Hi, I decided that I'm going to build a PC for the first time, and was looking for advice on my setup. I've been using my current PC for the past 6 years and am hoping to make another one that can last a long time with minimal upgrades. My immediate concern is that it is capable of running World of Warcraft at max settings with no lag, maybe Fallout 3, and later down the road Diablo 3. I know WoW isn't the most hardware intensive game, however I have been considering doing some 5-boxing (running 5 instances of the game client at once), so I would like PC that can do that with minimal lag. My budget is $1250~1500. I'm located in the USA and was probably going to use Newegg, I've checked a couple other sites like Zipzoomfly and ewiz.com but it seems to have lower prices. I don't really have any brand preferences, I just care about what gives me the most bang for my buck. I'm not going to be recycling any parts aside from the keyboard and mouse from my old machine. I also don't really want to overclock anything as it might cause the part to fail sooner, although it is an option once the PC starts to fall behind the technology curve. I would like to have it built soon, within the next couple weeks at least.
Here are the choices I made on the hardware:
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail ($300)
MSI X58 Platinum LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail ($220)
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9T-6GBNQ - Retail ($170)
MSI N260GTX-T2D896 OC GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail ($200)
Antec EA650 650W ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail ($60)
SCEPTRE X24WG-1080P Black 24" 2ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail ($280)
LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM ($18)
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM ($100)
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD - OEM ($100)
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail ($50)
Total: $1498
Since I'm going to be running 5 WoW clients I feel a quad core CPU would be best. Also, in a few years I'm sure most software will be designed to take advantage of multi core CPUs, so the more cores the better. I thought an i7 would be good, and because I don't want to completely blow my budget on the processor it leaves me with the only option of a 920. As for the motherboard, I just went with the cheapest one with an LGA 1366 socket.
For RAM I decided a 3x2GB kit would be because IMO 1 gig is a minimum requirement for running WoW, so 5 clients = 5 gigs, with 1 gig extra for Vista. And since I want the computer to last a while it gives me 3 more slots for upgrading, fortunately the motherboard I chose has 6 slots and can go up to 24 gigs. The speed is only DDR3 1333 but I don't think I need to be overly concerned about memory speed.
With the video card, I was unsure what would be the best choice. I didn't feel I needed to spend a ton of money on getting the best one, but I didn't want to get a cheap one either. I know SLI might seem better suited for running multiple WoW instances but since I want the computer to last beyond when I stop playing WoW I feel having just one good graphics card would be a better choice. Also, WoW isn't as intensive on graphics instensive as it is on memory and CPU. So after reading some posts I think a GeForce 260 GTX would give me the best bang for my buck, while being able to last for a while when I move on to other games.
For the power supply I noticed a few threads that recommended the Antec EA650 PSU, and the price seemed pretty good so its my current choice. I'm not sure exactly how much power the system will use, I used a PSU calculator that estimated around 400W, but I wouldn't mind having some extra breathing room in case I decide to upgrade. Only negative thing I've read is that its noisy from a couple reviews, but others say it isn't.
As for the monitor, I wanted a 24" with a 16:10 ratio. Built in speakers would also be nice because I mostly use headphones but when I want to play something to someone else they are good to have, plus its less desk clutter and I don't really care about the sound quality in those circumstances. However I've read mixed reviews about the Sceptre X24WG, which does concern me.
The rest of the stuff is mostly self explainatory. I'm clueless on which case to get though. I'd prefer a smaller one (Micro ATX isn't an option however), but I definately don't want to risk not having enough space for the hardware, especially if I might upgrade components somewhere down the line. I chose the Cooler Master case because it was pretty cheap and had good reviews.
I would appreciate any advice on the parts I chose, particularly the ones I'm unsure about like the PSU, graphics card, case, and monitor. And even though I'm willing to go up to $1500 on parts, if anything seems to be more than I require then I would be okay with buying something cheaper. But I really don't want to go above $1500 if possible. Thanks a lot.
Here are the choices I made on the hardware:
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail ($300)
MSI X58 Platinum LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail ($220)
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9T-6GBNQ - Retail ($170)
MSI N260GTX-T2D896 OC GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail ($200)
Antec EA650 650W ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail ($60)
SCEPTRE X24WG-1080P Black 24" 2ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail ($280)
LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM ($18)
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM ($100)
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD - OEM ($100)
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail ($50)
Total: $1498
Since I'm going to be running 5 WoW clients I feel a quad core CPU would be best. Also, in a few years I'm sure most software will be designed to take advantage of multi core CPUs, so the more cores the better. I thought an i7 would be good, and because I don't want to completely blow my budget on the processor it leaves me with the only option of a 920. As for the motherboard, I just went with the cheapest one with an LGA 1366 socket.
For RAM I decided a 3x2GB kit would be because IMO 1 gig is a minimum requirement for running WoW, so 5 clients = 5 gigs, with 1 gig extra for Vista. And since I want the computer to last a while it gives me 3 more slots for upgrading, fortunately the motherboard I chose has 6 slots and can go up to 24 gigs. The speed is only DDR3 1333 but I don't think I need to be overly concerned about memory speed.
With the video card, I was unsure what would be the best choice. I didn't feel I needed to spend a ton of money on getting the best one, but I didn't want to get a cheap one either. I know SLI might seem better suited for running multiple WoW instances but since I want the computer to last beyond when I stop playing WoW I feel having just one good graphics card would be a better choice. Also, WoW isn't as intensive on graphics instensive as it is on memory and CPU. So after reading some posts I think a GeForce 260 GTX would give me the best bang for my buck, while being able to last for a while when I move on to other games.
For the power supply I noticed a few threads that recommended the Antec EA650 PSU, and the price seemed pretty good so its my current choice. I'm not sure exactly how much power the system will use, I used a PSU calculator that estimated around 400W, but I wouldn't mind having some extra breathing room in case I decide to upgrade. Only negative thing I've read is that its noisy from a couple reviews, but others say it isn't.
As for the monitor, I wanted a 24" with a 16:10 ratio. Built in speakers would also be nice because I mostly use headphones but when I want to play something to someone else they are good to have, plus its less desk clutter and I don't really care about the sound quality in those circumstances. However I've read mixed reviews about the Sceptre X24WG, which does concern me.
The rest of the stuff is mostly self explainatory. I'm clueless on which case to get though. I'd prefer a smaller one (Micro ATX isn't an option however), but I definately don't want to risk not having enough space for the hardware, especially if I might upgrade components somewhere down the line. I chose the Cooler Master case because it was pretty cheap and had good reviews.
I would appreciate any advice on the parts I chose, particularly the ones I'm unsure about like the PSU, graphics card, case, and monitor. And even though I'm willing to go up to $1500 on parts, if anything seems to be more than I require then I would be okay with buying something cheaper. But I really don't want to go above $1500 if possible. Thanks a lot.
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