Need Help Building New PC

M

mikes02

n00b
Joined
Mar 3, 2010
Messages
6
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Very little gaming, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, Dreamweaver), Web Browsing, Watch Movies.

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

I do not have a set budget, I am flexible on this.

3) Where do you live?

California

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

Everything

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

I will not be reusing any parts from my existing computer.

6) Will you be overclocking?

No

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

Dell UltraSharp U2410 24 inch Widescreen Monitor

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

Preferably within the next 1-2 months

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

Not sure, I don't plan on utilizing Crossfire or SLI because I don't think anything I do is that graphics intensive, but if a motherboard has the ability it won't hurt.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?

I have XP Pro, however, with a new build, I figure Windows 7 would probably be the way I would go.



Some things I am interested in and would like feedback:

I was thinking the primary drive would be SSD, and I would like to have as many terabyte drives as I can as backups, I do not want a noisy computer as this is in my bedroom
so the quieter the better. Fancy cases are not a necessity, I want something that will last me a while as I do not upgrade often. I only have 2gb of RAM right now and I
have issues with Adobe programs especially, so I would like to resolve that with more RAM, open to input on this as well.

I do not have much knowledge on hardware so any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
 
What games do you play, what part of California, do you have a $3000 limit?
 
 
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I like the build with it_shiro's suggested change for motherboard. It's a good call making a build this expensive future-proof for a few dollars more.

One thing though: I'm not so sure about how quiet the OP wants his system to be, so we might want to consider a different case like this one:

$130 shipped Antec Sonata III + 500w Earthwatts

This case is quiet and comes with a PSU plenty beefy for a Core i7 + 5770. The case is excellent for silencing and cooling hard drives because it has 4 dedicated slots with rubberized mounts, and a front fan mount to pull air over them. You probably want something silent like this for that front fan mount:

$20 Scythe S-FLEX 800RPM

* I also know from experience that you can fit a card as long as the 5770 in the Sonata III plus use the front fan mount. The 4850 and 5770 are the same exact length, and I'm using a 4850 + front fan in my Sonata III *

You might consider quieter (but slower) hard drives like these for storing your data:

$85 WD Green 1TB

My thought is, if you're using the SSD for work, your data drives don't need to be blindingly fast. This drive is still pretty fast (thanks to high density and large cache), but not as speedy as the 7200 RPM model linked above. So if you value noise levels, this drive is great because you can only hear it when it seeks (and even the seek is quiet). But if you need top performance, get the F3 above - it will deliver!
 
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gwarren007 said:
CM 690 $80 (10MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

620HX $160 (20MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139002

G. Skill 1600 $165
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225

MSI X58 Pro-E LGA 1366 $190
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130226

Samsung 1 tb $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

XFX 5770 $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150462

X25-m $220
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167016

920 From Frys/ Microcenter
Click to expand...

There isn't a Frys/Microcenter in town so the i7-920 would probably have to come from Newegg as well.

Also, given his monitor size, I think he should get the XFX 5850 instead of the XFX 5770. The resolution on his Dell monitor is 1920 x 1200, which I believe the 5850 is better suited for, whereas the 5770 would be better for a 22" monitor with a 1680x1050 resolution. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this.
 
lt_shiro said:
+all black inside and out
+better cable management
+better dust management

$30 is small price for that.
Click to expand...

should be the same price as the original one was at launch, $20AR, lol, not $30 MORE (on top of $70).
 
g|aSsJaw said:
There isn't a Frys/Microcenter in town so the i7-920 would probably have to come from Newegg as well.

Also, given his monitor size, I think he should get the XFX 5850 instead of the XFX 5770. The resolution on his Dell monitor is 1920 x 1200, which I believe the 5850 is better suited for, whereas the 5770 would be better for a 22" monitor with a 1680x1050 resolution. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this.
Click to expand...

It all depends on the game. If all he doing is solitaire or CPU intensive tasks, a 4550 would do just fine.
 
To answer some questions I'm in Fresno California only major appliance store we have is best buy so I'd probably order online. As far as games the only game I can really see myself playing is starcraft 2 if it ever comes out beyond that I really don't game and don't really plan to either.
 
mikes02 said:
To answer some questions I'm in Fresno California only major appliance store we have is best buy so I'd probably order online. As far as games the only game I can really see myself playing is starcraft 2 if it ever comes out beyond that I really don't game and don't really plan to either.
Click to expand...

But the question I have for you is this: you posted that you want a quiet computer. How "quiet" are we talking here? Can you give some examples of previous configurations that you found too loud (details, please)?

Do you mind the rotational vibration sounds of 7200 RPM hard drives?
Do you mind the vacuum-like woosh of high-speed fans?
Do you mind the seek noises of hard drives?

Do you care mostly just about idle noise, or do you insist on a system that is quiet even when fully-loaded?

Can you describe a system that you've experienced that has the level of sound you'd like to aim for (laptop, desktop, appliance, stb, anything)?

I want to know if you would be happier with gwarren/it_shiro's combined build above, or if you'd be better served with my suggestions.
 
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enginurd said:
should be the same price as the original one was at launch, $20AR, lol, not $30 MORE (on top of $70).
Click to expand...

Who say it isn't? I was adding the shipping cost as the 690 which has free shipping right (minus $10 rebate) but 690-2 standard has $20 shipping.
 
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To answer some more questions:

My profession is web/graphic design, so I run Photoshop and Illustrator quite often, when I say I don't care about gaming it is only because I really don't game much, but having a computer that can handle games well would be nice just in case I do get into something, but like I said Starcraft 2 is the only game I could really see myself playing at this point.

As for the noise:
I am used to a low hum, I don't want something loud and obnoxious that is going to keep me up all night, the sound of the 7200 RPM drives doesn't really bother me at all, right now I am using Antec fans on my case, about 5 of them altogether, and those are pretty quiet as well.
 
Okay then, you're not a silent PC nut. You're just a fan of -quieter- PCs, as-opposed to monster overclocking wind tunnel rigs.

Important to make that distinction! I just wanted to be sure you'd be happy with your build :D

You'll be fine with the build from gwarren plus the motherboard and PSU from lt_shiro. I'll leave it to them to sell you on a case selection!
 
I don't think I have seen any responses regarding OS, would Windows 7 be the best way to go? If so what version?

Thanks, I really appreciate all of the feedback so far.
 
Antec Sonata III

plus a aftermarket heatsink and fan, you are good to go!
 
If you aren't overclocking just use the stock Intel fan that comes with the retail boxed CPU, it won't cause you any problems.
 
CPU Cooler - Noctua NH-D14 (Need a huge case though!)
or
Thermalright Venomous X + San Ace 109R1212H1011 120x38 fan (If you can find any.)
 
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