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building my first computer

D

dson

n00b
Joined
Feb 15, 2009
Messages
55
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

gaming, web browsing, torrenting

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

no more than 1200 if it's possible.. yea

3) Where do you live?

PA

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.

CPU - core i7 920
RAM - 6gb ram
GPU - gtx 260
don't think i'll need more than 250gb hard drive
(some things i've been looking at)

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

keyboard, mouse, speakers, monitor

6) Will you be overclocking?

don't think i will, dunno how

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?

have a small one right now, but plan to buy 22" later on

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

hopefully less than 2 weeks

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.

don't think i need any special features

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?

i'll be getting vista ultimate 64 bit, but right now can only use my old xp cd

thanks in advance
 
Just an example
Case
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case -99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021​
HDD
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s -79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319​
GPU
EVGA 896-P3-1260-AR GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP - 199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130370​
PSU
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V - 99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005​
RAM
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - $104.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225​
Mobo
CPU

Subtotal: $1,123.93
Shipping: $22.91 (to 19019)
Grand Total: $1,146.84 -$75 MIR


You can definitely build this much cheaper, for example cheaper case / mobo / going with 2 sticks of ram instead of 3 / etc.
Also, this thread has the top 10 cheapest X58 mobos: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1397655

EDIT: If you have a microcenter near you, you can save ~$50 off the i7. They also have that case for $10 cheaper and that mobo for the same price. Remember, that instead of shipping you'd have to pay taxes.
 
Master Bob's list looks pretty good.

Check out these options as well though.

Case:
The CM 590 and 690 both get great reviews here and elsewhere.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119152&Tpk=coolermaster 590
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

Mobo:
The Gigabyte x58-ud3r, while it is one of the cheapest x58 boards, gets great reviews. It seems it overclocks well and is stable, just is missing SLI and only has 4 DIMM slots. No biggy really.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128375

Video Card:
While more expensive than the 260, the 4850x2 2gb at Amazon can be considered the best bang for the buck right now. The downsides may include noise (which is personal opinion), driver issues (which may or may not have cleared up recently), and size (but it fits in the 590/690/900). There isn't currently a rebate up for the month of march though. If you are interested, wait a couple days.
http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Rade...ef=dp_return_2?ie=UTF8&n=172282&s=electronics
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Its matter of value in todays market... Its Coolermaster 590/690 and Themaltake ElementS are much better cases in the price range.
 
The monitor is a pretty big deal. You want your games etc to look good right?

Also take into consideration the resolution. At 1680x1050 your single GTX 260 should be able to run just about anything you throw at it. If you go higher your frame rates generally will drop.

As for the case I find that the be probably the most personal of all the components. Find a case you like and read some reviews on it.
 
Revisit this thread or create a new one 2 weeks before you plan on building/buying. Recommendations may or may not change between now and then.
 
So I've been looking at it again and thought about this...

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131359

EVGA 896-P3-1262-AR GeForce GTX 260 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130372

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9T-6GBNQ - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231223

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200KSRTL 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136039

SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S223Q - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151173

price comes out to 1141 without mir

also looking for a good 22" or 24" monitor, maybe even use it as a tv too? was looking at samsung t240hd but it's a little out of my range
 
if your torrenting, will 320Gb be enough? Right now newegg has a special on 1tb HDs for 90 shipped :) see the hotdeals section for the link. I think SPECIAL10 is the promo code.
 
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