Looking to build a new Vista 64-bit desktop

[KevinLK]

Hey guys,

I am planning to build a new desktop to run Vista 64-bit edition. I have about $1800 CAD to spend, but I need to get a really good 20 or 22 inch monitor with that as well so I don't have the full $1800 to spend on just the build.

Anyways, I am going to be using this computer for photo editing (thats why I need a good quality monitor and at least 4GB of ram), web development/website design (not that this really requires any particualar hardware power, but I might as well mention it), and maybe playing a few games as well (Battlefield 2, Call of Duty 4, Age of Empires 3).

I was thinking about the Core 2 Quad Q9550, but I'm not really sure if I need to go that high end? Is it worth it for the 12mb cache? I was also thinking a single 4870 for the GPU. It don't think I need a dual GPU for this setup, the games are important but not the main focus. If those are good choices for the CPU and GPU, can anyone recommend a good motherboard for them? And a good type of RAM to use?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[auscanzukus]

Q9550
P5Q PRO or GA-EP45-DS3R
2 x 2 x 2GB DDR2-800MHZ for a total of 8 gigs
HD 4870

Pick out the rest.

The Q9550 price has just been slashed by nearly a half. So it's a deal. If you don't overclock, get the fastest cpu your budget allows, while not compromising other parts. A fast gpu will help in 3D (gaming/rendering) and Photoshop plugins/manipulation.

HD4870X2 is great for 30" monitors. 22incher is fine with HD4870.

Ram doesn't matter very much if you don't overclock. Just get the most affordable. CORSAIR, OCZ or Kingston.

Now the harddisks. You want fast access. You want 2 WD 640GB on RAID 0. The mobo manual explains how to set it up.

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

 

[zero3one]

^ +1 on the GA-EP45-DS3R.

A HD 4870 is a sweet card, I have one myself. It should do you for quite a while.

Where abouts are you in Canada? Are you in the GTA? For parts look into Canada Computers or Infonec, they've got really good prices.

Personally, I'd go with two Seagate Barracuda's (2X500gb) in RAID0 over the WD drives. 32mb cache vs 16mb cashe...