Help meh with new computer por favor...

[Grits]

Zip ties and straps. Any other excuse is laziness.

Such a bad PSU recommendation....

NEVER skimp on the PSU. Go with a 80+ bronze cert at the least.

QFT.

Also, the reason to go with an i7 is this, yes, you could save a few hundred up front, but when the i7 920 came out, it was $300. People who saved $50-100 then, are already looking to upgrade, the person who bought the 920 is still zipping along, not even thinking about current processors. (heavily generalized, but you get the point) So, 2 $200 processors over 3-4 years, or one $300 processor for the same time period. I've seen so many people skimp to a lower spec CPU, and then it costs them in the long haul. Everyone is thinking about the here and now. A good CPU allows you to go through several GPU upgrades before jumping to a better platform.

I'm still on the 920 I broke those records with back in 2008. It was paired with a GTX 260 then, and now I'm on the 7950 and the CPU is still able to give me all the games, all settings maxed, at my resolution (1920x1200). When I built it, I had no intentions of using it other that gaming.... guess what, that changed. I started encoding video, recording in my home studio, etc etc. You'll also be happy going with a nice monitor with a good panel. You don't have to get the Monoprice one (good value though), but I highly recommend an IPS or MVA panel of some sort.


Skimp if you want. Its not in me to do so.

[Patmonster]

Exactly, thank you. i7 is a must if you want to make it last a while. I'm still using my 2nd gen i7 from 2 years ago and haven't had an issue with any video producing or games. i7.
PSU... 600 will not under power that rig. I've built too many of these and i RARELY go above 600 and guess what, they are all still running without an issue. The 600 could go bad but the signs of that are random power failures and it will look like almost all hardware is failing. So instead of ignoring that, fill the warentee shit out and fix the problem and none of your shit will be broke.

Now, if you plan on SLI and more then 2 high rpm hard drives then yes, get a better PSU. BUUTTTT if you're going to be SLIing or raiding then you might as well put in the i7.

[maynard]

I loves mah i7 ^^

[Steamer]

The quality of that PSU is shit. I'm not even discussing the wattage. If she wants to SLI it, add some extra HDD's, and ect, later on, that's pushing it, especially on that shit PSU. This is fact, and anyone with any decent knowledge in the workings and quality of PSU's will say the same. A quality over quantity matter. To even refer to wattage alone after what I summed up only leads me to believe you have no idea what I was insinuating. The only difference in the corresponding i7 models is hyperthreading. In games you won't notice it much, in other tasks, very much so. It's preference, so if you want the boost in other daily PC activities, go for it. SLI and or raid have barely anything to do with i7... The difference would not even be noticeable... sigh...

[StarsMine]

QFT.

Also, the reason to go with an i7 is this, yes, you could save a few hundred up front, but when the i7 920 came out, it was $300. People who saved $50-100 then, are already looking to upgrade, the person who bought the 920 is still zipping along, not even thinking about current processors. (heavily generalized, but you get the point) So, 2 $200 processors over 3-4 years, or one $300 processor for the same time period. I've seen so many people skimp to a lower spec CPU, and then it costs them in the long haul. Everyone is thinking about the here and now. A good CPU allows you to go through several GPU upgrades before jumping to a better platform.

I'm still on the 920 I broke those records with back in 2008. It was paired with a GTX 260 then, and now I'm on the 7950 and the CPU is still able to give me all the games, all settings maxed, at my resolution (1920x1200). When I built it, I had no intentions of using it other that gaming.... guess what, that changed. I started encoding video, recording in my home studio, etc etc. You'll also be happy going with a nice monitor with a good panel. You don't have to get the Monoprice one (good value though), but I highly recommend an IPS or MVA panel of some sort.


Skimp if you want. Its not in me to do so.

The i5s from that time run games just as fast as the i7 920. You buy the i7 for other reasons, gaming is not one of them.

SLI doesnt care if its an i7 or an i5, that is more board dependent.

Also a 660 Is still a weak card, I would much rather you push for at least a 660ti or a 7850.

And what steamer is talking about with PSUs, listen to him.

[Grits]

I still disagree with buying a lower CPU just because you don't think you're going to use the extra power right away. Especially when the price difference is so minimal and years from now, and 2 to 3 generations of GPUs from now, the CPU won't become a limit and will still be able to keep up with that shiny new GPU.

A faster CPU will make the whole entire experience better. Again, I'm not saying the i5 wouldn't be adequate, I think the i5 is great, but I think the extra money for the i7, if it can be afforded (which she said it could) is well worth it for the longevity of the computer.

The only other thing I want to reiterate, ABSOLUTELY go with a good PSU. WATTAGE IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS THE QUALITY and the DISTRIBUTION of the amperage.
Brand is not really the important part either because there are actually only a few companies that manufacture PSUs, most, like corsair, antec, etc, buy PSUs from these companies and re-label, or have something tweaked to fit their marketing gimmick. This is not a bad thing, because it adds variety to the market. EVEN Rosewill has an okay PSU here and there. I typically buy seasonic for all my builds. Just a lazy decision I made a few years back when I was looking for some consistency in my builds. I used to grab whichever namebrand/well reviewed unit was on sale, but after being burnt on a few lower end corsair, antec, and thermaltakes, I've learnt my lesson. Just do your research on the longevity and common complaints for the one you plan to get. (some are noisy, some have too much ripple, some run hot, some just don't last long)

Oddly enough, I've never had an OCZ PSU fail either. (used at least 20 or so over the last 6 years) I even have an OCZ GameXstream 700 Watt from 2006 that is still going strong. It was reviewed as mediocre (too much ripple) by all the respectable places, but I suppose YMMV

I've always enjoyed reading over at jonnyguru.com for reviews of popular PSUs. Anandtech is usually the other place I frequent (they're local to me)

[jwtemp]

I completely disagree with the 'go with an i5' sentiment. Get an i7, and as Grits said, you'll be watching others upgrade their mobos and CPUs as your i7 continues to laugh at and crush anything you throw at it for at least 5-7 years. I'm hoping to squeeze at least two, maybe three GPU upgrades out of this machine. The i7 3700K is no joke, and the Microcenter link someone posted, which is where I bought mine, is an ABSURDLY low price (beats most i5 prices to be honest) and too good to pass up. I had a $20 coupon to boot, so I got the chip for $210.

As for the GPU you end up with, this is really going to boil down to the price you want to pay versus the games you want to play. Can you play games on Medium/High settings and be alright with that? Or do you want everything on Ultra-Mega-Sex, like me? The choice is yours, but if you want everything Ultra-Mega-Sex with games that came out last year and this year, a GTX 670 is the minimum you need to purchase. At this point though, I'd wait for the GTX 7xx series to come out and snag the equivalent model in that line, as they're likely to hit the market by June, July at the latest (they may even already be out).

AMD, and by extension the formerly known ATI, is fucking up. Their CPUs that they market to compete with Intel on price don't even begin to compare. I'm not positive where in the R&D process they slipped, but Intel is beating them by large margins in every single category on nearly every CPU comparison by price. Likewise, nVidia is whipping AMD's graphics cards as well, handily putting up better numbers in almost every benchmark, price to performance (except in the lowest tiers of cards, I believe, I think they're on pretty equal footing there and AMD may even have a slight edge).

Last thing I'll talk about - hard drives. Get an SSD. My PC boots in eight seconds, from power button push to desktop and first application. EIGHT. SECONDS. I was amazed, and I peed a little. Games installed on the SSD drive load faster than you might believe. I remember some of the games I play taking 30-40 seconds to get to the title screen. That number is shaved to about five to seven seconds when they're installed on the SSD, hahaha. It's glorious, and I will never be lacking an SSD in any of my personal machines in the future.

So, my recommendations for your desktop build - definitely go Intel, don't skimp on your CPU, get an nVidia graphics card and FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S HOLY get an SSD. SSD is the biggest desktop technology advancement since USB imo. If you're interested in getting specific part recommendations when you go to do your build or would like to know what kind of prices to expect, let me know. I'm pretty well versed on the topic at the moment having just built my machine a few months back.

Oh, and my two cents concerning cable management, unless you have a case with a window where you can see inside the chassis, who gives a shit about what the wires inside look like? Unless you're overclocking, you're likely to never see them again, and unless you try really hard to put a wire in a bad spot, your components will be nigh on completely unaffected by how the wires in the case are run. I get it's cleaner/prettier/less half assed/less lazy/better aesthetically, but ultimately, if you plug it all in and it works and you don't have any cables touching any of your components, the cables and wires in the case will be memories in the wind by the time you boot it for the first time.

[SCRIBBLE]

use this build:
pentium m
crt monitor
56k modem
big log of shit as a mouse
maybe a computer chair
cool it with mineral oil
case: fish tank

hope this helps

[Carmichal]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127696

what about this gpu?

also thoughts on buying refurbed new?

[SCRIBBLE]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127696what about this gpu?also thoughts on buying refurbed new?

MSI is the worst but that seems to be an OK product if that has dvi out + HDMI out.Refurbs are a crap shoot, I do not recommend using them