Haven't built in a while...

[1vh1]

I am looking to build a computer for gaming and some CGI, photo/video editing. I want to stay under $1000


Case- Coolermaster Centurion 541
PSU- OCZ StealthXtream 700W
Mobo- Gigabyte GA-P55-USB3
CPU- i5-750 (or should I spring for a i7)
GPU- Sapphire HD5850
HDD- Whatever I can get cheap and is fast. I already have 1.5TB of external space.
RAM- OCZ Gold 6GB
Network- Belkin FD5F5000 Network card
Run-of-the-mill CD/DVD burner/reader.

It's been a while since i've set up the bios voltage and timing to optimize the RAM or whatever its purpose was, so that is going to be the hardest part in my build.

 

[Yami]

I would go for the i7, considering what you need this system for.

HDD- Whatever I can get cheap and is fast.

320GB or so is about the minimum you can buy if you want it to have decent performance.
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $55, one of the fastest consumer drives on the market. If you have the money, you could get a small SSD for the OS and programs, but if you're after cheap and fast they fail there They are insanely fast, though.

The OCZ is a bit of overkill, you could get away with 550W easily. As long as it has 500W and 2xPCI-E 6-pins, you'll meet the requirements.

The HD5850 could be overkill, but I'm not too knowledgeable about the application of ATi GPU power in CGI and photo/video editing.

Out of curiosity, why the network card? For the average power user the one(s) in the motherboard usually suffice.

Otherwise, everything is good.

 

[1vh1]

The reason for all the overkill is so I wont have to upgrade too often, as the GPU is already pretty good. And the OCZ 700W is coming in a combo pack from Newegg. From the reading I've done, a 800 series i7 isn't fast enough to justify the price difference of a 700 series i5. That reading could have been totally wrong though.

 

[Yami]

I didn't mean an 800-series one, I meant an i7-920 or -930. Would mean a different motherboard (LGA1336) But the i5 is still a good CPU if you don't want to go over budget, the i7 would just last you longer.

 

[1vh1]

Oh I see now. I'd love to be able to afford a 900 series i7! I think I will just have to stick with the i5 for now.

 

[PositiveKaram]

Oh I see now. I'd love to be able to afford a 900 series i7! I think I will just have to stick with the i5 for now.

Don't fret. The i5 is a great processor