New build - dual DVI, i3/i5, SSD - IRO £500 ex VAT

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Chris Nolan

Honorable
Apr 17, 2013
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10,510
Hi everyone, despite building dozens when I was younger it is a LONG time since I've built a PC and I feel well out of touch so I'm looking for some advice.

I need to build a system for a digital signage project, it will be on 24/7 and housed in a wall mounted server cabinet so I am looking for quiet and cool and reliable.

I (think I) need:

CPU: Core i3 or Core i5
GPU: nVidia with 2 x DVI outputs (this is important) - a 9800GT would do but I've no idea of the modern equivalent
RAM: 4GB would do, 8GB would be better.
Hard drive: SSD (256GB is fine)
Expansion: At least 2 free full height PCIe slots for BlackMagic Design Intensity Pro
Optical: CD/DVD reader
OS: I'll be running Win 7 Pro which I already have

Budget is about £500 ex VAT, but could go higher if needed or if I'm being unrealistic.

I've no idea where to start, where is good to buy from, what cases are good, what size case I need, what motherboard I should get, what PSU I should get... and anything else I haven't considered...? Or whether I can get an off-the-shelf system that would suit my needs.

Would be most grateful for any pointers on this.

Many thanks!
Chris
 
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ksham

ksham

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Mar 29, 2013
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I don't know anything about Blackmagic Design Intensity Pro. I hope this is good enough. You could probably opt for a cheaper GPU and upgrade other components if you need them.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3225 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor (£107.50 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock B75 PRO3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£60.00 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£38.91 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£129.90 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB Video Card (£108.45 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Zalman Z9 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case (£44.34 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£49.99 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£11.13 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £550.22
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
 
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C

Chris Nolan

Honorable
Apr 17, 2013
4
0
10,510


Thanks ksham. The only thing there is that motherboard seems to have only a single PCIe slot. I need 1 for the GPU and 2 spares for the Blackmagic cards. Any alternative boards that might suit?
 
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ksham

ksham

Splendid
Mar 29, 2013
8,398
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I tried to fit the requirements as best as possible. Do you know the recommended specs required to run your digital signage server with the Blackmagic Design Intensity Pro? I don't know if it needs an i3. Doesn't sound like a demanding task.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor (£95.26 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte G1.Sniper 3 EATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£117.59 @ Aria PC)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£38.91 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£129.90 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti 1GB Video Card (£83.36 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Cooler Master HAF XM (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£92.34 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£34.50 @ Ebuyer)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£11.13 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £602.99
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
 
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C

Chris Nolan

Honorable
Apr 17, 2013
4
0
10,510


Hi ksham thanks again for responding. You're right its not a demanding task but in certain circumstances the machine could be receiving two HD video inputs (through the blackmagic cards) and outputting these individually to the dual-head graphics card... I guess that is quite intense but mostly handled by the respective hardware and not the CPU.

The updated suggestion looks good. I am impressed how much I can get for the money! Is the different case just to support the EATX factor board? Also I noticed you dropped the video card from GTX 650 to GTX 550 but I assume I could use either?

Do you think it is worth spending the bit extra to get the uprated CPU/PSU/video card?
 
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ksham

ksham

Splendid
Mar 29, 2013
8,398
1
29,960

I may be using the wrong words. Sorry. English is not my first language. I meant better as in it was recommended by Blackmagic Design Intensity Pro. Based on my research. GTX 650 Ti may work just as well if not better, but I can't guarantee it.
 
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C

Chris Nolan

Honorable
Apr 17, 2013
4
0
10,510


Hi ksham, I think maybe you read that on a Hackintosh forum as I expect the 650 will be fine on a PC with the Blackmagic card.

I've put the uprated video card back in, and the uprated PSU but not sure whether 500W is overkill? Think I'm going to go for this solution and see how it works out. Thanks for your help!

Chris

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor (£95.56 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte G1.Sniper 3 EATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£117.59 @ Aria PC)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£38.91 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£129.90 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB Video Card (£108.45 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master HAF XM (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£92.34 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£49.99 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£13.06 @ Aria PC)
Total: £645.80
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-18 10:39 BST+0100)
 
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