Building a new computer

[Samuel Gray]

Hey guys,

I am going attempt to build a new computer the next few days and I am looking for some advise. Maybe some of you could post some of your computer specs or what you plan on getting as well. Here is what I have right now. All I am worried about is getting a decent cpu that I can play games on, photoshop, maya, some video editing, and all round good computer.

Here is what i have so far:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139004
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128392
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145260
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102864
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119188
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136167
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103680

As of right now it is at $608.92.

-GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard

-LG DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS50
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

-AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDZ550WFGIBOX

-COOLER MASTER Elite RC-331-KKN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

-SAPPHIRE 100283-2L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX4GX3M2A1600C9

[Brashen]

I suggest going with an i7 CPU a 920 will do you a world of good. Are you getting a new monitor as well?

[Samuel Gray]

Man, I already have a couple hp w2207 22'.

Here is what I think I will be getting right now. I am not sure about harddrive yet. I might take out some older ones from my other computers... not sure if that would be wise.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=14943008

-AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ955FBGIBOX - Retail

-CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 - Retail

-LG DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS50 - OEM

-GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

-Antec earthwatts EA500 500W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.0 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "Compatible ... - Retail

-COOLER MASTER Elite RC-331-KKN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

-XFX HD-487A-ZWFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

Total is $640.92 on newegg right now.

[Baron Impossible]

Don't skimp on harddrives. I recommend the Western Digital Velociraptors - they run cool and are very fast and aren't too expensive now. File operations are many times faster than on my old 7200 disks. I just put another in mine so I've got one for the OS, one for files and one for file backup. Then I back up to an external once a month too.

[ArtsySiridean]

One tidbit of advice. Buy stuff from http://www.pricewatch.com if you're able. Sometimes you'll find what you're looking for at a better deal.

Also, people swear by ASUS motherboards. It's up to you if you want to switch to one of those instead of the AMD.

[Samuel Gray]

Here is what I ended up getting for a solid $800.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371007
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103674
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129042
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150436
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136298
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136167
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128392
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145265
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116677

I didn't really need the 1tb hard drive so I ended up getting the 640 which is plenty. The black version is sold out but you can still get the green. Also, if you are thinking about buying windows 7, I would try doing the vista and free 7 upgrade making it cheaper. If you are thinking about video cards the radeon the 4870 is probably the best deal. There isn't a big jump between the 4870 and the 4890, but there is a bigger jump between 4850 and 4870.

[Jazz]

I got some great help from a CA member on building up my computer. It's still under a year old, but is still working great!

Used newegg.ca as well. They have great prices, and things got shipped to me VERY quickly!

What kind of audio card are you using? I have a Xonar one that works great! Have to still find out how to synchronize midi and audio but that's another tale.

I'll just say watch the size of your power supply with the case. I recall Dad and me putting the supply in my cassis. It...drove us mad...then we got the sucker in. O_O Also, watch the fan cables. You put one fan cable in the same place...yeesh, what an annoyance! *sigh*

I recall, with my Dell monitor (24"), my computer ended up being $1,800. That's a good price considering everything I got, though! Too lazy to find all the specs.