Trying to Get My PC Build under $1000

phobaphobic on 09/06/2011 - 09:13
Last edited 09/06/2011 - 11:40

I'm building a GPU processing rig… basically it consists of the usual suspects - but concentrates on the GPU rather than the CPU

Why are parts so damn expensive in Australia?

So far I have

Motherboard: AMD AM3 MSI 890FXA-GD70 - $172 (MSY)
CPU : Sempron LE-145 - $140 (MSY) (Also considering the Sempron 140)
GPU : hd6990 - $709 (MSY) (I will be adding two more of these later on!)
Ram: 2 x1GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM 1066 -$40 (cheapest I could find on staticice.com.au)
PSU: 1200W ???

As you can see, most of the parts (unsurprisingly?) seem cheapest from MSY - but I'm sure OzBargainers can help me shave off a couple of dollars :)

I still need a 1000-1200W power supply.

Are there any US stores that would offer cheap/combined/free shipping to Australia?

If I built the computer in the US it would cost me 2?3rds of the price!

Edit: This isn't a gaming machine btw. The GPUs will be calculating data.

Find Me A Bargain

Comments

  • issh on 09/06/2011 - 09:45
    +1

    post here
    http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/7

    also
    if you are a member on OCAU for 90 days, you can buy/sell 2nd hand computer equipment, that will make your build cheaper

    also look here
    http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/rmp_sg_whirlpoolpcs

    stores that have international shipping
    http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/international_stores_that_ship_…

  • SimBer on 09/06/2011 - 10:02

    Have you considered buying the parts from USA then getting them shipped by an intermediary service?

    • phobaphobic on 09/06/2011 - 11:37

      I may look into this… the extra wait is annoying though! (probably what Australian retailers are banking on)

  • llama on 09/06/2011 - 10:27
    +1

    When you say "GPU processing rig"… are you sure that you are selecting the right video card?

    Cards that are optimised for gaming may actually be pretty bad at doing proper work. For example, if you were building a graphics workstation you'd generally use a Nvidea Quadro rather than a gaming card.

    I am not saying your choice of HD6990 is wrong, but that it's a massive $$ out of your budget and you may be wasting money unless you really "need" all that raw pixel-moving and texture-mapping power.

    • phobaphobic on 09/06/2011 - 11:43

      I've looked into this (for $710 x 3, you bet I have!) this model offers good overclocking as well as great calculating speeds… also since the card is newer than some others, it will be slower to depreciate and retain resale value when I'm done.

  • bendertiger on 09/06/2011 - 10:38

    I think this guy has some rocks in his head…

    Goes for an EXPENSIVE graphics card yet cheapens RIGHT out on the ram???

    Not meaning to be rude but back when I used to build computers I'd tune every component to work in sync. No point having a huge graphics card if the rest of the system can't handle it!

    • phobaphobic on 09/06/2011 - 11:38

      The memory hardly matter for GPU processing. I chose the ram that would consume the least power but be stable enough for the rig to be on 24/7.

      • bendertiger on 09/06/2011 - 22:59

        Your choice…

        Personally I think computer parts are rather cheap now though! Of course, I go for low-end items.

        I'd also like to say thanks to drawing my attention to what 'bit-coin' mining is. I won't go into reasons…

    • llama on 09/06/2011 - 12:38

      It might be just a rig to do that Seti-type rubbish, where they use thousands of gigawatts of power all over the world doing useless calculations

      http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/cuda.php

      Nvidia and AMD are bloody clever, eh? A bit of viral marketing to a large bunch of well-meaning but ultimately quite naive geeks… then sell each of them a $600 graphics card.

      I wonder if they recommend that people buy powerful GPU processors rather than CPUs, because… ummmm… because GPUs sell for a lot more than CPUs do? Nah, that would never happen would it? ROFL

      • phobaphobic on 09/06/2011 - 16:22

        GPUs are a lot more efficient at calculations. A good GPU can outperform any CPU out there.

  • fungi79 on 09/06/2011 - 10:50
    +1

    Sempron? How 2001 of you.

    • phobaphobic on 09/06/2011 - 11:39

      I know, isn't it great? The second core can be unlocked though, if I wanted to - but it isn't necessary, since the GPUs will be doing all the grunt.

  • StalkingIbis on 09/06/2011 - 14:45

    ive never seen such a huge ratio of 'grpahics card:rest of build quality' lol. what exactly do u do?

  • engmeng on 09/06/2011 - 18:13

    get better quality rams and more too

  • fungi79 on 09/06/2011 - 21:06
    +2

    People, he's Bitcoin mining, that's why he needs all that GPU calculation power. Nothing to do with games, CPUs harddisk etc. The rest of it is literally a life support system for the GPUs.

    • llama on 09/06/2011 - 22:18
      +1

      Thanks - I knew about BitCoins, but didn't know how they were earned. Found this online, which I found interesting

      A top of the line $2,200+ mining rig with dual AMD Radeon 6990s and running the latest builds of specialized miner software will hash at approximately 1.44 Ghash/s (1,4400,000,000 hashes/s) and earn just under $30 USD per day at the present difficulty level and market exchange rate.

      So a single 6990 might generate 1/2 that, but BitCoin inflation means the earning ability will never increase and only drop away in future. But not allowing for inflation, $15 per day is almost $5,500 per annum which is an excellent investment return on a grand.

      • scrimshaw on 09/06/2011 - 22:36

        That figure would be a bit less, if you throw in the electricity bills and energy required to run the 6990.

      • fungi79 on 09/06/2011 - 22:43

        No, because difficulty increases and there is as good a chance of bitcoins being worth more as it being worth nothing. Mind you, if you were already planning on buying such a build using its off time to earn for itself isn't a bad way to go. Accounting for electricity and difficulty increase, a more conservative estimation would be $5 a day, which is certainly better than nothing, but not worth the hassle.

    • leonheart1 on 11/06/2011 - 23:32

      Wow that's pretty interesting!
      Thanks for the info.

  • fungi79 on 09/06/2011 - 23:12
    +3

    Having this type of setup, you are going to have the cops over looking for grow lamps faster than you can say "i'm bitcoining".

  • Trance N Dance on 11/06/2011 - 20:58

    Good luck finding a 6990, massive shortage on these. None of the MSYs in Sydney have anystock.

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