gaming & video editing pc

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stupidnuke

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Oct 21, 2008
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i'd just like to know before purchasing all this if everything will be compatible. i looked it over a few times and it looks like it will all work out. the computer will be mostly for gaming and i have recently started getting into photo and video editing so that will also be another use. does everything look correct and does anyone have any suggestions that could make the system better while keeping in the same price range.



1) Figure out your budget. $2000 - $2500


2) Components im thinking about getting...

Cooler Master HAF932 Case

ASUS Rampage Extreme LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 Wolfdale

Zalman CPU Cooler

OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000

EVGA 01G-P3-1284-AR GeForce GTX 280 SSC Edition

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM

Thermaltake W0131RU 850W Power Supply

Blu-ray player[/QUOTE]

Case Fan(s) - comes with case


OPERATING SYSTEM (OS) - Vista

WATER COOLING - no

PERIPHERALS/OTHER ACCESSORIES:
Monitor -already have
Keyboard-already have
Mouse-already have
Speakers-already have
Printer-already have
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) or surge protector-already have
Miscellaneous (Accessories)
-- External Drive(s)-already have
-- USB/FireWire Hub-already have
-- (A/V) Receiver/Amplifier-already have

3) Determine what the computer is going to be used for.

Gaming
Internet/Web Design
Video Editing
Photo/Graphics Editing (e.g. Photoshop, Maya)
Television/Video/Music
FTP/BitTorrent (download/upload)



5) Determine whether or not you are planning on overclocking any of the components.
ive never over clocked before, and i dont plan on going to crazy with overclocking if any.

6) Determine how long you want your machine to last.
for a few years atleast

7) DO SOME RESEARCH.
check!


8) Come up with a list of what you want.
list is above

9) Figure out where you are going to purchase everything from.
newegg
 
A few advice:
- Drop the E8600 and go with the E8500 instead. The E8600 is only ~170 MHz faster than the E8500 yet costs $80 more. Not worth the extra $80 IMO. however, if you see video and photo editing become a decent part of your life, you might want to check out the quad-core Q6600 instead

- Drop the Zalman HSF as well and get this better cooling HSF:
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle HSF - $35 & Retention Bracket - $7

- Drop the Thermaltake PSU. Overkill and over priced considering that this PSU is more than enough for your needs and is of excellent quality as well:
Corsair 750TX 750W PSU - $104

- Drop the Rampage Formula and the DDR3 RAM. DDR3 RAM offers ZERO performance increases over current DDR2 RAM with Core 2 Duo systems. So no reason to get DDR3 RAm. In addition, do you actually need most if not all of the features of the Rampage Formula? Fairly good chance that you don't. Some other motherboard recommendations:

Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard - $87
MSI P45 Neo3-FR Intel P45 Motherboard - $110
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Intel P45 Motherboard - $120
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R Intel P45 Motherboard - $120
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Motherboard - $135
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P Intel P45 Motherboard - $137
Biostar TPower I45 Intel P45 Motherboard - $150
DFI Lanparty DK X38-T2R Intel X38 Motherboard - $185
Asus P5E Deluxe Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
DFI Lanparty DK X48-T2R Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
Gigabyte GA-EX48-DS4 Intel X48 Motherboard - $225

Just to help you out: All of these motherboards have PCI-E 2.0 which may be useful for future GPU upgrades. If you don't need RAID, more than 6 SATA ports and only need semi-decent overclocking, check out the DS3L. If you need 8 SATA ports, RAID, 4 PCI slots, and legacy ports, then get the Neo3-Fr. If you don't need more than 6 SATA ports but want RAID, firewire, a second PCI-E x16 port, a second gigabit port, support for 16GB of RAM, optional eSATA, x8/x8 Crossfire, and great overclocks, then get the DS3R. If you like the DS3R but want better overclocking capability and 8 SATA ports, then get the UD3P or the UD3R if you don't need that second PCI-E x16 slot. If you like the DS3R but need 8 SATA ports, want an onboard pre-installed fast booting Linux setup, just support for 8GB of RAM, and don't need a second gigabit port, get the Asus P5Q Pro. If you want a motherboard with excellent overclocking capabilities above all else (feature wise), go with the I45. If you want Crossfire with full x16/x16 bandwidth, get the Lanparty DK X38. If you have cash to burn, need x16/x16 Crossfire, and don't give a damn about getting the most value for your money, get the Asus, DFI, or Gigabyte X48 motherboards. Do note that the Asus website can be slow sometimes.

And RAM recommendation:
G.Skill F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 1000 RAM - $68

And I have a few more questions that needs to be answered:
1) What size monitor do you have?
2) When do you plan on building this PC?
3) Have you heard of Intel's Core i7 CPUs?
 
Danny, you should get a mod to extend extended signature privileges to you and just have that as your sig :D
 
1) What size monitor do you have?
i plan on going dual monitors, havent thought about the size yet. im not counting this into the price of the computer though.
2) When do you plan on building this PC?
hopefully next week
3) Have you heard of Intel's Core i7 CPUs?
a little bit.


and major thanks for the help!
 
stupidnuke said:
1) What size monitor do you have?
i plan on going dual monitors, havent thought about the size yet. im not counting this into the price of the computer though.
Click to expand...

Ok, figure out ASAP how big of a monitor you will be getting. The size/resolution of the monitor determines what video card you need. If you go with a 24" with a 1920x1200, the GTX280, then your video card is a excellent choice.

Also, you might want to read this article on the new Core i7 CPUs:
http://www.techradar.com/news/compu...-essential-guide-to-intel-s-new-killer-476154

Main reason why I'm mentioning Core i7 is because that your budget is perfect for a Core i7 setup but somewhat really overkill for a Core 2 Duo setup.
 
Also Antec 300 or Coolermaster 690 are far cheaper and have just as good as air flow.
 
Cases are not just about the price. And the HAF has way better airflow according to benchies. Just can't compare cases 3x the price... Like hey, I have an Civic vs. hey, I have a [whatever]. Or just looks, since that's what's on display right?
 
dude 690 has 3 x 120mm and 4 x 140mm and HAF has 3 x 250 mm and 1 x 140 mm case fan. CFM is about the same...
 
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