SFF Build - Thoughts?

A

AMD_RULES

2[H]4U
Joined
Mar 26, 2007
Messages
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1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Photoshop, Web Browsing, HD Video Playback, Music, Microsoft Office, etc. No gaming.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Around $800-$900... the lower the better.
3) Where do you live?
Pennsylvania
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
All components needed...
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
No parts are being salvaged...
6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
Plan to purchase a 22-24 inch widescreen LCD monitor... monitor not included in the budget above
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Next month or so.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
No specific features need...
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit... already have the software/license

I would prefer to order most of the parts from newegg. There is a Microcenter close to me. They seem to have the best deals on processors as opposed to Newegg.

I've done my research and this is the system I am looking at building. Any thoughts or comments are greatly appreciated.

  • Case: Silverstone SG05-B - $99.99 @ Newegg.com
  • CPU: Intel I5 750 - $179.99 @ Microcenter
  • MB: DFI LANParty MI P55-T36 - $139.99 @ Newegg.com
  • Video: HIS H575Q1GD Radeon HD 5750 - $134.99
  • Mem: A-DATA 4GB (2x2GB) AX3U1600GB2G9-2G - $109.99 @ Newegg.com
  • HDD: Western Digital Black 1TB WD1001FALS - $99.99 @ Newegg.com
  • Optical: Lite-On DL-8ATS Slot Load Slim DVD Burner - $49.99 @ Newegg.com
  • Heatsink: Thermalright AXP-140 - $52.99 @ ZipZoomFly.com
  • Fan for Heatsink: Yate Loon D12SL-12C - $8
  • Other: Arctic Silver 5 - $10 @ Newegg.com

The case above comes with a power 300w power supply. I've read that this power supply (Click here) is a good option for a beefier system, but is it needed for the system proposed above? It cost around $80 online...

Thanks! :D
 
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AMD_RULES said:
Really? I thought it would be a good choice for photoshop and HD vid
Click to expand...

Actually, Photoshop barely uses the GPU at all. In fact, almost all of the performance in even Photoshop CS5 uses the CPU and memory.

And a high-end GPU isn't needed in HD video playback. However, that 5750 might help in HD video editing and encoding compared to the HD 4350 - something that relatively few of even us [H] people do.

And if you plan to use HDMI, be advised that you'd need an HD 5xxx series GPU in order to output the full lossless 7.1 audio via bitstream. The HD 4xxx series cards such as the HD 4350 can only do 5.1 lossless output through HDMI while the NVIDIA cards currently cannot bitstream (NVIDIA cards can only output lossy compressed Dolby Digital or DTS through HDMI for multichannel audio). All bets are off if you're going to be using a separate audio out (in which case the choice of the GPU does not matter).
 
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AMD_RULES said:
I don't do any HD video editing...

Would this work? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102874
Click to expand...

The only problem is that it's a little too expensive for the performance even with the rebate.

Also, your originally planned build is a bit overkill considering that you are not planning to perform HD video editing/encoding or gaming on that system.

By the way, which version of Photoshop are you using (or planning to use)? Photoshop (the full-blown version) or Photoshop Elements? (I'm asking this because Photoshop Elements does not make full use of even a cheaper, lower-end rig than your originally planned build.)
 
I would go that path, that would save u cash on the video card also as it would have onboard video.
 
AMD_RULES said:
Would it be worth it to drop down to a I3 530 instead of using a I5 750?
Click to expand...

I say no. At $185 from MC, I say it's worth the extra bit of cash for more cores.

The HD 5450 should be ok. You don't need to upgrade the PSU.
 
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