It's been (I believe) over four years since I built my current computer. The Q6600 and Radeon 4870 have been sufficient, if slightly frustrating at times, until recently. But I've found lately that my computer really can no longer do what I need of it. It's too slow, has too little RAM, and the video card isn't even sufficient to run WoW well anymore. It's time for a new build.
The Hard Forum has never lead me astray in the past, so I've come back once again for help. Last time I came around for build help, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to buy. This time, I haven't been able to make a lot of time for my own research, so I don't have a list to start from, but hopefully I've provided enough details that you fine folks can help me put something together.
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
I'll be playing games (WoW, Minecraft, D3, other newer games). I'll also be recording video with Fraps, editing with Premiere, doing some Photoshop and After Effects work. I also use Google Sketchup. I would like to be able to use this build to rip movies as well (both Blu-Ray and DVD).
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
My budget is around $2000 Canadian as a maximum. I'd prefer to spend between $1000 and $1500. Pricing should be very similar to US pricing. This does include tax and shipping.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
I live in Western Canada.
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
I need a CPU, motherboard, RAM, CPU cooler, power supply, storage (the standard fast SSD for OS, applications and I need quite a bit of space for recorded video), Blu-Ray drive, video card. I might also look at investing in a sound card that can accept and XLR microphone input if it's reasonably priced and still works well for gaming on a 5.1 speaker setup.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I'll be using my Corsair 800D. Want to turn the rest of my current computer into a server.
6) Will you be overclocking?
I'd like to do as much easy-mode overclocking as possible. I'd like to avoid anything that gets into voltages or can cause stability issues.
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
I use a 1900x1080 TV as my main monitor. I have a 1400x1050 secondary monitor I'd like to start using.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
I'd like to buy and build within a month (complete before mid-June).
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
I'd probably like to RAID my storage drives. Beyond that, I'm not sure. I just need something that will give me good performance for several years. I don't upgrade often.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I own a copy of Windows 7 Pro that I have not installed on any machine yet.
Additional info:
-I'd like to buy all the parts from the following three sites/stores if possible:
Newegg.ca
MemoryExpress.com
NCIX.com
-I was recently doing something that taxed my current computer to the absolute limit of my 4 gigs of RAM. It was at the point where it was locking up for several minutes before I was able to close things to free up some memory. I realized I'd like to be able to do way, way more than I was even doing then, so I think I'll need at least 16 gigs of RAM.
-Unless there's some very compelling reason to go with Ivy Bridge, it seems likely to me that I'll get much more for my money out of a 2600k.
-I like what I've seen out of Nvidia lately, so I think it's a GTX 600 series card for me. Not sure which to go with though. I've heard that the latest Adobe Premiere, which I plan to purchase, has some sort of GPU acceleration in it now. I don't know how much video card will effect performance.
-Where possible, I'd like to go with EVGA products. I and others I know have had excellent experiences with them in the past.
-Where possible, I'd like to avoid OCZ products. I had a very bad experience with them once and do not wish to give them more business.
-I currently am using a PC Power and Cooling Silencer 750. It's a fantastic PSU, but I really want something modular this time around. I understand the importance of getting a quality unit here.
-I really prefer to have quiet components, especially since I am going to be doing a lot of voice recording. I am intrigued by the self-contained water cooling units such as the H100.
Thanks very much for taking the time to help me out.
The Hard Forum has never lead me astray in the past, so I've come back once again for help. Last time I came around for build help, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to buy. This time, I haven't been able to make a lot of time for my own research, so I don't have a list to start from, but hopefully I've provided enough details that you fine folks can help me put something together.
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
I'll be playing games (WoW, Minecraft, D3, other newer games). I'll also be recording video with Fraps, editing with Premiere, doing some Photoshop and After Effects work. I also use Google Sketchup. I would like to be able to use this build to rip movies as well (both Blu-Ray and DVD).
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
My budget is around $2000 Canadian as a maximum. I'd prefer to spend between $1000 and $1500. Pricing should be very similar to US pricing. This does include tax and shipping.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
I live in Western Canada.
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
I need a CPU, motherboard, RAM, CPU cooler, power supply, storage (the standard fast SSD for OS, applications and I need quite a bit of space for recorded video), Blu-Ray drive, video card. I might also look at investing in a sound card that can accept and XLR microphone input if it's reasonably priced and still works well for gaming on a 5.1 speaker setup.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I'll be using my Corsair 800D. Want to turn the rest of my current computer into a server.
6) Will you be overclocking?
I'd like to do as much easy-mode overclocking as possible. I'd like to avoid anything that gets into voltages or can cause stability issues.
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
I use a 1900x1080 TV as my main monitor. I have a 1400x1050 secondary monitor I'd like to start using.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
I'd like to buy and build within a month (complete before mid-June).
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
I'd probably like to RAID my storage drives. Beyond that, I'm not sure. I just need something that will give me good performance for several years. I don't upgrade often.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I own a copy of Windows 7 Pro that I have not installed on any machine yet.
Additional info:
-I'd like to buy all the parts from the following three sites/stores if possible:
Newegg.ca
MemoryExpress.com
NCIX.com
-I was recently doing something that taxed my current computer to the absolute limit of my 4 gigs of RAM. It was at the point where it was locking up for several minutes before I was able to close things to free up some memory. I realized I'd like to be able to do way, way more than I was even doing then, so I think I'll need at least 16 gigs of RAM.
-Unless there's some very compelling reason to go with Ivy Bridge, it seems likely to me that I'll get much more for my money out of a 2600k.
-I like what I've seen out of Nvidia lately, so I think it's a GTX 600 series card for me. Not sure which to go with though. I've heard that the latest Adobe Premiere, which I plan to purchase, has some sort of GPU acceleration in it now. I don't know how much video card will effect performance.
-Where possible, I'd like to go with EVGA products. I and others I know have had excellent experiences with them in the past.
-Where possible, I'd like to avoid OCZ products. I had a very bad experience with them once and do not wish to give them more business.
-I currently am using a PC Power and Cooling Silencer 750. It's a fantastic PSU, but I really want something modular this time around. I understand the importance of getting a quality unit here.
-I really prefer to have quiet components, especially since I am going to be doing a lot of voice recording. I am intrigued by the self-contained water cooling units such as the H100.
Thanks very much for taking the time to help me out.