|
|
Rank: I'm new around here
Joined: 4/13/2008
Posts: 5
|
Hello again, thought I'd let you know what I thought of my Mobo while I'm at it! I was looking to build a mid-to-top range gaming PC for under $1000, so my motherboard choice was always going to be the one with a useful BIOS (for OCing), high FSB, and low price. I chose the P5K Pro after reading some reviews and a price of about $130 from MSY (www.msy.com.au). Installation was really easy with Asus Q-Connector, which takes all of the power, led and restart buttons and plugs them into a single connector which can be plugged into the motherboard, saving the incredibly annoying task of plugging them individually and getting the pins under ones fingernails!! Layout was a bit of a pain with a PSU at the bottom of the case, as the power cables had to do a bit of stretching to get to the correct spots, but other than that I could get to all the other parts just fine. After installation, I really wanted to get the system to run at 1066MHz for the RAM (4x1Gb 1066MHz Corsair Dominator), but quickly discovered that the Asus BIOS was about as stable as Amy Winehouse. Flashing the BIOS meant that I could get the BsoDs out of it's system, but it was painfully depressing to throttle the RAM to 800MHz  Other than that, the motherboard adjust-ability is spot on, and I was able to tweak all the system components to OC the Processor exactly how I wanted it. I easily recommend the motherboard, but would stress that finding the right BIOS revision for YOUR SYSTEM is very important. To find out more speccy info on the motherboard, check out http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=534&l4=0&model=1921&modelmenu=1.
|
|
Rank: Technician
Joined: 2/2/2009
Posts: 236
|
Without sounding too criticle of your review, there are a few things that seem odd. A mid-to-top end system WON'T happen on 1000 bucks. Low end is about all it is. The RAM issue is an easy case of reading the warnings that most already know, that with all four DIMM slots filled, dont expect much more than 800 speeds (400Mhz Host, 1:1 Mx). Read this: Quote:4 x DIMM, Max. 8 GB, DDR2 1066*/800/667 Non-ECC,Un-buffered Memory
Dual Channel memory architecture
*The chipset officially supports the memory frequency up to DDR2 800MHz. from here: http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?modelmenu=2&model=1921&l1=3&l2=11&l3=534&l4=0 and you will get the point. Did you flash the BIOS ? The boards do OC pretty good but need some homework and testing done first.
Gone
|
|
Rank: I'm new around here
Joined: 4/13/2008
Posts: 5
|
Thanks for the heads up L-Benji, I think I might have got a little too excited when shopping and definitely didn't as much research as I should have lol! At the moment I'm running happy and stable with 4GB of Corsair Dominator at 800MHz, which is plenty fast enough for my needs. The $1000 will surprise you methinks. Current specs are: CPU: Q6600 G0 2.4Ghz Overclocked to 3.0Ghz RAM: 8 GB DDR-II 1600 5-5-5-15 (running at 800Mhz  ) M/B: Asus P5K-Pro PSU: Coolermaster 550W GPU: Gigabyte 8800GT 512MB HDD's: Seagate 200GB (Vista Ultimate x64), Seagate 300GB (Games installs  ), Seagate 1TB (Media) Case: Antec 900 with 4 x 120mm fans & 1 x 220mm "Big-Boy' Cooling: Noctua 120mm cooling heatsink You might argue whether that is considered mid-to-top end, as this setup doesn't have the watercooling you have o the SLI'd cards, but I managed to get most of that for a grand minus the heatsink (which was an afterthought after OC-ing) and the 2 smaller HDD's. I have since built similar PC's for friends and family, all for under the $1000 mark (without monitors). My 2 secret weapons are: - MSY in Ultimo, and - Computer Fairs. The haggle-ability of computer fairs is awesome. Having so many stalls in the same place, you can find out who's selling what for the cheapest and then have a 'chat' if your'e buying more than one component. $50 here and $20 there is pretty manageable when you buy many things from the one person! Retrospectively, and certainly after reading the RAM issue in PC-Authority (cant remember which issue!), I would have matched a better mobo with the RAM. I just read the 1066 on the review and went for it! Cheers for the scrutiny, its always welcome!
|
|
Rank: Technician
Joined: 2/2/2009
Posts: 236
|
Quote:The $1000 will surprise you methinks. Current specs are:
CPU: Q6600 G0 2.4Ghz Overclocked to 3.0Ghz
RAM: 8 GB DDR-II 1600 5-5-5-15 (running at 800Mhz )
M/B: Asus P5K-Pro
PSU: Coolermaster 550W
GPU: Gigabyte 8800GT 512MB
HDD's: Seagate 200GB (Vista Ultimate x64), Seagate 300GB (Games installs ), Seagate 1TB (Media)
Case: Antec 900 with 4 x 120mm fans & 1 x 220mm "Big-Boy'
Cooling: Noctua 120mm cooling heatsink I find you claim a little stretched. Board, chip and RAM is $450, case is $200, PSU is $100+, OS is $300+ for an OEM, videocard $100 and HSF is about the $90+. HDD's then blow it to a $1500+. 
Gone
|
|
Rank: Moderator
Joined: 3/30/2008
Posts: 801
Location: Sydney, Australia
|
He probably bought it before the economy shat itself, which would make it somewhat cheaper. $1000 can get you a decent system, without OS and peripherals.
Vito Cassisi: Tech Blog
|
|
Rank: Technician
Joined: 2/2/2009
Posts: 236
|
Half the gear on the list is actually cheaper now than when market went cheap. What is probably going in favour is most of the gear is old stock so the prices go lower.
I don't think I came accross clearly at the start so I will explain where im going with this topic to be clear that its not a shot at anyone in particular.
Yes, for a grand you can have a decent MID-Range hardware only system if your prepared to do your own build. The un-fortunate thing is that I see so many people out there who think that they can come into my business (and it's the same at the other shops as well) and expect to get a Mid-Range system just like above (yep, it's mid-range) for the grand (or bring in a claimed system quote from online rip-off's) supplied, built and OS installed for the bargin price. It just doesnt happen. What makes it worse is when so many have only the very basic knoweledge and then go off with a bee in their bonnet and buy all their bits online, then put it together to find it either runs like crap (in alot of cases, they think it's actually fast and smooth) or doesnt run at all. Then it does the rounds around the various businesses to get it fixed and eventually it makes it way back here to find that I or the other businesses then have to charge more money to replace the poorly chosen bits and the labour content to rebuild the mess. In the end, I and the rest of us in business are the biggest A-holes under the sun because we didn't live up to the bullshit claims that litter the online world.
It may sound like a rant but I think it's time it was said. I make a living out of knowing how to buy, build, setup and get the best value for money out of the given system. Thats what i'm paid for, to know what i'm doing. Knowing what parts work best with other parts is a skill that comes with time and expirience, not looking through under-cutting online retailers. Just because a peice of gear has a particular socket, slot or interface, doesnt mean it's going to play nice with the rest of the system.
The thing is though, there are so many back-yarders out there who are all guilty of making the whole game a dirty job, poor builds, lower prices (most are NOT registered so no taxes) and crap support.
Edited by Lost-Benji: 11/2/2009 08:06:03 AM
Gone
|
|
Rank: I'm new around here
Joined: 4/13/2008
Posts: 5
|
You sound pretty burnt Benj. I think Mid-range is entirely a subjective thing, so other than saying that my build runs MOST new games on full-spec (including Far Cry 2), and that you can currently buy a TOP end one for the unrealistic $8000 (as shown in the latest PC Authority), I will leave it at that. You'll be happy to know that THIS amateur "basic knowledge" computer builder will be building another 2 PC's for around $800 with a similar spec to mine (except I now know a bit more about lining up the FSB with the RAM so they might be even BETTER than mine ). I don't know if you're making a case for retail parts suppliers (which I believe is what you do) in saying that buying parts online is a terrible thing to do. I'd gladly buy from a shop if they didn't try to rip me off at EVERY turn. I often find a difference of about $20 - 50 dollars per component for the provelage of buying off the shelf rather than have them HOME DELIVERED... I think there should be more and more people out there that are willing to do the research into their own computer parts (including the prices you can get them for) and have a go at putting them together themselves. Please also know that I am talking hardware only in the price. I let people choose their own OS and programs. As for "crap support", I'm more than happy to send stuff back to a manufacturer if it doesnt work, but try send a system back to a builder under warranty and see where it gets you. It's like sending a steak back to a chef.....  I once sent a system off to be fixed (even though I had ON-SITE warranty) with a busted PSU. Normally I would have replaced it for $50 - $80, but I thought I had better use the warrantly I had paid for. I had to send off my entire system to...wait for it...MELBOURNE! They sent it back 2 weeks later with a new PSU, a dented case and destroyed HDD from transporting it, then told me they didnt cover shipping. THAT is crappy support, and was the catalyst for me building my own systems from then on. I think < $1000 = $0 labour cost. I do it for myself or friends...not money...
|
|
|
Guest |