Please review this build

[davidstone]

After some weeks of research, I am ready to grab my credit card, so this is what I’ve "assembled":


CASE: COOLER MASTER CAV-T03-UW SILVER Cavalier 3
PSU: CORSAIR PSU-550VX
MB: ASUS P7P55D
CPU: Core i7-860 2,80GHz BOX
RAM: Kingston DDR3 KIT 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL9 DIMM (Kit of 2)
HDD: Samsung SATA2 500Gb
VGA: ASUS PCIe EN9800GT/DI/1GD3 - NVIDIA CUDA
(MONITOR ASUS VH222D 22" Wide 1920x1080 1000:1 5ms

Just a couple of Qs:

Is this a good build for mainstream usage: web, email, light-games, watching DVD movies, photo-editing, light video-editing...?

Will the video-card be powerful enough for the HD monitor...?

Should I change anything within the same price range...?

Would $80 difference be better spent if I’d swap i7-860 for i5-750 taken what I use the system for... (perhaps a better video-card)…?

Many tnx

 

[cory1234]

It would help if you placed your budget, and how much each part you chose is.

I would switch the 9800 to a Radeon 5770.

You build is overkill if your just going to browse the internet.. a dell can do that.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Yes, I would swap the 860 for a 750 and step up to a 5770. The 5770 offers much higher performance and DX11 support.

CAS 9 DDR3 1333 RAM is pretty slow. You really need to edit your post to include the information in the "How to ask for new build advice" sticky at the top of the forum. Since I don't know where you're planning on buying this hardware from, I'll use Newegg. I highly recommend this CAS 7 DDR3 1333 kit:

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH - Retail $99.99

 

[MadAdmiral]

I agree with all of the above, depending on what you do with the computer.

Definitely trade that RAM in.

If you're not going to game, you could potential drop to an HD 5750 and save $30 or so.

The i5 is a good recommendation for gamers, but if you're doing other activities, the hyperthreading on the i7s might be better.

 

[snurp85]

I agree with getting the core i5 750, and the ATI 5770.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102864

Switch the RAM for one with lower CAS ratings, either from corsair g.skill, or mushkin.

Also, i would suggest switching the hard drive for a Western Digital 640GB w/ 32mb cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

 

[nekko]

^The best 500 gig HDD you can buy is the Samsung F3 period.
I would go with the 5770 for sure (the XFX for double-life warranty or even try to find the Asus in stock b/c it has a volt optimizing program)

And the RAM thats short stuff said to choose is very good. I have it in both of my builds. I would get it for sure! Stick with g-skill on RAM.

 

[MadAdmiral]

Completely disagree with the WD HDD. The F3 is the best HDD in that price range right now. If you want something larger, jump up to the F3 1 TB for $85.

 

[nekko]

And like said above, if your build is just for web browsing... It is beyond over kill, especially with an i7.

So get the i5 for sure.

 

[nekko]

Completely disagree with the WD HDD. The F3 is the best HDD in that price range right now. If you want something larger, jump up to the F3 1 TB for $85.

Beat ya to it

But really, the F3 is simply an amazing HDD. NEVER have had a single problem with one yet.

And also if your not gunna game then you shouldn't even need a great GPU... BUT if you think you will play some games, even watch movies alot or blu ray, then you should get the 5770.

 

[redgarl]

Why do you buy a i7 extra power if you don't plan to crossfire at least two 5770? You will get the same result going with a Phenom II and the same video card. Also, with the money you will save by going with AMD, you will be able to invest in a stronger video card that will gives you much more performance in games.

Let's say a 4890 or a 5850.

If you only plan to browse the internet, watch movies and doing some work... you don't need that kind of stuff.

Just go with an Athlon II X4 620... or even a X2... and a cheap motherboard with an IGP (integrated graphic processor). A lot of AM3 boards feature an integrated HD3300 gpu. You got an HDMI, a DVI and a VGA output without the needs of a video card.

 

[redgarl]

Completely disagree with the WD HDD. The F3 is the best HDD in that price range right now. If you want something larger, jump up to the F3 1 TB for $85.

I don't agree with that. The main advice I give everyone about HDD is not their speed, their size or their manufacturer... but their reliability.

Right now, the most reliable 1TB drives are made by Western Digital. If only Seagate was still the Seagate that we knew...

 

[nekko]

^Then how come almost ever WD I have had as messed up within 1-2 years.. or DOA, but my F3's (yes 'S, 6 to be exact) Have never even showed any flaw or struggle.

That sounds like reliability to me.

 

[belial2k]

Everyone keeps giving advice like this is a gaming rig...this is not even on his list of uses! This is a media/editing build!
SOOOO...the video card is more than enough, in fact you could get by with something like a 4670 easily. A 500gb hdd is not enough for you...and performance is less important than size and quality. Go with a good green 1.5Tb drive to have enough space for all your pics and videos.
The i7 860 is the best processor if you plan on doing quite a bit of editing work...it will cut your time in half for that...but if you don't think you'll be that heavy into the editing you could save a bunch by going with something like an AMD 550BE with a 785gx MB (with onboard video). You can unlock the extra cores and your cpu/MB/video combo will all cost you under $200. This combo will be more than enough for everything you list, except hardcore video editing, but the i5 won't be much better than what I suggest for that, either.

 

[nekko]

Umm thats why I said the 5770 is too much for no gaming... And why would he get the i7... his only high priority is web browsing.. So the i7 is not what he needs and he can just use the on board video or get a cheap 4000 series.

And I do agree tho, if he wants to keep a good budget then he should get an AMD. Even the 955 BE.

 

[nekko]

But I would just go with an AMD II X4 945. He doesn't need to OC or have unlocked cores for web browsing.

 

[belial2k]

I just saw a lot of recs for i5 , 5770 , and 500gb HDDs...which would be decent recs for a budget gaming build for someone who wants to upgrade in the near future...but not so good for a media/editing machine. The 860 IS worth it if he plans on getting more into editing, but otherwise an AMD build would be the way to go.

 

[nekko]

Agree, an AMD should be his choice, considering he is not going to be a crazy editor and he can upgrade later on and it would be cheaper.

 

[MadAdmiral]

@belial2k: It's mainstream use. All of the recommendations are based on the typical, all-around good computer. If you build an i5, HD 5770 with 500 GB, it will be a decent computer for anything, but won't be awesome for a certain type of computing. As for the 500 GB, that's the size the OP had in the build. I also recommended that if the OP needed more space, the F3 was available in 1 TB. I would also like to point out that the editing stuff (which the i7 would excel at) is the last thought. Above that is gaming and watching movies, both of which benefit from the 5770. Way to read everything...

@OP: It would really help if you defined what you're doing a little better. If you're really looking for something that is just a basic computer, any Dell will do that for a lot less. If you're looking for a gaming computer, the i5 with an HD 5770 is a good choice. If it's an HTPC for watching media, AMD Phenom II X4 955 with the 5770 is a good choice. If it's for editing media, the i7 with a lower GPU is a good choice. All of this really depends on what you're looking to do.

 

[nekko]

@belial2k: It's mainstream use. All of the recommendations are based on the typical, all-around good computer. If you build an i5, HD 5770 with 500 GB, it will be a decent computer for anything, but won't be awesome for a certain type of computing. As for the 500 GB, that's the size the OP had in the build. I also recommended that if the OP needed more space, the F3 was available in 1 TB. I would also like to point out that the editing stuff (which the i7 would excel at) is the last thought. Above that is gaming and watching movies, both of which benefit from the 5770. Way to read everything...

I'm glad someone agrees with me, its just the typical good build that is better than most and if he has the money then it wont hurt to buy the 5770 the 500gig or the i5. As simple as that.

 

[belial2k]

I did misread the OP and somehow missed light gaming in the uses. My apologies. But from a price/performance standpoint for someone who is not heavy into gaming, the 5770 is still not a good rec in my book. A gts250, 4770, 9800gt, ect is more than capable of playing games for someone who doesn't demand the highest settings, and they cost $50 - $75 less. I recommend a higher capacity green drive because he obviously plans on watching/storing videos on the drive, and they can fill up a 500gb faster than most people realize....so again, sorry for missing the light gaming in the OP. You will probably want something more than integrated graphics if you are playing more demanding modern games, but if its less demanding/online games you can still get by with it.

 

[MadAdmiral]

Except that all those aren't current GPUs. If you're using Windows 7, you will want a DirectX 11 card. The HD 5770 (or 5750) is a future proof solution that's not too expensive. They run $140 for the 5750 and $170 for the 5770. In addition, they run cooler and quieter than older cards. Yes, these might be overkill depending on the game, which is why I asked for more details on the use. Also, you don't want to be building a computer for the past, unless you want to build one next year too...

I agree with the larger drive, but the OP choose the 500 GB size originally. My latest build had 2 TBs in it...

 

[nekko]

Thank you! Its all about what is the present and whats for the future.

500 should be plenty for him and if he needs more LATER then he can just buy another 500 like I did.

 

[Onus]

Well, it looks to me as though the most demanding uses are prefaced by "light," which is subject to a lot of guessing. For example, for gaming, it might mean "frequent play, but undemanding games," or it might mean "newest, most demanding games, played rarely," or some variance of that. Guessing wrong means some will howl about overkill, and others will scream "anemic!" OP, we need more information please.

 

[davidstone]

Guys,

Thank you all for making the contribution.

AMD is not an option, I prefer Intel, just as I prefer Asus MB, so these are "given".

I checked the HD 5770, it's 230$, while 9800GT is 160$. Undoubtedly HD being a better card, but I don't think 70$ price difference would be justified in my case, as all I want is to watch a DVD movie from time to time and play chess and solitaire... + Nvidia has CUDA optimization for Photoshop, which is important to me.

RE HDD – I have both Samsung and WD, I think they’re both great quality devices. Most likely I will be adding the 2nd HDD not b4 long, so that is least of my worries.

I’d also like to ask your opinion about the MB – is it good for my purposes…? As I won1t be doing SLI/CF, nor OC, is there a cheaper Asus MB I could get and save some money on that…? How about ASrock, I heard these were great boards…?

 

[nekko]

The 5770's are only $180 not $230.

And the MOBO is fine but you could go lower on price for no OC or crossfire.

Here is two Asus's that will work for alot cheaper:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131604&cm_re=ASUS-_-13-131-604-_-Product

and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131410&cm_re=ASUS-_-13-131-410-_-Product