- Dec 22, 2011
- 1
- 0
- 18,510
This is my first build. My experience is limited to installing various PC components.
Approximate Purchase Date: In the next month
Budget Range: < $1,800 BEFORE monitor purchase(s); I want to ‘future proof’ as much as possible within budget range.
Budget Range for monitors: < $700; will be bought along the way within the next 6 months.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: School (EE Undergrad -- Multitasking , Cadence, ETAP, JMAG, P-Spice, etc), Gaming, Internet, and HTPC (would like to have an Internal BD Multi-Drive player coupled with surround sound support -- take the place of an A/V receiver for a secondary home entertainment room (man cave).
Parts Not Required: Entire build will be necessary; my last desktop was from 11 years ago.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Bestbuy (I have $400 in gift cards); Newegg; no preference beyond that, I am open to a deal from anywhere that won’t nail me with shipping.
Country: US – NC
Parts Preferences: I have been away from the PC world for quit some time. I have tried to catch up this last month or so by intently reading suggestions on other builds and trying to get a good base of knowledge on the different components but I there’s a lot out there to soak in. I am not partial to any one brand, so I will be open to any considerations. This is the build I have come up with through my limited reading:
PSU - Corsair AX 850 I do not plan to frequently make additions or modifications to my build and a case with a transparent window is not a ‘must’ for my build. However, a PSU is something I commonly see being reused, and I would think this product would be a small part of the ‘future proof’ components of my build. With this said, is a modular PSU an ignorant choice that is just adding unneeded costs?
Case - HAF X Another ‘future proof’ component. I am thinking if I get a full size case with USB 3.0, then I will be able to keep this case until I get tired of looking at it. Also, I was thinking if/when I decide to run CX GPU then I will need no other additions besides another GPU.
Motherboard – ASUS P8Z68-V/Gen3 (I have compared the spec sheets on this and the deluxe/pro editions but did not find any additions that I would utilize; correct me if I am wrong)
Motherboard Choice 2 – GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 (I am considering this choice because I can not see a difference aside from brand name and the price difference is $40: every dollar counts)
Processor – Intel i5-2500k (Seems to be the only no brainer in my build)
Memory – Corsair 8GB 1600 CL8
Video Card – Radeon 6950 2GB I have a few questions on this. I eventually want to have a 3 monitor set up. I am under the impression 2 GB of VRAM is the most efficient way to go for this (true?). I am open to any suggestions on video card, with the ultimate goal to have a three monitor setup, and since I do not have any monitors worth mentioning, resolution is not a factor in video card decision. Would this card enable me to output via HDMI to a 59” Plasma 1080p Samsung for BD play?
Optical Drive – Bluray needs to be apart of this if the above question is positive (or an alternative suggested video card would suffice for all desired system uses). A quick confirmation question on the BD though: Bluray firmware updates are for the software playing the media, not for the hardware, correct? So the use of an aftermarket Bluray software media player would eliminate bad reviews concerning BD optical drives in regards to firmware updates?
Storage Drive – I would like an SSD for OS and limited software storage (limited software storage to help save on price). I have run upon the big SATA3/SATA2 battle, and would like to know if there would even be a noticeable performance difference between the two for what I intend to use the drive for. As far as the HDD is concerned: I am a big fan of the use of an external hard drive and do not wish to store any documents, media, etc on my internal HDD. Would a big HDD still be recommended? I see the Samsung F3 or similar 1 TB HDDs being commonly recommended and would like to know if there is a reason for this if I do not intend to store ANY data outside of the obvious (saved game data, codecs, etc).
Sound Card - Would one be necessary to output quality sound (5.1 - If the HTPC is going to be feasible with this build).
Overclocking: Yes (I have no overclocking experience)
SLI or Crossfire: In the future
Monitor Resolution: No preference
Additional Comments: quiet would be preferred if the PC is to be used for HTPC
Approximate Purchase Date: In the next month
Budget Range: < $1,800 BEFORE monitor purchase(s); I want to ‘future proof’ as much as possible within budget range.
Budget Range for monitors: < $700; will be bought along the way within the next 6 months.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: School (EE Undergrad -- Multitasking , Cadence, ETAP, JMAG, P-Spice, etc), Gaming, Internet, and HTPC (would like to have an Internal BD Multi-Drive player coupled with surround sound support -- take the place of an A/V receiver for a secondary home entertainment room (man cave).
Parts Not Required: Entire build will be necessary; my last desktop was from 11 years ago.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Bestbuy (I have $400 in gift cards); Newegg; no preference beyond that, I am open to a deal from anywhere that won’t nail me with shipping.
Country: US – NC
Parts Preferences: I have been away from the PC world for quit some time. I have tried to catch up this last month or so by intently reading suggestions on other builds and trying to get a good base of knowledge on the different components but I there’s a lot out there to soak in. I am not partial to any one brand, so I will be open to any considerations. This is the build I have come up with through my limited reading:
PSU - Corsair AX 850 I do not plan to frequently make additions or modifications to my build and a case with a transparent window is not a ‘must’ for my build. However, a PSU is something I commonly see being reused, and I would think this product would be a small part of the ‘future proof’ components of my build. With this said, is a modular PSU an ignorant choice that is just adding unneeded costs?
Case - HAF X Another ‘future proof’ component. I am thinking if I get a full size case with USB 3.0, then I will be able to keep this case until I get tired of looking at it. Also, I was thinking if/when I decide to run CX GPU then I will need no other additions besides another GPU.
Motherboard – ASUS P8Z68-V/Gen3 (I have compared the spec sheets on this and the deluxe/pro editions but did not find any additions that I would utilize; correct me if I am wrong)
Motherboard Choice 2 – GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 (I am considering this choice because I can not see a difference aside from brand name and the price difference is $40: every dollar counts)
Processor – Intel i5-2500k (Seems to be the only no brainer in my build)
Memory – Corsair 8GB 1600 CL8
Video Card – Radeon 6950 2GB I have a few questions on this. I eventually want to have a 3 monitor set up. I am under the impression 2 GB of VRAM is the most efficient way to go for this (true?). I am open to any suggestions on video card, with the ultimate goal to have a three monitor setup, and since I do not have any monitors worth mentioning, resolution is not a factor in video card decision. Would this card enable me to output via HDMI to a 59” Plasma 1080p Samsung for BD play?
Optical Drive – Bluray needs to be apart of this if the above question is positive (or an alternative suggested video card would suffice for all desired system uses). A quick confirmation question on the BD though: Bluray firmware updates are for the software playing the media, not for the hardware, correct? So the use of an aftermarket Bluray software media player would eliminate bad reviews concerning BD optical drives in regards to firmware updates?
Storage Drive – I would like an SSD for OS and limited software storage (limited software storage to help save on price). I have run upon the big SATA3/SATA2 battle, and would like to know if there would even be a noticeable performance difference between the two for what I intend to use the drive for. As far as the HDD is concerned: I am a big fan of the use of an external hard drive and do not wish to store any documents, media, etc on my internal HDD. Would a big HDD still be recommended? I see the Samsung F3 or similar 1 TB HDDs being commonly recommended and would like to know if there is a reason for this if I do not intend to store ANY data outside of the obvious (saved game data, codecs, etc).
Sound Card - Would one be necessary to output quality sound (5.1 - If the HTPC is going to be feasible with this build).
Overclocking: Yes (I have no overclocking experience)
SLI or Crossfire: In the future
Monitor Resolution: No preference
Additional Comments: quiet would be preferred if the PC is to be used for HTPC
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram