Buying a new computer. This will be the first one I've actually bought piece-by-piece and put together myself. Please review. If there are any weak points then by all means share your thoughts. For the most part I just went with the highest rated items on Newegg that have the features I'm looking for. I'll be using this computer for database work, playing games, some video encoding, lots of HD video watching, as well as a bunch of standard stuff.
Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $120 - Very good reviews, has a bunch of big fans. I was also thinking about the COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case for $50
Motherboard: ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - $270 - Sick good reviews, has very nice features.
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Yorkfield 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9450 - $330 - I'm pretty happy with my processor choice. I did a TON of research comparing processors (specifically dual-core vs. quad-core) and I ended up deciding to go with this one.
Graphics Card: VisionTek 900244 Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - $285 - ATI seems to have the edge on the market right now. From what I've read, this card is comparable to some of the best nVidia ones, but is a solid $150 or so cheaper.
RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - $110 - 4GB DDR2 1066, best rated on Newegg.
Primary Hard Drive: Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $290 - This hard drive is expensive, but 300GB 10K RPM is super sexy. I read some benchmark tests that compared this to some other HDs and this one crushed.
Secondary Hard Drive: 200GB 7200RPM Seagate that I currently use. Might get a 1TB hard drive in the future.
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply - $150 - This is on sale for $100 off its normal price, and it's one of the highest rated on Newegg. Will 750W be enough? I usually have 4-6 USB devices connected at any time. The only thing I don't like about this one is that it doesn't have modular cabling.
Monitor: Dell 2007FP 20" LCD (1600x1200 resolution) that I currently use
Secondary Monitor: When I'm watching videos I also use my Panasonic 42PZ700U 42" Plasma (1920x1080 resolution) that I currently have.
Primary optical: Samsung 20x DVD burner with Lightscribe
Secondary optical: 56x CD-ROM. Might get a Blu-Ray drive in the future.
Operating system: Will use Vista Ultimate 64-bit.
Thanks!
Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $120 - Very good reviews, has a bunch of big fans. I was also thinking about the COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case for $50
Motherboard: ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - $270 - Sick good reviews, has very nice features.
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Yorkfield 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9450 - $330 - I'm pretty happy with my processor choice. I did a TON of research comparing processors (specifically dual-core vs. quad-core) and I ended up deciding to go with this one.
Graphics Card: VisionTek 900244 Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - $285 - ATI seems to have the edge on the market right now. From what I've read, this card is comparable to some of the best nVidia ones, but is a solid $150 or so cheaper.
RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - $110 - 4GB DDR2 1066, best rated on Newegg.
Primary Hard Drive: Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $290 - This hard drive is expensive, but 300GB 10K RPM is super sexy. I read some benchmark tests that compared this to some other HDs and this one crushed.
Secondary Hard Drive: 200GB 7200RPM Seagate that I currently use. Might get a 1TB hard drive in the future.
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply - $150 - This is on sale for $100 off its normal price, and it's one of the highest rated on Newegg. Will 750W be enough? I usually have 4-6 USB devices connected at any time. The only thing I don't like about this one is that it doesn't have modular cabling.
Monitor: Dell 2007FP 20" LCD (1600x1200 resolution) that I currently use
Secondary Monitor: When I'm watching videos I also use my Panasonic 42PZ700U 42" Plasma (1920x1080 resolution) that I currently have.
Primary optical: Samsung 20x DVD burner with Lightscribe
Secondary optical: 56x CD-ROM. Might get a Blu-Ray drive in the future.
Operating system: Will use Vista Ultimate 64-bit.
Thanks!
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