Background: I'm planning on replacing both my computer and my wife's. Both are ~ 5 year old core 2 duo based systems running Windows Vista. I've build most of our systems for years, but it's been awhile, so I'm not familiar with optimal components and who the reliable brands are at the moment.
Approximate Purchase Date: I'd like to buy the parts in the next week and finish the builds before month's end.
Budget Range: $1,000-$1,500 U.S. for each After Rebates, so less than $3,000 total for the two, less is fine.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, spreadsheet/tax/accounting work, word processing, HD video editing, internet browsing.
Parts Not Required: (e.g.: keyboard, mouse, monitor (current monitors are Acer LCD 1680x1050)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com
Country of Origin: United States
Parts Preferences: I like what I'm hearing about the new Sandy Bridge CPUs. I'm interested in using SSDs for the operating system and games and a HDD for media storage, but don't know if I can do it in my budget, and I'm not sure about the reliability of the SSD drives given that they're still relatively new tech.
Overclocking: Maybe. I don't tend to because reliability and quiet are more important to me than bleeding-edge speed, and I've not done it before.
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe
Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050
Additional Comments: Reliability is foremost in our needs. We'd like to be able to play Starcraft 2 at full settings at our screen's native resolution. I'd like to be able to play Sword of the Stars 2 when it comes out; it will take advantage of Dx 11. All other things being equal, we're willing to sacrifice a little power for quiet. When I try to edit and burn HD home videos of the kids and such at present, it takes a looooong time and the videos frequently have little hiccup pauses in them where I assume the CPU just couldn't keep up with the encoding, so I'd like something fast enough not to have that problem anymore.
We have a home network using wired cat 5e and an Acer Easystore running Windows home server which backs up our files and stores our music collection.
I sometimes dual-boot my computer with Ubuntu, so parts with Linux support are great, but that's a low priority after all other considerations.
Thanks so much for your insights!
Approximate Purchase Date: I'd like to buy the parts in the next week and finish the builds before month's end.
Budget Range: $1,000-$1,500 U.S. for each After Rebates, so less than $3,000 total for the two, less is fine.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, spreadsheet/tax/accounting work, word processing, HD video editing, internet browsing.
Parts Not Required: (e.g.: keyboard, mouse, monitor (current monitors are Acer LCD 1680x1050)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com
Country of Origin: United States
Parts Preferences: I like what I'm hearing about the new Sandy Bridge CPUs. I'm interested in using SSDs for the operating system and games and a HDD for media storage, but don't know if I can do it in my budget, and I'm not sure about the reliability of the SSD drives given that they're still relatively new tech.
Overclocking: Maybe. I don't tend to because reliability and quiet are more important to me than bleeding-edge speed, and I've not done it before.
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe
Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050
Additional Comments: Reliability is foremost in our needs. We'd like to be able to play Starcraft 2 at full settings at our screen's native resolution. I'd like to be able to play Sword of the Stars 2 when it comes out; it will take advantage of Dx 11. All other things being equal, we're willing to sacrifice a little power for quiet. When I try to edit and burn HD home videos of the kids and such at present, it takes a looooong time and the videos frequently have little hiccup pauses in them where I assume the CPU just couldn't keep up with the encoding, so I'd like something fast enough not to have that problem anymore.
We have a home network using wired cat 5e and an Acer Easystore running Windows home server which backs up our files and stores our music collection.
I sometimes dual-boot my computer with Ubuntu, so parts with Linux support are great, but that's a low priority after all other considerations.
Thanks so much for your insights!
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