first build in 7+ years; please advise

[saysomething]

Hi everyone,

I've been severely out of touch with the advancements, new tech in mobos, cpus and the like. I'll start off by saying that I'm in Canada, so my resources for purchasing gear is limited (unless someone can correct me) ie. Canada Computers and Tiger Direct. The top-end of my budget will be around 1k. This may increase by a small margin if my current desktop is sufficient for a media PC (NAS? still learning what this is lol) because then I'd be in for a new monitor, keyboard, mouse.

My requirements and uses for this new pc are:

1. Non-gaming: I wish it was, but I'm on broadband over-the-air (read: very ssslllloooowwww); I would like to be future-proofed in case I move or ISPs increase their coverage.

2. Windows 7: not sure if I need 32 or 64 bit;

3. Surfing, itunes, web-based games, consumer level photo editing, movie watching.

I'm going to go home and list the specs on my current PC, so you guys can advise me on whether it's suitable for a media hub or if there's components I can xfer to my new comp. In the meantime I'd appreciate any input on what base mobos, cpus, amount of ram I should be looking into based on my reqs.

Thanks, Don

[glc]

Here's a suggestion from newegg.ca - I use that because it's easy for me to navigate. Another good vendor is ncix.com. I'm specing it with onboard video which is fine for everything except gaming, if you want to game you can add a card at any time. This comes to just under $900 shipped.

Newegg.ca - Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Newegg.ca - ASUS P8H67-M EVO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Newegg.ca - Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500

Newegg.ca - A-DATA 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model AD3U1333C4G9-2

Newegg.ca - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1502FAEX 1.5TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Newegg.ca - LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA CD/DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners

Newegg.ca - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

Newegg.ca - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - Operating Systems

[HAL9000]

Just a couple other places to check out that I have had success with, Buy Computer Parts, Computer Hardware, PC Parts at Best Online Computer Shop - DirectCanada and Memory Express Computer Products Inc. - Canada's Source for Computers, Laptops, Monitors & more...

[Nuclear Krusader]

NCIX.com - Canada's Premier Computer Store - Great Technology, Service and Selection.

Dispatchs faster than newegg and will match any competitor's price. Best online store in Canada for PC parts.

[saysomething]

Thanks for the vendor suggestions, guys, and sorry for the late response.

glc - i noticed on newegg that all the 1155 socketed mobos are listed as having no on-board video chipset, but you mentioned i could just add a card later. does having a chipset differ from having on-board video?

Thanks, Don

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by saysomething Thanks for the vendor suggestions, guys, and sorry for the late response. glc - i noticed on newegg that all the 1155 socketed mobos are listed as having no on-board video chipset, but you mentioned i could just add a card later. does having a chipset differ from having on-board video? Thanks, Don

The video is integrated in the CPU

[glc]

Originally Posted by jdeb The video is integrated in the CPU

Correct, and the boards with the H61/H67 chipset are wired for that. The P67 boards are not and require a video card. The H61/H67 boards do have a PCI-Ex16 slot for adding a video card.

[saysomething]

Hi glc and jdeb,

Thanks for this info. Is the built-in video on the H67 capable of streaming video (mostly mkv or avi) or will I need to get the P67 and a GPU? (I won't be gaming until true high speed reaches my rural area ~2 years or I move whichever comes first).

[glc]

It's quite capable, especially if you spend a few more bucks for the i5-2500K processor. The -K series processors have a more advanced video circuit. The Evo board I recommended also has "GPU Boost".