Newbie needs help with new build

[GUBZ]

I was planning on buying this computer Acer Desktop Computer featuring Intel Core i5-2320 Processor (AM3970-EB30P) : Everyday Computing - Best Buy Canada

but a friend of mine who works there said that I shouldn't get one there, I could make a way better one for about the same money and it's really easy to do. I liked the idea of learning something new so I thought I'd give it a try.

So far I've ordered this case.
Coolermaster Elite 371 ATX Tower Case 3X5.25 1X3.5EXT 5X3.5INT Front USB Audio *No PS* - DirectCanada

plan on getting an Intel i5 Intel Core I5 2500K Quad Core Unlocked Processor LGA1155 3.3GHZ Sandy Bridge 6MB - DirectCanada

this psu: Newegg.ca - hec Zephyr MX 750 750W Peak Output ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

and as for the graphics, and motherboard, I'm kinda at a loss.
I'm a big movie person so I'd like a rig to store my hundreds of movie files and that will hook up to a 40inch TV, and play in good quality, so i can use it instead of a dvd player.

I'd like to get into gaming again once school is out in may (I'm not really a hard core gamer though, just wanna play quality games fast enough). so maybe something that will work for movies for now and once I'm making some cash and have the free time I could upgrade/add a video card and get into gaming again, then again its probably better to just get it all at once. Also I'm an art hobbiest so something that I can do light media editing with. The price should be in the range of the above computer, but I can go over, and quality/performance should be better of course.

Any help/recommendations is appreciated, Thanks.

[Silent_Avenger]

I wouldn't get that PSU note that is says 750w peak output which more than likely means it can't output 750w all the time probably only able to output 300-400w max all the time(even though in the description it says it's continuous). Stick with the well known brands even though they cost more they save you a lot in the long run. Corsair, seasonic, Antec, XFX are all good brands.

[chrisk]

Do you have any parts from a current rig you can reuse? I am thinking a DVD drive, hard drive, Windows 7 license, etc.

Also, you mentioned a 2500K cpu...the K cpus are meant to easily overclock; will you be overclocking? If not, maybe some money could be saved there.

I agree with Avenger...stick with a quality PSU. Corsairs are a favourite of mine, but there are several suggestions made by Avenger that I would investigate first.

[sswilson]

hrmmmm... that's quite a strange set of specs on that PC. 2 X 2T drives alone will set you back damn near $300 these days, add in $300 (minimum) for the proc/motherboard, $100 for the PSU, $100 for 8G memory / ODD / Heatsink and you're already well over the price of that PC without including a case, discrete GFX card, and legit OS.

If it were me, and that's all the money you can/want to spend right now, I'd be inclined to pick up the ACER with the thought of stripping out the parts at a later date for a proper custom build.

edit: It's also worth mentioning that the HDDs are 5400 RPM drives. Pretty slow in this day and age.

[Silent_Avenger]

Originally Posted by sswilson

hrmmmm... that's quite a strange set of specs on that PC. 2 X 2T drives alone will set you back damn near $300 these days, add in $300 (minimum) for the proc/motherboard, $100 for the PSU, $100 for 8G memory / ODD / Heatsink and you're already well over the price of that PC without including a case, discrete GFX card, and legit OS.

If it were me, and that's all the money you can/want to spend right now, I'd be inclined to pick up the ACER with the thought of stripping out the parts at a later date for a proper custom build.

Yea I was just checking some of the prices of the system parts on ncix and thinking the same thing. Almost seems like acer is selling at a loss but they've always had good prices. Looking at the system specs more closely you'd probably be fine with the acer.

[sswilson]

The general rule has always seemed to be that a person could build a system for around the same price as the big box retailers, but it wouldn't include an OS

[GUBZ]

Originally Posted by Silent_Avenger

Stick with the well known brands even though they cost more they save you a lot in the long run. Corsair, seasonic, Antec, XFX are all good brands.

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll switch over to an XFX 650 watts, its got some good reviews, the newegg vid review sold me.

Originally Posted by chrisk

Do you have any parts from a current rig you can reuse? I am thinking a DVD drive, hard drive, Windows 7 license, etc.

Also, you mentioned a 2500K cpu...the K cpus are meant to easily overclock; will you be overclocking? If not, maybe some money could be saved there.

I'm currently on my Laptop from 2004, which I'm really in need to upgrade from, so nope no extra parts unfortunately (well windows xp which I actually dont mind as an OS). but its not like I'm trying to save every penny I can. Its just my first build so I do want a good reasonably priced rig, and if I really enjoy it then I'll start dishing out for the top of the line, plus it'll be easier to when I'm no longer a student and working full time.

As for the unlocked CPU, I read that a good recommendation for playing skyrim is at least 3.3GHz to get the most out of it, and the unlocked i5 is only a few bucks up from the locked one on Directcanada, so wouldn't it be better to have the option to unlock it if I feel the need to down the road? and if not I still have a pretty good processor.

Originally Posted by sswilson

If it were me, and that's all the money you can/want to spend right now, I'd be inclined to pick up the ACER with the thought of stripping out the parts at a later date for a proper custom build.

edit: It's also worth mentioning that the HDDs are 5400 RPM drives. Pretty slow in this day and age.

Originally Posted by sswilson

The general rule has always seemed to be that a person could build a system for around the same price as the big box retailers, but it wouldn't include an OS

I've kinda wanted to do a build since I was 12 so I'm sticking with it for the novelty/learning factor as well as having a high performing PC. and if I ended up buying the Asus I know I'll end up putting off building one for years, and the case I already ordered and all my researching parts would be for waste.
As for the OS, I might go with Linux mint or Ubuntu and use an old xp I have for games until windows 8 comes out.

heres the build I've got in mind so far:

-CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model
Newegg.ca - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9

-Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive Newegg.ca - Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

-Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost)
Newegg.ca - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K

-LITE-ON DVD Burner
Newegg.ca - LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - CD / DVD Burners

-GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.ca - GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

-SAPPHIRE 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity.
Newegg.ca - SAPPHIRE 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
From what I take from this, it's well priced for all its features, not the most powerful, but I should be able to do multiple screens, and the option to have 3dhd up to my tv, or 3d gaming if I'm if thats what I'm interpreting correctly from the write up. Though not sure if I will do 3d, but having the option is nice.


-XFX Core Edition PRO650W (P1-650S-NLB9) 650W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified.
Newegg.ca - XFX Core Edition PRO650W (P1-650S-NLB9) 650W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply




Then I'll eventually like to add these in.

-OCZ Agility Series OCZSSD2-1AGT30G 2.5" 30GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Newegg.ca - OCZ Agility Series OCZSSD2-1AGT30G 2.5" 30GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

-Koutech IO-RCM630 Multi-in-1 USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Front Panel Internal Card Reader with USB 3.0 Port (3.5")
Newegg.ca - Koutech IO-RCM630 Multi-in-1 USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Front Panel Internal Card Reader with USB 3.0 Port (3.5")

-Seagate Barracuda XT ST32000641AS 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Newegg.ca - Seagate Barracuda XT ST32000641AS 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive


So over all I'm only a bit over.

thanks for the feedback, you guys a great saving me alot of guess work and confusion.

[sswilson]

Are you sold on using newegg for ordering? If not, you might save some money using NCIX's price match and/or slightly better deals (here's a WD black 1T drive for $15 less.... Western Digital WD1001FALS Caviar Black 1TB SATA2 7200RPM 4.2MS 32MB 3.5IN Dual Proc Hard Drive OEM - Western Digital WD - WD1001FALS )

$25 less for the proc.... Intel Core i5 2500K Quad Core Unlocked Processor LGA1155 3.3GHZ Sandy Bridge 6MB - Intel - BX80623I52500K

$5 less for the 750W version of the PSU... XFX 750W PRO750W Core Edition Single Rail ATX 12V 62A 24PIN ATX Power Supply 80PLUS Bronze PSU - XFX - P1750SNLB9 + a $25 MIR on top of that.... ;)


And that's just with the items you've listed, without going through a price match. I'm not trying to tell you to shop at NCIX, but make sure you do your research on pricing so that you get both the best deal, and possibly some slightly better kit.

[GUBZ]

I was using newegg to search mostly because they seem the most informative/user friendly, I'll search around for better deals of those products, but I do want to get a few things from them because they deserve it after I used their site and information to find and decide on everything.

---sswilson, with the savings from other sites, and omitting the future additions I might even be under budget. and I'll make use of that price match for sure.

But hows the build overall look? If its worth it I could always upgrade something a bit to get the most out of my system. I also plan on adding more memory eventually too.

[Silent_Avenger]

Parts seem pretty good like sswilson said it may be easier or cheaper to buy from other vendors other than newegg(I always found a lot of their items over priced). Also if you're waiting for windows 8 there's actually a windows 8 developers preview that you can download and use until public beta is released. It's at least worth trying I find it really strange to use at times but it is just a preview and not the final product.

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