I need some advice on a new build....thx Budget: $700-$800 Main uses of intended build: video/photo editing, light gaming, programming, some 3-D rendering in the future, med-heavy multitasking, streaming music/movies. Parts required: need mobo/cpu/Ram/case/hd/psu Previous build information: GPU (dont remember what it is, its not in my possession, but I think its a BFG Nvidia Geforce 9 or 8 series), DVD, Soundcard Monitor resolution: 1920x1080 Storage requirements: 1tb....eyeing the Samsung Spinpoint F3 will you be overclocking: yes and no. It depends on the cost factor...which cost more, more cooling or more expensive CPU. There seems like a lot of overclocking going on... Any motherboard requirements: no Extra information about desired system: RAID card in the future, now probably will get extra hd's. wireless card or usb. I will settle with a cheap ugly case. read that the i7 920 would be the best, not sure if I can swing it though. read that the xeon x3440(and its equivalent to to i5/i7?) would be good also because of the HT, hardier processor, and also for overclocking. But are two Xeon's needed? read that i5 750 would be good too. But does not having HT really a big deal? I know probably not for games, but does it hinder video editing? What about the Phenom II X4 series. I know it doesn't do well on some of the benchmark tests, but for video editing/multitasking does the computer come to a screeching halt or take a very long time.
Hey wicked, welcome to the forums. Unfortunatly xeons don't overclock due to the mobo they use. (EVGA are releasing one that allows overclocking but no idea how it performs). Xeon's main advantage is being able to run two processors at the same time and have those processors talk to each other. This is for very heavy users but won't be possible on your budget. Your budget is around £500 provided you carry over parts you can just get an i5 750. Ill price from over here since I don't know the american market as well. You can search around and try and get cheaper. HT only adds about 10%, extra performance. Not really worth it IMO, other people differ, you would benifit from it. processor: i5 750 (go for OEM + Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2 CPU Cooler) Both together should work out cheaper than the full retail and help quieten down the system a bit. the i7 860 isn't worth the £70 extra. the i7 920 will also require a different mobo socket and tri channel memory will be very useful, but its outside your budget. ram: I like these geil value tho the corsair dominator are very good too. mobo: Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2 Intel P55 bit-tech gave it the thumbs up in the sub £100 mobo test. Good for OC'ing etc. HDD: seagate barracuda 1TB Samsung, Western Digital are perfectly fine too. Should be able to get 1TB np with that budget. Just make sure its 7200RPM not the slower 5400RPM. PSU:Corsair CX 400W ATX Power Supply OCZ are good at this price. You may want to move up to a 500W PSU. Its important to Get a brand you trust. Case: coolermaster Elite 334 Midi Case - Black cheap cheerful and not bad looking. Theres cheaper out their Thats a build I'm looking at for my GF's dads. He uses it for photo editing (professional photographer) and wants to do video conversion (on a light level) All that comes to £496.95 obviously prices and avaibility will vary but those products are are a good place to start. Any problems Ill spend more time going through some american sites to help more.
good advice by java. but living in the US this might be more to your liking: i5-750 if you can find a microcenter store nearby, their cost even with tax is a decent savings... Sythe Mugen 2 little better than the ac, but harder to find, so whichever you can grab, either is solid for the money Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3 only one pci 2.0, but new sata and usb standard G-Skill 2x2gb 1600 mhz ddr3 good speed, and great price on newegg Corsair HX650 the cx400 is plently of power, but this will get you modular and upgrade headroom, and it fits in the budget Spinpoint F3 hdd if you can handle hd noise, this is the one, otherwise get the wd black series Cooler Master Storm Scout case is subjective to taste, i think this one is sexy, and it performs well. if you want to shave some money off, you could grab the antec 300. but this case is totally worth the extra in features
It really does =) I was expecting a few niggles tbh but the design team where really on the ball @trig titan fenrir is possibly better than the mugan 2 in intel systems, need to check again tho but titan is the way to go. Close to same price too. I think the 400W is enough but you don't want to be running close to max if possible. 500W would be perfect and if you you get modular thats a bonus. OCZ do a quality Modular PSU for a few quid more. Again I would need to check avaibily and prices in the US.
From my recollection it is particularly difficult to find Titan coolers in the US. I agree with Javaman that the CX400 might be a bit on the small side depending on the graphics card and particularly if the i5 is overclocked.
it's definitely better. can find it at frozencpu. not worth it over the mugen though in my opinion unless he is looking for record oc's, which doesn't look to be the case.
not sure what you mean...are you saying that the fenrir is cooler so it uses a lower fan speed which makes it quieter? because you'd be wrong. the fenrir is cooler because, among other things, the fan spins up to 90% faster than the mugen 2, which doesnt translate to lower fan speed, but higher. it is also rated to put out about 40% more noise in doing so. but my point was more along the lines of it may cool a cpu better, but the mugen 2 does the job well enough, and i wouldnt think that a 3-5% decrease in temps is worth 70-80% more money. in my book, that isn't money well spent.
thanks for taking the time to answer I ended up going to Fry's Electronics(gag). No Microcenter around here. Purchased a i5 750 and Biostar T5XE CFX-SLI like this one at newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138162 for $219 and a 20 dollar mir The sexy CM Storm Scout for $79.99 and a $10 mir....thanks trig I'm going to order the g-skill 2x2 and cooler from Newegg. two Seagate hd's 500W PS I probably try to get the i7-920 and mobo, if I have any tax money left, and build another system. Thanks once again for the input, it was greatly appreciated.
I really don't like going to Fry's. The sales people aren't very helpful. I just get what I need and get out of there. I go to the one in Tempe, AZ
