Need Help Building a Easily Upgradeable PC

[mcchowder]

I've posted in the past about building my first PC, but decided to get a laptop. Huge mistake, cuz this laptop's video card sucks. Anyways, this time I am going to build my first own PC for sure. My main goal is to build a rig that is easily upgradeable so that I save money in the long-run (i.e. buying the cheapest LGA 1366 processor so I can upgrade it later for super-cheap). I will use this PC for playing games like Dragon-Age: Origins, and web-surfing.

I would like a Micro-tower case since I would only be using a HD, DVD RW, Wireless Network Card, Video Card. Having a bigger case seems unpractical since I won't use the extra drives/slots.

I was thinking about using a LGA 1366 MOBO because the new i9's will be using this socket size. Then again, maybe I should consider an AMD since i hear they usually keep the same size CPUs.

I was thinking about buying a high wattage PSU since I assume that PSU's do not go obsolete, and I could probably use this first PSU for many years.

Of course, I have many more questions, but this would be a great starting point. I'm probably gonna buy all my parts online on Black Friday. I have no budget, but would prefer to spend $750 to $1250.

 

[Druid]

$459 - Cpu + mobo: Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!
$165 - GPU: Newegg.com - MSI R4890 CYCLONE Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
$115 - Ram: Newegg.com - OCZ Obsidian Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model OCZ3OB1600LV6GK - Desktop Memory
$120 - PSU: Newegg.com - Antec CP-850 850W Continuous Power CPX SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC "compatible with Core i7" Power Supply - Power Supplies
$65 - HDD: Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$29 - Optical: Newegg.com - LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW SATA CD/DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners
$55 - Case: Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh bezel / SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

That comes to $1008 after the MIR. There is quite some value in them, so make sure you fill em out. As it stands, there is room in your budget for a 5850 or 5870, but they are out of stock atm on the egg. I would recommend getting one of them if you could instead of the 4890.

You could look around and try to find them somewhere else.

And yeah, fitting a graphics card in a micro case isn't going to be fun. Stick with a mid-tower.

 

[mcchowder]

Thanks for the reply. That comment about using a Mid-Tower case is extremely helpful.

Should I go with an AMD Processor (for upgradability and price)?

Should I learn to overclock the processor?

Should I get an SAS HD for speed?

Do PSU get out of date? If no, then should I buy a really good one so that I don't have the upgrade it in the future?

Sorry, for all the questions, but I want to make the best decision since I will be pouring in alot of money for this.

FYI, I'm buying Windows 7 Home Premium ($104) and an HD monitor ($150), So that is $254 already spent.

 

[Druid]

In your price range there is no reason to go AMD. If you want to save money you can go i5. With the current setup, you can easily upgrade to i9.

Learning to OC isn't a bad idea but definitely not necessary.

A standard HDD is fine.

PSU's don't really get out of date very quickly, but things start to require more power over time. The psu I listed is more than sufficient for running two graphics cards, so you have nothing to worry about if you choose to do so.

 

[kmote]

Should I get an SAS HD for speed?

A standard HDD is fine.

^True but also SAS drives require an SAS controller.

 

[Talisman00]

Since they guys were helping me with a similar build last night/today I thought I'd mention that the PSU Druid suggested does not fit in the case he selected. Just my 2 cents

 

[Muffin Man]

yea, i just saw your build Druid, and i was going to point out that the cp-850w psu currently only fits in the antec 1200, antec p183, and antec p193 cases.

the corsair 750tx should work well for this though, plus its $10 cheaper upfront.

and i agree that at your price range, an i5/i7 build would be better.

 

[Druid]

Oh my bad. Sorry.

 

[mcchowder]

I was comparing different builds, and realized that the ideal build I want will cost me $1,425. I figured that I could settle with a socket 775 build (and upgrade to the best CPU for the MOBO in a year), since I don't use my PC for heavy tasks. What do you guys think of this build?

Acer V223-WBD 22" Widescreen TFT LCD Monitor
MS Keyboard & Mouse
Windows 7 Home Premium OEM
Western Digital 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" HD
SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner
ASUS P5N-D LGA 775
Intel Core2 Duo E7500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz LGA 775 65W
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
EVGA 512-P3-N954-TR GeForce 9500 GT 512MB
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW
Rosewill Green Series RG700-S12 700W

Total=$870

 

[Yami]

Better to go for the E8*00 series than an E7500. However since S775 is old now, you'll have a lot of trouble upgrading it in a year's time. Go with an i7; that gives you a good amount of power now and upgradeability in the future to the i9s, as Druid mentioned earlier.

Also, not a very good idea to go with Rosewill for the PSU, go for a higher-quality brand like Corsair, CoolerMaster, OCZ, BFG, we have a list of recommended.
And, 9500GT is a terrible gaming card. Because it's not designed for gaming, it's just an integrated graphics replacement.
P5N-D is a good board though, I used to have it.

You'd be much better off going with a build which folks here put together.