HELP! First time building a PC

[robertb]

Okay, I'm going to build a PC from scratch for the first time in my life. This PC is going to be a high-end PC for gaming, web browsing, multi-tasking and pretty much anything you can do on a computer. I have already chosen most of the parts which I will be using and I have made sure they all work together; at least I think they do. I have made a list of the components for my future PC and put them on a blog here: <snipped>. You can see from the blog that I'm not 100% sure on some things. For example, I have 4 CPU's, 4 GPU's and 9 mobos listed. I guess what I want to know is what components do you think I should use and what components do you think I should change (suggest alternative parts) and give reasoning (don't just say the best because I probably can't afford it in my budget). I have a very vague budget of $2000 it can go a little higher if needs be..

Note: If there is an asterisk (*) next to a part in the blog this means I am more prone to buying that part simply because I like it. The more asterisks next to a part, the more likely I am going to buy that part for my future PC.

Well that's about it, a big Thank You to everyone who helps. =]

I have updated my blog! (clear your cache if you opened my blog before i updated it)

 

[Spit-wad]

Almost everyone here will tell you to get a 4850, 4870, or 4870x2, depending on your budget.
8800GT has already become a previous generation model, and the new ATI cards have been performing very nicely.

 

[robertb]

Almost everyone here will tell you to get a 4850, 4870, or 4870x2, depending on your budget.
8800GT has already become a previous generation model, and the new ATI cards have been performing very nicely.

Great, thanks for the tip but keep them coming. I need help in other areas such as the CPU and mobo.

 

[philbar71]

get a p45 mobo and a q9550. what's your budget?

 

[robertb]

get a p45 mobo and a q9550. what's your budget?

Budget is around $2000. Check my blog first because I have listed a lot of p45 mobo's. Thanks

<snipped>

the q550 is a bit expensive =\ that will take away a quarter of my budget nearly

 

[Redmo0n]

Are you buying from Newegg?

Go for:

Motherboard: Newegg.com - BIOSTAR TPower I45 LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

or

Newegg.com - ASUS P5Q Deluxe LGA 775 Intel P45 Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards


Video card: Newegg.com - HIS Hightech H487F512P Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Processor: Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

Cooler: Newegg.com - XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

Hard drive: Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

RAM: Newegg.com - OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

or

Newegg.com - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

PSU: Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies



Alright. I listed two motherboards since both the boards i listed are great, but most people prefer the Asus because of the trusted brand.

The 4870 is a great card and should perform excellent on any game, even at full settings.

The q6600 is a basic quad core and has good price/performance and can be overclocked to 3.0ghz and higher. If you do not plan to overclock then i recommend looking at a chip with a higher stock setting like a q9450 or a dual core like the E8500.

The XIGMATEK Rifle is a great cooler that i have heard lots of people on these forums recommend, the cooler you listed on your blog probably won't perform anywhere near this.

The hard drive i listed is the best 7200RPM drive you can get (Fastest). If you wanted more space you could always pick up 2.

I listed 2 types of RAM because 4 gig is starting to become standard these days and your rig is high end and would benefit more from 4gig. If you do choose 4gig then you will need a 64 bit operating system, i recommend Vista Home Premium 64BIT.

Lastly the psu brand Corsair make awesome Power supplies. With power supplies, a common misconception is that the measurement for them is Watts. Really the true measurement is the AMPS on the 12v Rail, which the 750tx has plenty of even for future upgrades. You could probably go with a cheaper version with less amps/watts, but the 750vx will have you set for any future upgrades and will be enough if you want to Crossfire another 4870 in the future.

Hope that cleared up some questions.

 

[robertb]

Are you buying from Newegg?

Go for:

Motherboard: Newegg.com - BIOSTAR TPower I45 LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

or

Newegg.com - ASUS P5Q Deluxe LGA 775 Intel P45 Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards


Video card: Newegg.com - HIS Hightech H487F512P Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Processor: Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

Cooler: Newegg.com - XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

Hard drive: Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

RAM: Newegg.com - OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

or

Newegg.com - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

PSU: Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies



Alright. I listed two motherboards since both the boards i listed are great, but most people prefer the Asus because of the trusted brand.

The 4870 is a great card and should perform excellent on any game, even at full settings.

The q6600 is a basic quad core and has good price/performance and can be overclocked to 3.0ghz and higher. If you do not plan to overclock then i recommend looking at a chip with a higher stock setting like a q9450 or a dual core like the E8500.

The XIGMATEK Rifle is a great cooler that i have heard lots of people on these forums recommend, the cooler you listed on your blog probably won't perform anywhere near this.

The hard drive i listed is the best 7200RPM drive you can get (Fastest). If you wanted more space you could always pick up 2.

I listed 2 types of RAM because 4 gig is starting to become standard these days and your rig is high end and would benefit more from 4gig. If you do choose 4gig then you will need a 64 bit operating system, i recommend Vista Home Premium 64BIT.

Lastly the psu brand Corsair make awesome Power supplies. With power supplies, a common misconception is that the measurement for them is Watts. Really the true measurement is the AMPS on the 12v Rail, which the 750tx has plenty of even for future upgrades. You could probably go with a cheaper version with less amps/watts, but the 750vx will have you set for any future upgrades and will be enough if you want to Crossfire another 4870 in the future.

Hope that cleared up some questions.

Whoa. Thanks sooo much! You've given me all the help I could get. =] i know exactly what i'm going to use for my computer now.

EDIT: ooh you're from perth. I'm from brissy =] - i don't think i've heard of newegg before, is it like an ebay for computer parts? (do you need a cc or can you use cash)

 

[lukas]

Newegg is just a website to buy computer parts from its not rly like ebay since you dont bid on items and all the items are brand new except the open-box's.

 

[veg1992]

Well he can't exactly use Newegg unless he uses that site to order of Newegg and have it ship to US

 

[lukas]

I didnt say he could use it? he asked what is was so i explained :S