Fun Stuff > CLIKC
Help me and my sister build a computer!
SpacemanSpiff:
I don't think the Shuttle system is a very good option because of this: It's rather loud, if compared to a normal system, it's harder to upgrade because there's less room in it, the cooling is less efficient and first and foremost, putting it together yourself requires more skill and fiddling than building a computer inside a normal case.
From what I gathered, they are exactly experienced with building computers so we shouldn't make it harder than necessary for them.
--- Quote from: Se7en ---NONSENSE. Utter, utter nonsense. Whilst it is true that there is little point in having a power supply that is very much overspec, doing so does NOT draw more current off the mains. Power supplies are switch mode units, they work at their most efficient when they are cold. Guess when they are cold? when they are drawing a minimum of current.
--- End quote ---
Actually, I'm sorry, but you are wrong. Let me explain it: The degree of efficiency of PSUs isn't constant, it's like a curve that's the highest around 80% load, and to both sides, it decreases (meaning with substantially less load and under full load, which should never happen of course).
Here are some numbers (as can be seen in C'T magazine, 15/04, page 170): A P4 3,6ghz with a Geforce 6800Ultra draws about 230W (on the delivering side of the PSU), which is a lot. An idling Athlon64 with a Geforce 6600GT (which is what you would get while surfing, for example) draws around 100W.
Comparing an Antec TrueP550 (550W) and a Seasonic SS-350FB (350W), here are the results: If both are delivering actual 200W, the Antec is drawing about 270W, the Seasonic is drawing about 245W. If they're delivering actual 84W, they Antec draws 129W, the Seasonic 106W.
Which makes sense, since they both have an effeciency at 60% load of around 65%, whereas they are both in the 75% to 78% area with 80% load.
Apart from that, another point is simply: A more powerful PSU is also usually more expensive.
oceansaway:
Hmm all interesting points, guys...we'll see! What are the best online stores to buy parts?>
Se7en:
Oh now that is a ridiculous comparison. I'm sorry, but i know how these magazines do things, ive written for them!
Comparing two power supplies of different brands immediately invalidates the entire process! im suprised that wasnt obvious.
The efficiency of any given power supply depends primarily on the switching frequency used. The Vregs on a motherboard can be upwards of 1 mhz, which is why they can supply such massive wattages to the CPU, and only need passive cooling. Most PSUs will use a freqency in the region of 50 khz, cheaper ones will be lower, and more powerful, more expensive psus will use a higher frequency.
Unless you know this frequency, you cant make any judgement about the efficiency of any power supply.
Also, the current draw matters even less when you consider that the current draw of any given system will be up and down like a whores drawers, according to CPU load and throttling, ditto for the GPU.
Anyway, the shuttle isnt that bad. The cooling is VERY efficient, even if it doesnt maintain very low temps. Heatpipe systems can handle huge wattages, and keep things adequately cool for a standard processor, and thats all you need.
No, they arent any louder than a typical system of the same spec. Obviously if you make an effort to quieten down a system, its going to be quieter than a shuttle, but you can quieten shuttles too! They use a fan that was designed primarily for long life, not airflow or noise levels. It just needs swapping for a good ball bearing fan, and the job is done! The cpu uses a standard 80mm fan, and its not a hard job at all.
I dont think its any harder to put together iether. You are saved the problem of putting the motherboard into the case, which causes the most problems for first time PC builders. Its just small and a little fiddly, but it DOES come with proper instructions, so anyone with a bit of sense and some dexterity could do it.
Upgrades arnt much of an issue. By the time you get to upgrade time with any PC, most of it is obselete, and you end up replacing almost the entire thing. Upgradability is only an issue when you upgrade every 6 months, rather than every 2 or 3 years.
TheCourtJester:
--- Quote from: oceansaway ---Hmm all interesting points, guys...we'll see! What are the best online stores to buy parts?>
--- End quote ---
For 'round here (US and I'm sure the UK an dmost of Europe, too) you can't beat Newegg.com...excellent prices, unbeatable customer service, and very fast shipping.
No, they didn't pay me to say that :)
5thWheel:
--- Quote from: TheCourtJester ---
For 'round here (US and I'm sure the UK an dmost of Europe, too) you can't beat Newegg.com
--- End quote ---
"Newegg.com does not currently ship internationally; we only deliver to locations within the United States and to Puerto Rico."
In the UK I have bought lots from Insight in the past, couldn't say if they are especially cheap, however. I usually use them to give me an idea how much stuff costs and use froogle to compare.
& Since ppl have been talking about tiny PCs, gamespy just ran this article which may be of interest. Unfortunately I knew PC hardware back in the days when a meg of ram would cost you £100UKP 2nd hand, I've no idea about this newfangled modern stuff so I don't know if the article is useful or driven by their sponsors somewhat. I do have an absolute horror of buying incompatible kit (i.e., stuff that *should* work but because of a particular combo, doesn't) so I'm prolly about to buy the stuff listed in the gamespy article (with the nVidia card cos I detest ATI). & I agree with Se7en about upgrades, I'm upgrading my games PC ATM and the only component worth retaining is the DVD drive.
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