Re: Planning a new quiet, home, mid-range system for business apps, no games...

The only smart way to do that would be to buy the exact same
motherboard.

First, thanks for your detailed response. There are a number of issues
that it raises.

To begin with, is it not possible to use the hdd that she already has
and move it to a different system?

Yes, but that's not the final step in the process.

I can do a complete new install,

Great! That's what it'll take.

but
I was hoping to not have to do it. At least with the new True Image,
individual directories and files can be restored, so the data will be
easy to install. I thought there was some way of preparing a hdd with
XP to move it to a new system... Not so?

There are short-cuts. But at best, it's going to leave a real mess in your
windows registry. At worst, you'll be scratching your head for months
trying to figure out what is wrong with your new hardware. There is only
one CORRECT way. You can use the same hard drive, no problem. But you'll
have to format C:

Now watch, someone is going to tell you how to do the shortcut and assure
you that everything will be OK. This is like saying it's OK to go 20,000
miles between oil changes in your car. It may be a matter of opinion, but I
sure as heck wouldn't abuse a system like that.

OK, no micro PC cases.

Suggestions of cases I might check out? I have the Antec 182.
she like the look of the Antec Sonata III case

I've built with a Sonata, although it wasn't a Sonata III. Unless the
Sonata has been significantly improved, you do not want it.

, although it comes with
one of their own power supplies, the Earth Watts 500, which is not
modular.

Modular is over-rated. Nothing wrong with it. But if you choose the right
case for ventilation, there is plenty of space to "hide" excess cables.


I might purchase a Corsair and swap it out or look for a
different case. I have yet to cut myself on an Antec case, so I would
like to find a case that is as carefully made.

There are many good brands. Foxconn, NZXT and XClio are all good brands of
CASES. (note I didn't say power supply) Any of those brands will be just
as good as Antec. Just not sure how much you want to spend. I like the
NZXT Alpha myself, but it's kind of overkill for what you are building.
Flashy and large. :) But it would work fine.


Yeah, PLEASE stay with the Corsair 650 power supply. And prepare to
re-install everything on the new hard drive. I'd suggest you try the
following, with a Phenom 8750. I think your wife will love it. -Dave

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128379

Is it the Corsair brand that you are saying I should stay with or,
specifically, the Corsair HX620 that I should stay with? When I
checked out the power draw for a system that would have more demand than
this one, it spec'd out to 285 watts, so I thought I might purchase the
Corsair 520...

I'd suggest you go with the HX620, or a 650 model. (I'm sure they make
one). Corsair is great, so I don't think you'd have much problem sticking
with that brand. The problem is, ALL manufacturers are skimping on
components for the low-power power supplies. These days, "low power" is
anything below about 650W, roughly. Yeah, there are many current builds
that can be run just fine on 500W or even 380W (if the power supply is good
quality). If you've got a build that draws 285W max, a REAL 520W power
supply is sized exactly right for it (because you want your power supply to
run 40-60% of max power, usually). Now try to find a decent one. Again,
even the decent brands are skimping on components in the ~500W range.
That's why I say aim for 650W or higher, regardless of what you build. You
really aren't going to spend that much more. In some cases, you might even
save ELECTRICITY by upgrading to a more powerful power supply. That's
counter-intuitive, but the better power supplies are more efficient in a
wide range of current draws. In other words, a 650W power supply might be
able to run a ~300W system more efficiently than a ~500W power supply would.
You would think that the 650W would draw more power from the wall outlet,
but that isn't necessarily so. It depends on how efficient the power supply
is at the specific current draw on each rail.




Funny!! I am not sure how I found this earlier today, but here is a
board I had been looking at, also a Gigabyte board:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359

Great board, for an Intel build. It doesn't appear to have built-in video,
so that will up your build price a bit. But if you've got the bucks, I
could recommend that one. Good choice.


This now raises some questions about AMD processors and boards. I have
always used Intel processors, so I have no knowledge about AMD
processors and memory. I checked on

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

and could not find the Phenom 8750, so I am not sure where it fits in
the ladder.

It is a triple-core version of a Phenom 9750. I'm not surprised it isn't on
your chart. Being triple-core, it kind of flies below the radar. But it
will benchmark between a Phenom 9650 and a Phenom 9750. Or if you are
wondering about benchmarks compared to Intel and more importantly,
bang/buck:
A Phenom 8750 will kick the crap out of an E8400 (performance wise), and
save you about forty bucks, as well. So it's a much better deal (at the
moment) than an E8400.


What is the advantage of using AMD? Price alone?

AMD is usually cheaper, as far as bang/buck goes. If you spend the same
amount of money on a build, you will end up with a little better performing
system if you build with an AMD processor.


Do they
use the same memory as Intel (I assume yes, but I don't know)?

Yes. That is a good question to ask though, as AMD processors often have
the memory controller built into the processor itself. That's why you will
see some AMD mainboards advertised as supporting certain memory speeds ONLY
with certain CPUs installed. But in general, you should buy high-quality
name-brand RAM of whatever speed is supported by your mainboard (and/or
processor). Good RAM is good RAM, and should work with any system you
build, regardless of processor brand, if that RAM is supported by the
mainboard.

Are
boards designed for AMD cpus similar or lower in price than a board
designed for an Intel board?

The best answer is, the boards are similar in price. Now let me qualify
that. Because Intel processors are more popular, you can sometimes find
some real bargains in mainboards to support Intel processors, if your
planned build is somewhat flexible. If you are aiming at a mid-range system
with no-compromise quality and only major brands of mainboards, you are
going to pay the same price for the mainboard that supports processors in
the same general performance range. That is, you can't save money on the
mainboard by changing the processor brand for a typical mid-range build.
But in the BUDGET mainboards (no-frills micro-ATX, usually), you can
sometimes find some really cheap mainboards for Intel processors. "Cheap"
as in not sacrificing much in terms of quality, but paying a very low price.
This is because of the increased competition for Intel boards, driving the
cost of the budget segment mainboards way down. But even at best, if you
save twenty or thirty bucks on a Intel mainboard (if you're willing to
settle for a budget board), the extra cost of the processor itself will eat
those savings.

So again, it boils down to the cost of the mainboard is about the same, all
things considered.


do the AMD processors run hotter or cooler
than an equivalent speed Intel processor?


Interesting question. How do you measure that? At the core, they are
identical. But you can't measure core temperature accurately. And any
external sensor would only indicate how well the processor dissipates heat
AWAY from the core. In that case, a higher temperature would be preferred.
(because it's better to get the heat OUT than to keep it in) You really
shouldn't need to worry about what temperature the processor runs at, unless
you intend to use a third-party cooling solution, or overclock. I wouldn't
suggest you do either. The retail boxed coolers for both AMD and Intel work
just fine.


If you are thinking about an AMD build and have built Intel systems in the
past, I can sum up what you need to know in a few words. Those words are,
you will have no problem at all.

In fact, after you build your first AMD system, you will look back and
realize that it's just like building an Intel system. No difference really.
Except that you'll usually spend a little less on hardware for the AMD
system. I build AMD systems almost exclusively. Every once in a while,
I'll build a system where someone insists they've got to have an Intel
processor. No big deal. Just another build. :) And don't get me wrong,
there is NOTHING wrong with Intel. It's just that, usually, AMD is a little
better deal. Just like your proposed E8400 system. I could take your list
of components, and build a better performing system with a Phenom 8750 for
less money. But that doesn't mean you'd be wrong to build with an E8400.
It's your system. And for office apps and web surfing, the E8400 will work
great. -Dave


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