Most bang for your buck ~$2200 - first build

[lewiswharf]

Hi everyone,

I have been doing my best to learn the ins and outs of selecting compatible parts for my first build. I have about $2200 that I would like to spend and want to get the most for my money, and spend it all. My computer use revolves around the following programs:

Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional
Adobe Premium CS3 (Photoshop, illustrator, Dreamweaver, and Indesign)
Microsoft Office Professional

From what I have read it is best to deal with new egg, so I have created a public wish list for my build. I would greatly appreciate it if you could review what I have selected thus far and help me make better decisions. I really don't know what I'm doing ;-) but love to learn.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...tTitle=Build08

[pam123]

Hi lewiswharf,

Welcome to PCMech.
Am I right is thinking that you need a video work station?
Is this for a college course, intensive hobby, or professional reasons ?

[lewiswharf]

Thanks for the welcome.

Well, I don't do much with video. I'm an extreme hobbyist when it comes to web development (personal projects) but also do but work for a few clients. The biggest issue with my current system is that it is difficult to multitask and effectively use Dragon (it's a voice recognition program that I use due to my quadriplegia). Also, I love having two monitors so the graphics card would need to support two.

[pam123]

This discussion from July in computerhaven shows that using 2 monitors on n nVidia card can work quite well, despite glitches : http://www.computerhaven.info/forum/tm.aspx?m=77976

On PCMech our multi-monitor expert is Alaron.
Drop him a PM (private message) here : http://www.pcmech.com/forum/private....=newpm&u=33310

Ultramon and DisplayFusion are two programs you can add to manage a dual monitor set up instead of Windows Vista.

You won't need the Arctic Silver, the processor will come with Intel approved thermal paste on the heatsink/fan combo and not using it will void the warranty.

The computer you're putting together should multi-task with ease.

[lewiswharf]

Originally Posted by pam123 You won't need the Arctic Silver, the processor will come with Intel approved thermal paste on the heatsink/fan combo and not using it will void the warranty.

I wasn't sure about that. I have removed it from my wish list. Thanks.

Thanks for the links. What do you think about the motherboard? It seems inexpensive but the choices are just too confusing for me to grasp the differences. I see motherboards as foundations and I want to make sure I'm building everything on top of a good foundation, so to speak.

Any suggestions for significant improvement for little cost?

[David M]

Do you have a plan for backing up your work like an external drive? Or will your DVD burner be your only method of backing up your work?

Does a second drive and a RAID 1 configuration interest you in case you have a drive failure?

[lewiswharf]

Originally Posted by David M Do you have a plan for backing up your work like an external drive? Or will your DVD burner be your only method of backing up your work? Does a second drive and a RAID 1 configuration interest you in case you have a drive failure?

Good point, I added a second hard drive. With my current setup I just automatically back up certain folders to a second hard drive.

Do you take a performance hit using RAID 1? Any additional hardware I would need if I were to go this route?

[pam123]

Originally Posted by lewiswharf I wasn't sure about that. I have removed it from my wish list. Thanks. Thanks for the links. What do you think about the motherboard? It seems inexpensive but the choices are just too confusing for me to grasp the differences. I see motherboards as foundations and I want to make sure I'm building everything on top of a good foundation, so to speak. Any suggestions for significant improvement for little cost?

I would suggest this motherboard ( There's no price difference but you won't be running dual video cards and you can't run nVidia cards dual in a crossfire board anyway. It also cuts down on un-necessary complexity. ) : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131327

It's not money saving but switch to DDR3 1333 ram for your build. It's going to be better for the multi-tasking you want to do and the board gives you the option of running one or the other (but not both at the same time.).

edit : Despite the reviews this appears to be a very workable board and the latest bios version should be out now.

[lewiswharf]

Originally Posted by pam123 I would suggest this motherboard ( There's no price difference but you won't be running dual video cards and you can't run nVidia cards dual in a crossfire board anyway. It also cuts down on un-necessary complexity. ) : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131327 It's not money saving but switch to DDR3 1333 ram for your build. It's going to be better for the multi-tasking you want to do and the board gives you the option of running one or the other (but not both at the same time.). edit : Despite the reviews this appears to be a very workable board and the latest bios version should be out now.

Being a newbie, I'm scared to go with that motherboard because of the negative reviews. What about the following combination?

Also, I have read a couple things on the forums here is that DDR3 is currently underutilized. Is this the case with my proposed that up? I was also thinking it might be a good idea to go this route because if I decide to upgrade to the latest processors in 12 months I will only need to replace the motherboard and CPU, right (due to the architecture change)?


CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

Intel BOXDX38BT LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX DDR3 Intel Motherboard - Retail

I'm excited and anxious, thanks for helping me through this guys.

[pam123]

Go with what you feel comfortable with.

DDR3 at present only make sense price/performance-wise for some things, like heavily multi-tasking while doing web development when you need to use Dragon Naturally speaking.

[lewiswharf]

Originally Posted by pam123 Go with what you feel comfortable with. DDR3 at present only make sense price/performance-wise for some things, like heavily multi-tasking while doing web development when you need to use Dragon Naturally speaking.

Well, the Intel motherboard I mentioned above does not support RAID 1, and after speaking with a friend I definitely want to set this up. The motherboard you mentioned does support RAID 1 but now I'm wondering if it's best to get the support in the motherboard or via a PCI slot. There also appears to be very few Vista compatible RAID controllers... that are under $100.

[lewiswharf]

I have updated my wish list with the latest changes for you all to review.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...tTitle=Build08

I originally said my budget was $2200 because I was going to purchase a microphone somewhere else. I stumbled upon the same microphone for less on new egg. So, my budget is actually $2500.

Any additional changes you guys would make? Does anyone see any compatibility issues?

Thanks!

[pam123]

Originally Posted by lewiswharf Well, the Intel motherboard I mentioned above does not support RAID 1, and after speaking with a friend I definitely want to set this up. The motherboard you mentioned does support RAID 1 but now I'm wondering if it's best to get the support in the motherboard or via a PCI slot. There also appears to be very few Vista compatible RAID controllers... that are under $100.

Remember that you have the option of using an external usb drive for backup purposes.

[lewiswharf]

Originally Posted by pam123 Remember that you have the option of using an external usb drive for backup purposes.

I must have been looking at the wrong specifications, but the Intel board above does support RAID so I think it is a good option. The computer is my lifeline so it will be great to be able to get up and running quick if a hard drive fails. I also do backup online so I'm not sure there will be a need for an additional external device.

[lewiswharf]

Clicked buy. I'll post a follow-up after build!