Need help seleting parts for new system build

[jsrawlings]

Ok, my old rig (5 years and counting) needs to be upgraded. I'm shooting for some time in the next six months, so I am only in the early planning stages.

Here is what I have from my old system that I think I can carry over:

Corsair HX520W PSU
WD HDD SATA 300GB (small by today's standard I know, but it will be sufficient for now)
CD/DVD drive - these are both ATA drives
Keyboard, mouse, speakers
Monitor (will upgrade this later)

I also have a Sonata case (can't remember who made it but it was called a Sonata - ATX form factor)

So I will need:
mobo, CPU, RAM, Graphics Card, and if any of my components above are too outdated, replacements for that too).

I do not/will not overclock. My priorities (in order of importance):
Stability - I've used primarily Intel boards in the past for this reason
Coolness (temperature)
Quiet operation
Longevity - I'm leaning towards quad core here but please feel free to advise otherwise

Uses:
Primarily gaming, however, I also do a bit of high resolution photo editing/image manipulation using Photoshop/Illustrator.

Budget: Around $700

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

[jsrawlings]

I suppose I should add the following to my post:

The area that I am most uncertain about is video cards and motherboards and what is compatible. At this point I do not think that I will be doing SLI or Crossfire, it seems from what I read that going that route isn't all that effective.

Also with the switch from ATA to SATA which boards will support the ATA devices I'd like to carry over.

Lastly, RAM... kowing which RAM and how much to get...

I have Windows Vista Business Premium 32 bit as OS, forgot to mention that too.


Thanks again for any help suggestions you can give!

 

[CoinOperatedBoy]

First of all, your interests tend to contend with each other -- it's difficult to build a gaming rig that is cool and quiet, which you've listed as priorities. Your Antec Sonata case is a good case for quiet operation, but your cooling solution is what will really dictate the decibel level. Look into getting some large case fans (probably no smaller than 120mm) and invest in a fan controller.

Also, for gaming you will get your best bang-for-buck if you're at least willing to apply a mild overclock. The E8400 dual core is a great gaming proc that can overclock like a beast. The E8500 is also good, and can achieve E8600 stock speeds very easily. The Q6600 is still at a great price point, but a 45nm Quad should run cooler for you if you'd be willing to spend north of $300 on the proc. For your needs, I'd probably recommend the E8500 ($188), which is 45nm, will perform admirably in games at stock speeds, and can overclock if you eventually feel adventurous.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...E16819115036&Tpk=E8500

For the mobo, consider the highly-rated GA-EP45-UD3R ($105 AR):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128359

It has a single PATA connector, but you could use one cable for both of your optical drives. If you may change your mind about CrossFire, get the GA-EP45-UD3P, which has two PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, but is otherwise the same. Personally, I don't much like multi-GPU setups.

If noise is a big concern, you may need a video card with passive cooling, but that would significantly reduce your options. I'd just get a standard card and play with a utility like RivaTuner to fiddle with fan speeds. Depending on your monitor size/resolution, you could probably get by with a Radeon HD 4850 ($145 AR), although the 4870 is awfully popular too. Something like this should be OK:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102770

RAM is cheap and you shouldn't have much of a problem with compatibility. I've had good luck with G.Skill RAM and like their new PI Black 4GB kit, but the price just went up on Newegg. In the meantime, these Dominators shouldn't be bad if you don't mind banking on the big rebate ($39 AR):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820145214

You can also see that other buyers bought it with the GA-EP45-UD3R mobo.

Other than that, if the stock HSF is too loud for your taste, you might want to buy an aftermarket cooler with a quiet fan like a Noctua.

The above parts cost around $500. You could throw the extra cash at upgrading to a 45nm Quad, get a Radeon HD 4870, or upgrade your monitor.

 

[Denithor]

You're planning to upgrade in six months?

Come back then for advice. Too much changes every month, let alone half a year, for any advice we make today to hold true six months from now.

/thread

 

[jsrawlings]

Thanks so much for the advice on components, CoinOperatedBoy. You are right that quiet and cool are tough when trying to build a computer, much less one for gaming. You have definitely given be a few things to think about and some great ideas on components.


Denithor, I was wanting to see what was possible given components that I currently have and would want to carry over. Specifically, motherboard architectures that would support my IDE devices. Also I was not sure what GPUs would work with my PSU and advice on CPUs that will provide decent performance. I agree that in 6 months, a lot of higher end stuff will have come out, but in my price range, I don't think things will change that drastically. CoinOperatedBoy's advice I think will still hold, and if anything I'll get those same components for ~10% less.

Speaking of GPUs, I've read up and a lot of people recommend the HD4800 series you suggest. I'm a bit out of date on the video card wars between Nvidia and ATI (I currently have an ATI x700), do the ATI cards run cooler than comparable Nvidia cards? The GPU will need to power a 22inch LCD.

 

[krnmastersgt]

I think the GTX260 Core216 55nm version runs cooler than the 4870 1gb, which is its direct performance competitor. Also a stronger card in the majority of games, and is awesome if you decide to help the cause and Fold@Home. The main reason the 4870 1gb is suggested over the GTX260 is the price, the 260 is usually $50 more in any given situation.
But before you even start asking for advice on a video card, what resolution do you plan to play at?

The E8400 would be an ideal CPU to get, no reason to spend the extra $20 for an E8500 unless of course you're shooting for the very limit of your overclock, however you don't want to overclock either, so I guess the E8500 at stock would be better? Either one is more than enough for any dual-core optimized game on the market if you overclock it a tad, which you can do at stock voltages, with the stock cooler, not much to lose if you ask me.

CoinOp's mobo recommendations are good ones, or the P5Q Pro from Asus, cheapest P45 board from a reputable company on the market and it performs just as the boards from Gigabyte will. Some say you can get a higher overclock from the Gigabyte boards, but that's not a solid fact. Which fails to matter at all, since you don't want to overclock.

As for the ram, a bit high on both the before and after rebate prices if you ask me, this Corsair 4gb set fits the bill for a lower price, however if you're upgrading in 6 months the cheapest ram will have changed over to some other company/model more than likely.

 

[jsrawlings]

I'm back and it's 6 months later... I said in my original post that I'd be upgrading in six months, I think I jinxed myself because two weeks ago, my computer started acting up and now won't even post... I looked up the beeping code that my mobo was making and it turns out to be a hardware failure.... so it is time to upgrade woot woot!

Here's what I think I am going to buy, based on this thread and new developments:

Mobo: Gigabyte GA-EP45C-UD3R
CPU: Q9550 Quad Core 2.83GHz
Graphics: EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR
RAM: Kingston KVR1333D3N9K2/4G

According to NewEgg, I can get all this for less than $600

Since I'm not overclocking, will stock cooling on the CPU be sufficient?

Let me know your thoughts on this setup and suggestions on how I can improve it while staying under budget.

In the future, I will be upgrading my monitor to a 22inch, I trust that the video card above should be sufficient for that upgrade.