Hello all,
Here's a basic list of what I've decided on, with as many questions as I could think to ask. I'll start off with the standard copy-paste information, and I apologize now for the novel you're about to see.
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Approximate Purchase Date: This month, will probably wait to see what Black Friday/Cyber Monday has to offer on a few items.
Budget Range: Roughly $1250. Less is better, but if I'm getting more bang for my buck I don't mind spending more towards $1500.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Enjoying Movies/Music/Media, Amateur 3D Modeling, Numerous 20 page research papers.
Parts Not Required: Keyboard (Logitech G11), Mouse (Logitech MX518), Monitor (Dell 23.9" 1920x1080), Speakers (Logitech 2.1), OS (W7)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com, or Frys.com (They have a local store here), or anywhere reputable that will save me some cash.
Country of Origin: United States
Parts Preferences: None. I'd rather spend more on a quality product, than buy a "better" item from a poor brand though.
Overclocking: Nothing extreme. I am highly unlikely to push the limits of what is possible, but may overclock to something reasonable later.
SLI or Crossfire: Yes, but in the future. I plan on buying a second card around March/April when I get my next quarterly bonus.
Monitor Resolution: Currently one monitor at 1920x1080. If I can find a sweet deal this Holiday season I will probably but a second monitor, or two new ones. I doubt I would exceed 1920x1200 though.
Additional Comments: I have some questions I would greatly appreciate some opinions on. I'll ask parts specific questions next to where I have them listed. The more detail you can provide with your answers the better; don't be afraid of going over my head. Saying "x motherboard is better than yours" doesn't help me much unless I know why it is better. I wouldn't mind an intensive reconstruction of my entire build, as long as I would get something better for a comparable price, and my few actual preferences are still in order. Now, on to the components.
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Computer Case: CM Storm Trooper Full Tower ATX Case - $190
I am 6'4" and have large clumsy hands. I would prefer to have a large computer case that is easy to work inside and has plenty of room for whatever my heart could later desire. I do not mind spending more than I probably should on a nice case, since I don't care about it's aesthetics (thus I won't want to replace it with something cooler) and I can reuse a nice case for as many builds as I can afford. Other considerations include the CM HAF X and the Lian Li PC-P80. The Lian Li seems like higher quality, but doesn't seem worth $100 more, and the Storm Trooper seems better than the HAF X since it is newer and has all of the nice features anyway (USB 3.0, Good Air-Flow, Lots of fan space, etc)
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA 1155 - $210
I've read lots of positive things from other brands, but I've also read many reviews complaining about the quality of ASRock and Gigabyte motherboards. I've had good luck with ASUS products in the past so I feel this is a good choice. I'm very open to suggestions, but quality is important to me.
CPU i5-2500K - $215
I generally do not upgrade my PC's very often. My current CPU is a Dual Core Pentium D 3.2Ghz (Core 2 Duo?) I want to buy the i7-2600K - $320 but I can't decide if I need one. I believe I will get more use out of it in the long run before it's desperately obsolete, but is it worth an extra $105 now? It'd be great to have the best, but with Ivy Bridge coming out soon, would it be better to get the i5-2500k and possibly upgrade to something better in a year or two instead? Would it be an all around better idea to put this whole idea off until March/April (When I have 2 quarterly bonuses and can buy the whole shebang at once with Ivy Bridge) or is that just a case of "there's always something more awesome coming out the soon syndrome?"
CPU Cooling ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - $10 and COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R1 - $35
This fan was chosen mostly at random. I believe it's all compatible, but I couldn't find much helpful research beyond Newegg customer reviews. I want a fan that; doesn't block or interfer with any memory slots, fits nicely inside my case without any tinkering, is stable and well made, and keeps my CPU cool.
PSU: CORSAIR Professional Series HX850 - $170
I'd prefer something Modular, but don't really care that much. I've had good luck with Corsair PSU's before but am not opposed to other brands. I'd like a PSU to comfortably power two Mid-Range graphics cards without replacing it every year because I've run it too hot for too long.
Ram Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB - $100
I know I don't need 16gb of RAM, but it's so cheap why not? If I can buy it now and not worry about upgrading it for another 5 years then what's the downside? Should I buy a better type of RAM that only totals to 8gb? What do you recommend and why? I'm afraid I don't know enough about it to make 100% qualified decisions based on minute differences.
GPU: SAPPHIRE HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 - $350 (It's only $320 right now)
I've narrowed my search down to this or the GTX 570. I'd like to spend $300-$350 for my GPU and have ruled out getting 2 6850's or similar. I also don't want to buy a 6950 and OC or flash it to the 6970's level. I would just prefer to buy a good card now, and buy a second one later for more gaming muscle. Or if I never do, then at least it's still a good card that will last me a long while. The only reason I picked this instead of the GTX 570 is because my quarter landed heads up. I play a myriad of games and it looks like neither card is best, but with rebates included I can pick up a 6970 for less than a 570, and that means I can pick up 2 for an even bigger discount without losing much gaming potential. I'd love to hear other opinions and options though.
HDD: I'm going to pick up a SSD for my boot drive and certain applications, and will probably just buy the best one for the best price I can over the Holiday sales. I haven't picked one out, but figure I'll be able to find a 128-160gb one for a reasonable price soon. I am going to reuse my current extra HDD's until the prices go back down. I have two 2Tb drives that I can migrate over from my current rig that I bought back in August. They're WD Caviar Blacks, and aren't anywhere near capacity, so I think I'll be okay until the market recovers.
Disc Drives: Same plan as the SSD. I'll probably be picking up an LG Bluray-R Drive with Lightscribe - $80 since I like LG electronics and a regular DVD-R from them too. If there's a good sale for a good drive (Blu-Ray or otherwise) I'll pick them up instead though, I just know I want at least two.
Monitor: I mentioned it earlier, but I have a Dell 1920x1080 monitor. I couldn't find it's model number, but it's a few years old. I still love it, but if I can find a good back-lit LED monitor for a reasonable price I plan on adding it to my system (Not replacing the Dell, but having two monitors.) If I find a stellar deal I may just buy two new monitors and repurpose the Dell for another computer.
Sound Card: Do I still need one of these? I have a pair of decent Logitech 2.1 Speakers that sound great (to me, not to an audiophile.) I ran cables from this computer into the bedroom, which allows me to play movies/whatever on the surround sound and big screen in there. I have a 5 year old Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi that I currently use. What are the opinions here? I've seen many basic ones for $100 that would allow me to upgrade to a better speaker system, but I'm not convinced it's worth the money.
Misc Components: What else, even small things, do you think I'd need or want? Do I need a fan controller? They're not that expensive and may be useful if I add more fans into the case. I'm not advanced enough to wade into liquid cooling, so let's keep those suggestions to a minimum. I plan on getting a power-pack surge protector since my House suffers from Power-Blinks during strong lightning storms. I don't care about LED lights, Windows, or Racing stripes. Just having a good computer with quality parts that won't burn my house down or be obscenely outdated the day after I purchase them.
Thank you for your responses and for the time I'm sure it took to read this post. I've stalked this community for awhile but am finally in a position where I can [strike]leech off of your knowledge[/strike] contribute to the forums.
Here's a basic list of what I've decided on, with as many questions as I could think to ask. I'll start off with the standard copy-paste information, and I apologize now for the novel you're about to see.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Approximate Purchase Date: This month, will probably wait to see what Black Friday/Cyber Monday has to offer on a few items.
Budget Range: Roughly $1250. Less is better, but if I'm getting more bang for my buck I don't mind spending more towards $1500.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Enjoying Movies/Music/Media, Amateur 3D Modeling, Numerous 20 page research papers.
Parts Not Required: Keyboard (Logitech G11), Mouse (Logitech MX518), Monitor (Dell 23.9" 1920x1080), Speakers (Logitech 2.1), OS (W7)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com, or Frys.com (They have a local store here), or anywhere reputable that will save me some cash.
Country of Origin: United States
Parts Preferences: None. I'd rather spend more on a quality product, than buy a "better" item from a poor brand though.
Overclocking: Nothing extreme. I am highly unlikely to push the limits of what is possible, but may overclock to something reasonable later.
SLI or Crossfire: Yes, but in the future. I plan on buying a second card around March/April when I get my next quarterly bonus.
Monitor Resolution: Currently one monitor at 1920x1080. If I can find a sweet deal this Holiday season I will probably but a second monitor, or two new ones. I doubt I would exceed 1920x1200 though.
Additional Comments: I have some questions I would greatly appreciate some opinions on. I'll ask parts specific questions next to where I have them listed. The more detail you can provide with your answers the better; don't be afraid of going over my head. Saying "x motherboard is better than yours" doesn't help me much unless I know why it is better. I wouldn't mind an intensive reconstruction of my entire build, as long as I would get something better for a comparable price, and my few actual preferences are still in order. Now, on to the components.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Computer Case: CM Storm Trooper Full Tower ATX Case - $190
I am 6'4" and have large clumsy hands. I would prefer to have a large computer case that is easy to work inside and has plenty of room for whatever my heart could later desire. I do not mind spending more than I probably should on a nice case, since I don't care about it's aesthetics (thus I won't want to replace it with something cooler) and I can reuse a nice case for as many builds as I can afford. Other considerations include the CM HAF X and the Lian Li PC-P80. The Lian Li seems like higher quality, but doesn't seem worth $100 more, and the Storm Trooper seems better than the HAF X since it is newer and has all of the nice features anyway (USB 3.0, Good Air-Flow, Lots of fan space, etc)
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA 1155 - $210
I've read lots of positive things from other brands, but I've also read many reviews complaining about the quality of ASRock and Gigabyte motherboards. I've had good luck with ASUS products in the past so I feel this is a good choice. I'm very open to suggestions, but quality is important to me.
CPU i5-2500K - $215
I generally do not upgrade my PC's very often. My current CPU is a Dual Core Pentium D 3.2Ghz (Core 2 Duo?) I want to buy the i7-2600K - $320 but I can't decide if I need one. I believe I will get more use out of it in the long run before it's desperately obsolete, but is it worth an extra $105 now? It'd be great to have the best, but with Ivy Bridge coming out soon, would it be better to get the i5-2500k and possibly upgrade to something better in a year or two instead? Would it be an all around better idea to put this whole idea off until March/April (When I have 2 quarterly bonuses and can buy the whole shebang at once with Ivy Bridge) or is that just a case of "there's always something more awesome coming out the soon syndrome?"
CPU Cooling ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - $10 and COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R1 - $35
This fan was chosen mostly at random. I believe it's all compatible, but I couldn't find much helpful research beyond Newegg customer reviews. I want a fan that; doesn't block or interfer with any memory slots, fits nicely inside my case without any tinkering, is stable and well made, and keeps my CPU cool.
PSU: CORSAIR Professional Series HX850 - $170
I'd prefer something Modular, but don't really care that much. I've had good luck with Corsair PSU's before but am not opposed to other brands. I'd like a PSU to comfortably power two Mid-Range graphics cards without replacing it every year because I've run it too hot for too long.
Ram Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB - $100
I know I don't need 16gb of RAM, but it's so cheap why not? If I can buy it now and not worry about upgrading it for another 5 years then what's the downside? Should I buy a better type of RAM that only totals to 8gb? What do you recommend and why? I'm afraid I don't know enough about it to make 100% qualified decisions based on minute differences.
GPU: SAPPHIRE HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 - $350 (It's only $320 right now)
I've narrowed my search down to this or the GTX 570. I'd like to spend $300-$350 for my GPU and have ruled out getting 2 6850's or similar. I also don't want to buy a 6950 and OC or flash it to the 6970's level. I would just prefer to buy a good card now, and buy a second one later for more gaming muscle. Or if I never do, then at least it's still a good card that will last me a long while. The only reason I picked this instead of the GTX 570 is because my quarter landed heads up. I play a myriad of games and it looks like neither card is best, but with rebates included I can pick up a 6970 for less than a 570, and that means I can pick up 2 for an even bigger discount without losing much gaming potential. I'd love to hear other opinions and options though.
HDD: I'm going to pick up a SSD for my boot drive and certain applications, and will probably just buy the best one for the best price I can over the Holiday sales. I haven't picked one out, but figure I'll be able to find a 128-160gb one for a reasonable price soon. I am going to reuse my current extra HDD's until the prices go back down. I have two 2Tb drives that I can migrate over from my current rig that I bought back in August. They're WD Caviar Blacks, and aren't anywhere near capacity, so I think I'll be okay until the market recovers.
Disc Drives: Same plan as the SSD. I'll probably be picking up an LG Bluray-R Drive with Lightscribe - $80 since I like LG electronics and a regular DVD-R from them too. If there's a good sale for a good drive (Blu-Ray or otherwise) I'll pick them up instead though, I just know I want at least two.
Monitor: I mentioned it earlier, but I have a Dell 1920x1080 monitor. I couldn't find it's model number, but it's a few years old. I still love it, but if I can find a good back-lit LED monitor for a reasonable price I plan on adding it to my system (Not replacing the Dell, but having two monitors.) If I find a stellar deal I may just buy two new monitors and repurpose the Dell for another computer.
Sound Card: Do I still need one of these? I have a pair of decent Logitech 2.1 Speakers that sound great (to me, not to an audiophile.) I ran cables from this computer into the bedroom, which allows me to play movies/whatever on the surround sound and big screen in there. I have a 5 year old Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi that I currently use. What are the opinions here? I've seen many basic ones for $100 that would allow me to upgrade to a better speaker system, but I'm not convinced it's worth the money.
Misc Components: What else, even small things, do you think I'd need or want? Do I need a fan controller? They're not that expensive and may be useful if I add more fans into the case. I'm not advanced enough to wade into liquid cooling, so let's keep those suggestions to a minimum. I plan on getting a power-pack surge protector since my House suffers from Power-Blinks during strong lightning storms. I don't care about LED lights, Windows, or Racing stripes. Just having a good computer with quality parts that won't burn my house down or be obscenely outdated the day after I purchase them.
Thank you for your responses and for the time I'm sure it took to read this post. I've stalked this community for awhile but am finally in a position where I can [strike]leech off of your knowledge[/strike] contribute to the forums.