Questions about new Computer

[TechStuey05]

I appreciate your help. You're right I didn't look :/.

The Video Card has one HDMI Port, and two DVI ports so could I hook up an HDMI cable from the HDMI port of the Video card to the HDMI port of the TV, and simultaneously hook up the 24" Monitor via DVI or mini display port? Would that work?

Should I go with 8 or 12 gigs of memory?

Thanks

 

[Dangman]

The Video Card has one HDMI Port, and two DVI ports so could I hook up an HDMI cable from the HDMI port of the Video card to the HDMI port of the TV, and simultaneously hook up the 24" Monitor via DVI or mini display port? Would that work?

Yes

Should I go with 8 or 12 gigs of memory?

Dunno where you got 12GB from but you'll be fine with 8GB of RAM. I only listed 16GB of RAM since you had the budget for it.

 

[TechStuey05]

Ok thanks. I appreciate the help, any other suggestions before I make my purchase?

 

[TechStuey05]

Hi, I went to Microcenter and I told them what I would be using my computer for and they told me what parts that I should get. These are the parts, what do you guys think?

1. 2 Corsair 8 gb 2x4 D3 1600 C9 DI - 179.98
2. DIamondM HD 6950 2GB GD5 DDH2D - 279.99
3. 1 OCZTech 120GB SSD VTX3 2.5 SA - 284.99
4. 6 HITACHIE HIT 3TB 5400 SATA 6 - 899.94
5. LGELECOEM LG 22X DVD Burner S - 18.99
6. MS OEM Win7 Home Pre 64 bit SP1 -109.99
7. Intel Box Intel CI5 2500K - 179.99
8. Corsair 750W TX2 ATX PSU Bron - 159.99
9. Asus P8P67 Pro R3 1155 ATX
10. HP 25" LED 2511X Monitor
11. Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium Grey ATX Mid Tower

Thanks

 

[Dangman]

1. 2 Corsair 8 gb 2x4 D3 1600 C9 DI - 179.98

Not a good choice at all. ZERO performance difference between the above Corsair and the G.Skill RAM I linked to. Not to mention that they didn't mention what voltage that Corsair RAM is rated at

2. DIamondM HD 6950 2GB GD5 DDH2D - 279.99

Not a good choice since you can get a longer warrantied and better support HD 6950 2GB from MSI, Gigabyte, Asus, or XFX for not that much more.

3. 1 OCZTech 120GB SSD VTX3 2.5 SA - 284.99

While the Vertex 3 SSDs have been shown to be fairly fast, they have not been out long enough for their actual quality to be judged. Due to OCZ's past SSD history, I cannot recommend buying any OCZ SSD without extensive testing and trials of both performance and quality. U

4. 6 HITACHIE HIT 3TB 5400 SATA 6 - 899.94

Not a good choice either as the performance those 3TB drives do not justify at all the extra $200 you have to pay for them over the Hitachi 3TB drives I recommended.

8. Corsair 750W TX2 ATX PSU Bron - 159.99

Overpriced and more than likely the older revision. Even if it's the newer revision like the one I recommended, still overpriced.

9. Asus P8P67 Pro R3 1155 ATX

Motherboard is overkill for your needs.

All in all, most of those recommendations are poor choices.

 

[TechStuey05]

Hi, I appreciate your honest opinion, I trust your advice. I want to get different opinions and different ideas before I make my final purchase. I got recommended a setup from another site as well. I think I want to go with the more powerful system, even if I won't ever use it to it's full potential. What do you think of this person's setup:

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115070

GIGABYTE GA-P67X-UD3-B3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128488

Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) Desktop Memory Model 996991
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-188-_-Product

CORSAIR Hydro H70 CWCH70 120mm High Performance CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835181013

Intel 510 Series (Elm Crest) SSDSC2MH120A2K5 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820167042

5x Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136533
+5 free XIGMATEK HDD coolers.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835233080

CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-950TX 950W ATX12V v2.3/EPS12V v2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139013

EVGA 015-P3-1580-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130587

Corsair Obsidian Series 650D (CC650DW-1) Black Steel structure with black brushed aluminum faceplate ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811139006

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit English 1-Pack - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116986

LG WH10LS30 10X Blu-ray Burner - LightScribe Support - Bulk - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136181

That guy only posted 5 TB of internal space but could I go with 6 3TB Drives instead?

Thank you

 

[tiraides]

One, none of the links work. As a courtesy, I provided the correct links below.

Also, you're spending way too much money for what you need to do. Save for the operating system and the SSD (and even that's debatable), I wouldn't recommend any of those parts to you.

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070

You haven't justified a need for the Core i7 processor, and you don't need a K processor since you're not overclocking anything. Go with either the i5-2400 or the i5-2500.

GIGABYTE GA-P67X-UD3-B3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128488

I don't know whether or not Gigabyte really supports 3TB drives as it uses a traditional BIOS for its Socket 1155 boards. Simply put, the more modern UEFI is designed with larger capacity drives in mind. Asus and MSI have some good alternatives, though you may also want to consider an add-on card for additional SATA ports.

Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) Desktop Memory Model 996991
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226188t

You don't need RAM faster than DDR3 1333 for Sandy Bridge. Period. The voltage level is also an issue, as 1.65V is the limit for safe operation with Intel's Core i5/i7 processors. Stick with a cheaper set of RAM, like one of the G.Skill series.

CORSAIR Hydro H70 CWCH70 120mm High Performance CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181013

If you're not overclocking or in a hot environment, you don't need a third-party CPU cooler. If you insist on one, the $30-$40 Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus would perform just as well for your needs.

Intel 510 Series (Elm Crest) SSDSC2MH120A2K5 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167042

Intel is known (in terms of SSDs) for its reliability. Performance-wise, however, many people would recommend a Crucial SSD (specifically, the C300 or m4 series).

5x Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533
+5 free XIGMATEK HDD coolers.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233080

Since you need the capacity, buy the added capacity drives. If you want a second "primary" HDD, stick with the Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB drive, which performs just as well for a bit less. The HDD coolers, though nice, will take up space and will limit the overall number of drives that the case can hold.

CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-950TX 950W ATX12V v2.3/EPS12V v2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139013

You don't need 950 watts of power for one high-end video card, even with all of the hard drives that you plan on buying. Stick with Danny's 750W PSU recommendation.

EVGA 015-P3-1580-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130587

Define "light gaming" for us. Otherwise, again, listen to Danny Bui.

Corsair Obsidian Series 650D (CC650DW-1) Black Steel structure with black brushed aluminum faceplate ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139006

I personally believe that $200 is too much money to spend on an ATX mid-tower case. But since case selection is as much about personal tastes as it is about select features, I'm going to leave this one alone.

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit English 1-Pack - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

Thank you for listening to us. This is more than good enough for your needs.

LG WH10LS30 10X Blu-ray Burner - LightScribe Support - Bulk - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136181

You'll also need to buy some media playback software capable of playing Blu-ray discs, which means you'll be spending at least $60 more on this optical drive. If you're not seriously considering watching/ripping BR movies, then you should stick with a $20 to $30 DVD burner.

 

[Dangman]

I agree with everything tiraides just said now.

That is not a good setup at all from both a price to performance perspective and what fits you perspective.

 

[TechStuey05]

Hi Danny, I appreciate your help,

how much faster is the intel i7-2600 vs the i5-2500k?

Could you post the Intel Core i7-2600k and the Motherboard that goes alongside it? I want to see the difference in price and specs

I should get the Intel Core i5-2500K CPU and the Asus P8P67 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard from Microcenter and the rest from Newegg?

Could you post the Blu-ray drive? I don't mind paying extra for the software since I'm planning on hooking this Computer up to my TV.

If I went with the i7-2600 then would I need a more powerful Power supply?

Thanks

 

[tiraides]

The i7-2600 is only 100MHz faster than the i5-2500, and the i5-2500 is 200MHz faster than the i5-2400. That said, NewEgg has the i5-2400 at $190, the i5-2500 at $210, and the i7-2600 at $300. Get the i5-2500, not the i5-2500K or i7-2600K, at Micro Center. Grab the motherboard from MC only if you can buy it for less than at NewEgg.

Again, you don't need a more powerful PSU than the Corsair TX750 V2 that Danny recommended earlier.

 

[Dangman]

Jeez, had a profanity laced response too before I stopped myself.

Ok TechStuey05, for the last time: You should not get the 2600K. You simply aren't doing anything that I mentioned in post #76 that would make the 2600K a worthwhile purchase. Simple as that. No reason whatsoever for you to get the 2600K. Get that through your head now.

 

[tiraides]

Instead of second-guessing us, just stick with the following:

$360 - Intel Core i5-2500K CPU + Asus P8P67 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard
$164 - 4 x G.Skill Ripjaw Series F3-10666CL9S-4GBRL 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$235 - XFX HD-695X-ZNFC Radeon HD 6950 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$240 - Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G3K5 2.5" 120G SSD
$70 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$700 - 5 x Hitachi Deskstar 0S03230 3TB 5400RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$21 - Samsung SH-S222AB SATA DVD Burner
$105 - Corsair 750TX V2 750W PSU
$127 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black ATX Case
$200 - Asus VE248H Black 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor
$100 - Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM
----
Total: $2322 plus tax and shipping

Buy the processor, the DVD burner (or, rather, any DVD burner under $25), and the Samsung drive from Micro Center. (Get the "plain" i5-2500 over the i5-2500K; no, you don't need a third-party CPU cooler.) The rest of the parts are cheaper at NewEgg.

Are you really going to watch a lot of Blu-ray movies with this computer?