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So at the end of two years working in Namibia I am headed home in December and looking to build my first computer and get back to a world where all the computers arent PIIs or 5 year old low end Dell Laptops like I have dealt with for the past two years.
So build is pretty basic based on Recs. Specific questions follow
-- What your budget is (and whether it includes taxes, shipping charges, and/or other costs)
Pretty hard 1050 Including Shipping. Tax shouldnt be a factor as it is all going to Georgia.
-- Which parts you need within that budget
CPU, MB, HD, DVD, GPU, Heat Sink, Case, PSU, RAM, Vista
-- What the system is going to be used for
Besides everyday office/internet/multimedia stuff probably a 60/40 split on emphasis between photoshop/lightroom performance and gaming on a 24" Monitor.
-- Which components you are considering getting (list out your components with model numbers/names along with links to the stores you're getting them from)
CPU: Q6600 - $190
MB and RAM: P5Q Pro - $115 + OCZ Fatality 2x2GB - $43 (combo with MB saves $25)
GPU: EVGA GTX 260 (192) @ $250 Shipped (Tiger Direct)
Case: CM 690 - $75
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 650W @ $70
Heatsink: Xigmatek HDT-S1283 @ $32
Retention Bracket:
Xigmatek ACK-I7751 @ $8.50
Hard Drive: WD 640GB 16MB Cache @ $75
DVD: Samsung DVD - $27
O/S: Vista Home Premium @ $100
Total : 990.50 Shipped
So questions:
1. Main workout for the machine will be photoshop/lightroom . I will be gaming some, mostly WoW and Call of Duty 4. Prob not going to be doing much video work. Will I see gains in Photoshop/Lightroom with the quad or am I better off just going with the e8400? I would plan on trying to OC the Q6600 to 3.0 or e8400 to mid 3s.
2. So have a little headroom any thing I should add? Any real advantage to going with 8gb of RAM? Dont need a sound card, i'll be using an external DAC and Amp with my HD600s. Lord I have missed those cans.
3. Main question and purpose/reason for the title/thread. Im finishing up 2 years of volunteer work in Africa. I'll be travelling starting on the 3rd of december until the 22nd. Id like to be able to set this all up over Christmas. I would therefore like to order before the 3rd. I will have a small window where I could order on the 14th or 15th of December. Any advantage to waiting till then to order? Or for that matter between now and then any better time to order or reason to wait.
My thinking now is to wait until the 2nd of Dec just to give me a little more leeway in terms of 30 day return policies if I get a bum component.
Lastly, while I would like to set up over Christmas, as I said I wont be home until the 23rd. Am I likely to see any substantial savings between now and then that would make anyone rec waiting.
So build is pretty basic based on Recs. Specific questions follow
-- What your budget is (and whether it includes taxes, shipping charges, and/or other costs)
Pretty hard 1050 Including Shipping. Tax shouldnt be a factor as it is all going to Georgia.
-- Which parts you need within that budget
CPU, MB, HD, DVD, GPU, Heat Sink, Case, PSU, RAM, Vista
-- What the system is going to be used for
Besides everyday office/internet/multimedia stuff probably a 60/40 split on emphasis between photoshop/lightroom performance and gaming on a 24" Monitor.
-- Which components you are considering getting (list out your components with model numbers/names along with links to the stores you're getting them from)
CPU: Q6600 - $190
MB and RAM: P5Q Pro - $115 + OCZ Fatality 2x2GB - $43 (combo with MB saves $25)
GPU: EVGA GTX 260 (192) @ $250 Shipped (Tiger Direct)
Case: CM 690 - $75
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 650W @ $70
Heatsink: Xigmatek HDT-S1283 @ $32
Retention Bracket:
Xigmatek ACK-I7751 @ $8.50
Hard Drive: WD 640GB 16MB Cache @ $75
DVD: Samsung DVD - $27
O/S: Vista Home Premium @ $100
Total : 990.50 Shipped
So questions:
1. Main workout for the machine will be photoshop/lightroom . I will be gaming some, mostly WoW and Call of Duty 4. Prob not going to be doing much video work. Will I see gains in Photoshop/Lightroom with the quad or am I better off just going with the e8400? I would plan on trying to OC the Q6600 to 3.0 or e8400 to mid 3s.
2. So have a little headroom any thing I should add? Any real advantage to going with 8gb of RAM? Dont need a sound card, i'll be using an external DAC and Amp with my HD600s. Lord I have missed those cans.
3. Main question and purpose/reason for the title/thread. Im finishing up 2 years of volunteer work in Africa. I'll be travelling starting on the 3rd of december until the 22nd. Id like to be able to set this all up over Christmas. I would therefore like to order before the 3rd. I will have a small window where I could order on the 14th or 15th of December. Any advantage to waiting till then to order? Or for that matter between now and then any better time to order or reason to wait.
My thinking now is to wait until the 2nd of Dec just to give me a little more leeway in terms of 30 day return policies if I get a bum component.
Lastly, while I would like to set up over Christmas, as I said I wont be home until the 23rd. Am I likely to see any substantial savings between now and then that would make anyone rec waiting.
