New System for a newbie

[BCSeaMonkey]

I am trying to put together a new system from the ground up. I am REALLY out of the loop and will really appreciate any tips you guys can give me. First step I am trying to decide on a case, power supply, motherboard, cpu, and RAM. Can you guys make some suggestions? I am trying to keep the system under or around $1k, and I already have a CD drive, DVD rw, and two monitors (I really want a dual monitor system).

It'll be cool if the case can look spiffy, though I would like to be able to turn off all those internal LED lights easily, or else I would rather not have them. Also a quiet computer for a change would be nice! =)

I will most likely be using this machine to do web work, maybe run Maya (3d program) from time to time, and play some FPS game sometimes. Though I am not TOO pressed about fast frame rate, but it'd be good to know I have it. =)

Thank you!

 

[MichaelD]

Nine posts in two and a half years? :Q Brother you really ARE out of the loop!

A few things:

Most "real" cases don't come with LED fans and neon. They do nothing but take up space and add heat. If you don't WANT lights, don't get lights.

Even though you're not a big gamer, you did mention 3D Programs, which are video, memory and CPU subsystem-killers.

Start with a solid foundation. An Antec case with an Antec Trupower 430W PS is a great foundation.

From there...it's Intel or AMD. For video intensive tasks, Intel has the slight upper hand ATM. Are you an overclocker? Would you be willing to try it? If not, I suggest a 2.8C P4. Best mix of price vs. performance in the STOCK P4 arena right now. Pick a mobo from Asus/Abit/DFI/ETC...anything with the 875P chipset and you're set there.

A nice 120GB SATA HD or two, 1GB of PC3200 memory and that about wraps it up.

Oh, what budget are we looking at? That has just a little to do w/it!

Whoops. You DO need a videocard!! That would help. ATI 9800 Pro, 128mb. For $200, nothing can touch it.

 

[justin1466]

yeah ATI rocks on dual monitors. 9800 pro all the way.

Intel is great for video encoding and photoshop etc. 2.6 or higher should last you quite a while. Personally I like AMD better, but then again i'm addicted to gaming. If you can wait for socket 939 A64 you'll be in business.

ASUS and ABIT both make rock solid motherboards, so either one is a sure bet.

1 GB of Ram (PC3200), I like OCZ myself.

160 GB 7200 RPM Hard Drives are pretty dirt cheap, i'd go for Western Digital

Antec has a nice case called the plusview for about $70 throw some Cathodes in there and its wicked. Also take a look at CoolerMaster and Thermaltake, they're expensive but very stylish.

I have the Antec Truepower 430 PS and couldn't be happier. fairly quiet and very efficient. Also, the power supply is one of the most overlooked upgrades. You will NOT be sorry if you fork out the extra $100 for a good one.

since you have the monitor, CD and DVD drives you saved probably at least $500 (figured your dual monitors ) You should have a sweet sytem, on your $1k budget

 

[Markfw]

I vote for the Athlon64. 64 bit OS is soon to come, and based on my preview beta version, I think its the way to go AND it rules in games.

Not quite sure which way to go on motherboards, as the new nforce3 boards look pretty good, but then so does the VIA KT800pro chipset. Like MichaelD said 1 gig ram (PC3500 for a little headroom, Mushkin level1 or Kingston Hyperx) A 74 gig raptor boot, and a 120 gig SATA for storage. Video card, definitely Radeon 9800pro for your usage.

 

[BCSeaMonkey]

Thanks for the suggestions guys! My head is spinning from all the suggestions but I will compile a list and do some research on each recommanded item. Any suggetions on thermal paste/heatsink and all those good stuff? Or should I just use the stock one? I don't plan to overclock the system btw.

 

[Muzzy]

Whatever you do, don't skimp on the power supply.