This build's ultimate purpose is to be used for mainly for gaming and multimedia downloading/burning/ripping/playback. I have stated that this build has no budget restrictions. This is true, however that is not to say that I am willing to spend excess amounts of money for hugely diminished returns on bleeding-edge merchandise. I am satisfied with the product that is currently at a great value but is not underpowered. For instance, my CPU of choice is the i5 750. It is slower than a system built around an i7 920, but also a couple hundred dollars cheaper. It is more expensive than an AMD Phenom II 965, but is also much more versatile and outperforms it in every area except for gaming, where it usually ties.
I'll begin showing the parts I currently have in mind, along with justifications. Give me your thoughts and be sure to make suggestions wherever you believe a change would be optimal.
Potential purchases
CPU - Intel Core i5 750 Processor - 2.66GHz, LGA 1156, 8MB L3 Cache
$212 taxed/shipped
Mobo - GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD6 Intel P55 Core i5/i7 Socket 1156 PC3-16000 (DDR3-2000) ATX Motherboard
$235 taxed/shipped
Current mobo of choice is pricey and has some unnecessary features. More "humble" motherboard recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
GPU - XFX Radeon HD 4870 Video Card - 1024MB GDDR5, PCI Express 2.0 x16, CrossFireX Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV
XFX Radeon HD 4870 Video Card - 1024MB GDDR5, PCI Express 2.0 x16, CrossFireX Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV
$262 taxed/shipped
2 Radeon 4870's in CF kick the tar out of the 5850, and are 95% as good as the 5870 for 2/3 the price.
RAM - CORSAIR DOMINATOR-GT 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
$158 taxed/shipped
This ram looks to be of excellent quality, and looks ready to be overclocked if I ever want to, but I wonder if there is RAM only slightly inferior but much less expensive.
HDD - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
$87 taxed/shipped
Spinpoint F3's are supposed to be the fastest 7200rpm's around. According to benchmarks they beat the WD and are at a similar price point.
Case - LIAN LI PC-61 USB Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$90 taxed/shipped
I don't want those flashy lights and other "logitech-esque" artificial noob features. I want a case that's sleek, sexy, mature, and keeps everything cool. Lian Li seems to fit my bill.
PSU - CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
$99 taxed/shipped
May consider a more powerful PSU if the wattage on this one is insufficient, but I think it's fine.
ODD - PLEXTOR Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X 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 24X DVD/CD Writer LightScribe Support
$44
This one does everything but Blu-ray. If you can find me a better one or a cheaper one, chime in.
Keys - Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard
$50 taxed/shipped
Keyboard needs to have backlighting and keys must have a noticeable depression. I was looking at some Saitek Eclipses but I think the G11 beats them down.
$1235 total
Recently completed purchases
VDU - Dell UltraSharp U2410 24 inch 1920x1200 6ms 1000:1 HDMI/DVI/VGA/DisplayPort Widescreen LCD Monitor
$524 taxed/shipped
Really phat screen with badass features and picture. Demands high-power GPU so I can take advantage of its awesomeness.
Audio A - Altec Lansing BXR1121
$20.00 taxed/shipped
If you haven't heard these before then you are missing out. For the quality of sound I can't believe they only retail for about 25 dollars.
Audio B - Razer Carcharias
$46.00
Found one on sale, so of course I was all over that bitch.
Mice -
Razer Lachesis
$33 taxed/shipped
Logitech G9
$55 taxed/shipped
Razer Salmosa
$27.00 taxed/shipped
$659 total
And that's it for the potential purchases for now. Please give me any opinions you have-no change is too small. I've spent a lot of time on this build because I want it to be as perfect as it can be, so please spare no detail. I am all-ears.
Thanks a bunch
~Viceroy Trepanation
I'll begin showing the parts I currently have in mind, along with justifications. Give me your thoughts and be sure to make suggestions wherever you believe a change would be optimal.
Potential purchases
CPU - Intel Core i5 750 Processor - 2.66GHz, LGA 1156, 8MB L3 Cache
$212 taxed/shipped
Mobo - GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD6 Intel P55 Core i5/i7 Socket 1156 PC3-16000 (DDR3-2000) ATX Motherboard
$235 taxed/shipped
Current mobo of choice is pricey and has some unnecessary features. More "humble" motherboard recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
GPU - XFX Radeon HD 4870 Video Card - 1024MB GDDR5, PCI Express 2.0 x16, CrossFireX Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV
XFX Radeon HD 4870 Video Card - 1024MB GDDR5, PCI Express 2.0 x16, CrossFireX Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV
$262 taxed/shipped
2 Radeon 4870's in CF kick the tar out of the 5850, and are 95% as good as the 5870 for 2/3 the price.
RAM - CORSAIR DOMINATOR-GT 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
$158 taxed/shipped
This ram looks to be of excellent quality, and looks ready to be overclocked if I ever want to, but I wonder if there is RAM only slightly inferior but much less expensive.
HDD - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
$87 taxed/shipped
Spinpoint F3's are supposed to be the fastest 7200rpm's around. According to benchmarks they beat the WD and are at a similar price point.
Case - LIAN LI PC-61 USB Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$90 taxed/shipped
I don't want those flashy lights and other "logitech-esque" artificial noob features. I want a case that's sleek, sexy, mature, and keeps everything cool. Lian Li seems to fit my bill.
PSU - CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
$99 taxed/shipped
May consider a more powerful PSU if the wattage on this one is insufficient, but I think it's fine.
ODD - PLEXTOR Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X 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 24X DVD/CD Writer LightScribe Support
$44
This one does everything but Blu-ray. If you can find me a better one or a cheaper one, chime in.
Keys - Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard
$50 taxed/shipped
Keyboard needs to have backlighting and keys must have a noticeable depression. I was looking at some Saitek Eclipses but I think the G11 beats them down.
$1235 total
Recently completed purchases
VDU - Dell UltraSharp U2410 24 inch 1920x1200 6ms 1000:1 HDMI/DVI/VGA/DisplayPort Widescreen LCD Monitor
$524 taxed/shipped
Really phat screen with badass features and picture. Demands high-power GPU so I can take advantage of its awesomeness.
Audio A - Altec Lansing BXR1121
$20.00 taxed/shipped
If you haven't heard these before then you are missing out. For the quality of sound I can't believe they only retail for about 25 dollars.
Audio B - Razer Carcharias
$46.00
Found one on sale, so of course I was all over that bitch.
Mice -
Razer Lachesis
$33 taxed/shipped
Logitech G9
$55 taxed/shipped
Razer Salmosa
$27.00 taxed/shipped
$659 total
And that's it for the potential purchases for now. Please give me any opinions you have-no change is too small. I've spent a lot of time on this build because I want it to be as perfect as it can be, so please spare no detail. I am all-ears.
Thanks a bunch
~Viceroy Trepanation