Hi to all! I found this forum while browsing the web for ideas on building my next computer. I haven't built my own computer in about five years, but my wife is finally giving in and allowing me to build one. My budget will be somewhere around $1200-1500 US dollars. I won't be able to actually start ordering things for a month or so, but I am trying to decide on what to get soon. I will be starting completely from scratch as my old computer is going to be my dedicated web server. I will be in the market for a new monitor as well. As for my computer usage, it is kind of a mix of things. I do a bit of gaming, but I wouldn't call myself a hardcore gamer by any stretch. I also do a fair amount of ripping and converting dvd's and video to various formats for streaming to my ps3 or to put on my iphone. Other than that I just dabble in random things. As with everyone that posts here, I would love to be able to run all of the latest games at or close to max settings. I don't know even where to begin at the moment. It seems most CPU recommendations are for the Q6600 or 9550. What about the I7's? I see most people say there is little performance gain for the price. Is that still the case? What about longevity? Is going with an I7 going to last me any longer than the 6600 before I will be feeling the need to upgrade again? Lastly, what GPU is going to give me the most bang for the buck, yet still last me for a good amount of time. Most seem to be going with the Radeon 4850, although I have seem some people going after the 4870 which is more than double the price. Is it worth it? I know I have asked a lot of questions, but I appreciate any input/advice the forum can offer. Thanks!
If you're not building for a month, you may as well come back and ask then, the market changes too rapidly to say what will be best that far away. If you rip DVDs, a Quad core is a necessity. The graphics market is very flexible so we can basically stick in whatever you can afford. The i7 is set to actually be a very short lived product, so you'd be wise not to choose it on that basis. The i7 is, however, quite good at video editing, better than core 2 quads, but its cost is only semi-justifiable. The Radeon HD4850 is $125 versus the HD4870's $200, so not exacly double the price, but a tall order for basically 25% extra performance. However, to gamers, 25% extra is big news and worth paying for. If you use a 22" monitor or smaller though, an HD4850 is likely to do just fine.
Thanks sam for the reply and sorry for not responding sooner. Actually part of the reason I was asking in advance was because my wife and I recently made a trip to Tokyo and I thought I may have been able to find some deals in the electronic district. In the end most items were the same price, or with the crappy dollar, slightly more than on newegg so I didn't purchase anything. If you have never been there though it is definitely something to see. Floor after floor of every electronic device known to man. It was very cool. Anyway, I plan to start buying in the next week or so as my wife has given me the go ahead finally to do it. I love tax return time! Anyway as per my 1st post any advice is appreciated.
If I was there, I'd probably be overwhelmed. I like knowing what I can and can't have, being surrounded by the stuff in person, who knows what'd happen! What size monitor will you be using?
Well I am in the market for one of those as well for this system. I am open to suggestions for good deals. I am thinking at minimum 20" but would love to get a 22 or 24" if there is good one out there for a semi reasonable price. I know this makes the difference in what video card you recommend, so for now I am thinking I will mostly like get a 22". Thanks Sam!
20" and 22" have the same demands and tend to cost about the same. 24s are significantly more money and require a more powerful GPU, but that's because they're higher resolution than 20/22 which use the same.
Yea, A 24" would be amazing, but due to the wife making me keep this reasonable and with a max budget of around $1500, I think I will steer towards a 22".
Q9550 CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041 EP45-UD3R M/B: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359 4GB XMS2 RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145214 WD1001FALS HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284 Sapphire HD4870 1GB GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801 LG 22x DVDRW: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152 Antec 300 Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042 Additional fans: 3x http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103024 Corsair HX 520W PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001 Samsung 24" Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001295 Comes to around $1400 with $90 of mail in rebates.
Thanks sam! That looks like an awesome build. I love the big monitor. I spent the last day going over all the components and price comparing. I went to the local place here and everything was as usual more expensive for the same parts. The only crappy thing is the shipping costs. It's gonna cost $150 to get it all here!! Shipping for the case is almost as much as the case itself. Ohh well~That's what I get for living in Japan I guess. I did have one question. How is the overclockability of this setup. Will I be ok with the stock heatsink and fan? Thanks again! Nate
The system has scope for excellent overclocking, but you will need a replacement cooler, such as this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608002
