New build, <$1000, gaming and programming, some image/video editing

[Josh7289]

Uses: Gaming at 1080p (may also try to use the Dolphin and PCSX2 emulators), programming (games and school), Photoshop, maybe video creation/editing, general use

Budget: $1000 at most. $800 is more preferable.

Other: Buying in the US; no brand preferences; using the same monitor and speakers; I don't care about overclocking, but will do it if I need to; I want to build it within a couple weeks or so

My list (with approximate prices):

$200 Intel Core i5-750
$100 Intel Intel BOXDP55WB P55 or Gigabyte GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 or MSI P55M-GD45 microATX motherboard
$180 Sapphire or XFX Radeon HD 5770
$100 4 GB (2 x 2 GB) DDR3 1333 memory, like this G.Skill
$100 Antec Mini P180 microATX case
$100 Corsair CMPSU-750TX 750W power supply
$50-$100 Some hard drive
~$30 Some DVD/CD burner
-----
~$900

Comments and questions:

My current PC is really loud, so one of the things I really want to focus on here is making this as quiet as possible without sacrificing performance. Also, I probably won't be buying from Newegg, since they charge tax in NJ. I may purchase from ZipZoomFly.

CPU: A Core i7 probably wouldn't be worth the extra cost for me.
Motherboard: I need a microATX for my case, but I'm not sure which of these to choose. I just want no problems with Windows 7 64-bit and Ubuntu (probably both on one HDD), and quiet.
GPU: I want whichever 5770 is the quietest and least error-prone (it may not be one of these). Upgrading to a 5850 is too expensive.
Memory: These motherboards seem to support DDR1333 as the highest speed, pretty much, I think, so why get faster memory? Also, ZipZoomFly doesn't carry G.Skill memory, but have OCZ memory, which is probably just as good.
Case: Has a good reputation for being quiet and well-built, and it's at least not massive in size (the smaller and quieter, the better).
Power supply: 750W is overkill, but as long as my system is not drawing that much power, it shouldn't use more energy than a 650W or 550W PSU, right? I chose this one because it has a 140 mm fan, which should be quieter than a 120 mm fan, right?
Hard drive: Should I get a Western Digital Caviar Black? They seem to have good reviews. Are they quiet? Is any specific size somehow better than the others?
DVD/CD burner: I need a quiet one (my current one, an NEC ND-3540A, is really loud). And accuracy for copying WAV images of music CDs would be good.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

 

[mpilchfamily]

PSUs are at there most efficient with a mid to mid-high load on them. So you'll have a lower power bill running on a 550W to 600W PSU then on the same model 750W to 1000W PSU. The difference won't be much but it is there. BUt all of Corsairs PSUs are very quiet running.

Most Optical drives are load. Especially as they rev up to there high speeds.

 

[Josh7289]

I see, so which wattage do you suggest I buy? And I'm not stuck on Corsair, but they got good reviews, so I just went to them initially.

 

[mpilchfamily]

Stay with Corsair. They are one fo the best on the market. But a 650W will be more then enough. But if you find a deal on a larger one then go with the money saver. Your electric bill won't be impacted all that much.

 

[Ayah]

I believe the Corsair TX650 is a better build (different manufacturer) than their TX750. Cheaper too, since you don't need the extra power.

My TX750's fan barely spins up, PSU runs pretty much close to room temp.

 

[Syran]

Your P180 is currently $70 today only from Newegg, with a $15mir.

I might look at an AMD platform to save money. Honestly, I've played with the 1156 platform on 3 processors and 3 matx motherboards, with 4 seperate sets of memory, and had all kinds of trouble that make no sense. Honestly, it feels very half assed to me. I was really disappointed in all the troubles I've had with it. I like to full on I7 1366 and I've been really enjoying AM3 setups.

Check out this list:
Asus AM3 mATX motherboard - $85
Phenom II X4 955 Black - $165
G.Skill Ripjaws 4GB DDR3 kit - $94 (there's a $5 coupon code for it, to bring it down to 89)
Corsair HX-650 - $140 ($10 MIR) - Corsair is making some really nice PSUs. If you are trying to work into a mATX space, having one that is modular really helps. I have a lot of HX-520/620 PSUs (about 7 all told), and never had any problems with them. Newegg is no longer selling the 520, and the 620 is the same price after rebate as the 650 (in fact, it's $10 more prior to the rebate).

HDD - WD 640/750/1TB Caviar Black 7200RPM - $70-100.

I would also look at an AMD 4890/70 series Video card, they outperform the 5770, and cost less. I didn't go looking at any specifics.

BTW, regardless of going AMD or Intel, look at a 3rd party HSF that will fit in your case; I personally don't like the ones shipping with either in their box, they just don't seem to cool all that well just for non-oc regular use.

 

[naddicott]

There is a review of the Corsair 650 HX Syran suggested here (translated from German), and the 80+ testing data sheet is here. The review's acoustic test was pretty sloppy, but the 650 HX only added about 2db above the ambient noise, which means practically speaking their test unit was pretty quiet. It seems like a nice unit with a good bang/buck ratio, and I'll have some firsthand experience with it on Monday (with an i5 and the Gigabyte P55M-UD2 board you mentioned).

 

[Josh7289]

I might look at an AMD platform to save money. Honestly, I've played with the 1156 platform on 3 processors and 3 matx motherboards, with 4 seperate sets of memory, and had all kinds of trouble that make no sense. Honestly, it feels very half assed to me. I was really disappointed in all the troubles I've had with it. I like to full on I7 1366 and I've been really enjoying AM3 setups.

What kinds of troubles, I wonder?

EDIT: I'm starting to think I should be able to get away with 550W, right?

Corsair CMPSU-550VX 550W power supply

It's only $70 after rebate. I'm trying to keep costs down, so that's looking good to me.

 

[Syran]

What kinds of troubles, I wonder?

My fiancee wanted a small computer, so I was building her something into an mATX system.

Attempt #1: Gigabyte GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 & I5 750, 6GB of ram (2x 2GB, 2x 1GB) DDR3, Windows 7 64-bit. Installed windows, it said that only 3GB was usable. Read up on it, found someone commenting about having to use memory on the compatibility list. I had been using memory pulled out of a cpl of Dell i7 setups that I had upgraded to better memory on. Purchased crucial memory, motherboard would never post. Returned crucial memory, purchased corsair memory, motherboard would still not post. Purchased G.skill memory recommended by others, motherboard would still not post. Tried different video cards; still nothing. RMA'd motherboard.

Attempt #2: Picked up an Intel BOXDP55WB @ CompUSA, since I didn't want to wait on shipping another. Same Processor as above. Same memory as above (Dell pulls, corsair, G.skill). After numerous testing of configurations, would only post with a single stick in the first channel. Returned intel motherboard to CompUSA.

(Side note: At this point, I built an AMD Athlon II system for someone @ work who only does business type stuff, I build it on the DDR3 platform, and tested all the memory I had been using, the AMD platform found it just fine)

Attempt #3: Picked up an EVGA 121-LF-E652-KR w/ Lotes socket. Bios sees only 1/2 of the memory installed, just that in Channel 1. I played with memory Mapping, etc. No luck. I figure, well, 3 motherboards, 3-4 sets of memory, it's gotta be the CPU. SOooo... I purchase a i7-860 from someone here. Same exact issue on the eVGA motherboard.

To make sure it wasn't any other components, during this testing, I tried 3 different video cards (ATI 4870, 8800GTS 320, an a Quadro (model unknown) pulled from a computer @ work). I also used 2 different PSUs (Thermaltake 700W Modular, Corsair HX-620). I have tested it completely out of the case, with only the required components.

I received the Gigabyte board back from RMA wed, but have been too busy to sit down and try it again. As part of the purchase of the i7 860 above I got an EVGA P55 FTW, so I don't know if i'll have better luck with a full ATX motherboard over a mATX; but truth be told, I'm really not very happy with the P55 platform. I've built 4 AM3 machines that all worked sweet, and 3 X58 setups that simply rock, with no complications whatsoever. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong with the P55 setups, but right now, I have a hard time personally recommending them. So, at the moment, I'm recommending 920's at the high end, and am3 for low/mid budgets. That's just my 2 cents.

 

[dmw16]

I have an eVGA P55 Micro w/ an i7 860 and I have had no issues. It runs quick and I am very happy with the features of the board.

The only thing to be aware of with the P55 chipsets are the lower voltage memory requirements. You can run up to 1.65V per spec, but lower is better. I suggest the G.Skill Ripjaw as it's 1.55V.

I'm not sure the source of Syran's issues, but I can say from personal experience that the mATX P55 board is fine.

Good luck.

 

[Syran]

The only thing left is me alas. But given a fair amount of builds over my life, I'm clueless as to what I've done wrong; but it has soured me to the platform most definitely.

 

[Fayd]

The only thing left is me alas. But given a fair amount of builds over my life, I'm clueless as to what I've done wrong; but it has soured me to the platform most definitely.

it didnt take any more than the mounting mechanism to sour me to intels in general.

 

[Josh7289]

The only thing left is me alas. But given a fair amount of builds over my life, I'm clueless as to what I've done wrong; but it has soured me to the platform most definitely.

I doubt it's you, but thank you for clarifying what went wrong. I see it's all memory problems, so if I go with a P55-based system, I'll definitely be very careful about what memory I choose. But your experiences also have me looking at the AMD platform again.

I also noticed online that P55-based motherboards have/had some USB issue where iTunes can't sync with an iPhone, which is weird and disturbing and seems indicative of some deep-rooted issue. Gigabyte, at least, has apparently released a BIOS update that fixes that problem, but I'm not sure about the other manufacturers. I would like to know what exactly is causing that problem and how exactly they fixed it, though I don't know where or if I could get that information.

In any case, does anyone have any comments on that Corsair 550W CMPSU-550VX 550W power supply I linked before? I'm attracted by the low price and I don't think I need more than 550W.

 

[Syran]

All I can say is i've been Highly impressed by the HX series of Corsair. Think I've used about 12 so far, and only one issue, which was immediately resolved by Corsair. I don't know much about the VX, but if it's remotely as good, you are probably golden.

 

[Josh7289]

Yeah, because the one you recommended is $50 more after rebate. That's a pretty significant jump and I'd rather save that money or put it to some other piece of hardware.

The only potential issue is that the 550VX has "Extra long cables support full tower size chassis." I already ordered the case to get that deal, and it seems like a rather large microATX case, so... I'm thinking I might just take my chances and get that 550VX... Even though I know the 650HX would be such a better choice.

EDIT: Is there any advantage to the "Ripjaws" memory from G.Skill versus their more regular-looking memory?

 

[Josh7289]

I ended up getting this DDR3 1600 memory from G.Skill. It was on the list of supported memory modules for the Gigabyte motherboard I mentioned earlier, and it turns out that motherboard does support DDR3 1600 (and DDR3 2200, incidentally).

So far I have the case and memory, and will be ordering the rest very soon. The things that I'm still debating are:

Hard drive: I might go with the 500 GB Western Digital Caviar Black. I'm reading some bad reviews of the larger size Caviar Blacks (slow, hot, noisy, lots of failures; these kinds of things). The only problem is that the 500 GB is priced almost the same as the 640 GB (the 640 GB is even cheaper after rebate in some cases). But I'd sacrifice some space in order to get a cooler, quieter, and more reliable drive. Though I'm not sure if that would really be the case with the 500 GB... EDIT: Got the 500 GB.

Power supply: Still not sure which Corsair to get. My case seems to have good cable management, so I might go for one of the cheaper non-modular ones. EDIT: Got the Corsair CMPSU-450VX 450W PSU. Anandtech's test system running a Radeon HD 5770 drew 256W total at load, so I should have no problems with this 450W Corsair unit.

DVD/CD burner: There are so many, but they all get bad reviews. -_-

 

[Longspeak]

Your P180 is currently $70 today only from Newegg, with a $15mir.

I might look at an AMD platform to save money. Honestly, I've played with the 1156 platform on 3 processors and 3 matx motherboards, with 4 seperate sets of memory, and had all kinds of trouble that make no sense. Honestly, it feels very half assed to me. I was really disappointed in all the troubles I've had with it. I like to full on I7 1366 and I've been really enjoying AM3 setups.

Check out this list:
Asus AM3 mATX motherboard - $85
Phenom II X4 955 Black - $165
G.Skill Ripjaws 4GB DDR3 kit - $94 (there's a $5 coupon code for it, to bring it down to 89)
Corsair HX-650 - $140 ($10 MIR) - Corsair is making some really nice PSUs. If you are trying to work into a mATX space, having one that is modular really helps. I have a lot of HX-520/620 PSUs (about 7 all told), and never had any problems with them. Newegg is no longer selling the 520, and the 620 is the same price after rebate as the 650 (in fact, it's $10 more prior to the rebate).

HDD - WD 640/750/1TB Caviar Black 7200RPM - $70-100.

I would also look at an AMD 4890/70 series Video card, they outperform the 5770, and cost less. I didn't go looking at any specifics.

BTW, regardless of going AMD or Intel, look at a 3rd party HSF that will fit in your case; I personally don't like the ones shipping with either in their box, they just don't seem to cool all that well just for non-oc regular use.

I have been close to pulling the trigger on a P55 build but am reluctant as I continue to read about all of the P55 issues. I have never done a AMD build before and this recommendation looks interesting!

I was planning to continue with XP Pro for a while which leads to 2 questions:

1) My XP Pro CD is an OEM version purchased with my last motherboad and CPU. Do I have any Microsoft issues in moving this to a new motherboard/CPU and decommissioning my existing system?

2) This Asus motherboard doesn't appear to have a floppy connector. How do I the load the 3rd party drivers without it?

Thanks

 

[Syran]

1) My XP Pro CD is an OEM version purchased with my last motherboad and CPU. Do I have any Microsoft issues in moving this to a new motherboard/CPU and decommissioning my existing system?

2) This Asus motherboard doesn't appear to have a floppy connector. How do I the load the 3rd party drivers without it?

Thanks

1. Technically, with OEM copies, it's only for that machine you built. Chances are, if you don't use the old system with the old key, you can install it on the new computer without many issues, probably just have to call in the CD key to get it all working properly

2. Add drivers, service packs, etc via slipstreaming. It's sorta complicated, so use NLite to make it really simple. I use it to tailor windows XP cds to computers.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151088

nuff said