Help a first time builder

[uwwmatt]

Hello all,

I am new to the forums and new to the computer building world. I have been researching on and off for the past few months and I think I have settled on a list of parts.

What I am looking for:

Uses (in order):
1.Gaming
2. HTPC (streaming hulu and Netflix hooked up to 40inch 1080p HD tv)
3. Photo editing (Photoshop CS4)
4. Websurfing
5. Video Editing (I would like to learn adobe premiere but don't plan on doing huge projects.)

Budget:$1000 (not counting OS)

Other info:
My idea was to get a computer that is somewhat future proof letting my add another graphics card later in crossfire without having to upgrade any of the other parts. That however won't be for some time.

I like the idea of overclocking, but nothing that requires any crazy sort of computer cooling. I would appreciate any thoughts you guys may have on the overclockability of my components.

I am also planning on running a dual boot system with Windows 7 and Linux. Any thoughts on this would also be helpful.

Parts:
Processor-Intel Core I5-750 2.66GHz LGA 1156 $199+free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819115215

Motherboard-Asus P7P55D ATX Intel Motherboard $149.99 +2.99 shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813131404

Memory-G.Skill Ripjaws Series 4GB (2x2G) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Memory $105+free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820231277

HD-OCZ Vertex Series OCZSSD2-1VTX30GXXX 2.5" 30GB SATA II MLC $99.99 +free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820227393

Power Supply-CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready $89.99 +free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817139006

GPU-XFX HD-585X-ZAFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 $309.99 +7.56 shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814150477

Case-COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel $54.99 + free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16811119068

or

Rosewill DESTROYER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower $59.99 +free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147144&cm_re=atx_mid_tower-_-11-147-144-_-Product

Total (including shipping): $1,029.50
OS-Windows 7 64-bit

I already have a HDD that I will be using for storing data, I also already have the cd/dvd drives.

Another storage option would be the 500G WD Black in RAID 0 which would be $140

Thanks for your help!

Matt

 

[buzznut]

If you have a data drive then I wouldn't go with the raid 0 WD setup. Get the SSD.
Your parts are very overclockable, without too much effort.
I always recommend before attempting any OC venture, get an aftermarket heat sink. You can do this without getting anything exotic.
Frostytech.com has some reviews and recommendations.

You should consider getting a larger SSD so you can fit a couple of games on there. The OCZ Vertex 60Gb is nice in that price range. Also the X-25 M 80Gb.

I always "plan" on getting a second card but typically never do as I can't justify the added cost after I've got my new rig running. Anyway gl and have fun with that.

 

[r_manic]

Just a quick clarification: the 40-incher will be your only display? You won't be using a higher-resolution display with this build?

 

[geofelt]

That is a good set of parts.

The 5850 and i5-750 will be able to run any game out there well on your 1920 x 1080 TV/monitor.

As a suggestion, look at quiet cases for a HTPC application. http://www.silentpcreview.com/ is a good place to research. One excellent quiet case is the Antec SOLO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129018

I would also suggest a oem cpu cooler with a slow turning 120mm fan. There are several under $50. It will keep your cpu quieter and cooler. If you want to overclock(which I think you won't need to) you can overclock higher and easier.

I think 30gb is a bit small for an OS SSD, but I like the idea very much. Look at the intel X25-V 40gb drive. Research this carefully because there are non representative benchmarks out there. You need to look at non-fresh or used real(vs. synthetic) tests. Also realize that this market is getting very competitive and faster/cheaper products are appearing weekly.

I would forget about raid-0 for your hard drive. It is of marginal real benefit, primarily for reading large sequential files. Mostly we do small random access reads and writes, a pattern that the SSD excels at.

Your most likely future upgrade will be a stronger graphics configuration or a larger/faster SSD.
Read this article on using the intel X25-V in a raid-0 configuration:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3618/intel-x25v-in-raid0-faster-than-x25m-g2-for-250

---good luck---

 

[uwwmatt]

Thanks guys.

I pulled the trigger today and the parts are already in the mail.

I went with the rosewill case and I also added this after market CPU cooler
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-RR-B10...6048&sr=8-2

Now I have heard that in order for my memory to reach 1600 I need to overclock my cpu. Do I do that all through the BIOS or is there other programs that I can use?

Just a quick clarification: the 40-incher will be your only display? You won't be using a higher-resolution display with this build?

That is correct. The HD tv will be my only monitor.

 

[randomkid]

I would forget about raid-0 for your hard drive. It is of marginal real benefit, primarily for reading large sequential files. Mostly we do small random access reads and writes, a pattern that the SSD excels at.

Agree with this. I got 2xWD Black in RAID 0 and I see no noticeable performance compared to an WD Green. In benchmark yes, there is improvement but not much.

 

[uwwmatt]

I ordered my OS today. I called Microsoft and asked them for Windows 7 Professional 64-bit full install and all I had to do was provide them with my old .edu email address. The total came to $68 and I was immediately emailed my product key and a link to download the ISO. Not a bad deal.

 

[geofelt]

Do not worry about overclocking your ram to 1600. The nehalem cpu's have very good memory controllers that can keep the cpu fed with even very slow ram. In terms of real application performance(vs. synthetic benchmarks) or FPS, the difference between the slowest and fastest ram is on the order of 1-3%. If you overclock modestly, simply by raising the BCLK in the bios from 133 to something like 160 and leaving everything else on auto, your ram will run a bit faster than normal, but not at 1600.

Do you still need to be a student, or is your.edu email sufficient to get thet deal?

 

[goatsword]

I think you definitely want to get your RAM to 1600, if its rated for it, you will see a performance boost. In fact, overclock the hell out of that thing, the i5-750 is notorious for being a monster overclocker and can keep pace with a 975 @ stock when OC'd and cooled properly.

 

[uwwmatt]

Do you still need to be a student, or is your.edu email sufficient to get thet deal?

All you need is a valid .edu email address, I haven't been in college for 3 years. They ask you what university you are attending so just say whatever one your .edu belongs too.

 

[uwwmatt]

It has been about a week and this thing is awesome. I bought Bad Company 2 and I max out everthing including AA without a hiccup. The processors runs pretty cool too. Even after several hours of gaming all 4 cores barley break 80 degrees (fahrenheit).

With the SSD my computer powers on and off really fast too.

 

[randomkid]

Wow.... so you went for SSD. Good for you... what SSD did you get? I'd like to get one sometime.