- Nov 24, 2011
- 5
- 0
- 18,510
I broke down and started buying parts, hoping to hunt great deals over the next month or so. This is my 3rd build but first in 3+ years, so I am out of the loop.
I don't have an exact budget so much as I want to find good value toward the future and slowly build a nice system. I think I mainly need help with the CPU/mobo/case/fan choices and might spend $300-600 on these pretty quickly to just get something together better than what I have now.
I don't need a keyboard, mouse, or DVD drive. I'm using a Samsung F2380 monitor @1920x1080 and would like to have the ability to add a 2nd (guess that is pretty standard nowadays). Crossfire/SLI doesn't seem very important to me. I'll probably use Newegg/Amazon/TD and maybe even Microcenter, though it is a bit out of the way sometimes.
I'd like to spend some time to learn how to gently overclock the system but am not planning to go nuts. How I plan to use the system and other parts I have so far are below, then I will update my thoughts on the other pieces as we go.
I haven't been doing much gaming besides occasional Minecraft/Civ5 type of demands, so I will probably start with a cheap/onboard GPU though I would like to be able to upgrade and play modern games reasonably well in a later wave. I use programs like Photoshop and Illustrator a lot, along with having a half dozen PDFs, a few dozen browser windows, and assorted programs like Eclipse or Excel open. I don't need anything special for music or video.
PSU: Antec BP550 Plus - This is a leftover part and upgrading isn't out of the question, but I figure 550W is strong enough to start.
Memory: 16GB (4x4GB) G.Skill Ripjaws X Series DDR3 1600 - Just bought these for $60 at Newegg. Maybe 16GB is overkill, but I briefly read about using a RAMdisk for the page file with Photoshop and it could be worth the extra $30.
CPU/Mobo: I have no clue what to do here since I just started research and would like to get any really sweet BF/CM deals. I'm okay with spending $200+ on each of these if it is worth it. One thing I noticed is that USB 3.0 headers (to connect to front ports on cases?) are not yet standard, but that seems like something I might like to have down the line.
Case/Fans: I'm okay with spending a bit here and would prefer at least 4 USB front ports. Otherwise, I don't care if the case is bulky, super quiet, has LEDs or whatever.
HDD: I will continue to use my one older SATA 600GB disk, but a slot for a 2nd 1TB+ after prices go back down is a must.
SSD: Never had one so I don't see it as the highest priority. I have no clue what is good though I might spring for a great deal on a 64-128GB. Would I benefit from RAID or waiting to budget for bigger sizes?
GPU: I'll stick with onboard or something ~$40 to start if I can get away with it. Eventually I'd like to go with a $100-150 type of card, though I am not sure if I will ever need 2.
OS: I have started to dabble in Linux and might leave Windows for the old computer where I haven't been able to figure out how to get WINE to run things. I don't know why I haven't been able to get the hang of VMs but maybe that is a solution too. I had way more of a problem getting dual booting to work than I expected, so I don't know if new UEFI is something I want.
Sorry if I overlooked anything and thanks for the help. Have a nice Thanksgiving!
I don't have an exact budget so much as I want to find good value toward the future and slowly build a nice system. I think I mainly need help with the CPU/mobo/case/fan choices and might spend $300-600 on these pretty quickly to just get something together better than what I have now.
I don't need a keyboard, mouse, or DVD drive. I'm using a Samsung F2380 monitor @1920x1080 and would like to have the ability to add a 2nd (guess that is pretty standard nowadays). Crossfire/SLI doesn't seem very important to me. I'll probably use Newegg/Amazon/TD and maybe even Microcenter, though it is a bit out of the way sometimes.
I'd like to spend some time to learn how to gently overclock the system but am not planning to go nuts. How I plan to use the system and other parts I have so far are below, then I will update my thoughts on the other pieces as we go.
I haven't been doing much gaming besides occasional Minecraft/Civ5 type of demands, so I will probably start with a cheap/onboard GPU though I would like to be able to upgrade and play modern games reasonably well in a later wave. I use programs like Photoshop and Illustrator a lot, along with having a half dozen PDFs, a few dozen browser windows, and assorted programs like Eclipse or Excel open. I don't need anything special for music or video.
PSU: Antec BP550 Plus - This is a leftover part and upgrading isn't out of the question, but I figure 550W is strong enough to start.
Memory: 16GB (4x4GB) G.Skill Ripjaws X Series DDR3 1600 - Just bought these for $60 at Newegg. Maybe 16GB is overkill, but I briefly read about using a RAMdisk for the page file with Photoshop and it could be worth the extra $30.
CPU/Mobo: I have no clue what to do here since I just started research and would like to get any really sweet BF/CM deals. I'm okay with spending $200+ on each of these if it is worth it. One thing I noticed is that USB 3.0 headers (to connect to front ports on cases?) are not yet standard, but that seems like something I might like to have down the line.
Case/Fans: I'm okay with spending a bit here and would prefer at least 4 USB front ports. Otherwise, I don't care if the case is bulky, super quiet, has LEDs or whatever.
HDD: I will continue to use my one older SATA 600GB disk, but a slot for a 2nd 1TB+ after prices go back down is a must.
SSD: Never had one so I don't see it as the highest priority. I have no clue what is good though I might spring for a great deal on a 64-128GB. Would I benefit from RAID or waiting to budget for bigger sizes?
GPU: I'll stick with onboard or something ~$40 to start if I can get away with it. Eventually I'd like to go with a $100-150 type of card, though I am not sure if I will ever need 2.
OS: I have started to dabble in Linux and might leave Windows for the old computer where I haven't been able to figure out how to get WINE to run things. I don't know why I haven't been able to get the hang of VMs but maybe that is a solution too. I had way more of a problem getting dual booting to work than I expected, so I don't know if new UEFI is something I want.
Sorry if I overlooked anything and thanks for the help. Have a nice Thanksgiving!
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