This is my first time building a PC, and I just want to make sure that all the parts mesh together well with a motherboard. I'm honestly kind of clueless on buying a motherboard right now, so what would you guys recommend given these specs?
Approximate Purchase Date: Sometime this month
Budget Range: $1000-1200 should be fine
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Watching Movies, surfing the internet/work
Parts Not Required: Keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS (currently Vista, but will upgrade to 7 sometime soon)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Generally Newegg, unless there are other trusted vendors with better deals
Country: U.S.
Parts Preferences: Generally prefer popular/trusted brands
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe
Monitor Resolution: 1600x900
Additional Comments: In the future, I may want to think about adding a SSD or RAID hard drive. Also, I'm on the fence about overclocking and SLI/Crossfire, but I want to have that option available for the future. I'm trying to make this as "future proof" as I can for the budget, so how would you guys estimate the lifespan of this computer based on these specs? Also, would/should I have to buy some extra cooling fans? Thanks a lot for taking time to help me with this.
CPU: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL
MOBO: I have no idea as of now.
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL
HSF: I'm not planning on OC any time soon, so I didn't pick one.
HDD: Prices are jacked up because of flooding, so I looked on Amazon instead of Newegg. I might look into buying a SSD in the future when prices drop.
Western Digital 1.5 TB Caviar Green SATA Intellipower 64 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive WD15EARS
PSU: I think 750W should suffice, right?
CORSAIR Professional Series HX750 (CMPSU-750HX) 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
GPU: I'm torn between
HIS IceQ X Turbo H695QNT2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
and
SAPPHIRE 100312-3SR Radeon HD 6950 Dirt3 Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
DVD:
ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM
Case:
Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Thermal Compound: Never used this before- should I really bother to pick one up?
Here are the specs on my current desktop that I know offhand, though it was a store model at a Staples, so there's no knowing how long this computer has been used before I even got it. Given that, I don't think there's a whole lot that I want to recycle.
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4800+
MOBO: Don't know offhand.
RAM: 3 GB (1 GB + 2 GB) DDR2 RAM
HDD: 320 GB
PSU: All I can remember is that it's either 350W or 450W
GPU: GeForce 9600GT
DVD: Some generic DVD/CD Lightscribe combo
Case: In-store Compaq Presario PC case- probably won't use this.
Again, thanks for taking the time to read this and for giving advice/information!
Approximate Purchase Date: Sometime this month
Budget Range: $1000-1200 should be fine
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Watching Movies, surfing the internet/work
Parts Not Required: Keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS (currently Vista, but will upgrade to 7 sometime soon)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Generally Newegg, unless there are other trusted vendors with better deals
Country: U.S.
Parts Preferences: Generally prefer popular/trusted brands
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe
Monitor Resolution: 1600x900
Additional Comments: In the future, I may want to think about adding a SSD or RAID hard drive. Also, I'm on the fence about overclocking and SLI/Crossfire, but I want to have that option available for the future. I'm trying to make this as "future proof" as I can for the budget, so how would you guys estimate the lifespan of this computer based on these specs? Also, would/should I have to buy some extra cooling fans? Thanks a lot for taking time to help me with this.
CPU: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL
MOBO: I have no idea as of now.
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL
HSF: I'm not planning on OC any time soon, so I didn't pick one.
HDD: Prices are jacked up because of flooding, so I looked on Amazon instead of Newegg. I might look into buying a SSD in the future when prices drop.
Western Digital 1.5 TB Caviar Green SATA Intellipower 64 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive WD15EARS
PSU: I think 750W should suffice, right?
CORSAIR Professional Series HX750 (CMPSU-750HX) 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
GPU: I'm torn between
HIS IceQ X Turbo H695QNT2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
and
SAPPHIRE 100312-3SR Radeon HD 6950 Dirt3 Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
DVD:
ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM
Case:
Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Thermal Compound: Never used this before- should I really bother to pick one up?
Here are the specs on my current desktop that I know offhand, though it was a store model at a Staples, so there's no knowing how long this computer has been used before I even got it. Given that, I don't think there's a whole lot that I want to recycle.
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4800+
MOBO: Don't know offhand.
RAM: 3 GB (1 GB + 2 GB) DDR2 RAM
HDD: 320 GB
PSU: All I can remember is that it's either 350W or 450W
GPU: GeForce 9600GT
DVD: Some generic DVD/CD Lightscribe combo
Case: In-store Compaq Presario PC case- probably won't use this.
Again, thanks for taking the time to read this and for giving advice/information!
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