I5 750 quiet stable build

[lesurderf]

My apologies for not reading enough before posting a few weeks back. Hopefully this one will make more sense and the links will work.


APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Soon after Windows 7 is released

BUDGET RANGE: Open ended

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: internet with loads of tabs open, java apps, listening to music, streaming movies, maybe disk movies, ( no games )

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitors ( 2 x DELL 2209WA 22-inch ) Speakers ( Audioengine A2's )

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com seems to be popular, Microcenter brick and mortar not an option

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel CPU

OVERCLOCKING: No / Maybe

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1680x1050

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I would like a quiet, stable PC. From this parts list I could change out the motherboard, CPU, and ram to configure i5 750, i7 860, or i7 920.
I like the case, power ( I think 620W is enough ) and GPU.
Changing the CPU to the i7 860 is $90 more. Changing the rig to i7 920 would add $270 since board and ram are more expensive. I believe the i5 750 is plenty for my needs but might spend $90 more for the i7 860.

Not sure if I need a CPU cooler or not. Some that fit the 1156 socket are coming out now. Might not get into OC. Has anyone used Indigo Xtreme instead of paste ?

I chose 1333 1.5 v ram. From what I've read this should be the stock speed of this board although it shows DDR3 2200(O.C.)/1600/1333/1066. Any reason to change to 1600 ram ?

Onboard sound is fine.

Don't need storage beyond the SSD. However I am curious. Since it's important for me to have a running machine, is it possible to buy another SSD to use as a ghosted image backup ? Doesn't need to be this large. It would be nice to have another SSD ready to install in case of failure. I think they make a 5 1/4 drive bay to plug in 2 SSD's ? Today if I have problems I use my laptop instead.


Parts list

ASUS P7P55D PRO LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard Retail $170
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131405

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processo Retail $200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

2 X G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Retail $90 X 2 = $180
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231276

CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX 620W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 SLI CrossFire 80 PLUS Retail $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139002

HIS H465PS512P Radeon HD 4650 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Retail $63
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161274

Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH160G2R5 2.5" 160GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) Retail $590
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167024

LIAN LI PC-7F Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112194

PLEXTOR Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+......... Retail $53
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827249051

That's about $1600.

I hope the links work this time.

Thanks in advance. What an informative board.

 

[Transmaniacon]

You will not be running anything that is going to benefit considerably from SSD. The ~$600 money sink can be chopped off, and you can slim down the build considerably and save some change.

Antec P183 Black Aluminum / Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129061&Tpk=P183 ($134.99)
Popular for its quiet design

Antec earthwatts EA500 500W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.0 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "Compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371007&Tpk=EA%20500 ($69.99 + Free Shipping)

GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD3R LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128401 ($139.99 + Free Shipping)

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215 ($199.99 + Free Shipping)

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231276 ($88.99 + Free Shipping)

(2) SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181 ($99.98 + Free Shipping)
RAID 1 - Redundancy

SAPPHIRE 100256HDMI Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102842 ($74.99)

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151187 ($31.99)

Total: $840.91

 

[wathman]

I would get this Corsair PSU instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005&Tpk=corsair%20650TX

more wattage than what you selected, $50 cheaper before the rebate. The only real difference is that the one you picked has modular cables. Spend a dollar on twisty ties and you can tie up the cables that aren't in use.

If you're really fine with just 160 GB for the SSD no need to make changes there. If you start collecting movies though you will quickly run out of room without additional storage.

As for getting a second SSD for "backup" it sounds more like you'd be interested in doing a RAID 1 array. This makes a mirror copy of your data continuously, and allows for continued operation until you can replace the failed drive. With SSDs however, there are no moving parts, and they have a theoretical much longer time before failure. A RAID 1 array for a drive that is not likely to fail seems a bit excessive.

As for RAM, 4GB should be plenty for most people who don't do professional production work, but if you want to spend the money for 8GB, it's your call.

Also, invest in a better CPU cooler. The Intel stock one is barely adequate, and makes no attempt to be a quiet cooler. There are also very few 1156 coolers on the market right now, so you may want to consider that as a later upgrade. The only readily available coolers I know of that will fit a 1156 and do a good job at cooling quietly are Xigmatek Dark Knight, and The newest Zalman cooler. Scythe is putting out mounting brackets for some of their current coolers, and many other big names are doing the same.