First PC Build...Opinions?

C

CaliGirl

Gawd
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Messages
803
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Mostly photo editing with CS4 and Lightroom 2 but also some moderate FPS gaming..

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I don't have a hard set budget. Right now I'm thinking I'd like to stay around $1500

3) Where do you live?
Los Angeles, CA

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
I need every single component

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
The only thing I have is a NIB BFG Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT OC 512MB GDDR3 video card. Model # BFGR88512GTOCE. I am not sure if I want to use it or buy something else.

6) Will you be overclocking?
I am not sure, but I would like the option later down the road.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
I have on order 2 Dell 2209WA's

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within the next month

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
Ample room for RAM upgrades, stability..

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
No.

These are the parts I've priced out. Please let me know what you think? Thank you.

--ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard $269.99
--Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor $279.99
--Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $118.99
--OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) $109.99
--For OS and AppsWestern Digital Caviar SE WD3200AAJS 320GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM $49.99
--1 For Photos/Music/Docs and 1 for Backup, Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM $104.99 x 2= $209.98
--Corsair TX CMPSU-750TX ATX12V & EPS12V Power Supply $95.74
--SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R $25.99
--nMEDIAPC ZE-C68 All-in-one USB 2.0 Card Reader w/ USB Port $9.99
--Microsoft SideWinder X6 Black Keyboard $64.99
--Logitech G5 $44.99
--Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit $99.99

If I were to use the video card I have, I'd be at around $1200 +/- shipped with taxes. If I were to get a different card, I'd probably get this EVGA 01G-P3-1281-AR GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 $349.99. This would put me at the edge of my estimated budget providing that I did leave any other key parts out.

I want this to last me for at least a few years without needing to upgrade anything other than maybe to add a few more sticks of RAM or another HD.

So, what do you think?
 
Only thing I would change myself, is to use Win 7 Beta/RC and then get the retail instead of getting Vista.
 
Sell the 8800GT. It's inadequate for gaming on one 22" monitor, let alone two. Go with the GTX 280, (Radeon) HD4890, or (if you don't mind medium visual settings) the GTX 260. As an aside, video cards are the fastest depreciating components around, since there is such a more frequent turnover rate of the high-end cards (somewhere between every 6-12 months).

I suggest keeping the Vista Home Premium as your OS option. I don't know how long the Windows 7 Beta/RC will last, yet alone when the final, commercial version(s) will be released to the public.

Get a cheaper set of RAM, like the G.Skill DDR3 1600 kit. Tight timings offer virtually no performance benefit over faster RAM speeds, especially if you plan on overclocking the processor. Speaking of which, you might as well get a decent CPU cooler now -- it will be one less thing to buy later. Four good options are the Xigmatek Dark Knight-S1283V, the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme 1366 RT, the Noctua NH-U12P SE1366, and the Cooler Master V8.

One of your WD Caviar Black 1TB hard drives would be faster and perform better than the 320GB drive that you chose for yourself. For an OS drive, consider the WD Caviar Black 640GB drive; it is only about 10% slower than the VelociRaptor HDD.
 
I received the last of my parts today. I have to say, I am impressed with newegg's shipping. I had read bad reviews about their 3 day UPS free shipping. Horror stories of battered boxes and damaged goods. But everything I ordered arrived well packaged and undamaged. Not even a dent in the boxes. Maybe my UPS guy just likes me ;) I was especially excited to see that the Asus P6T V2 Deluxe I ordered yesterday, arrived today along with 2 other components I ordered on Sunday. Most parts were ordered from newegg, but whatever I could find on amazon, I bought from there to save the tax and get 2 day fedex free shipping.

Here's my final list, prices including tax and shipping:

--ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard $305.89
--Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor $279.99
--Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $139.39
--OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) $86.91
--Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM $74.99
--Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM $99.99 x 2= $199.98
--PC Power & Cooling S75CF 750W $101.91
--LG 22X DVD+R $30.77
--LG GGC-H20L Blu-Ray/HD DVD Combo Drive $109.99
--nMEDIAPC ZE-C68 All-in-one USB 2.0 Card Reader w/ USB Port $31.38
--Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit $105.77

Total: $1,466.97

Now all that's left is the build....:D
 
Living in the LA area has its advantages. Whenever I order from Newegg, I usually get everything within 1 business day so UPS doesn't have time to throw around the packages as much.

Did you decide to stick with your 8800 or did you get another video card?

Good luck with building!
 
Danny Bui said:
Nice. Post some pics of the build if you can :)
Click to expand...

Will do....

PC_User said:
Living in the LA area has its advantages. Whenever I order from Newegg, I usually get everything within 1 business day so UPS doesn't have time to throw around the packages as much.

Did you decide to stick with your 8800 or did you get another video card?

Good luck with building!
Click to expand...

Getting items quickly is an advantage, the sales tax from newegg to ship to CA is not....

I'm sticking with my 8800 until I see if it really does need to be upgraded. No sense in spending more money if it's not necessary. I could always find something else to spend it on.
 
Wow, I'm surprised this thread doesn't have like 10 pages of replies, lol.

I hate it when you order from Newegg, but it ships from NJ or TN. :( and you STILL have to pay sales tax! :mad:

Nice rig... the 8800GT should be fine depending on the games you play. Speaking of which, what FPS games do you play? ... oh and yes, pics plz.

No aftermarket cooler?!? so not [H].
 
enginurd said:
Wow, I'm surprised this thread doesn't have like 10 pages of replies, lol.

I hate it when you order from Newegg, but it ships from NJ or TN. :( and you STILL have to pay sales tax! :mad:

Nice rig... the 8800GT should be fine depending on the games you play. Speaking of which, what FPS games do you play? ... oh and yes, pics plz.

No aftermarket cooler?!? so not [H].
Click to expand...

Well, I've never really played pc games. Mostly just console games...I imagine I'd play the same sort: CoD and the like.

I was going to buy the CoolerMaster V8 but was advised that I should wait to see how the stock heatsink does. Since this is my first PC build I will follow the wise advise of my father-in-law, as he builds all of his own rigs for personal and work [he's a sound editor-worked on Star Trek!] use.
 
enginurd said:
No aftermarket cooler?!? so not [H].
Click to expand...

She'll get around to it if she will be overclocking. If not, there's no real need to get it. A major advantage, however, would be to cool the CPU since it gets so hot here in Cali. My ambient room temp often causes my i7 idle temps to reach 46-47*C on a hot day.
 
Stock should suffice if you're not OC'ing.

As Danny has mentioned and you replied to already, I'm anxious also of the assembly build.

"I imagine I'd play the same sort: CoD and the like."

What's your name going to be for online mode? let's play with eachother sometime. :)

Notice you are new to this forum, so on behalf of members here I welcome you to the [H] Base. :cool:
 
Everett1 said:
Stock should suffice if you're not OC'ing.

As Danny has mentioned and you replied to already, I'm anxious also of the assembly build.

"I imagine I'd play the same sort: CoD and the like."

What's your name going to be for online mode? let's play with eachother sometime. :)

Notice you are new to this forum, so on behalf of members here I welcome you to the [H] Base. :cool:
Click to expand...

Thanks for the welcome! I like it here already :)
 
Is that an 8800GT/GTS/GTX or Ultra you are sticking with? Honestly I'd at least get a 260 Core 216. Good price and great performance. I'm sure there are some nice deals floating around on NewEgg.
 
Proxy said:
Is that an 8800GT/GTS/GTX or Ultra you are sticking with? Honestly I'd at least get a 260 Core 216. Good price and great performance. I'm sure there are some nice deals floating around on NewEgg.
Click to expand...

8800 GT OC 512MB.

I've been keeping my eye out for a deal. I'm sure I'll update the card at some point, but for now-I'm sure it'll suffice.
 
An 8800GT is fine for your purposes at first. People always go overkill with their GPUs here. You can keep your 8800GT till the DX11 gpus come out. I wouldn't buy one now.
 
Built my pc last night....typing from it now. It took a while considering it was my first time, but everything went pretty smooth. Only hitch was the internal card reader I bought didn't fit in the floppy drive slot of my P182. That was a little frustrating, but overall the experience was very satisfying. I'll post a few photos in a little bit. I just wanted to thank all the help I got from here.... :)
 
As promised, here are a few photos from my build...

-All the pieces
3547644407_03c044355c_b.jpg

-Asus P6T V2 Deluxe
3547643853_4f306769d0_b.jpg

-Intel Stock fan on mobo
3547643303_bed0c08119_b.jpg

-GPU
3547642559_c14656351f_b.jpg

-The finished puzzle
3547641823_5135eb5d03_b.jpg
 
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I have a 955BE and an 8800GT and games like FarCry2, TF2, Left 4 Dead, and Fallout 3 play great at 1680x1050 with high settings. There's little reason that I can see to upgrade to any card out right now while the 8800GT can still perform so well.


Nice wiring job, btw. Everyone seems to have cleaner setups with the P180 series cases than me :D
 
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