Is it worth buying the faster peripherals?

[Neil]

Hi Guys

Bit of a Newby here but....
I am looking for a powerful PC that will last me some years and I can upgrade when I want.
But my present Dell is suffering not from processor power but lack of Ram and slow disk access.
Having a fast processor is great, but only if the peripherals can keep up.
So my question is:- Is it worth paying a bit more for the faster bits?

Here is the spec of a slightly modified ‘The Video Editing PC’ I am considering, coming in at £883

Stylish Black Aluminium Trigon Case + 2 Front/Side Usb
Intel® Core™i5-760 Quad Core
Asus® P7p55 Lx: Usb 2.0 & Sata 3.0gb/S
4gb Samsung Ddr3 Dual-Ddr3 1333mhz (2 X 2gb)
1gb Nvidia Geforce Gt240 Pci Express (3d Bluray Ready!)
1tb Serial Ata 3-Gb/S Hard Drive With 16mb Cache (7,200rpm)
10x Blu-Ray Rom Drive, 16x Dvd ±R/±Rw
Internal 52 In 1 Card Reader (Reads Xd, Ms, Cf, Sd, Etc)
450w Quiet 80 Plus Dual Rail Psu + 120mm Case Fan
Intel Socket Lga1156 Standard Cpu Cooler
3 Port IEEE 1394a Firewire PCI Card
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Iiyama E2271hds 22" Led Widescreen, Hdmi/Dvi-D Full Hd 1920x1080
Logitech® Wireless Desktop® MK250 Keyboard and Mouse Combo

But is it worth upgrading the following which adds £89?

Asus® P7p55d-E Pro: Usb 3.0, Sata 6.0gb/S, Crossfirex™ / Sli Support
4gb Kingston Hyper-X Blu Dual-Ddr3 1600mhz, X.M.P (2 X 2gb Kit)
1tb Wd Caviar Black Wd1002faex, Sata 6 Gb/S, 64mb Cache (7200rpm)

I thought this would be more future proof with USB3 and Sata 6

Thanks

Neil

 

[Stappa]

I doubt you will c any improvement in changing the ram(1333MHz is very fast), the sata 6 HHD's run at the same speeds as the common sata3 HHD's(sata 6 only improves SSD's performance)but the mobo is worth considering for 'future proofing'

the only changes i would personally consider are a GPU upgrade(gtx460/5570) for a bit of gaming and a PSU upgrade(TX650) for future proofing and poss a BBD RW rather than 'player' 50 gb storage per disk
oh and a decent CPU cooler??

 

[Phoenix]

Upgrading the memory won't make any difference unless you're planning to overclock the processor but it's definately worth getting the western digital HDD because it has more cache so things will load faster.

 

[Sleinous]

1tb Wd Caviar Black Wd1002faex, Sata 6 Gb/S, 64mb Cache (7200rpm)

When I read the first half of your thread, this is exactly what I was about to suggest

However, NOT the WD1002FAEX, as that motherboard has no Sata 6G so pointless, besides, no big diff between that and the WD10EARS 1TB 64mb Cached drive, (only diff is one is SATA 3G and one is SATA 6G but the WD1002FAEX would only be running at SATA 3G on that motherboard anyways

Obviously if you upgraded the motherboard, then yes, but, even then, I wouldnt bother, as SATA 6G only really presents any noticeable bonus for when you use a solid state drive (SSD), ok a mechanical drive WILL perform faster on a 6G port but only in certain areas of usage, and, in very VERY tiny amounts, so, not worth it.

The MOST important thing with the HDDs IMO is that cache, 64mb will help way more for video editing, than 16mb.

Also, all the rest seems fine, cpu cooler is fine as long as you dont want to overclock.

Hope all that helps

 

[Stappa]

Upgrading the memory won't make any difference unless you're planning to overclock the processor but it's definately worth getting the western digital HDD because it has more cache so things will load faster.

In all reviews/mags/forums I've read then general consensus is that sata6 HHD's are No faster than a half decent sata3 HHD?, I think Gorman mentioned this on a previous post and knows his business, sata6 only benefit's the new generation SSD's

 

[Sleinous]

In all reviews/mags/forums I've read then general consensus is that sata6 HHD's are No faster than a half decent sata3 HHD?, I think Gorman mentioned this on a previous post and knows his business, sata6 only benefit's the new generation SSD's

However, NOT the WD1002FAEX, as that motherboard has no Sata 6G so pointless, besides, no big diff between that and the WD10EARS 1TB 64mb Cached drive, (only diff is one is SATA 3G and one is SATA 6G but the WD1002FAEX would only be running at SATA 3G on that motherboard anyways

Obviously if you upgraded the motherboard, then yes, but, even then, I wouldnt bother, as SATA 6G only really presents any noticeable bonus for when you use a solid state drive (SSD), ok a mechanical drive WILL perform faster on a 6G port but only in certain areas of usage, and, in very VERY tiny amounts, so, not worth it.

^Pretty sure that's what I just said though?

EDIT: Woops you didn't mean me hehehe

 

[Neil]

Thanks for the advice guys but try this...

I had thought go for the Asus® P7p55d-E Pro as it has full USB3 and 6Gb Sata, when the P7p55d-E runs one or the other (not both) and the P7p55 LX has only USB2 and 3Gb Sata

No Blu ray writer, as just 5 blank 50Gb or 30 blank 25GB disks costs the same as a 1Tb - WD10EARS or 500Gb external 2.5’ drive.
Personal opinion and maybe a new thread, I think that disks will die out in favour of solid state memory sticks, over the next 10 years, it just the size, flexibility, ease of use and you can’t scratch them.

Upgraded to GPU Hd 5570 not much more – is there a large difference in performance to the GT240?

So the new spec is...
Stylish Black Aluminium Trigon Case + 2 Front/Side Usb (Special Offer)
Intel® Core™I5-760 Quad Core (2.80ghz, 8mb Cache) + Turbo Boost
Asus® P7p55d-E: Usb 3.0, Sata 6.0gb/S, Crossfirex™ Support
4gb Kingston Hyper-X Blu Dual-Ddr3 1600mhz, X.M.P (2 X 2gb Kit)
1gb Ati Radeon™ Hd 5570 Pci Express - Directx® 11
1tb Wd Caviar Green Wd10ears, Sata 3 Gb/S, 64mb Cache
1st Dvd/Blu-Ray Drive
10x Blu-Ray Rom Drive, 16x Dvd ±R/±Rw
Internal 52 In 1 Card Reader (Reads Xd, Ms, Cf, Sd, Etc)
Corsair 650w Psu (Tx650) 80+ Ultra Quiet
Super Quiet 22dba Triple Copper Heatpipe Cpu Cooler
6 X Usb 2.0 Ports @ Back Panel (Min 2 Front Ports) As Standard
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - Inc Dvd & Licence
Iiyama E2271hds 22" Led Widescreen, Hdmi/Dvi-D Full Hd 1920x1080

Kept the memory, as only £3 difference.
Compromised with Asus® P7p55d-E. As I can’t see my self using both Sata 6Gb & USB 3 together just yet.
If I do need more speed later, - SSD’s will come down in price within the next few years to become more viable as a main drive for the OS. And I can always buy a USB 3 card.
I guess buying what I don’t need now will cost more in the long run as we see prices fall each year.

I had hoped to say around the £800 mark but this is creeping to £1K
So back to the original question, are these changes worth it? Will this make a good machine into an outstanding machine.

Thanks again

Neil

 

[Sleinous]

Hdd is great now, consider Samsung memory, no need in the Kingston if youre not oc'ing. You can get a usb3 pci card when the time comes so id still say stick to the cheaper mobo.

 

[Phoenix]

In all reviews/mags/forums I've read then general consensus is that sata6 HHD's are No faster than a half decent sata3 HHD?, I think Gorman mentioned this on a previous post and knows his business, sata6 only benefit's the new generation SSD's

The green one would probably be a better choice (cost wise) but I was just comparing the black one to the standard HDD option.

 

[PaulH]

Stick with the Nvidia card, cuda cores and all that, you dont need to upgrade your motherboard, the 450w PSU would have been fine, you will also notice little difference from 1333mhz to 1600mhz ram, if anything up it to 8gb.

 

[Meds]

Ok, I have read through the above posts and put together a quote based on the all the recommendations.

Note: I have also changed the case to the CoolerMaster Elite 310 as they are very similar in terms of cooling yet the Elite 310 is £20 cheaper!

Case
COOLERMASTER ELITE 310 BLUE CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5-760 Quad Core (2.80GHz, 8MB Cache) + Turbo Boost
Motherboard
ASUS® P7P55 LX: USB 2.0 & SATA 3.0Gb/s, CrossFireX™ SUPPORT
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 2GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT240 PCI EXPRESS (3D BluRay Ready!)
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR GREEN WD10EARS, SATA 3 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
10x BLU-RAY ROM DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW (£59)
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)
Power Supply & Case Cooling
450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£29)
Processor Cooling
INTEL SOCKET LGA1156 STANDARD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Monitor
IIYAMA E2271HDS 22" LED WIDESCREEN, HDMI/DVI-D FULL HD 1920x1080 (£149)
Keyboard & Mouse
Logitech® Wireless Desktop® MK250 Keyboard and Mouse Combo (£19)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 12 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £859.00 including VAT and delivery.

 

[Sleinous]

*praises Meds in regards to the HDD*

 

[Neil]

Ok so the answer to the question is NO.

So I’ll be sticking with the Samsung 1333 RAM
But I will upgrade to the ASUS® P7P55D-E: as for the £31 it has firewire and USB3 and Sata 6, which gives me the future proofing I want.
So in a year or so if I want a faster computer I could go to a SSD and i7

Thanks for everybody’s advice.