Looking to build a new PC

[Chess]

Hey guys....

I am looking to build a new pc, my old pc is getting pretty out of date... a p3 1.5 gig of ram machine....


I need something new to keep up

I am not worried about getting new keyboard/mouse combo.


I am not a gamer really...I want a decent video card to run dual monitors if I have the option....

I have about ~1k to spend.... roughly...

Its been a while any help is appreciated

Cheers

1. What YOUR PC will be used for? Really burning, surfing, email, video editing, movie editing

2. What YOUR budget is? about 1k

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from. US

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. No preference really

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are. MY Sata PCI card lol, other than that probably not

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads. Yes

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. not necessary, but would be nice to o/c

8. WHEN do you plan to build it? ~1 month

 

[JTP709]

What resolution are the monitors at? Do you also need a new operating system? If you're going to build a new system (and to take advantage of the system below) you're gong to want a 64-bit operating system. 32-bit systems won't see all 6gb of memory, only about 2.4 gb. Plus all new processors are 64 bit, and the performance increase will benefit you the most because you're running CPU intensive applications.

Normally I don't recommend i7s . . . but then again you're one of the people who will actually benefit from one

Intel Core i7 920 CPU - $280
Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R X58 mobo - $200
OCZ Platinum 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 memory - $109
Powercolor HD 4670 512mb Graphics Card - $70
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 CPU Cooler - $37
OCZ StealthXStream 700w PSU - $90
Western Digital 1TB 7200rpm WD1001FALS Hard Drive - $105
Antec Three Hundred Case - $60
Samsung 22x DVD+-RW Drive - $23

Total: $987.87 before $80 in mail in rebates rebates

With the rebate money you could upgrade your GPU to a HD 4870 with 1GB of memory, but would only really benefit you for playing games.

 

[Chess]

JTP:

I have software for the o/s so that isnt an issue... the resolution on this monitor im not sure LOL>... i plan on upgrading that later honestly.... I really do need new speakers and what not... but eh....

 

[Chess]

do you suggest artic silver ? for the cpu and processor ?

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: Chess
do you suggest artic silver ? for the cpu and processor ?

I am actually using the stock heatsink and paste that came with my e5200, with it clocked up 30% I have been experiencing no overheating issues. The Core processors run much, much cooler than the Prescott based intel CPUs, in fact, so much so that my fan doesn't even run most of the time, I can tell when it is spinning up though since it has a slight chirping noise (really is quite a strange sound, but it isn't enough of a problem to warrant replacing the whole heatsink)

 

[JTP709]

I recommend it just because its only $3 to $4 and have had great experience with it. Stock paste will work too, but it wont hurt to dish out $3.

How big is your current monitor and what monitor do you plan on upgrading to? Honestly it shouldn't really matter, but just out of curiosity to ensure compatibility with the graphics card I recommend.

 

[JTP709]

Originally posted by: TheStu
so much so that my fan doesn't even run most of the time

Do you mean that your cpu fan isnt spinning at all? I'd double check because if the fan stopped spinning your CPU would melt in a matter of minutes, even with a heatsink. Most likely it is spinning on low rpms so your system is quieter, this is how most cpu fans work.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Phenom II 940BE / Gigabyte 790x: $275 with shipping

A 500w PSU should be plenty. The Antec Sonata III with the Earthwatts 500w power supply is $120. Throw in 4Gb of G.Skill DDR2 1066 for $55.

The stock cooler on the 940BE is good. *BE* means 'Black Edition' or an unlocked cpu multiplier. At stock volts you will probably hit 3.4GHz with the '17 multiplier'.

I don't think you really need a motherboard with 2 PCIe x16 slots so yah might want to look at a PhII 940BE/780g combo. It would save you $25-$30 over the above combo but you would have to go mATX.

You might lose a little OC headroom but I'm guessin' you are not interested in a 4GHz uber-overclocker

 

[JTP709]

I'm an AMD fanboy, and agree you would get a really good price per performance ratio with an AMD Phenom II Quad Core, but considering you're not gaming and doing a lot of CPU intensive stuff, the i7 might actually be worth the price difference.

In the end it is all up to you, but I would look at the benchmarks that coincide with your system requirements.

 

[Chess]

i have some dell 19 inch monitor a flatscreen, trying to find out the model number, have had it for a couple years about 2.... its plugged in via vga right now....

I can hold off really on the monitor stuff right now

Just trying to find best bang for buck, but I dont want to go cheap either... as they say when building a house " builder grade" blah on that lol

 

[Hacp]

I think you should get a Phenom II 720 BE. That is, in my opinion, the price/performance sweet spot. Integrated graphics will be fine for you, especially if its an ATI one. 4gb of ram is cheap too. You don't need to spend 1k on and I7 machine when you can do just as well with the 720BE.

 

[JTP709]

I agree, if you wan't to save money but still get great performance go with an AMD Phenom II x3 720 BE and Asus AM3 790GX mobo with integrated graphics. I just put together the i7 system because that will give him the best bang for his budget.

 

[Chess]

right i do want dual monitors for sure !

 

[JTP709]

I edited my previous post because I looked it up and the 790GX IGP does support dual monitors.

 

[JTP709]

In the end its all up to you, Chess. I feel that a lot of us here are gamers at heart and we love AMD (as mentioned I'm an AMD fanboy) because of the great price/performance ratio. IMHO i7 is pure over kill for gaming, and I'd rather put that extra cash into a second GPU and new monitor. However, you're needs are different from gaming, hence why I suggest the i7. For your budget it will offer the best performance, but I don't doubt that you won't be disappointed with an AMD triple or quad core. I'd suggest reading the AMD and i7 articles on this website, as well as others like tomshardware.com, and look at the benchmarks and decide for yourself if the extra cash for an i7 is worth it to you. For example, I may not think that the extra money for the i7 is worth the faster time it will burn a DVD, but maybe you will. Good luck mate!

 

[Chess]

well i know what your syaing JTP... cant disagree... that is true... I use to be a gamer about 6 years ago lol...so yeah times have changed

I do alot of movie editing, and game editing, and i am starting to deal with RAW images from my nikon SLR... what i have right now is just really really slow

and its killing me

 

[JTP709]

Originally posted by: Chess
what i have right now is just really really slow

and its killing me

Then no matter which system you choose you will be much happier