Hello everybody, this is my 2nd post here and I need some serious, honest advice here for my first custom-built computer. I'm going Intel, and this PC is meant for heavy-gaming and very heavy DAW usage, (Digital Audio Workstations), programs you produce music in.
This is what I had in mind thus far:
Computer Case: 1x Thermaltake VM600M1W2Z Dokker Tower Case - ATX, Mid-Tower, 3 x 5.25" Bays, 5 x 3.5" Bays, 7 x Expansion Slots, 2 x USB 2.0, Hard Drive Dock, Black
-TigerDirect: (39.99$) + (?) Shipping
Power supply:
-Newegg:
-TigerDirect:
Motherboard: 1x ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
-Newegg: (129.99$) + (7.99$) Shipping
Processor: 1x Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I52500
-Newegg: (209.99$) + Free Shipping
-Amazon: (194.99$) + (?) Shipping
-TigerDirect:
-MicroCenter: Other Core i5/i7’s at much cheaper prices than Newegg and Amazon.
Hard Drive: 3x Seagate HDD’s Varied GB’s (Computer-Used 2-4 Years)
CD/DVDRom: 1x ASUS 24X DVD Burner
-Newegg: (21.99$) + Shipping
Sound Card: 1x M-Audiophile 2496 Digital Recording Interface
-Newegg:
-Amazon: (58.32$) +
-TigerDirect:
-MicroCenter:
Video Card: 1x EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
-Newegg: (249.99$) + Free Shipping + Rebate (234.99$)
-Amazon: (229.99$) + (?) Shipping
RAM: 1x G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
-Newegg: (46.99$) + Free Shipping
-Amazon:
-TigerDirect:
-MicroCenter:
I'm looking around those four sites so I can really get mid-to-high range quality products I want/need as cheap as I can.
1. What kind of Sound Card should I go for if I only plan on plugging in microphones and keyboards into MIDI? But is at least moderately good for helping me produce music to hear at home only?
2. I plan on SLI'ing this PC in the future, so is the EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB Fermi worth two together?
3. I don't know how much power supply I need, but I got an old Alienware OEM for 750 Watts, for around 3 years, should I just use that one instead?
4. Is my Computer Case decent, or recommend something much better, has a lot of fans and ventilation under or around 100$?
5. I found the Intel Core-i7 2600 Processor in Long Island NY, for around 250$, and compared to all other major venues of computer parts, its incredibly cheap. Should I purchase the i7-2600, or stay around the i5-2500?
This is what I compiled from a Micro-Center I'm going to purchase from definitely as well:
-----
Micro-Center/Westbury
Processors:
Intel Core i5 2500k LGA-1155: 179.99
Intel Core i5 2550K LGA-1155: 199.99
Intel Core i5 2400 LGA-1155: 149.99
Intel Core i7 2600 LGA-1155: 249.99
-----
6. I want to play games like Galactic Civilizations 2, Diablo 3, Starcraft 2, Syndicate, Witcher 2, Civilizations, Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 3 on medium-to-high graphics, going more for performance than sheer enthusiastic experiences. Am I ok?
7. Anyone know any great Motherboards to accommodate all this, but perhaps cheaper yet flexible?
Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.
This is what I had in mind thus far:
Computer Case: 1x Thermaltake VM600M1W2Z Dokker Tower Case - ATX, Mid-Tower, 3 x 5.25" Bays, 5 x 3.5" Bays, 7 x Expansion Slots, 2 x USB 2.0, Hard Drive Dock, Black
-TigerDirect: (39.99$) + (?) Shipping
Power supply:
-Newegg:
-TigerDirect:
Motherboard: 1x ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
-Newegg: (129.99$) + (7.99$) Shipping
Processor: 1x Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I52500
-Newegg: (209.99$) + Free Shipping
-Amazon: (194.99$) + (?) Shipping
-TigerDirect:
-MicroCenter: Other Core i5/i7’s at much cheaper prices than Newegg and Amazon.
Hard Drive: 3x Seagate HDD’s Varied GB’s (Computer-Used 2-4 Years)
CD/DVDRom: 1x ASUS 24X DVD Burner
-Newegg: (21.99$) + Shipping
Sound Card: 1x M-Audiophile 2496 Digital Recording Interface
-Newegg:
-Amazon: (58.32$) +
-TigerDirect:
-MicroCenter:
Video Card: 1x EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
-Newegg: (249.99$) + Free Shipping + Rebate (234.99$)
-Amazon: (229.99$) + (?) Shipping
RAM: 1x G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
-Newegg: (46.99$) + Free Shipping
-Amazon:
-TigerDirect:
-MicroCenter:
I'm looking around those four sites so I can really get mid-to-high range quality products I want/need as cheap as I can.
1. What kind of Sound Card should I go for if I only plan on plugging in microphones and keyboards into MIDI? But is at least moderately good for helping me produce music to hear at home only?
2. I plan on SLI'ing this PC in the future, so is the EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB Fermi worth two together?
3. I don't know how much power supply I need, but I got an old Alienware OEM for 750 Watts, for around 3 years, should I just use that one instead?
4. Is my Computer Case decent, or recommend something much better, has a lot of fans and ventilation under or around 100$?
5. I found the Intel Core-i7 2600 Processor in Long Island NY, for around 250$, and compared to all other major venues of computer parts, its incredibly cheap. Should I purchase the i7-2600, or stay around the i5-2500?
This is what I compiled from a Micro-Center I'm going to purchase from definitely as well:
-----
Micro-Center/Westbury
Processors:
Intel Core i5 2500k LGA-1155: 179.99
Intel Core i5 2550K LGA-1155: 199.99
Intel Core i5 2400 LGA-1155: 149.99
Intel Core i7 2600 LGA-1155: 249.99
-----
6. I want to play games like Galactic Civilizations 2, Diablo 3, Starcraft 2, Syndicate, Witcher 2, Civilizations, Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 3 on medium-to-high graphics, going more for performance than sheer enthusiastic experiences. Am I ok?
7. Anyone know any great Motherboards to accommodate all this, but perhaps cheaper yet flexible?
Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.