$1000-1600AU Home Build

Furian

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Oct 1, 2009
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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Before 22nd October. [Vista->Windows7 Upgrade Offer]

BUDGET RANGE: $1000-1600AU.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Photoshop, Surfing, Watching Movies.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Mouse, Speakers.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS:
- http://www.umart.com.au/
- http://www.msy.com.au/Parts/PARTS.pdf
- http://www.pcsuperstore.com.au/ (About to start a 10-50% off sale)
- Other sites are fine, those are just three that I found to be competitive prices.

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Australia

PARTS PREFERENCES:
None, refer to my list below for a relative idea.

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe, depends on how recommended it is.

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe, depends on how recommended it is.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I'd like a gaming PC that I could play modern games on at 1920x1200 on medium-high settings with ease. I'd also like a computer that has potential for future upgrades. This is my FIRST build, and I'm still learning about parts and their compatibility, so I'm not entirely sure if these parts are the best for me, or will perform the way I want them to.

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CPU:
- Looked into i5 750/i7 860/P8600 and wasn't sure which was best for my price range/future.
i5 750 - http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=13&bid=7&sid=49251
i7 860 - http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=13&bid=7&sid=49138
P8600 - http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=13&bid=7&sid=41161
Motherboard:
- Asus P7P55D-PRO P55 4DDR3 FSB2133(OC) RAID GLAN 3xPCIEx16 7SATA ATX
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=106&bid=7&sid=49002
Case:
- Antec Nine Hundred - Firm choice for me, probably my most confident choice. Nothing but positive reviews on the product and looks pretty nice visually aswell.
http://www.umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=7
RAM:
- G Skill 4G(2x2G) DDR3 1600Mhz - G Skill seems to have great reviews and most builds I researched had 2x2GB.
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=153&bid=7&sid=49310
PSU:
- Antec Earthwatts 650W - Antec make great cases, so I decided to choose an Antec Power Supply.
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=140&bid=7&sid=40945
HDD
- Western Digital 640GB, Caviar Black, SATA-II, 7200RPM, 32MB Cache - Caviar Black seemed to be the best WD HDD in my price range.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_344&products_id=8806
DVD:
- LG GH22NP20 Retail IDE 22X+- SuperMulti DVD Rewriter Black - My friend uses this DVD drive and has given it positive reviews, am open to suggestions. Have seen good reviews on Samsung products.
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=20&bid=7&sid=45921
Monitor:
- ASUS VH242H 23.5in Widescreen LCD Monitor - Would like a 22-24" screen within $200-280 price range. I've seen great reviews for a few ASUS monitors, so I thought I'd go with ASUS. I've seen some cheap BenQ monitors aswell, but I've not researched their reviews.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=558_765&products_id=12692
GFX:
- Gigabyte GTX275 896M DDR3 PCIE2.0 DSub - I spent the most time considering graphics cards within $150-280 price range and decided that 275 was the one to go with. Perhaps I am wrong, I'm not entirely sure, as this is my first build.
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=82&bid=7&sid=41879
Keyboard:
- Microsoft Ergonomic 4000 keyboard - Great keyboard for comfort and looks pretty nice too.
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=40&bid=7&sid=39824
OS:
- Vista 64bit (Windows 7 Upgrade) - I'd like 64bit, and I've noticed the Windows 7 upgrade offer, so this is pretty obvious choice.

Total Time spent researching: I've probably spent a good 50 hours researching builds and trying to compare prices/performance and came to these choices.

Final Notes: I will be purchasing this system and assembling the system myself (very carefully). I'm still open to the idea of having it assembled by a professional, but I'd like to gain experience in this area for myself & cost restraints (though could be worked around) are something I have to keep in mind. I've got a realistic goal of $1500AU finishing price, but I'm willing to go to $1600AU if needed.
 
The Asus Pro is a waste of money seeing how your going with a single card set up. That mobo is more for the dual card enthusiast. And don't get an EIDE burner. You have a new build going, so do it correct and get a SATA burner.

http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=106&bid=7&sid=48950 $151.00
Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2 P55 4DDR3 4VRM PCIEx16 GLAN DES2 8SATA 2X1394a mATX

http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=20&bid=7&sid=48444 $54.00
Samsung SH-S223B-RSBF 22X DVDRW Black SATA Retail
 

Furian

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Oct 1, 2009
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18,510
@Why_Me - Thanks I wasn't sure on the mobo so I went for a higher priced one. Thanks with the burner aswell.

@Seven - Those are parts I've grabbed from a bit of research, I'm completely open to any suggestions for better performance price. I'm asking for feedback as to whether my choices are decent, and whether they are compatible together, or is there other parts that will run better.