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Advice on < $1500 build

Forum Homebuilt Systems : New System Build - Advice on < $1500 build

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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Soon.

BUDGET RANGE: Up to $1500

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Multi-tasking, interwebz surfing, movies.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Peripherals

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg ftw! I'm in the US.

OVERCLOCKING: NO SLI OR CROSSFIRE: NO

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200 x2

Hi again everyone. I built myself a gaming rig at the beginning of the summer and the advice from this forum was invaluable. Now I'm putting together a build for a friend and I'm back for more advice.
My friend (and boss; better not screw it up!) is upgrading from an older Dell. He doesn't really have any specific needs except: It must drive two 24" LCDs at 1920x1200, it needs lots of storage space. Other than that, he just wants the "best" computer I can build him for a max of $1500. He isn't a gamer, but would still like it to be able to play the latest titles. This thread is actually pretty similar to my situation. "High mainstream/low enthusiast" is where he wants this rig to be. I expressed to him that this is probably way more computer than he needs, but he's fine with that, he wants it to be reasonably future proof. He's not super tech savvy, hence why I'm helping with this build, so he wont be doing any overclocking or anything.

Here's what I got, lemme know what you guys think:

Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor

ASUS P7P55D LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX 520W

SAMSUNG SH-S223B

Western Digital RE3 WD1002FBYS 1TB 7200 RPM x2

XFX HD-477A-YDFC Radeon HD 4770 512MB

Win 7 Premium OE

IN WIN IW-F430.OL Orange 0.8mm SECC/ Japanese Steel ATX Mid Tower - The case MUST be orange. That's the best orange one I could find. It's not much for cooling, I know, but he wont be overclocking.

Grand Total w/ tax and shipping: $1,474.00

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If he's going to be gaming on two 24" monitors he's probably going to need a beefier graphics card. I'm not sure a 4770 512mb can handle the newer titles well at such a high resolution.

Also, why a modular PSU? The case doesn't have a side window.

I take it your going to do raid? Which is why you have chosen such an expensive hard drive?

If he doesn't need that much speed, I would also change the HDD to a Samsung Spinpoint, which could of course also be put in a raid setup: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152102

Message edited by ominous prime on 10-20-2009 at 05:45:20 AM

Reply to ominous prime

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, I'm just not sure about the video card. It's probably one of those things where he says he wants to be able to play games, but never actually will. So, I erred on the low side.

I went with a modular PSU because I bought a non-modular Corsair with my build and dealing with all the unused cables was a pain in the butt. Convenience, really, is the answer to the question.

I'm probably not going to put them in RAID. He just wants a ton of space. I went with those WDs for speed and reliability and because my WD HDDs have always treated me well. I don't have any experience with Samsung drives. Why is it so much cheaper?

Reply to dub

Not sure why they are so much cheaper, but they are pretty good hard drives. There's lots of reviews floating around the web.

I was just surprised you went with enterprise drives, as they are quite expensive.

But if you prefer Western Digital why not get a pair of 1tb Caviar black's? found here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136284

Although, they're sold out at the moment, I can't imagine it will be long before they're back in stock.

And non-modular PSU's can be a pain, but nothing a dremel and some time can't remedy. But it will definitely look cleaner with a modular PSU if he ever opens it up.

I'd also consider a 5770 rather than the 4770, dx11 support, newer tech, more future proof.

But I do like your choice of ram, the Ripjaws are very nice. You could also probably get a less expensive motherboard for his needs such as this Gigabyte found here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128405

As I doubt crossfire or sli will be needed.

Message edited by ominous prime on 10-20-2009 at 06:42:20 AM

Reply to ominous prime

I'm not sure why I chose an enterprise quality drive either. Clearly the Caviar Black is a better choice, thanks.

This card, perhaps? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102858

Reply to dub

Perhaps, I like Sapphire and XFX personally. XFX has that wicked double lifetime warranty. and Sapphire has the Vapor-X models and some really great tech put into their cards. But I believe all 5770's currently are reference models, so they should all be the same. I'd shoot for the cheapest with the best warranty if at all possible.

Glad I could be of help on the drives