Need help choosing parts for a custom computer

[DashProject]

Having used budget computers all my life, I've been wanting to build a custom, relatively high end computer for myself within a set budget. I need this machine for my school as I am taking a 3D modeling class, and my laptop does not run the required programs properly. Perhaps more importantly I want all of the parts to be up-to-date, standard and with NO proprietary parts that are incompatible with everything else.

My budget is $2,000, preferably keeping it around $1,500 or lower but $2,000 is the max. I am a total newbie with no skill in building computers whatsoever, so after finding all of these parts on Newegg or some similar site, could you also recommend a good PC builder site for me to use?

Here are the parts I want suggestions/recommendations for:

• 2TB hard drive
• BD-ROM drive with CD-R and DVD-R support
• Enough RAM to play high-end games (not sure the exact gig amount)
• A processor fast enough to play high-end games and apps without freezing
• A high-end graphics card with support for modern games
• A high-end sound card which supports soundfonts
• Whatever motherboard is required to do all this
• The proper power supply
• A good PC case
• Any other components I'm missing?

Peripherals include:

• An HD monitor (doesn't have to be super-huge) with very good picture quality
• High-quality speakers with subwoofer
• Please recommend a good quality keyboard and mouse

 

[jokawild69]

cpu - Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz
Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor BX80605I5750

mobo - ASUS P7P55D-E Pro
Newegg.com - ASUS P7P55D-E Pro LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

ram - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3
Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL

psu - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

case - COOLER MASTER HAF 922
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

video - XFX HD-587X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5870
Newegg.com - XFX HD-587X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5870 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

drive - HP Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW
Newegg.com - HP Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA 24X Multiformat DVD Writer

mouse - Logitech G500
Newegg.com - Logitech G500 10 Buttons Dual-mode Scroll Wheel USB Wired Laser 5700 dpi Gaming Mouse

keyboard - Logitech G15
Newegg.com - Logitech G15 2-Tone 104 Normal Keys USB Wired Standard Gaming Keyboard

hdd - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

monitor - ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24"
Newegg.com - ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 (1000:1) Built-in Speakers

hey, this is a build i just came up with, im a noob myself but i've been learning things here and ther so plz bear with me.
for what you want to do 1tb will be more than enough memory to do your games and work on. you can oc the cpu for higher speeds but make sure that you have good airflow going through the system so you wont fry anything. the graphics card is a good model and will play pretty much anything you throw at it. the grand total for all of this would be around $1584. to be on the safe side get this build double checked to make sure it'll do what you want it to do

 

[DashProject]

hey, this is a build i just came up with, im a noob myself but i've been learning things here and ther so plz bear with me.
for what you want to do 1tb will be more than enough memory to do your games and work on. you can oc the cpu for higher speeds but make sure that you have good airflow going through the system so you wont fry anything. the graphics card is a good model and will play pretty much anything you throw at it. the grand total for all of this would be around $1584. to be on the safe side get this build double checked to make sure it'll do what you want it to do

Wow, thank you so much! I was worried I'd get a snarky/cynical comment from a so-called "expert" telling me my hopes are too high and nobody wants to help me, like on a lot of other forums. I was worried I was being too specific. You're obviously much less of a n00b than I am then.

I have some questions though. Do IR mice and keyboards require batteries, and if they do how long before they wear out? I don't want to constantly have to recharge my mouse and keyboard, but a lack of cords would be a huge plus. But also, does the IR frequency get disrupted by any other things I may have in my room? Sorry if I'm being a twit but I'm really desperate for a flawless or near-flawless computing experience and am trying to weed out as many potential FFFFUUUU- moments as possible.

Also where are the speakers? Can you recommend any good speakers? I'm a bit skeptical about built-in monitor speakers.

Also are 2TB hard drives very much more expensive?

 

[Smack]

I have literally got an identical mouse to that, except it looks a tiny bit different from the patterns on the top, and mine is also wireless. I bought it in Febuary and I've not had to change any batteries yet, though I have no real idea how long a lifespan these mice are meant to have. Suffice to say, this desktop is nearly always left on as it's the main family one that the printer is connected to, so people tend to come and go throughout the day and have it on for 14 hours a day usually, so it's been pretty decent to me so far. In regards to frequency disruption, I always have my Blackberry near the mouse, and have a TV about a meter away, and have never had any disruptions using the mouse, even when the TV starts to buzz if I'm getting a message on the Blackberry.

Hope my small experience helped, though I'm sure someone with more experience will come along and either prove me wrong, or agree with me. >.<

~ Smack

 

[ReikokuKo]

IR is line-of-sight so as long as there is a clear path between the mouse and the receiver you will be good. From the couple of wireless mice I've been through, the batteries last pretty long, you will forget that there are even batteries in there, but changing them is obviously inevitable. I'm pretty sure almost all the wireless mice has a power saving feature and they go into standby mode after prolonged inactivity.

Buying a cheaper CPU and OCing it is a good way of staying within your budget or redistributing that cash into upgrading another component further, but be careful and keep a close eye on temperatures and your fans.

As for help building it, there are plenty of websites on google but you can always ask questions here be sure to get a response.