$750 - $1000 multipurpose machine

[joojooface]

I wanted to build my first machine in the next few weeks, and wanted to have some recommendations (I would do this my self but im a premed student that doesnt have time to really research hardware although i picked out some basics.) Before I get into the specs that I'm looking for I wanted to clarify my price range. The reason I wrote the price of this machine as $750-$1000 is because I'm not buying every part at the same time, instead i'll be buying in waves. I'll be buying parts in terms of importance and [strike]chances of the product dropping in price[/strike] parts that will make my machine run. The thing is, the first wave will be all of the necessities, such as the case, motherboard, cpu, power supply, ram, and hd. [strike]I think[/strike] My second wave will be graphics cards (as long as the machine runs well enough for me to do homework, it is fine if I'm missing 2 bazzilion colors.) I prefer the first wave to be $500 ~ $600

OK the specs

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE:
First Wave: 2 weeks
Second Wave: From now to October (before Windows 7)

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Homework (super tasking, ie, having many windows open at once) , media center, gaming, Web surfing, video editing, photo editing

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Mouse (I have a Logitech G9), Keyboard (For now), Monitor, Case (I have already decided on a Silver NZXT Rogue case), OS (Windows 7)
Nxzt Rogue link:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146046

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com

PARTS PREFERENCES: Because I am limited to an NZXT Rogue (16.6" x 10.9" x 14.5"), the motherboard must be Micro-ATX (I was thinking of a [strike]DFI-Lanparty Jr X58-T3H6 and i wanted an Intel i7 cpu[/strike] AMD Phenom II 940 , 4 - 6 GB ram, 1.5 TB in raid 0 (possibly 2x 640 gb)
[strike]X58-T3H6 LGA 1366 Intel X58 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard link[/strike]
[strike]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136066[/strike]
AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471

OVERCLOCKING: not sure

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: [strike]SLI (1GB cards, also, is it possible to buy one card, then add another later? And of course I understand that it would need to be the same card)[/strike] [strike]Yes, but not sure which[/strike] Crossfire

MONITOR RESOLUTION: I'm unsure, for now, it will be connected to a 15" wide Dell CRT, but I plan to get a ~32" HDTV (1366 x 768) next year to hook it up to

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I wanted the power supply to be 80Plus Certified and to be able to efficiently run the specs.

If you have any questions or need me to be more specific, ask away. Also, if you have recommendations, please share. Thanks.

[EDITS] Everything with a strike through is a change after my 1st edit, anything new is in bold. Everything below is written with my 1st edit.
----------
So far I think this will be my configuration:


Case: COOLER MASTER Mystique RC-632S-KKN1-GP Black Aluminum/ SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $80 (free shipping, so its even cheaper than the Rogue)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119129

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor - $180 (free shipping)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - $100 (free shipping, and a $20 rebate, so its $80)

Motherboard: ? $100

Hard drive: 2x Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives ($200 and free shipping, i decided not to go with 2x 640's because in the end it was a $50 price difference and i would rather have more space)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

RAM: ? 4gb G.skill $50 - $70

GPU: SAPPHIRE Vapor-X Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - $155 (free shipping and I decided not to crossfire)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102825

BluRay Drive: Sony Optiarc Black 5X BD-ROM 12X DVD-ROM 32X CD-ROM SATA Internal 5X BD-ROM & 12X DVD Burner Model BC-5100S - $95 (free shipping)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118020
Total Price : $985

So far thats all i can think of. Thanks to everyone who's helping.

I'm prittey much ready to buy everything all at once, I'm roughly within my price range but still need some help with the motherboard.

 

[musicman978]

This is what im planning on getting pretty soon. It includes a monitor, so if you drop that off the total will be 692. I know its alot cheaper but it has quad core and you can crossfire. Great Bang for buck IMO


Western Digital Caviar Black 640 GB----- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136319


ASUS VH242H Black 23.6-------- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824236052


XFX HD-487A-ZHFC Radeon HD 4870----- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150394


CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W------- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006


COMBO---AMD Phenom II X4 940 w/ GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-------- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.213790


COMBO---Antec Three Hundred case w/ G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) memory-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.204212

 

[theAnimal]

and chances of the product dropping in price.

Those chances are ~100%.

I think my second wave will be graphics cards (as long as the machine runs well enough for me to do homework, it is fine if I'm missing 2 bazzilion colors.)

How will you see any colors without a graphics card?

SLI (1GB cards, also, is it possible to buy one card, then add another later? And of course I understand that it would need to be the same card)

Generally if you don't get the second card right away, you never end up getting it. Usually there will be a faster single card option by the time you're ready to upgrade. Also for a 1920x1080 resolution, I don't think SLI is really necessary.

 

[joojooface]

I decided to change a few things in my build.

Rather for going for an i7 920, I'll save some $$ and go for AMD Phenom II 940 Black ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471 ) and I'm unsure of what mother board i should get. Through newegg I found 4 Micro-ATX motherboards that can fit the 16.6" x 10.9" x 14.5" NZXT Rogue enclosure, but i don't know the differences between them (aside from price.)

Here are the mother boards I have looked at.

DFI LP JR 790GX-M3H5 AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136068

ASRock N68-S AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 7025 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157158

ASUS M4A78-EM AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131384

ASUS M2A74-AM AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 740G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131391

I'm still unsure whether I'll be overclocking, but i've heard its easier to O'C with the DFI motherboard and it also has an HDMI port for the HDTV i'll connect it to later.

How will you see any colors without a graphics card?

I was actually thinking that the machine would survive until i get graphics cards on onboard graphics.

Generally if you don't get the second card right away, you never end up getting it. Usually there will be a faster single card option by the time you're ready to upgrade. Also for a 1920x1080 resolution, I don't think SLI is really necessary.

If i run the machine with onboard graphics, then I would buy the two cards together later. I'm not sure whether I should SLI or CrossFire, I'm positive that i'll go either or. I'm expecting to buy both cards for ~$300 (~$150 each) for the second wave.

Just to clear things up, I want to buy everything that can make the machine functional in the first wave, ie. case, cpu, psu, mobo, and ram (for now, i'll use my old machines keyboard, mouse, and cd drives.) I'm expecting my first wave to cost me about ~$750 but, of course i would rather save cash on some parts. Later on I am planning to buy a BluRay drive.

 

[musicman978]

just curious, why are you getting a micro case?

 

[joojooface]

just curious, why are you getting a micro case?

I wanted a form factor case for two reasons, I wanted to put the machine on my table and I also wanted to be able to carry it away and bring it with me on trips if i could. With larger cases I would have trouble doing that. Also, from the reviews on newegg, the case is large compared to other form factor cases.

Edit: I edited the first post with the following

So far I think this will be my configuration:

1st wave
Case: NZXT ROGUE Crafted Series SILVER ROGUE w. BLUE LED Silver Aluminum MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case ~$70
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor ~$185
PSU: Rosewill Green Series RG700-S12 700W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply or CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply ~ $80 - $100
Hard drive: 2x Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive ~$140
Motherboard: Micro ATX, probably an AMD GX 920 ~$100 - $140
Ram: depends on motherboard, 4-6 gb ~$100

Total price of first wave: ~ $ 675 - 735

2nd wave

GPU: 2x MSI R4870-MD1G Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card ~ $300
BluRay drive (maybe this should be in my first wave?) ~$100

Total price of second wave: ~$400

Total Price : $1075 - 1135
So far thats all i can think of. Thanks to everyone who's helping.

Which is better? Rosewill Green Series RG700-S12 700W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply or CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply and will the Corsair work with the AMD Phenom II x4?

 

[musicman978]

Which is better? Rosewill Green Series RG700-S12 700W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply or CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply and will the Corsair work with the AMD Phenom II x4?[/quotemsg]


Well They are both good and pretty powerful. Personally i like corsair better. But it really depends if you are going to crossfire or sli etc...And your video card needs a certain amount of wattage also which both will handle easily most likely. Check the Card on the manufactures. They will usually list the wattage and other good to know stuff. Im pretty sure the rosewill will be sufficient for your needs.

 

[joojooface]

I'm currently leaning towards Crossfire with 2x MSI HD Radeon 4870 1GB cards.

And i'm really having trouble deciding on a processor and staying in my first wave budget ($500 - 750, also, the cheaper the machine is, the sooner I will order it). I keep changing my mind on the Phenom II and i7 920 (if i go i7, I'll get the Corsair without question), is there any way for me to go with the 920 i7 and stay in my first wave budget, without bottlenecking later on?

With that said, what reasonably priced motherboards are good for the i7, crossfire, and are also Micro-ATX?

In addition, the NZXT Rogue case comes with 2x 120mm fans, should i have more fans and does the cpu come with cooling, or should i buy a cpu fan as well?

 

[musicman978]

I'm currently leaning towards Crossfire with 2x MSI HD Radeon 4870 1GB cards.

And i'm really having trouble deciding on a processor and staying in my first wave budget ($500 - 750, also, the cheaper the machine is, the sooner I will order it). I keep changing my mind on the Phenom II and i7 920 (if i go i7, I'll get the Corsair without question), is there any way for me to go with the 920 i7 and stay in my first wave budget, without bottlenecking later on?

With that said, what reasonably priced motherboards are good for the i7, crossfire, and are also Micro-ATX?

In addition, the NZXT Rogue case comes with 2x 120mm fans, should i have more fans and does the cpu come with cooling, or should i buy a cpu fan as well?

I can't really help ya w/ the whole micro case thing...i am not familiar with those sorts of things....but

In my opinion, i believe my build that i posted above is a great way to go. The thing is w/ the i7 and others alike...you are paying a lot of extra dough for more performance that is most likely unnecessary for your needs. The amd phenom II x4 940 has pleeeenty of power. And since you are doin crossfire, i would probably go w/ the corsair. I don't think it would hurt getting an extra fan since the 4870s are capable of a good amount of heat...i would stick to one until you absolutely need another one. The build i made comes to $700 w/o monitor. Like i said, i guess it really doesn't apply to you since you are getting a micro....but a mid-tower case isn't THAT big.

 

[joojooface]

I read some more NZXT Rogue case reviews and found thatit really isnt that small, in fact its about 1/2 an inch from an ATX motherboard. So, with its big foot print and all, I'll be going with a mid tower case for an ATX motherboard.

So this changes things. So far my build is:

Case: COOLER MASTER Mystique RC-632S-KKN1-GP Black Aluminum/ SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $80 (free shipping, so its even cheaper than the Rogue)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119129

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor - $180 (free shipping)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - $100 (free shipping, and a $20 rebate, so its $80)

Motherboard: ? $100

Hard drive: 2x Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives ($200 and free shipping, i decided not to go with 2x 640's because in the end it was a $50 price difference and i would rather have more space)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

RAM: ? $50 - $70

GPU: SAPPHIRE Vapor-X Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - $155 (free shipping and I decided not to crossfire)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102825

As you can see, I made many changes lowered my budget so that i can order sooner (in terms of shipping). Many (if not all) of the parts are free shipping because they are, in the end cheaper than the ones with a lower price and with shipping. For example, the NZXT Rogue was $70, but with shipping it was about $90, thus I made the change.

I am still having trouble with motherboards, I want to eventually crossfire so I want my motherboard ready for it. So, should I have 2 PCIe ports running at 16x, or one 16x and one 8x?