My first build, so I want to make sure I don't have any compatibility issues with the components. Also, it would be nice to know if there is something that I could do to get a better bang for the buck. I'm shooting for something between the enthusiast and the workhorse. Budget: ~$1000 (usd) Main uses of intended build: Media hub | photo/video storage/playback | photo and HD video editing Parts required: The box and everything in it. Previous build information (list details of parts): n/a (some crap laying around like internal DVD burner) Monitor resolution: ? couple of old flat panels laying around that will need to suffice until Christmas. Storage requirements: med with upgrade path to high Will you be overclocking: no (not yet at least) Any motherboard requirements (no. of USB, Xfire/SLI, fan headers): none Extra information about desired system: Just really want something with a good upgrade path. I want it to last at least 5 years. Intel Corporation Core i7 860 Processor Boxed - $200 2 x Seagate Technology Barracuda 500GB 7,200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive (2@$55) - $110 Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3 LGA 1156 P55 ATX Motherboard - $130 Corsair Professional HX650W 650W Modular Power Supply -$110 Antec Three Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case -$50 OCZ Technology 4GB DDR3-1600 (PC-12800) Gold Low Voltage CL8 Memory Kit (Two 2GB Memory Modules) - $125 HIS Radeon HD 5770 IceQ Turbo 1024MB GDDR5 PCIe 2.1 x16 Graphics Card - $180 Total - $905
This is what bit-tech themself quoted. See if it help with you consideration: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/buyers-guide/2010/05/07/pc-hardware-buyers-guide-may-2010/4
Yeah, I was using that and the i5 build. Just wanted to make sure everything gets along, that it will be powerful enough to edit HD video, and I'm not doing anything to throttle upgradability since the gaming workhorse build is about $200 over my budget.
not a big fan of HIS or seagate, would change those out myself for a sapphire and wd blacks. otherwise looks pretty solid to me. awesome psu choice. i assume ur looking at newegg for the purchase?
Thanks. I'll probably get most of it microcenter. If there's a better deal at newegg, then I'll grab it, but even with taxes, microcenter usually has better prices and I don't have to wait on shipping.
Looks nice. I like Seagate disks, mine have served me well. Although I'm not sure about the US, but here in the UK, it's better value to just pay a little bit more and get the 1 terrabyte version. And if you are to do that, a very popular one is the Samsung Spinpoint F3 1tb disk. It has a good reputation because it's fast, quiet, runs cool, reliable, etc. So if I was you I would spend a bit more and get a pair of those. Or just get one and you could even partition it in to two halves of 500 gig each if you prefer. That would be better for upgrading in the future too, because having too many hard disks in your computer isn't ideal. So having one 1 terrabyte disk instead of two 500gb's is better because it generates less noise and less heat, and gives you more room to add more disks in the future if you need to. Everything else looks good. Again I'm not sure about US prices, but DDR3-1600 is pretty expensive here. It is recommended for overclockers, but if you aren't that serious about overclocking you could maybe get some slightly slower ram and save some cash. But if the price difference isn't that much then just stick with what you listed. You could also maybe skimp a little bit on the graphics card. Playing video and photos doesn't need anything special, even playing HD and blueray stuff doesn't need all that much. So you could maybe skimp a bit on that if you wanted. If you can afford it though, go ahead. It's piece of mind knowing you have good kit and it wont stutter. Lastly if you could stretch to it, I have a home theatre PC which has a really nice drive for disk playback. It does HD-DVD, BlueRay, DVD, and CD, and it's also a DVD/CD burner! It wasn't THAT expensive either so you might want to consider that if it's going to be a media centre for you? If not, stick with your existing one.
What is the step down from DDR3-1600? Is DDR2-800 a step down, or a few steps down? It's about a $25 difference. Would the GTS-250 be up to editing HD video? It won't be a media center...with the possible exception of streaming home movies to the xbox.
about the only thing microcenter beats newegg on is cpu's, after that its all newegg. and it will save you enough to warrant a three day wait. newegg customer service is superb as well. ddr2 isnt compatible with the new sockets, so no, you dont want that.
It looks like you're right trig. Last time I checked the prices looked closer and newegg had shipping charges on most everything on my list. Now almost everything is a touch cheaper an free shipping.
Update for prosperities sake... I couldn't resist the siren's song and expanded the budget to a x58 build. The better PCI-e lanes or whatever that wouldn't gimp sata III and usb 3.0 down the road was enough to push me over the edge. I just have this feeling that once I get a taste for gaming on a new PC, I will want more. On order: CPU: i7 930 MB: Gigabyte X58 UD3R GPU: Sapphire 5770 Vapor-X PS: Corsair 650w modular RAM: OCZ 6GB DDR3 1600 HD: A pair of Spinpoint F3's Case: Antec 300 All for a bit over $1000 USD. However, I guess I'll have to upgrade to Win 7 from Vista. Time to work a little more OT.
very nice rig...and yeah, gaming can get addictive. i still roll l4d2 almost everynight for some pub stompin fun...only thing i would say is if you dont plan on overclocking, grab the 920 if you can (and you should) find it cheaper.
Thanks. I was thinking about the 920, but it's out of stock at Microcenter, and the 930 at MC is cheaper then the 920 anywhere else. So maybe I'll just have to start overclocking.
