New build - First build

[warhol76]

I think I have decided to build a pc instead of buying a prebuilt system. I would appreciate any guidance you would provide on components.

Purchase date - next week or so

Budget - $600-700

Usage - transcoding video as video server (ps3 media server), minimal gaming (I would not invest too much in this area), general computing stuff

Monitor needed - no

OS needed - no (will use win7 64bit)

I think I have settled on an I5-3550 (no overclocking), 8gb memory with likelihood of expanding down the road, around 128gb SSD, usb 3.0, don't really need wireless, quiet case with more than 4 3.5" bays, no optical drives needed, keyboard/ mouse not needed. I am really stuck with choosing a video card (certainly no SLI or such. I generally run at 1280x800 resolution on a Dell 24" monitor because I am legally blind). The case is also presenting me with some issues because there are just simply so many choices.

As I said, your suggestions are greatly appreciated. These forums are remarkable and the guidance you all provide is amazing.

 

[TheBigTroll]

something like this would be good. if you are not gaming, there isnt much point of a video card since the onboard is okay enough to play COD MW3
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qNRz

if you need more CPU performance, a i7 3770 still fits in the budget

couldnt you just enlarge web pages to around 200%? thats what i do since im in the low vision category of things

 

[warhol76]

This all looks great. I really like that case. Newegg has a nice video review of it. I can't thank you enough.

In regards to running a lower resolution. I certainly do zoom in on web pages. However, I find if I run the monitor at higher resolutions, I cannot function very well in windows itself (explorer, settings, etc). I would love to have a little more screen real estate that would come with a higher resolution. But, I have found this to work out quite well for my needs.

Thanks again!

 

[TheBigTroll]

well if you are using 1280x800 on a 1200p monitor, i wouldnt see much of a differnce when you move onto a even larger monitor

 

[warhol76]

well if you are using 1280x800 on a 1200p monitor, i wouldnt see much of a differnce when you move onto a even larger monitor

I guess I was speaking more figuratively. I was referring to the extra pixels I would get if I ran at a higher resolution.