got $2,000 to spend. help with build

L

LP560

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Joined
Mar 20, 2009
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9
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
- very little gaming. at most probably starcraft 2 when its out but want a pc/gfx card that can handle the latest games no problem. occasional media editing with photoshop. web browsing. light school work.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
- $1500-2000. including taxes and shipping

3) Where do you live?
washington dc

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
everything minus monitor, speaker, mouse/keyboard.

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

6) Will you be overclocking?
no sir


7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
just bought 2 Dell UltraSharp 2209WA.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within the next month. but asap

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
not sure. tell me if i need it and ill buy it.

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

I basically want to build a pc with the latest highly rated parts money can buy. i dont plan to upgrade my PC for awhile so i want it to last a few years before replacing parts. i already bought two dell 22" monitors which is not included in the $2,000 budget.

as mentioned, ill be media editing often and just using the computer for normal everyday purposes. but if i have the sudden urge to install a new game, i want my pc to handle it flawlessly.

want to be able to multitask. ie; watching videos while playing a game or media editing. etc

i plan to stick with windows xp unless you recommend vista for my purposes. plan to upgade to windows 7 down the line as well.

i know some guys recommend buying so and so part because its got a discount but im not afraid to pay full price for stuff.
thanks :D
 
tiraides has a pretty good point. there are many threads with 1200-2000 limits. i'm too lazy to link so.

i7 920
evga x58 sli
evga gtx 285
2x wd6400aals
gskill 6gb 1600
if staying with 1 video card a 620-750w power supply (i'd say corsair or pc power & cooling but there are other good brands)
case pick something you like from a good company and just make sure it will fit the video card

these are just my suggestions...you personal needs and preferences could be different
 
ok guys i went ahead and did a lot of searching and compared many builds that were like mine.

here is what ive come up with so far and what i need help with:

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202&Tpk=Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem - seems like everyone gets this

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225 - also seems very common. should get more since ill eventually upgrade to windows 7?

GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128374 - part of combo deal
or
EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188039

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD Burner - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171 - seems popular and cheap!

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
OR
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218 - besides the cache difference, any other significant differences? black is only $5 more

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006 - is this enough? not sure since i saw some people say dual monitors would use a lot of power....

case - not sure what fits and works. any recommendations?

video card - im not sure what video card to get because of my two dell 22" 2209WA with eIPS. obviously only use DVI. do i need one vid card or two? what do you recommend?

am i missing anything like fans, etc??????


thanks!
 
Go ahead and take advantage of the combo deal between the Core i7 920 and the Gigabyte EX58-UD4P. Since you have no plans of overclocking, you won't need an aftermarket CPU cooler. Likewise, you could save yourself some money by getting a cheaper set of RAM, like the Corsair XMS3 3x2GB DDR2 1333 kit that's currently on sale. While it is slower than the DDR3 1600 set you picked out for yourself, the added speed only benefits you when you're trying to overclock the i7 920 beyond 3.2GHz.

Get the WD Caviar Black HDD. In addition to the (slightly) better performance, it also comes with a five-year warranty, which is worth the extra $5.

I have no knowledge of gaming on multiple monitors, so I can't say which video card would be enough for two monitors. Having said that, though, the GTX 260 should be more than enough for your needs -- and it should give you some leeway should you actually attempt to play a game on one monitor while watching a movie on the other. The 1GB HD4870 performs on par with the GTX 260 (Core 216 model), so choose whichever one is cheaper for you. (However, if you're big on customer service, Visiontek, XFX, EVGA, and BFG are the only manufacturers that offer limited lifetime warranties, provided you register your card with them first.)

The Corsair 750TX is a good choice, but you can get the PC Power & Cooling S75CF for $100 with free shipping right now. Both PSUs are overkill for your needs, but it's better to have more power (for longevity and/or future upgrades) than it is to have less.

Cases are a matter of personal taste, so we try not to recommend particular ones whenever we can. What do you want in a case? An all-steel or aluminum exterior? A side window? Tool-less mounting? Built-in sound dampening? There are many cases available to fit many people's tastes.

Some of the more popular choices around here are the Cooler Master RC-590 and RC-690 cases, the Antec Three Hundred, the Lian Li PC-6 and PC-7 series cases, and the Antec P182. Again, these are just a few of a virtually countless assortment of cases in the market. Perform a quick NewEgg search to see what interest you.

For the operating system, I'm recommending Vista Home Premium (the 64-bit OEM version) for two reasons. One, it's cheaper than obtaining a 32-bit OEM version of Windows XP Pro... and two, all of the 64-bit versions of Vista have better hardware and firmware support than the 64-bit version of XP Pro. Though Windows 7 is on the way, and soon, I don't know when the confirmed release date will be. (And, judging from past experiences, it's safe to assume that Windows 7 may be delayed at least once before its eventual release.) Since you could easily afford to, I recommend getting a copy of Vista for your system.

Between the retail case and the retail motherboard package, you should have all of the screws and most of the cables needed to assemble everything. Most of the cases that we recommend have at least two 120mm case fans, but if you need more, or you want to replace the ones that you have, we often recommend picking up some Yate Loon D12SL-12 (low speed) or D12SM-12 (medium speed) 120mm case fans. They can be found at various places, such as Jab-Tech, Xoxide, and Petra's Tech Shop.
 
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thats for taking the time to analyze my build.

after consideration, here are my choices for case and video card.

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

EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130434 - i see this is recommended because you can safely overclock it with software. however, lots of people go for the 285 it seems... this should be sufficient im assuming.

also what about sound? do i need anything for that?

give my build a look over once more and give me the go ahead and ill order!

:)
 
Get the Cooler Master RC-690 from Provantage, where it often costs less, even after shipping, than from NewEgg. Don't forget to pick up a couple of Yate Loons from Jab-Tech; the RC-690 can support up to seven 120mm fans.

The EVGA GTX 260 is more than enough for light gaming. The GTX 285 is really better at gaming at a 1920x1200 or greater resolution.

So there's no confusion on our end, could you make a final build list, including where you're going to buy everything from?
 
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory

GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD Burner

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

ill order all from newegg. everything look good?
 
Everything looks good, but if you want to save some money, remember what I said earlier.
 
Order Summary Edit Shopping Cart

Qty Product Description Price
1

Nvidia Gift
Item #: N82E16800999088

Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy

$49.99

1

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811119137

Standard Return Policy

$84.99
$79.99

1

GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813128374
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate

Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy

$269.99
$259.99

1

EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
Item #: N82E16814130434
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate

Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy

$239.99
$209.99

1

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817139006
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate

Standard Return Policy

$179.99
$109.99

1

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920
Item #: N82E16819115202

Processors (CPUs) Return Policy

$288.99
$279.99

1

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ - Retail
Item #: N82E16820231225

Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy

$127.99
$97.99

1

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822136319

30 Day Return Policy

$79.99

1

Logitech G15 USB Wired Standard Gaming Keyboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16823126034

Standard Return Policy

$89.99

1

Logitech G5 7 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Laser Mouse - Retail
Item #: N82E16826104076

Standard Return Policy

$49.99

1

SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S223Q - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151173

30 Day Return Policy

$24.99

1

Logitech Z-5500 505 Watts 5.1 Speaker - Retail
Item #: N82E16836121120

Standard Return Policy

$302.99
$287.99

Shipping Method: $40.69
1
DISCOUNT FOR COMBO #156590


-$20.00

1
DISCOUNT FOR AUTOADD #802


-$49.99

Subtotal $1,550.89
Tax What's this? $0.00
Shipping $40.69
Order Total $1,591.58

+

2 Dell UltraSharp 2209WA -$501

so theres my $2000 build haha.......
 
isnt SSD expensive? wahts the benefit?
anyway heres it all together
pc005.jpg
 
heres my pc all together with my new chair. same chair rob dyrdek uses in fantasy factory.

gonna do some benchmark testing now. anyone have any recommendations?

img1795copy.jpg


img1796copy.jpg
 
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