First Build in Seven Years

[zakman123]

Hey everyone,

As the title says, I last built a PC way back in 2005 (AMD X2). Need to get a new one, so here goes:

What YOUR PC will be used for: Mostly digital imaging and Photoshop CS. I edit and process a lot of RAW files. Also school work (Excel) and occasional movie watching,

What YOUR budget is. Aiming for USD750~800.

What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from: Newegg, United States.

IF YOU have a brand preference. None whatsoever.

If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are:

I intend to reuse my current display as well as 2 1.5TB 7200 RPM hard drives. However, I do want an SSD (doesn't need to be larger than 64 GB, and reliability is more important than sheer speed). Need new parts for everything else.

IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds: Absolutely no overclocking- default only.

What resolution will you be using? Don't remember the current resolution of my monitor...but I would prefer built in video if possible. No intention to game so I'd rather not buy an external video card.

WHEN do you plan to build it? ASAP. This week.
*

Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software? No.

A little more information, beyond the questions above:

I am probably going to get an Intel 2500 for the processor, but am unsure on motherboard options- what's the most cost effective and reliable mobo with built in graphics these days? As mentioned above, I will not be overclocking.

I want an SSD boot drive. Am looking at Crucial for reliability, although they seem to be slower than the competition.

Will be getting 8GB of RAM- it appears to be dirt cheap.

I want a case that's as silent as possible. So far, I like the Fractal Design Define R3 White.

Any thoughts on the PSU?

Thanks, people!

 

[lehtv]

Here you go. If u have questions ask.

CPU Intel i5-2500 $195 (promo ends 3/14)
Mobo Intel BOXDH67BLB3 $90
RAM G.Skill 8GB $38
GPU Integrated $0 [HDMI or DVI out, no VGA]
SSD Crucial M4 64GB $94 or 128GB $175
DVD DVD burner $16
PSU XFX 450W $30 AR
Case Fractal Design Define Mini $110

= $573 shipped, after rebate.

That's less than your budget, and the only meaningful ways to pay more would be (1) i7-2600 - but that's worse value for money, and the cash is better spent on upgrading sooner than 7 years from now. And (2) Crucial M4 128GB $175. It's faster than the 64GB drive, as well as better $/GB. And you could possibly use a partition as a photoshop cache (?)

what's the most cost effective and reliable mobo with built in graphics these days?

Motherboards don't have built in graphics anymore - it's in the CPU. The mobo just provides the video ports and access to system RAM.

The Intel board recommended here is a mid priced H67 board, it's very good quality and should have all the features you need. Another option is a cheaper H61 board but that'd lose you USB 3.0 and SATA 6gb/s, not worth it on this budget.

Did you need a new keyboard and mouse as well? You can probably pick those out yourself

 

[zakman123]

Hey,

Thanks for the great reply!

I have a couple of questions:

If the graphics are in the CPU, am I better off purchasing the 2500k, for the more powerful graphics? And is that PSU available on Newegg?

Secondly, could you recommend a good 23~27' LCD monitor that has HD resolution (I'm guessing that's 1920 x 1080p these days), and which can be driven by the video on that CPU?

Everything else looks perfect

 

[lehtv]

If the graphics are in the CPU, am I better off purchasing the 2500k, for the more powerful graphics?

Nah. For your purposes HD2000 and HD3000 are one and the same, it's not going to make any difference in normal desktop work. HD3000 is faster in gaming, but not fast enough for anything but very casual low image quality gaming or older games.

And is that PSU available on Newegg?

Yes, but it's cheaper on NCIX and you get free shipping on orders >$50. You pay $55 but get back $25 in MIR

Secondly, could you recommend a good 23~27' LCD monitor that has HD resolution (I'm guessing that's 1920 x 1080p these days), and which can be driven by the video on that CPU?

For Photoshop you'd want an IPS panel. There are some sub $300 IPS's but I don't know if they're any good, so I can't recommend. If you can pay $550 though, Dell U2410 would be an excellent choice. Maybe you can afford that with the cost effective PC.

 

[DSMok1]

The Dell U2312HM and similar models are e-IPS displays with very good reviews, as well as lower prices ($300 or less):
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2312hm.htm

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...category_id=4009&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&p=1&x=0&y=0

 

[T_Yamamoto]

HD2000 and HD3000 dont make much of a difference, IMHO they are both decent.
my brother plays TF2 using HD3000 on his laptop and he gets good framerate

 

[Jman13]

For lots of Photoshop work, get 16GB of RAM...especially if you do HDR work or multiple image stitching....you will use it.

I'm a photographer and recently built the system in my signature, which is at least a 500% improvement over my old Core 2 Duo system for my photo work, and in some cases even more. For instance, on my old machine, a stitch of 18 16MP images (converted from RAW in Lightroom and stitched in PS CS5) would take somewhere in the neighborhood of 45 minutes all told.

My new machine can do it in 4 minutes.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

For lots of Photoshop work, get 16GB of RAM...especially if you do HDR work or multiple image stitching....you will use it.

I'm a photographer and recently built the system in my signature, which is at least a 500% improvement over my old Core 2 Duo system for my photo work, and in some cases even more. For instance, on my old machine, a stitch of 18 16MP images (converted from RAW in Lightroom and stitched in PS CS5) would take somewhere in the neighborhood of 45 minutes all told.

My new machine can do it in 4 minutes.

Good to hear. And working with photos and HD material, you need 16 gb of ram

 

[mfenn]

The Dell U2312HM and similar models are e-IPS displays with very good reviews, as well as lower prices ($300 or less):
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2312hm.htm

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...category_id=4009&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&p=1&x=0&y=0

:thumbsup: to this and Lehtv's build.

 

[zakman123]

Thanks so much, guys!

This is my final build:


CASE Fractal Design Define Mini
CPU Intel i5-2500
MOBO *Intel*BOXDH67BLB3
RAM G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
SSD Crucial 64GB M4 (CT064M4SSD2)
KEYBOARD Microsoft Comfort Curve Keyboard 2000
MOUSE Logitech G500
OPTICAL LG 22X Super-Multi DVD Burner
OPTICAL LITE-ON USB 2.0 External 24X DVD Writer
PSU XFX ProSeries P1-450S-X2B9 450W80 PLUS BRONZE Certified

The total comes out to USD 677 on Newegg.

Incidentally, does the SSD come with a SATA cable? Would hate to be caught short!

 

[ponyo]

Incidentally, does the SSD come with a SATA cable? Would hate to be caught short!

The M4 won't come with one unless you purchased the more expensive transfer kit version. Your motherboard should come with two SATA cables.

 

[lehtv]

I'd strongly recommend against G500. I know some people like it, and it does have a nice set of features - but I've found it has design flaws that are not present in the G400. Get that one instead, I think otherwise you're risking paying $50 for a mouse you simply find uncomfortable, the G400 is more 'approachable'.

What I mean is: There are three thumb buttons, and the third annoyingly overlaps with the thumb rest area. The scroll wheel is heavy. It has a front placed sensor, mid placed gives a more natural feeling and most people are used to mid placed sensors. The surface is too slippery, you have to apply more pressure on the mouse to lift it up than should be needed. G400 should not have any of these problems as it's based on the design of MX518, that one I owned as well. It is also cheaper.

I'm not sure though why you want a gaming mouse...? Do you think you will need the high DPI in your graphics work?

 

[zakman123]

Thanks for all the help, guys! Order has been placed and I look forward to blazing fast awesomeness this weekend!

I'm not sure though why you want a gaming mouse...? Do you think you will need the high DPI in your graphics work?

I initially selected the G400 because I've been using the MX5xx for years and I'm a big fan of the shape/ buttons. After seeing there was a minimal price difference between the G400 and the G500, I went with the G500 purely because of the DPI difference. After your comment I switched back to the G400. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[lehtv]

Normally, DPI should be the least of your concerns when buying a mouse, but people tend to think more DPI = better purely because of marketing. Higher DPI doesn't suddenly make the mouse more precise because precision is already maxed out due to bottlenecking by monitor resolution. 400 DPI on 1080p is good enough for me. I could see a small difference with 800 DPI but above that, it just wouldn't matter anymore.

Anyway. Post back to this thread if you get into problems with the build

 

[mfenn]

Thanks so much, guys!

This is my final build:


CASE Fractal Design Define Mini
CPU Intel i5-2500
MOBO *Intel*BOXDH67BLB3
RAM G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
SSD Crucial 64GB M4 (CT064M4SSD2)
KEYBOARD Microsoft Comfort Curve Keyboard 2000
MOUSE Logitech G500
OPTICAL LG 22X Super-Multi DVD Burner
OPTICAL LITE-ON USB 2.0 External 24X DVD Writer
PSU XFX ProSeries P1-450S-X2B9 450W80 PLUS BRONZE Certified

The total comes out to USD 677 on Newegg.

Incidentally, does the SSD come with a SATA cable? Would hate to be caught short!

:thumbsup: Looks good to me.

I'd strongly recommend against G500. I know some people like it, and it does have a nice set of features - but I've found it has design flaws that are not present in the G400. Get that one instead, I think otherwise you're risking paying $50 for a mouse you simply find uncomfortable, the G400 is more 'approachable'.

I'd definitely recommend that the OP handle the mice in person first. I have a couple of G500s across my PCs and absolutely love them. I can see how it wouldn't be for everybody though.