My five-year-old desktop died spectacularly, so I've taken that as a sign that I need a new one. I haven't built a new system since the old desktop. So I'm quite rusty on all the new developments of the past few years and would like to get some feedback on my selection, or at least a second set of eyes to make sure I didn't overlook anything important. I would like to build a system that will give me a solid 4-5 years of life with upgrades along the way.
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Somewhere in the next two weeks. BUDGET RANGE: $1,600
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: A little bit of everything -- graphic design, multimedia (movies, music, etc. I don't own a TV), gaming, internet and home office work (I assume pretty much anything can do the last item these days).
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, Speakers, Mouse, OS.
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com
PARTS PREFERENCES: I prefer ASUS Motherboards and the i7 CPU.
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe, I would like to look into overclocking the system as it ages, but probably not on the initial build. SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes -- again, not on the initial build, I'm looking at the possibility of the second GPU when price drops / it becomes necessary to keep up with the games.
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: My last desktop sounded like a vacuum cleaner most of the time. I'd like something quieter this time around.
Antec EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply newegg (Note: Comes in combo with case)
Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case newegg $205 (price includes power supply above)
Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R, 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R. . . its a DVD burner $25.
HP LP2475w Black 24" 6 ms (GTG); 12 ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 400 cd/m2 1000:1 w/ Height/Pivot/Swivel adjustments newegg (I will probably purchase this item from a store with more lenient return policies than newegg). $555 on Newegg, not sure what price will be at the store.
Current Price Total $1,890
Okay, I promised questions:
(1) Simple Question: Have I missed anything? Have I picked out components that are compatible with one another?
(2) Will the stock fans, heatsinks, &c. that come with the case and CPU be sufficient to keep this system cool or will I need to look for additional cooling components?
(3) I have gone over budget by almost $300. I am wondering if it would be a good idea to try to skim the cost down in a few places. The possible cuts could be: RAM (either less, or a different type could drop the price by $100), the case (I've had bad experiences with cheap cases in the past -- and a lot of the slightly cheaper cases look gaudy with window panels &c), different video card, or different monitor (see 4). Would one of these be a good place to cut back, or should I just bite the extra expense?
(4) This is a two part question. (a) I've spent a long time trying to find a monitor that has good reviews for both graphic work, gaming, and is in my price range. Does anyone have any good experience with this monitor, or suggest alternative monitors that suit this combination of needs? (b) Atop this, I want a monitor that will function both as a desktop monitor and as a television for the purposes of hooking up game consoles. I've been assuming that a monitor with component or composite video input will work with my old game consoles (namely the playstation 2), but I've yet to read of anyone using their monitors for such. Have I assumed correctly that composite/component input means I can hook my old devices to the monitor?
Message edited by bowlich on 05-17-2009 at 03:34:47 PM
Thanks. Lurk boards like these and I start to notice everyone throwing extra coolers on their systems . . . good to hear that's an extra cost I won't need (for now).
As for the monitor. There just doesn't appear to be many monitors out there that match what I'm looking for. Once you add on the composite/component inputs (which seem to only appear on 24+" monitors it seems) the manufacturers add an extra hundred or two onto the price tag. Still, seems cheaper than buying a monitor and a television (again, assuming I can use it to double for both).
Didn't see an operating system down there. And no combo's, you can easily cut down with them. Why are you going to go with a PSU taht small? I'm going MINIMUM 850W so I don't have to worry about it anymore, and actually found a 1300W ABS/CPU combo for $535.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.185235 Or go with this one, it's at least 900W.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.192519 Just a suggestion, I'm looking answers as well.
Should save you some money, I just don't know if you need the $165 Corsair RAM. Thatis one area I'm toning it down on price. There are others with same specs for $100(Mushkin), or 75-95(OCZ has several).
Sorry my links were off....
Message edited by stark700 on 05-17-2009 at 11:43:34 AM
^ he doesn't need a 900w psu if he's going with that case, 900w is what you need for three 4870's and they're not going to be cooled enough in that case.
Wow, I completely overlooked the combos Stark. The combos really pushed the price down closer to my range.
(oh, and I noticed I forgot to put that I wouldn't be needing an OS in my original post.)
Made a few changes to the configuration:
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive newegg $75
The Case / PSU Combo that Stark Lists above: newegg $280 (I'm a bit hesitant on the PSU though; It doesn't have a lot of reviews on newegg and those it does have are pretty mixed. The case has better reviews than the old case, but the 650W PSU had better reviews than the new one. Atop this, the PSU calculator from the parts thread says that I should be good at 500W even with the future upgrades -- so a 900W PSU sounds like more than I need.)
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