My five-year-old desktop died spectacularly, so I've taken that as a sign that I need a new one. I haven't built a new system since the old desktop. So I'm quite rusty on all the new developments of the past few years and would like to get some feedback on my selection, or at least a second set of eyes to make sure I didn't overlook anything important. I would like to build a system that will give me a solid 4-5 years of life with upgrades along the way.
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Somewhere in the next two weeks. BUDGET RANGE: $1,600
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: A little bit of everything -- graphic design, multimedia (movies, music, etc. I don't own a TV), gaming, internet and home office work (I assume pretty much anything can do the last item these days).
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, Speakers, Mouse, OS.
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com
PARTS PREFERENCES: I prefer ASUS Motherboards and the i7 CPU.
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe, I would like to look into overclocking the system as it ages, but probably not on the initial build. SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes -- again, not on the initial build, I'm looking at the possibility of the second GPU when price drops / it becomes necessary to keep up with the games.
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: My last desktop sounded like a vacuum cleaner most of the time. I'd like something quieter this time around.
The current components that I'm looking at:
ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
newegg $280
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor
newegg $290
BFG Tech BFGEGTX2758960CE GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
newegg $250
Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
newegg $90
Corsair Dominator 6GB (3x2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory
newegg $166
Antec EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
newegg (Note: Comes in combo with case)
Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
newegg $205 (price includes power supply above)
Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R, 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R. . . its a DVD burner $25.
HP LP2475w Black 24" 6 ms (GTG); 12 ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 400 cd/m2 1000:1 w/ Height/Pivot/Swivel adjustments
newegg (I will probably purchase this item from a store with more lenient return policies than newegg). $555 on Newegg, not sure what price will be at the store.
Current Price Total $1,890
Okay, I promised questions:
(1) Simple Question: Have I missed anything? Have I picked out components that are compatible with one another?
(2) Will the stock fans, heatsinks, &c. that come with the case and CPU be sufficient to keep this system cool or will I need to look for additional cooling components?
(3) I have gone over budget by almost $300. I am wondering if it would be a good idea to try to skim the cost down in a few places. The possible cuts could be: RAM (either less, or a different type could drop the price by $100), the case (I've had bad experiences with cheap cases in the past -- and a lot of the slightly cheaper cases look gaudy with window panels &c), different video card, or different monitor (see 4). Would one of these be a good place to cut back, or should I just bite the extra expense?
(4) This is a two part question. (a) I've spent a long time trying to find a monitor that has good reviews for both graphic work, gaming, and is in my price range. Does anyone have any good experience with this monitor, or suggest alternative monitors that suit this combination of needs? (b) Atop this, I want a monitor that will function both as a desktop monitor and as a television for the purposes of hooking up game consoles. I've been assuming that a monitor with component or composite video input will work with my old game consoles (namely the playstation 2), but I've yet to read of anyone using their monitors for such. Have I assumed correctly that composite/component input means I can hook my old devices to the monitor?
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Somewhere in the next two weeks. BUDGET RANGE: $1,600
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: A little bit of everything -- graphic design, multimedia (movies, music, etc. I don't own a TV), gaming, internet and home office work (I assume pretty much anything can do the last item these days).
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, Speakers, Mouse, OS.
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com
PARTS PREFERENCES: I prefer ASUS Motherboards and the i7 CPU.
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe, I would like to look into overclocking the system as it ages, but probably not on the initial build. SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes -- again, not on the initial build, I'm looking at the possibility of the second GPU when price drops / it becomes necessary to keep up with the games.
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: My last desktop sounded like a vacuum cleaner most of the time. I'd like something quieter this time around.
The current components that I'm looking at:
ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
newegg $280
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor
newegg $290
BFG Tech BFGEGTX2758960CE GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
newegg $250
Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
newegg $90
Corsair Dominator 6GB (3x2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory
newegg $166
Antec EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
newegg (Note: Comes in combo with case)
Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
newegg $205 (price includes power supply above)
Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R, 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R. . . its a DVD burner $25.
HP LP2475w Black 24" 6 ms (GTG); 12 ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 400 cd/m2 1000:1 w/ Height/Pivot/Swivel adjustments
newegg (I will probably purchase this item from a store with more lenient return policies than newegg). $555 on Newegg, not sure what price will be at the store.
Current Price Total $1,890
Okay, I promised questions:
(1) Simple Question: Have I missed anything? Have I picked out components that are compatible with one another?
(2) Will the stock fans, heatsinks, &c. that come with the case and CPU be sufficient to keep this system cool or will I need to look for additional cooling components?
(3) I have gone over budget by almost $300. I am wondering if it would be a good idea to try to skim the cost down in a few places. The possible cuts could be: RAM (either less, or a different type could drop the price by $100), the case (I've had bad experiences with cheap cases in the past -- and a lot of the slightly cheaper cases look gaudy with window panels &c), different video card, or different monitor (see 4). Would one of these be a good place to cut back, or should I just bite the extra expense?
(4) This is a two part question. (a) I've spent a long time trying to find a monitor that has good reviews for both graphic work, gaming, and is in my price range. Does anyone have any good experience with this monitor, or suggest alternative monitors that suit this combination of needs? (b) Atop this, I want a monitor that will function both as a desktop monitor and as a television for the purposes of hooking up game consoles. I've been assuming that a monitor with component or composite video input will work with my old game consoles (namely the playstation 2), but I've yet to read of anyone using their monitors for such. Have I assumed correctly that composite/component input means I can hook my old devices to the monitor?
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