Futureproof computer under $1500

[princesiraj]

Hey guys I've been doing some research and finally summoned up the courage to post here

I've never built a computer before, but I want to try now. Our current computer is a Dell Studio Hybrid from Best Buy. absolute CRAP. and I went on Origin PC's website and realized I can build a PC with everything I need for half the price and better performance. I've made a list of parts after looking at reviews and forums like Tom's. The ideal price would be $1500, but my parents are willing to go to $2000. Basically this will be my personal system for the next ten years, and I want it to be the best that I can get for $1500. that $2000 limit will pretty much be tax...
Uses: heavy multi-tasking (homework, Facebook, and also a windowed game if I can pull it off). Also I do occasional video editing and encoding stuff for audio, and it wouldn't really hurt to have a system that can run a full-screen full-HD video without over-heating or sounding like a train engine.
I would prefer this system to be super-quiet, so if there's anything I need to run overnight (things like random stress tests, or trying to encode 100,000 videos from MPEG-2 to AVCHD lol), it won't bother me at all.

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Two: http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Nine-Hundred-Two-Ultimate/dp/B001P4UAF0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1276386110&sr=8-1
Planning to replace the fans, because I've read that the Gelid Wings below are superior

Case Fans: Gelid Wing 12: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0024NZORK/sr=1-1/qid=1276419175/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1276419175&sr=1-1&seller=
OR
Noctua NF-P14: http://www.amazon.com/Noctua-Ultra-Silent-140mm-NF-P14/dp/B002XISTXM
Which ones are quieter with better performance, and what are the real differences? Also, do I want/need a fan controller, and why?

MB: Asus Crosshair IV Formula: http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Crosshair-IV-Formula-Motherboard/dp/B003G40Z66/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1276386172&sr=8-3


CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T BE: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103849&cm_re=1090t-_-19-103-849-_-Product
I'm planning to overclock this to 4Ghz and beyond if I can.

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14: http://www.amazon.com/Noctua-Heatpipe-Bearing-Cooler-NH-D14/dp/B002VKVZ1A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1276386602&sr=8-1
Should I look for something cheaper? Change the fans? Anything?

PSU: Corsair 750HX: http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CMPSU-750HX-Professional-Certified-compatible/dp/B0029F21LK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1276386802&sr=1-1
Does this make a lot of noise?

GPU: EVGA GTX260 Core 216: http://www.amazon.com/eVGA-GeForce-GTX-Core-Superclocked/dp/B001NXDQD6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1276387048&sr=8-2
Is there any point in overclocking this? I for sure don't need more, as I'm not a heavy gamer and Intel's crappy IGP is good enough for the majority of things that I do. I'm planning to play more PC games too

RAM: Crucial 2 x 2GB: http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-240-pin-PC3-10660-unbuffered-non-ECC/dp/B001R4BT1M/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1276387082&sr=8-14
I would like to overclock these to 1950Mhz or above if possible

HDD: http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Desktop-WD5001AALS/dp/B001GQYYSG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1276387373&sr=8-3
Anything better for the price? SSDs maybe? lol

2 internal optical drives that can record DVD/CD +/- RW/R. I really don't see the point of Blu Ray, whether I'm future-proofing or not.

Also I'm looking at an internal memory card reader. If it's better to get an external one let me know.

I would prefer that your suggestions can be found on Amazon because of their superior shipping. If not, that's also okay.

I will be buying this most likely this summer, but possibly next. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[amantonas]

If you're willing to take a look at the HAF 922, I would suggest that over the nine hundred two. I've worked with both and prefer cooler master cases.

Case fans - Noctua has some of the best and quietest case fans right now. I would go with them if you're willing to pay $5 extra.

Motherboard is great. I've got that motherboard. It's kickass.

Processor looks good.

Cooler - If you're overclocking and want a monsterous CPU fan, go for it. That thing looks freaking awesome.

Corsairs are some of the best quality PSUs. They are very quiet and very reliable.

GPU - I would go for a 5850, if you can push it. It has DX11 and it's more efficient, both in heat and and power. It will also perform much better than the 260.
http://www.amazon.com/XFX-Radeon-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-HD585XZAFC/dp/B0037YOIMC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1276487156&sr=1-2

Ram is fine.

HDD - http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-SATA-Hard-Drive-HD502HJ/dp/B002J65AHQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1276486945&sr=1-2

People have been going with the Spinpoint F3s lately. They run faster than almost all hard drives on the market.

Internal or external card reader doesn't matter at all, it's just personal preference.

Good build, I hope you consider my suggestions.

 

[princesiraj]

If you're willing to take a look at the HAF 922, I would suggest that over the nine hundred two. I've worked with both and prefer cooler master cases.

Case fans - Noctua has some of the best and quietest case fans right now. I would go with them if you're willing to pay $5 extra.

Motherboard is great. I've got that motherboard. It's kickass.

Processor looks good.

Cooler - If you're overclocking and want a monsterous CPU fan, go for it. That thing looks freaking awesome.

Corsairs are some of the best quality PSUs. They are very quiet and very reliable.

GPU - I would go for a 5850, if you can push it. It has DX11 and it's more efficient, both in heat and and power. It will also perform much better than the 260.
http://www.amazon.com/XFX-Radeon-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-HD585XZAFC/dp/B0037YOIMC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1276487156&sr=1-2

Ram is fine.

HDD - http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-SATA-Hard-Drive-HD502HJ/dp/B002J65AHQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1276486945&sr=1-2

People have been going with the Spinpoint F3s lately. They run faster than almost all hard drives on the market.

Internal or external card reader doesn't matter at all, it's just personal preference.

Good build, I hope you consider my suggestions.

Hey thanks for the suggestions. So what exactly do you prefer about Cooler Master? But yeah if the Noctuas are better I'll stick with those then. About the graphics card, I'd prefer to stick with Nvidia for the CUDA processing... Unless it's really not that useful... But it might just be more futureproof, which is what I would prefer. Would you suggest a higher Nvidia card maybe? Or is ATI vastly superior? Samsung Spinpoint F3 vs WD Caviar Black: I've heard the samsung was less reliable... But idk I'll check that out thanks.
Edit: OMG I almost jizzed when I saw the Bit-Tech review O.O I am so getting that thanks so much for your help

 

[amantonas]

Haha yeah it's great.
I like cooler master better because I feel that their gaming cases are much more useful and innovative than Antec, in areas such as cable management, size, and airflow.

The 5850 will perform almost double to that of the 260. If cuda does really turn out, I'm just not sure you would have the upper hand on really anyone.

 

[batuchka]

+1 on HD 5850 in fact with a quick OC (u can pick up later) and some savings here and there:

The max clocks 1055T/1090T across the board is the same and so the premium paid for the latter is not worth it ^^

 

[princesiraj]

+1 on HD 5850 in fact with a quick OC (u can pick up later) and some savings here and there:
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q205/batuchka/Untitled-168.jpg
The max clocks 1055T/1090T across the board is the same and so the premium paid for the latter is not worth it ^^

Oh ok thanks.
1. quick Google search led me to choose the HAF 922 over the Hades
2. Is it harder to get the 1055T to 4Ghz than the 1090T? Because I don't remember where, but I saw a review with them just casually moving the multiplier to 20x on the 1090T. EDIT: here we go: http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/amd_phenom2_x6_1090t/4.htm
3. I'm not sure if my question about fan controllers was answered... is there any real point?
4. 5850 seems to be the better value, so I'll go with that.
5. Based on reviews and forums, Noctua pretty much kills the H50. Only with good fans can it come close or win, but that's more expensive, and makes sure I'd go for the Noctua.
6. I won't go with the XMS3 because I don't want to chance any problems with the heatsinks and space with the Noctua and cooler. Also I saw a review (pretty sure it was on here) that said the Crucials could easily hit 1900 or so mhz without a heat sink
7. Motherboard: the Crosshair still wins
Thanks to both of you for your suggestions it really helps.

 

[batuchka]

Oh ok thanks.
1. Is the NXZT better than the Antec or CoolerMaster cases?
2. Is it harder to get the 1055T to 4Ghz than the 1090T? Because I don't remember where, but I saw a review with them just casually moving the multiplier to 20x on the 1090T. EDIT: here we go: http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/amd_phenom2_x6_1090t/4.htm
3. I'm not sure if my question about fan controllers was answered... is there any real point?
4. 5850 seems to be the better value, so I'll go with that.
5. Based on reviews and forums, Noctua pretty much kills the H50. Only with good fans can it come close or win, but that's more expensive, and makes sure I'd go for the Noctua.
6. I won't go with the XMS3 because I don't want to chance any problems with the heatsinks and space with the Noctua and cooler. Also I saw a review (pretty sure it was on here) that said the Crucials could easily hit 1900 or so mhz without a heat sink
7. Motherboard: the Crosshair still wins
Thanks to both of you for your suggestions it really helps.

1. Review
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3343/nzxt_hades_mid_tower_chassis/index.html

So if you could buy a chassis that is easier to work in than the HAF 922, offers better air flow than most of the cases in the price range, and is well thought out for cable management and attractive to look at, why wouldn’t you? - I have seen the progression of quite a few of NZXT offerings and I have to say they hit the nail on the head with the Hades. Priced right in my opinion, you can find the Hades at Newegg for $79.99, with free shipping currently. All I can say to that is wow! This is one serious contender which falls below the price of most of the Hades main competitors.

2. As said either can hit the same max clocks but YMMV for OC ^^

3. If u want to control noise generation/ RPM of fans then go for it ^^

4. Good to go as well ^^

5. While the highest end air coolers are better than a H50 - the latter for noise/clock ratio

6. YMMV clocks

7. If u want all the features and can afford it - your call ^^

You are welcomed ^^

 

[eloric]

First off, I am sure you have seen this article on OC, but just in case you haven't: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/overclocking-phenom-ii-x6-efficiency,2633.html

WD Caviar black beats out (by slim margin) Samsung Spinpoint F3 in all but a few tests: http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009-3.5-desktop-hard-drive-charts/benchmarks,50.html
So your brand of HDD is fine, but you may want to spend a bit more to get 1TB for all your videos:

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Black-WD1001FALS/dp/B001C271MA/ref=sr_1_48?s=STORE&ie=UTF8&qid=1276546452&sr=1-48

As for SSD, well I certainly love my Intel 80 Gb x25M, but it costs over $200 and is certainly a luxory. Maybe a 64 Gb Kingston, for just fover half the price?

http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-SSDNow-Solid-SNV425-S2-64GB/dp/B00378KHUA/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1276546671&sr=1-5

btw, the CoolerMaster case will accomodate 2.5 inch drives, so don't buy a covnersion kit for a 3.5 inch bay.

 

[princesiraj]

@Batuchka: ok then O.O missed that one. yeah looks like the NZXT is superior then. eh ok since the real differences besides noise are small between the H50 and Noctua, ima stick with the higher performance of Noctua. Since my parents have given me a higher limit, I will take the liberty to use the higher board to my advantage
@Eloric: yeah I saw the review, pretty much why I'll stick to the 1090T um. I don't need 1TB of storage for anything, only around 40GB which is still alot and why I can't really go for the SSDs yet, the performance kills, but the prices do too. and the F3 is cheaper and quieter on some reviews I've read. So ima stick with that for now.

 

[batuchka]

Haha ok lucky you ^^ Happy shopping/building

 

[princesiraj]

Haha ok lucky you ^^ Happy shopping/building

haha yeah thanks for your help.

@Mods: go ahead and close this thread. I'm done thanks