[chiefrunningwolf]

My last computer had really bad ventilation, and subsequently cost me many hard drives and graphic cards. So, this time around, i really want to do this right.. but was wondering if anyone could take a look at some of the components a friend of mine suggested. budget is around 900-1100 (it will be a machine for everyday usage, as well as gaming)

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail 199.99

Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail 159.99

MSI R5770 Hawk Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail 174.99

Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler - Retail 89.99
*he suggested this cpu cooler 'cuz he says usually the stock cpu cooler is pretty crappy. is this true?

BIOSTAR TPOWER i55 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail 174.99
*he recommended this one because this one has very low ambient temperature. but i'm not sure if i should go for an asus or asrock motherboard or the biostar? what do you guys think of this one? or could anyone recommend a superior motherboard? but around the same price.
some motherboard comparisons:
http://www.tomshardw...rd,2463-18.html

since i will be buying a relatively new motherboard, my old ddr2 memory wont be supported, so he recommended me these ddr3:
Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT12864BA1339 - Retail - 54.99
are 2 gigs enough? also it seems kind of a waste to have 1 gig of ram taking up one memory slot on the motherboard. seems wasteful if i do decide to upgrade to more ram

as for the hard drive, he actually recommended me this solid state drive:
Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2MH080G2R5 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Retail - 214.99
*but the price for ssd are still pretty high, so i'm not too sure about this. However, i do want a smaller storage space but FAST hard drive so that i can use it for my main drive where my OS will be located. do i just go for a regular HDD (platters) with high rpm? is rpm the only thing to look for when looking for a fast drive? if so, could someone recommend a smaller, but extremely fast hd? one that is very reliable as well.

and maybe a good deal on some good BIG hard drivs (doesnt have to be fast) for storage? (internal)

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM 9.99

as for the power supply, i have the Enermax Liberty 500w from my old system:
http://www.tomshw.it.../liberty-01.jpg
http://www.newegg.co...n82e16817194003

is 500w enough for this better system i'm trying to build? i will also be having many hard drives in the system, as well as 2 external hard drives as well.
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let me know what you guys think! your comments/recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

sincerly,
rue

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Hi chiefrunningwolf.

You have picked out some really nice parts, but I have a few suggestions for you. I think you should ditch the BIOSTAR Motherboard. They aren't exactly known as a great brand name. Usually budget boards. Take a look at this EVGA P55 board. HERE. Very nice with some whistles and bells to boot! i.e. onboard digital temperature readout, onboard power button, hdd activity, etc.

Secondly, I think it's a very bad idea to reuse the old Power Supply. I don't know if it's quite capable of running this computer. If it is, it's right on the borderline. I think going with a new one is best. I recommend this one by Corsair HERE. It is very powerful with 52 amps on the +12v rail. It is also modular which will help you keep a nice tidy cable management inside the Antec 1200 (along with it's pre-cut cable management holes). Take advantage of those by hiding cables behind the motherboard tray and the right side panel of the case to allow for maximum air ventilation.

I think the cooler you linked to is fantastic. But for the same price you can get Corsair's all-in-one water cooling CPU cooler that has gotten excellent reviews and is very easy to install. HERE I highly recommend it.

I think going SSD for your main is a good idea. They are much faster than HDD's and the one you linked to has received excellent reviews as well. As for storage, go with 1 or 2 TB drives. Like WD Caviar Green Series... HERE

For the memory on the EVGA board HERE

Everything else looks fantastic. If you need to save on costs anywhere, I would ditch the SSD as it's really more of a want than a need for the kind of money they cost. If you go with a HDD as your main, I recommend Western Digital Velociraptors 10000RPM. HERE

Hope that helps and let me know what you think.

[Ferrari]

Hi chiefrunningwolf.

You have picked out some really nice parts, but I have a few suggestions for you. I think you should ditch the BIOSTAR Motherboard. They aren't exactly known as a great brand name. Usually budget boards. Take a look at this EVGA P55 board. HERE. Very nice with some whistles and bells to boot! i.e. onboard digital temperature readout, onboard power button, hdd activity, etc.

Secondly, I think it's a very bad idea to reuse the old Power Supply. I don't know if it's quite capable of running this computer. If it is, it's right on the borderline. I think going with a new one is best. I recommend this one by Corsair HERE. It is very powerful with 52 amps on the +12v rail. It is also modular which will help you keep a nice tidy cable management inside the Antec 1200 (along with it's pre-cut cable management holes). Take advantage of those by hiding cables behind the motherboard tray and the right side panel of the case to allow for maximum air ventilation.

I think the cooler you linked to is fantastic. But for the same price you can get Corsair's all-in-one water cooling CPU cooler that has gotten excellent reviews and is very easy to install. HERE I highly recommend it.

I think going SSD for your main is a good idea. They are much faster than HDD's and the one you linked to has received excellent reviews as well. As for storage, go with 1 or 2 TB drives. Like WD Caviar Green Series... HERE

For the memory on the EVGA board HERE

Everything else looks fantastic. If you need to save on costs anywhere, I would ditch the SSD as it's really more of a want than a need for the kind of money they cost. If you go with a HDD as your main, I recommend Western Digital Velociraptors 10000RPM. HERE

Hope that helps and let me know what you think.

[chiefrunningwolf]

ok a new update on the selection progress:

Cooler Master HAF932 High Air Flow Full Tower -139.99 at microcenter
http://www.microcent...duct_id=0293547

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply -89.99
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817139006

these 2 i'm pretty sure on

now for graphic card:
XFX HD-585X-ZAFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity -300 at newegg
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814150477

or this one:
MSI R5770 Hawk Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card -159.99
http://www.newegg.co...7-490-_-Product

regarding the graphic card... at the moment i have a 22inch monitor but eventually might upgrade to a 28 inch or above.. i do want to play games like modern warfare2 with good fps (100) but my question about graphic card is... if i can play modern warfare2 with very good frame rate... and both of these provide good picture quality.... then what is the benefit of buying the 300 dollar gpu vs the 170 dollar gpu? only thing is one allows higher resolutions? (but higher resolution doesn't = better image quality right?)
i do want to use the machine to do some 3d character design and animation.. but for these things, it's mostly about the cpu and ram. which is why i'm debating whether to go for the more expensive gpu or the less expensive one. if i can play a high quality game and have very good image result for gaming and 3d work, then i might as well save the money and get the less expensive gpu and spend more money on the cpu and ram? anyway, i still dont quite understand the pros of having a really good gpu vs a decent one. hopefully someone will explain that to me

now, i was thinking of getting this processor:

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core -179.99 at microcenter
http://www.newegg.co...5-215-_-Product

but then i see these, and they are i7. first of all why is this i7 only 20 bucks more than the i5? and what about this other i7. it's not really THAT much more either. which of these 3 should i go for?

Intel Core i7 860 Processor Boxed -229.99 at microcenter
http://www.microcent...duct_id=0317378

Core i7-930 Processor Boxed -199.99 at microcenter
http://www.microcent...duct_id=0331303

motherboard:
still open to suggestions... but one that has crossfirex or both crossfirex/sli support, sata3, maybe even usb3... low temp... many slots for memory... looking for one around 180-190 or 200 the highest.
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[Ferrari]

Hi chiefrunningwolf, I have been very busy the last few days, and I apologize for the delay.

The best way to answer your questions is to see and read other reviews of the various GPU's and CPU's. In a nutshell, the 5850 will provide higher FPS and smoother gameplay than the 5770, however both are pretty good cards. It just depends if playing at the maximum settings is important to you, and how high of FPS you want. Similar things for the CPU, but again, all of them are good. The i7 930 at Microcenter for that price is a steal. I love when they have sales like that. Usually the processor is about $300 on Newegg (which is the cheapest around) except for when Microcenter has those sales. As for editing, yes, the i7-930 is going to be your best friend there.

If you want 100 FPS, and I don't even know if you'll get it or not, get the 5850 and the i7 930. Also note that the i7 930 requires an X58 chipset mobo, while the i5-750 and i7-860 require the P55 chipset.

Gigabyte, and I think ASUS now too, has boards with SATA 6gb/s and USB 3.0 that support Crossfire. Take a look at them, or let me know which CPU you are going to get and I can recommend one.

Again, sorry for the delay. Let me know.