First time build, component list here. Advice sought.

[AdrenalinPlease]

So this is my first build ever, and I have come up with a pretty hefty list of items that I want in it. I will be using this pc for everything, surfing, gaming (some), audio editing, some light movie making, light photo editing, general music burning, and other general use. I hope I'm not missing anything from this list (meaning I'm building from scratch, am i missing something?), if I am please tell me. Oh and i have a windows 7 64 bit OS on hand. I formulated this list from tigerdirect and think they have a pretty good deal on it.


Here's the list of goodies:

LG GH22NS50 DVD Writer - DVD+R 22x, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6x, DVD-RAM 12x, SATA (OEM) (1.75 lbs)

Western Digital WD5000AADS Caviar Green Hard Drive - 500GB, SATA-3G, 32MB, Intellipower (1.45 lbs)

PNY GeForce 9800 GT EE 1024MB Graphics Card - 1024MB, GDDR3, PCI Express 2.0, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, Stereo, Dual VGA Support (2 lbs)

Coolmax CUL-850B Power Supply - 850-Watt, 140mm Blue LED Fan, Semi-Modular (5.95 lbs)

OCZ PC3-10666 Platinum RAM - 4GB, 2x2GB, 1333MHz, DDR3, Low Voltage, Dual Channel (0.3 lbs)

ASUS P7P55D Pro Motherboard & Intel Core i5 750 Processor Bundle


Cooler Master HAF 932 Full Tower Black Case (33 lbs)

[ryuk999]

You won't really need a 1GB 9800GT unless you have a big monitor such as 24"+ (1920x1080, 1920x1200, etc.) but if all your going to use the graphics card for is a 22" (1680x1050) and lower you can probably save $30 by going w/ the 512mb 9800GT. Either that or you could go with a 9800GTX+ for the same price as the 1GB 9800GT. <--(this is based for games) but a 512mb card would serve a higher resolution monitor if your not going to do any gaming --> very little

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-246-_-Product
PNY 9800GTX+

[glc]

1. Make sure that ram is on the Asus QVL for that motherboard.
2. I would not use a Coolmax power supply.
3. I would not use an old technology Nvidia 9 series video card - use a 200 series or an ATI 4 or 5 series.
4. I would use a Black drive instead of a Green drive.
5. I would not buy from Tiger Direct.

[AdrenalinPlease]

Originally Posted by glc 1. Make sure that ram is on the Asus QVL for that motherboard. 2. I would not use a Coolmax power supply. 3. I would not use an old technology Nvidia 9 series video card - use a 200 series or an ATI 4 or 5 series. 4. I would use a Black drive instead of a Green drive. 5. I would not buy from Tiger Direct.

LMFAO!!! You are the ONE!!! First I'm curious as to how you knew this list was from tiger if you even knew? I did remove the hyper links and part numbers.

How do I make sure of the QVL?

Which power supply would you recommend, and is Coolmax not dependable enough? It is 850W.

I was trying to save some money on the video card since at this time I am not into serious gaming.

[mazz72]

Originally Posted by AdrenalinPlease LMFAO!!! You are the ONE!!! First I'm curious as to how you knew this list was from tiger if you even knew? I did remove the hyper links and part numbers.

Psssst. Read your original post.

Originally Posted by AdrenalinPlease I formulated this list from tigerdirect and think they have a pretty good deal on it.

[AdrenalinPlease]

I feel somewhat stoopid right now, and I withdraw that statement. (I really was shocked and amazed at how he knew it was from tiger.)

Why not tiger?

[AdrenalinPlease]

foudn the qvl, thanks

[glc]

Tiger sells a lot of discontinued, distressed, and low quality merchandise, and their adwriters can make a turd smell like a bottle of perfume. If you buy a power supply from Tiger, get a Corsair.

If you are not into serious gaming, get a Radeon HD4670. It's happy with a 400 watt power supply and ATI's 2D video quality is better than Nvidia's.

[AdrenalinPlease]

So from the list I provided can you help me selecting whatever you feel is right?

PC use will be for the following: Windows 7 64bit , some video editing, audio editing, writing, and building (fruity loops and such) cd/dvd writing, movie making, gaming (I haven't been serious about gaming but thats because I never had a proper operating pc to handle it) , surfing the web and dling, pictures and media.

Again thanks so much

[AdrenalinPlease]

I'm ok not purchasing from tiger, it just seemed like the best deal.

[glc]

Assuming the ram is on the QVL, the only changes I'd make are:

1. Replace the Green hard drive with a Black.
2. Replace the video card as already discussed.
3. Replace the power supply as already discussed.

Everything else is known high quality and good value.

It doesn't really matter who you buy from as long as you are buying new components that are known good quality. If you want a vendor recommendation, I prefer Newegg. If you would like specific recommendations, please post your budget for all listed parts, and confirm that this is the exact case that you want.

[AdrenalinPlease]

Well here's the thing, I wasn't planning on building a pc, but my home pc is the suxors and is a hand-me-down. After countless hours of research I realized that buying a dell or hp in the configuration I want will be way outside of what I was looking to spend, so I figured I can build a pc to my liking and spend less money. I was intending to spend around $700 to $800 in total. If you can help with specific recommendations that would be great! I would rather buy from a trusted source but I also don't want to overpay.

[glc]

Okay - that is a very expensive case, and with that budget your money would be better spent elsewhere. Recommendations below reflect a considerably less expensive, but still high quality case.

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119137

Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified ... - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371015

ASUS P7P55D LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131404

CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145260

Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136283

LG DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model GH24NS50 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136177

Intel Core i5-750 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115215

ASUS EAH4670/DI/512MD3 Radeon HD 4670 512MB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121329

This brings you in right at $750 before rebates. Another $90 would get you into an i7-860. Another $70 would get you into a HD5750 video card for DX11.

[nicolaus corelius]

he could save a bit on the power supply and get this. he could also save on the electric bill because it would run at a higher efficiency at lower loads.

SeaSonic SS-500ET Bronze 500W ATX12V v2.31 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-080-_-Product

[glc]

By the time you pay for shipping on that, you only save about 3 bucks. The Antec has 150 more watts, is still a high quality unit, and it's on sale with free shipping.

[nicolaus corelius]

your right. i'm just one of those "no build needs more than 550W" people. at full load that thing wouldnt use more than like 300W, right?

ps. that antec is a seasonic build, so its a win win.

[AdrenalinPlease]

Originally Posted by glc This brings you in right at $750 before rebates. Another $90 would get you into an i7-860. Another $70 would get you into a HD5750 video card for DX11.

Thank you!!! Is it worth the $90 bucks to get the i7? What would be the main reason for it? I'm thinking to upgrade the CPU later when they dip in price dramatically.

[AdrenalinPlease]

Originally Posted by nicolaus corelius your right. i'm just one of those "no build needs more than 550W" people. at full load that thing wouldnt use more than like 300W, right? ps. that antec is a seasonic build, so its a win win.

I'm also in BK

[glc]

Actually that particular Antec is a Delta, not a Seasonic. It reviews very well.

The only differences between the i5 and i7 are the clock speeds and the i7 uses hyperthreaded cores.

[nicolaus corelius]

antec is really moving away from seasonic. corsair too.

[AdrenalinPlease]

Originally Posted by glc Actually that particular Antec is a Delta, not a Seasonic. It reviews very well. The only differences between the i5 and i7 are the clock speeds and the i7 uses hyperthreaded cores.

Is there reason for me to get the i7? What if I overclock the i5?

[glc]

The minor speed difference is not going to be what matters - it's the hyperthreading. This allows you to multitask better. However, the i5 is still a very fast and capable CPU.

[AdrenalinPlease]

Originally Posted by glc The minor speed difference is not going to be what matters - it's the hyperthreading. This allows you to multitask better. However, the i5 is still a very fast and capable CPU.

Ok, thank you. I think I will stick with the i5 for now and upgrade later when it drops in price and the money is more available.

Thanks again, and I will be asking more questions as my build is going to be coming together.