Off Topic Anyone build PCs?

[dansafcman]

I haven't read through all the posts, so this might of been said before, however if you get a decent motherboard you shouldn't need a separate sound card.

What kind of screen will you be hooking it up to? If it's a 4k screen then you'll need a top gfx card, otherwise mid range will probably do you.

No need for special cooling setup, unless you plan to overclock the cpu (I presume you won't) or if you want a "silent " PC

 

[rooch 3]

I can build one for you mate but it won't look anything like a PC or work.

Already done one of them mate it made a grand toaster.

 

[Brian Storm]

Built quite a few of the years.. some useful resources for you to price compare / accessible techie help etc:

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/ (basically makes sure you have thought of everything you MIGHT need...plus best place to currently buy the bits ..buy the bits from whichever shop is offering the best price for a particular component)

Recommend https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/ ..loads of questions and help available there Plus check out the side bar for other resources / Links

you can post your final selection and ppl will give you the low down of if its a good choice / bottlenecked/ problems etc prior to buying
Also has links for ..top end - mid range- low end suggested builds


256 GB SSD is more than enough for windows and speed critical programmes (get a bigger one if good price and you intend to play games with large loading times) ..then get a regular Hard drive for storing your music /films /games etc on where load speed isn't critical ( I have a 128Gb and still isnt full ..Basically i just put windows on it..and some editing software..stuff that takes ages to load...cuts down boot time to 20 seconds from cold )

Intel I5 is a good ..'best bang for buck' choice ..will stand you in ..good ish..stead for 4/5/6/ yrs ..Good 'chassis' to upgrade in future ..giving longer longevity to the PC (ie pop in a new Graphics card in 3/4 yrs to boost your gaming if you needed it etc) ..depending on how cutting edge /speed freak you want to be...If (like me) you want a good solid reliable ..does the job pretty well for the cash

*Don't try and save a few quid on a power supply (its always really tempting too) ..Cheap ones are the killers of your expensive components when they go bang...get a good solid branded power supply ..and pay a little more for it *

Stock cooler should be fine..but can pop on a better air cooler if you want to be sure...usually about £20 -30 mark

personally I look to hit the sweet spot...around the 550 - 750 mark (not incl a monitor ..but that was based on pre brexit pricing ..not so sure at current prices) ..ie the best bang for buck point. At that price you should be well ahead of console graphics ..with a longer usability life span of a console too

(My last build 4.5 yrs ago cost 650 and is still streets ahead of current consoles ..has upgraded memory in it.. a new mother board when the last one stopped working (was still just under its 2 year warranty so got a nice new board free and more hard drive storage added)...but is beginning to hit the point of a serious upgrade (graphics card) in the next year of so..but still plays all games/ stuff i throw at it...really well ..just its beginning to creak around the edges ..very occasionally with certain graphic intensive games )

Finally..when close to pulling the trigger and buying ..post your suggested buy here..and we can all have a look at it and pull it apart..if you want

Thank you fella. Topper advice.

 

[Brian Storm]

I haven't read through all the posts, so this might of been said before, however if you get a decent motherboard you shouldn't need a separate sound card.

What kind of screen will you be hooking it up to? If it's a 4k screen then you'll need a top gfx card, otherwise mid range will probably do you.

No need for special cooling setup, unless you plan to overclock the cpu (I presume you won't) or if you want a "silent " PC

Standard HD screens. I'll want a main one in the front room obviously. And one in the bedroom. Speakers in every room of the house. I pretty sure I'll need a very good spec wifi mother board as I want to run my house's sound system through software on this computer. Also need my lappy to connect to it which will go with my dj set up. I'll also need a stand alone turntable to connect. I'd also like other devices like tablets to be able to access the sound system. It's all about the sound really. My retro gaming and streaming needs I'm sure can be achieved relatively cheap with out a **** hot graphics card standard HD is max I need.

 

[Judge Death]

Done about 10 PC builds over the last few years - happy to help if you need any advice.

Might have to dig a bit more into the sounds area as not something I know a lot about (generally more graphics for photography etc)

Let me know if you still need some assistance

 

[Brian Storm]

Need to put it off for a while. Was expecting to put an offer in on a house but there's been a change of plan and the search must go on. I'll revisit this once I have an accepted offer in and know my finances better.

 

[dansafcman]

Standard HD screens. I'll want a main one in the front room obviously. And one in the bedroom. Speakers in every room of the house. I pretty sure I'll need a very good spec wifi mother board as I want to run my house's sound system through software on this computer. Also need my lappy to connect to it which will go with my dj set up. I'll also need a stand alone turntable to connect. I'd also like other devices like tablets to be able to access the sound system. It's all about the sound really. My retro gaming and streaming needs I'm sure can be achieved relatively cheap with out a **** hot graphics card standard HD is max I need.

I realise that your delaying this now, but why the need for WiFi? Everything will be networked through a router, so that's where you need to invest. Get one with good QoS (quality of service) management.

You'll be better off connecting all of your devices through your electric wires with the proper adapters. It won't be theoretically as fast, but it will reduce the lag that WiFi setups generally have. If WiFi is a must, you can get WiFi repeaters which hook up to the network via the electric system, eliminating the degradation that you see from repeaters that try to boost the routers WiFi signal directly.

 

[Brian Storm]

I realise that your delaying this now, but why the need for WiFi? Everything will be networked through a router, so that's where you need to invest. Get one with good QoS (quality of service) management.

You'll be better off connecting all of your devices through your electric wires with the proper adapters. It won't be theoretically as fast, but it will reduce the lag that WiFi setups generally have. If WiFi is a must, you can get WiFi repeaters which hook up to the network via the electric system, eliminating the degradation that you see from repeaters that try to boost the routers WiFi signal directly.

Welll I want all my speakers wireless. Just figured to upgrade my system in the future I best get a really good motherboard. I didn't understand a word you said there so couldn't put it into practice I know I'm not willing to run speaker wire round the whole house.

 

[dansafcman]

Welll I want all my speakers wireless. Just figured to upgrade my system in the future I best get a really good motherboard. I didn't understand a word you said there so couldn't put it into practice I know I'm not willing to run speaker wire round the whole house.

Wireless speakers for your different sound systems. But you also want your different sound systems connected to your pc so you can stream over your house network (films, music etc from a central computer/drive), right?

 

[Brian Storm]

Wireless speakers for your different sound systems. But you also want your different sound systems connected to your pc so you can stream over your house network (films, music etc from a central computer/drive), right?

Pretty much yes. There will be a kitchen tablet, my lady's sewing room tablet, dj ****(eventually) and a stand alone turntable(which will be in the front room). Everything else will be streamed from the pc, and I'd like the capability for the pc streaming to hit every room (sound). The same for the turn table and DJ stuff, but the tablets only need to connect to the room they're in.

Streaming of films TV and sport only needs to reach the front room tv and the bedroom tv visually. I don't mind if the bedroom tv doesn't connect to the speaker network, but the front room tv has to so that I can say still follow a film while I'm cooking.

Currently I'm using plex and my laptop as a server to stream my files to both my tv's via Playstation consoles. This of course has no sound system integration.

Getting the sound network working offline would be a plus.

 

[dansafcman]

Pretty much yes. There will be a kitchen tablet, my lady's sewing room tablet, dj ****(eventually) and a stand alone turntable(which will be in the front room). Everything else will be streamed from the pc, and I'd like the capability for the pc streaming to hit every room (sound). The same for the turn table and DJ stuff, but the tablets only need to connect to the room they're in.

Streaming of films TV and sport only needs to reach the front room tv and the bedroom tv visually. I don't mind if the bedroom tv doesn't connect to the speaker network, but the front room tv has to so that I can say still follow a film while I'm cooking.

Currently I'm using plex and my laptop as a server to stream my files to both my tv's via Playstation consoles. This of course has no sound system integration.

Getting the sound network working offline would be a plus.

OK, so I have plex set up as well. Simple setup, pc to living room (so no multiple rooms).

Computer plugged into network. TV plugged in same network. (cabled, not wireless). TV plugged into amp, which sits under the tv and has 5.1 speakers. I stream a file from my pc to the TV, sound goes from my TV through the amp and out of my living room speakers.

Your problem isn't the pc setup (devices connected to pc via plex), but setting up multiple sound systems or single sound system which supports multiple inputs...

I presume that you don't need sound system for the tablets (kitchen and sewing room) - sound coming through the tablet speakers is enough?

 

[Brian Storm]

OK, so I have plex set up as well. Simple setup, pc to living room (so no multiple rooms).

Computer plugged into network. TV plugged in same network. (cabled, not wireless). TV plugged into amp, which sits under the tv and has 5.1 speakers. I stream a file from my pc to the TV, sound goes from my TV through the amp and out of my living room speakers.

Your problem isn't the pc setup (devices connected to pc via plex), but setting up multiple sound systems or single sound system which supports multiple inputs...

I presume that you don't need sound system for the tablets (kitchen and sewing room) - sound coming through the tablet speakers is enough?

Not really no mate, it would have been handy for my ladies room but not too bothered. She just needs to be able to access the net and youtube for troubleshooting. So long as she can get music through the speaker from the mother pc.

I've not looked into amps and speakers yet, can an amp be tweaked by pc software?

 

[dansafcman]

Not really no mate, it would have been handy for my ladies room but not too bothered. She just needs to be able to access the net and youtube for troubleshooting. So long as she can get music through the speaker from the mother pc.

I've not looked into amps and speakers yet, can an amp be tweaked by pc software?

Well plex should stream both the sound and the image from your PC to the other device (tablet or whatever)

I'm not an expert in amps or sound systems but I've always found Onkyo to have reliable and have great features
Have a look at the pr-rz5100, supports wireless multiple room audio, chrome cast, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth blah blah blah

Sonos is another company, specialising in smart home devices and they do audio products. But not sure if they'll do what you want...

 

[Brian Storm]

Well plex should stream both the sound and the image from your PC to the other device (tablet or whatever)

I'm not an expert in amps or sound systems but I've always found Onkyo to have reliable and have great features
Have a look at the pr-rz5100, supports wireless multiple room audio, chrome cast, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth blah blah blah

Sonos is another company, specialising in smart home devices and they do audio products. But not sure if they'll do what you want...

I've not even thought about external hardware. It was something I was going to add in time and expand. Just want the base unit to be able to handle anything I threw at it in the future. Got a wedding to pay for so the base unit is the only thing I'm getting initially. I aleady have the tablets tv. The amp and speakers need to come later.