need some general help and advice on what parts to get for a new powerful PC

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Santuzzo

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Hi, I'm a total PC-noob, but I need a new machine, which I will primarily use for music home recoridng. But that does not mean that I'd never ever want to play a good game on it.

I have been looking around and doing research on the internet a lot, but it's getting more and mroe confusing to me.

I don't really have a fixed budget, I saved money, so I am willing to pay what I need to in order to get a really good and powerful PC. But as a rough idea, I'd be willing to spend maybe soemthing like 1000-1500 Euro (about 1500-2000US$).
But that does not mean that I would not be happy to spend less if less will get me there, too.

I have so many quesiton: which processor? core 2 or i7?
I have seen the lowest i7 does not cost much more than one of the higher core 2 quads.
Would my system have more potential for future upgrades in general if I got i7? Is that correct or am I wrong?

What motherboard should I get?
Here also I want something that leaves lots of potential for future upgrades. I also do want firewire and the possibility of wireless internet.

How about case?
Power supply? How many watts will I need?

I do know I want two hard discs (porbably 2 1TB discs).

I also want one or two CD/DVD rom writers.

I will get an external audio interface, which I will connect either via USB2.0 or Firewire.

Graphics card? Would something like a EVGA GeForce 9800GT be good for an occasional gamer?

Oh, and since I want to use the PC for music home-recording, it shoud be not too noisy, so it would be great if the power supply and the coolers are not maknig too much noise.

I'd be very thankful for suggestions and advice on all these questions.

also, is there something important I left out?


Thanks very much!


Lars

Anybody who could give me some advice?
I'm in a dilemma over what processor to get: core 2 quad or i7 920.

I hear some people say it's too soon to buy i7 sicne they will be much cheaper in a few months, but then when comparing prices, I see that the i7 920 is not much more than one of the better core 2 quads.
And I'm worried about not having upgrade options in a few years when I get core 2 now.
Does this make any sense?
 
you are correct, core 2 quad is nearing it's end
since you are using it for home music recording, I'd assume you want the i7 for faster audio compiling/ conversion speeds
the i7 920 is not much more than the top end core 2 quads but price on ddr3 ram and the X58 motherboards adds up quickly

I guess the 9800GT is "okay", might want to grab the 9800GTX+ or HD 4850 if you want the eye candy :)

DVD burners have been out a long time, they're optimized enough already so I'd just go with which ever is cheaper.

for power supplies, I prefer 80+ certified units, look for the AMPs on the 12V rails, not by watts, watts can be very misleading
also check out the power supply guide to see which companies are good and which ones are bad
 
you are correct, core 2 quad is nearing it's end
since you are using it for home music recording, I'd assume you want the i7 for faster audio compiling/ conversion speeds

I guess the 9800GT is "okay" might want to grab the 9800GTX+ or HD 4850 if you want the eye candy :)

DVD burners have been out a long time, they're optimized enough already so I'd just go with which ever is cheaper.

for power supplies, I prefer 80+ certified units, look for the AMPs on the 12V rails, not by watts, watts can be very misleading
also check out the power supply guide to see which companies are good and which ones are bad

Thanks !
So, you would also recommend i7 for processor?
If yes, what motherboard would you recommend that has the right socket (1366??) for an i7?

What is an 80+ certified unit?
 
I have not considered venturing into i7 yet

so haven't read much reviews on the 1366 boards

only ones I have read are the asus rampage 2 extreme and the evga branded one, both with good reviews :p

80+ certified---> The 80 PLUS Program | Home
basically are power supplies that are certified to have 80% or better efficiency
power supplies does not convert all of the watts they draw from the power outlet, anything not converted is wasted/ turned to heat
it can be good if you live in a cold place I suppose, but bad for electronics
 
i would totaly recommend a 4870 best bang for the buck
if i were u i would go i7 just so it will be upgradeable in the future
 
I have not considered venturing into i7 yet

so haven't read much reviews on the 1366 boards

only ones I have read are the asus rampage 2 extreme and the evga branded one, both with good reviews :p

80+ certified---> The 80 PLUS Program | Home
basically are power supplies that are certified to have 80% or better efficiency

Thanks ! I will look into that!
I guess from what I have heard/read, with an Asus motherboard I can not go wrong!:)
 
I am not sure if the rampage 2 extreme is for you though

better wait for someone else to give recommendation on the motherboard

make sure the hard drives and dvd burners are SATA, and not IDE
 
i would totaly recommend a 4870 best bang for the buck
if i were u i would go i7 just so it will be upgradeable in the future

Thanks!

So, should I get i7 920? all the other ones are too more than I'd want to spend.

What is 4870?

I am not sure if the rampage 2 extreme is for you though

better wait for someone else to give recommendation on the motherboard

make sure the hard drives and dvd burners are SATA, and not IDE

Is the Rampage extreme 2 more of a motherboard suitable for gaming?

It's not that I don't wanna do games at all, it's just not the primary use of the PC.
 
If your budget can fit a core i7 I recommend it.

Thanks !

If I was gonna spend like 1500 euro (which would be about 2000 US$), would that fit a good i7 equipped PC?
Keeping in mind that PC related stuff is a bit more expensive in Europe, to give you an idea:
A intel core i7 920 processor will be about 390,- US$ over here, and
an Asus Rampage II Extreme, s 1366, will be about 440,- US$ here.

I am still in a dilemma about core 2 vs i7.

The thing is, I doubt I will ever need something as powerful as even a cire 2 quad, but I do want to have an upgradable system.
If I go for core 2 with the socket 775, I will have to buy a new mobo, cpu and ram when I want to upgrade later, right?
 
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