[Solved] Strict $800 first-time build

I'm looking to build a system, this will be a first attempt for me, I appreciate any recommendations you guys might have.
Hate to dampen spirits, but I have a firm $800.00 limit INCLUDING taxes, shipping, and any other charges (such as the OS, and any first-timer items).
Lastly, I do NOT need a monitor, I have an acceptable one (LCD) already.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: ASAP

BUDGET RANGE: US $0-800.00

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Flash animation/games rendering, internet browsing, music composition/listening, video editing, movies/gaming

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitor, and I am not adverse to grabbing a discount keyboard and mouse.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg.com, or anything with a clean reputation.

PARTS PREFERENCES: an Intel processor (AMD, if better bang for buck)

OVERCLOCKING: Despite no experience, I'd like to try and overclock. As for Crossfire/SLI, I'm not a high-end gamer, so... probably no.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I'm a big multi-tasker (4-5 internet pages, Sony Vegas, Notepad, Core Media Player would be typical), The extent of my gaming aspirations is a WoW-esque game. I render a lot of Flash, and I'd like to start doing some graphics work (anyone recommend a good pen tablet?). I hope to be able to upgrade and reuse this build for a couple of years (better graphics card, sound card, RAM, etc.).
Hard Drive size isn't a big concern for me (250gb or better is fine), but its access speed is. For the sake of not falling behind, I'd prefer DDR3 RAM. Finally, I've been using XP for years, waiting out Vista... so I'll probably go with a 64-bit version (Home is fine) and upgrade to 7.

Many thanks for your time.

Intel Core i5 750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail $210
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115215

Intel BOXDP55WB LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813121388

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT - Retail $73
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231253

PC Power & Cooling Silencer PPCS420X 420W ATX12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703017

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136319

Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive - OEM $33
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827118030

SPARKLE SX96GT1024D2HP GeForce 9600 GT 1GB 256-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814187053

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders w/ Tech Guarantee - OEM $110
Microsoft Gift - Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 x64 64-Bit - OEM Free w/combo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.208025

COOLER MASTER Elite RC-310-BWN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119203

Total $770.91 plus$27.22 Shipping to my house plus no tax = $798.13

If money suddenly becomes available, first upgrade would be to buy a larger psu ~550W, eg this specific OCZ 550W:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341022

Next upgrade would be more, or slightly lower latency memory. This PC would be ready for pretty hot gamin, should you desire, with only a new 5xxx vid card bought next year. Meanwhile, the 9800GT won't let you down, either.

There is no keyboard, mouse, speakers, or monitors - use what you use now.

I also assume you have a screwdriver

PS: If you live close to a microcenter, we can save $30 on the cpu less whatever sales tax you pay.

+1 for build's build.


Great CPU, can overclock and also significant turbo if using 1 or 2 cores. Good choice of motherboard as Intel boards don't overclock. Good solid case plus decent PSU. In turns of graphics card, that would depend on the software, if the rendering software takes advantage of CUDA or Stream then it's quite easy to decide on nVidia or ATI card. Personally I'm a fan of Seagate HDD as they are generally faster than Samsung but you have to stay within budget.

Thanks for the replies, guys.

I'm going to need some help deciding which build is best... so anyone with an opinion, feel free to jump in.

Looking over build's build, I noticed that the GB motherboard has been criticized for not recognizing all available RAM. However, commentators also claimed the problem was easy fix via the alteration of the BIOS settings. Since I'm trying to avoid leading my wallet to the slaughter (Never altered BIOS, before...heh....) should I be worried about the RAM/mobo compatibility?

... and even though, the Antec 300 ATX seems to be the case of choice, I'm not so sure 1 USB (I presume "Front Ports: USB, Audio" means 1 USB?) will suit me (my internet router requires 1... meaning no room to spare). Feel free to correct me (I'll be honest, I didn't read all 1400 reviews on newegg) if I'm wrong.


Thanks, again, for the help, so far (and sorry for all the paraphrasing).


EDIT: Would anyone mind commenting on how far I could SAFELY overclock these builds? I would appreciate it.

Until that update is ready, though, are these builds still stable? I'm assuming they are.

Thanks for the simile, Why_Me.

So, I guess that puts me back onto choosing a build... once again, anyone with an opinion, feel free to post.

... and might you (Why_Me) know whether or not the Antec has 1 USB, or whether it was poorly described?

I see (heh... I should have checked Antec's site....), thanks again.

On average the gts 250 run neck and neck with the ati 4850 with the gts beating it out maybe 6 out of 10 benchmarks. I edited my build up above to also give you this option. Personally I like Nvidea cards due to the fact they are low maintenance but this card down below get's better scores on average than the gts 250 and the 4850.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.256276 Combo Discount: -$15.00 Combo Price: $199.98 Free Shipping*
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail
SAPPHIRE 279L Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

Being inexperienced, I'd like to minimize confusion... so having an OS right off the bat would be a plus for me.
However, if the Release Candidate works fine, then I don't see why I couldn't use it....

It's unlikely that my budget will change, though, so if the reason for doing this is to save money for better parts, it might not work out.
Still, I might be able to buckle down for a bit, if the long-term benefit is worth it.

How about:
-----------------------------------
CPU: i5 750 Lynnfield -- $210
Main-Board: ASUS P7P55D LE LGA 1156 Intel P55 -- $144
RAM: OCZ Gold 4GB DDR3 1066MHz Cas7 -- $74
GPU: GIGABYTE Radeon HD 4850 1GB -- $105
HSF: COOLER MASTER Intel Core i5 HSF -- $30 Or 2 -- $20
PSU: Corsair TX 650 -- $90
Case: Antec Three Hundred Black -- $50
HDD: Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB -- $50
DVD Drive: LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner SATA -- $29

--------------------
Total: $772 Without MIRs, Combos or SH and Tax.

Tell me if you need anything else.

Medo

Or
Case: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC - $70
-----------------------------------------
Main-Board: GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 LGA 1156 - $110

Thanks
Though I don't look like this (Trying to )

I don't know about the fan since there's no reviews yet.
For the RC it DOES have hidden restrictions which won't affect you till March 10th 2010 when the auto shutdown (after 2Hours of operation) feature in initiated.

EDIT: I added another Case and Main-Board for other options (previous post)

Medo

A good starting case is essential just like a good starting Mobo.
The Cooler Master case has more fans so better air-flow and better temps (though just 1C- still better )
As for the mobo the Asus LE version has pretty much all what you need and only $13 more than the UD2 but just added it for reference or if you might want another option.
For the RC that's pretty much what i know, Though i'll keep searching and PM you if i found anything (Hopefully not ).

Medo

Well, guys, thanks for all of your help.

Reality beckons, so I must be leaving now.

I'll continue checking the thread daily, until I come to a resolution... but it looks like I've found a good build.

Best to be careful, though, so anyone with a comment/advice, feel free to post.

Thanks for the aid, Sykes (or do you prefer Pyscho?).

Sign up here:
https://signup.live.com/signup.aspx [...] s=12&lic=1

Then Download it from here
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us [...] ?pv=36:350

Tell me if anything failed (dead links, invalid subscriptions etc.)

Medo

Psycho your supposed to be on my side

Anyhow, mine and Why_me's build are pretty similar but his build turns out cheaper because of the parts from that other site. I'm not american so I don't really know any other sites other than newegg. You should go for Why_Me's build

I was just jokin man, I would choose Why_Me's build too

I don't get you

I just post builds so Why_me will be forced to chime in with a better one.

The rare day he is on vacation, someone's gonna wind up with an Intel mobo lol.

Well Ctrl+F "Total: $772 Without MIRs, Combos or SH and Tax." w/o quotes and you're there!

Good (sometime!)

Medo

Alright, I looked at your build. It doesn't seem to include an OS though, doesn't the OP need one?

Didn't bother reading past the post where Why_Me posted his build

My build earned its "0" rating in part by choosing an Intel mobo to save $10 in a very tight budget.

My excuse was, in jest, that the only reason I put up *any* build is to prod Why_me to compete.

The day he doesn't, someone may actually wind up with that Intel mobo.

Not worth explaining, but I didn't want to ignore you lol.

Medo/Sykes is right. I don't know enough to criticize anyone's build, so that "0" was just a vote count (not a 0/10 rating, or the like).

It sounds like you think Why_Me is pretty good at this, not to sound antagonistic, but would you vote for his build over yours (I noticed you said his was "better" )?

... and, as always, I appreciate all the posts, guys.

Win7 will be released soon (Sep. - Oct.) but the RC won't start to shutdown till March 2010.