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New Build

B

Big_G1976

n00b
Joined
May 10, 2013
Messages
28
Fixing to build a new computer for my a friend. The computer will mainly be used as a web surfer and document writer. This friend has made the request that he would like to be able to record direct TV on his computer. He also wants windows 7, not 8. This guy doesn't have an AMD or intel preference, but has requested microsoft office 2003 (he prefers the templates on '03). Mild video preferences, maybe an NVIDIA 520 card. I'm looking for ideas from you techie geniuses. I'm new to the world of recording TV with a PC. This will be a complete build from the Box in.
 
I'm noticing some AMD stuff FM2 socket on some serious sales on Amazon. How long until FM2 is out dated?
 
Please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you better.
 
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
web surfer & word processing & recording TV/Dish
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$500-ish
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
St. Louis Mo.
[/COLOR]4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc........ok- CPU, 4gb ram (minimum), mobo (prefer good onboard graphics to avoid purchase of a video card), HDD, PSU, Case, Tuner Card (for recording TV), Blu ray reader/writer, OS windows 7., if it fit's into the budget might go with a lower level video card (I'm quite pleased with my Gigabyte 520 OC card for lower level gaming and media viewing on my TV). I have 2x 120mm case fans here a the house to throw in there.
[/COLOR]5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. I have a rosewill performance series 550W I could reuse but some techies in here have shown some disapproval with it. I was going to RMA a it and get a new one, possible voltage spikes.
[/COLOR]6) Will you be overclocking? No
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it? old school monitor, non flat screen 17" maybe. might play recorded media on a 1080p TV tho
***
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? very soon, within a month
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9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.graphics and sound, decent SATA speeds doesn't have to be cutting edge
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10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit? no windows 7 OS, will purchase one
***
 
Does he want a HTPC style case or a will a normal ATX looking case be fine? Also any chance of him being able to raise his budget by another $100 to $200? The "record DirectTV content" is gonna require additional and kinda pricey hardware.
 
normal ATX case will be fine, I told him I would put together something for him to look at as far as prices and we can pick and choose from there. I priced some stuff on Amazon and had him at about $450 without a tuner card, but I will yield to you'alls recommendations.
 
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (OEM) System Builder DVD 1 Pack
Seagate Barracuda 2 TB 7200RPM SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch Internal Desktop Hard Drive, Retail Kit (STBD2000101)
Corsair Builder Series CX 500 Watt ATX/EPS 80 PLUS (CX500)
Kingston Technology HyperX Blu 4GB 1600MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL9 DIMM (Kit of 2) XMP KHX1600C9D3B1K2/4GX
MSI Socket FM2/AMD A75/DDR3/SATA3&USB3.0/A&GbE/MicroATX Motherboard FM2-A75MA-E35
AMD A4-5300 APU 3.4Ghz Processor AD5300OKHJBOX
Pioneer Electronics USA 15x SATA Internal BD/DVD/CD Burner with 4 MB Buffer BDR-208DBK.... these are the parts I had picked out, but that was mostly based on price. This is also without a case. prime membership on amazon gets me free 2 day shipping.
 
Yeah in order to do everything that your friend listed, he's going to have to raise his budget:
$67 - Intel Pentium G860 CPU
$70 - Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H Intel B75 mATX Motherboard
$59 - Corsair CMX8GX3M1A1333C9 8GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$90 - Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$106 - LG BH14NS40 Blu-Ray Burner with Blu-ray playback software
$50 - Corsair CX500 500W PSU
$43 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
$90 - Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit OEM
$160 - HD 1212 HD-PVR High Definition Personal Video Recorder or Hauppauge HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition
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Total: $735 shipped.


Notes:
- Went with an Intel platform for the faster clock for clock performance. Not to mention that motherboard is of slightly higher quality and has more RAM expansion.
- 8GB of RAM is more than you need but the pricing for 4GB of RAM is so bad that it's just not smart at all to get 4GB of RAM unless it's actually $30 shipped.
- The Pioneer drive you listed does not come with software that's actually capable of blu-ray playback. While there are free blu-ray playback software, from what I've been reading, they're not all that good. Hence the choice of the above LG: It does come with semi-decent software for blu-ray playback.
- The HD PVR is suppose to be connected to both the DirecTV PVR and the PC in order for recording to the PC.
 
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kk... I will pass this on to him and let you know how it goes. If he were to opt out of anything it would be the media recorder. I'll keep you posted. Thanks for all of your help. :)
 
He opted to go with all of your suggestions but 1..... Lite-On Super AllWrite 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive - Bulk - IHAS124-04 (Black) instead of the Blu Ray burner. Will update you when products arrive.
 
Alright man all parts in and installed for a couple of weeks now. I don't like how "loose" the intel CPU cooler feels but other than that the hardware rocks. One problem we're having is, now the customer wants to record the files onto a disc rather than just save and manage the files in his hard drive. The Hauppage software will burn a disc but it uses an odd type of MP4 that even quicktime had a hard time playing. So what i need is something that will take the recorded files to a useable format on a disc for a DVD player to read.
 
Have you used PotPlayer or VLC or Media Player Classic to play back those MP4s?
 
Playing it back on the computer isn't the problem. This guy wants to take the recorded material and burn it on a disc and play it in his DVD player. I have DVD Fab but I'm unsure if it will know what to do with the ShowBiz file. I have VLC on this computer, it came on a special edition Nightmare on Elm Street disc. I love it it plays EVERYTHING but it isn't helping me in this particular situation. I did inform the customer that we may have to hook his TV up to the computer and him just playback his files through the ShowBiz player. Looking forward to the responses.
 
Also, I know video rendering takes up some memory and processor use but ShowBiz regularly say it's low on memory and we need to shut down programs and try again. No other program will be running and i have 8gb of ram. Any suggestions?
 
Well, check Task Manager to see if all that RAM is actually being used.
 
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