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Another new build thread....

M

MaxLOL

Weaksauce
Joined
Dec 2, 2008
Messages
85
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
I plan on using this PC for multimedia. Burning/Watching/Copying/ DVDS/BLUERAY as well as music. This would include coding/decoding etc. I am not really a PC gamer.

2) What's your budget?
anywhere from $500-$1500. Price is not so much a factor. I'd like to think that I am making an investment vs a purchase. I just need the machine to do what I would like it to if it costs me X amount of money so be it.

Are tax and shipping included?
Yes
3) Where do you live?
Champaign, IL

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
I need EVERYTHING! I do not have anything to use. I am on my roomates computer right now.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

N/A
6) Will you be overclocking?
Not familiar with the term so I will answer no.
7) What size monitor do you have or plan to have?
20-24 inch
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
There is no rush but I would like to build it within the next three months or so.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
Open to suggestions. The only PC I have owned was an apple. I was happy with it but I can make a better PC for myself. I would like to have the ability to read sd cards for one.

Thank everyone very much for any input/suggestions. I was directed here by a good friend and I am glad that he helped me :D
 
Yup, your friend is smart because we whip up some bad ass builds for your money.
 
Let's start with this for now:

CASE - Antec 300 for $50
CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 for $320 w/free shipping
MOBO - Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R for $120($15 MIR) Has S/PDIF Out - Coax and Optical with 8 x Sata 3.0gb/s Sata Ports.
RAM - G. Skill 4gig DDR2 800 for $45 w/free shipping
VIDEO - Asus EAH4550 512MB for $60($10 MIR) w/free shipping. DVI, HDMI and VGA ports
HDD1(primary) - 1 x WD 6400AAKS 640gig drive for $70 w/free shipping
HDD2(secondary) - 1 x Samsung 1TB Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ for $105 w/free shipping
Opitcal Drive - LG Black Blu-ray/HD DVD-Rom/DVD +/- DVD Burner Sata drive for $130 w/free shipping
PSU - Antec EA650 for $60 w/free shipping
O/S - Window Vista Home Premium SP1 64bit for $100 w/free shipping
LCD Monitor - BenQ FP241VW 24" 8bit S-PVA monitor with HDMI, DVI-D(HDCP) and VGA for $500 at BenQ.us online. Review.

Total: $1,560.00
 
upon some research....
I had a friend help me with this build here.. Thoughts?

RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WB Black 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Foldout MB Computer Case - Retail

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

SCEPTRE X24WG-1080P Black 24" 2ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 4000:1 Built in Speakers - Retail

ASUS My Cinema-PE9400 Combo TV Tuner Card w/Low Profile Brackets - Retail

HT OMEGA STRIKER 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail

Logitech LX310 Black 103 Normal Keys 12 Function Keys USB Cordless Standard Desktop Laser - Retail

SABRENT CRW-UINB 65-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Card Reader w/ USB 2.0 Port supports SDHC/VISTA - Retail

G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm 2-ball UFO Bearing / Transparent CPU Cooler - Retail

Combo Deal Details-LG Black Super Multi Blu-ray Disc Burner & HD DVD-ROM Drive SATA Model GGW-H20L - Retail/LG 25GB 2X BD-RE(Blu-ray) Single Disc - Retail Free with purchase!

Combo Deal Details-Rosewill RX750-D-B 750W 80Plus Certified, ATX12V v2.2 & EPS12V v2.91 SLI 8800GTX SLI CrossFire Ready Active PFC PFC Power Supply - Retail/ntel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail

EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
 
Hmm.. don't like your parts. I am heading home right now from work. But, I will explain why your friend does not know what he is doing in selecting parts. LoL. Will get back to you and explain.
 
ok, look man. We are going way overboard with these builds. First off, let me ask how much money you would like to spend? Obviously you don't want to spend 1500 so although I like what MAXlol recommended, I think it is bigtime overkill and you are spending way to much money in places that are not going to give you better performance in the areas you are using this computer. For coding and decoding, that is all processor. I would recommend an Intel quad-core q6600 or better because that will allow the processor to encode/decode quickly. If you are not going to do any over clocking, you DON'T need an aftermarket CPU heatsink/cooler, it is wasted money. For what you are looking to do, have you considered buying a prebuilt computer and adding a Blu-ray/HD DVD burner?
 
This is a loose and I mean very loose example of what I would do.
1) case - find a 40 dollars case on newegg that you like the look of and has high reviews.
2) Power supply - because you are not gaming - (pc power &cooling PPCS500 500 watt PSU) - 60 AR
3) Asus P5q pro motherboard - $82
4) Intel Q6600 - $190
5) Samsing F1 1Tb - $100
6) if you are burning blurays (LG GGW-H20L - $244) if just watching (LG GGC-H20L - $140) if you are burning blurays you are going to need both of these. If not just get the second one listed and Samsung S223Q DVD/CD burner.
7)G-skill ddr2-800 4gb (2X2GB) PC-6400 Ram - $45 AR
8)EVGA 9500GT - $60 AR
9)Microsoft Windows Vista Premium - $100
10) The motherboard has OK onboard sound, if you want something better go with the SoudBlaster XtremeGamer - $80
11) monitor - Again this is an opinion thing - if you are watching movies alot I would suggest a 24" or bigger. Example. For the money I would get the ACER p241 24" $300. The monitor I am going to leave up to you really. It is something that is a taste thing and I have no idea how big you want to go. Check them out online or at Best Buy or something and find the best price elsewhere. Make sure the monitor is not reflective if you have a lot of light coming into your room.

This is a good example of a very good quality build. If I were going budget and was doing what you are, this is what I would build or something close to it. I hope this helps. This took me like 20 minutes to put together online on newegg so I really hope it helps. Peace
 
While HG races home, I'll explain...

As CRLane has put it -- mildly, I presume -- you're spending way too much money in certain areas, and not enough in others. Line by line:

CASE: Case are largely subjective based on each user's tastes, but you should ensure that you have adequate cooling going throughout the case. You should have spots for at least two 120mm case fans -- one for the front of the case and one for the rear.

POWER SUPPLY: For the most part, you get what you pay for. Simply put, Rosewill is not a maker of quality power supplies. Additionally, for your computing needs, you don't necessarily need a 700 watt PSU -- your "ideal" system would probably run just fine with a 450 watt PSU. Having said that, you can easily find a cheap yet powerful power supply, like the Antec Earthwatts EA650, on sale nowadays (though the sales vary weekly).

PROCESSOR: The Q6600 is fine for your needs. Though you could omit the aftermarket CPU cooler, a good one performs better and runs quieter than the stock HSF. Speaking of which....

CPU COOLER: Though the Zerotherm Nirvana is a good choice, there are cheaper options available. For example, the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 works just as well and costs less, even with the (optional yet highly recommended) ACK-I7751 retention bracket.

MOTHERBOARD: If you're not gaming, then you should have no need for SLI or CrossFire. Not even if you are getting a 24 inch monitor. Choose a cheaper P43 or P45-based board with all of the features that you want/need on it.

RAM: The cheaper $45 4GB kit will work just as well, both at stock speeds and overclocked, as the brand-new $60 set. Lower CAS latency and tighter timings don't have as much impact with DDR2 RAM as they do with DDR1 RAM, so don't pay more for it.

HARD DRIVE: I take it that storage capacity is more important to you than raw speed?

OPTICAL DRIVE: I take it that you want a drive that can burn BR discs as well as read them? (Please don't tell me you're getting that drive just for the combo deal... I mean, one BR disc just isn't enough.)

VIDEO CARD: Uh, what do you want for a video card? Are you going to do ANY gaming? While you could get away with using a low-end card for movie watching (look for, at a minimum, either the NVIDIA 9-series or the ATI HD 3-series cards to ensure HDCP support), the HD4850 is a good compromise for gaming and movie watching.

TV TUNER: Have you checked the reviews on that card? (And I don't mean the NewEgg reviews... for the most part, alone, they're unreliable.) I'm not ripping the decision, but you should make sure that the card you choose not only works well for your needs, but works period. (Then again, I am a bit of a Hauppauge fan, so take that for what it's worth.)

SOUND CARD: Unless you're real anal about your sound quality, try out onboard sound first. You may want to consider, as another option, the Asus Xonar series cards.

MONITOR: Regardless of how cheap you (want to) go on the computer, you'll need to spend some money on the monitor. Cheap 24 inch monitors use TN panels, which offers low frame rates (that are good for gaming) at the expense of viewing angle and color quality (bad for photo editing). HardwareGuru is actually one of the more knowledgeable members when it comes to which monitors to consider... (hint, hint).

KEYBOARD, MOUSE & MEMORY CARD READER: They're not worth (me) nitpicking over; go with what works for you.

OPERATING SYSTEM: Since you didn't mention having one, make sure that you get one. A 64-bit OEM copy of Vista Home Premium is really all you need. The 64-bit version will also give you full access to your RAM.

HardwareGuru has you on the right track, so if nothing else, I suggest that you use his build as the foundation for yours.
 
$500-$1500 is also a very large stretch of monnies to play with. I don't see what investing is, just another word for future-proofing which is harharhar.
 
All I can say is that I hope this thread starter is reading this and taking it into account. We have given him some serious pearls of information here.
 
Ok, I am home now. LoL. Though oline post will get turned off by the price of my list due mainly to the $500 monitor, let me back up what I list down:

Ok, it seems that you don’t want to spend as much money on this build. Well, since you did not specify a budget, I just slapped that build in there. But, no problem can adjust some settings to bring the cost down.

CASE - Antec 300 for $50
CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 for $190 w/free shipping
MOBO - Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R for $120($15 MIR) Has S/PDIF Out - Coax and Optical with 8 x Sata 3.0gb/s Sata Ports.
RAM - G. Skill 4gig DDR2 800 for $45 w/free shipping
VIDEO - Asus EAH4550 512MB for $60($10 MIR) w/free shipping. DVI, HDMI and VGA ports
HDD1(primary) - 1 x WD 6400AAKS 640gig drive for $70 w/free shipping
HDD2(secondary) - 1 x Samsung 1TB Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ for $105 w/free shipping
Opitcal Drive - LG Black Blu-ray/HD DVD-Rom/DVD +/- DVD Burner Sata drive for $130 w/free shipping
PSU - Antec EA650 for $60 w/free shipping
O/S - Window Vista Home Premium SP1 64bit for $100 w/free shipping
LCD Monitor - BenQ FP241VW 24" 8bit S-PVA monitor with HDMI, DVI-D(HDCP) and VGA for $500 at BenQ.us online. Review.

Total: $1,430


Let me explain why I chose these parts over yours

Case - The case is your choice or preference. I just put this in because its cheap and has good airflow.

Mobo - Gigabyte P45 chipset mobo over that EVGA 780i board. Why are you spending $215 on an SLI board when you don’t even game? The 780i chipsets run hotter to. A Mobo for $100 something dollars is more than enough for your needs.

Ram - Why that RAM? No need. You will not O/C anyways. Even if you did O/C, the G.Skills DDR2 800 Ram I listed above can O/C at a cheaper cost.

Video Card - All you need is a cheap video card that has HDCP support and H.264 bit stream decoding feature for playback of your HD movies. Ideal for an HTPC build.

HDD - The WD 6400AAKS drive is pretty fast. Now, although not the largest drive out there, I would have the O/S installed on this drive and have the Samsung Spinpoint 1TB drive be my backup dive for all the movies. I would do all the encoding using the 640gig drive(primary drive) and then move them over to the 1TB drive to free the space off the 640gig drive.

Sound Card - No Need for Sound Card. The Gigabyte P45 mobo has built in 8 channel audio on the mobo. It also has S/PDIF out also. Why waste more money on a Sound card when the built in audio will suffice.

PSU - I wouldn’t trust that Rosewill PSU. You don’t need no 750w PSU for this build or even a 650W that I specified. But, the Antec EA650 is a good buy for $60 w/free shipping and it has been tested to be a reliable PSU. I have one myself and therefore will recommend the Antec EA650.

LCD Monitor - Aaaahh yes, the area where your eyes light up and say: “$500 on a monitor? I dunno if I want to spend that much when I can apply the extra money on other parts” Though that is true, BUT, here is where a good monitor plays an important role when you say watching movies, especially Blue Ray movies. That cheap Sceptre 24 for $280 may sound like a good deal. But, here is where it fails in comparison to this $500 Benq display

1. Sceptre is a 6 bit TN Panel which suffers from poor horizontal and vertical view angles. Not good when you’re watching a movie from a distance or at an angle. Imagine if HD LCD/TVs were using 6 bit TN panels? The quality would be awful. Most of the HD LCD/TV you see at your local stores are all 8 bit S-PVA panels.

2. 6 bit panel in the Sceptre monitor also suffers from colors looking washed out as compared to an 8 bit panel. The blacks are not as black and the colors are not as vivid and deep as opposed to an 8 bit panel like the BenQ 24”.

3. Features: The Sceptre 24” display only has DVI and D-Sub. Not as much input as compared to the BenQ 24” that has HDMI, DVI-D, VGA, Component , S-Video and Composite Inputs with 1:1 mapping feature in the display also. It also has 2 x USB ports on the side of the display. You can hookup your PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii to this monitor if you decide to. You can also connect your HD camcorder/camera to the display. Now this is a Multimedia display.

4. Warranty - Sceptre 24” lcd has only 1 year parts/labor on this monitor. The BenQ 24” has 3 year warranty on parts/labors which is an additional bonus.

*How often do you upgrade a monitor? Not that often right? If you have a very good display, you will hang onto it as long as you can unless it craps out for some reason. If you want your HD movies to look good., the monitor must be good to display it. That’s why it is worth investing in a good monitor. A pc will always get obsolete and upgraded. People don’t upgrade TVs and LCDs as often unless they want to go bigger in size or, their TV/LCD monitor has crapped out or is going flakey on them.

If your're still reluctant to go with this monitor, which this is not the only 8 bit panel out there. There is the Samsung 245T, Dell 2408WFP, HP LP2475W. The BenQ is at a more reasonable cost. But, if you want to go with a cheaper TN display. Than I can recommend others other than the Sceptre 24" that is pretty decent.
 
I agree with HG.

As far as the soundxard issue goes, it depends on your audio setup and how audiophile of an audiophile you are. High-end DAC and amp running for heaphones or speakers? onboard audio with Coax or SPDIF out is fine. If you simply don't know what you're missing, then onboard audio will do. If you're truly anal about your sound then you'll definitely want a dedicated sound card. I suggest the offerings from Auzentech ot HT Omega.
 
This was a pleasant surprise to wake up to! I really appreciate the time and effort everyone put into this it means a lot to me. I digress

The post I made with the newegg links was from a friend that I spoke with and he tried to build one to what he thought I would need.

After doing some research and talking to him I decided that I felt comfortable overclocking. The money thing still isn't so much of an issue. I put 500-1500 because I am willing to pay that much and actually a little more if necessary. I don't have a TV so spending money on a good monitor is not a problem because I would like to be able to use it as a monitor/TV anyways and I agree with Hardware Guru that it is not something that I should skimp on.

I am still very naive to the hardware aspect of computers I know more about operating. This being said for speakers I have some regular stereo speakers and an amp that I've used in the past through the 3.5mm plug to the amt etc. I am going to go through all of these posts again and try to learn from them. Once again I really appreciate the time you all have put in.

Max
 
They've got you covered so far, so this is just an easy way for me to sub. ;)
 
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