$800 - Light Video Editing + WoW - Microcenter Local

[Glock]

Hello, building my 2nd PC and wondering if this looks good. Since I'm buying from Microcenter I added some notes to save you all from reading the MC flyer. This is a little different than the rest of the posts here since I'm not buying from newegg. Keep in mind some of the rebate info I post is "MC only" so may look incorrect but actually is correct. Also, if all my price quotes are annoying I can edit to remove. Just wanted to give a range for those unfamiliar with MC's prices.

I need the most help with picking out MOBO, GPU, RAM, Case, PSU, and HD. I'm pretty locked into the CPU since...well...look at the price. i7-920 is a March deal at MC for $200, its $289 at NE. I'm open to the idea of x4 955 ($160) since the MOBO price would also be a bit lower.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: This week (from MicroCenter since I'm local to their MN store)

BUDGET: $800 (after rebates)

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: WoW, Family Video Editing (not pro), Family Computer

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Just need whats in the case, have all else.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: MicroCenter (will be buying local)

PARTS PREFERENCES: No preference

OVERCLOCKING: Not sure I'm comfortable doing this, I need a safe/quiet computer.

CROSSFIRE: Not sure what this is, would it improve video editing?

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1680x1050

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Quiet would be nice, but not a must have. The computer is in the family room. Minimal fans or a thick case would be ideal.

Here is what I'm thinking:
CPU:
i7-920 - $199.99
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0302727

Note: This is a MicroCenter March deal, so no notes since that price is pretty good. I'll rain check it and wait if its OOS.


MOBO:
Asus P6T LGA 1366 X58 ATX Motherboard $229.99
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?sku=987172

Comparative Options:
Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 X58 ATX Motherboard would be 219.99, 199.99 after rebate.
EVGA 141-BL-E757-TR LGA 1366 X58 ATX Motherboard would be 219.99, 199.99 after rebate.


RAM: Here are the 3 options in the $80 - $150 range for 4G
OCZ 4GB DDR3-1600 (PC-12800) Gold Low Voltage CL8 Memory Kit (Two 2GB Memory Modules) for 119.99, 89.99 after rebate
http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0317775

OCZ 4GB DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) CL9 Dual Channel Memory Kit (Two 2GB Memory Modules) for 109.99, 79.99 after rebate
http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0322202

Corsair XMS 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) Memory $149.00, no rebate

Note: MC just has OCZ, Corsair, Generic.


GPU:
XFX 5770 - $179.99
http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0321833

Note: Is Diamond better, same price at MC? VisionTek for $10 more. Asus for $20 more


Case:
http://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.phtml?sortby=pricelow&web_group=byopc_case&category=HB5&subcategory=HB5B

Note: Really no preference, something quiet would be ideal. Will pay more for quietness. I prefer a simple black case over a blingy neon green with purple lights case. Antec 300 ATX is $50, Antec 200 ATX is $55, CM Elite 335 is $40.

PSU:
http://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.phtml?page=1&sortby=pricehigh&category=HB5&subcategory=HB5F&web_group=byopc_case_power&

Note: I've had PSU problems in past, I prefer something safe and quiet with a good reputation. I will pay a premium for this item.


HD Options:
http://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.phtml?sortby=pricelow&web_group=byopc_hd&category=HF1&subcategory=HF1D

Comparative Options:
WD Green 500GB for 59.99,
WD Black 500GB for 59.99 (lol same as green)
Seagate Barra 1TB $89.99
WD Green 1TB $94.99
WD Black 1TB $104.99


DVD:
LG GH22NS40 SATA Super Multi DVD Rewriter OEM - $24.99

Thanks so much!

 

[MadAdmiral]

Hate to break it to you, but you're not getting an i7 on a $800 budget. You're not even getting an i5 on that. You'll spend nearly $600 on the CPU, mobo and RAM alone. That doesn't leave much for the GPU and other parts. The parts you've got listed above come out that about $1,000, with some very conservative estimates.

Just so you know, you need to use 6 GB of RAM with the i7. The X58 chipset uses triple channel memory, meaning three sticks. So RAM will cost you more like $180-200

Crossfire/SLI is adding a second video card and connecting the two of them to act as a single card. CF is for ATI cards, SLI for nVidia. It won't help in video editing, so you really don't need it.

I wouldn't go to Microcenter at this point. The only thing that is cheaper at MC is the Intel CPUs. Everything else is overpriced. I would order this off Newegg:

CPU/Mobo: X4 955 and Gigabyte GA-770TA-UD3 $228 after rebate
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 2x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 $115
GPU: HD 5770 $150 after rebate
HDD: Seagate 7200.12 500 GB $55
Case/PSU: Antec 300 Illusion and Neo Eco 520W $120
Optical: Cheap SATA DVD burner $23

Total: $691.

If you think you might be doing some more intense gaming, make the following changes:

CPU/Mobo: X4 955 and Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4 $265 after rebate
Case/PSU: Antec 300 Illusion and Earthwatts 650W $125

This will allow you to stick in a second 5770 later and play games that demand more graphics power. This would be necessary if you upgrad to a 1920x1080 monitor.

 

[Glock]

Wow glad I asked, I'm a bit out of the loop! Thanks for that build, I'm digging it. Is the only major difference between the AMD boards listed the additional PCIe 2.0 slot?

 

[MadAdmiral]

That's the main one. The UD4 uses the more recent 790 chipset as well.

 

[Glock]

Since I'm now going newegg, Mad Admiral's build brings me ~$100 under budget. I'm going to add another 500GB HD for $55, leaving me with ~$45. Oh and I swapped the PSU to Earthwatts 500 to get free shipping, the one you linked had shipping for $6. Is there a 1 TB with 2 500GB platter's yet?

Anything else that can be tweaked, or should I take the wife out for dinner and call it a day?

 

[MadAdmiral]

You could switch the 500 GB for a 1 TB model and save another $10. It's not much faster to have separate drives, and RAID 0 can be a pain.

 

[Glock]

Thanks MA, not sure why I couldn't find that!

One last question then I think I'm good, the RAM listed above is optimized for intel and a few reviews stated it took a bios update to get them to work right. I'm not sure I ever had a need to tweak RAM settings in the bios, is that relatively easy?

 

[MadAdmiral]

Yes. It's just manually inputing the values. It's something you should do regardless of the build.

 

[Glock]

The above posted build is right around $725 after upgrading the HD to 1 TB (after rebate). My alternative is over budget as Mad pointed out, close though!

Current Build:
LG 22X DVD Burner $22.99
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB $89.99
MSI R5770-PM2D1G-OC Radeon HD 5770 $159.99
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) $114.99
Antec EarthWatts Green 500W (Combo, see below)
Antec Three Hundred Illusion $119.98
AMD Phenom II X4 955 (Combo, see below)
GIGABYTE GA-770TA-UD3 AM3 $237.98

Total $745.92

Over Budget Build (microcenter prices):
CPU: i7 920 199.99
MOBO: Asus P6T LGA 1366 X58 ATX Motherboard $229.99
RAM: 6GB OCZ Gold $139.99
HD: WD Caviar Black 1TB $104.99
GPU: XFX 5770 $179.99
Case: Antec 300 ATX $49.99
PSU: Antec EW 650W $79.99
Optical: LG 22x $29.99

Total $1015


Anyone have any additional ideas for the "Current Build"?

 

[someguynamedmatt]

[Edited out a bunch of stuff]
Lol, sorry to anyone who saw my comment on an MSI Motherboard... I failed to realize that the price he listed was for the combo, not the motherboard itself.
I wouldn't go with that case if I were you... I hate to say it, but you can get a lot better performance out of a CoolerMaster CM 690 II Advanced than you can with that thing. I built a computer on the Antec, and it was absolutely horrible for me when it came to Cable Management. The 690 II Advanced comes with a top hard drive bay, 3 cooling fans, and looks IMO a lot better than the Antec 300. Even if the Earthwatts PSU was a combo, it wouldn't hurt you to get a seperate PSU... I've heard ugly things about the EarthWatts, too...

Sorry for the bashing on Antec... I love their company, just some of their products tend to be let-downs when you get them...

 

[MadAdmiral]

The problem with the 690 II is that it's $100. You can have the much, much better HAF 922 and still have $10 in your pocket. You spend about half that (counting the combo) and get an excellent case in the Antec 300 Illusion.

As for cable management, you can have good cable management without a cables management system. You just have to be neat while your building. Pick up some zip ties and you've got all you really need.

The Antec Earthwatt PSUs are some of the highest quality PSUs out there. They are one of the major five brands (Corsair, Silverstone, SeaSonic, PC Power & Cooling are the others).

 

[Glock]

This is a budget build so the Antec 300 is suffice (actually the Antec 200 is too). I really don't need all the fans and blingy lights with this non OC'd build. Going with MA's build...the more I read about the parts more I like it. Thanks all, this is a wrap.

 

[Glock]

Best answer selected by Glock.

 

[Glock]

Quick followup, if I wanted to upgrade to 2 TB data (manual backups of video/photos) would it be best to have 2 seperate drives (2x 1TB) or 1 big one (1x 2TB) with multiple partitions?

Im thinking manual backups (say quarterly) would be done (vs. RAID) since I really really really can not lose these files!

Thanks much.

 

[coldsleep]

Assuming you don't need to use all of that 2 TB, what I would do is get 2x 1 TB drives, and use one to back up from one to the other (manually, not RAID 1). Then do quarterly external backups of some sort.

If you plan on using all 2 TB, I'd make the decision based solely on price.