1st System Build - Great Deal of Help Needed

[Viking18]

The mobo on my old PC died so it's time to build a brand new one. I havn't bought a new PC in close to a decade. I've checked out the message board over the last couple days and here's what I've come up with:

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: By the end of the week (aiming for Saturday)

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Surfing the net, watching movies, gaming (I'm not a big gamer, mainly because I didn't have the system to be one, but I still want to enjoy playing the occasional game without hiccups).

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, mouse, speakers, DVD burner (Probably going to use my 4 year old LG 52x), monitor(?)

PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel CPU, leaning towards an Asus mobo but having trouble finding a well priced mobo that supports DDR3 of any brand, Corsair memory

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: I won't be ordering any parts online. I live in Montreal and plan on having my system assembled at Ordicentre. Their price list is found here:
http://www.ordicentre.com/ordicentre prix list.pdf

OVERCLOCKING: Unlikely. I'm scared of tweaking such things.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: I was planning on using my ancient CRT monitor, the resolution for which escapes me now. It works well enough but I'm open to suggestions.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I'm not looking to spend a MASSIVE amount of money but I still want a PC that I won't have to worry about upgrading for at least the next few years. I'll put a cap at $1000 but if I can put together a system that meets my needs, at a lower cost, I'm all for it.

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I'm using Newegg links for illustration purposes only. I won't actually be ordering from them.


Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041&Tpk=Q9550

ASUS P5Q-E LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail (Any DDR3 mobo suggestions?)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131296

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail (Any DDR3 memory suggestions?)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042&Tpk=Antec 300

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

ASUS EN9500GT TOP/DI/512M GeForce 9500 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121267

Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136358&Tpk=WD5000AADS



Help is most appreciated so I'm open to any suggestions. Thanks.

 

[Viking18]

No suggestions? Is my build that flawless?

 

[hunter315]

Get 4GB of ram and you may want to get a stronger graphics card if you can fit it into the budget for when you move onto an LCD monitor.

 

[jbakerlent]

I would absolutely, definitely build it yourself and buy it from newegg.ca. It's easy, fun, and rewarding!
CPU/RAM/MOBO $558
GPU $170
HDD $75
PSU $60
Monitor $150
Case $70

I just suggested these parts to another person so check them out.

 

[Outlander_04]

nothing wrong with your system , but you can do better for the same money , and since intel socket 775 is at the end of its life its best avoided

For $1000 its possible to build an amd quad core or triple core , with the latest technology and include a 22 inch LCD screen . The quality is as good as or better than intel too .

Do you own a copy of windows or do you need that too ?

 

[Outlander_04]

I would absolutely, definitely build it yourself and buy it from newegg.ca. It's easy, fun, and rewarding!
CPU/RAM/MOBO $558
GPU $170
HDD $75
PSU $60
Monitor $150
Case $70

I just suggested these parts to another person so check them out.

Nice build and value for an i7 system , but it does blow the budget cap by $83 , doesnt include windows, and is far more powerful than the OP needs to surf or game effectively

The amd system will actually give him change from $1000 even if you include Vista with a win7 upgrade

 

[jbakerlent]

Nice build and value for an i7 system , but it does blow the budget cap by $83 , doesnt include windows, and is far more powerful than the OP needs to surf or game effectively

The amd system will actually give him change from $1000 even if you include Vista with a win7 upgrade

Fine, that's what I get for trying to be lazy . An AMD system would be a better choice.

Maybe this would work (I know I didn't include software case, and monitor:

CPU/MOBO
RAM
GPU
HDD
PSU

 

[geofelt]

Your initial suggestions are decent. Some will quibble over strong duo vs. quad, and amd vs. intel.
Take your pick. I favor a fast duo like the E8400.
If you are looking at a $200+ quad for the long term, then you must consider a i7-920 based system. It will cost about $80 more than an equivalent Qxxx system, and be much more capable.



4gb in a 2x2gb configuration is cheap and should be the minimum to consider. DDR2 is fine.
Cpu performance is not very sensitive to ram speeds.
If you look at real application and game benchmarks(vs. synthetic tests),
you will see negligible difference in performance between the slowest DDR2 and the fastest DDR3 ram.
Perhaps 1-2%. Not worth it to me.
Don't pay extra for faster ram or better timings unless you are a maximum overclocker.

Don't spend more on motherboard features that you won't use. You should be able to get a good P43 or P45 mobo for <$90.

Case and psu are good.

---good luck---

 

[Viking18]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I see now that I really need to resconsider my CPU+mobo combination. It's a far tougher choice than I anticipated.

nothing wrong with your system , but you can do better for the same money , and since intel socket 775 is at the end of its life its best avoided

For $1000 its possible to build an amd quad core or triple core , with the latest technology and include a 22 inch LCD screen . The quality is as good as or better than intel too .

Do you own a copy of windows or do you need that too ?

I do own a copy of Windows XP but I wouldn't mind making the move to Vista or 7 at this point. What would you recommend in a Quad Core AMD cpu? If an I7 system isn't worth the extra money in terms of performance, I'm not against building a solid quad AMD system instead.

Your initial suggestions are decent. Some will quibble over strong duo vs. quad, and amd vs. intel.
Take your pick. I favor a fast duo like the E8400.
If you are looking at a $200+ quad for the long term, then you must consider a i7-920 based system. It will cost about $80 more than an equivalent Qxxx system, and be much more capable.



4gb in a 2x2gb configuration is cheap and should be the minimum to consider. DDR2 is fine.
Cpu performance is not very sensitive to ram speeds.
If you look at real application and game benchmarks(vs. synthetic tests),
you will see negligible difference in performance between the slowest DDR2 and the fastest DDR3 ram.
Perhaps 1-2%. Not worth it to me.
Don't pay extra for faster ram or better timings unless you are a maximum overclocker.

Don't spend more on motherboard features that you won't use. You should be able to get a good P43 or P45 mobo for <$90.

Case and psu are good.

---good luck---

Do the I7 systems far out perform any AMD equivalent Quad system? Mind you, I'm not a big gamer so it's possible that I don't need that much performance. But I'm also trying to avoid making unnecessary upgrades in the near future. Furthermore, will a good P43 or P45 mobo handle an AMD Quad cpu?

 

[geofelt]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I see now that I really need to resconsider my CPU+mobo combination. It's a far tougher choice than I anticipated.



I do own a copy of Windows XP but I wouldn't mind making the move to Vista or 7 at this point. What would you recommend in a Quad Core AMD cpu? If an I7 system isn't worth the extra money in terms of performance, I'm not against building a solid quad AMD system instead.





Do the I7 systems far out perform any AMD equivalent Quad system? Mind you, I'm not a big gamer so it's possible that I don't need that much performance. But I'm also trying to avoid making unnecessary upgrades in the near future. Furthermore, will a good P43 or P45 mobo handle an AMD Quad cpu?

For your purposes, you do not seem to need a high powered cpu. A E8400 is fine. For cpu intensive tasks, excluding gaming, the i7 is a clear winner. Here is one set of comparisons:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i7-975,2318-6.html
If you think you need a quad for the long term, I think it is the only way to go.

Note that the 920 can be easily overclocked to 975 speeds.

 

[Viking18]

Switched up my build some. Decided to take the AMD route. Quite satisfied with it. Especially the price.

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649

GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128378

CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TW3X4G1600C9DHX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145200

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042&Tpk=Antec 300

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

SAPPHIRE 100277L Radeon HD 4770 512MB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102835

Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136358&Tpk=WD5000AADS

 

[Guest]

All your links are the American Newegg. So the Canadian Prices may be higher than you expect.

Couple of suggestions would be to lower your PSU to a lower watts unless you plan on adding another graphics card but the 4770 doesn't really take up that much power. This PSU can also supply your build with enough energy.
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail

Also you could go with the 4850 with the prices of the two being so close and the 4850 > 4770 most of the time.
SAPPHIRE 100245HDMI Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

Lastly I am not really familiar with that Hard Drive but the 640 Black Caviar is really popular around here for its speed and price point so maybe you should check it out. (Plus it has free shipping right now and is $20 off)
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

PS. You can also use Canadaprice.com and use their computer section to help you find the cheapest price of some of those products to save you a few extra dollars unless you only prefer Newegg.
PriceCanada