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New Setup for Encoding Blu-Ray Recommendations Please!

C

chinook9

n00b
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
Messages
2
I have been getting the urge to start compiling the parts for a new machine. I expect there will be some good combo deals on motherboards and i5-2500K processors in the next few days so I thought I would throw out this questions for some help.

I have experimented successfully with overclocking on an Asus P5B Deluxe and E6300 Conroe which I got from 1.86 to 3.4 with acceptable heat. I know a little bit about overclocking, but I know nothing about DDR3 RAM, which can be overclocked, and the timings and voltage that work. I really need help with identifying the RAM to buy, but for encoding I shouldn't need much of it. On my Windows 7 machine, using DVDCatalyst, I only have 4GB and not much of it is used when I encode.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
No gaming. Surfing and reencoding Blu-Ray videos for HDTV and Asus Transformer Tablet. I use DVDCatalyst for encoding in HD..

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Would like to keep it under $500 but would like to spend less. I shop more for value than for price. I have the funds if I need them.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Live in Colorado in summer and Arizona in winter. Heading to Arizona after Thanksgiving. There is a Microcenter in Denver and Frys in Phoenix.

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Motherboard, CPU, CPU Fan,
I expect I will want an intel i5 2500K,
a CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus,
a motherboard that supports easy and decent overclocking,
a few gigs of RAM that will work at the overclocked speed, and,
a case. I should be able to find an adquate case at Frys for <$50.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I have two PSUs I could use: A SilverStone 500W ST50F and a Thermaltake Purepower 500W.
I also have a spare video card that should work O.K., a GeForce 8400GS. If I have a problem with this I can pick a cheap one up at Frys.
I have a couple of 1TB Seagate SATA 3Gb/s HDDs, and,
a couple of Blu-Ray drives I can use.
I also have a few decent of 120mm fans.

6) Will you be overclocking?
I will overclock some if it increases the encoding speed significantly without increasing CPU temps too much.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Its 21.5 inches and 1920-1080p

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Will start buying components this week if there are exceptional Thanksgiving Sales.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
Don't need RAID, Firewire, Crossfire, or SLI.
Probably should get USB 3.0 and SATA 6GBs for future use.
I'm not sure what eSATA is.
Don't need onboard video but if its adequate I might use it.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Plan to buy new OEM Windows 7 Home Premium. Have Windows 7 Professional on one machine and don't use any of the Professional extras.

Appreciate and recommendations and notification of ongoing sales.
 
$225 - Intel Core i5-2500K CPU
$145 - MSI P67A-GD55 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard
$40 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$26 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
----
Total: $486 shipped.

PSU wise, reuse the ST50F as it's substantially of higher quality than that shitty Purepower 500W.
 
Last edited:
What about a Z68 board?

I believe good ones can be had for about the same price as the P67.

If they cost significantly more I don't think I'd opt for it but if the cost is reasonable the SSD cacheing might be useful in the future and possibly the Quick Sync also.
 
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