Help with my core i5 build

[lekki]

Hi all, I'm trying to save money on a core i5 build and I don't have that much experience on all these new components.

I'll be using my pc for the following:
Media streaming
Photoshop CS4
Illustrator CS4
Blue-ray movies
Music and general home entertainment
I don't anticipate any gaming except maybe an mmorpg at some point if I fancy(low probability)

Here are the components on my list which I'll start buying next month:
1/. Memory - G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory.

2/. Case - RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WBP Black 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Foldout MB Computer Case With 500W Power Supply

3/. Motherboard - ASRock P55 Extreme LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard

4/. GPU - SAPPHIRE 100258-1GHDMI Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card or HIS H575FN1GD Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

5/. CPU - Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor

6/. HD - 2x Western Digital Caviar Blue WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

7/. Windows 7 64bit.

I chose the lynnfield as opposed to the clarkdale since I'm buying a graphics card anyway.
Does the HDMI port on my GPU support audio?
Are any of the components overkill?

I really don't like burning money so all the help would be appreciated!

Cheers guys!

 

[MadAdmiral]

RAM: That's a triple channel kit. You need dual channel (2 sticks). Look for the same specs in 2x2 GB.

Case/PSU: Not a fan of RAIDMAX, especially their PSUs. I would get an Antec 300 Illusion and an OCZ StealthXStream 700W.

Mobo: ASRock is kind of a cheap option. Not saying it's bad, but it is a budget builder.

GPU: Neither of those. HD 5770. It's a lot better than the 5750 and only slightly more expensive (like $20)

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3. Either 500 GB or 1 TB. They're faster, quieter, cooler and cheaper/GB.

The GPU's HDMI supports audio IF you get the 5xxx series.

Nothing's overkill, but some things are certainly underkill...

 

[lekki]

RAM: That's a triple channel kit. You need dual channel (2 sticks). Look for the same specs in 2x2 GB.

Case/PSU: Not a fan of RAIDMAX, especially their PSUs. I would get an Antec 300 Illusion and an OCZ StealthXStream 700W.

Mobo: ASRock is kind of a cheap option. Not saying it's bad, but it is a budget builder.

GPU: Neither of those. HD 5770. It's a lot better than the 5750 and only slightly more expensive (like $20)

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3. Either 500 GB or 1 TB. They're faster, quieter, cooler and cheaper/GB.

The GPU's HDMI supports audio IF you get the 5xxx series.

Nothing's overkill, but some things are certainly underkill...

Thanks for the quick reply MadAdmiral.
What would you recommend for the mobo then?

 

[MadAdmiral]

My favorite recommendation is the Asus P7P55D-E Pro. It's expensive at $190, but great for future proofing. Really, I would just look for any Asus, Gigabyte, MSI or EVGA board that has PCIe 2.0 slots at 8x/8x.

 

[jwhite0000]

MadAdmiral, I'm looking to build a similar system (i5-750). Just looking to see what's available. I was really eyeing the asrock just because I didn't want to spend loads of money. What's the difference between the PCIe 2.0 x16/x8 like the asrock and x8/x8? I would think x16/x8 is better? I'll be sticking with my NVidia 8800GT for now on my video card with a possibility of running SLI with another 8800GT. I only play occasional games.

 

[MadAdmiral]

There isn't a difference between 16x/8x and 8x/8x. The slots will only operate as fast as the slowest one. The reason I don't recommend ASRock is that they're not exactly high quality boards.

 

[george2005]

I like this MOBO too which has SATA 6Gb/s and USB 3.0 for the future. Does it still have the noise issue that most users complained?

 

[MadAdmiral]

I have no idea. I hadn't heard any solid about that. It is reported in user reviews, which automatically make it unreliable.