[Sam VDS]

Im building my first computer and would like some advice on components i have chosen. The list of components can be found here: Computer Build

I am looking at trying to cut back on price but I'm not sure what components i should downgrade to avoid affecting performance too much. I would also like to confirm that all the components are compatible with each other (as far as i can tell, they are.) I will be using the computer for video editing and converting, and gaming. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks

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Hi Sam VDS, Welcome to Geekstogo!

I have tons of advice for you and I think you'll be very happy with what I have to say. I'm not familiar with the website you linked me to (PriceSpy) but they are extremely high in their prices. Seeing that the dollar amounts were United States Dollar (USD), I assume you are buying from within America. If so, then I highly recommend you buy from Newegg.com. They can be trusted, have very good prices, and are very well known for their good customer service should there be any problems with your order. Most computer geeks purchase from newegg.com. Another trusted site is TigerDirect.com.

I am looking at trying to cut back on price but I'm not sure what components i should downgrade

Newegg is what will help with this. Take a look at their i7 930... HERE for $294 compared to the $490 you linked to. However, the Gigabyte board you linked to only supports that CPU since BIOS version F4 so you would most likely have to flash the BIOS which can be risky and honestly I have no experience in doing. You would be just as happy with the i7 920 for $288. The clock i.e. 2.66ghz doesn't mean as much as it used to. The L3 cache is the same and the QPI is the same as well. Since you are newer and inexperienced, I'd recommend the 920.

Take a look at the rest of the good prices and recommendations.
Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R $209 vs. $391.
Kingston HyperX 6gb (2gb x 3) DDR3 1600 Faster (1600mhz vs. 1333mhz) and $179 vs. $235.
Corsair 750watt 80 Plus Certified Modular PSU Corsair is the best period. $150 vs. $198.
Radeon 5870 1gb 256bit by Sapphire with VaporX technology. A step up from the 5850 (an extremely nice card) and for the same price. $480.
(Also, the power supply has enough PCI-E connectors to add a second 5870 in the future if wanted/needed)
Antec 900 $100 vs. $200. Or step up and go with a Corsair Obsidian 800D(very nice), Antec 1200, Cooler Master HAF 932, Cooler Master Cosmos 1000 Black with WINDOW, Cosmos 1000 Aluminum w/ Window <--- All among my personal favorites/best out there.
1TB Samsung SpinPoint F3 $90 vs. $125. You can use this as your only hard drive, or use it just for storage(pictures, music, movies, etc.) and games you don't play everyday. Then use...
60gb OCZ Vertex SSD for your main drive for your Operating System, primary programs used (web browser, email client, etc), and your top favorite games. SSD's are extremely fast and are silent much like a thumb drive or flash drive. 120gb HERE.
LG Blu-Ray Player (and cd/dvd burner) Samsung HERE $104 vs. $175.
Can't find a Samsung P2350, but I found a P2370 HERE which is probably better. $250 vs. $342.

That about does it for now. Let me know what you think and I'm completely open to changes or modifications on your part. This is to just get your started. Ask questions if you'd like.

Edited by Ferrari, 15 March 2010 - 12:07 PM.

[Ferrari]

Hi Sam VDS, Welcome to Geekstogo!

I have tons of advice for you and I think you'll be very happy with what I have to say. I'm not familiar with the website you linked me to (PriceSpy) but they are extremely high in their prices. Seeing that the dollar amounts were United States Dollar (USD), I assume you are buying from within America. If so, then I highly recommend you buy from Newegg.com. They can be trusted, have very good prices, and are very well known for their good customer service should there be any problems with your order. Most computer geeks purchase from newegg.com. Another trusted site is TigerDirect.com.

I am looking at trying to cut back on price but I'm not sure what components i should downgrade

Newegg is what will help with this. Take a look at their i7 930... HERE for $294 compared to the $490 you linked to. However, the Gigabyte board you linked to only supports that CPU since BIOS version F4 so you would most likely have to flash the BIOS which can be risky and honestly I have no experience in doing. You would be just as happy with the i7 920 for $288. The clock i.e. 2.66ghz doesn't mean as much as it used to. The L3 cache is the same and the QPI is the same as well. Since you are newer and inexperienced, I'd recommend the 920.

Take a look at the rest of the good prices and recommendations.
Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R $209 vs. $391.
Kingston HyperX 6gb (2gb x 3) DDR3 1600 Faster (1600mhz vs. 1333mhz) and $179 vs. $235.
Corsair 750watt 80 Plus Certified Modular PSU Corsair is the best period. $150 vs. $198.
Radeon 5870 1gb 256bit by Sapphire with VaporX technology. A step up from the 5850 (an extremely nice card) and for the same price. $480.
(Also, the power supply has enough PCI-E connectors to add a second 5870 in the future if wanted/needed)
Antec 900 $100 vs. $200. Or step up and go with a Corsair Obsidian 800D(very nice), Antec 1200, Cooler Master HAF 932, Cooler Master Cosmos 1000 Black with WINDOW, Cosmos 1000 Aluminum w/ Window <--- All among my personal favorites/best out there.
1TB Samsung SpinPoint F3 $90 vs. $125. You can use this as your only hard drive, or use it just for storage(pictures, music, movies, etc.) and games you don't play everyday. Then use...
60gb OCZ Vertex SSD for your main drive for your Operating System, primary programs used (web browser, email client, etc), and your top favorite games. SSD's are extremely fast and are silent much like a thumb drive or flash drive. 120gb HERE.
LG Blu-Ray Player (and cd/dvd burner) Samsung HERE $104 vs. $175.
Can't find a Samsung P2350, but I found a P2370 HERE which is probably better. $250 vs. $342.

That about does it for now. Let me know what you think and I'm completely open to changes or modifications on your part. This is to just get your started. Ask questions if you'd like.

Edited by Ferrari, 15 March 2010 - 12:07 PM.

[Sam VDS]

Thank you so much for the detailed information, it really helped me make decisions on which components to get. I had asked around at different forums, but this is the first time i got a really good and detailed response. Thanks for the warm welcome.

Despite PriceSpy listing the prices as USD, they are actually NZD, and the components here are overpriced guite a bit. As much as i would like to buy them cheaper from NewEgg or TigerDirect, I do have to shop with NZ in case something goes wrong.

Thank you for the advice about the CPU and the PSU, these were some of the components i was trying to make decisions about. I originally intended on using the 920, but changed to the 930, and now realise that the 920 sounds like the one i need. I have tried to set up an SSD drive as well as a hard drive, but have decided it is too costly. I had looked at the HyperX RAM, but went back to ValueRAM to save on costs. I have looked at the Samsung P2370 but again had to go with the P2350 to cut costs.

Im looking at getting the price down to around $2500 NZD, but dont want to sacrifice perfomance or quality. Any more advice on which components i can downgrade without sacrificing performance too much?

Thanks in advance

[Ferrari]

Hi Sam VDS,

Thanks for the kind comments. I had a feeling you might be outside the U.S. DARN! I'd say stick with everything you have except drop to the 920. It is an extremely nice processor and is the best bang for your buck you can get on the Intel side. It uses some amazing technology and you won't be disappointed with it.

Also, the 5850 is nice as well, so just stay there. And, if you can find a Corsair PSU over 600 watts for a good price go for it. Just remember, Corsair power supplies often have very long and very many cables so if you can afford it, go with a Modular PSU. Meaning, you get to only plug in what cables you need so it keeps the airflow inside the case better and also has a much nicer look inside the case.

And if you really want to cut costs more... Antec, OCZ, and Seasonic are very nice brands for power supplies. Just make sure it is 80 Plus Certified under the "Product Details". Never go with less than that on a gaming rig.

Good luck, and let me know if you need anything else.