New system build, need recommendations...

[sgowitt12]

Im building a new system and have plans to finish just in time for Windows 7 release. This will be my 2nd build, however my 1st was 9 years ago and things have changed dramatically. Therefore, I have a few questions and was hoping to get some advice.
The idea behind the new system is to provide entertainment for the home. I want a powerful machine, that will support current gaming, but most of all, support blu-ray and have the capability to hook up to my 55 inch Samsung LED LCD tv. Is this something that can be done with user friendly controls?

Here are the main questions:

-I am an Intel fan, and want the most powerful processor within a reasonable price. What is recommended for the kind of build Im looking for?

-Motherboard? Had good luck with Asus last time.....

-Graphics Card, this part is important, must support 1080p and support it well......

-blu-ray player, also an important piece, will spend what i need on this...

-last but not least, case and power supply. Im thinking a mid tower will work well, but want to make sure I pair the case and power supply well with motherboard and processor to guarantee proper ventilation and cooling.

Any help is appreciated, as I am very anxious to start purchasing all of my parts. Hoping to finish the build spending around 1k. Thanks in advance.

 

[hunter315]

Since you want an intel, wait for the i5 release. They will be out quite soon and an i7 is out of your budget, but you really dont need it for gaming. The price on the new i5's will determine what processor you can fit in.

Just about any graphics card will support 1080P playback of movies, but for gaming on a 1080p screen you will want a 4890 or GTX275.

 

[Twoboxer]

An entertainment PC can be built for far less than your budget - its major requirement may be more storage, maybe not, depending on your approach. What may drive up the power requirement is: What do you mean by gaming? At what resolution you will game?

FYI, an Intel i920, Asrock mobo, 6GB Mushkin CAS7 DDR3 10666, Corsair 750W psu, Gigabyte GTX275 896MB, WD Black 640GB HD, Lite-On BluRay DVD Reader, Vista HP 64-bit SP1 w/Win7 upgrade costs exactly $1,000 at Newegg including shipping to my house. Missing is a case ($90?), cooler ($40), keyboard/mouse, and speakers. So $150-$200 over your budget. We might change some parts, adjust price or power a bit, but this is the general ballpark ATM.

Intel's new CPUs will be announced this week. We should start seeing reviews and benchmarks immediately upon release. This will give you new options, and likely reduce the price of the current i7 parts.

 

[Why_Me]

Try the new i5.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/core-i5-750-core-i7-860-870-processor-review-test/

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042 $54.95 Free Shipping*
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

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OCZ OCZ550FTY 550W Active Power Supply Retail

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=I5-750BOX Combo Price: $314.99 $15 off with P55 combo purchase w/code OMGi5COMBO $299.99 Free Shipping
Part#:MB-P55M-D2 | GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 Socket 1156/ Intel P55/ DDR3/ CrossFireX/ A&GbE/ MATX Motherboard
Part#:I5-750BOX | Intel Core i5 Processor i5-750 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1156 CPU, Retail

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Cooler Master RR-910-HTX3-GP Hyper TX3 CPU Cooler - 92mm, LGA 1156, 775, AMD 754, 939, 940, AM2, AM3

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ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound

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G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-4GBRM - Retail
Dual Channel Intel Core i5 & Core i7 CPU for P55 motherboard
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100269VXLE Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

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Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

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SAMSUNG SH-S223B 22X SATA DVD Burner Black Drive Bulk

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LITE-ON Black 4X BD-ROM SATA Internal 4X Blu-ray Disc Reader Model iHOS104-08 - Retail

Total: $896.36 before shipping, taxes, and mail in rebates

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Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders w/ Tech Guarantee - OEM | Includes free Windows 7 upgrade coupon

 

[redgarl]

1 month ago I would have said AMD Phenom II X3 or X2 BE unlocked to X4, but now with the Core i5, AMD is out of the midrange budget.

From what I see, Intel is leaving the LGA1366 board over the LGA1156. i7 LGA1366 platform was a bad choice then and is a really bad choice now.