General Purpose Build

[jgenee]

Approximate Purchase Date: Next few weeks.

Budget Range: $800 - 1000 Before Rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Watching Blu Ray Movies, Streaming movies from NAS, internet, moderate gaming

Parts Not Required: 320GB HD for data, Keyboard/Mouse, Speakers, Monitor

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon.com, superbiiz.com, Microcenter, B&H Photo, I will order from Newegg.com but price must be great because I’m in NJ and must pay tax.

Country: NJ, USA

Parts Preferences: No preference

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 - 52” Samsung LCD

Additional Comments: Main use for this will be watching Blu Rays (maybe 3D some day), streaming videos from Synology NAS, moderate gaming. Possibly upgrading to a Ceton Cable Card tuner in the future as well.

Off the bat I’m not considering overclocking but I may in the future. Is a heatsink necessary?

I’m trying to have this computer last for a while. Current total is a bit over $900 (including windows 7), but I don’t plan to buy everything from Newegg.


Parts:

Case
Antec Three Hundred Two Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Upgraded 2 x USB 3.0[/url]


PSU
OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom


Motherboard
ASUS P8Z68-V/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS


CPU
Intel Core i5-2400 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.4GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000

GPU
SAPPHIRE 11202-00-20G Radeon HD 7750 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

RAM - Kind of just picked this, open to suggestions.
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL

SSD
Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Blu-Ray Drive
ASUS Black Blu-ray Drive SATA Model BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM

Fans
(2) Rosewill RFA-120-K 120mm Case Fan

 

[samuelspark]

Go for microcenter cpu/mobo combo ($184.99 for i5 2500k and $50 when bought with mobo). Also, I'd get a 7770 in the bare minimum for 1080p.

 

[legendkiller]

Get a i3 2120(for later upgrade to Ivy-Bridge for PCI-e 3.0
Get the cheapest 120GB SSD if possible(probably $140)
and get this PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028 which is way better...

 

[samuelspark]

Get a i3 2120(for later upgrade to Ivy-Bridge for PCI-e 3.0
Get the cheapest 120GB SSD if possible(probably $140)
and get this PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028 which is way better...

Nah. Builder series is the worst of Corsair's. OCZ ModXStream is pretty nice. Modular with lots of amps.

 

[jgenee]

Thanks. Why the bigger SSD? I figured I would only need a 64GB as a boot drive and the 320GB would be good enough for data for a while.

 

[jgenee]

Go for microcenter cpu/mobo combo ($184.99 for i5 2500k and $50 when bought with mobo). Also, I'd get a 7770 in the bare minimum for 1080p.

Thanks for showing me that deal. Any recommendations on the HD 7770? Sapphire good?

 

[aznshinobi]

Check out my $650 build here:
http://www.squidoo.com/electronicandmore
Would be solid enough for the purposes you just stated.

The 7750 and 7770 are definitely not worth it right now. The 7770 performs at the level of a GTX 460 but for more. The 6850 even beats out the 7770 for similar pricing and the 6870 costs not even that much more offering a larger performance increase. So ATM the 6870 and 6850 still are value kings. I wouldn't go below the 6870 though.

 

[aznshinobi]

Another thing, to what you just posted, a 64/60GB SSD is fine for the boot drive. The 320GB you had would be fine for other data and usages.

 

[samuelspark]

Check out my $650 build here:
http://www.squidoo.com/electronicandmore
Would be solid enough for the purposes you just stated.

The 7750 and 7770 are definitely not worth it right now. The 7770 performs at the level of a GTX 460 but for more. The 6850 even beats out the 7770 for similar pricing and the 6870 costs not even that much more offering a larger performance increase. So ATM the 6870 and 6850 still are value kings. I wouldn't go below the 6870 though.

The 6850/6870 production has stopped and the prices on them might go up. I just prefer 7770 because it's quieter and more energy efficient so if OP ever decided to CF, it'd still be in production and would be less loud and cooler.

 

[aznshinobi]

True, however currently the prices are not the case. The 6850 is @ the price of 7770's.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7770-7750-benchmark,3135-14.html
The power consumption is not too far off so it wouldn't be a huge difference exactly.

 

[jgenee]

True, however currently the prices are not the case. The 6850 is @ the price of 7770's.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7770-7750-benchmark,3135-14.html
The power consumption is not too far off so it wouldn't be a huge difference exactly.

Shinobi, what's your thought on the 7750 I have listed above. Looks like there is a $50-$60 difference between 7750 and 6870.

 

[samuelspark]

Shinobi, what's your thought on the 7750 I have listed above. Looks like there is a $50-$60 difference between 7750 and 6870.

7750 is significantly weaker than 6870.
7750 = 6770
7770 = 6790/6850

 

[aznshinobi]

The 7750 is even worse than the 5770/6770 for about the same price or slightly more. Do not get any of the 77xx. In my opinion they lack the performance at their current price point. The only time I'd see their justification is when they drop at least $10-$20 below their current price. $20 for the 7750 and ~$10 for the 7770 but until then, not worth the cost.

Get the 6870 or 6850 hands down.