I think I might actually have a little bit of a clue. Who was it that said a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing?
iammykyl, thank you for the link, it did in fact clear up something for me. My partner has been discussing possibly getting into video of games, and your link was EXTREMELY helpful, as it confirmed my suspicion that for video one of the CORE chips would be the way to go, I had been considering finding an AMD, a friend of mine told me they were cheaper for the same workability, but I think a CORE will allow me to expand as I need to later, rather than just filling my need now.
DACJR, I hope I read your comments correctly, in that you seem to be suggesting that planning now for expansion later was probably a really good idea. To that end I did some more digging and made a few changes. I'm including what hasnt changed, just so theres no silly scrolling to see the whole list.
Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit 269.99 (check with college prof friend)
http://www.newegg.co...6-718-_-Product
Video Card - XFX HD - 583X - ZAFV 189.99
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814150497
Sound Card - ASUS Xonar DS 49.99
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16829132013
Card Reader - nMEDIAPC ZE-C138 24.99
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820132022
Mother Board - EVGA X58 Classified 499.99
http://www.tigerdire...1&Sku=E145-2062
Processer - Intel Core i7 950 299.99
http://www.newegg.co...5-215-_-Product
Case - Cooler Master RC-942-KKN1 HAF X ATX Full Tower 199.99
http://www.tigerdire...dy=#ReviewStart
RAM - 6 gig - Mushkin Enhanced Ridgeback 199.99
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820226124
Power Supply - COOLER MASTER Silent Pro Gold Series RS800-80GAD3-US 800W ATX 159.99
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817171057
Hard Drives - 2 - Western Digital WD1002FAEX Caviar Black Hard Drive - 1TB, 7200RPM, 64MB, SATA 6Gbs 179.98
http://www.tigerdire...6939&CatId=2459
Disk Drive - Pioneer BDR-205 Internal Blu-ray Disc/DVD/CD Writer 149.99
http://www.tigerdire...9699&CatId=3634
I left the sound card, I found no mention of onboard sound in the motherboard description, and while I am not an audiophile and dont need the best of the best, I do need to be able to turn on some tunes when I work.
I looked for a motherboard that would meet my needs now, and have ultimate expandibility later. The little bit of research I have gotten to do into video leads me to believe that the motherboard I finally chose would be the best route, as I will simply have to buy another later to slip into video or 3D later.
The motherboard also required a change in CPU, as it only accepts the newest i7, unless I'm reading something wrong. Rather a price hike, but I guess one must make a few sacrifices on the front end to avoid doubleing costs later. Perhaps when I get everything all finalized, I can find a great deal that will take a little bit of the sting out.
Same for the case unfortunately, I wasnt looking for a 200 dollar case, to be sure, but the motherboard is oversized, so only a few cases will fit it. But then again, I doubt I should ever need another case because of expansion, so I am choosing to look at it as an investment that over time will level out to way less than having to replace to fit a new motherboard.
I'm rather iffy on the disk drive. Right now I don't need more than read for DVD or BR, and rewrite on CD. I chose what I did in case I ever need it, but it does seem like over kill, and I am consdiering looking for something more to fit my needs, rather than my maybes, I would appreciate opinions on this.
I am also unsure about the power supply. I could find no way to decisivly say "you need this many watts", So I took a guess, and would REALLY like someone to tell me if they think its enough for what I have, and maybe some expansion... or if I need something more or less.
I'm happy (possibly ignorantly so) with most of my choices, so if someone with some knowledge could have a look and see what they think, I would appreciate it. I tried to match numbers and look for what one part needed to work with the other parts, but I am rather afraid I've missed some important bit of information.
Thank you for all your time and effort, it really is appreciated!!!
Char
FTW! Images
Edited by Char FTW! Images, 20 October 2010 - 06:22 AM.