Ok on my dime I need to make money count. I don't hardcore game I need to spend more tiem on school work anyways. Plus HL2 freaks me out. Just needs to do SC well as well as vids. and music. So here it is. Lian Li V COOL PC-V1000 Silver Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Model #: PC-V1000 Item #: N82E16811112051 In Stock ASUS CROSSHAIR Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail Model #: CROSSHAIR Item #: N82E16813131593 In Stock XFX PV-T73G-UDD3 Geforce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail Model #: PV-T73G-UDD3 Item #: N82E16814150140 In Stock HIPER HPU-4S580-MS ATX12V 580W Power Supply - Retail Model #: HPU-4S580-MS Item #: N82E16817128003 In Stock AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Windsor 2000MHz HT Socket AM2 Dual Core Processor Model ADA3800IAA5CU - Retail Model #: ADA3800CUBOX Item #: N82E16819103735 ** This item is warranted through the product manufacturer only. what's this? In Stock Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KSRTL 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Retail Model #: WD2500KSRTL Item #: N82E16822136037 In Stock Logitech G15 2-Tone USB Wired Standard Keyboard - Retail Model #: 967599-0403 Item #: N82E16823126179 In Stock Logitech G5 Laser 931376-0403 2-Tone 6 Buttons 1x Wheel USB Laser Mouse - Retail Model #: 931376-0403 Item #: N82E16826104191 In Stock NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Silver IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A - OEM Model #: ND-3550A SV OEM Item #: N82E16827152060 In Stock Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail Model #: 70SB046000007 Item #: N82E16829102188 ** This item is warranted through the product manufacturer only. what's this? In Stock ZALMAN CNPS 9500 AM2 2 Ball Green LED Light CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink - Retail Model #: CNPS 9500 AM2 Item #: N82E16835118004 In Stock Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F (1,600rpm) 120mm S-FDB (Fluid Dynamic Bearing by SONY Corporation) Case Cooling Fan - Retail Model #: S-FLEX SFF21F Item #: N82E16835185006 In Stock Logitech Z-5500 505 Watts 5.1 Speaker - Retail Model #: 970115-0403 Item #: N82E16836121120 ** This item is warranted through the product manufacturer only. what's this? In Stock $1,636.86 $1,835.10 with tax and shipping This would be the basic layout and will need a monitor but Am try to keep initiall price down and think that would be something I could cut and fell ok about. Check out this hot looking New Mobo Sexy CrossHair
Since you've got to pay tax, go to Circuit City for the monitor. I believe it's $299 this week, and you then have the ability to return it if it has only a few broken pixels. Also, a $2600 is nothing to sneeze at, but if you want to make every penny count, you've got to rethink several of your choices. You're paying $11 for the Arctic Silver, after shipping. See if you can get it locally for cheaper. Also, get this HD instead of the one you chose. It's the same one, but in OEM form as opposed to retail. The difference= better warranty for $55 less. Your mobo should come with SATA cables (you're paying enough for it), and your case should come with more than enough screws. It looks like a solid build, but you say you're not a hardcore gamer while your choices say otherwise.
You dont game, yet are forking out for a 7900GT? 7600 or X1600 is probably more for you, even on a 20.1
Yeah a lot of that equipment is catered to gaming, so I don't see why you need it. Change the 7900GT for a 7300GT if you're not gaming, and you can probably change the keyboard and mouse as well.
$175 tax?! I'm moving to america. Looks like a good build, taking into account the changes people have suggested.
Ok Fry's is Sh*t but I dropped the artic silver and got the OEM harddrive saved 100 on the 7600GT instead of the 7900GT. This was just a general idea of whats needed. I usually tend to over do it so your guy's opinions on what would be good really help me save myself some cash. Now stuey can I vacation at your house and send the PC to you then take it home with me? Okay heres a serious question. I can't buy everything from one place except newegg so I am thinking that I will pick the monitor up at a bestbuy or some other local store that stocks it. Probably bestbuy they have fare prices. SO now that I edited it. Any ideas that will help me lower the cost but be able to expirement with OC'ing?
You gotta deal search around. Like the X-fi. A local computer OEM part store is selling the Extreme Music for that price + a MIR, and a $40 store gift certificate, which could probably go to use on a cooler or something, bringing the card price down to $50 CAD! Aside from your speakers, and motherboard, I see no reason why your system costs so much. Even then, if you're not gaming, do you really need all that stuff? As for the motherboard, couldn't you settle for something cheaper? If you're getting an X-Fi, good integrated sound would be redundant, etc. Rethink some of your parts. Unless you're keen on spending that much, then all the more power to you.
There isn't an onboard sound card. There is a PCI E 1x that comes with it but I question the quality of sound since I am a music buff. Also I don't exactly have the liberty of driving around elextronics stores to find good deals and stores that carry what i need. Plus I think I mentioned that this was just a list I was able to make easily online and would when I got a chance head out to some local stores.
Ya it is the same as The platinum or the fatality. So I don't need the other stuff that comes with those 2. I think it will be perfect unless you are in fact being sarcastic.
Just the slightest... The only reason why I don't agree with most of your components, is because they are either very expensive (which I personally wouldn't consider), or because from what you said about your usage (not a hardcore gamer etc.), a lot of that hardware is just a waste, and you could save a lot more money, and use it on other components that would matter more to you, or spend it on whatever non-computer hobbies you might practise. Save it up even - but bottom line is - most of those pricey components, you will end up wasting. Such as - why the Crosshair board? You're not overclocking, nor do you need all those other features. Why a 7600? You're not gaming. Why not a Conroe system? With a little overclocking, or even just stock, you could build a machine that could rip through any sort of editting you throw at it - all on stock cooling. Of course, those are just my opinions. I've always managed to built my machines at super low prices, or almost below cost, from the deals I scour around for.
Why are you purchasing another case fan? It'll run you $22 or so (I rounded up on the salex tax). The case you're buying (which is kind of costly for a case anyways, but justifiable) already includes two 120mm case fans. In my experience, onboard audio is pretty decent. I have digital optical and analog stereo output from one, and digital coax from another. However, equalizations have to be fiddled with and disabled, but that's a driver and software utility issue. Also, if you're adding a non-stock heatsink, you're going to still want the Arctic Silver. Just try to find a place where shipping won't double the final cost of the product. Your description still shows a retail HD. You should put links in for the products so we don't have to enter product numbers to look at the individual product prices, and you should consider a retail version optical drive. Why? Retail optical drives will have burning software and DVD movie decoding software (WinDVD or PowerDVD), whereas the OEM won't. I don't know about the current generation of video cards, but a mid-level card like the one you currently selected should be good for occasional or semi-frequent gaming. If you're purchasing a 19" or larger monitor, you should connect it via DVI cable. If the monitor doesn't come with one, then you'll have to buy one. I prefer Belkin's PureAV line since it's plenty durable, but some people accept nothing but the cheapest cables while others accept nothing but the costliest. By the way, in the first post, you say you need it for SC. I have some ideas, but a little confused as to what exactly you're referring to. Also, with respect to motherboards, do as you please. When I built my system, I used the $175 Abit MaxIII. Why? Because it had heatsinks and a small fan by the power mosfets and had digital audio, and did away with parallel and serial ports which I'd never use. Sure it came with other features I didn't want or need (extra SATA ports, special IDE encryption card), but no other mobo quite fit the bill. On another build, I used a $100 Asus board which wasn't a champion but no slouch either. If you're spending 2 grand, saving $50 by getting a different mobo won't be a huge difference, but it'll help. Similarly, if you compromise a little - no biggie, but if you compromise a lot - you might regret it.
I'm a fan of the cheapest cables. A cable is a cable. As long as electricity passes through them, it works. I never understand why audiophiles get the thousand dollar cables. The recording studio probably uses s***ty cables, and CD/vinyl is probably bottlenecking it anyways. Same for computers. It's not like any special care is used to make the finest PCB pathways. But yes, a DVI cable is good. I use a gold plated BestBuy one (Dynex?), since I know someone who works there that could get the price down from $50 to $6. How they markup the accessories...
I would save a bit and get the ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe instead of the ASUS CROSSHAIR its the same but without the EL I/O, Onboard LED, LCD Poster and Onboard Switch which are all nice features but IMO are more of a novelty than a useful feature, with the possible exception of the LCD Poster .
The thing is, cable qualities do vary. I purchased cheapo cables and after I opened the package it said that there was a coating that provided the EM shielding and after I handled it, I had to wash my hands b/c the stuff was known to California to cause cancer. In other words, they powdered the cable to shield it from interference. Plus it felt flimsy as hell. I went straight back that day and returned it. While I will admit to say I've used Monster Cable products in the past, I tried to get them on a discount, and I recognize that they are heavily marked up. BUT they do offer superor shielding and have very durable jackets which have lasted through all my abuse. I've seen DVI cables which are a quarter of an inch think, and I have the PureAV one which is half an inch think. It really does make a difference when you're as abusive on your stuff as I am. It's like saying that all power supplys are alike. If you've got a raidmax PSU and a PC P&C PSU, you're going to see differences in operation. BUT, the PC P&C one is overkill for most, so it's best to find a compromise (let's say with an Antec) which will definitely provide advantages while not break the bank. With digital cables, shielding is less important, but enough interference can cause bits to drop in intensity, and a cable with poor shielding will also affect everything else around it.
