Hello,

I need to build a new system, mainly for video editing (with Premiere), photo touching up (Photoshop), and general gaming. I've had my computer for over 4 years, but it unfortunately broke down, so I decided to build a new one, instead of fixing my outdated PC.

I already have one hard drive, a DVD drive, and a sound card, but I require the following:

a new CPU (maybe with heatsink, or is it necessary?)
a new motherboard
a new case w/ power supply
a new hard drive (to add with the other one)
and new memory

~? and a new video card if my budget permits it:

I want to spend roughly $1000 to $1200 CND.

Thanks.

Granted these prices are in US$ but it should be pretty close (falling $ anyone)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128059
(MB $90 + S&H)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115017
(CPU $255 + S&H) (if you can squeeze this into the budget)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115029
(CPU $190 + S&H) (if you can't swing the Q6600)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231122
(RAM $80 + S&H) (4Gb, or 2x 2Gb)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119137
(Case $80 + S&H) (pick up some S-Flex 120mm fans later)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817151057
(PS $105 + S&H) (pricy, but still well worth it)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136178
(HDD $95 + S&H) (500Gb WD)

Total: $705 (US) with the Q6600 (subtract $65 for the other proc)

as for graphics: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130325
($270, and will last you quite a while 8800GTS G92 512)

Or: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814125086
($180, 3870 512Mb)(zalman cooler)

Okay here's a system bought through NCIX.com (Canadian site). Not sure if this is the best place, but should give you an idea. Prices are shown in Canadian currency.

CPU - $280
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor LGA775 Kentsfield 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 8MB Retail Box
http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] ture=Intel

Mobo - $99
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L ATX LGA775 P35 1333FSB 1PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN Motherboard
http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] e=Gigabyte

GPU - $270 - $20 MIR = $250!! Comes w/CoH Game too!!
XFX GeForce 8800GTS 650MHZ 512MB 1.94GHZ DDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out Retail Video Card
includes Company of Heroes
http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] acture=XFX

Case - $129 Has (>80% efficient) Earthwatts 500w PSU included, which has 34A on the 12V rails so you'll have plenty of power for this build. Case is constructed well too.
Antec Sonata III Black ATX 16IN Mid Tower Quiet Case 3X5.25 2X3.5 4X3.5IN 500W 120MM Fan
http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] ture=ANTEC

Memory - $100 - $30 MIR = $70 Not sure if this the best price for these, because I can buy in the US for about $65 and have a 30 MIR, so you might be able to find for a better price somewhere else. This is probably the best DDR2 800mHz CAS 4 RAM available.
Crucial Ballistix PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit
http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] TECHNOLOGY

HD - $70
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 16MB Cache Hard Drive 5YR MFR Warranty
http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] re=Seagate

DVD Burner - $33 Is a SATA drive, so less clutter in the case which will improve air flow.
LG G-H20NS10 Black DVD+RW 20X8X16 DVD-RW 20X6X16 INT SATA OEM DVD Writer
http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] lectronics

Total ~$981 - $50 MIR's = $931 + Taxes and shipping. This will give you an idea of parts. You should probably up the memory to 4 gb's, but not sure if you need to add OS/Monitor to the build price or not. If there is a better Canadian site that I could look at, please let me know.

my favorite part, I sure hope you do use the heatsink....

That's great guys, thanks a lot. I'll definitely take all of your opinions into consideration. I'll let you know what I end up getting.

I'm serious though, don't think about building a pc w/o a HSF

Get this one;
http://www.jab-tech.com/Xigmatek-H [...] -4097.html

Definitely, I'll check it out.

I'm also thinking about this system, mainly because it's in Ottawa, and I wouldn't have to pay for shipping. I bought my last system from them, and I never had any major problems, just the usual hardware update here and there.

http://www.pccyber.com/?v=Systems

I'm looking at the Intel Signature PowerMax at $899 - which is also within my budget.

Thanks.

^ You can get the parts individually for a little cheaper... but if you don't mind paying a little more for the time saved in building it yourself, I don't think buying it is a bad decision at all. All the parts look good quality, which says a lot considering what you might find in a similarly priced Dell.

I put that same rig in a wish list at newegg, just because it's easy to come up with the total. Just not sure if it was the same DVD burner, everything else was and the total was $901.39

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersio [...] D=10698367

Ya this system looks pretty decent. As for parts, I have bought quite a few of them from NCIX and they have pretty fast shipping service and a good inventory. I have yet to return something so far so I don't know about that.

hey fatcat do you play Day of defeat source?

If you don't mind paying someone to build your computer, that one looks pretty good. I like to build my own, since it's fun to do, but alot of people don't want to deal with it. That PSU is plenty for what that system requires and should serve you well. It's >80% efficient and has 34A on the 12V rails, so you should have room for upgrades later.
I also got about $900 for the same system on newegg. I know I could widdle down the price by about $50 or so maybe more, but their system is very competetive to building it yourself. Now does this system come with an OS? If it does, than you'd be getting a really good deal!

I already have a copy of XP professional (32 bit version) and I think I'll stick with that for a while and wait till Vista becomes more reliable. I know that SP1 just came out recently for Vista, and it has received some decent reviews, but I think I'll wait, and stick it out with XP for now, I like how XP runs.

I might go both ways, get some parts from NCIX, and some from PCcyber. I'd definitely get the video card from NCIX, because its much better than the one in the Pccyber system.

Thanks.

Let us know how it turns out. You could also call/email PcCyber and see what it would cost to add the 8800gts (g92) to the system. It shouldn't be more than $100 to do that, but if your going to buy from seperatre places, that won't matter.