New builder.. advice please

[cgleckman]

So, to start out, like the post title says, I am new at this. I have been asking questions, reading posts, and comparing parts through the web for about 2 weeks now.. Basically I have come up with nothing aside from the fact that my budge is around 1000-1200

I have found things that I like, and would love to have, however money gets in the way.. go figure right? you need money to buy stuff.. who knew?

So here it goes...

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Sooner the better? I have no problems waiting for a good reason, however I was hoping withing 2 weeks.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Graphics design, editing, codingnot crunching, just basic coding like text docs and stuff so nothing major), school(yes its last because frankly a p3 comp with a printer and ms word can do all i need for school haha)

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard(standard Microsoft one from staples(could use some suggestions for a good keyboard), mouse(New razor diamondback blue glow), monitor(old monitor Samsung 19in LCD (I wouldnt mind upgrading if there is room within the budge but for now its not a priority).

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: I use Newegg and love them, however frys, [url=http://www.frys.com]http://www.frys.com [/url], has some comparable prices and some that are even better (Frys Electronics is about 20 minutes from where I live so in person pickups are do able.

PARTS PREFERENCES: None really, however, unless there is a great reason, I would like to use the:
i7 860 Intel Core i7 860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail

and

EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Also I prefer ddr3 ram if doable.. and heres another question: ddr3 1333 vs 1600? Is there a real noticeable difference?

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No to SLI (no idea what crossfire is)

MONITOR RESOLUTION: I don't understand really what the different resolutions do? Personally i always seemed to play at 1024x768 or 800x600 back in the day but now I see people talking about like 1900x1280 or something.. Don't really understand all this, if someone doesn't mind explaining?

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I wouldn't mind having a case with the ability to show lights since I have always been secretly a fan of it I don't really know if a midsize case will fit the 275 or if I need to go with a full so I couldnt really decide on a case.. sorry...

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Include a list of any parts you have already selected with descriptively labeled links for parts.

Aside from the parts I listed above under preferred I haven't selected anything for sure.. The budge (1000-1200 would preferable include the OS however that's not required since by the time i get the system parts and build it I should have an additional $300 to buy windows 7)

Thanks in advance for all of the help, I know this is probably a lot to ask!

 

[cgleckman]

updated with monitor info and question about RAM (putting this here in case anyone wonders why it was edited)

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259589.11-129-066 Combo Discount: -$10.00 Combo Price: $169.94
Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders w/ Tech Guarantee - OEM | Includes free Windows 7 upgrade couponl

http://www.provantage.com/ocz-technology-ocz550fty~7OCZT0C2.htm $74.67
OCZ 550W FATAL1TY Series PSU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.246576 Combo Discount: -$15.00 Combo Price: $379.98 Free Shipping*
Intel Core i7 860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I7860 - Retail
GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103064 $19.99
Cooler Master Intel Core i5 compatible Hyper TX3 Socket 775/1156/AMD 130W 92mm "heatpipe direct contact" CPU Cooler RR-910-HTX3-GP - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277 $79.99 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

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=GA-GTX275C $214.99 Free Ground Shipping
GIGABYTE nVidia GeForce GTX275 OC 896MB DDR3 DVI/HDMI PCI-Express Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181 49.99 Free Shipping*
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151187 $27.99
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner - OEM

Total: $1,017.59

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236050 $169.99 ($149.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate Card)
ASUS VW224U Black 22" 2ms(GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ HDCP Support 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 5000:1) Built in Speakers - Retail

 

[cgleckman]

So hate to do this to you why_me because i know your busy and responding to alot of people but I have a few questions if you dont mind. First off, Thank you so much for the build it looks great! Second, if I were to get say a 26" monitor would this build be able to run games such as Cryo or WoW or like D3 and SC2 when they come out on max settings?

Also the questions from before still stand, What is the reason to run games at such a high res as like 1920x1280 instead of say 1024x768?

Lastly, is that mid size case big enough to comfortably fit everything, since I am new at this I don't want to have a hard time installing everything. Also on the case is that going to be able to keep the temp down enough through the 4 fans? Since I do like the glow and the PSU has a red glow, and since all the parts should fit in the midsize cases, wouldn't Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail be a better option for the whole case glow thing Also if you know something to maybe be wrong with that case or there's a reason to go with your case over it or that i shouldn't look at this case period please tell me.

I am not trying to question you at all, I am just trying to make sure I like the system in the end

 

[hunter315]

Monitor size makes no difference, a 1080P 50" tv is just as much work for the graphics card as a 22" 1920x1080 monitor.

Higher resolutions give you much finer detail, a single pixel at 1024x768 is 3x as large as a pixel at 1920x1200 so it wont do fine detail quite as well.

The antec 900 is slightly larger than the 300, but the airflow is about the same between the two, the 900 has a slightly larger top fan but thats about it, for a single card setup an antec 300 should be sufficient but if you plan to add a second in the future a 900 will provide you the extra space you need to avoid blocking the hard drive bays.

All of the antec cases are very nice and provide good cooling, also take a look at the HAF 922, its a midtower(technically) but also provides great cooling with a red glow.

 

[cgleckman]

Thanks, one question for that case is what is the point of the like mesh looking openings on the side? Is that just to show the glow or is it an area to add a fan or something? I am extremely new at building my own system so just wondering Thanks for the info! If i was to play say, COD wouldn't I want the smaller res to be zoomed in mo0re to help with play? Just an example off the top of my head but I do need to wait on the monitor I think until I find one for sure that I want, maybe even save up a bit and go for a 25 inch or something

 

[hunter315]

The mesh in the side gives you the option to install a side fan that will blow onto the GPU to help cool it.

Playing at lower resolution wont make things zoomed, it will just give things rougher edges unless you add AA/AF. You get slightly better frame rates but once you get above the vertical refresh rate of your monitor it doesnt help at all.

 

[cgleckman]

Must have been thinking of the wrong thing. Dont know what AA/AF is, and thanks for the info on the case.

 

[Why_Me]

OK for that resolution you want to have the option to use SLI / Crossfire. And looking at your needs, the i7 860 isn't really needed imo. Also with dual vid cards you want a case that has more room than what that Antec 300 has to offer. This case has red LED's that you can turn down or even turn off. You can always add more LED fans if you like.

http://www.provantage.com/cooler-master-rc-922m-kkn1-gp~7COOL06Y.htm $69.18
Haf 922M ATX/Micro ATX Include Two 200MM

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10006382 $99.99 Free Shipping
PC Power and Cooling SILENCER 750W QUAD S75CF Power Supply Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259878 Combo Discount: -$30.00 Combo Price: $339.98 Free Shipping*
ASUS P7P55D PRO LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Intel Core i5 750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103064 19.99
Cooler Master Intel Core i5 compatible Hyper TX3 Socket 775/1156/AMD 130W 92mm "heatpipe direct contact" CPU Cooler RR-910-HTX3-GP - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277 $79.99 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

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151187 $27.99
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner - OEM

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=GA-GTX275C $214.99 Free Ground Shipping
GIGABYTE nVidia GeForce GTX275 OC 896MB DDR3 DVI/HDMI PCI-Express Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259577.22-152-181 Combo Discount: -$10.00 Combo Price: $149.98
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Retail
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders w/ Tech Guarantee - OEM | Includes free Windows 7 upgrade coupon

Total: $1,002.09

http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/landing/haf922/ <--- Cooler Master 922 HAF

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197 <--- more pics, specs, and customer reviews of the Cooler Master HAF 922

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-sli,2298.html <--- dual gtx 275's in SLI > gtx 295

 

[cgleckman]

Another comment, my friend was searching the forums and found my post... he suggested getting the EVGA version of the GTX 275 like what I put in my post. Anyone have a reason why I shouldn't or why I should get the Gigabyte version?

 

[Why_Me]

Another comment, my friend was searching the forums and found my post... he suggested getting the EVGA version of the GTX 275 like what I put in my post. Anyone have a reason why I shouldn't or why I should get the Gigabyte version?

I put that Gigabyte card in there because it was cheaper and it is factory over clocked. All you have to do is substitute that card for the EVGA card.

 

[cgleckman]

OK for that resolution you want to have the option to use SLI / Crossfire. And looking at your needs, the i7 860 isn't really needed imo. Also with dual vid cards you want a case that has more room than what that Antec 300 has to offer. This case has red LED's that you can turn down or even turn off. You can always add more LED fans if you like.

Who said anything about dual cards? Also why the sudden change in some of your suggestions? Just wondering if there was a reason or just because you felt maybe it was more appropriate?

 

[cgleckman]

I put that Gigabyte card in there because it was cheaper and it is factory over clocked. All you have to do is substitute that card for the EVGA card.

Ok i was just making sure that EVGA doesn't have a bad rep or something that would give me a reason not to. He said something about EVGA allowing you to trade in your GPU later on to help upgrade or something?

 

[Why_Me]

Who said anything about dual cards? Also why the sudden change in some of your suggestions? Just wondering if there was a reason or just because you felt maybe it was more appropriate?

It's like this...like what I posted earlier. If you want to play games at a high resolution...like the monitor you mentioned, then you most likely want the option for dual vid cards so you can keep a high FPS rate.

 

[jsc]

Don't know about the Antec 300, but the 900's side panel has provisions for adding another fan. I am using Antec 900 cases, case fans set on LOW, and the cooling is good enough that I am not using side fans. May change my mind later on one of my systems.

Antec cases do not come with a system speaker, so if the motherboard does not have one, you should pick one up somewhere.

And my usual recommendation to new builders:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-read-posting-boot-problems

This is primarily a troubleshooting thread, but the first part contains a checklist for most of the common mistakes that everyone, not just new builders, makes.

 

[cgleckman]

Alright thanks for the info jac and that thread looks like it'll be a lot of help when i start doing setups.

So i was planning on waiting for windows 7 to come out for my comp before i bought an OS.. should i wait till a closer time to buy my parts or will it not make a difference if i buy now?

 

[cgleckman]

It's like this...like what I posted earlier. If you want to play games at a high resolution...like the monitor you mentioned, then you most likely want the option for dual vid cards so you can keep a high FPS rate.

Ah ok that makes sense... Well if I stay at a 22 inch screen or whatever will a single video card be ok?

 

[Why_Me]

Ah ok that makes sense... Well if I stay at a 22 inch screen or whatever will a single video card be ok?

For a resolution of 1920 x 1200 or higher I would keep the dual vid card option open. For anything under that resolution there's really no need for a dual card set up unless you have a crap vid card and you want to play crysis on high.

 

[cgleckman]

For a resolution of 1920 x 1200 or higher I would keep the dual vid card option open. For anything under that resolution there's really no need for a dual card set up unless you have a crap vid card and you want to play crysis on high.

well I don't own crysis but I am thinking of trying it. Will a single GTX 275 be able to handle crysis? I get that it wont be at max settings or at max fps or whatever but a single 275 should handle the game in general pretty well correct?

Kind of on a side note, is there a way with the builds you posted for me to run two monitors or do i need a 2nd video card for a 2nd monitor?

 

[Why_Me]

well I don't own crysis but I am thinking of trying it. Will a single GTX 275 be able to handle crysis? I get that it wont be at max settings or at max fps or whatever but a single 275 should handle the game in general pretty well correct?

Kind of on a side note, is there a way with the builds you posted for me to run two monitors or do i need a 2nd video card for a 2nd monitor?

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-275,2266-8.html

 

[cgleckman]

So is that a yes itll be decent or no, youll need 2? And on the monitor topic I can post elsewhere if needed, never tried running 2 monitors so I have no idea how its done.

 

[Why_Me]

So is that a yes itll be decent or no, youll need 2? And on the monitor topic I can post elsewhere if needed, never tried running 2 monitors so I have no idea how its done.

That card will run two monitors, and that link I posted shows you the fps they were achieving on Cyrsis at different resolutions with that vid card.

 

[cgleckman]

Ok cool, ya for some reason I didnt realize what I was looking at at first.. I will stick with one card for now, if in the future i have the cash I may upgrade to two.

As for the monitors, how do I run 2 or even 3 of them at a time? To my knowledge there's only 1 monitor hookup spot on a PC (the blue port?)

 

[cgleckman]

So i was planning on waiting for windows 7 to come out for my comp before i bought an OS.. should i wait till a closer time to buy my parts or will it not make a difference if i buy now?

Didn't get an answer to this.. any opinions?

 

[hunter315]

Buy windows vista with the windows 7 upgrade coupon, its cheaper than 7 will be and lets you build now.