand) 27.1 x 17.6 x 5 in. / 687.3 x 446.8 x 126mm

 

Native Resolution 2560 x 1600

 

The screen can be raised and lowered ~ 8 inches so I can use it to sit or stand - sweet.

Edited by Teffy
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