First Custom Desktop!

[jbeme08]

I am planning on building a PC for 3 reasons: cost effective, experience, fun!

The computer should be able to handle HD video and multitasking, no gaming, maybe some video editing, and I want something the will not be obsolete in at least 7 years. Here are links to components I have selected:

Case- http://tinyurl.com/43pfv5f
CPU- http://tinyurl.com/3k75fsk
Motherboard- http://tinyurl.com/3t9glpr
Graphics Card- http://tinyurl.com/3ttpurj
Power Supply- http://tinyurl.com/3wuw64n
Heatsink- http://tinyurl.com/3zuwjgc

Any suggestions? What kind of optical drive should I get? What can I do to save money? How much RAM and HDD do I need? Any compatibility issues?

Thanks for your time!

 

[BikerEcho]

dude.... 7 years....
it IS gonna be obsolete in 7 years. 7 years is a LONG time.

i have troble telling you what to buy. i am from danmark, so we have other prices and valuta.
but one thing that quikly came to my mind was the gtx 460.
thats for gaming. and it is a bad gaming video card. thats from the first genaration fermi cards from nvidia. we now have the second genaration, nvidia quckly shipped the new serie becouse thay failed at those fermi cards.
that where to hot, used to much power for the performance. the only card in that serie that where worth buying is gtx 460. the 470 and 480 just failed. the reason the 460 was woth buying was because of the newer inprovet chip.
the gf104.
the gf100 was just a failer (the chip the 470 and 480 usees).
you can buy a gtx 560 for only a bit more then the prices of the 460. 560 is way better.

but you sad that you ware not gonna game on it. then why buy a gaming card. buy a low end card.
nvidia is comming out soon with the 530 and 540. also amd/ati has some good low end cards as well.
video editing is done buy the cpu. there are some programes that can use the graphic card for rendering, but... thats more 3d graphic animator programes and 3d designing programes used for work purposes.

 

[Prince Sky]

May I suggest?
Custom Computer Systems: Gaming Computers, Desktop, Laptops & Servers
You can build your computer/laptop on the website and they will give you a total cost of everything and an individual cost of everything else.
Shipping is done to US and Canada only. If you're not in either of these countries you should get a skybox.

 

[jbeme08]

Thanks for the tip Prince Sky, I'm checking that site now. EchoNatek, that is a good point, 7 years is a while. And yeah I don't plan on gaming but I want something with HDMI. What do you recommend?

Also, I have made some recent changes:

Motherboard: Amazon.com: ASUS P8P67-M PRO <REV 3.0> LGA 1155 SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 Supported Intel P67 DDR3 2200 Micro ATX Motherboard: Electronics
Optical Drive: Amazon.com: LG WH12LS30 12X SATA BLU-RAY BURNER BLACK W/SOFTWARE LIGHTSCRIBE BLUK: Computer & Accessories
USB 3.0 Card: Amazon.com: Buffalo Technology DriveStation SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCI Express 2-Port Interface Card IFC-PCIE2U3: Electronics

I want the desktop to be able to handle 1080P movies (blu-ray or not). Also, is the stock heat sink enough? The case comes with 2 fans but I was thinking of adding another (maybe a cross flow if it will fit). What do you think EchoNatek?

 

[Tommy Boy]

No matter what you buy it's going to be obsolete within 6 months to a year so don't think it won't be. That's not to say that it won't be powerful enough to run what you want to run.

 

[jbeme08]

In your opinion, is it a good setup? What should I add/remove/change? How can I save money? Thanks

 

[lyth0s]

I don't see prices for the computer case or PSU. From what I can tell your going for a pretty good build with the I5 processor. For a very similar build you may want to check out this page under the moderate gaming performance PC. From there you can see the WD caviar blue HDD, which is good for the money, or you could go with a higher performance SSD.

Computer Part Selection

Are you sure that case is good? have you read any reviews about it? If your not sure, I would just suggest playing it safe and going with the Antec 900 (or 1200 if you have the $$).

The heatsink you chose was interesting and doesnt come with a fan.....
I would suggest this heatsink as long as your case is big enough: Newegg.com - Thermaltake Frio Overclocking-Ready Intel Core i7 (six-core ready) & i5 Compatible Five 8mm Heatpipes Dual 120mm Fans Intel & AMD Universal CPU Cooler CLP0564

 

[jbeme08]

In an attempt to save money I have changed almost everything:

Case: Amazon.com: Cooler Master CM 690 II Advance ATX Mid-Tower Case (RC-692-KKN2): Electronics
PSU: Amazon.com: Thermaltake W0070RUC TR2 Series 430W Power Supply with 2 Fans: Electronics
Optical Drive: Amazon.com: Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive IHAS424-98 - Retail (Black): Electronics
RAM: Amazon.com: Corsair XMS3 8 GB 1333 MHz PC3-10666 240-Pin DDR3 Memory Kit CMX8GX3M2A1333C9: Electronics
Motherboard: Amazon.com: ASUS P7P55 LX - LGA 1156 - Intel P55 - DDR3 - ATX Motherboard: Electronics
CPU: Amazon.com: Intel Core i3 Processor i3-540 3.06GHz 4MB LGA1156 CPU BX80616I3540: SavingCOST
USB 3.0 Card: Amazon.com: Buffalo Technology DriveStation SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCI Express 2-Port Interface Card IFC-PCIE2U3: Electronics
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium OEM ($120)
Graphics Card: Amazon.com: Evga GeForce GT 430 1 GB DDR3 PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card 01G-P3-1430-LR: Electronics
HDD: Amazon.com: Western Digital 1 TB Caviar Blue SATA 7200 RPM 32 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive WD10EALS: Electronics

Does this seem like a good build in your opinion? Any suggestions to further save money? Thanks.